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China Intangible Cultural Heritage: Gu Embroidery中国非遗之顾绣

顾绣(Gu Embroidery)是上海地区工艺品中的瑰丽奇葩。顾绣因源于明代松江府顾名世家而得名。顾名世曾筑园于今九亩地露香园路,穿池得一石,有赵文敏手篆“露香池”三字,因以名园(今露香园路,即为纪念此园得名)故世称其家刺绣,为“露香园顾绣”或“顾氏露香园绣”或简称“露香园绣”、“顾绣”。它是以名画为蓝本的"画绣",以技法精湛、形式典雅、艺术性极高而著称于世。

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意思 (yìsi )in Chinese

意思 yìsi
1.【meaning;i dea】意义;道理。
  例如:不要误会我的意思 Please don’t misunderstand what I mean.
2.【intention; wish; desir】意图;用意。
  例如:文章的中心意思 the key intention of this article
3.【a token of affection, appreciation, etc.】略表心意。
  例如:这点东西送给您,小意思,别客气 This is a small token for you. I hope you like it.
4.【suggestion; hint; trace】某种趋势或迹象。
  例如:我发现她对你有的意思呢! I find she has something special feeling to you.
5. 【interest; fun】情趣;趣味。
  例如:打乒乓球很有意思 It is very interesting to play table tennis.
6. 不好意思 (bù hǎo yìsi): excuse me; sorry; embarressed
例如:不好意思,我的中文说得不好。 I am sorry, my Chinese is very bad.

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Chinese Art:Song Brocade Weaving Skills宋锦

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。

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Chinese Art:Dehua Porcelain Sculpture

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。

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Chinese Art:Xinjiang Muqam新疆木卡姆

Xinjiang Muqam is a masterpiece of intangible cultural heritages in China.A muqam is the melody type used in music of Xinjiang, that is, a musical mode and set of melodic formulas used to guide improvisation and composition.Each of the 12 muqams consists of a main section that begins with a long free rhythm introduction, followed by pieces with characteristic rhythmic patterns that gradually increase in speed.新疆木卡姆是中国非物质文化遗产代表作之一。木卡姆是一种音乐调式。在中国,木卡姆通常指的是新疆地区的维吾尔木卡姆。维吾尔木卡姆是维吾尔诗歌的音乐表达形式,共有十二套大曲,故又称十二木卡姆。
Muqam Art of Xinjiang of China is a general reference to all the Muqams of various kinds popular in Uygur areas in Xinjiang. It is a large-scale comprehensive art form consisting of opera, dance and music, represented by 12 Muqams. The Muqam is available in 19 countries and regions in Central Asia, South Asia, West Asia and North Africa.“中国新疆维吾尔木卡姆艺术”是流传于新疆维吾尔族聚居区的各种木卡姆的总称,是集歌、舞、乐于一体的大型综合艺术形式,以“十二木卡姆”为代表。木卡姆音乐现象分布在中亚、南亚、西亚、北非19个国家和地区,中国新疆处于这些国家和地区的最东端. 

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Chinese Art:Jingdong Dagu (‘Big Drum’ Recitative)

Jingdong dagu京东大鼓
Category: Recitative, story-telling类别:曲艺
Region: Tianjin City地区:天津
Jingdong dagu is an art form of drum music and recitative, performed in the East Beijing dialect. It is performed by a band consisting of one singer who beats the drum and sings while standing and accompanists like Sanxian (a three-stringed plucked instrument) player, Chinese dulcimer player and other instrument players. Born in the mid-Qing Dynasty, Jingdong dagu has different names in different ages and regions in history, such as Jingdongqie dagu, Letingdiao Recitative, Pinggudiao dagu, Pinggu Recitative, Letingdiao dagu, Sipingdiao dagu, Leting dagu (which is different from Leting dagu came from and was popular in Leting County of Hebei province), Tiepian dagu, Tieban dagu, Chengde local dagu and so on. Jingdong dagu, originated in Sanhe City and Xianghe County of Hebei Province (to the east of Beijing), and Baodi District of Tianjin City, is popular in Langfang City, Chengde City, Baoding City, Tangshan City, Huai’rou District of Beijing Municipality and Baodi area of Tianjin Municipality. It was performed in small artistic performance venues after it was introduced into Tianjin at the beginning of the twentieth century, focusing on narrating and singing long stories. In the early 1930s, Liu Wenbin, a native of Baodi District of Tianjin, performed the Case of Liu Yong (or Liu Gong An) via Tianjin Commercial Radio, making it very popular among the general public. From then on, Jingdong dagu’s influence was gradually extended, and spread into such regions as Beijing and Tangshan City.京东大鼓是一种采用京东方音说唱表演的曲艺鼓书暨鼓曲形式。表演形式为一人击鼓站唱,另有人分持三弦、扬琴等乐器伴奏。约形成于清代中叶,在不同时期和不同地方有过不同的称谓,如京东怯大鼓、乐亭调、平谷调大鼓、平谷调、乐亭调大鼓、四平调大鼓、乐亭大鼓(与形成并流行于河北乐亭县的乐亭大鼓名同实异)、铁片大鼓、铁板大鼓、承德地方大鼓等。京东大鼓源于京东河北的三河、香河与天津的宝坻地区,流行于河北廊坊、承德、保定、唐山、北京怀柔和天津宝坻一带。它20世纪初流入天津时在小型曲艺演出场所演出,主要说唱长篇大书。30年代初天津宝坻人刘文斌在天津商业之声播演《刘公案》,极受广大群众喜欢,京东大鼓的影响由此日趋扩大,后逐渐传到北京、唐山等地。
Before 1949, there were many famous artists of Jingdong dagu, such as Deng Diankui, Yu Qi, Wang Xianzhang, Liu Junhai, Fu Shiting, Zhang Shicheng, Shi Jinrong,Wang Peichen, Wei Xigeng, Liu Wenbin, Qi Wenzhou, etc. There are abundant traditional repertoires and works, including short-length arias like Mrs. Wang Cursing The Thieves Who Stole Her Chicken (or Wang Po Ma Ji), A Mouse Suing A Cat (or Hao Zi Gao Mao), The Eighth Sister Yang’s Spring outing (or Yang Ba Jie You Chun), Han Xiang presenting Birthday gift (or Xiang Zi Shang Shou), Whipping the Reed (or Bian Da Lu Hua), Sister-in-Law (or Xiao Gu Xian); medium-length arias: Legend of The Horse Gang(or Xiang Ma Zhuan), Biography of Baozhen g(or Bao Gong Chu Shi), Wang Dingbao Pawning the Dowry of His Fiancée(or Wang Ding Bao Jie Dang),Ge Hong Xia Conquers the North (or Ge Hong Xia Sao Bei), Case of Liu Yong (or Liu Gong An); and long-length arias like The Great Eight Sworn Brothers (or Da Ba Yi), The Eight Sworn Brothers (or Xiao Ba Yi), Yang Warriors in the Northern Song Dynasty (or Yang Jia Jiang), Hu Warriors During the Reign of Emperor Renzong of the Northern Song Dynasty(or Hu Jia Jiang), The Legend of Double Combinations (or Shuang He Ji), Rebelling against Empress Wu Zetian (or Fan Tang). In 1933, when Yu Jingyuan, an artist from Xiang He County, was performing Biography of Shilan (or Shi Lan Zhuan) via Renchang Radio of Tianjin, he called his performance as “Jingdong dagu”, thus the name of “Jingdong dagu” became publicly recognized.1949年以前,京东大鼓的著名艺人很多,有邓殿奎、于七、王宪章、刘俊海、傅士亭、张士诚、石金荣、王佩臣、魏西庚、刘文斌、齐文周等。传统曲目和书目非常丰富,包括短篇鼓曲《王婆骂鸡》、《耗子告猫》、《杨八姐游春》、《湘子上寿》、《鞭打芦花》、《小姑贤》,中篇鼓书《响马传》、《包公出世》、《王定保借当》、《葛红霞扫北》、《刘公案》,长篇鼓书《大八义》、《小八义》、《杨家将》、《呼家将》、《双合记》、《反唐》等。1933年,香河艺人于景元在天津仁昌之声演播《石兰传》时,称之为“京东大鼓”,“京东大鼓”之名就此通行起来。
After 1949, the most famous artist of Jingdong dagu is Dong Xiangkun, an amateur actor from Baodi District of Tianjin. He narrated and sang Jingdong dagu in mandarin instead of the East Beijing dialect yet on the basis of retaining its traditional singing style. Furthermore, he improved and standardized its singing style and continuously created works to adapt to the development of time, which gained the favor of the masses deeply. Because of Dong Xiangkun and others’ unremitting efforts, the development of Jingdong dagu moved toward the peak and its influence spread out various areas in the north during 1960s and 1970s.1949年以后,京东大鼓的演出以天津宝坻的业余演员董湘昆最为著名。他在保留传统唱腔的基础上,将原来的使用京东各地方音表演改为采用普通话说唱,并进一步加工和规范唱腔,不断创作出适应时代发展的新曲目,深得广大观众的喜爱。在董湘昆等人的不懈努力下,20世纪六七十年代京东大鼓的发展走向高峰,其曲种的影响也遍及北方各地。
Since the 21st century, such performances have been hardly available as a result of the shortage of successors. The development of Jingdong dagu is confronted with an unprecedented crisis. Thus, it needs to be protected and preserved without delay.We will protect them in the future.进入21世纪以来,由于传人减少,演出不多,京东大鼓的发展出现了空前危机,急需扶持和保护。将来我们将加大保护力度。

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泰国“莫文蔚”杨琳:与汉语结缘是一种缘分

【前言】
你还记得本届CCTV汉语大赛中,唱着《盛夏的果实》出场,酷似“莫文蔚”的选手吗?她就是我们今天沪江专访嘉宾——自上海大学的泰国留学生杨琳。她是如何与汉语结缘?在学习汉语上有什么独特的秘诀?汉语大赛留给她最深刻的印象是什么?今天让我们跟着《沪江专访》,一起来认识这位热情开朗的泰国“莫文蔚”吧!
 

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中国人怎么过腊八节How to Celebrate Laba Festival in China?

The Laba Festival (腊八节Làbā jié) is a traditional Chinese holiday celebrated on the eighth day of the twelfth month of the lunar Chinese calendar (known as Layue). In China, it is customary on this day to eat Laba Congee.The twelfth lunar month in Chinese is called La Yue(腊月), so the eighth day of this lunar month is La Yue Chu Ba (腊月初八 là yùe chū bā), or Laba (腊八 là bā). The day is also known as the La Ba Rice Porridge Festival.
The three major customs on Laba are ancestor worship, Laba Rice Porridge (腊八粥) eating and Laba garlic making.
Ancestor worship (祭祖jì zǔ): At the end of the year, working people get more free time to prepare for the sacrifice to the ancestors. The reason lunar December is called La Yue has a lot to do with the custom of sacrifice. First, the worship of ancestors, called “腊” in Chinese, and the sacrifice for the gods, called “蜡”, both frequently took place in the twelfth month, which led to the traditional name of the month: La Yue(腊月). Second, winter is the slack season for farmers so they have time to find things to burn in the sacrifice. The radical of “腊” represents the sacrifice of meat to one’s ancestors (“月” symbolizes meat).
Laba Rice Porridge (腊八粥 là bā zhōu): There are several legends about the origin of porridge eating on Laba: some claim it is of Buddhist origin; some say the porridge, made of red beans, has the power to exorcize evil from little kids; others say the porridge is in memory of a poor couple. The custom of porridge eating has been well-known throughout history, from the royal court to common people. The most “authentic” porridge is made in Northern China, especially Beiping (北平). Laba porridge is mostly made of rice and sticky rice, but can also include sugar, red dates, lotus seeds, walnuts, chestnuts, almonds, longans, hazelnuts, raisins, red beans, peanuts, water caltrops, roseleaf and other “treasures” (hence its other name, “eight treasure porridge”). Almost every region in China has its own local recipe for Laba porridge. Eating hot porridge is great in cold winter, and the grain and nuts are considered healthy winter fare.
Laba garlic (腊八蒜 là bā suàn): It is an old Beijing custom to soak purple-peel garlic with vinegar and a little sugar. First, pare the old skin of the garlic, then put the vinegar and garlic into a jar and seal it up for keeping ’till the Lunar New Year’s Eve. When the whole family gets together for the dumpling feast on Spring Festival Eve, they take out the Laba garlic which will be crisp, with a vinegary flavor and a green color. Vinegar with the aroma of garlic is the best seasoning for dumplings.
On the first day of spring the government would hold a ceremony called “Beating Spring Ox” with the purpose of encouraging farming. Officials would use a colorful club to beat an earthen ox after worshiping the God of Grain; this was the so-called “Scourging Spring”. Even today, people in some places name Spring Begins as Beating Spring. After the ritual of “Beating Spring”, people would compete in grabbing the scattered pieces of the earthen ox, which would dispel pests or ants, and bring them good harvest in farming and abundant production of silk and livestock.

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