Organisers are hoping that Beijing’s World Chocolate Wonderland, on the Olympic Green near the Bird’s Nest Stadium, will boost the chocolate market in China, where the candy is not as popular as it is in Western countries.

Tourists who are interested in the craft of chocolate making will be taught by expert chocolatiers. The Chocolate Wonderland is built to allow visitors to “see, touch, taste and smell the delicacy on their own”.

The 20 000m² venue consisted of five indoor halls, including the World’s Chocolate Hall, World’s Candy Hall, Wonderland Theme Hall, Sweet Experience Hall and Sweet Gift Hall, and the outdoor activity areas of Sweet Stages and Sweet Shopping Street.

In the theme park, tourists will be able to see the lifelike chocolate-made miniature of many famous China attractions, such as the Great Wall, the Forbidden City and the Terra Cotta Warriors, chocolate Mogao Caves, and the world’s first chocolate replica of the painting Along the River During the Qingming Festival.

The BMW, located in the same hall, attracted huge attention. According to a report in the official China Daily newspaper, 10 craftsmen needed four tonnes of chocolate and six months to make the car.

In the World’s Chocolate Hall, filed past exhibits detailing chocolate traditions in countries such as France, Switzerland and Belgium. At last, you can see a huge array of chocolate fountains sent 1.5 tonnes of the smooth, dark liquid spilling in various directions – recalling Roald Dahl’s beloved book Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. “The break sound of the deluxe chocolate is clear and crisp.

In the World’s Candy Hall, it’s colourful. There are all kinds of beautiful, delicious candies, such as candy Jungle, candy animals. It’s a Fairy-tale candy house.

In the Sweet Experience Hall and Sweet Gift Hall, you can buy many cute gifts, which are not able to easily buy in shopping malls or supermarkets! You also can make gifts by yourself or with your family, friends, it’s all unique!

In the Outdoor activity areas of Sweet Stages, techno music blared out as clowns performed tricks with audience members on a stage, a bouncy castle stood – empty – and people dressed in chocolate-coloured costumes milled around.

Six dolls of the World Chocolate Wonderland Theme park.

Top row: Qiao Qiao, Ke Ke. Middle row: Lili, Meng Meng. Bottom row: Gongzi, Yuanyuan.

The exhibit that attracted most people was the building devoted to candy, which housed interactive games and displays allowing customers to experience different sweet flavours from around the world.

At the entrance where tickets cost 80 yuan, and 60 yuan (for students or kids).

Visitors will be able to create personalized chocolate memorabilia and candy in the park while also enjoying performances, large scale stage performances, and tasting delicacies, specialty chocolates, and candy. Organisers hope to attract one million visitors to the park before it closes in April, when the weather will begin to get too warm. It will then reopen next January, with all-new displays.

Opening hours:

Weekdays: 9 am to 5:30 pm

Weekends: 9 am to 7:30 pm

It’s real? No! It’s chocolate.

Vocabulary

清明上河图   qīng míng shàng hé tú          Along the River During the Qingming Festival

紫禁城   zǐ jìn chéng        the Forbidden City

秦始皇陵兵马俑   qín shǐ huáng líng bīng mǎ yǒng         Terra Cotta Warriors

莫高窟  mò gāo kū              Mogao Caves

The Japan Pavilion designed by Nihon Sekkei has secured a 6,000-square-meter plot at the Expo site. The 24-meter-high pavilion is the largest the country has ever built for a World Expo. It is also one of the largest pavilions at Expo 2010.

The concept of Eco-Breathing Architecture—a structure that breathes like a living organism—was adopted in the construction of the Japan Pavilion, otherwise known was the Purple Silkworm Island.

Design concept

The Japan Pavilion combines traditional Japanese knowledge for living in harmony with the environment, such as ennoshita (the utility space under verandas) and uchimizu (the sprinkling of water by hands to reduce heat) with the latest environmental control and materials technology.

Vertical hollows are strategically placed in the pavilion to make use of ancient Japanese knowledge for maximum incorporation of the power of nature, such as bringing in sunlight, using stored rainwater, and circulating air naturally. A cool environment is created with the generation of mist in areas where visitors will wait.

The Japan Pavilion is designed so that major spaces within the Pavilion are covered with large roofs, creating a distinct exterior that appears to be alive. The base color for the exterior of the Japan Pavilion is a reddish violet. This color is viewed as a natural color that arises from the harmony of red, symbolizing the sun, and blue, symbolizing water. The outer covering changes to highlight and complement changes in daylight or at night, so that the movement of nature can be felt.

The exhibition message of the Japan Pavilion is “Connect for a Harmonious Future,” and is composed so that visitors can experience the connections being formed in Japan, China, and the world for the future. The message centered on “connections” is expressed using a range of exhibition techniques including animations, robots, computer graphics, and musicals to make it easy to understand and accessible for everyone from children to senior citizens.

Zone 1:

The theme of Zone 1 is “Wonders of Connections.” In the past much time and energy was spent transmitting and sharing information over long distances. The Japanese envoys to China in the Tang Dynasty and other predecessors went through much hardship to bring Japan information on Chinese culture and technology. Visitors will feel how this has taken root in various forms in modern Japan.

Zone 2:

The theme is “From ‘Connections of Knowledge’ to ‘Connections between People.’ Humankind is confronting common problems, such as environmental problems, that extend beyond national borders. This exhibit asks what we should do so that the technology to resolve these issues and future-oriented efforts to build connections between people will grow into full bloom.

Zone3:

The theme of this zone is “Balancing ‘Connections between People’ and the Future.” Through connections based on feelings of concern for the earth, humanity, and children of the future, small efforts will before long lead to a balanced future. The message expressed is that these small efforts can produce huge results.

The show expands on the motif of the Japanese, which is a symbol of the friendship between Japan and China as well as a symbol of environmental preservation activities.

Symbol Mark

The symbol mark for the Japan Pavilion, “Smile to Smile,” is an expression of the importance of “connectedness,” in particular the connections between people, which is a key phrase in the message in the Japan Pavilion.

“Smile to Smile” traces a line that elicits feelings of kindness with just a look by adults and children alike. The coloring is the pale rose color of the Japanese crested ibis that appears in the exhibition of the Japan Pavilion as a symbol of friendship between Japan and China. The logo was selected through a design competition featuring 23 designs by 6 designated young designers.

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Korea Pavilion

With land culture (China) and sea culture (Japan) surrounding the peninsula, Korea has been permeable to imported cultures and global influences, whose progressive mix defines contemporary Korean society.

The Korea Pavilion is an amalgamation of ’sign’ (symbol) and ’space’: Signs become spaces, and simultaneously, spaces become signs.

Design features

The Korea Pavilion will cover an area of 3,000 square meters with more than 10 companies participating in the exhibition. The Korea Pavilion, whose theme is “Friendly City, Colourful Life,” will explore urban living today.

The structure will look like the 20 basic letters of the Korean alphabet otherwise known as Hanggul. The country’s 2010 exhibit will feature a theme on “Friendly City, Colorful Life,” echoing the Shanghai event theme — “Better City, Better Life.” It will also unveil plans for the Yeosu Expo 2012.

Visitors will be greeted on the ground with a microscopic view of the capital city Seoul. The iconic buildings and mountains in the city will be shrunk 300 times.

A performance stage and a waterfall will be built there as well. Visitors can watch traditional folk shows and a short film directed by the famous Korean director Kim Seong Soo.

The main exhibition area on the second floor will be divided into four sections – culture, technology, humanity and nature —where visitors will experience the current and future urban life of the country.

One of the center pieces of the pavilion will feature four hologram guides, including a Korean fashion model, a foreign chef, a lady and an IT engineer will show visitors where to go. This floor will also feature a restaurant serving Korean food. Korean pop stars may also show up in the pavilion to welcome visitors.

Vocabulary

日本   rì běn   Japan

韩国  hán guó  Korea

紫蚕岛  zǐ cán dǎo    purple silkworm island

音乐剧  yīn yuè jù    musicals

前任   qián rèn       Predecessor

连通性    lián tōng xìng        Connectedness

微观    wēi guān      microscopic

It is the last days of the Southern Song Dynasty when its people still cling to old practices. On a fine spring day, Du Liniang, the sixteen year old daughter of an important official, Du Bao, to abandon her studies and take a walk in the garden, where she falls asleep.

In Du Liniang’s dream she encounters a young scholar, identified later in the play as Liu Mengmei, whom in real life she has never met. Liu’s bold advances starts off a flaming romance between the two and it flourishes rapidly. Du Liniang’s dream is interrupted by a flower petal falling on her Having awakened from her dream, she became lovesick and un-consoled in her longing, until she finally pined away with a broken heart in the seclusion of her maidenly chamber.

Later, Liu takes shelter in Du’s family residence one summer by chance for an examination. In Du’s room, he finds her portrait. Meantime, the president of the underworld adjudicates that a marriage between Du Liniang and Liu Mengmei is predestined and Du Liniang ought to return to the earthly world. The girl comes back to life.

Du Liniang appears to Liu Mengmei in his dreams who now inhabits the same garden where Du Liniang had her fatal dream. Liu agrees to exhume her upon her request and Du Liniang is brought back to life. Liu visits Du Bao, Du Liniang’s father, and informs him of his daughter’s newly resurrection. However, Liu was captured and imprisoned for being a grave robber and an impostor.

The ending of the play follows the formula of many Chinese comedies. Liu Mengmei narrowly escapes death by torture thanks to the arrival of the results of the imperial examination in which Liu has topped the list. The emperor pardons all.

Many people have been moved with the story of Du Liliang.

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The Peony Pavilion is distinguished particularly by the play’s highly refined and subtle lyrics hailed as another height in Chinese literature. Aided by the then newly developed Kun music, the lyrical prose of the Peony Pavillion weave out a dainty fabric of nuances and metaphors which elegantly transgress the divide between nature’s beauty and man’s inner cosmos of emotions and desires.

Through the lights and shadows of the its literary fabric transpire the play’s ravishing sensitivity and intoxicating effeteness and, almost antithetically, a persistent tone of youthful optimism. Within a few words, the audience finds itself, carried by the magic of the play’s language, already in the midst of a celebration of sensitivity, a banquet of metaphors and a dance of the imagination the compound of which defines nothing less than a unique form of and literary and esthetic pleasure.

In 1999, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts produced a 20 hour version of Tang Xianzu’s Peony Pavilion directed Chen Shizheng.

This 20 hour version was perhaps the first full length staging in 300 years and spurred a renewed interest in the full opera beyond a few celebrated episodes. Lincoln Center’s version toured extensively, playing in New York, Paris, Milan, Singapore, Caen, Charleston, Aarhus, Berlin, Perth and Vienna. DVD highlights have been released in the United States and Taiwan.

In the latest version of The Peony Pavilion, adapted by Bai Xianyong, has once again surprised the world with its breathtaking storyline and the modified, yet preserving costumes that are designed to accommodate the perspective of the modern day viewers. It premiered in 2004 helped rejuvenate this tradition.

Bai Xianyong, a Chinese scholar at the University of California, Working out of the Jiangsu Suzhou Kunqu Theater, the group condensed and adapted the original fifty-five scenes to twenty-seven scenes, and twenty hours of performance time to nine.

He invited over 80 excellent artists from the China’s mainland and Taiwan to form the most powerful team. The actors are not only at their prime time, but also are excellent in appearance, singing and action, very close to the temperament of the figures in the play. The stage pursues the beauty of simplicity so that the play will display the elegance and classicality of the Suzhou ancient culture, and also be full of the charm of youth. The performance was a huge success.

Bai Xianyong, who had chosen The Peony Pavilion because of its universal message of love, hoped that his rendition would attract youth to Kunqu. According to Bai, the goal of this youth-oriented production was to “give new life to the art form, cultivate a new generation of Kunqu, and offer respect to playwright Tang and all the master artists that came before.” His production of The Peony Pavilion was his way of doing so.

Vocabulary

昆曲   kūn qǔ    kunqu opera

牡丹亭  mǔ  dān tíng     The Peony Pavilion

中国文学    zhōng guó wén xué     Chinese literature

剧作家   jù zuò jiā    Playwright

Shaomai is a traditional Chinese dumpling served in dianxin / dim sum.

There are two regional varieties of shaomai: a Cantonese version and a version from the Jiangnan region.

Cantonese shaomai (also known as siew mai)

As prepared in Cantonese cuisine, shaomai is also referred to as “pork and mushroom dumpling.”

Its standard filling is a combination of ingredients, consisting primarily of seasoned ground pork, whole and chopped shrimp, and Chinese black mushroom in small bits. The outer covering is made of a thin sheet of lye water dough. The center is usually garnished with an orange dot, made of roe or diced carrot. Although a green dot made with a pea may also be used. The decorative presentations vary from restaurant to restaurant.

Jiangnan shaomai

Shaomai prepared in the Jiangnan region (south of the Yangtze River, stretching from Shanghai to Nanjing) are quite different.

The wrapper is larger and tougher than the Cantonese version. The filling is similar to zongzi (Chinese-style tamales) with soy sauce/rice wine/sugar-marinated pork pieces in glutinous rice and steamed with some lard. It is larger in size than the Cantonese version.

However, most people in Western countries associate shaomai only with the Cantonese version due to the Cantonese immigrants that formed the majority of Chinese communities. Recently, the Jiangnan version is starting to appear in areas with high-density new immigrants from mainland China, such the San Francisco Bay Area and Silicon Valley.

This recipe in this article is the Jiangnan variety. It basically makes use of ground pork, shrimps, and mushrooms as the main ingredients. Try this delicious Shaomai recipe!

Ingredients:

• 2 ½ lbs ground pork
• 1 cup shrimp, minced
• 2 cups water chestnuts, minced
• 5 tbsp sesame oil
• 1 tbsp ground black pepper
• 1 cup onion, minced
• 1 cup carrots, minced
• 1 ½ cups white mushroom, minced
• 1 pack won ton wrapper
• ¼  cup scallions, minced
• 2 tbsp salt
• 1 piece raw egg
• water for steaming

Cooking procedures:

1. Combine all the ingredients except for the water and wanton wrapper and mix thoroughly.

2. Wrap the mixed ingredients using the won ton wrapper.

3. Using a steamer, steam the wrapped shaomai for 15 to 25 minutes. The time depends on the size of each individual piece (larger size means more time steaming).

4. Serve hot with soy sauce or lemon dip. Share and enjoy!

Vocabulary:

shāo mài
烧    卖 :    Shaomai          n.

yú  zǐ
鱼  子:    Roe   n.

Hú luó bō dīng
胡     萝 卜  丁：      Diced carrot   n.

Money is issued in notes of 1, 5, 10, 20, 50, and 100 yuan, and 1 yuan coins. There are also notes and coins for 1, 5 jiao. Fen is issued as coins. But fen is rarely used as they have no purchasing power.

1.    Banknotes

Significantly, the Chinese currency now uses the portrait of Mao Zedong on all banknotes, in place of the various leaders and workers which had been featured previously.

The substrates use well-known Chinese flower pattern and the back of the main pattern shows a representative pattern with ethnic characteristics. It fully demonstrates China’s long history, magnificent mountains and rivers, showcasing the cultures of China.

The denomination of each banknote is printed in Chinese. The numbers themselves are printed in financial Chinese numeral characters, as well as Arabic numerals. The denomination and the words “People’s Bank of China” are also printed in Mongol, Tibetan, Uyghur and Zhuang on the back of each banknote.

2.    Coins

1 jiao coin (equivalent to 10 cents)

3.    Foreign Currency Exchange

Note that China has established some very strict regulations on foreign currency exchange.

It is possible to exchange traveler’s checks or cash at most banks, and hotels always have a money exchange counter. Cash advances are available on most common credit/debit cards e.g. American Express/Visa/MasterCard, but this facility is available only from the main branch of the Bank of China in most Chinese cities. A fee of 3%-4% will apply.

The Bank of China has an ATM network that will allow cash advances from major credit / debit cards and ATM cards. Check you credit card provider for this information before leaving your home country. You are required to present your passport to change money/travelers checks etc. Hotels will usually only allow you to change money if you are guest at the hotel. The RMB is not easily convertible on the international market so it is only usable in China.

It is advisable to change only the money that you need for you trip as it may be difficult to change back to you preferred currency. RMB is now readily convertible in Hong Kong. You can convert unused RMB to another currency in China by producing the receipts for your original purchase of RMB in China. This exchange is done at the airport as you leave China.

1 yuan silver coins (a dollar) and the golden 5 jiao coins (50 cents)

Tips:

• Due to the strict regulations, there is an active black market for currency exchange, but illegal money changers sometimes operate with false currencies so it is definitely preferable to do your currency exchanges at an official institution.

• Most of the time, vendors and taxi drivers ask for a small note when you pass them a RMB100 note, sometime they cannot change it and sometimes are not willing to. So it is a good idea to stack up on RMB10 bills.

• average price of U.S. dollar against RMB  (1 U.S. dollar)

4.    Cost of living in China

China is no longer the “bargain country” that is used to be. Along with the rise of living standards, prices have also dramatically increased. Shanghai, Beijing and Hong Kong have become some of the most expensive cities to live in the world, with prices for top-range apartments reaching US$ 10,000 monthly rent or more. Education for your children can also become quite costly, and if you move within the “higher circles” of Chinese society, expect to pay Western prices at top-level restaurants and other places.

On the other hand, you can still live relatively cheaply if you stick to the living standards of the lower and middle class ends of the local population. Riding buses instead of taking cabs, eating at cheap noodle outlets and living in an old-fashioned Chinese apartment with little or no amenities will save you a lot of money. If you move out of the big cities, prices for everything drop dramatically, often by more than half.

Vocabulary

元   yuán  (equivalent of a dollar)

角   jiǎo  (equivalent of 10 cents)

分   fēn  (equivalent of 1 cent)

纸币   zhǐ bì   banknote

硬币   yìn bì   coin

外币兑换  wài bì duì huàn   currency exchange

自动出纳机   zì dòng chū nà jī   ATM (automatic teller machine)

The USA pavilion at Shanghai Expo 2010 is expected to cost about $60 million USD to design and occupying an area of 60,000 square feet will be one of the largest national pavilions at the Expo. Clive Grout Architects designed the building and BRC Imagination Arts is providing the multimedia guest experience.

The Pavilion will present a dynamic, emotional story that radiates powerful core values shared by both the Chinese and American people and the fundamental belief that America is a place of opportunity where those who seek to change the world for the better will always thrive and prosper.

In keeping with the Expo’s theme “Better Cities, Better Life”, the USA Pavilion will emphasize urban sustainability, teamwork, health, and struggle and achievements by telling a story through the voice of a Chinese-American woman living in the year 2030, who was a visitor to the Shanghai expo in 2010.

Her life as portrayed in 2030 reflects the “Better Cities” catalyst of the expo 20 years earlier, and the values of teamwork, and celebrates ethnic diversity and the accomplishments of the Chinese-American community. This message from the future will play out in a 4D multimedia theatre format. The post show exhibits will portray the seeds of change and sustainability that will help lead the world to the “Better Life” of 2030.

The Mainshow Theatre

The national pavilion will showcase American business and technology, as well as cultures and values to foster stronger friendship between the American and Chinese people as it also demonstrates America’s commitment to a forward-looking, positive relationship with China.”

The exterior plaza

Canada Pavilion

The Canada Pavilion is located on the Pudong side of the Huangpu River. Along with other North and South American countries, Zone C is also home for European and African pavilions. One of the largest sites at the pavilion.

The design for the Canada Pavilion at Expo 2010 is created by Cirque du Soleil. NC-Lavalin Inc., one of Canada’s best-known engineering and construction companies, has now working on building the Canada Pavilion, Canada is the first countries to start construction at Expo 2010.

The theme for Canada’s participation in Expo 2010 is The Living City: inclusive, sustainable, creative. Canada’s theme complements China’s overall Expo 2010 theme of  Better City, Better Life. Canada’s theme was developed following consultations and interviews across Canada, and reflects our history and democratic values. It will be a showcase to the world for Canadian culture, advanced technology and urban development.

The Canada Pavilion building is shaped like a looped ribbon or a large letter “C” (as in “Canada”), which has an open air public space as its centre piece. The pavilion is divided into areas for the public, for entertaining special guests and for administration. There will also be a multi-function section of the Pavilion for business promotion, meetings, conferences and special events.

The design of the pavilion incorporates a performance area, where visitors can watch performances of Cirque du Soleil before visiting the main pavilion area.

The pavilion organizers have also designed concepts of environmental protection into the pavilion. Parts of the pavilion’s exterior walls will be covered by greenery and rainwater will be collected by a drainage system for use inside the pavilion.

The Canada Pavilion has always been a “must-see” among national pavilions at expos, not only because of its cutting-edge exhibition technology, engaging presentations and creative programming, but also due to its knowledgeable young hosting staff.

These young Canadian hosts are selected from across Canada. The criteria are demanding and all hosting and VIP staffs are required to be proficient in English and/or French and the language of the host country. This ability results in a dynamic team that is authentically Canadian, yet is able to communicate with visitors to the Pavilion in their own language.

Vocabulary

美国 měi guó America

加拿大 jiā ná dà  Canada

太阳剧团   tài yáng jù tuán  Cirque du Soleil

The People’s Republic of China was established on October 1, 1949. The then new government set about creating a new art for the new nation.

Art was only in service to nation building. From roughly the 1950’s to the1970’s, artists were told what they could and could not paint. The Chinese art on this site are divided in three sections:

• The early years (1949-1965)
• The Cultural Revolution (1966-1976)
• Period of modernization up to the present (1977-now)

1. The Early years (1949-1965)

Since 1949, the Communist Party is in power in China, with Mao Zedong as chairman. In the early years, the arts propaganda focuses on building the new country.

The poster below showed the parade at the Tiananmen Square. Peace in Beijing on the occasion of the proclamation of the People’s Republic of China on October 1, 1949. Mao Zedong, 6th from the left, with members of his first government.

Many Chinese policies such as the Great Leap Forward and collectivization of agriculture in the late 1950s were presented to the public using Socialist Realism Posters. The happy, energetic, and idyllic scenes are all on the posters.  Often these posters included Communist expressions and slogans.

One of the central goals of the Great Leap Forward was to increase steel production. Thus, the other sectors would follow once this movement is successful.

In the early 1960s there is an economic liberalization to encourage production. At the same time, an extremely aggressive style of propaganda is developed for use against Western imperialism. This is especially evident in arts on the Vietnam War.

Throughout the Vietnam War, China supported the communist north. After the departure of the Americans and the unification of the North & South, the old rivalry between China & Vietnam for dominance in this region leads to strained relations and border conflicts.

From the start, The Chinese style of Socialist Realism differed slightly from the Soviet style. The colours were brighter, and paintings included water-colour like gradations in tone. The outlines of the subjects were also more clearly defined, perhaps due to the influence of woodcut art.

2.  Cultural Revolution (1966-1976)

In 1966 Mao launches the Cultural Revolution to eliminate his reformist rivals and set the country back on a rigid communist course.

During the Cultural Revolution very few subjects were considered legitimate for art. The Chinese outdid Soviet-style realism, always portraying Mao as hero, surrounded by smiling farmers and happy peasants. The personality cult of Mao Zedong was particularly emphasized during that time. On the other hand, many paintings of the military show soldiers with grim almost menacing expressions, weighted down by their heavy responsibilities.

In the early 1970s the situation loosens up slightly. Many national art exhibitions were organized by Mao’s wife Jiang Qing. The emphasis shifts to the countryside and to the glorification of life in the agricultural communes.

Paintings become more colourful again, often painted in the style that combines heavy contours with carefully shaded colours. The folk painters from Huxian are touted as true folk artists, demonstrating the innate artistic abilities of the people. Hundreds of their paintings are made into posters.

3. Modernization (1977-now)

In 1976, Mao died. After the death of Mao and the end of the Cultural Revolution, Socialist Realism Art diminished but did not die.

This art piece above may serve to mark the conclusion of the Cultural Revolution, describing the reactions of local people to news that Mao Zedong has died. Mao’s most fanatical supporters (called the Gang of Four) are arrested by Mao’s successor, Hua Guofeng. He brings about reforms that are carried further by Deng Xiaoping, who gradually gains power.

In his view, some liberalization is necessary to allow China to catch up with the world industrially and economically. For the first time, arts show traces of growing material wealth. Role models are used to teach people the desired attitude.

Political control over the visual arts is loosened. The Chinese version of Socialist Realism is no longer the only form of expression permitted, as the restriction had caused the most talented artists to turn away from creating propaganda paintings. The influence of Western advertising becomes increasingly evident.

"Father" — by Luo Zhong

The form of the painting learned the styles of Western art, themes were mostly derived from the individual’s life, but they still have a strong real-life causes and social influence.

In this day and age, the theme of Chinese art styles is variety, which greatly enriches people’s cultural life. And international exchanges and cooperation are more and more, this is undoubtedly one of the best periods of development.

“Songkran - a paean to life”

The female nudity in the painting above appeared in public at the first time, and try to use abstract, distortion, symbols, and set off a controversy that he emphasized the “artistic personality and self-expression”.

Today’s advocate is to build a harmonious culture, and to build a harmonious society shown In the fusion of Eastern & Western painting nowadays. Stay tuned for more of the many art styles and types of painting influences in China to be featured in the upcoming articles.

Vocabulary

社会主义写实画   shè huì zhǔ yì xiě shí huà   Social Realism Art

共产党    gòng chǎn dǎng    Communist party

宣传   xuān chuán    Propaganda

经济自由   jīng jì zì yóu      economic liberalization

争议zhēng  yì     controversy

抽象  chōu xiàng      abstract

Background

Xishi was the daughter of a tea trader in Zhuji, the capital of the ancient State of Yue (current Zhejiang Province) around 500BC during the Spring and Autumn Period (770-476BC). At that time, China was divided into several kingdoms fighting for power.

When the State of Yue was vanquished by the State of Wu, the King of Yue, Gou Jian was forced to serve Prince Fuchai of Wu for 3 years. On his release, King Gou Jian slept on brushwood and drank gall before each meal to remind himself of the humiliation his country had suffered. He plotted the downfall of his conqueror as soon as he was released. Goujian’s minister Wen Zhong suggested training beautiful women and offering them to Fuchai as a tribute, knowing that Fuchai was a lustful man and could not resist beautiful women. He commissioned men to search far and wide for a woman. Xishi, whose beauty was much talked of even from early childhood, was selected for this task and sent to the capital.

King Gou Jian approved of the choice and had Xishi trained in royal court etiquette. Gou Jian ordered his minister Fan Li to take Xishi to the Prince of Wu as a tribute gift from Yue. During the journey, Xishi fell deeply in love with the wise minister. Fan Li also grew to admire this courageous lady who was willing to give her life for her country. Consequently, before they parted, they made a secret pledge of undying love.

They arrived at the capital of Wu and Prince Fuchai was enchanted by Xishi’s appearance and doted on her. Gradually he began to neglect his political duties, preferring to idle away his time with Xishi. He frequently took her out on carriage rides to the noisy and prosperous sections of the city. On these rides, he liked to boast to those around him that he had won the heart of the most beautiful woman in the world.

Xishi, however, never lost sight of her mission. Bewitched by the beauty of Xi Shi, Fuchai forgot all about his state affairs and on their instigation, killed his best advisor, the great general Wu Zixu. Fuchai even built Guanwa Palace (Palace of Beautiful Women) in an imperial park on the slope of Lingyan Hill, about 15 kilometers west of Suzhou. The strength of Wu dwindled, and in 473 BC Goujian launched his strike and put the Wu army to full rout. King Fuchai lamented that he should have listened to Wu Zixu, and then committed suicide.

In one disputed account of her fate, it was written that Goujian ordered Xi Shi to be drowned by being thrown into a lake, to avoid being tempted by her as Fuchai was.

In legends, after the fall of Wu, Fan Li retired from his minister post and lived with Xi Shi on a fishing boat, roaming like fairies in the misty wilderness of Tai Ho Lake, and no one has seen them ever since.

She is remembered by the Xi Shi Temple, which lies at the foot of the Zhu Lou Hill in the southern part of the city, on the banks of the Huansha River.

A memorial statue of Xishi at The Xi Shi Temple

The West Lake in Hangzhou is said to be the incarnation of Xi Shi, hence it is also called Xizi Lake, Xizi being another name for Xi Shi, meaning Lady Xi.

Art Works based on story of Xi Shi

浣纱庙 Silk-Washing Temple

吴越相谋计策多，As the states of Wu and Yue piled plot upon plot,

浣纱神女已相和。The silk-washing goddess offered ease;

一双笑靥才回面，a pair of laughing dimples turned the prince’s head,

十万精兵尽倒戈。And a hundred thousand soldiers let fall their shining spears.

范蠡功成身隐遁，Fan Li, having succeeded, went into retirement;

伍胥谏死国消磨。Wu Xu died for his advice, and his country was wiped out.

只今诸暨长江畔，And yet, today, by the long river at Zhuji,

空有青山号苎萝。There’s nothing but a green hill named Zhu Luo.

This poem is based on the story of Xishi. The temple is dedicated to Xi Shi, who originally laundered silk for a living in Zhuji.

Early built in Tang Dynasty, Xishi Temple, was rebuilt in 1989 and enlarged in 2001, whose area is over 20 thousand meters now, encompassing Xishi Temple, Ancient Yue’s Platform, Beauty Pond, Xishi Long Corridor, Yiguang Pavilion, Zhuluo Village, and Showroom of Xishi’s Historical Material, and attracting tourists of over 10 thousand person times yearly.

NCPA Original Opera: Xi Shi

It is the first original opera produced by National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA), which adopts Western opera to interpret the ancient legends about Xi Shi in a brand new way, recreating grand view of the war between the Kingdom of Wu and the Kingdom of Yue, as well as the legendary story of a beauty.

TV Drama

Xi Shi is a historic celebrity, through her story; there are numerous television programs and movies around this legend.

Dong Zhizhi as Xi Shi in 1983

Jiang Qinqin as Xi Shi in 1995

Zhou Yang as Xi Shi in 2005

Idiom : Dong Shi imitates a frown

It is said that there lived an ugly woman named Dong Shi in the neighborhood. She was plain-looking and illiterate, but daydreamed to become a beauty someday. The “Dong” in her name means “east” contrasting to Xi Shi’s “Xi”, which means “west”.

Xi Shi, being a sickly girl, often had chest pains. It was said that her beauty was most attractive whenever she had her hand on her chest, wincing from the pain. As Dong Shi saw Xi Shi win the admiration of others while she was walking with her hand on the chest and brows furrowed, she imitated Xi Shi. But this only increased her ugliness. This in turn has created the saying “Dong Shi imitates a frown” meaning to attempt imitating another only to emphasize one’s own weaknesses.

Vocabulary

被迷住  bèi mí zhù   Bewitched

减小  jiǎn xiǎo   Dwindled

西施殿 xī shī diàn  Xi Shi Temple

东施效颦  dōng shī xiào pín   Dong Shi imitates a frown

春秋时代  Chūn qiū shí dài   Spring & Autumn period (the warring states period)

馆娃宫  guǎn wá gōng   Guanwa Palace

]]> http://ilearn-culture.com/traditions/historical-figures-tales/four-beauties-of-ancient-china-xi-shi/feed/ 0 http://ilearn-culture.com/traditions/historical-figures-tales/four-beauties-of-ancient-china-xi-shi/ http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/impact-ilearn/feed/~3/FexeyyeSsqk/ http://ilearn-culture.com/traditions/crafts-performingarts/chinese-paper-cut/#comments Tue, 23 Feb 2010 09:58:19 +0000 Simon Zhang http://ilearn-culture.com/?p=3288 Chinese Paper cut or Jianzhi is one of China’s most popular folk-arts. It originated from the 6th century, various paper objects and figures used to be buried with the dead or burned at the funeral ceremony.

Chinese Paper cuts, which were usually of symbolic character, were part of this ritual. After hundreds of years’ development, nowadays, Chinese paper cuts are very decorative. They can be pasted onto walls, windows, doors, columns, mirrors, lamps and lanterns in homes especially during the Spring Festival and wedding days. Entrances are decorated with paper cut is supposed to bring good luck.

Chinese Paper cutting stands out for its charm – exacting lines and ingenious patterns which are all hand-made.

It shows us the life expressions of the figure’s sentiment and appearance, or portrayal of natural plants and animals’ diverse gestures. Exaggeration and symmetry are the skills often used by these folk artists. Flowers are most common to see in the patterns.

If you want to make a Chinese Paper cut, what you need are: paper and scissors or an engraving knife.

To make the three-dimensional scenes pop out visually from the paper, as they are usually in monochrome (especially red), engravers must exert their imagination. Knife cuttings are fashioned by putting several layers of paper on a relatively soft foundation consisting of a mixture of tallow and ashes. Following a pattern, the artist cuts the motif into the paper with a sharp knife which is usually held vertically. Skilled crafters can even cut out different drawings freely without stopping.

One of the basic methods of paper cutting is called positive image. It involves cutting around the design you wish to make cutting away all background paper leaving the design in tack thus you have a beautiful positive image.

Since there is a positive image it is only natural that there is a negative image. The negative image is the opposite of the positive image. That is you cut away from the lines and shapes of the design leaving the background in tact as one piece This method is especially well suited for dyeing.

The perfect Chinese paper cutting method is a combined positive and negative image. According to the design in some places you use the two methods above flexibly and thus you bring forth the special features of both methods in one perfect design.

Here are some places which are famous for Chinese Paper-cuts:

• Yuxian in Hebei Province
• Fengning Manchu Autonomous Region in Hebei Province
• Zhongyang in Shanxi Province
• Ansai in Shaanxi Province
• Jinzhou city in Liaoning Province
• Yangzhou in Jiangsu Province
• Yueqing in Zhejiang Province
• Foshan, Shantou, Chaozhou(all in Guangdong Province)
• Luxi City in Yunnan Province

Nowadays, more and more fashion elements combine with traditional Chinese paper cuts. As the photos below shows a paper cut of Obama on one of the street as well as paper cut-inspired dress.

Vocabulary

剪纸  Jiǎn zhǐ   paper cut

巧妙的图案  qiǎo miào dē tú àn   Ingenious patterns

手工制作  Shǒu gōng zhì zuò   hand-made

立体  lì tǐ   3-dimensional

正象  zhèng xiàng   Positive image

However, this is the current trend in China – Street Style (there are also other names such as Street Wear or Street Fashion) which trigger off StreetSnap.

Street Snap is a term used to describe fashion that is considered to have emerged not from studios or runways but from everyday regular people on the streets, especially youths and fashionistas.

We may be familiar with fashion shows held in Paris or Milan, but how many youngsters have the earning power to own and afford designer labels? Hence, the Street Fashion emerged as creative fashionistas thought of many innovative ways to DIY their clothes and eventually develop their own fashion sense. Individualism is what many people are after nowadays. After all, you don’t want to see someone across the street wearing exactly the same shirt as you, do you? It’s even possible to recycle clothes you hardly wear and DIY into Street Fashion.

Street Fashion possibly originated from Europe, where all the subcultures developed. Europe, as known to the world is a fashion trend-setter. Japan may possibly be the first Asian country to be influenced from the Europeans. Hence, StreetSnap in European countries as well as in USA & in Japan are common but it was until in recent years that we were seeing more Street Fashion in China.

In Beijing

In Shanghai

In Hong Kong

In Hangzhou

In Guilin

In Wuhan

In Guangdong

In Chengdu

Street Fashion is an attitude that represents oneself. It doesn’t matter if one is fat, thin as long as you’re comfortable in your own style. Then that is the right attitude to bring out what you’re wearing even if it’s just a simple T-shirt and jeans.

Many local Chinese female magazines even teach readers how to dress streetstyle.

A neutral look with vest & jeans

Checkers are in style!

Be outstanding with stripes

Go vintage with prints

Oversized T-shirt with main motif

Be a punk princess or rock chic with leather jacket

The Boyfriend's shirt as outer-wear

Elegant Purple

Vocabulary

街拍    jiē pāi    street snap

时尚服装达人 shí shàng fú zhuāng dá rén   Fashionistas

亚文化主义  yà wén huà zhǔ yì   Subculture

个人主义  gèn rén zhǔ yì   Individualism