Speak Chinese - Ancient Sports in China

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Ancient Sports in China

( 2008-07-08 )

Sports in ancient China were extremely rich and diversified, each with distinct features of its own. Traditional Chinese life preserving arts, in particular, combine bodily movements and mental activity in a way rarely seen in sports practised in other parts of the world. With their unique values
in promoting health and combating disease, these arts are invaluable assets to mankind.

With their unique national features, oriental charm, health-keeping and therapeutic values and entertaining effects, ancient sports form an intrinsic part of Chinese civilization. Today, they are being steadily improved on a scientific basis and have taken their place in the sporting world,
enriching the treasure house of human civilization.

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HSK - Tan Dun’s Opera “Tea” will be staged

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Tan Dun’s Opera “Tea” will be staged

( 2008-06-30 )

Synopsis

Tea-- The Heart's Mirror tell us such a story: in the Tang Dynasty of ancient China, Japanese Prince Seikyo fell in love with Chinese princess Lan during his study of Tea Ceremony in China and expressed his wish to marry her. The Chinese emperor asked Seikyo to recite a tea poem and Seikyo's
excellent performance led the emperor to approve their marriage, which made the Crown Prince, elder brother of Lan, disgruntled.

Amidst a tea festival, a Persian prince offered a thousand horses in exchange for one book: Book of Tea . The Crown Prince reluctantly took out his Book of Tea for the exchange, however, Seikyo expressed doubt that this wasn't the true book shown him by its author, his teacher the Tea Sage Luyu..
Angry and jealous, the Crown Prince challenged Seikyo and vowed to sacrifice his own life if Seikyo could show him the "real" Book of Tea. Seikyo promised to end his life if proven wrong.

Then Seikyo and Lan began their journey to seek for the authentic Book of Tea. In a tea festival, they met Lu, daughter of Lu Yu. Lu announced Luyu's death and consented to give Seikyo and Lan the Book of Tea on the condition that they vowed to spread its wisdom throughout the world. As they read
it, the Crown Prince burst in and grabbed the book. A fight erupted between Seikyo and the Crown Prince. Attempting to stop the duel, Lan was mortally wounded. The crown prince was so regretful and gave his sword to Seikyo so that he could pay for her sister's death with his own life. However,
Seikyo sliced off his own hair with the sword and became a monk preaching Tea Ceremony in Japan thereafter…

Cast

Composer: Tan Dun

Writer/Lyrics: Tan Dun, Xu Ying

Director/Choreographer: Jiang Qing

Stage Design: Jiang Qing

Costume Design and Dressing: Patrizia Von Brandstein (Germany)

Lighting Design: Tommy Wang (Singapore)

Colored Glaze Design: Yang Hui-Shang (Taiwan, China)

Property Design: Thomas Lundgvist (Sweden)

Researsal Conductor: Erik Ochsner (USA)

Percussion Director: Haruka Fujii (Japan)

Background Painter: Ding Xiongquan

Multimedia Animation: Wang Qiang

Editor: Feng Hui

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Learn mandarin - Ancient Track-and-field Sport

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Ancient Track-and-field Sport

( 2008-07-07 )

In ancient China there was a fairy tale called "Kuafu Running after the Sun." Untrue as it is, the story does reflect people's admiration for great runners. Walking and running are the most fundamental abilities of man in daily life as well as in fighting. In ancient times when the means of
transport were extremely simple and crude, people attached great importance to improving their walking and running abilities.

"The quality of troops lies in speed" was one of the most important maxims in ancient Chinese art of war. Eminent strategists of all times, from Wu Qi of the Warring States Period (475-221 BC) to the Ming Dynasty patriotic general Qi Jiguang (1528-1587), required their men to "run light-footedly"
while carrying their weapons and with their coats of mail on. In ancient times, when dukes and princes traveled around in carts, their bodyguards had to run behind them. These bodyguards, called "brave warriors," were selected through stringent tests" and enjoyed high esteem.

By the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368), a long distance running race was held every year by the ruler inspecting his guards. According to a Yuan Dynasty history book titled Chuo Geng Lu, the race covered at distance of about 180 li (90 km) and the winner was awarded a silver disc while the others were
given satin of different lengths. It was to some extent like today’s marathon. This was actually a kind of cross-country race that was held at regular intervals.

This was the original form of ancient track-and-field sport in China.

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============================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================

| About us | E-mail | Contact |

Constructed by .cn
Copyright 2003 Ministry of Culture, P.R.China. All rights reserved

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Chinese Studies - Treasures in Shaanxi History Museum

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Classics>Collection

Treasures in Shaanxi History Museum

As the seat of dozens of imperial capitals, Northwest China’s Shaanxi Province is rich in cultural relics. The Shaanxi History Museum, located in Xi’an, capital of the province, is home to over 370,000 precious relics unearthed in Shaanxi over the past years. Its collections range from bronze
wares to pottery figures, gold and silver wares and mural paintings from the Tang Dynasty (618-907) tombs. Among its precious collections, 18 pieces have been listed as national treasures.

1. Yu Ding (Bronze Tripod)

Age：Western Zhou Dynasty (about 1,100-771BC)

Height: 77 cm; Diameter: 56.5 cm

Unearthed in 1972 at Yangjia Village, Meixian County, Shaanxi

The vessel has three legs and patterns of auspicious animals carved on the surface.

This Ding was named after Yu, a Western Zhou official. 27 Chinese characters in four lines are inscribed inside the vessel, recording a king named Wang Jiang, who took back the fields he had bestowed to Shi Lu and gave them to Yu as awards. The inscription indicates the field ownership system at
that time - that is, the king was the owner of all the fields under his jurisdiction and had the right to retake or bestow them to any of his subordinates.

2. Wushi Wei Ding (Bronze Tripod)

Age：Western Zhou Dynasty

Height: 36.3 cm; Diameter: 34.3 cm

Unearthed in 1975 at Dongjia Village, Qishan County, Shaanxi

The vessel has three pillar legs, with patterns of auspicious animals carved on the surface.

207 Chinese characters in 19 lines are inscribed inside the vessel, recording a land lawsuit in the Western Zhou dynasty. In the fifth year during the reign of Emperor Zhougongwang (922- 900BC), a man named Qiu Wei reported to the ruling officials that he had a land dispute with his neighbor
Bangjunli. At last, it was judged that part of the land in dispute belonged to Qiu Wei. This inscription indicates the land system underwent changes in the middle of the Western Zhou Dynasty. At that time, some land belonged to individuals, rather than the king. However, the government still
controlled land transfer among citizens.

This vessel is of great importance to research on the land system during the Western Zhou dynasty.

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HSK - Artists celebrate China-Australia ties with exhibition

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Exchange>Exhibition

Artists celebrate China-Australia ties with exhibition

A group of artists, who have had experiences in both China and Australia, put their works on display at an exhibition in Hong Kong on May 13, with some reflecting upon their experiences of the cross-cultural interaction.

Lindy Lee, an Australian-born Chinese artist, put together a group of family photos to show the impact of changes in both China and Australia on her cultural identity. With the photos in sanguine colors of red, blue and orange, Lee said she was trying to bring about the essences of her
cross-cultural experience in the artistic form.

"When I first came back to China, I found that all the women in China had something similar to my mother. They all shared something. It was beautiful," the artist said.

The Australia-China exhibition, named Process-Journey, brings together the works of Tony Scott, Guan Wei, Jayne Dyer, Li Gang, Laurens Tan, Rose Farrell and George Parkin. It will run for 10 days through May 22.

Supported by the Australian government and the Australian Consulate in Hong Kong, among others, the exhibition was also a celebration of the 35th anniversary of the diplomatic ties between China and Australia, which is one of the first Western countries to establish diplomatic ties with the
People's Republic of China.

Tony Scott, who co-organized the exhibition, said all the artists have had experiences of or connections with both Australia and China.

Australia Consul-General Les Luck said the exhibition was a sign of the deep and diversified relationship between the two countries.

"Artists can play an indispensable role as intermediaries, using very personal means to make clear wider cultural, political and aesthetic matters of interest to both Australians and Chinese," he said on inaugurating the exhibition in Wanchai, Hong Kong.

Artist Jayne Dyer said she has been living in Beijing recently and found the Chinese capital stimulating.

Laurens Tan said he had been living in both Sydney and Beijing, where the artist community is one of the biggest in the world, thereby, enabling conversations between different cultures.

Li Gang, a Chinese artist, put on a series of bronze waste shoes spanning about a decade, which he said were a sign of how the shoes had changed over the years in China.

Editor: Dong Jirong

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Free Chinese Lesson - American Classic Gets a Chinese Makeover

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Exchange>Stage

American Classic Gets a Chinese Makeover

When Ephraim Cabot brings his young bride Abbie to their remote New England farm, little does he see the turmoil that her arrival will bring his family. Ephraim's youngest son at first loathes the newcomer, but when hatred gives way to lust, the resulting conflict threatens to rock the peaceful
farm.

Eugene O'Neill's "Desire under the Elms"

Eugene O'Neill's "Desire under the Elms" may be familiar to many theatergoers but how would it be if performed in China's Chuanju Opera In 1989, the playwright Xu Fen tried to adapt it into a Chuanju Opera play entitled “Wild Desire” (Yuhai Kuangchao) and the Chengdu Chuanju Opera Company
premiered it that May.

As part of the ongoing Chuanju Opera Week, presented by the Chengdu Chuanju Opera Company, the play will run at the Memorial Hall of Peking University on Saturday.

Chuanju Opera "Wild Desire" is adapted from Eugene O'Neill's "Desire under the Elms"

Because of the sparseness of its style and its avoidance of melodrama, "Desire under the Elms" was acclaimed immediately as a powerful tragedy and has continued to rank among the great American plays of the 20th century.

"Desire is definitely not an easy work to carry off but we try deliver the original spirit and power of the drama as well as appeal to Chuanju fans," says the playwright Xu.

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Study Chinese - Chinese Acrobatic Ballet "Swan Lake" Applauded by Austrians

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Exchange>Stage

Chinese Acrobatic Ballet "Swan Lake" Applauded by Austrians

Wandering by the lake in a forest, a beautiful girl is suddenly taken away by a ferocious black hawk and is turned into a white swan. A prince, who dreamed of her horrible experience, embarked on a long, arduous journey to rescue her and finally gains her love.

"Swan Lake," a classic ballet which is familiar to Western audiences, has been interpreted by Chinese acrobatic artists into a new form, which received applause from the audience in Vienna.

The acrobatic ballet, performed by the Guangdong Acrobatic Troupe of China, gave two fantastic performances in Vienna Tuesday and Wednesday. The performances were held in the City Hall of Vienna with an average ticket price of 50 euros.

An official from City Hall told Xinhua that a total of 4,800 seats were prepared for the audience and all tickets for the shows quickly sold out, with an estimated 6,000 people coming to the show Wednesday.

"This show is great, and it won't let the audience down," he said.

Featuring Chinese cultural elements such as a Dragon boat, the Forbidden City and red lanterns, the stage design together with the colorful costumes and fantastic traditional Chinese acrobatic arts created incredibly brilliant scenes and successfully illustrated the classic love story.

Pianist Axel Zwingenberger told Xinhua the show was "one of the best performances" he had ever seen.

The performers displayed professional skills, and the combination of the eastern acrobatics and the Western ballet was "perfect," the pianist said, adding that "it (acrobatic ballet) isa quite smart idea, really lovely."

His comments represented those of the vast majority of the Vienna audience. Long-lasting applause and shouts of "bravo" could be heard after each section of the performance. Some audience members even went backstage and wanted to see those Chinese artists who "created such magical art."

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