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Chinese Cloisonné: a new Christmas tradition?

explorchina — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 02:28:07 +0000

Photos: beijingcloisonne.com

Delicate cloisonné decorations have long been part of China’s accessorizing history: bracelets, rings, earrings… and now Christmas trees. Popular in China for hundreds of years, savvy craftsmen know an opportunity when they see it, and now butterfl ies, angels (below), Santa Clauses, snow fl akes and snowmen are relatively easyto- find ornaments in Beijing’s markets.

“As an international city, Beijing is becoming more open toward festivals like Christmas,” Liu Hui, a consultant in a foreign investment company said. She has several cloisonné decorations in Christmas patterns.

The legend of cloisonné

Cloisonné (jingtailan) was named for the painting color, which was mainly blue. This traditional Chinese craftwork fi rst emerged 600 years ago, during the Yuan Dynasty. Originally, gold, silver and copper were combined in up to 10 di. erent processes to make decorations and jewellery. Procedures include fi ligreeing, soldering, polishing, bluing and gold plating, all of which must be done manually. The craft allegedly has its origins among ordinary people.

One night, a part of the imperial palace burst into flames, demolishing the Jin Luan Dian, where royal treasures were restored. The emperor asked that people gather the treasures that survived, and was surprised to be delivered an elegant, multicolored vase. Never had the emperor seen anything like it, and it caught his fancy, so he ordered the best craftsmen in the city to attempt to reproduce the pattern in three days or face punishment. After receiving the order, the craftsmen bustled around trying to replicate the vase, without a single clue as to where to begin.

Here’s where it gets funky. One old craftsman was staring at an ordinary vase, desperately trying to fi gure out a technique, when suddenly a bright, colorful light came out of the vase and turned into a beautiful goddess. She exclaimed a poem before disappearing into the air. Following her words, the craftsman understood the process of making the vase and saved himself and the others from punishment. From there, the technique spread to all men.

Somewhat more realistically, history also holds that during the Ming Dynasty, craftsmen discovered a dark blue glaze that they felt made crafts look more elegant and noble; this is the glaze we now know as cloisonné blue. Cloisonné combines traditional techniques in crafting bronzes and pottery. The value of each piece depends upon the color and the technician’s skill, and the resulting piece is considered a symbol of Chinese tradition, so cloisonné Christmas ornaments are relatively strange to locals. Ding Shanxing, an employee at a local cloisonné store, said that most of his seasonal decorations are for export, as the Chinese still have reservations about spending money on celebrating Christmas. But as more cloisonné is introduced to the market, Christmas in Beijing can’t help but adopt such artful Chinese characteristics.

Wan Tong Shopping Center, A Building

Address: 2nd Floor, A Building, Wan Tong Shopping Center, Fu Cheng Men North Main Street, Xi Cheng District, Beijing Tel: 68588145

Beijing Hong Qiao Pearl Market – Christmas cloisonné

Address: Stall 308, Floor 3, No. 46 Tian Tan East Road, Chong Wen District, Beijing Tel: 6711-7499

Source: Global Times

Kunqu and Peking Opera

explorchina — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 03:17:10 +0000

Du Liniang played by Shen Fengying and her lover Liu Mengmei by Yu Jiulin in a scene from The Peony Pavilion.

Kunqu and Peking Opera maestro Mei Lanfang (1894-1961) gave a famous performance at Shanghai’s Majestic Theater in 1946. Among the audience of celebrities and officials were the Kuomintang general Bai Chongxi (Pai Chung-hsi) and his family, including 9-year-old son Kenneth Pai Hsien-yong. That night, Mei and artist Yu Zhenfei enacted a scene from The Peony Pavilion (牡丹亭) called The Interrupted Dream (游园惊梦). It was a memorable night.

“I think it was fate. I did not know what it was. I did not understand it. But it haunted me,” says 72-year-old Kenneth Pai, in his hotel room near Peking University. When Pai recalls his first encounter with Kunqu Opera there is excitement in his big, expressive eyes, even though 63 years have passed.

It was the beginning of a love affair with old opera and especially The Peony Pavilion, which turned out to be an “interrupted dream” throughout his life.

Pai’s childhood in Shanghai ended in 1949 when the Kuomintang Party was defeated and the family settled in Taiwan, where he studied English literature at Taipei University and became an author.

At university he came across the scripts of The Peony Pavilion by Tang Xianzu (1550-1616) and he returned to the story many times as a writer. Inspired by the opera, he wrote a short story titled The Interrupted Dream in 1966. In 1982, he adapted this into a stage play. A year later, he produced two acts of the original opera, The Interrupted Dream, in Taipei.

“But it was not until 1987 when I returned to the mainland for the first time in 38 years to see a Kunqu Opera in Shanghai that my passion for the opera was lit again,” Pai says.

As a guest professor, he was invited to Shanghai Fudan University to give classes for three months. On the day before leaving, he got a ticket to see The Palace of Eternal Youth () performed by the Shanghai Kunqu Opera Company.

“I was overwhelmed,” he says, “jumping and clapping even after the rest of the audience had left. In Taiwan I heard that Kunqu Opera was forbidden during the ‘cultural revolution’ (1966-76) and it was dying in the mainland. But that night, I saw a wonderful performance by the leading artists, Cai Zhengren and Hua Wenyi. I saw the art revived, with my own eyes.”

After the show, Pai went backstage to meet the performers and they invited him to join the after-show dinner.

Then fate played another trick. When Pai arrived at the restaurant, at No 150 Fenyang Street, he found it was where his family had lived in Shanghai, before they left in 1949.

“How incredible! Life is a drama! All the memories of my boyhood in Shanghai flashed back and I felt it was indeed a ‘dream interrupted’,” he says, his eyes sparkling.

The actors told him how they had struggled to revive Kunqu Opera. Pai decided: “If they can do this, I must help them. If this art form could survive the ‘cultural revolution’, it must go on.”

After returning to Taiwan, Pai resumed his dream of staging his own large-scale Kunqu Opera production. In 1992 he produced a three-hour show in Taipei, but felt it was “not that good”.

“I want to do a more beautiful production, a production that caters for young audiences in the 21st century,” says Pai, who says the opera is facing two main problems.

First, the maestros are aging and no longer fit enough to play the roles of young men and women in the various Kunqu Opera love stories; while the young actors just get a few supporting roles. The second main problem is that the audience comprises usually old people.

He also points out that Taiwan and the mainland have different problems. Taiwan has a wide audience base who appreciate Kunqu Opera, but less well-trained performers. The mainland, on the other hand, has the best performers but a shrinking audience and low income for the performers.

A breakthrough came in 2002, Pai was invited to give lectures about Kunqu Opera to middle school students in Hong Kong.

“It was the biggest challenge of my teaching career: How to attract some 1,500 teenagers who speak Cantonese and have probably never heard old opera to concentrate for two hours. I asked the organizer to get some performers to give a demonstration at my lecture,” says Pai.

Yu Jiulin, in his early 20s, from Suzhou Kunqu Opera Company, performed a scene from The Peony Pavilion and convinced Pai he was the perfect Liu Mengmei, the leading male role in the play.

“Everybody in the lecture hall watched his performance carefully. Nobody walked out, nobody used their cell phone and nobody talked during the demonstration. I thought since these kids speak Cantonese and can appreciate it, why not those in Jiangsu, Shanghai or Beijing?”

Soon after, Pai went to Suzhou Kunqu Opera Company where he discovered Shen Fengying, “a young girl with charming eyes that bespoke shyness, tenderness and love”. In Pai’s eyes, she was the perfect Du Liniang, a leading female role in The Peony Pavilion.

Then Pai collaborated with Suzhou Kunqu Opera Company, getting two Kunqu maestros Wang Shiyu and Zhang Jiqing to work with Yu and Shen to create what he calls the “Young Lovers’ Edition” of The Peony Pavilion, a lightly modernized production.

Since its premiere in 2004, the nine-hour, three-night show has been performed over 180 times in the mainland, Taiwan, United States and Europe, to great acclaim. The main reason for this success is the blending of tradition with innovation, thus giving Kunqu Opera aesthetics a new direction.

“What challenges us most is how to combine tradition and modern aesthetics, how to revive the 600-year-old art on the 21st century stage,” Pai says.

“My practice is to follow tradition. But it is not limited by tradition and has a correct modern interpretation. It is like you cannot add or change any stroke in a piece of ancient calligraphy, but you can mount it in a nice frame to hang on the wall in the right light. With Kunqu, we use modern lighting, costumes and settings but the acting, narrative and singing retains a traditional style.”

Pai’s second “Young Lovers’ Edition” Kunqu Opera play The Jade Hairpin (玉簪记), also performed by Yu and Shen, premiered last night at Peking University Hall and again demonstrates his concept of modernized Kuqnu Opera.

To Pai, The Peony Pavilion is an epic love story while The Jade Hairpin is more exquisite and a typical play between the sheng (male role) and dan (female role).

Based on a well-known Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) story, The Jade Hairpin by Gao Lian (1527-1609) is a passionate love story between the young scholar Pan Bizheng and the Taoist priestess Chen Miaochang. It is one of the earliest romantic plays that deals with sexuality. The young lovers defy the conventions of puritanical Confucianism and religious abstinence to unite in secret.

Director Weng Guosheng from Zhejiang Kunqu Opera Company takes another big step toward simplicity and freedom in expression. The linear beauty of Chinese calligraphy occupies a central place on stage. Dong Yang-Tzi’s calligraphy, and Hsi Sung’s paintings create an “ink-wash” world on stage. The costumes designed by Wang Tong have an understated elegance. This production endeavors to raise the aesthetics of Kunqu Opera to an even higher level of poetic expression.

The Jade Hairpin is on tonight and The Peony Pavilion will run from Dec 18 to 20 at Peking University Hall. The performances are part of Kunqu Opera Culture Week, co-launched by Pai and Peking University. Aside from the performances, Pai is also giving lectures at Peking University, Peking Normal University, Tsinghua University and China Europe International Business School Beijing Campus.

The on-going Kunqu Opera Culture Week at Peking University kicks off a five-year project on Kunqu Opera, co-launched by Peking University, Suzhou Kunqu Opera Company, Kenneth Pai Hisen-Yong – and sponsored by Coca-Cola China.

In the next five years, Peking University will regularly hold international symposiums and seminars about Kunqu Opera; establish a digital database to record, collect and preserve Kunqu Opera performances; open classes on appreciating the opera; collaborate with opera schools to train young performers; and set up a foundation to finance student Kunqu Opera societies and communities. During the annual culture week, leading companies will perform new productions of classic repertoires and renowned artists will give lectures at campuses.

Source: Global Times

Sun Tzu’s ‘Art of War’ Merits Close Study in China

infoseekchina — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 22:54:00 +0000

Source: By Bloomberg News

China’s top political adviser Jia Qinglin has urged the study of a 2,500-year-old Chinese war manual called “The Art of War” to tackle challenges in the modern world, the state-run Xinhua News Service reported.

The book by Chinese military strategist Sun Tzu may have a role in promoting peace, the report cited Jia, chairman of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, as saying at a Beijing conference co-sponsored by the People’s Liberation Army. Jia is also the fourth-ranked member of the Communist Party Politburo Standing Committee, China’s top ruling body.

Jia’s statement may be a reaffirmation by the ruling party of the Chinese military’s role in the world’s third-biggest economy, said Robert Broadfoot, Hong Kong-based managing director of Political and Economic Risk Consultancy. As China spends more to secure overseas resources, arguments for a bigger military budget to protect those assets become more compelling, Broadfoot said in an interview.

China as recently as a week ago reiterated its military is intended for defense and that the nation has no plans to establish regional hegemony or start an arms race. In an Oct. 27 speech in Washington, China’s No. 2 military official, General Xu Caihou, said the country will go on the offensive only after an enemy initiates an attack.

The nation’s defense spending has averaged annual increases of 16.2 percent from 1999 to 2008, according to Chinese government figures.

Oldest Military Treatise

The Art of War “takes a strategic look at competition,” said Broadfoot. It helps understand the Chinese mindset, he said.

The book, written between 515 BC and 512 BC, is one of the world’s oldest military treatises.

Divided into 13 chapters, it presents hypothetical war scenarios and instructs readers on how to overcome their opponents based on strength, morale, and moral standing.

Some of the basic tenets include: “The principle on which to manage an army is to set up one standard of courage which all must reach,” “He who exercises no forethought but makes light of his opponents is sure to be captured by them,” and “If a general shows confidence in his men but always insists on his orders being obeyed, the gain will be mutual.”

The book has been translated into more than 32 languages and is a standard reference at military schools worldwide. The book has also been the basis for Western management guides such as “The Art of War for the Management Warrior: Sun Tzu’s Strategy for Managers” by Gary Gagliardi.

Source article: http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601089&sid=aWnZQhY93mqs

Women as Nurturers and Purveyors of Chinese Tea Culture

infoseekchina — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 17:48:00 +0000

Source: http://www.cha-china.cn/Translated by womenofchina.cn

China’s 5,000 year-long tea culture owes much to the initiative and acumen of Chinese women. It was they who first came up with the idea of peddling bowls of tea on city streets, and of opening teahouses that were – and still are – places to discuss commercial, philosophical and everyday matters, listen to story tellers recount ancient legends, or simply savor a cup of fine tea.

Fu Xian of the Jin Dynasty (265-420) made one of the earliest recorded references to tea peddling in his Director of Retainer’ Teachings. Fu writes: “An old lady from Sichuan began selling tea and porridge in the streets, but a group of minor officials smashed her cart. Later she sold cookies instead. It is difficult to understand why they forbade the sale of tea and porridge.” An idealized version of this story appears in Qi Lao’s Biography of Guangling. In his admiration for the old lady from Sichuan as forerunner of China’s many teahouse proprietresses, he made her an immortal. Qi Lao writes: “During the reign of Emperor Jinyuan an old lady sold bowls of tea from a cart at the market. People bought tea from her from morning to dawn, and she distributed much of her profits to beggars and orphans. When state officials heard about this they threw her in jail, but during the night the old lady gathered up her tea making paraphernalia and flew out of the window to the heavens.”

Women peddling of bowls of tea during the Jin Dynasty soon progressed to opening specialist tea stores that naturally gave rise to teahouses, where patrons could sit and drink tea or buy packets of tea leaves to present as gifts. Teahouses became even more common during the northern and southern dynasties (420-581).

Tea cultivation reached its zenith in the Tang Dynasty (618-907). There were eight separate tea zones around China that achieved an annual tea production of over 100,000 tons. Lu Yu’s book of Tea Stories in 780 AD celebrates China’s prosperous tea culture. Feng Yan recounts in his Records of Hearing and Seeing, “Teahouses opened in Zou, Qi, Cang, Di and eventually Jing Yi. Their patrons were from all walks – from common laborers to Taoists.”

The popularity of tea drinking created out of necessity a more suitable vessel for the beverage than bowls, which often scalded the drinker’s hands. The so-called “three piece suite” was devised by a young woman from Chengdu, according to Zixia’s Tang Dynasty Compilation of Tea Tales. The story goes that during the Tang Jianzhong reign the daughter of Prime Minister Cui Ning, who had enjoyed drinking tea since her childhood, came up with the idea of placing the tea bowl on a saucer. To keep the bowl in place she first tried melting wax on the saucer, and then painting it with lacquer. Her finishing touch — a lid — crowned the “three-piece suite” of bowl, saucer and lid that neither slipped nor scalded. This inventive young woman dedicated her invention to her delighted father, Prime Minister Cui Ning, to whom it symbolized to him a microcosm in which, “The heaven covers, the earth carries, and people cultivate,” Cui Ning’s philosophical vision of this “tea set” lives on today in the concept of “San Cai”, which is heaven, man and earth.

During the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) 18 teahouses sprang up in Beijing. Cao Xueqin’s classic Chinese novel, A Dream of Red Mansions is full of references to various fine teas. One of the main characters in the novel, Miaoyu is an expert in the tea-making ritual. Chapter 41 describes how Jia Baoyu sips a superior brand of green tea at the Green Bower Hermitage. Miaoyu’s supreme tea making art is manifest in her tea-making equipment and the precious water in which she brews it. Miaoyu serves Grandma Jia “Brow of Laojun” tea, reputed to be “silver needle” tea plucked from Junshan Mountain. Her tea pot is of kamcheng ware, fired in the Cheng kiln, which was the official Jingdezhen kiln of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) Chenghua reign. She brews tea leaves in accumulated rain water, or “heavenly springs.” The cup in which she serves the character Baochai tea has a handle and is inscribed, in the great poet Sushi’s calligraphy, with the characters “King Jin Kai’s Treasure Ware.” The character Daiyu’s cup is smaller and in the distinctive style of an alms bowl. Bao Yu’s cup is her own “Green Jade scoop.” As she says, “All your tea wares are antiques and treasures, but mine is seen everywhere.” The water in which Miaoyu brews tea leaves and serves Xue Baochai, Lin Daiyu and Jia Baoyu in her chamber is from melted snow on plum blossom in the Coiled Incense Temple on Dark Barrow Mountain, collected and purified in buried earthen jars.

China’s tea culture declined during the war-ravaged Republican period. But there were patriots and heroines who used teahouses as places to plot against Japanese invaders and warlords.

Reform and Opening-up brought a revival of Chinese tea culture. There are today more than 1,400,000 hectares of tea gardens in China that yield 1,000,000 or more tons of tea leaves. China’s agricultural tea output amounts to approximately 40 billion yuan, of which 300,000 tons is exported, generating revenues of US$ 0.5 billion. Domestic sales of tea amount to 660,000 tons, which earn a retail sales income of 56 billion yuan. China has more than 180,000 primary tea processing mills, 1,800 tea refineries, 300 large-scale tea wholesale markets, 100,000 tea retail outlets, and 60,000 tea houses that generate total business revenues of 30 billion yuan. The 6 million-ton annual production of tea soft drinks also brings in a 35 billion yuan income. Tea-related workers include more than 80 million (including part-timers) tea farmers, 5 million in the tea processing industry and 15 million in tea marketing. Tea has become a major industry generating a cash flow of over 100 billion yuan. It also promotes health, the development of agriculture and employment opportunities. China’s prosperous tea industry is largely attributable to the efforts of Chinese women.

Statistics show that 90% of teahouse owners, including those of Beijing’s famous Laoshe, Wu Fu, Geng Xiang, Bo Yuan Fang, Bi Lu Xuan, Ting Hu Xuan Bi Shui Dan Shan, Ci Ming Yuan teahouses, and also the Dong Li Tea Gardens, are women. Among China’s tens of thousands of tea merchants, 95% are women, as are the CEOs of more than 50% of Chinese tea companies. They include Sun Yuehua, original president of the China Tea Company; Wang Xiulan, president of the Zhang Yiyuan Tea Company; Sun Danwei, president of the Wuyutai Tea Company; and Zhu Lili, president of the Geng Xiang Tea Company.

Tea leaf pickers are also mainly women, by virtue of their slim, deft fingers that pluck without bruising millions of tons of tea leaves. China tea, a product that embodies oriental womanly know-how and industry, is enjoyed all over the globe, and acts as an ambassador of peace, good health and moderation.

Famous poet Su Dongpo once said “The best of tea has a beauty all its own, and the tea trade is one nurtured and maintained by women.”

Source article: http://www.womenofchina.cn/Lifestyle/Customs/213529.jsp

Feastful offer for visitors to Terracotta Warriors

infoseekchina — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 16:48:00 +0000

Source: By Lin Shujuan (China Daily)

Buy one get one free. Visitors to the Terracotta Warriors Museum in the capital of Shaanxi province can from the end of next year use their tickets to partake of the beauty of a theme park being built near the mausoleum site of China’s first emperor Qinshihuang.

“Work on the relic site park of Qinshihuang’s Mausoleum is progressing well and is expected to be completed by the end of 2010,” said Wu Yongqi, curator of the Museum of Terracotta Warriors and Horses of Qinshihuang.

On Saturday, the museum in Lintong county, 35 km from downtown Xi’an, will celebrate the 35th anniversary of the discovery of the terracotta army.

Discovered in 1974 by some farmers digging a well, the terracotta army has brought the tomb of Emperor Qinshihuang – the founder of China’s first feudal ruler of Qin Dynasty (221 BC-207 BC) – and his entourage after death to the world’s attention.

The museum has received about 70 million visitors, including at least 7 million from abroad since opening to the public in 1979.

One mile to its west is the giant tomb mound of the emperor. The 80-m-high earth pyramid stands on top of a burial chamber. For more than 2,000 years, people knew that the mound housed the tomb of the First Emperor but none had any idea of its real scale.

In 2002, researchers confirmed that it was only the centerpiece of a giant necropolis. The mausoleum is built like a well-structured city with a huge underground palace at the center. Surrounding the palace is an inner city, beyond which is an outer city. The 2,200-year-old mausoleum is spread over 2.13 sq km.

The terracotta warriors, believed to be modeled after the emperor’s real soldiers, were placed outside the outer city as gatekeepers of one of the biggest tombs ever made.

After the discovery of the terracotta warriors, the government ordered a series of further diggings. In all, 600 pits were discovered over 56.25 sq km.

“But,” Wu said, “the overall plan of the cemetery remains a mystery.”

In 2005, the government decided to transform the central part of the mausoleum site into a theme park, and spent 900 million yuan ($130 million) to relocate about 6,000 residents and 24 enterprises to clear the area.

Trees are being planted, and roads paved to make the park as attractive and accessible as possible, Wu said.

Further research using remote sensing and geophysical exploration technologies will continue on the mausoleum site, he said.

“But there’s no plan to excavate the mausoleum in the foreseeable future, even though we are eager to know what is lying beneath,” Wu said.

Source article: http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/bizchina/2009-10/10/content_8774121.htm

Orlando Kelm on How to Talk Business in China

David Wenger — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 14:50:42 +0000

How can we avoid tripping over our own provincialism?

Everyone is talking about business in China. Just this past week at the Texas Executive Education Business Growth Strategies panel, professor John Doggett warned U.S. marketers they must learn to capture customers in China, or face extinction. John Berra, chairman of Emerson Process Management spoke of the decades of investment his company has made in Chinese manufacturing infrastructure in order to preserve their customer base.

Let’s assume we haven’t been to China. (Well I haven’t, have you?) Now we are all scrambling to familiarize ourselves with this new consumer marketplace, how can we avoid tripping over our own provincialism? I never read The Ugly American but I did see the movie and I get it, we can be jackasses overseas.

Orlando Kelm to the rescue. Kelm teaches Spanish and Portuguese at The University of Texas at Austin, and he also focuses on issues of global business culture. I ran across his series of cultural interviews with Chinese-speaking professionals (produced together with Jeanette Chen and Haidan Wang) and found it fascinating. The short video interviews feature Chinese business people discussing topics such as “When does Yes really mean No?” and “Are Americans seen as pushy?”

An example, from Xue Yan Liao from Guangzhou, China:

Generally speaking, Chinese people won’t express their meaning directly. They’ll express what they want or don’t want in a more circuitous manner. When negotiating, uh, in general, the people I know, if they’re saying “yes,” they’re probably more direct. [They’ll] come right out and say, “I agree with your view” or “I accept these terms,” this kind of thing. However, if, uh, when they don’t want to accept, they’ll probably say, uh, “Perhaps I can think about this a little more” or “I’ll go ask my boss,” or they’ll say, “I think you can improve these terms a little more,” these kinds of responses. It’s not a very direct way of communicating a negative meaning. But, but when you think closely about these answers, they’ve already told you that they don’t accept your view.

Uh, so I think that if you want to see if someone accepts your view, you have to look at his expression, [note] his tone, and the responses of the people around him, these kinds of things. That’s how you accurately judge whether it’s a “yes” or a “no.” Uh, however, I think that now more and more Chinese are expressing themselves more directly, especially young people. If they don’t like something, they’ll, uh, probably say so directly. Uh, but I personally, I think being able to judge is a more, is probably more, uh, is a more insightful game, and probably takes more skill, so I won’t necessarily say things directly. That is all.

The interviews are short, easily digested (translated into three forms of Chinese and English) and somewhat endearing.

If China is not your bag, Kelm also features interviews with Brazilian, German, Japanese and Turkish executives.

Shoton Festival Celebrated in Tibet

infoseekchina — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 17:11:00 +0000

Source: All-China Women’s Federation

Shoton Festival (Yoghurt Festival), usually celebrated in the sixth month of Tibetan calendar, is one of the most important festivals in the Tibetan Buddhism and in Tibetan area. “Sho” means the Yoghurt and “ton” means banquet in the Tibetan language. Shoton Festival means the festival when people drink Yoghurt according to the explanation of Tibetan.

Full article: http://www.womenofchina.cn/news/Updates_on_Women/212656.jsp

Costume of Mongolian Ethnic Group Displayed in Hohhot

infoseekchina — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 04:05:00 +0000

Xinhua News Agency July 22, 2009

Historical Hair Ornaments and Their Social Connotations

infoseekchina — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 16:47:00 +0000

Source: lunwentianxia.com/ Translated by womenofchina.cn

Hairpins and hair clasps were everyday embellishments in old China. During the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing Dynasties (1644-1911), women’s hair ornaments expressed traditional Chinese thought and culture in exquisite, sophisticated techniques.

The generic term for hairpins and hair clasps is ji. A one bar ji keeps coiled hair in place, and a two bar ji is a feature of the hairstyle itself. Before the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) both Chinese men and women wore their hair in a coiled bun with a ji to keep it in place.

The fashionable designs and diverse patterns of these ornaments made them a favorite ornament with women of all social strata.

Fashioned in materials that included jade, gold, silver, ivory, bronze and carved wood, the style, materials and craftsmanship of these hair ornaments reflected both social status and Chinese ethnic culture.

The patterns, craftsmanship, materials and number of hair ornaments a woman wore signified her social rank. Feudal etiquette defined the style of hair ornaments women wore on formal occasions, such as weddings or court ceremonies.

The elaborate buyao hairpin was an exquisite hair ornament denoting noble status. Often encrusted with jewels and featuring carved designs, the main feature of a buyao was its pendants that flatteringly framed the wearer’s face and “danced” as she moved, hence the name buyao, which literally means “shake as you go”. This ornament was generally made of of gold in the shape of a dragon or phoenix and adorned with pearls and jade.

Hair ornaments worn by women of wealth also took the form of gold flowers encrusted with jewels depicting flowers or animals.

Among popular decorative patterns were auspicious birds and beasts, such as the dragon, phoenix, crane, deer and the 12 animals of the Chinese “zodiac.” The deer was considered a propitious animal because its pronunciation in Chinese is the same as that for six, which denotes success. Hairpins in the design of a mandarin duck denoted married bliss. Patterns of flowers and fruit-bearing trees featured the peony, lotus flower, plum, guava and asphodel. The five petals on a plum represent blessings, high-salary, longevity, luck and wealth.

Designs depicting auspicious objects included musical instruments, chess pieces, calligraphic characters, and the “four treasures of the scholar’s studio” comprising the calligraphy brush, ink stick, ink slab and paper.

But to the women of ancient China the ji was far more than just a hair ornament. The ji ceremony, which bestowed a hairpin upon a young woman when she reached the age of 15, was a rite of passage signifying that she had reached marriageable age.

A hairpin also functioned as a love token. When Chinese lovers of ancient times were forced to part they would often split a hairpin, both keeping a half with them at all times until they were reunited.

Full article: http://www.womenofchina.cn/Lifestyle/Costumes/211920.jsp

Mystery of Women Underwear in Ancient China

infoseekchina — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 17:56:00 +0000

english.eastday.com 18/07/2009

In ancient China，women’s outer garments were strictly governed by rank.In order to express their inner feeling and distinguish themselves from other women, the intelligent ancient women chose their underwear as the platform to express their feelings and exhibit their delicate craftsmanship and ingenious designs.

Shape

Basicly, there are two types of underwear: double-pieced and single-pieced. Underwears in different shapes like square-shaped, diamond-shaped, triangular-shaped，a semi-circle, the propitious ruyi style (“satisfactory”) ,or modeled after nature, give different visual impressions and reveal the ingenuous creativity of ancient women.

Color

The ancient women use color to distinguish their underwears from others.Some chose bright colors like red, green,yellow ,purple and combined them to make a sharp contrast while others preferred to generat an harmonious effect by combing bland colors: similar hues and gradual changes in color from light to dark.

Hehuanjin
The name of “Hehuanjin” in Chinese alludes to the close relationship concerning sex. It gained its popularity in Yuan Dynasty and became alluring since its buttons were fastened in the front and the whole back is exposed. The major martial of “Hehuanjin” was thick brocade.

Hezi
Tang Dynasty reached its economic prosperity and became an open society.Thus, the underwear was heavily influenced. During that time, women began donning“hezi”, a piece of cloth that swathed the breasts and back which exposes the neck,shoulders and upper half of their breasts.“hezi”made the lace redundant but buttons essential which were fastened in the front. Usually,heavy and elastic material is used to make a sexy visual impact of the breasts.

Dudou
“Dudou”, or bellyband appeared in Qing Dynasty. It is usually made into a diamond shape and its lower part into reserved triangle shape to cover the belly. Lace is placed near the neck and the waist to be fastened and to accentuate the curves of the torso. The material of the lace can be silk, cotton , copper or even gold. Sometimes the”Dudou” has a pocket.Women will put some Chinese traditional medicine for health care.The traditional Chinese embroidery patterns could also be found on “Dudou”. Designs of tigers, scorpions, snakes and geckos were embroidered to ward off evil spirits. Themes of love, such as lotus and pairs of mandarin ducks, were also common on bellybands. “Dudou” seems to be the most enduring and popular underwear. It lasted until the introduction of the brassiere in the 20th century.

Xieyi
“Xieyi” appeared in Han Dynasty. “Xie” in Chinese means frivolity, suggesting people’s evasive attitude towards underwear during that time. It was known of its frivolity, with a form like nowadays vest.
It was considered disgraceful to have once own underwear seen. As a result, people in that time, especially women, never hung their underwear outside after washing so as not to be seen by passers-by.

Moxiong
During the Song Dynasty, the“moxiong,”a piece of underwear that can be used to cover both the breasts and the stomach, became widely popular. Common people weared the “moxiong” made of cotton while rich women chose silk ones.

Full Article: http://english.eastday.com/Culture/Ethnic/two/sw/index.html

Liu Ye's Big Day

infoseekchina — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 17:25:00 +0000

CRIENGLISH.com 2009-07-06 15:45:24

Award-winning Chinese actor Liu Ye married Anais Martane, his French bride, at a star-studded wedding in Beijing on Sunday.

Liu’s publicist said the reception was only open to family and friends, but media waited outside a swanky clubhouse near Ditan Park, where the wedding was held, to get any details on the Golden Horse Award winner’s nuptials.

Photos released by Liu’s agent showed that the wedding appeared to be a mixture of Western and traditional Chinese styles.

Liu, 31, began dating low-key French photographer Anais, who is based in Beijing, in late 2006.

In 2001, Liu Ye became the youngest best actor winner in the history of the Taiwan Golden Horse Film Awards for his role as the title character in “Lan Yu”, Stanley Kwan’s movie about two gay lovers in Beijing. His recent films include Lu Chuan’s “City of Life and Death” and Zhang Yimou’s “Curse of the Golden Flower”.

Full article: http://english.cri.cn/6666/2009/07/06/1261s499133.htm

Sounds of Yunnan rocks Beijing

infoseekchina — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 15:23:00 +0000

CCTV 2009-07-04 09:23 BJT

The dance drama “Sounds of Yunnan” premiered at Beijing’s Poly Theatre on Thursday night. After the large-scale landscape show “Impression Yunnan”, this new production, directed by famous Chinese dancer Yang Liping, is the second to feature the mysterious charm of Southwest China’s Yunnan province.
The dance drama “Sounds of Yunnan” premiered at Beijing’s Poly Theatreon Thursday night.

As its name suggests, the show is all about the sounds in the land of mystery. In this scene, performers strike earthen bowls and drums, creating a mixture of sounds that herald the birth of a new life. The whole village drums up support for a pregnant women giving birth.

Everything becomes a percussion instrument. The actors use drums, gongs, and even dustpans to mimic the sounds of wind, thunder, and rain in a celebration of the new-born babe.

The sounds of nature are given further artistic expression in the later part of show. An ample supply of local musical instruments were used to achieved a mixture of sounds, sometimes fast and furious, sometimes slow and gentle.

View video: http://www.cctv.com/program/cultureexpress/20090704/102167.shtml

Full article: http://www.cctv.com/program/cultureexpress/20090704/101265.shtml

China's National Zoological Museum opens in Beijing

infoseekchina — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 17:34:00 +0000

CCTV 2009-07-03 09:05 BJT

After a one month long trial, China’s National Zoological Museum is now officially open to public in Beijing. As the largest zoological museum in the country, the complex has attracted hundreds to experience the mystery of the animal kingdom.

Big or small, the museum has collected almost all the animals that could be found in China. From mammals to reptiles, from birds to insects, over five-thousand specimens are being displayed in the national zoological museum.

Director Huang Chengming said, “Lending from other modern museum, the exhibits are displayed in theme. There are three ways on offer. You may read the knowledge, see the specimens and interact with the windows of zoology. From basic to core information, every exhibition hall has taken care of viewers from different backgrounds. There is also a four dimensional cinema. Depending on these, we hope that science can be shown in an easier way.”

The National Zoological Museum is located inside Institute of Zoology at Chinese Academy of Science in eastern Beijing’s Chaoyang district. The ticket price is 40 yuan or about 6 US dollars for adult with discount for students and group visits. It opens from 9am to 4 p.m. from Tuesday to Sunday.

View video: http://www.cctv.com/program/cultureexpress/20090703/103128.shtml

Full article: http://english.cctv.com/20090703/101682.shtml

Childhood games may show up expo

infoseekchina — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 15:16:00 +0000

CCTV 2009-06-27 09:22 BJT

World Expo organizers want to use children’s games to display China’s folk culture to the world. Chen Xuan from ICS takes a look at some of the games that the city of Shanghai grew up with.

Zhu Jindi, resident, said, “I used to play all these games.”

Chen Xuan, ICS reporter, said, “This is similar with “Jacks”, the game many westerners play with.”

Zhong Fulan, director, Shanghai Folk Culture Society, said, “These are no longer just games.”

Foreign visitors to the Expo next year will be able to try the games themselves while learning more about folk culture in Shanghai.

View video: http://vod.cctv.com/html/media/cultureexpress/2009/06/cultureexpress_300_20090627_5.shtml

Full article: http://english.cctv.com/20090627/101220.shtml

Peking Opera artists mark PRC's 60 birthday

infoseekchina — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 14:00:00 +0000

CCTV 2009-06-25 09:00 BJT

Shanghai Peking Opera stars Shang Changrong and Guan Dongtian have presented the old story of Yu Chenglong in a new way in Beijing. The performance is their special gift for the 60th birthday of the People’s Republic of China.

It’s one of the most successful Peking Operas, based on history.

It revolves around an official of the Qing Dynasty.

Yu Chenglong wins praise from Emperor Kangxi for being exceptional honesty.

The plot explores the complexities of human nature.

View video: http://vod.cctv.com/html/media/cultureexpress/2009/06/cultureexpress_300_20090625_4.shtml

Full article: http://english.cctv.com/20090625/101632.shtml

'Original' wins Golden Goblet at Shanghai Int'l Film Festival

infoseekchina — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 16:48:00 +0000

Shanghai Daily June 22, 2009

Top award at the 12th Shanghai International Film Festival went to “Original,” a Danish-Swedish co-production and a feature debut for its young directors.

The Golden Goblet winner was announced as the festival came to a close at the Shanghai Grand Theater last night.

Full article: http://www.china.org.cn/culture/2009-06/22/content_17990033.htm

New version of old Peking Opera story comes to the capital

infoseekchina — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 16:23:00 +0000

CCTV 2009-06-21 09:32 BJT

“Exchanging a Leopard Cat for a Prince” is a story that comes from the Song Dynasty and known by almost every household in China. But the story’s old suspense has taken on a new look through the successful adaptation by artists at the Shanghai Peking Opera Theatre. Now, the award-winning piece is being staged in Beijing this weekend to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China. Our reporter Zhang Song was on hand during a performance at the Meilanfang Grand Theatre on Friday night.

It’s one of the most successful adaptations of the Peking Opera piece. And the story is one of the most uncanny cases associated with China’s royal palace. Two of Emperor Zhenzong’s concubines were pregnant at the same time. The first son born was to become the prince. Concubine Liu exchanges a leopard cat for the baby of Concubine Li and orders her maid to throw the baby into the river.

Unlike the traditional way of telling the story, the new version delivers the plot through two small figures who’ve never been under the spotlight before: the eunuch, Chen Lin, and the maid, Kou Zhu. They are the true heroes who saved the life of the baby and protected him until they sacrifice their lives. The award-winning piece has been on the stage for 15 years since it was first adapted in 1994.

Full article: http://www.cctv.com/program/cultureexpress/20090621/101420.shtml

Shanghai Film Festival catalyzes co-productions

infoseekchina — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 15:48:00 +0000

CCTV 2009-06-21 09:48 BJT

China’s growing box office receipts are attracting filmmakers from across the world who are seeking co-production opportunities with Chinese directors.

Japanese director Shunji Iwai is hoping to attract investors at the Shanghai Film Festival.The movies “Love Letter” and “Swallowtail” directed by him have been screening in China. “My Sassy Girl” director Jae-young Kwak from South Korea is at the festival, seeking a Chinese director for a film about a urban love story set in Shanghai.

Jae-Young Kwak, Director, said, “This is my first China theme film. I want to cooperate with a Chinese director who knows the Chinese audience better. “

The highlight among co-productions between Chinese and foreign producers is Polish director Krzysztof Zanussi’s “Jacquinot A Forgotten Hero”, a biopic drama about the protected quarter in Shanghai during the Japanese invasion.

There are twenty two co-productions listed as Co-production Film Pitch and Catch projects at the Shanghai Film Festival.

The spunky Chinese film market is attracting filmmakers from Germany, Italy, and the Philippines to promote their productions at the festival.

Full article: http://www.cctv.com/program/cultureexpress/20090621/101532.shtml

Crossover concert to be held at Bird's Nest

infoseekchina — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 16:31:00 +0000

CCTV 2009-06-20 08:32 BJT

One of Beijing’s newest landmarks — the Bird’s Nest — will soon be put into action for a dazzling show. At the end of June a concert combining pop, classical and Chinese folk music is scheduled to take place at the centerpiece of the 2008 Olympic Games. And this week, Beijing media was updated on all the latest about the big show.

During the press conference, organizers unveiled the scale model of the Bird’s Nest Piano, which will be used during the concert. The piano, decorated with natural crystals is scheduled to be sold during a global auction after the show. Proceeds will go to charity.

Some of the stage costumes worn by Song Zuying, one of the star performers of the concert, will also be on display. Both of the dresses feature a phoenix design a time-honored symbol of Chinese civilization.

View video: http://vod.cctv.com/html/media/cultureexpress/2009/06/cultureexpress_300_20090620_4.shtml

Full story: http://www.cctv.com/program/cultureexpress/20090620/100776.shtml

Measures needed to save Chinese operas

infoseekchina — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 02:42:00 +0000

CCTV 2009-06-19 09:03 BJT

The local opera is an integral part of China’s Intangible Cultural Heritage. But the diversity is gradually becoming diluted and many operas face a bleak future. Operas that originated in the remote inlands are plagued by a lack of young participants as well as shrinking audiences. On top of that, the performers can barely make a living.

The just-concluded exhibition of Chinese opera was the largest seen in recent years. Altogether, 25 operas were exhibited in forty-five shows running for a month.

The stellar productions included the traditional local opera “Jiujin Girl”, the period opera “Fushan Coming to Beijing”, and the comedy “Aunt A’Da”. A new production of “The Butterfly Lovers” from the Zhejiang Yueju Opera Troupe was a big draw for a considerable number of young audience members.

View Video: http://vod.cctv.com/html/media/cultureexpress/2009/06/cultureexpress_300_20090619_8.shtml

Full article: http://english.cctv.com/20090619/101701.shtml

Tempest over tea: What is the true Puer?

infoseekchina — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 16:48:00 +0000

Sina English

Among all types of Chinese tea, Puer may be an acquired taste that might not suit all consumers – but recently it has become the most controversial.

Two years ago certain types of the fermented tea were selling for more than their weight in gold. But as with so many sectors and commodities, the speculative bubble collapsed at the end of last year and the market has since lost 85 percent of its value.

But behind the now-sluggish market is a hot debate on what exactly can be called “Puer tea”, with its two major producers – Yunnan and Guangdong provinces – battling it out.

Full article: http://english.sina.com/business/p/2009/0615/248495.html