Tag: Culture

Chinese classical instruments: Guqin

Guqin has traditionally been favored by scholars and literati as an instrument of great subtlety and refinement. Guqin has always been viewed as the first place among the four Chinese high culture activities such as Guqin, Chess, calligraphy and painting.在中国古代,“琴、棋、书、画”历来被视为文人雅士修身养性的必由之径。古琴因其清、和、淡、雅的音乐品格寄寓了文人风凌傲骨、超凡脱俗的处世心态,而在音乐、棋术、书法、绘画中居于首位。

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Acrobatic Troupe of Gansu

Acrobatic(an acrobatic movement or display involves difficult physical acts such as jumping and balancing, especially in a circus) Troupe of Gansu Province(甘肃省Gānsù shěng) was founded in May 1960. As the only professional acrobatics troupe in the province, the troupe has created and staged over 100 programs since its inception, such as "Exotic Flower of China", "Art Presented in Palace", "Flying Goddess", "Rolling Lamps", "Juggling Hoops", "Pangu Drum" and "Balancing Jars on Head". "Rolling Lamps" won the silver clown award at the international acrobatics contest in Poland in 1996 and eight of its programs, including "Exotic Flowers of China" and "Pangu Drum," also won prizes at various national contests.

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Terracotta Duplicates 兵马俑

The Terracotta Warriors near the Tomb of Emperor Qin Shihuang (259BC- 210BC) in Xi’an city is regarded as the eighth marvel in the world. With great study values in military, economy and culture of its time, the excavation and exhibition of the grand Terracotta Duplicates has shocked the world and attracted thousands of visitors home and abroad. Today, Terracotta duplicates are designed for sale as tourist souvenirs according to the primary Terracotta Warriors in kinds of shapes and sizes. Terracotta duplicates can be found in museums, galleries, hotels and souvenir shops in Xi’an city as well as some other famous tourist cities like Guilin. Some of the duplicates are made in the same size as the original ones, while some in scaling down sizes that easy to be carried as decorations in offices and houses, or gifts for friends and relatives. Owing to the different making materials and sizes, the prices of Terracotta duplicates are various from tens of yuan to thousands of yuan for visitors options.

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Evolution of Female Beauty and Fashion in China

In ancient China, there were Four Great Beauties-Diaochan, Lady Yang, Xi Shi and Wang Zhaojun [*note] - who were so famed for their beauty that, like Helen of Troy, they could overthrow states and cities(倾国倾城qīngguó qīngchéng). Their beauty has been depicted in countless traditional paintings, but unlike the art that came much later, ancient painting techniques make it hard to tell how accurate these depictions are.
By the end of the 19th century, however, calendar posters had begun to gain popularity in China. In 1914, the revolutionary painter Zheng Mantuo created a painting technique that could vividly portray the lively charm of women at the time.
From the late Qing Dynasty to the Republic of China, marketing and promotional materials that depict female beauty have influenced the ways in which our ideas of beauty have evolved. More importantly, these pictures represent a snapshot of women's lives at the time.

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Have You Eaten Yet?

Recently, scientists at NASA discovered seven Earth-sized planets just about 40 light-years away from us, three of them are situated in a habitable zone. Findings like this one make one wonder if this means that we’re a step closer to contacting intelligent life elsewhere.

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老字号 Old Famous Shops

Lǎozì hào, shì zhǐ nàxiē lìshǐ yōujiǔ 、shēngyù hěn hǎo de diànpù. Tāmen yìzhí shì rénmen xīnzhōng zuì zhídé xìnlài de míngpái. Lǎozì hào zài lǎo yí bèi rén xīnzhōng gèng yǒu zhe wúfǎ tìdài de dìwèi, tāmen bùjǐnjǐn dàibiǎo le pǐnzhì hé xìnyù, yě céngjīng shì tāmen shēnghuó de yí bùfèn.
老字号,是指那些历史悠久、声誉很好的店铺。它们一直是人们心中最值得信赖的名牌。老字号在老一辈人心中更有着无法替代的地位,它们不仅仅代表了品质和信誉,也曾经是他们生活的一部分。(lǎozìhào)refers to the old and famous shops, which has always been reliable and trustworthy and retains an irreplaceable position in people's minds since long time. Not only do they represent good quality and prestige, they have also become an indispensable part in people's daily life.
Qiánmén shì Běijīng lǎozì hào zuì jízhōng de dìqū zhī yī. Quánjùdé de kǎoyā 、Tóngréntáng de zhōngyào 、Ruìfúxiáng de chóuduàn ……zhèxiē lǎozì hào dàibiǎo le guòqù Běijīng fādá de shāngyè wénhuà.
前门是北京老字号最集中的地区之一。全聚德的烤鸭、同仁堂的中药、瑞蚨祥的绸缎……这些老字号代表了过去北京发达的商业文化。Qianmen is the center of these famous and time-honored shops in Beijing. For example, Quanjude Restaurant is famous for its roast duck, Tongrentang for its traditional Chinese medicine, and Ruifuxiang for its silks—all these brands have represented the highly developed commercial culture of old Beijing.
Tóngshí, lǎozì hào bìng bú jǐnjǐn shì yìzhǒng shāngmào jǐngguān, tā gèngshì yìzhǒng lìshǐ chuántǒng wénhuà xiànxiàng. Bú dào Chángchéng fēi hǎo hàn, bù chīkǎo yā zhēn yíhàn, shǐ Quánjùdé chéngwéi Běijīng de xiàngzhēng. Er jīngchéng mínjiān xiēhòuyǔ, rú Dōngláishùn de shuàn yángròu ——zhēn jiào nèn 、Liùbìjū de mòbù ——suān tián kǔ là dōu cháng guò 、Tóngréntáng de yào ——huòzhēn jiàshí 、Shāguōjū de mǎimài ——guòwǔ búhòu děng, dōu shēngdòng dì biǎoshù le zhèxiē lǎozì hào de pǐnpái tèsè.
同时,老字号并不仅仅是一种商贸景观,它更是一种历史传统文化现象。不到长城非好汉,不吃烤鸭真遗憾,使全聚德成为北京的象征。而京城民间歇后语,如东来顺的涮羊肉——真叫嫩、六必居的抹布——酸甜苦辣都尝过、同仁堂的药——货真价实、砂锅居的买卖——过午不候等,都生动地表述了这些老字号的品牌特色。But these shops are more about businesses; they are also a historical and cultural phenomenon. He who has never been to the Great Wall is not a true man, and he who has never tasted a roast duck will regret his whole life—such common sayings have made Quanjude a representation of Beijing. Many two-part allegorical sayings among the folks have also vividly revealed the very characteristics of these old shops. For example, "东来顺的涮羊肉——真叫嫩, 六必居的抹布——酸甜苦辣都尝过, 同仁堂的药——货真价实, 砂锅居的买卖——过午不候" (the instant-boiled mutton of Donglaishun—the softest mutton you can imagine, the rag of Liubiju—tastes more flavors than you did, the traditional Chinese medicine of Tongrentang—genuine goods at fair price, doing business with Shaguoju—they won't wait for you after noon.
Rújīn, zài jīngjì fēisù fāzhǎn 、jìngzhēng jīliè de xiàndài shèhuì ,yìxiē lǎozì hào yǔshí jùjìn, búduàn de gǎigé 、chuàngxīn, shǐ pǐnpái fāyáng guāngdà, zhēnzhèng zuò dào le jǐ bǎi nián bù dǎo; ér háiyǒu yìxiē lǎozì hào bùnéng shìyīng shèhuì shēnghuó de biànhuà, zhújiàn xiāoshī, chéngwéi le lìshǐ.
如今,在经济飞速发展、竞争激烈的现代社会,一些老字号与时俱进,不断地改革、创新,使品牌发扬光大,真正做到了几百年不倒;而还有一些老字号不能适应社会生活的变化,逐渐消失,成为了历史。Nowadays, with the rapid development of economy and fierce competition in modern society, some time-honored shops have been keeping pace with the times and carrying forward their brands through continuous reforms and innovation. They have stood the test of time and survived in competition, while some others have faded into the history due to their inability to adapt to the rapid changes in modern social life.

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The Culture of Shuanglu 双陆棋的文化

Shuanglu (Backgammon set), an ancient dice game that has been lost. According to records in literary works and cultural relics handed down, as a game like the flying chess, Shuanglu should have been a prevalent game in ancient China. Nowadays, it’s also treated as an important part of game culture in China.双陆(西洋双陆棋)是古代的一种博弈游戏,现已失传。从文学作品中的记载和传世文物来看,作为一种类似飞行棋的游戏,双陆应当曾在中国古代相当流行过。即使在今天,双陆棋仍是中国棋类文化中非常重要的一部分。

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Chinese Culture: Terracotta Duplicates (兵马俑)

Today, I will introduce the Terracotta Duplicates. Let us have a brief introduction. The Terracotta Warriors near the Tomb of Emperor Qin Shihuang (秦始皇 Qínshǐhuáng, 259BC- 210BC) in Xi’an (西安 Xī'ān) city is regarded as the eighth marvel in the world. With great study values in military, economy and culture of its time, the excavation and exhibition of the grand Terracotta Duplicates has shocked the world and attracted thousands of visitors home and abroad.

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Chinese Culture: Chinese Cloisonné (景泰蓝)

Today, I will introduce the Chinese Cloisonné. Let us have a brief introduction. Cloisonné, or Jingtai Blue in Chinese, is a traditional enamelware with a history of more than 500 years. Prevalent in Jingtai period of Ming Dynasty (1450- 1456), and with its typical color of blue, the cloisonné was so called as Jingtai Blue by people. With its distinctive shape, exquisite workmanship, solemn design and splendid color, Cloisonné is strong in national culture that enjoys a high reputation home and abroad.

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