Tag: Culture

Geographical Location: Linxia Hui Autonomous District, Gansu Province Period: About 2,000 BC Excavated in 1924

Lacquer ware that ‘maddens the cat’ – Fuzhou bodiless lacquer ware 福州脱胎漆器

As shown in the picture, “The Goldfish Bowl” is a big basin painted in green on the outer surface, and eight red-and-white goldfishes are painted swimming within, vivid and lifelike. By taking the method of gold drawing, the fish scale has a striking resemblance to the real one. When you pour some water into the bowl, the goldfishes seem to come to life. It is said that the goldfishes look so real that even the cat mistakes them for real ones, and all its effort to catch them in vain that it truly gets pissed off. Therefore, the work is also called “qisi mao” (literally, maddening the cat). This piece of work is Fuzhou bodiless lacquer ware. “The Goldfish Bowl” makes full use of the translucent characteristic of the lacquer, and after fish sketching, drawing gold, drawing silver, painting and polishing processes, the scene of a group of goldfish swimming in the water comes to life, with its own distinctive feature. Moreover, the Chinese character “鱼” (fish) is homophonic with “余” (surplus), so it is a symbol of auspiciousness.

Stone Age Site Yields Evidence of Advanced Culture

Chinese archaeologists say they have uncovered strong evidence that Stone Age people in southern East Asia were at least as technologically advanced as their European cousins — challenging the long-standing theory of "two cultures".

Xinglongwa Culture

Xinglongwa Culture is a culture of the early stages of the Neolithic Age in Inner Mongolia with a wide coverage that stretches to Xunhe in the west, Yiwulu Mount in the east, Wuerjimulun River in the north and the northern coast of Bohai Sea in the south.

Hongshan Culture

As an important part of the Neolithic Age in Northern China, the Hongshan Culture was discovered in 1935 and covers an area from the Wuerjimulun River valley of Chifeng, Inner Mongolia in the north to Chaoyang, Lingyuan and the northern part of Hebei Province in the south, and extends eastward to cover Tongliao and Jinzhou.

Zhaobaogou Culture

The Zhaobaogou Culture succeeded the Xinglongwa Culture and originated in the middle and later period of the Xinglongwa Culture. The ancient cultural relics of the Zhaobaogou Culture are located in Aohan Banner, Chifeng City of Inner Mongolia.

Tapestries of History 织锦

The art of embroidery（刺绣：cìxiù） was an important part of a woman's education in China, at least until a few generations ago. Embroidered items also had a crucial role in rites and rituals, with carefully designed patterns that indicated rank and importance in the imperial courts, and differing degrees of respect for deities in religious ceremonies. In the courts, the embroidered panel in front of an official's robe would immediately identify his rank. Elaborate altar cloths in shrines and temples were a reflection of the congregation's devotion, and wealth. A daughter would be trained to sew, and embroider, as soon as she was old enough to hold a needle. Her embroidery would start with handkerchiefs, towels and pillowcases and expand to sheets, tablecloths, underwear and outer jackets that would slowly accumulate into an impressive dowry. Embroidery was also appreciated as an art, and various regions in China soon developed their unique styles, often as far back as earliest dynasties. Apart from Han embroidery, there were four other major styles from Suzhou, Guangdong, Sichuan and Hunan.

Qibao Shadow Play

Today, the town of Qibao(七宝镇Qībǎo Zhèn) celebrates their cultural heritage and works to preserve the past traditions of Shadow Play(皮影戏píyǐngxì) that are such an important aspect of the town’s history. Though the Chinese government does help to keep these valuable traditions alive through various forms of support, it is the local puppeteers and their apprentices who really ensure that the art of Shadow Play lives on.