Tag: Culture

The Shēngxiào, also known in English as the Chinese Zodiac, is a scheme, and a systematic plan of future action, that relates each year to an animal and its reputed attributes, according to a 12-year cycle. The 12 Chinese zodiac animals can be divided into three categories.生肖，或属相，是中国及东亚地区的一些民族用来代表年份的十二种动物，统称为十二生肖。每个人都以其出生年的象征动物作为生肖，所以中国民间常以生肖计算年龄。循环一次为一轮。中国人生肖中的十二种动物大致可分为三类：
The first category includes the six kinds of tamed animals such as the ox, goat, horse, pig, dog and rooster, accounting for half of the zodiac animals. They are raised by people for economic or domestic purposes. These animals form an important concept in China’s agricultural culture. In the traditional philosophy of the Chinese people, the prosperity of these animals means the prosperity of their families. On Spring Festival, people usually mention “prosperity of the six domesticated animals.” Thus, it is natural for the animals to be among the 12 zodiac animals.一类是已被驯化的“六畜”，即牛、羊、马、猪、狗、鸡，它们是人类为了经济或其它目的而驯养的，占十二种动物的一半。“六畜”在中国的农业文化中是一个重要的概念，有着悠久的历史，在中国人的传统观念中“六畜兴旺”代表着家族人丁兴旺、吉祥美好。春节时人们一般都会提“六畜兴旺”，因此这六畜成为生肖是有其必然性的。
The second category are wild animals that are familiar to people and closely related to people’s daily and social life. They are the tiger, rabbit, monkey, mouse and snake. Some of them are awed by people and interfere with people’s lives, such as the tiger and snake; some are hated by the people but they must depend on human race for a living, like the mouse; there are also the animals people like, such as the rabbit and monkey.第二类是野生动物中为人们所熟知的，与人的日常、社会生活有着密切关系的动物，它们是虎、兔、猴、鼠、蛇，其中有为人们所敬畏的介入人类生活的，如虎、蛇；也有为人们所厌恶、忌讳，却依赖人类生存的鼠类；更有人们所喜爱的，如兔、猴。

In English,the word "chinese" is not only refer to our country but also the hard translucent glazed pottery.  porcelain—— China's national invention, is of great contribution to the world civilization and has a well-established and long standing history.  

Wedding ceremony is the most important event of Salar people in their whole life. It takes place in the high time of winter and goes through, in about half a year, the procedures of match-making, go-between dispatching, engagement tea offering, engagement money presenting, marriage scripture reading, bridegroom sending and returning to bridegroom home. It still preserves the ancient Turkish marital ritual of offering the back of lamb, which is basically extinct in the Turkish ethnic groups now. Thus it is a living specimen of ancient Turkish culture despite its tremendous distance away, both in time and place, from Turkish cultural circles.撒拉族婚礼是撒拉族人生礼仪中最为重要的一个礼仪活动。撒拉族传统的婚礼仪式都在每年的隆冬季节举行，从订婚到举行婚礼仪式需要经过相亲、打发媒人、送订婚茶、送聘礼、念合婚经、送嫁、回门等几个程序，大约半年多时间。在撒拉族婚礼中迄今还保留着敬献"羊背子"等古老的突厥民族婚礼习俗。这些习俗已在突厥民族后裔的生活中绝迹，却在时间和空间上远离突厥文化圈的撒拉族风俗中得以传承，因此它是研究突厥古代文化的活化石。
The wedding ceremony of Salar nationality used to enact a dancing opera which records an instructive history of its migration. But it survived until 1950s. Due to the social changes and shortened wedding ceremony, the opera is extinct and only remains in the memory of old people.撒拉族的婚礼中保留的"堆委奥义纳"是一出以民族迁徙史传统教育为主要内容的带有一定话剧特点的民族舞蹈，20世纪50年代以前的婚礼中尚有保存，但是由于社会变革，婚期缩短，这种表现形式已不复存在，只有一些老年人尚有记忆。
The wedding ceremony is recorded in elaborate details in Book of Xunhua. It has not changed much in over 200 years and remains very stable in its practice, thus of great value for studying the cultural history of Salar nationality.撒拉族婚礼仪式在清乾隆年间编撰的《循化志》一书中有较为详细的记载，二百多年来，整个婚礼仪式程序未有太大的变化，传承体系较为完备，对研究撒拉族文化史有重要价值。 

Brocade is a class of richly decorative shuttle-woven fabrics, often made in colored silks and with or without gold and silver threads. The name, related to the same root as the word "broccoli," comes from Italian broccato meaning "embossed cloth," originally past participle of the verb broccare "to stud, set with nails," from brocco, "small nail," from Latin broccus, "projecting, pointed."织锦缎（satin brocade 或 tapestry satin）是中国最著名的传统丝绸织物统称，也是丝织物中最为精致华丽的纬三重纹织物。织锦缎的地料是单色经纹缎料，以至少有3种彩丝做纬面缎纹起花，在制作时也使用斜纹辅助修饰。
Song brocade was developed in Song Dynasty. As it mainly originated from Suzhou City, it is called "Suzhou Song Brocade".宋锦，为宋代发展起来的织锦，因主要产地在苏州，故谓"苏州宋锦"。
Suzhou, the well-known ancient silk city in China, teems with brocades, embroideries, damasks and silk products. In Tang and Song dynasties, Suzhou was the national silk production center. In Ming and Qing dynasties, Suzhou was famous for Suzhou Weaving Office. The imperial weaving and folk silk manufacturing saw both production and marketing thrive at that time. It was so famous that "the sound of looms could be heard in almost half of the southeast of Suzhou".苏州是我国著名的丝绸古城，为锦绣之乡、绫罗之地。唐宋时，苏州成为国内丝绸生产中心；明清时期，苏州又有著名的苏州织造府，其宫廷织造和民间丝织产销两旺，素有"东北半城，万户机声"之称。
Suzhou Song Brocade can be traced back to the Spring and Autumn Period. At that time, noblemen in Wu State located in regions south of the Yangtze River had used brocades widely in everyday life. The brocade weaving skills were improved completely in Northern Song Dynasty through development in previous historical periods. In Southern Song Dynasty, an official workshop was established in Suzhou. A brand new type of brocade with delicate texture and distinctive craftsmanship, namely Suzhou Song Brocade, took shape at this time. It was not only used in the making of gowns and dresses but also widely used in skillful mounting of scrolls of calligraphy or painting works. It had more than 40 types in total. In particular, the application in the mounting of calligraphy and painting works allows the gorgeous brocades to be preserved together with calligraphy and painting masterpieces. In Ming and Qing dynasties, Song Brocade was applied more widely, especially during the reign of Emperor Kangxi and Emperor Qianlong in Qing Dynasty (1662-1795), the development was in full bloom in history. The scroll of painting entitled "Pure Land", the masterpiece housed by the Palace Museum, is the typical Double Brocade produced in Suzhou during the reign of Emperor Qianlong in Qing Dynasty. It is rated as a rare treasure.苏州宋锦的渊源可追溯至春秋时，地处江南的吴国贵族已经在生活中大量使用织锦。历经各时代的发展，织锦技艺在北宋时期得到了全面的提高。南宋时，苏州成立了作院，这时在苏州织锦中，出现了一种质地精美、技艺独特的新品种–苏州宋锦，除用于袍服衣着等服用外，还大量用于书画卷轴类技艺装裱之用，品种共有四十多种。特别是装裱书画的应用，使这些美丽华贵的织锦与书画珍品一起得以保存。明清时，宋锦织物使用范围扩大，特别是康熙、乾隆年间（1662-1795）出现历史上的全盛时期。故宫博物院收藏的"极乐世界织成锦图轴"就是乾隆时期苏州生产的重锦，堪称稀世珍宝。
Song Brocade, which is produced in Suzhou, has exquisite craftsmanship and elegant artistic style. It carries on the traditional style and characteristics of Song Dynasty. Different from other types of fabrics that were popular in Yuan and Ming dynasties, such as brilliant gold-wefted brocade, and brocaded satin, Song Brocade is a kind of brocade knitted with warp and weft concurrently. It not only inherits the skill of warp-patterned brocade in Qin and Han dynasties but also inherits the style of weft-patterned brocade in Tang Dynasty, integrating the two characteristics. Song Brocade can be divided into Double Brocade, Fine Brocade, Box Brocade and Small Brocade according to the structure of the fabric, level of craftsmanship, quality of material, thickness of fabric and application performance, etc.苏州生产的宋锦，织工精细，艺术格调高雅，具有宋代以来的传统风格与特色，与元明时期流行的光泽艳丽的织金锦、妆花缎等品种有着明显的区别，是一种以经线和彩纬同时显花的织锦，既继承了秦汉经锦的技艺，又继承了唐代纬锦的风格，集两者特色于一身。宋锦的类别，根据织物的结构、技艺的精粗、用料的优劣、织物的厚薄以及使用性能等方面，分为重锦、细锦、匣锦和小锦四类。
There are so many procedures for manufacturing traditional Song Brocade. A finished product is made through over 20 procedures from silk reeling, dyeing to knitting. The product has the following basic characteristics: on the one hand, patterns are woven in a structure of warps interspersed with wefts; on the other hand, multicolored shuttles are cast in different combinations as to change the colors of the pattern to make the silk threads and structure more colorful on the surface of the fabric. The essence of the skill is subsequently absorbed by Cloud Brocade and finally handed down to be used today as well. As far as the artistic style is concerned, the varied geometry is regarded as the framework and knitted with natural flowers and decorative pattern of happiness and auspiciousness inside. Decorated with harmonious yet contrasted colors, it is bright-colored in good taste, simple, unsophisticated and graceful. For this reason, since Song Dynasty, Song Brocade had replaced warp-patterned brocade in Qin and Han dynasties and weft-patterned brocade in Sui and Tang dynasties and developed rapidly in Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties. With high historical and cultural value, Song Brocade is not only an important part of excellent traditional silk culture in Suzhou, the ancient silk city, but also the masterpiece representing traditional silk skills in China.传统宋锦的生产制作，工序很多，从缫丝染色到织成产品前后要经过二十多道工序。其产品的基本特点是采用了经线和纬线联合显花的组织结构，应用了彩抛换色之独特技艺，使织物表面色线和组织层次更为丰富。这一技艺特征被后来的云锦所吸收，并一直流传到当代的织锦技艺上。在艺术风格上，以变化几何形为骨架，内填自然花卉、吉祥如意纹等，配以和谐、对比的色彩，使之艳而不俗，古朴高雅。正因此，自宋代起，宋锦便取代了秦汉时期的经锦、隋唐时期的纬锦，并在宋、元、明、清得以蓬勃发展。宋锦不仅是苏州这座丝绸古城优秀丝绸传统文化的重要组成部分，也是中国丝绸传统技艺杰出的代表作，具有很高的历史文化价值。
Due to economic transition and long-term neglect of the skills, the traditional Song Brocade craftsman workshop has been out of business and lots of craftsman, tools and pattern designs have been lost. Therefore, it is urgent to take pragmatic measures to resume and protect the skills.由于经济转型和长期得不到重视，传统宋锦手工作坊现已停产，艺人、工具、纹样严重散佚，亟待采取切实措施，予以恢复和保护。
And now its inheritor is Qian Xiaoping in Suzhou.现在的传承人是苏州的钱小萍。

Dehua porcelain sculpture firing and manufacturing skills are excellent in the world.Now the inheritor is Su Qinghe.福建的德化瓷雕塑烧制技艺高超。现在的传承人是苏清河。
Dehua County is located at the central part of Fujian Province. Dehua porcelain can be manufactured in two ways: one is direct forming with kaolin of high quality and the other is casting after mold fabrication or rubbing for forming. Whether to glaze or not is generally determined according to needs after the clay body is dry. Then the biscuit is placed into the kiln and fired into a finished product at high temperature above 1000℃.德化县地处福建省中部。德化瓷的制作方法可分两种，一是选用优质的高岭土直接塑造成型，一是翻制模具后再注浆或拓印成型。德化瓷一般在土坯干后再根据需要决定是否上釉，而后放入窑中，在摄氏一千多度的高温中烧制出成品。
The production of Dehua porcelain emerged in Tang and Song Dynasties, flourished in Ming and Qing Dynasties. Manufacturing skills are unique and inherited till now. With the same status as important as silk and tea as exports from China, Dehua porcelain has won a world-wide reputation, which contributes to the spread of porcelain manufacturing skills and cultural exchange between China and other countries. He Chaozong, a handicraftsman of Dehua porcelain in Ming Dynasty developed exquisite Dehua porcelain carvings with local kaolin of high quality through eight skills, namely kneading, shaping, carving, engraving, scraping, joining and attaching, etc. Dehua porcelain has been collected by people in European countries for its unique artistic style. It is thus acclaimed as "oriental art treasure" and had already been exported to Europe in Qing Dynasty. Since late Qing Dynasty, Dehua porcelain industry has been declining. Handicraftsmen such as Su Xuejin and Xu Youyi, however, were still engaged in this field. Their products won gold medals at international expos in Panama, UK and Japan. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, Dehua porcelain industry has revived and there have appeared many young talents who manage to make innovations on the basis of excellent skills and styles of their predecessors and to upgrade Dehua porcelain firing and manufacturing skills.德化瓷的制作兴于唐宋，盛于明清，技艺独特，至今传承未断。它一直是我国重要的对外贸易品，与丝绸、茶叶一道享誉世界，为制瓷技术的传播和中外文化交流作出了贡献。明代，德化瓷艺人何朝宗利用当地优质的高岭土，使用捏、塑、雕、刻、刮、接、贴等八种技法制作出精美的德化瓷塑，因艺术风格别致而被欧洲各国收藏。德化瓷因而被誉为"东方艺术珍宝"，在清代时出口欧洲。晚清以后，德化瓷业每况愈下，但艺人苏学金、许友义等仍坚守此业，作品在巴拿马、英国、日本等国际博览会上获得金奖。中华人民共和国成立后，德化瓷业获得新生，新秀辈出，他们继承前人的优秀技法和风格，不断创新发展，使德化瓷烧制技艺重新焕发出青春。
In recent years, due to the changes in lifestyle and the impact of foreign cultures, fewer young people are willing to devote themselves to this traditional industry, as the learning cycle is long and benefits come slow. Most handicraftsmen are 60 years old now and there are concerns that the skills will disappear once this generation of handicraftsmen pass away. Therefore attention and support from relevant authorities are in urgent need.近年来，由于生活方式的改变和外来文化的影响，年轻人多不愿投身这一学习周期长、见效慢的传统行业，现在的艺人多在60岁左右，有人亡技失之忧，迫切需要有关方面予以重视和扶持。