谷雨是二十四节气之一。谷雨源自古人“雨生百谷”之说。“清明断雪，谷雨断霜”，气象专家表示，谷雨是春季最后一个节气，谷雨节气的到来意味着寒潮天气基本结束，气温回升加快。Grain Rain is one of the 24 solar terms. It originated from the ancient saying that “rain gives life to all grains”. “The Pure Brightness means stop of snow, and the Grain Rain means the stop of frost”. According to the weather experts, the Grain Rain is the last solar term in spring. The coming of Grain Rain means that the cold and humid weather almost comes to an end and the temperature will rise again quickly.
谷雨节气时天气温和，雨水明显增多，对谷类作物的生长发育关系很大。雨水适量有利于越冬作物的返青拔节和春播作物的播种出苗，古代所谓“雨生百谷”，反映了“谷雨”的现代农业气候意义。但雨水过量或严重干旱，则往往造成危害，影响后期产量。In the Grain Rain, the weather is mild and there is an obvious increase of rainfall, which has a great influence on growth of grain crops. The appropriate rainfall will contribute to the reviving and growth of winter crops as well as the sowing and seeding emerging in spring. The ancient saying “rain gives life to all grains” shows the Grain Rain’s significance of climate on modern agriculture. However, the excessive rainfall and the severe drought always result in damages and may influence crop production in the later stage.
中国古代将谷雨分为三候：“第一候萍始生；第二候呜鸠拂其羽；第三候为戴胜降于桑。”是说谷雨后降雨量增多，浮萍开始生长，接着布谷鸟便开始提醒人们播种了，然后是桑树上开始见到戴胜鸟。In ancient China, the Grain Rain is divided into three periods: the first period when duckweeds begin to grow; the second period when the cuckoos flap their wings; and the third period when the hoopoes stand on mulberries. This means that after the Grain Rain, the rainfall will increase and duckweeds begin to grow. After that, cuckoos begin to remind people to sow seeds. Then, hoopoes can be seen on mulberries.
谷雨节气后降雨增多，空气中的湿度逐渐加大，桃花、杏花竞相开放，杨絮、柳絮四处飞扬，谷类作物也茁壮成长。杜鹃夜啼，牡丹吐蕊，樱桃红熟，自然景物告示人们：时至暮春了。After the Grain Rain, the rainfall increases and air humidity grows gradually. The peach blossom and the apricot blossom contend in beauty and fascination. The poplar catkins and the willow catkins are flying all through the air. The grain crops thrive as well. Cuckoos are singing at night. Peonies begin to thrive. Cherries are red and mature. The natural scenery tells us that it is the late spring.
Tag: วัฒนธรรม
Lantern Show 灯会
正月十五元宵节的灯会始于汉，兴于唐，盛于宋。据周密的《武林旧事》中载，南宋都城临安，最初只是一些大街旁的茶馆，在元宵节时悬挂花灯售卖，如此数年，渐成气候，遂形成了灯市。灯市一般在元宵节前数天开始。为了使灯市热闹起来，京尹每年都派人到灯市上巡视，根据各家商铺所悬挂的花灯数量，配给一定的蜡烛、灯油及费用。到了正月十五，京尹会亲自前往灯市，其随行者会携带一只装满了纸币的口袋，给灯市上的游动小贩发红包，以感谢他们对灯市繁荣所做的贡献，谓之“买市”。On the fifteenth day of the first month of the lunar year Lantern show can be traced back to the Han Dynasty, which rose in the Tang Dynasty and peaked in the Song Dynasty. “Lin’an Reminiscence” of Zhoumi recorded that only some tea houses near the street in Lin’an, capital city of Southern Song Dynasty, hanged festive lanterns for sale during the Lantern Festival. Years later, the phenomenon became popular and the lantern market took shape which started several days in the leading up to the Lantern Festival. In order to enliven the market, local administer dispatched staffers to inspect the market every year and allocated candles, lamp oil and expenditures according to the number of lanterns each shop hanged. On the fifteenth day of the first month, local administer would come to the market in person and his followers would carry a notes pocket and send red packet with money in it to vendors to thank their contribution to growing the lantern market. This is the so-called “buying market”.
为了保证赏灯百姓的安全，地方官员在安保方面也是下足了工夫。每年的灯会期间，坊间的繁华热闹地带，都点有巨烛或松柴作为路灯，有兵卒站在一旁维持秩序。路灯旁边还会押着几个罪犯示众，身上写明此人犯罪的缘由。如偷抢妇女头上的钗环首饰，或者举止不端，趁着人多，在妇女身边挨挨搪搪地耍流氓。其实这些人之前就已犯罪被关押于狱中，将之拿出来顶缸示众，目的是警戒作奸犯科者，尽可能地将罪案扼杀在萌芽状态。Local officials worked hard to ensure the safety of visitors. Huge candles or pipe logs were used as street lamps while soldiers stood aside to maintain order in hustling area of the lantern show. Some criminals were detained near the street lamps with reason of crime stated on the clearly, such as stealing and grabbing jewelries of women on their heads, or acting indecently like a hooligan. As things stand, they were put in prison before the Festival, which was designed to alert criminals and stifle them in the cradle.
南宋的皇帝对灯会也非常支持。每年元宵节的二鼓时分，皇帝就乘着小车，带领宫人到宣德门上观赏鳌山。鳌山是在灯市的中央位置扎盖起的一座如鳌形的高台，上面悬挂有数百盏花灯。皇帝赏灯的时候，京尹会让一批经过挑选，衣着干净、食品卫生的小商贩，或者唱歌动听、舞姿曼妙的艺人，在宣德门外等候。皇帝会宣召这些人到楼上表演，妃嫔内人也纷纷购买商贩制作的零食。由于不了解价格，她们的所费往往要比常人高出数倍，甚至有商贩因此而一夜暴富。Emperor of the Southern Song Dynasty fully supported lantern show. Early in the morning of the Lantern Festival, the Emperor took a trolley and led attendants to Xuande Gate to view Osan. It’s an elevation stand in the shape of turtle in the central area of lantern market with hundreds of festive lanterns hanged. Local administer would select some vendors with clean dress and healthy food, or artisans with melodious songs and graceful dance to wait the Emperor at Xuande Gate. The Emperor would call them to perform on the stage and concubines would purchase snacks offered by vendors. Knowing nothing about the real price, they always spent several times higher than ordinary price and some vendors got rich suddenly because of this.
除此之外，临安的一些大户人家，也在家中的花园水榭中布置各式花灯，并且开门任人游览，还备以酒菜款待，以显示自己的家势昌盛。而那些居于幽坊静巷的小户人家，也在门前挂设数盏五色琉璃泡灯应节，远远看去，恍若仙境。Besides, some rich and influential families in Lin’an also decorated some festive lanterns in their home gardens and pavilions which were opened to the public for sightseeing. They also treated visitors with food and drink to demonstrate their wealth. And those poor families living on quite lanes and alleys also hanged some five-color glaze lights to welcome the Festival, seeming like a fairyland from afar.
相比具有浓重政府色彩的宋代灯会，明朝的灯会，则已演变成了纯粹的市场行为。每年的正月初十日到十六日，各地的客商和巧匠就会云集京城，将自己制作的花灯拿到东安门外迤北大街售卖。在这短短的数天里，不仅是花灯制作工艺的比拼，也是经商实力的比拼。京城靠近灯市的商铺和住房，每年到了灯市开市的时候，租价就会翻番，要比平时贵上数倍，如果不是生意做得特别大的商人，轻易不敢问津。另外，灯的式样和工艺也是新颖繁多，有镶嵌珍玩珠宝的灯，也有从邻国或海外贩回来的灯，引来的观赏者络绎不绝。价格高的灯，一盏就要卖上千两银子。Compared with the lantern show with rich government features in the Song Dynasty, lantern show in the Ming Dynasty evolved into a pure market behavior. From the tenth to the sixteenth day of the first month every year, merchants and artisans from all over the country gathered together at the capital city to sell their products on streets in the north of Dong’an Gate. The short week witnessed the comparison and competition of production techniques and business strength. The shops and lodgings near the lantern market offered several times higher rent during the Lantern Festival. Only big merchants dared to make inquiries. On top of that, the patterns and techniques of lanterns got novel and diversified, including lanterns inlaid with rare curios and jewelries and those imported from neighboring countries, attracting endless visitors. Some even were sold at over 1,000 liang of silver.
明人蒋一葵在《尧山堂外纪》载有一事：明朝年间的元夕灯节，京城有工匠用糯汁烧成琉璃瓶，然后制成花灯，可以贮水养鱼，旁边映衬着烛光，透明可爱。黄岩人王古直花费重金买了一盏在家，爱不释手，终日耍玩。有天一不小心，他将琉璃瓶碰到地上，摔了个粉碎，悲叹道：“吾平生家计在此，今荡尽矣！”明代花灯的精巧程度、价值几何，此说也可作为旁证。As is put in the “Record Outside of Yaoshan Hall” of Jiang Yikui of the Ming Dynasty, during the Lantern Festival in the Ming Dynasty, some craftsman made colored glaze bottle with glutinous extract to produce festival lantern, which can be used in fish culture and with candle light set off, it appeared transparent and lovely. Wang Guzhi of Huang Yan bought one with a large sum of money and fondled it admiringly. Someday, he carelessly bumped the bottle onto the floor and the bottle was broken to pieces. He signed that “my entire family livelihood is destroyed!” This story can be used as a side witness to show the exquisiteness and high value of festive lantern of the Ming Dynasty.
Words:
Mei Lanfang 梅兰芳
梅兰芳出身于京剧世家。他8岁学戏，11岁登台。在50多年的舞台生涯中，对京剧旦角的唱腔、念白、舞蹈、音乐、服装、化妆等各方面都有创新和发展，形成了独特的"梅派"艺术风格。梅兰芳和杨小楼、余叔岩并称"三大贤"，又与尚小云、程砚秋、荀慧生一起被誉为"四大名旦"。民间对其有"中国文化名片"之称。Mei Lanfang was born to a family of Peking Opera singers. He began studying Peking Opera at the age of 3. Then, three years later, he began to perform on stage. During the more than half a century's performance, he innovated and developed various aspects of female character type in Peking Opera such as melody, speaking manner, dancing, music, costumes and face-paintings, forming his unique art style of "Mei Style." Mei Lanfang, Yang Xiaolou and Yu Shuyan were honored the "three great performers;" meanwhile, he was one of the "four great female characters in Peking Opera" while the other three were Shang Xiaoyun, Cheng Yanqiu and Xun Huisheng. He was honored as "the name card of the Chinese culture" among the folk.
梅兰芳多次不为赢利地出国演戏，其目的就是要向海外宣扬中国的文化艺术。在他坚持不懈的努力下，国际文艺界逐步认识到中国戏曲的绚丽多彩，博大精深，从而对中国戏曲刮目相看。Mei Lanfang had non-profit performance abroad many times, aiming to promoting Chinese culture arts overseas. Thanks to his persistent efforts, the international art circle gradually recognized colorful Chinese operas with extensive and profound meanings and treated Chinese operas with increased respect.
Maned Figure Maker Bai 鬃人白
“北京鬃人”始创于清朝末年，距今已有一百多年的历史，是受皮影戏和京剧影响而产生的，这一独特的绝活结合了京剧文化、物理学和力学的概念。“Beijing Maned Figure” was originated at the end of Qing Dynasty and now has a history of over 100 years. It came into being by borrowing the elements from the Shadow Play and Peking Opera. The distinctive art combines the concepts of Peking Opera culture, physics and mechanics.
鬃人高约9-16厘米，用秫秸杆做身架，外绷彩纸（或色绸）外衣，并絮少许棉花，头和底座采用胶泥脱胎，底座粘一圈约二三厘米长的猪鬃，依据人物故事勾画脸谱，描绘服饰便制作成一个生动的鬃人。只要轻轻敲打铜盘的边，靠猪鬃的弹力，盘中的人物便会舞动起来。老北京也称它为“铜盘人”或“盘中戏”。The maned figure is about 9-16 cm high. The body is made of sorghum straws dressed in costume made of colored paper (or colored silk). The inner side of the body is filled with some cotton. The head and base of the figure use the plaster with the perimeter of the base pasted with 2 to 3 cm-long bristles. The face of the figure can be made into that of different figures in stories. After decorating the costume, it will become a vivid maned figure. Striking the side of the copper plate, the figure on the plate, due to the elastic force produced by bristles, will dance. The Beijing people in the past called it “figure on the copper plate” or “on-plate play”.
为还原这个百年民间工艺的制作过程，记者走访了当下京城惟一制作鬃人的民间艺术家“鬃人白”——“北京鬃人”传承人白大成。To understand how the century-old folk art is made, the journalist interviewed with Mr. Bai Dacheng, who is the only folk artist making the maned figures and the inheritor of “Beijing Maned Figure”.
北京鬃人产生于清代末期。Beijing maned figure was originated at the end of Qing Dynasty.
“鬃人白”师承“王记鬃人”。The maned figure maker Bai learned the skill from the Wang-family maned figure makers.
“鬃人王”、“泥人张”、“面人汤”等等，都是老百姓对民间技艺的一种认证。以前的艺人是通过庙会出售自己的艺术作品，顾客就经常用这种艺术品的名字加上民间艺人的姓作为一种称谓。Such titles as the “Maned Figure Maker Wang”, “Clay Figure Maker Zhang” and “Dough Figure Maker Tang” actually represent the common people’s recognition for folk arts. In the past, the art makers sold their works at the temple fairs. So the customers would name these artists by calling the names of the art and their surnames.
“民间艺术最怕做滥”“The folk art can be ruined by shoddy”
50年坚持“独家制作”道路Over the past 50 years, he has kept on the path of “exclusive production”.
Ang Lee’s Film: The Ice Storm李安的《冰风暴》
Lee directed a Hollywood movie: The Ice Storm in 1997, a drama set in 1970s suburban America. In the late 1990s and 2000s, The Ice Storm has had high VHS and DVD sales and rentals and repeated screenings on cable television, which has increased the film's popularity among audiences.1997年李安执导的好莱坞电影《冰风暴》。《冰风暴》剧情以20世纪70年代的美国郊区为背景。在1990年代末和2000年代，《冰风暴》已具有较佳的VHS和DVD销售及出租数量，有线电视反复的放映也增加电影的知名度。詹姆士•夏姆斯也以《冰风暴》获得戛纳电影节最佳剧本奖。
The film begins at a dinner party at the Carvers' house as the adults discuss pop culture references that defined the 1970s: the Watergate scandal, swinging parties for married couples, and the pornographic film Deep Throat. The Hood family includes Ben, Elena, and their children, 16-year-old Paul and 14-year-old Wendy. Their neighbors, the Carvers, include Jim, Janey, and their children: Mikey and Sandy. Ben, dissatisfied in his marriage and with the futility of his career, is having an affair with Janey. Elena is bored with her life and is looking to expand her thinking but is unsure of how to do so. Wendy enjoys sexual games with her school peers. Paul, an occasional drug user, is trying to bed his schoolmate Libbets Casey. Jim's sons are lonely and confused: Mikey plays along with Wendy's sexual games, while Sandy is obsessed with violence.故事发生在1973年，美国康涅狄格州的一个普通家庭。这是水门事件的年代，总统的形象、社会的权威，都受到严重挑战。而普通的人们，更是备受那个时代混乱的文化观念、性观念的困扰，家庭濒临破裂的边缘。1973年美国康涅狄格州，感恩节快要到来，一场冰风暴也即将到来。平凡乏味的家庭生活使中年夫妻厌倦，丈夫本?胡德一直在引诱邻居珍妮特?哈珀，而妻子对丈夫的谎言也早已不耐烦了。儿子保罗迷恋着学校里最有人缘的那位女生。女儿温迪兴趣于电视里的水门事件听证会。冰风暴的夜晚，夫妻两个去朋友家参加一个鸡尾酒会，鸡尾酒会的一个重要内容是进行换房间钥匙的游戏。在酒会结束后，每个妻子都可以和别家男人结成新欢。而他们儿子则赶去面对一场诱惑与考验，女儿正陶醉在同邻家男孩子的性游戏中。
Chinese Culture : Soul of the Guqin 中国文化: 古琴之灵魂
The guqin is regarded as the leader of the eight traditional Chinese musical instruments. For thousands of years, guqin have been illuminating the core of traditional Chinese culture with its unique artistic charm, philosophic origins and cultural richness. The guqin is an important part of traditional Chinese classical music.
Ang Lee’s Film: Pushing Hands 父亲三部曲之一《推手》
Pushing Hands is a film directed by Ang Lee.Actually, it is a name for two-person training routines practiced in internal Chinese martial artsin Chinese,we say 推手(tuī shǒu) in Chinese. Released in 1992, it was Lee's first feature film. Together with Ang Lee's two following films, The Wedding Banquet (1993) and Eat Drink Man Woman (1994), it forms his "Father Knows Best" trilogy, each of which deals with conflicts between an older and more traditional generation and their children as they confront a world of change.《推手》是李安运用近代家庭变迁搭配细腻描述亲情互动，因而享誉国际的‘父亲三部曲’之第一部曲。1992年上映，是李安第一部特色电影。
Tantou New Year Wood-block Prints 滩头木版年画
滩头木版年画是湖南省惟一的手工木版水印年画，以浓郁的楚南地方特色自成一派。滩头镇地处湖南省隆回县东南部，此地民风古朴淳厚，习俗独特，历史上曾出现过造纸村，雕刻村，色纸、花纸、香粉纸巷和年画街，手工业十分发达，且分工明确，相互配套。同治年间，滩头木版年画已行销全国。20世纪初，滩头木版年画生产达到全盛，有年画作坊108家，年产年画三千多万份，销往江南各省及东南亚一带。1949年后，滩头木版年画被当作封建迷信品加以禁止，1958年恢复生产，1966年后再次受到摧毁，1979年重新恢复生产。1984年，滩头镇被文化部命名为“中国现代民间绘画之乡”。1994年，滩头木版年画被文化部授予“中国民间美术一绝银奖”。2003年，在中国首届文物仿制品暨民间工艺品大展中，滩头木版年画获中国传统工艺品金奖。Tantou New Year wood-block prints are the only hand-made wood-block printing pictures in Hunan Province, featuring the unique local characteristics of Southern Chu. The Town of Tantou, which is located in the southeast of Longhui County, Hunan Province, has simple and honest people and unique customs. Once upon a time, it was home to villages of paper-making, villages of carving, lanes of colored paper, stained paper and blotting paper, and streets of New Year prints. At that time, these handicrafts were well developed, with clear division of labor supporting one another. Tantou prints had been regarded as superstitious objects and therefore been prohibited since 1949. The production was once recovered in 1958, but was devastated again in 1966. It was not until 1979 that this art form was finally brought back to normal operations. In 1984, the Town of Tantou was named by the Ministry of Culture as the Hometown of Modern Chinese Folk Painting. In 1994, the Tantou New Year wood-block prints won the Silver Award of Unique Chinese Folk Art organized by the Ministry of Culture. In 2003, the Tantou prints won the Gold Award of Traditional Chinese Crafts on the First Exhibition of Culture Relic Imitations and Folk Artworks of China.
滩头木版年画从造纸到成品所有工序都在滩头当地完成，形成了一个完善的生产系列，这在全国年画制作中较为鲜见。传统的滩头木版年画有四十多个品种，分为门神画像、寓意吉祥、戏文故事三大类，在滩头木版年画的工艺中，蒸纸、托胶、刷粉等传统工序均为滩头所独有，“开脸”也是有别于他处年画的独特技艺。滩头木版年画的制版难度在于线板雕刻，在这方面“高福昌”年画作坊的“陡刀立线”技术很有名，其行刀角度一致，使用均匀的暗劲，转折、交叉处稳当不乱，完全靠感觉和技巧把握。All processes of the Tantou New Year wood-block prints, from papermaking to the finished product, are completed in Tantou, thus forming a complete production line, which is rarely seen among its kind. The traditional Tantou New Year wood-block prints have more than 40 varieties, mainly categorized into door-god pictures, auspicious emblems and dramatic stories. Traditional processes such as paper steaming, alum water brushing and powder brushing are unique for Tantou New Year wood-block prints, as is the "face painting". When it comes to wood-block engraving, the challenge lies in carving of the ink line. In this regard, the Gaofuchang, a famous New Year picture workshop, is known for its "perpendicular knife and ink line" engraving skill, which requires consistent blade angles, appropriate wrist strength, and a steady hand in turning, which all depends on the feeling and exquisite skills of the artist.
如今，历经三百多年风采依然的滩头木版年画已经远涉重洋，成为英、美、日等多国大型博物馆的珍藏。但近年来滩头木版年画市场急剧萎缩，作坊入不敷出，艺人纷纷改行，只剩两家年画作坊还保留着门面，其中“金玉美”也基本停产，“高腊玫”只能勉强支撑，年产量不足五万张，作坊主人的子女无一继承祖业。滩头木版年画或毁坏或流失，有不少技艺已经失传，亟待抢救、保护。With a history of over three hundred years, the art of Tantou New Year wood-block prints is still well recognized and appreciated by today’s people, with many copies collected by large museums in Britain, America, Japan, and other countries. However, recent years have witnessed a rapid decline of the market for Tantou New Year wood-block prints, leaving workshops striving to make ends meet and some artists have chosen to make a living in other professions. Only two workshops still have their shops, among them, Jinyumei has largely stopped production, while Gaolamei is struggling with an annual production of less than 50,000 copies, and neither of the workshop owners have any offspring willing to inherit their property. The Tantou New Year wood-block prints, suffering from destruction and losses, along with the disappearance of many unique processes and skills, are in urgent need of rescue and protection.
Cross-Stitch挑花
挑花流传于湖北省黄梅县和湖南省隆回县，是一种具有极强装饰性的刺绣工艺。Cross-stitch is a type of highly decorative embroidery. The type of cross-stitch found in Huangmei County in Hubei Province is distinct from those found in Longhui County in Hunan.
黄梅挑花又名架子花、十字挑花，广泛流传于湖北省黄梅县。相传起源于唐宋时期，成熟于明末清初。长期以来，经过一代又一代农家妇女的精研细作，这门工艺日臻完善，以明快的色彩组合、精巧的图案构想凸显出独特的艺术表现力。Huangmei Cross-stitch, named after the Huangmei County in Hubei, is also known as the frame stitch or cross-stitch. It is said that it originated in the Tang and Song dynasties, and evolved into a sophisticated skill in late Ming Dynasty and early Qing Dynasty. Refined and perfected by generations of peasant females over the years, it features a crisp color combination and ingenious pattern design, highlighting a unique artistic expression.
黄梅挑花被国内许多民间工艺研究专家称为彩挑。黄梅乡下百里棉区的彩色挑花更为精美，花样丰富多彩，地方特色浓郁。当地有俗谚说：“黄梅有女皆挑花。”蔡山、新开、孔垅等地的挑花工艺最为兴盛，女孩刚懂事就跟着妈妈或婶婶做针线活，一直做到出嫁。当地人把不会挑花的女孩叫做“整巴掌”，这对女孩是一种羞辱。Huangmei Cross-stitch is referred by many domestic and oversea folk art researchers as “colored cross-stitch”. In the vast cotton cultivation area in the countryside of Huangmei County, the colored cross-stitch is even more beautiful, with a variety of patterns and strong local characteristics. There is a local proverb that says: “every girl in Huangmei excels at cross-stitch”. In Caishan, Xinkai, and Konglong, where the cross-stitch is flourishing in particular, girls begin to learn the needlework from their mother or aunt once they are capable of sewing and will keep practicing until they are married. Locals call a girl who fails to master the cross-stitch skill a “green hand”, which is very embarrassing.
黄梅挑花不同于一般刺绣，刺绣重刺，挑花重挑。黄梅挑花以元青布作底，用针将五彩丝线挑绣在底布经线和纬线交织的网格上，形成色泽绚丽、立体感强的图案。其中针脚为“×”字形的称“十字绣”，针脚为“一”字形的称平线绣。作品最初主要有头巾、衣边、门帘、帐沿、床围等，民间妇女用它们来打扮自己和装饰居室。While common embroidery emphasizes embroidering skills, the cross-stitch focuses on the stitching. For Huangmei Cross-stitch, black cloth is used as the base, and colorful silk is stitched on the cloth mesh with interwoven warp and weft to form patterns that have brilliant colors and a strong three dimensional sense. In cross-sitch, the stitching is in the shape of “×”, referred to as the “cross-stitch”, while the stitch shape of the “Chinese character one” is referred to as the “flat stitch”. The works were originally limited to scarves, clothing hems, curtains, bed curtains and bed surrounds or other things that were used by girls to dress themselves or to decorate the room.
花瑶挑花相传源于汉代，成熟于明清时期。挑花的材料为藏青色或白色的土布和各色丝纱线，挑花女不用描图和模具，只是遵循土布的经纬徒手挑制，多采用图案中套图案的填充式挑花工艺。挑花图案取材广泛，多达千余种，大致有动物、植物、历史、生活习俗等四大类，以动物类图案最为常见，构思奇巧，造型大胆夸张，布局均衡对称，色彩黑白分明，具有强烈的视觉冲击力。我国著名文博专家沈从文先生称之为“世界第一流的挑花”。花瑶挑花服饰被中国美术馆、民族博物馆列为珍品收藏。1994年花瑶挑花在文化部举办的“中国民间艺术一绝大展”中获得铜奖，2003年又获“中国首届文物仿制品暨民间工艺品大展”金奖，隆回县虎形山瑶族乡因此被湖南省文化厅命名为“文化艺术之乡”。It is said that the Huyao Cross-stitch originated in the Han Dynasty and become a mature craft in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. The material for Huayao Cross-stitch is navy blue or white folkweave, and silk and yarn with different colors. Women craftsmen stitch along the warp and woof of the folkweave, all by hand, without any trace or die. Filling is a common stitching process where a pattern is embedded in another pattern. There is a wide range of pattern materials, up to a thousand items, which are basically categorized into animals, plants, history and customs, with animal patterns being their favorite. Huayao Cross-stitch features ingenious ideas, bold and exaggerated shapes, balanced and symmetrical layouts, and contrasting black and white space, presenting a strong visual impact. Mr. Shen Congwen, a well-known cultural heritage conservation expert in China, called it the “world-class cross-stitch”. Huayao Cross-stitch dresses have been collected by the National Art Museum of China and the National Museum of China as treasures of art. It won a bronze medal in “the Exhibition of Unique Chinese Folk Arts” organized by the Ministry of Culture in 1994, and a gold medal in “the First Exhibition of Culture Relic Imitations and Folk Artworks of China” in 2003. The Huxingshan Yao Ethnic Minority Village in Longhui County has been named “the town of culture and arts” by Hunan Provincial Department of Culture thereafter.
随着社会变革的深入和生活环境的改变，民族服饰不断被外界所同化，这一时期，许多老的挑花艺人去世，技艺传承出现断裂，同时挑花材料匮乏，制作面临困境。花瑶挑花工艺日渐式微，已到了濒危状态，亟待保护和挽救。With the deepening of social transformation and lifestyle changes, the traditional costumes of ethnic minorities continue to be assimilated by the outside world. In the meanwhile, the new generation fails to inherit this craftsmanship while many old cross-stitch artists are passing away. The production is also facing difficulties for lack of materials. All these factors are contributing to the decline of the Huayao Cross-stitch and it is declining to an endangered status and is in urgent need of protection and rescue.
Summer Solstice Weather in China
Summer Solstice means the beginning of a hot summer. Convective Weather, Rainstorm Crops, Plum Rains and High Temperature Summer Solstice are usually appeared in Summer Solstice. Summer Solstice means the beginning of a hot summer. It is not only hot but also suffocating. Several kinds of weather, described below, deserve people's attention.
Thai 
English 
French 
German 
Malay 
Vietnamese 
Myanmar