Hangzhou Home to Ancient Cultural Heritage

Hangzhou, the capital city of East China's Zhejiang Province, long regarded as the nation's paradise city, is often associated with spots of natural beauty such as the resplendent West Lake and its leisurely lifestyle.

A city that has been the capital of many ancient Chinese dynasties, and given rise to many renowned literary and artistic personalities both throughout history and at present, Hangzhou is also home to sites containing relics of some of the earliest Chinese civilizations, such as the famous Liangzhu Culture and the more recently discovered Kuahuqiao Culture.

Chinese historians generally regard the Liangzhu Culture as the first peak of Hangzhou's development, while the history of civilization in the city dates back 8,000 years, starting with Kuahuqiao Culture of the Neolithic Age in its suburb Xiaoshan district.

Remarkable jade artifacts

Named after the place where it was first discovered in 1936, Liangzhu Culture is a late Neolithic (or Chalcolithic) culture dating back to 3310 - 2250 BC.

The Neolithic Age was a period when humans first learned to tend plants and animals and eventually domesticate crops and animals.

The Liangzhu Culture, and the making of black-based and black-burnished pottery, represent the earliest Chalcolithic Culture in southeast China.

Well known for its large number of marvelous jade artifacts, Liangzhu Culture succeeded the Majiabang Culture and later became part of the Shang Dynasty (16th-11th Century BC).

The most remarkable feature of Liangzhu Culture is the large number and high quality of green jade artifacts, and their religious importance.

Many other cultures contemporary to the Liangzhu Culture also created jade items, but none could compare to those of the Liangzhu.

Unlike the later dynastic periods, the Neolithic jades are easily distinguishable by style, quality, and the technique used to make them. The Liangzhu jades are set far apart from those of other cultures.

Two types of jades, called "bi" and "cong" respectively, were prominent for their ritual use in Liangzhu culture.

The jade called bi is a circular ring used to worship heaven, and the cong is an elongated square tube used to worship earth.

Over 5,000 jades have been discovered in the Liangzhu ruins to date. These jades, especially the congs, also have the earliest taotie mask designs as a part of their inscriptions.

The taotie mask is an image formed when the elaborate carvings on a jade are arranged in such a way that the image of a face can be seen in the macro image. These taotie designs were later used and stylized by the Shang and Zhou cultures.

Exhibition, museum

An exhibition themed on Liangzhu Culture began in Sweden on July 1, in which more than 100 pieces of jade and pottery replicas have been put on display.

The exhibition, which will last more than one month, will also showcase silk, hand-made artifacts and other local specialty products from Hangzhou.

Located in Liangzhu Township in suburban Hangzhou, The Liangzhu Culture Museum, which is a must-visit for history and jade and antique-lovers, is only about 10 km from the city downtown.

The museum, covering 8,590 sq m, is divided into three main exhibition halls, where over 400 cultural relics are on display.

Before the three exhibition halls, the prelude hall summarizes the tenets of the Liangzhu Culture such as its significance and the role it played in its time.

The No 1 Hall mainly displays different cultural relics left behind in different stages of the Liangzhu Culture which, displayed against the backdrop of the pristine settings, reproduce a vivid picture of the Liangzhu Culture evidenced by the advanced pottery, textile and jade-making craftsmanship.

The second exhibition room displays jade artifacts and pottery. The jade artifacts, for which Liangzhu Culture is well known, represent the mysterious and exotic culture and the pottery shows the creativity and colorful life of the Liangzhu people.

The third exhibition room shows a replica of a large tomb found in Yaoshan Ruins and a number of small-sized tombs. The striking differences between them reveal the huge wealth disparity at that time.

Unique style

In addition to the more widely known Liangzhu Culture, Hangzhou is also the place of origin of the much earlier Kuahuqiao Culture - a Neolithic Age culture that once thrived in its suburban Xiaoshan district.

Although it is lesser known than Liangzhu, Kuahuqiao Culture is no less and probably even more significant than the former.

The discovery of the Kuahuqiao relic site actually pushes the history of civilization in Hangzhou to 8,000 years ago, much earlier than the Liangzhu Culture.

Located in Xianghu Village in Xiaoshan District in the outskirts of Hangzhou, the Kuahuqiao relic site was first formally discovered in 1990, which led to the unearthing of large quantities of cultural relics such as sophisticated painted pottery, unglazed pottery, stoneware and jade artifacts.

A second excavation was carried out in 2001, with more relics discovered.

Kuahuqiao Culture, which was regarded as one of the top 10 most important archeological discoveries in China in 2001, is also an unresolved mystery that still enthralls and puzzles archeologists.

While there were many wooden, stone and pottery utensils unearthed from the site, there were no tripods and stones with drilling holes, indicating that hunting may have been the main lifeline of the Kuahuqiao people.

"This means the site has got the characteristics of a very early age," said Yan Wenming, a Peking University professor and researcher at the State Administration of Cultural Heritage.

"The culture of Kuahuqiao is very unique," said Yan. "It can hardly be compared to any other ancient cultures discovered in the province, and we found it difficult to put it into the cultural chronology within our knowledge," he added.

By Zheng Lifei

Traditional historical - Shaoxing wine

Shaoxing Wine is a famous local specialty of Shaoxing, a Chinese city renowned for its cultural importance and located in the south of Hangzhou and the north of Huiji Mountain. Shaoxing City is known for its bountiful human landscape, its picturesque rivers and lakes, and its attractive local customs. Many works of Lu Xun depict the strong flavor of the local culture. From Bai Cao Yuan (Hundred Grass Garden) to San Wei Shu Wu (Three Savor Study), Kong Yiji's (Kong Yiji, a character in Lu's book) aniseed beans to the village theatrical performance, Lu Xun's strong affection for his hometown lies between the lines.



Shaoxing is also a waterside city, with more than 4000 bridges. It is most famous for Jianhu Lake, in the south. The water there is very special, incomparably better for brewing Shaoxing Wine. Those who tend to make Shaoxing Wine at other places are doomed to failure, even with the best materials and techniques.

Why is it so special? Shaoxing was a marshland in ancient times. It was alleviated by the mountain torrents from Huiji Mountain in the south, and by the tides from the sea in the north. Jianhu Lake was also formed this way. There are two layers of coal mud under Jianhu Lake that contain a large quantity of nutrition and at the same time adsorb harmful ingredients. Due to these special geographic conditions, the water in Jianhu Lake is crystal clear, and contains abundant Ca and the trace element Li.

Using this water as the main water source, Shaoxing Wine is different from common yellow wine. It is brewed with glutinous rice and wheat with high qualities. It looks bright and lustrous. Its flavor is a mixture of sweet, sour, spicy, bitter, and rough. Despite the strong fragrant and elegant color, Shaoxing Wine is also rich in nutrition. It contains more than 8 types of aminoacid, which cannot be formed by our body and which are very important to our health. Drinking Shaoxing Wine can help stimulate blood flow, lower blood pressure, control blood sugar, protect the heart, nourish the stomach, and promote appetites.



Shaoxing Wine consists of many breeds, such as Yuan Hong, Jia Fan, Shan Niang, Xue Xiang and Tai Diao. Yuan Hong is known for its vermeil wine jug; Jia Fan, also called Hua Diao, is made on the basis of Yuan Hong; Shan Niang is brewed with Yuan Hong Wine, served as the main water source; Xiang Xue uses the distillers' grains of yellow wine as main source; while Tai Diao is a mixture of the other yellow wines.

It can also be categorized according to sugar content. There is dry wine, half-dry wine, slight sweet wine, and sweet wine. They are represented by Yuan Hong, Jia Fan, Shan Niang and Xiang Xue respectively. Yuan Hong Wine can be served with chicken and duck; Jia Fan tastes best with seafood; Shan Niang usually goes with delicacies and desserts; while Xiang Xue is the most delicious cold drink.

Today wine making has become the pillar industry of Shaoxing; and people there know how to fully use their rich wine culture to stimulate development. In Shaoxing, wine customs appear everywhere. One can find wine at weddings, funerals, festivals, business activities, and the daily lives of local people.

In fact, Chinese wine culture has a long history that dates back to 2400 years ago. In China’s Spring and Autumn period, Shaoxing City was the country of Yue. In 492 BC, Gou Jian, the king of Yue, was defeated and enslaved by Wu. Three years later, he returned to his own country, and strengthened his resolve to end the national humiliation. He encouraged his soldiers by awarding them with wines. This indicates that the wine industry at that time had a scale of no modest dimension.

Wine customs and their long history enhance the wine industry in Shaoxing, and give the city a unique characteristic. When people mention Shanxing, they not only know its bountiful human landscape and picturesque rivers and lakes, but also are familiar with Xian Heng Wineshop, which was often visited by Kong Yiji (a character in Lu's novel), and also its famous wine culture.

By Zhang Xiaoxiao

Palace of North Tibetan-area—Dawu House

At the end of last century, a revival of the Shangri-La tale generated a Tibetan-area touring boom. The 'Tibetan-area' refers to not only Tibet, but also a large number of Tibetan residences in the Sichuan Province which borders on Tibet. It contains mainly the Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Garze and Tibetan-Qiang Autonomous Prefecture of Aba. In both areas live generations of Tibetan people, with their attractive customs and life-style. Take a walk along the road in any area, like the Dawu County, and you'll find yourself surrounded by eye-catching and fancy houses. They are the "Dawu House," palaces of the North Tibetan-area.



The word palace doesn't mean necessarily the king's residence. It refers to the homes of ordinary Tibetan people from Dawu County. The county, at an elevation of 3km, is famous for its beauty and provinciality, and Dawu House makes it one of the most famous.

Dawu House is 'Beng-ke' in Tibetan, 'a house of wood.' The house has wood girders and pillars, and the rest of it is built mainly with stone, sand and earth. By 1980s, severe earthquakes shook the counties of Zhaggo and Dawu in north Tibetan-area, forcing people to quakeproof their traditional house-style. Now a mature building style has developed.

A typical Dawu House, 2- or 3-storys with a height of 5m to 8m, is supported by bulky wood planks in traditional Tibetan patterns. Walls are built with superimposed sheet stones and earth, enclosing about 120-250 square meters for a normal house, and 350-450 square meters for a large one. The framework is crossed stake shaped in lunette for stabilization. Compared with patterns before the earthquake, thicker wood for pillars are used with a new jointed structure, drilling through floors in support.

Viewing from outside, the houses are L-shaped, saucer-shaped or square-shaped. Eaves and doors are colored with homemade dyestuff. The earth part of walls is painted white, the wooden part in maroon, and windows in polychrome drawing. The parapet is covered with shrubs and flowers, and fruit trees line the courtyard. You’ll be impressed by the color.



And what may impress you more is inside the house. Dawu Houses may look similar outside, but inside is a different story. The airing platform, typical rural houses, is located in different places according to the size of house, daylight conditions and owner preferences , as well as furniture and room-design. The ground floor of a house is generally used for storage or hoggery, and upstairs is where the whole family stays. There is a drawing room and worshipping hall in every house, the former for receiving guests and family gathering, and the latter for worshipping Buddha.

The drawing room has a circle of cushions aside the walls and a Tibetan-pattern table at the center. Guests and the family spent their time having tea and chatting here. To the west of the room is a pair of trunk beds resembling a put-you-up. A rich family may even have a chair-bed in their drawing room, which is large and has three sides of balustrade around it, all garishly sculpted to exhibit the greatness of the owner. Only a respected guest will be led to the chair-bed. And the worshipping hall is always lightened with gheelamp, keeping the Buddha figure inside and from time to time, some small religious activities will be held here.

What makes the Dawu House a palace is the sculpture and drawings on nearly the every interior surface of the house. Beginning in the 1980s, Dawu House ornaments have become more and more brightly colored and image-plentiful. Local craftsmen show their exquisite skills, and guests find themselves in a museum of Tibetan-painting. Traditional Buddhist figures and Chinese propitious images fly across the roof, entwine the pillars, hop onto windowsills and hide under corners. Even the furniture is covered with flower patterns and inwrought fabric. All of the figures and images have legendary origins or historical stories. Since the sculptures and paintings resemble those in Buddha temples, regarded as representing the best Tibetan arts and crafts, they are the center of the 'palace' in the everyday lives of ordinary Tibetan people.

To build a Dawu House, the owner will entrust a Lama—the Tibetan word for Buddhist abbe—or a Living Buddha to make an augury on the lucky day the project begins. Upon construction, relation and friends of the owner come and help. They use a lot of white fine stones to composite a beast caput on the highest wall of the house, in pray of breeding. On completion of the house a fire is started, and at a séance ceremony in the 9th month of Tibetan calendar every year, the owner brushes outer walls new and white to represent holiness and luck.

A completed Dawu House usually costs 200,000 to 300,000 yuan, and may reach a million if the owner can afford it. Most of the budget is spent on ornaments. Since the government has launched a policy on protection of wide wood, the cost will probably go even higher. According to travel notes of a tourist who visited an unfinished Dawu House completed four years ago, the sculpting carpenter there said he needed another 2-3 years. In other words, the house will take 7 years to complete. What a work!

Linhuan, an Ancient Tea Town

Linhuan Town, 37 kilometers (23 miles) southwest of the Suixi County on the north bank of the old huanshui River. The town has a history of more than 3,000 years and it has been over 600 years since the uprising of tea culture in Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). In the 500 meters (547 yards) long central street stand no less than sixteen teahouses, which have something in common with their counterparts in other regions, but also contain their own uniqueness.



Simple Lifestyle

People in Linhuan town have a simple lifestyle. You can find plenty of teahouses at the old town Linhuan. Drinking tea is a 600 year old, local tradition. You can also enjoy the local opera shows in the teahouses. The two local operas, namely Sizhou Opera and Liuqin Opera, are known for their resonant an enchanting singing.

Host Family Teahouse

Linhuan teahouses are set in hosts’ family houses, which are opposite to streets or rivers. Most of them have no names, with a flag “茶(Tea)” hanging on the door to attract guests.

Special Water Quality

Among nature, well, river, lake and fountain, water from fountain is the best for making tea. There are four ancient fountains in Linhuan town, which is one of the strengths to gain fame for Linhuan teahouse. Experts made special tests and appraisals in 1998, confirmed that fountain water from Linhuan town contains 23 kinds of good minerals for people’s health, like accelerating metabolism.　

Special Tea Material

Linhuan is not a town of producing teas; the tea materials are from Liu’an town, which is 200 miles away. As a matter of fact, the tea peduncle from Liu’an is seldom used in other regions; however, it is amazing that it only works with the fountain water of Linhuan town. Thus it is a perfect match of Liu’an tea peduncle and Linhuan fountain water; their combination plays a magic efficacy. 　　

Low Price of Tea

Guests can soak in the teahouses a whole day without spending a lot of money. They usually order a pot or half a pot of tea, which can be refilled.

Special Guests

Kinds of guests visiting teahouses are various; there are peddlers, shoulder pole carriers, passerby… But elderly people from sixty to seventy are a main part. Linhuan teahouse is also a place for settling dispute. Problems caused by house property, marriage, funeral and money are usually led to revolve in a teahouse, which is a good place to make people calm down.

Author: Xu Shenglan

Chinese Ancient Antique Stores

Antiques are wide in variety, including bronze ware, bullion ware, porcelain, jade article, calligraphy and painting, stone inscriptions, and so on. They were originally just decorations, but nowadays they are used for research and collection.

The antique trade is comparatively unique; from door decorations to store furnishings, it is ancient and elegant and full of cultural flavor. In the past, a reputation is the most important to antique stores; grave digging or selling fakes is forbidden. Today, buyers and sellers have to distinguish real from fake with professional appraisal knowledge. Experts can not only judge the quality of an antique, but also its value.

Antique stores don’t have as many customers as other types of stores. However, there is the old saying: “no sales in three years, but one sale buys three years’ meals.” Though it’s an exaggeration, it contains a small bit of truth regarding the antique trade.

Antique store owners are not only knowledgeable but also have good manners in meeting customers. Communication is very important, since deals usually depend on reassuring conversations between sellers and buyers. Keeping customers is important as well, so desks and chairs are provided in antique stores for customers to have tea and chat; some even set aside special rooms for customers to appraise antiques quietly.

In some stores, antiques are separated into foreign and domestic ones, and are exported either to foreigners or sold to local customers.

Today, antiques are sold at auctions. But in the past, antiques were sold via secret bidding; the buyer who named the highest price would eventually get the antique. As a result, custom dictates that prices are not published.

In the past, antique traders would gather together to perform appraisal, and the one with the worst appraisal would pay for the meal. It’s like today’s Antique Salon.

BeijingAntiques Buy

Panjiayuan Antiques Market:

Also called the "dirt market" or the "weekend market." It is the Beijing's first flea market of its kind. It is open on Sunday and Saturday. It is close to the Pan Jia Yuan bridge, on the eastern southern third ring road.

Liulichang Antique Street:

This street is full of antique stores that sell Chinese paintings, handicrafts, as well as used books and other things.

Gu Wan Cheng ( Curio City ):

Just next to Pan Jia Yuan, it's a 4-storey building with various Chinese antiques and reasonable prices.

Hong Qiao Free Market:

Just east of the east gate of Temple of Heaven. The top two floors are full of fresh water pearls, jewelry, and this may be the most ideal place in Beijing for these kinds of goods.

Author: Xu Shenglan

Chinese Philosophy of Beauty

China is a country with an ancient civilization, and the modern Chinese standards of beauty often mimic those from thousands of years ago.



Garment

The ancients had their own attitude towards beauty and fashion. “Beauties Wearing Flowers” is a Chinese painting of the Tang Dynasty (618-907 A.D.). In this painting, women wear their black, glazed hair in a high bun. A strong contrast between colors is also expressed in their costumes: the colors of azure, ochre and carmine are in perfect harmony. In addition, they wear décolletages and their shawls are as thin as a cicada’s wings, which let their skin show faintly.

Eyebrow

In the painting, the women’s eyebrows are very pointed and eye-catching, which strongly resembles the eyebrow of the queen in the film “Banquet.” This typical eyebrow is called the “dot eyebrow,” and was exclusive to the Tang Dynasty. Some have mistaken it for an imitation of the ancient costumes of Japan, but it was actually typical of the fashions from the imperial court during the Tang Dynasty.

Lip

Lips were considered the sexiest part of oriental women. From the Han Dynasty (206 B.C.-220 A.D.) onwards, the ancients developed an intense interest in using rouge, which was something like lipstick, to ornament their lips into different sharps including circle-shaped, heart-sharped and flower-shaped and so on. Aiming to present a feeling of weakliness and tenderness, the ancients of the Tang Dynasty usually used black dyestuff to dye their lips. Cherry-like lips once appeared in many ancient Chinese paintings, and today girls with tiny lips are usually the cover girls of Chinese fashion magazines.



Hairstyle

Besides eyebrows, the ancient beauties stress paid attention to their hair. There are many records about the hairstyle of women. The ancient beauties usually adorned their buns with flowers and hairpins.

Fragrance

In traditional Chinese life, fragrance was used everywhere. Ancient people used natural spices such as rose and osmanthus flowers to let their daily life and their body send forth a fragrant odor of nature. Fragrant bibs (diamond-sharped cloth worn over the chest and abdomen and attached by a loop round the neck and strings fastened behind the back) was a popular thing during that time, which was filled with natural spices inside. When wearing it, the whole body would send forth the fragrance of flowers and plants.

Learning ancient face-painting from the ancients

This kind of box is used for containing the toilet sets, which were also called “trousseaux.” The culture of trousseaux can be traced back to the Neolithic Age (the cultural period beginning around 10,000 B.C.). In 1942, the Qijiaping (a place) of Gansu Province a bronze mirror that had a history of 4,000 years was unearthed, and is considered the earliest toilet set. An ivory comb dating back 5,000 years was also excavated at the ruins of Dawenkou of Shandong Province.

Cosmetic Powder

Chinese women have had a custom of using cosmetic powder for face-paining since the period of the Warring States (475-221 B.C.). The original cosmetic powder was made of rice, and it was used to adorn the face.

The simple steps of making cosmetic powder are like this: First, put the rice into the water, and 10 days later, get it out and mill it into rice slurry, and then let the rice slurry settle for a while. When the water and rice slurry are separated, pour out the water, and when the moisture is totally evaporated, scrape the crude powder on the surface with the bamboo piece. The powder on the bottom is the finished product.

Later, the ancients began to make cosmetic powder with pearls and expensive spices. They not only paid attention to the materials but also put an emphasis on the packaging.

The cosmetic powder of the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279), which was unearthed in Fuzhou of Fujian Province, was packed most uniquely. Some had been pressed into specific shapes, such as squares, and some were pressed with the decorative patterns of plum flowers, orchids and water lilies.

There is a standard of Chinese beauty: be beautiful without and intelligent within. That is to say, as a beauty, a woman must be both pretty and bright. A perfect face is not enough, it must be accompanied by a bright brain. Queen Yangguifei (the queen of King Li Longji in Tang Dynasty) was deeply loved by King Li Longji, not only for her beauty, but also for her talent for music and dance.

There were a special group of women engaged in singing and dancing. They received strict artistic training from a young age, so most of them were experts in singing, dancing and literature.

Music, chess, calligraphy and painting were the basic standard of gifted female.

Music

Music refers to the qin (a kind of seven-stringed plucked instrument, similar to a zither) that has a more than 3,000 year history. It was required that every scholar learn the instrument.

Chess

Chess refers to encirclement chess. The ancient women had no chance to do the same work as men. So they gathered and played chess to relax.

Calligraphy and literature

Writing calligraphy and poems was not the privilege of men. Women learned how to read, write and calligraphy no matter what their family background. They read to improve themselves, wrote poems to record their feelings and life, and did calligraphy for enjoyment.

Painting

There were many women who had a talent for painting in ancient times, though their skill was often overlooked in the male-dominated society of that time. The theme of their paintings usually related to flowers, little pets and beautiful women.

Needlework

Needlework is the symbol of diligent women and reflects female emotion and intelligence. It is also the standard of being a good wife.

It is a custom that has lasted to the present time. Women in the old days often made needlework for their lovers, while modern girls like to make gifts such as scarfs and cross-stitch embroidery.

Symbol of the Wa Minority Group--Wooden Drum

Wooden drum, called "Keluoke" in Wa language, is a traditional sacrifice offering tool, musical instrument and alarm reporting tool. Trunk of Schima wallichii,peach tree or Mali tree is raw materials for the drum which is hollowed out according to specified shapes. The sizes of different drums are varied, and the drum is usually 2 meters long with a diameter of between 0.5 and 1 meter. There are two kinds of drums: male drum and female drum. The syllable of male drum is on the low side and the tone color of it is loud and jarring. The syllable of female drum is a little bit higher, and the tone color is clear and melodious. They are generally put together in the wooden drum house in the village.



The wooden drum house is an important and symbolic structure in the Wa village. There are one or several wooden houses in every village. It is a small shed constructed with six poles, three crossbeams and bamboo strips or cogon grass which has no wall. The area of the drum house is not big, and the structure is simple, but because it's the place for leaving wooden drum, it's very holy and it possesses the function and status of temples of other nationalities.

The wooden drum is a symbol of the Was, and is a holy object worshipped by them. They think that the wooden drum is "a tool reaching gods" and "a drum reaching heaven", and "life relies on water, and proper relies on wooden drum". So it can't be touched in normal times, and people can beat it only in offering sacrifice, reporting an alarm and in great collective activities such as festivals and happy occasions.

Because of the sacred status and function of the wooden drum, "pulling wooden drum" becomes a very grand and magnificent religious sacrifice offering activity.

The so-called "pulling wooden drum" is an activity that people cut wood in forest, pull it into village and make a drum with it to replace the old drum. It is usually held in the eleventh lunar month (the first month in Wa calendar). When the time comes, firstly the time of pulling wooden drum and the main sacrifice offerer (who bear the cost of the activity and the cattle) are decided in the meeting of leaders of the village, several buffaloes for butchering, a cattle for telling fortunes by its liver, watery wine and food are prepared. At the day of pulling wooden drum, they butcher cattle as sacrifice to gods at daytime, and adult men go up mountain to cut tree at night that has been chosen beforehand to prepare materials for making drum. Early in the morning of the next day, people of the whole village, men and women, young and old (some women are not allowed to join in the activity) all wear festival rich dress and come to pull drum. They sing while dance, and pull the drum into village with rope. But the drum can't enter the village at the same day. It should be put out of village until a lucky day is chosen after offering chicken as sacrifice.

At the day when the new drum enters village, people of the whole village are in great rejoicing. People from nearby villages also beat gongs and drums to come to congratulate them. They sing while dance, butcher cattle and pigs, and drink wine for entertainment.

It needs about over 20 days to make a new drum. At the day when the wood is hollowed all out, they should beat it loudly to announce the good news to people of the village, and they hold a rite to lay the new drum. At that night, all people of the village gather around the drum house and dance and sing happily again to celebrate the success of making a new drum. The whole sacrifice offering activity of "pulling wooden drum" is declared finished until then.

It is said that the Was pull wooden drum to offer sacrifice to god "Mowei". The Was have the idea that "Mowei" is an incarnation of human ancestors who lives in Heaven in normal times, and shows no interest in events of the human world. Only if he hears sound of wooden drum, will he come to the human world to solve trouble for human beings and to enjoy happiness with them.

Has a long history - Tibetan Tea Culture

"We can eat nothing except drinking tea." For hundreds of years, Tibetans have developed the habit of sipping tea.



Source of tea

Although tea is, for Tibetans, indispensable, Tibetan-inhabited areas produce almost no tea at all. This is why, for instance, Tibetan horses were used to trade for tea produced in China's hinterland in ancient times.

In the 4th century, troops of the Tubo Kingdom captured some prefectures of China's hinterland. They found tea but had no idea how to use these "dried tree leaves." Gradually, however, they learned to make and drink tea. They even added butter to tea.

During the late Tang Dynasty (618-907) in China's hinterland, the Tang and the Tubo maintained good ties. Tang silk fabrics and tea were used to barter for Tubo horses and cows. During the ensuing Five Dynasties, in the Song and Jin periods, the bulk of Hexi areas were seized by Tubo troops. Tubo horses were then traded for Han tea. In 1372, the Ming (1368-1644) court set up the Tea-Horse Office to cope with the growing need of the Tibetans for Han tea.

The way to make tea

The Tibetans are addicted to tea drinking. Such a habit has given birth to their unique way of making tea. Tibetans in the Amdo area love broad-leafed tea. They also love tea brick from Yiyang, Hunan Province. A tea brick, which is rectangular in shape, weighs two kilograms apiece. Such tea brick can withstand long journeys.

Tibetans mix tea with cold water in a teapot. It is then heated over a small fire. When the water takes on a brown color, good tea is ready. When served, most Tibetans love to have salt in their tea.

In some areas, the Tibetans love to put fruit, ginger, and peppers in tea. Such tea is believed to be curatives for headaches and colds. Some Tibetans love to have milk and sugar in tea. When brown sugar is added to tea, such tea is believed to be good for lying-in women.

The way to sip tea

People of Gannan drink tea three times a day. In the morning, they drink morning tea containing fried flour, milk dregs and butter. After lunch, one often drinks several bowls of tea in order to beef up the stomach's digestive ability as well as to perk the person up. after supper, the whole family usually sits around the table, talking while drinking tea to their hearts' content.

Tibetans pay close attention to sipping tea. For instance, bowls used to contain the tea should be flawless and the tea bowl held with both hands.

When refilling the bowl, the palm of the left hand should face the sky, and no tea should spill out of the bowl. If lamas are invited to recite sutras in the home, tea utensils used by the lamas should not be touched by others.

Tea has a thousand uses for Tibetans. When one has guests, he or she will entertain them with tea. Parents and elders are often toasted with tea. When older persons, themselves, sit together, they sip tea, gossip, and often recite the Six Syllable Prayer. When going to visit friends, one's gifts should include tea.


When a couple becomes engaged, tea is indispensable because it represents ever-lasting ties to Tibetans. When the bride reaches her husband's home for the first time, she should go directly to the kitchen, where she will make tea for her par-ents-in-law.

Tea bowls

There are six kinds of bowls used to drink tea. Top quality bowls usually exhibit beautiful patterns of dragons, male lions, phoenix, eight-petal lotus flowers, or one or more of the eight auspicious patterns. These bowls are for eminent monks and Living Buddhas and they are yellow in color.

Bowls of a light blue color are for elders and guests. They are painted with peonies and other floral patterns.

Wooden bowls made into beautiful shapes are inlaid with elegant silver patterns. Ordinary people love to take these bowls with them when going out.

Entertaining guests with buttered tea.

Wooden tea bowls used to drink tea.

Tools used to make tea.

An old lama making buttered tea.

The Chinese and The Moon

In Chinese minds, the moon is associated with gentleness and brightness, expressing the beautiful yearnings of the Chinese. On the 15th day of the 8th month of the lunar calendar, the moon is full and it is time to mark the Moon Festival, or the Mid-Autumn Festival. The round shape symbolizes family reunion. Therefore the day is a holiday for family members to get together and enjoy the full moon - an auspicious token of abundance, harmony, and luck.



According to traditional Chinese culture, the moon is a carrier of human emotions. Ancient Chinese myth and philosophy explain why the Chinese prefer the moon .

In Chinese fairy tales, the fairy Chang E lived on the moon with a wood cutter named Wu Gang and her pet jade rabbit. In the old days, people paid respect to the fairy Chang E and her pet, the jade rabbit.

The Lady - Chang E

The story takes place around 2170 B.C. At that time, the earth had ten suns circling it, each taking its turn to illuminate to the earth. But one day all ten suns appeared together, scorching the earth with their heat. The earth was saved by a strong and tyrannical archer named Hou Yi. He succeeded in shooting down nine of the suns. One day, Hou Yi stole the elixir of life from a goddess. However, his beautiful wife Chang E drank the elixir of life in order to save the people from her husband's tyrannical rule. After drinking it, she found herself floating and flew all they way to the moon. Hou Yi loved his divinely beautiful wife so much, he refused to shoot down the moon.

The wood cutter - Wu Kang

Wu Kang was a shiftless fellow who changed apprenticeships all the time. One day he decided that he wanted to be an immortal, so he went to live in the mountains where he importuned an immortal to teach him. First the immortal taught him about the herbs used to cure sickness, but after three days his characteristic restlessness returned and Wu Kang asked the immortal to teach him something else. So the immortal to taught him chess, but after a short while Wu Kang's enthusiasm again waned. Then Wu Kang was given the books of immortality to study. Of course, Wu Kang became bored within a few days, and asked if they could travel to some new and exciting place. Angered with Wu Kang's impatience, the master banished Wu Kang to the Moon Palace telling him that he must cut down a huge cassia tree before he could return to earth. Though Wu Kang chopped day and night, the magical tree restored itself with each blow, and thus he is up there chopping still.

The Hare - Jade Rabbit

In this legend, three fairy sages transformed themselves into pitiful old men and begged for something to eat from a fox, a monkey and a rabbit. The fox and the monkey both had food to give the old men, but the rabbit, empty-handed, offered his own flesh instead by jumping into a blazing fire to cook himself. The sages were so touched by the rabbit's sacrifice that they let him live in the Moon Palace where he became the "Jade Rabbit."

The Customs of sacrificing the Moon

From the royalty to the populace, it is an important custom to sacrifice to and appreciate the moon during the Mid-Autumn Festival.

During the Mid-Autumn Festival, sons and daughters come back to their parents’ house. Sometimes people who have settled overseas will return to visit their parents. Adults will usually indulge in fragrant moon cakes of different varieties with a good cup of piping hot Chinese tea, while the little ones run around with brightly-lit lanterns. After nightfall, entire families go out under the stars for a walk or picnics, looking up at the full silver moon, thinking of their nearby relatives or friends, as well as those who are far from home. A line from a verse “The moon at the home village is exceptionally brighter” expresses those feelings. It can also be a romantic night for lovers, who sit holding hands on riverbanks and park benches, enraptured by the brightest moon of the year.

To celebrate this sighting of the moon, red plastic lanterns wrought in traditional styles and embellished with traditional motifs are prepared for the occasion. The lanterns are made in traditional shapes such as rabbits, goldfish, carps, butterflies, lobsters and star-shaped fruits.

There is a saying in Chinese that marriages are made in heaven and prepared on the moon. The man who does the preparing is the old man of the moon (Yue Lao). This old man, it is said, keeps as a record book with all the names of newborn babies. He is the one heavenly person who knows everyone's future partners, and nobody can fight the decisions written down in his book. He is one reason why the moon is so important in Chinese mythology and especially at the time of the Moon Festival. Everybody, including children, hikes up high mountains or hills or onto open beaches to view the moon in the hope that he will grant their wishes.

Therefore, lovers spend a romantic night together tasting the delicious moon cake with some wine while watching the full moon. Even couples who can't be together still enjoy the night by watching the moon at the same time so it seems that they are together at that hour. Reams of poetry have been devoted to this romantic festival. Hopefully the Moon Festival will bring you happiness.

Contrary to what most people believe, this festival probably has less to do with harvest festivities than with the philosophically minded Chinese of old. The union of man's spirit with nature in order to achieve perfect harmony was the fundamental canon of Taoism, so much so that contemplation of nature was a way of life.

According to the myth of the moon, Chang E drank the elixir of life and Wu Kang cut down the cassia tree which can restore itself with each blow, implying an immortal spirit of life. The moon’s waxing and waning greatly influences the Chinese lunar calendar and Chinese philosophy, in pursuit of immortal spirit of life and mysterious wisdom.

Chinese culture has something in common with the moon, always peaceful and gentle, also are reflected by Chinese whose modest and friendly attitudes best elucidate the spirit of Chinese culture.

Flying to the Moon

With respect to the history of Chinese civilization, China is the first nation to cherish the dream of flying to the sky. From the myth of Chang’ E to the Fly Apsaras of Dunhuang caves, expresses Chinese ancestors’ desire to explore outer space. Many ancient Chinese poets also showed their preference for the moon through wonderful words. For example, the poetic genius Libai wrote more than 320 poems about the moon in his lifetime.

The Chinese exploring moon project is named after Chang’ E, fully expressing this pursuit of the Chinese.

Chang'e 1 Lunar orbiter was launched to the moon on October 24, 2007. The Chang'e moon satellite will take 3-D images of the moon surface for a year. This is the groundwork for the next Lunar Lander (Chang’e 2) project in 2012, Lunar Sample Return (Chang'e 3) in 2017 and the Chinese astronaut on the moon project. Chang'e 1 Lunar orbiter will achieve the ancient dream of the Chinese, which will bring to the world not a threat but opportunity, not war but peace.

Let Your Fingers Do the Talking

In Peking Opera, finger movements express different emotions and characters. For actresses, this is called "orchid fingers", because it looks like flowers.

Mei Lanfang, one of the most famous Peking Opera artists, developed and created many beautiful finger patterns as well as colorful make-up. International opera fans used to say that his hands had a kind of "intoxicating beauty".

Peking Opera performers make expressive movements with their hands, such as smoothing a beard, adjusting a hat, jerking a sleeve while raising a foot. These all convey particular emotions.

A trembling body indicates extreme anger while the flicking of a sleeve expresses disgust. If an actor throws his hand above his head and flicks his sleeves back, he is astonished or surprised and an actress demonstrates embarrassment by covering her face with one sleeve.

Some of the movements are less easily understood. For instance, if an actor quickly grasps his sleeves and then promptly puts his hands behind his back in a determined manner, this indicates he is bracing himself for something important.

Sometimes a movement can go on for a long time. For instance, if an actor is conceiving a plan, his fingers and hands shake nervously by the side of his body, and when the plan is formulated, he thumps his fist against the other palm with a resounding smack. When expressing worry the actor will rub his hands together for several minutes.




Finger patterns (pictured below):

1 "Sword battle": Yu Ji used this movement when she performed the sword dance in Farewell My Concubine.

2 "Pointing Hollowly": Zhao Yanrong used this pattern when she said "I'm going to heaven" in Beauty Defies Tyranny.

3 "Unfolding palm": Used by male characters appearing in battle scenes.

4 "Orchid finger": A typical finger pattern for actresses, emphasizing their femininity.

5 "Holding the fan upside-down": Yang Yuhuan used this finger pattern when she held her fan in The Drunken Beauty.

6 "Fist": Also used in battle scenes.

The Forbidden City: Beyond Time and Space

After 1421, Beijing became China's capital, and the Forbidden City, containing a group of imperial buildings, remains a remarkable achievement. Around its main courtyard and many smaller courts are grouped splendid halls, galleries, terraces, and gateways. White marble, wall facings of glazed terra-cotta, roofs of glazed and colored tiles, and woodwork finished with paint, lacquer, and gilding all united to create an effect of exceptional richness.



The Forbidden City, located in the center of the central north-south axis in Beijing, is surrounded by 10-metre high walls and a 52-metre wide moat. Measuring 961 meters from north to south and 753 meters from east to west, it covers an area of 720,000 square meters. The Forbidden City has four gates, the Meridian Gate (Wu Men) in the south and the Gate of Spiritual Valor (Shenwu Men) in the north being used as the entrance and exit by tourists today.

The entire compound is composed of two parts: the southern section “Outer Court,” where the three great ceremonial halls—Taihedian (Hall of Supreme Harmony), Zhonghedian (Hall of Central Harmony), and Baohedian (Hall of Preserving Harmony) and many smaller structures are located and the emperors held court and conducted grand audiences, and the northern section “Inner Court,” containing the residential quarters of the Qing emperors, their consorts, concubines, and children, as well as innumerable servants.

Entering from the Meridian Gate, one encounters a large square, pierced by the meandering Inner Golden Water River, which is crossed by five bridges. Beyond the square stands the Gate of Supreme Harmony. Behind that is the Hall of Supreme Harmony Square. A three-tiered white marble terrace rises from this square. Three halls stand on top of this terrace, the focus of the palace complex. From the south, these are the Hall of Supreme Harmony, the Hall of Central Harmony, and the Hall of Preserving Harmony.

The Hall of Supreme Harmony is the largest, and rises some 30 meters above the level of the surrounding square. It is the ceremonial centre of imperial power, and the largest surviving wooden structure in China. In the Ming Dynasty, the Emperor held court here to discuss affairs of state. During the Qing Dynasty, as Emperors held court far more frequently, a less ceremonious location was used instead, and the Hall of Supreme Harmony was only used for ceremonial purposes, such as coronations, investitures, and imperial weddings.



The Hall of Central Harmony is a smaller, square hall, used by the Emperor to prepare and rest before and during ceremonies. Behind it, the Hall of Preserving Harmony, was used for rehearsing ceremonies, and was also the site of the final stage of the Imperial examination. All three halls feature imperial thrones, the largest and most elaborate one being that in the Hall of Supreme Harmony.

At the centre of the Inner Court is another set of three halls. From the south, these are the Palace of Heavenly Purity, Hall of Union, and the Palace of Earthly Tranquility. Smaller than the Outer Court halls, the three halls of the Inner Court were the official residences of the Emperor and the Empress. The Emperor, representing Yang and the Heavens, would occupy the Palace of Heavenly Purity. The Empress, representing Yin and the Earth, would occupy the Palace of Earthly Tranquility. In between them was the Hall of Union, where the Yin and Yang mixed to produce harmony.

The buildings of the two courts were laid out precisely in accordance with a code of architectural hierarchy, which designated specific features to reflect the paramount authority and status of the emperor. No ordinary mortal would have been allowed or even dared to come within close proximity of these buildings.

The Imperial Garden is in the north of the Inner Court. Though it is called a garden, all the structures, roads, ponds and even flower beds and plants are regular and symmetrical, with only some local changes, differing, vastly from the free pattern which is especially emphasized in Chinese gardens.

Getting through a small square to the north of the Imperial Garden, one finds Shenwu Men where there is a high tower. Passing the gate through the city moat leads one to Jingshan, the end of Forbidden City. Jingshan is high in the middle and low on both sides, in line with the encircling hill, on the ridge of which are five pavilions.

The Forbidden City is the best model in the design of a complex of buildings in ancient Chinese architectural art. It enjoys a high reputation throughout the world. Referring to it in his famous work, The Science and Civilization of China, Joseph Needham, a well-known British scholar, said: We discover a series of separate spaces which are linked to each other...they are contrary to palaces during the Renaissance age, for example, for example, in Versailles, where the visual point is completely concentrated in a single structure, and the palace is separate from the city. In contrast, China's concept is very profound and complicated, because in a composition of the picture there are hundreds of structures, and a palace itself is only a part of a greater organic body of the entire city together with its city walls and streets.

The Chinese concept is also extremely delicate and changeable involving blended interests. He said the whole form of China's great architecture has become an organic pattern that no culture can surpass.

A Reviving “Teacher of Various Drama Forms”

A young girl appears as soon as the first notes of music are heard. Draped in a richly embroidered costume, she performs graceful hand movements. The elegance of her gestures is enhanced by her long silk sleeves. Accompanied by a flute, she begins to sing and the audience holds its breath.

The scene is an excerpt from “The Peony Pavilion”, one of the classic plays of the Kunqu Opera. From September 22, 2008, such scenes can easily be accessed by every aficionado at the Kunqu Opera Museum. This joint effort to revive this traditional art form by Shanghai Kunqu Troupe and Kunqu Opera Museum, merges two of the largest Kunqu powerhouses in China.

The Shanghai Kunqu Troupe is home to a host of leading young performers, eight of whom have won the Plum Blossom award nine times, and a total of 10 actors and actresses of the Shanghai Kunqu Opera Troupe who have been officially elected as national-class Kunqu artists and first-grade actors.

Kunqu Opera museum opened in 2003 in Suzhou, in Jiangsu Province. The exhibits include masks, costumes, manuscripts and ancient instruments. The design of the museum is mellow and exquisite. Carved beams and painted pillars echo with winding corridors, elegant pavilions and intriguing rockeries, recapturing the scene of Kunqu Opera in ancient times.

Teacher of Various Drama Forms

With a history of more than 600 years, Kunqu was dubbed the "teacher of various drama forms”, and is one of the earliest forms of traditional Chinese drama. Its operatic melodies originated from Kunshan in Jiangsu Province. After extensive exploration and reworking by its performers, it gradually developed into today's Kunqu.

Before the mid-Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), Kunshan melodies were popular in central Jiangsu, until Wei Liangfu, a singer of melodies in the northern style, migrated to Kunshan from Nanchang, Jiangxi Province. Together with performing singers of southern melodies, he made major changes to the songs of Kunshan. In order to make the accompanying music suit these new songs, Wei Liangfu also adapted the musical instruments of the time. This was how Kunqu, a new form of drama combining both northern and southern musical characteristics, came into being.

During the early years of Emperor Wanli's reign, Kunqu spread to various locations in Jiangsu and Zhejiang, eventually becoming the dominant dramatic style. Later, Kunqu was introduced to Beijing, and became one of the two official forms of drama within the imperial court, and was soon a nationwide favorite. A large number of Kunqu plays and performers emerged, and were welcomed by both scholars and ordinary citizens alike. In Jiangsu and Zhejiang in particular, even the most illiterate rural inhabitants could sing one or two lines of the songs from major works. Kunqu maintained a position as the most popular national style of drama for more than 200 years, leaving a glorious page in the Chinese history of performing arts.

In its 600-year history, Kunqu has accumulated a repertoire of more than 400 "zhezixi" (highlights from operas). Some of their scripts were written by outstanding playwrights, which mainly include "The West Chamber" by Wang Shifu, "The Peony Pavilion" by Tang Xianzu, "The Palace of Eternal Youth" by Hong Sheng, and "The Peach Blossom Fan" by Kong Shangren.



Sophisticated Performing Art

In the performance of Kunqu, refinement and rigor are emphasized. A standard Kunqu scenario is very intricate. A Kunqu program not only details the arrangements of acts, verses, and the names of tunes to which verses are set, but also defines the roles, stage settings, costumes, props, and performers' movements, even going so far as to explain the significance of the position performers take on stage.

The most prominent characteristic of Kunqu performance is its lyricism, where the posture of each role is in a dancing mode. Almost all traditional Chinese drama has elements of dance, and in some plays dances have been added, but these are unlike Kunqu, where every physical movement from beginning to end is in the mode of dance, thus creating a complete scope of performance technique.

Mei Lanfang, a great master of Peking Opera, also learned Kunqu, and had a deep understanding of both. He said, "In Peking Opera, postures are relatively unrehearsed, with no structured choreography, but Kunqu is quite different in this respect. The performer matches specific postures to each aria. Kunqu truly integrates singing and dancing into each individual performance, with equal emphasis on singing and acting. Performing Kunqu is particularly demanding because the actor is, in effect, dancing from beginning to end."

In Deep Water

From its zenith, Kunqu gradually declined, due to external and internal factors. From the late Ming Dynasty onwards, Kunqu was most often performed for the privileged classes and members of the imperial court, and gradually became removed from the reality of the broad masses, to become excessively formal and stylized. In the mid-Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) it underwent a decline.

The lyrics of Kunqu were originally elegant and flowery, but later became obscure to the point of incomprehensibility, and its melodies slowed down to a funereal level. Kunqu therefore became unacceptable to all but a few dedicated aficionados. The scope of themes also became narrower, and some plays were overlong. "The Peony Pavilion," for instance, consisted of 55 acts, and one performance lasted more than 20 hours. All these factors restricted the continued development and popularity of Kunqu, and it lost most of its audience.

Kunqu has for several centuries, undergone ups and downs in popularity, but its supreme status has never been challenged. Furthermore it has played a guiding role in the creation of other forms of traditional opera, and generated a dedicated following. Its role in fostering the spirit of the ‘Chinese men of letters’, living within Chinese feudal society cannot be underestimated.

Striving for revitalization

After being proclaimed a Masterpiece of Oral and Intangible Heritage in 2001, kungqu has experienced somewhat of a rebirth in the past few years. Four classical plays, including “The Peony Pavilion” or “The Palace of Eternal Life”, have been restored and updated. Following the rapid and dramatic change in concepts and lifestyles of the Chinese people, the survival of Kunqu has equally faced an enormous challenge.

Amid much anticipation, the intriguing cooperation between the Shanghai Kunqu Opera Troupe and the Kunqu Opera museum will undoubtedly send ripples through the Kunqu circle, and wider theatrical appreciation circles, in one way or another. And for cultural connoisseurs this movement is welcomed.

Ancient Sports in Dunhuang Murals

To celebrate the Beijing Olympics, Dunhuang academy held a photo exhibition recently, showing 22 Dunhuang murals featuring painted ancient sports. Wrestling, horsemanship, throwing spear and archery were involved in these murals, among which the most prominent, “The Illustration of the Maitreya”, a fresco from Mogao Grotto of late Tang Dynasty (618-907), portraying a torch bearer holding aloft the torch on it.

Dunhuang grottoes were continuously carved from the middle of 4th century to 14th century and nearly 50000 square meters of murals have been handed down. A wide range of folk sports were usually as the theme of these murals, including archery, wrestling, swimming and Wushu (martial art), acrobatics and so on, even some Olympic events can find their origin from these murals.



Archery

To train the soldiers, the government of Han Dynasty held the competition for archery annually, which was part of a traditional military system. Every participant was allowed to shoot 12 arrows in the competition; with more than 6 arrows hitting in the target the participant would be given a prize of money, furloughs or a promotion.

Basically, archery in Han Dynasty has already possessed the attributes of modern athletic sports, very close to the archery competition of Olympics.

Bu da qiu

Bu da qiu is a sport similar to golf or hockey, which was prosperous in Tang Dynasty and evolved into Chui wan (strike pellet) in Song Dynasty, which also known as the origin of golf. With two teams in the competition of Bu da qiu in Tang Dynasty, the players struck the pellets with wooden sticks which were crooked in the end and the winner was judged according to the number of pellets in the opponent’s goal.

In the No.15 grotto of Tang Dynasty in Dunhuang, a mural painted with a boy standing on Pure Land Sect (Buddha’s seat in the form of a lotus flower) with a ball in his left hand and a wooden stick in right hand, is a precious historical record to witness the origin of hockey.



Horsemanship

There are many murals about horsemanship in Dunhuang. For example, in the No.61 grotto of Five Dynasty (907-960), a mural was depicted with six pictures to represent horsemanship. The riders in the mural standing straight on the horseback or holding two bows in the hand showcased their ability to keep balance despite the fast speed of the horse. Another picture in the mural portrayed some breathtaking actions performed on horseback.

Wrestling

Wrestling has been a traditional competition since the ancient Olympics came into being. A large amount of murals about this ancient sport have been found in Dunhuang. For example, there are a series of murals on the No.290 grotto of Mogao grottos portraying a fierce wrestling competition and in the No.61 grotto even has a mural painted with ancient sumo.

In Dunhuang mural the sport of vaulting horse is similar to present-day high jump and long jump, which are composed of the motions of run-up, one-foot take-off, flight and landing.

Weightlifting is also involved in the murals. Most scenes described in the murals are men lifting by snatch with one hand or by clean and jerk with both hands. A mural from the No.61 grotto was depicted men lifting bell or brazier or standing upon the galloping horse with hand lifting an iron board.

Furthermore, other Olympic events such as javelin throwing, swimming and diving can be glimpsed from the murals as well.

The Dunhuang murals are not only a witness to the prosperity of ancient Chinese sport, but also a demonstration of the descendent relation between ancient sports and Olympic events.

By Feng Hui

The Development of Tibetan Mural

Murals mainly using religion as a theme are everywhere in Tibet. They contain stories of gods and fairies. In temples, palaces, private residences, work sheds, and post offices, and even in inns and outdoors, Tibetan murals are the most important decoration. Of course this is especially true in temples. Generally, murals are painted in halls, walls and ceilings, making visitors feel like they are entering a wonderful paradise or a horrible hell.

According to statistics, there are more than 100,000 murals in Tibetan temples and palaces. Murals total 4,400 square meters in the temple of Dazhao in Lhasa alone.



The Development of Tibetan Mural

Tibetan murals were first engraved on cliffs, 2000 years ago. According to Tibetan history, King Songtsan Gampo dreamed that four Buddha Sakyamuni, the Horse-Necked Diamond King, Tara and Acalanatha all appeared in the rosy clouds. He then ordered Nepalese artisans to engrave four statues of them decorated with color on a cliff. It was the first mural ever.

The development of the Tibetan mural can be roughly split into two periods. The first period began after Songtsan Gampo succeeded to the throne, because he married the Nepalese princess Chizun and princess Wencheng of Tang Dynasty (618-907), introducing Buddhist statues and a number of Buddhist scriptures into Tibet. He also built the Jokhang Temple and the Ramoche Temple, all of which greatly influenced the mural development. Murals in this period had the traits of well-developed figures and pure colors, very close to murals of the Northern Wei Dynasty (386-534) and the early Tang Dynasty (618-907) of Dunhuang. The second period began at the end of the 10th century. At that time, the founder of Gelugpa (a sect of Tibetan Buddhism) Tson-kapa changed the religion, and made the Gelugpa a dominant sect in Tibet. Gelugpa raised the number of temples to 3,000 to meet the demand for painted murals. The governor had to recruit folk painters everywhere. After this generation, mural art had evolved into its most brilliant phase.

The Style of Tibetan Mural

The Tibetan murals originate from rock paintings and cover religion, politics, history, economy, culture and life as well as landscapes, birds and flowers and even hunting scenes. The style is unique: gloomy and dark colors including black, dark blue, mauve, gray, yellow and white are predominant, while line drawing and outline drawing are used to express simple and natural, rugged and reminiscent feelings.



How to Paint Tibetan Mural

The skills used in painting Tibetan murals are intricate.

Similar to Tangka, the pigments used in Tibetan murals are intentionally mixed with animal glue and ox bile, which makes the mural colorful and resists fading.

Preparing wall:

Before painting the mural, the wall needs to be brushed with a film of animal glue and a little gluewater mixed with red pigment.

Drawing the figure of Buddha:

Figure drawings of Buddha must be in accordance with Buddhist doctrine: the Buddhist figures should be venerable and solemn. Historical stories and genre paintings mostly adopt a perspective sketch style.

Golddust:

The use of golddust is an important part of Tibetan mural painting. When dusted with golddust, the mural’s lines become more explicit.

Drawing eyes and eyebrow:

Drawing eyes and eyebrows is an important step in mural painting, because vivid figures in the mural are mainly expressed by the facial expression especially by the eyes and eyebrow.

Protecting the mural:

When the mural is finished, it should be brushed with glue and varnish.

Real Record of History

The Tibetan mural not only played an important role in promoting the religion, but also served as a documentary to record the Tibetan history, peoples’ life, natural sceneries and folk stories as well as the important events and persons in Tibet, contributing precious information to further study the Tibet.

By Feng Hui

Chinese Flower-and-bird Painting

Chinese traditional art seldom contains characters in its paintings, though China is famous for its abundant population. That seems baffling. Traditional art has two main genres: landscape, with mountains and rivers, and flower-and-bird, brief for paintings that focus on vegetation and animals, in which flowers and birds are always the protagonists.

Flowers and birds, being the leading figures since Neolithic ceramists painted their works, have conveyed the metaphors and images of artists for more than a thousand years. Take Guanju , the most archaic love poetry, for example. The scene of two birds singing in the central inland of a lake was reflection of human love. Love is not the only one part of the themes in traditional literature and art. Every branch of human feelings was expressed in Chinese art.

Unlike the fish hawk, the literary forefather of painterly nonhuman figures, flowers and birds in traditional drawings were more vivid, colorful and expressive, while their language was so modest and quiet that a spectator would pay much more attention to it.



The Nonage (Before 960)

Flower-and-bird paintings are believed to have originated from decoration craft designs before 7 century AD. It has become an absolute study of art since the Tang Dynasty (618-907). And good drawers came forth at the age of Five Dynasties (907-960), in which Huang Quan from Xishu region and Xu Xi from Jiangnan region were regarded representative.

Huang Quan was comprehensive in different types of drawing, and chosen to be a court drawer when he was only 17. He is famous for exquisite sketching and lifelike paintings. Story was told that he had once drawn six cranes on the wall of palace, and a cluster of live cranes dwelled, taking the drawing for their kind.

Xu Xi was born a peer but refused to pursue the life of the court. He admired the country lifestyle, choosing wild birds and village plants as the theme of his art. His natural way varied from that of Huang, and contemporaries regarded them as “the luxuriant Huang and the wild Xu”.


In the Song (960-1279) and Yuan (1271-1368) Dynasty

One of the emperors of Song Dynasty, Song Huizong, was a fine drawer and connoisseur himself. Due to his favor of art, the flower-and-bird paintings entered its golden age. It was the age of “literati drawing.” The literati, intellectuals of the time, were a group of people who devoted their whole lives chasing the essence of human morality and dignity. They were versatile, extending spiritual value into every field they had laid hands on. On flower-and-bird paintings, they especially preferred the “four men of honor,” referring to the anthropomorphized figures of plum, orchid, bamboo and chrysanthemum. These figures were accepted to represent the literati men themselves, or the ideal of them. For an instance, Zheng Sixiao, who lived through his own country’s destruction by the Yuan Dynasty, drew orchids without describing the earth at their roots. When asked why, he answered,” My earth was raped by pillagers, how could I keep them on?”

At the time Zen Buddhism was introduced to the country, some gifted monks began to add Buddhist beliefs into their own artwork. One of them, the monk Fachang, was excellent. He used ink and wash to describe animals and vegetation. His painting was rather more an impression of the objects and the exhibition of their motions than a copy of the image. A lot of his paintings were found in Japan. Researchers are convinced that his paintings, the original “Zen Art”, had a profound influence on Japanese art.

The copy-like, careful drawing style had declined during the Yuan Dynasty, and a freehand brushwork genre had been coming to stage. The best drawers of the age were Wang Yuan, Zhang Zhong, Zhao Mengfu, Wang Mian, Ke Jiusi, and Wu Zhen.


The Ming Dynasty (1368-1644)

Contrasting with Yuan style, there was a renaissance of magnificent drawing, while freehand brushwork kept developing. The best drawers of the time often tried both the styles during their careers. Take Lin Liang and Lv Ji for examples. Lin turned from the flowery type to a rougher manner in painting, and eventually became a famous “eagle drawer.” Lv kept a combination of both the styles in his painting, and the effect was expressive and moving. Since he was a court drawer, Lv made his work allegoric in order to expostulate the emperor. Knowing his thought, the emperor wrote a poem in return to thank him.

Late-Ming art flush with romanticism, and one of the best artists ever was born this age. Xu Wei, the freehand brushwork painter, started a new age of the flower-and-bird paintings. He was talented in poetry, letter, calligraphy, drawing and even drama. He challenged the official career only to be thrown back by painful failures, and his whole life was full of frustration. Some aspects of his life remind spectators of Vincent van Gogh, and his achievement in the Chinese art history may be regarded like Vincent’s in western art history. One of his magnum opuses, the ink grape drawing, was completed without a single stroke of line, the basic sketching unit of a traditional Chinese drawing, but all in ink altered between different chroma of black color. He had developed a set of brand new skills for flower-and-bird paintings.


In the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911)

The freehand brushwork style of drawing kept advancing in the Qing Dynasty. Zhu Da, Shi Tao, “the eight odd men of Yangzhou”, Xu Gu, Zhao Zhiqian were among the most famous artists of the time. Their successors, Qi Baishi and Zhang Daqian have retained a reputation of the best traditional Chinese artists until now.

Zhu Da was considered the best of them. He was egotistic. Born at a time when the country was poor and undignified, he drew all his drawings of animals with the figures walleyed to express a sense of a cold eye. On his famous work “the peacock,” Zhu attached a poem mocking an official at the time. Lin Shuzhong, a historian of art, considered it the earliest Chinese caricature.

By Liu Rong

Music Graphics in the Tang Dynasty Art

Art is to music what earth is to sky, and though the connection seems irrelevant at first sight, the two are inextricably linked with each other from the very second they spring to life. In the arena of “music graphics,” music makes her soundless appearance wearing the costume of a picture.

As the sole material available, graphical evidence from archaeological exploration has played a vital role in the research of music history. It was not until recent centuries that visual materials played second fiddle to both written materials and musical instruments that were preserved on unparalleled levels.



Evidenced by the large amount of musical images in the painting works of the Tang Dynasty（618 AD - 907 AD）, Ancient Chinese Art has developed a close relationship with the art of music featuring interdependence and common development, thus unfolding a unique aesthetical prospect with Chinese characteristics.

Among all the works with music for a theme, mural art in coffin chambers of the Tang Dynasty remain the most representative.

For instance, the “Wu Yue Tu” (the traditional Chinese painting of beautiful women to dance and play instruments), excavated from the tomb of Zhang Lichen, portrays two dancers and four instrumentalists. It was renowned as a masterpiece for its delicately modeled features, fluent lines, flamboyant colors and brushwork subtlety.

The “Gong Yue Tu” (the traditional Chinese painting of beautiful women playing instruments in the royal palace) depicted ten plump and gorgeous maids, sitting around a long table, reveling, gossiping, sipping, and looking around aimlessly. With the technique of tiexianmiao, the painting chalked up an accurate description of the different postures of different figures while implying the relationship between the principal and the subordinates.This amazing piece of work also reflects the everyday life of the noblewomen in the late Tang Dynasty and embodies the artistic merits of the style that developed around painting beautiful women during this period.

The “Fan Tan Pi Pa Tu” (the traditional Chinese painting of a beautiful woman playing the lute with her backhand) captured the fleeting moment when a lady made a sudden move to play the lute with her backhand while dancing to the string music. The painting typifies the nationalization of the Buddhist painting artistry with its true-life style and lively drawing lines, thus attracting nationwide attention as a masterpiece of the Dunhuang frescoes.

As a visual artistry and an aural artistry respectively, art interlinks with music in a broad spectrum of areas such as rhythm, tempo, emotion and the artistic conception. Therefore, artists often draw inspiration from the music while music frequently adopts art as its main theme.

For ages, artists have made unremitting efforts to explore the effects of music on both the color and shape on their way to create works of art and now art history has witnessed the perfect union of music and painting. Against the backdrop of the alliance between music and paintings, a new branch of learning emerged— Music Graphics.

By Hu Zhicheng

Chinese landscape paintings strike Belgian artists

"It's very fresh, very new and very contemporary," said Belgian visual artist Koen Vanmechelen at an exhibition of Chinese landscape paintings held here Monday in Brussels.



Within the hall of the Palace of Justice, the landmark building in Brussels, 10 huge landscape paintings by Chinese artist Xu Longsen were hung down, with the height of eight paintings reaching 10.7 meters and the width 8.7 meters.

"Standing between the mountains, I feel I can hardly breathe. I was really surprised of what he did with the environment," Vanmechelen said, "It's really impressive."

Vanmechelen said that he can see from the works of the Chinese artist, "the individual behind the works is very respectful of nature" and "there is a link between the artist and the nature."

Charlotte Nievwenhuys, a master in fine art at the Edinburgh College of Art in Ireland, was also struck by the Chinese landscape paintings.

"For me, colors say a lot of things and I use a lot of colors. So when I see such paintings with only black and white, I found it really amazing," she said.

"It's so big and it's very successful to do such a big piece of work. It gives you a lot of emotions," she added.



Etienne Dekimpe, coordinator of an exhibition focusing on China held in 2007, liked the paintings very much, saying that "it's monumental art in a monumental place."

"Standing in this building with Mr. Xu Longsen's paintings, we have a feeling that as human beings, we are too small and we have to hold respect for nature," Dekimpe said.

Talking of his works created for the exhibition named "On top of a thousand mountains", Xu, a famous painter and collector in China, said that traditional Chinese landscape paintings used to decorate the private study of an intellectual, but they need a public space in this new era.

"I think the visual shock of the traditional paintings is not enough. Although the size does not necessarily mean good, it's really significant," the Chinese artist said.

The exhibition will open to the public from Oct. 15 as part of the Europalia China art festival. From Oct. 8, 2009 to Feb. 14, 2010, the art festival is going to present about 50 exhibitions and 450 art performances and cultural events in more than 70 cities in Belgium and four neighboring countries, namely the Netherlands, France, Luxembourg and Germany.

The exhibitions and art performances will highlight four main themes: Immortal China, Contemporary China, Colorful China, and China and the World. Each theme will be illustrated by a key exhibition.

As many as 19 Chinese provinces, cities and autonomous regions, 58 museums, libraries, archaeological institutes, and numerous public and private cultural institutions have contributed to the art festival, jointly organized by Europalia International and the Chinese Ministry of Culture.

Painted Pottery, Mirror of Chinese Neolithic Culture

Bowl with 'human-faced fish' motif, pot with spiral pattern, jar depicting relief carved female figure- These are all painted pottery wares from the Neolithic Age along the upper and central reaches of the Yellow River in China, and mirror the life of Chinese people thousands of years ago.

Not only is the range of designs quite dazzling, but the wealth of shapes that were part of the painted pottery wares indicates their various functions.

Neolithic painted pottery is associated with a number of archaeological cultures from China's north-west, specifically those along the upper and central reaches of the Yellow River, including Yangshao culture and Majiayao culture. Yangshao culture (about 5,000–3,000 BC) takes its name from Yangshao Village in Minchi County, Henan Province, where the site was excavated and identified in 1921 by Johan Gunar Andersson. Majiayao culture (about 3,300-2,050 BC), which came shortly after Yangshao culture, takes its name from Majiayao village in Linzhao County, Gansu Province.

Painted pottery in Yangshao culture

Yangshao culture is distinctive and recognizable with two types of painted pottery, namely, Banpo and Miaodigou.

Banpo is an archaeological site located near Xi'an, Shaanxi Province and contains the remains of a Neolithic village dating back to 6,000 years ago. The classic Banpo painted pottery is a bowl with the ‘human-faced fish’ motif, and was unearthed in the 1950s. The basin, 16.5 cm in height with a diameter of 38.5 cm, is made of fine-mud red ceramics and has a design of a human face and fish body. It is uniformly red in color and decorated with black pigment.

In addition to fish, running deer and barking dogs were also among decorative patterns on Banpo painted pottery. These simple but descriptive designs demonstrate that ancient Chinese artists were good at depicting the movement of animals.

Miaodigou is an archaeological site located in Shan County, Henan Province, which dates back to 5,000 years ago. Different from Banpo pottery whose interior parts are painted, Miaodigou pottery is mostly painted on the outside.

Painted pottery in Majiayao culture

It’s widely believed that there are, in order of time, three types of painted pottery featuring Majiayao culture, namely Majiayao (3,300-2,900 BC), Banshan (2,900-2,350 BC), and Machang (2,350-2,050) types. Banshan and Machang types are named after the Banshan Village in Linxia, Gansu Province, and Machang Village in Minhe County, Qinghai Province.

In Majiayao painted pottery, there are many rippling and rotary designs drawn with smooth and balanced strokes to engender a quiet and gentle mood. These designs shed precious light on life in primitive Chinese society, with men fishing and hunting, and women doing housework and collecting vegetables and fruits.

In the Banshan and Machang painted pottery, which were a little later than the Majiayao, the designs changed. More saw-tooth, circling and frog-shaped strokes appeared, which look wild, bold and enigmatic.

More painted pottery wares have been discovered in recent years. For instance, in March 2005, it was announced that a 4,500-year-old pot with patterns of genitalia was discovered in Lintao, Gansu Province. Archaeologists identified it as belonging to the Banshan type of Majiayao culture and pointed out that this pot is the first Banshan type work to be found with patterns of both male and female genitalia.

By Dong Jirong

Cultural Spirit in Classical Gardens

The classical gardens of China embody the harmonious principles of Chinese garden construction, dictating that gardens should attempt to create a microcosm of the universe in a confined space.



Dating back far and wide, China has a long tradition of landscape gardening, during which a unique artistic style gradually came into being. The art of China's classical landscape gardening drew nutrients extensively from various sources like philosophy, literature, painting, calligraphy, sculpture, architecture and gardening, and has developed into a compound art that contains rich Chinese traditional culture and possesses enormous artistic, aesthetic, historical, cultural and tourism values. Therefore, a comprehensive summing-up and examination of the artistic features of China's classical gardens are essential to investigating thoroughly its cultural core and potential values, to inheriting and maintaining ancient Chinese civilization and traditional culture, and to bringing to full play its economical and social benefits in the current construction course of material and spiritual civilizations.

Classical Chinese garden, are a special aspect in traditional Chinese culture and art. A garden is purported to meet man's demand for relaxation and lodging. A Chinese garden mixes man-made landscape with natural scenery, architecture, painting, literature, calligraphy, and horticulture.

The classical Chinese garden originated in the Shang and Zhou dynasties, when monarchs began to build parks for their own leisure and pleasure. The construction of gardens became something of a fashion during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods (770-221BC), and by the Qin (221-207BC) and Han dynasties (206BC-220AD) the Chinese had already learned how to imitate nature in their gardens, and private gardens had appeared. During the Wei, Jin, and South and North dynasties (420-581), private gardens came in vogue as the rich and powerful sought to express their sentiment in landscaping.

During the Tang (618-907) and Song (960-1279) dynasties, a poetic touch was added to the layout and scenes of a garden, and became a general feature of classic Chinese art of garden construction. Chinese garden culture matured as a comprehensive school of its own during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), after the practice of many preceding dynastic periods, and rose to become one of three garden construction schools along with Western Asia and Europe. Classical Chinese gardens include imperial gardens and private gardens.

The Chinese classical garden originated from the desire to retire from the strife of officialdom and to shun from worldly affairs. It seeks the return to Nature and the cultivation of temperament.



Chinese classical private gardens were experienced as cultural rather the scenic.

Chinese private gardens were spiritual shelter for men of letters --- a place closer to Nature, closer to one's own heart, closer to the ancient, while far-away from their real social lives - as they were often frustrated and disappointed at the long-lasting monarchic feudal social system in China.

The design concept of Chinese private gardens was to provide a "spiritual utopia" for people to come back to Great Nature. These private were designed by artists and poets and were regarded as "Three-Dimensional Landscape Painting and Solid Landscape Poetry."

In Taoist philosophy and the refinement of culture underlies the theme of the garden. Hills and waters, lowers and trees, pavilion, terraces, towers and halls constitute the basic garden elements, while the prominent tone is expressed in the dark color of roof tiles, the grey of bricks, and chestnut brown of wooden pillars.

What’s more, the story of the gardens leads to an understanding of the former Confucian way of life of the scholars, artists, merchants and officials who established them, whilst their intrinsic design qualities convey the meditative influence of Buddhism and Zen. Set amidst plaques of traditional poetry, the naming of the pavillions, rock formations and viewing points, speak directly to the intuition and aesthetic insight of the viewer.

Poetry

Poetry is an essential part of a Chinese Garden. All through the Garden poems, sayings and literary allusions are inscribed on rocks, plaques and gates. This tradition traces back to early Suzhou gardens, which were typically attached to the homes of retired civil servants who pursued scholarly and philosophical interests. Builders of the Gardens were often among the best-educated in China.

Rock inscriptions are always short and appear horizontally or vertically, depending on the shape of the rock. Couplets appear vertically on the sides of entryways. Lintel inscriptions appear above doors and windows.

Buddhism in Gardens

The combination of gardens and temples is yet another salient feature of Chinese art of garden construction. The popular worship of Buddhism resulted in the presence of numerous Buddhist buildings in the garden, adding a touch of otherworldliness to the entire scene.

Harmony in Gardens

Gardens were often constructed by members of the scholar class with the intention that they would provide a hospitable location for gatherings devoted to cultivated pursuits like painting, calligraphy, and playing the zither, as well as for discussing important topics of the day.

The scholar seeks harmony through the philosophy of yin and yang, or complimentary opposites, and the peace and tranquility created by water softly flowing over weathered rocks or breeze playing through the leaves of trees is easily felt.

Poetic Perch on the Roof of the World

Tibetan traditional houses make for an impressive view on the plateau against the marvelous landscape. Defying the high altitude, ultraviolet radiation, and cold, the dwellings showcase Tibet's architectural spectacle and its unique way of life.



　　Many visitors to Tibet are most impressed by the strong contrasting colors of houses. Between November and December, an auspicious day will be picked to paint the walls – white for folk houses, dark yellow for altars, and dark red for monasteries, living Buddha’s residence, and government buildings. The basic colors of white, red, and black represent deities in heaven, earth and underground respectively.

Depending on the availability of materials, the Tibetan houses are built with more wood for those living near forests, or more stone for those living in the mountain areas. In the northern pasturing area, the nomadic people live in tents -- black yak fur tents in winter, and white cloth tents in summer.

In the southern valley area, castle-like houses cluster around the foot of mountains with small doors and windows, obviously for defense against wild animals and bandits. Mainly built of stone and wood, the two-or-three-storey structure boasts solidity and economic use of space.



　　Tibetan towns are mostly centered around the temples. The city of Lhasa serves as a perfect example. The white-walled dwellings, mainly built of stones cluster around the Jokhong Temple Monastery.

The first floor is used to shelter livestock and sundries; the second floor consists of living rooms, a kitchen, and a store room, while the third floor, if any, accommodates sutras and an altar. The flat roof serves to dry grain in sunlight.

Beams and pillars are used to divide the interior space. In measuring the room sizes, Tibetan people often refer to the number of pillars. A "one-pillar" room is about 15 square meters. Pillar plays such an important role in Tibetan houses that it is compared to the father of a family in the local proverb.