In this act, two types of cycles are used: monocycles on which the acrobats adroitly perform various beautiful postures; and bicycles on which they also display a variety of postures on the bicycle, of which the beautiful tableau of a peacock fanning its feathers is the best.
This evolved from an old folk dance in China. In the dance, there are two types of lions: big lion (played by two acrobats) and small lion (played by one man). They not only perform the various movements of the lion such as rolling and jumping but also vividly portray the lion's strength and agility as well as the quiet and playful side of the lion's character.
http://library.thinkquest.org/20443/acrobatics.html
Since the middle of this century, great efforts to foster and develop national arts and acrobatics have gained a new life. All provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions have set up their own acrobatic troupes. The veteran performers have better opportunities to display their skill. The acrobats in modern China have set up a designing and directing system aimed at creating graceful stage images, harmonious musical accompaniment, and good supporting effects of costumes, props, and lighting in order to bring about a fully developed stage art.
The present status of Chinese acrobatics reflects the industry, resourcefulness, and un daunting courage of the Chinese people. In the past forty years and more, many Chinese acrobatic troupes have toured more than one hundred countries and regions of the world and promoted friendship and cultural exchanges. At present, there are over 120 acrobatic troupes above the county level, and more than 12,000 people are involved in performing.
http://library.thinkquest.org/20443/acrobatics.html
Jade ornaments have remained popular up until the present day. The purchase, wearing, and giving of jade items as gifts is still very common. Jade is viewed as an ideal gift for couples making a mutual commitment, and for one's children when they get married. Even now, the Chinese retain the idea that in addition to being beautiful, jade can protect from misfortune and bring good luck.
Today, traditional forms and modern styles are combined into striking new creations, and modern technology has greatly elevated the quality of workmanship. No longer is jade for the exclusive use of emperors and noblemen; just about everyone has the means to own and wear jade. Beyond maintaining its historical role, jade artistry has been further developed with creativity and skill, and has become an indispensable part of everyday life. Jade remains an eternal symbol of China's magnificent civilization.
http://library.thinkquest.org/20443/jade.html
In recent years, this kind of traditional art work has once again drawn public notice. Many people are fusing modern machines and industrial technologies with artistic creativity to produce a variety of cloisonné ornaments, art works, and household utensils. This has allowed the integration of classic cloisonné into modern life.
An exquisite piece of cloisonné must have colors that are glossy, fresh, and bright, a body that is substantive and sturdy, a wire inlay that is neat and well-proportioned, and gold plating that glitters. The making of cloisonné combines bronze and porcelain-working skills with traditional painting and etching.
http://library.thinkquest.org/20443/cloisonne.html
Beijing, Fuzhou and Yangzhou are the cities leading in the production of Chinese lacquerware.
a Ching Dynasty Lacquer Box
Beijing lacquerware starts with a brass or wooden body. After preparing and polishing, it is coated with several dozen up to hundreds of layers of lacquer, reaching a total thickness of 5 to 18 millimetres. Then, engravers cut into the hardened lacquer, creating carved paintings of landscapes, human figures, flowers, and animals. It is then finished by drying and polishing. Beijing lacquer objects are in the forms of chairs, screens, tea tables, vases, and other furniture.
Yangzhou lacquerware is recognized not only by its carvings but also by exquisite patterns inlaid with gems, gold, ivory, and mother of pearl. The products are normally screens, cabinets, tables, chairs, vases, trays, cups, boxes and ashtrays.
Fuzhou is well-known for "bodiless lacquerware", one of the "Three Treasures" of Chinese arts and crafts (the other two being Beijing cloisonne and Jingdezhen porcelain). The bodiless lacquerware starts with a body of clay, plaster, or wood. Grass linen or silk is pasted onto it, layer after layer, with lacquer as the binding agent. After the outer cloth shell has hardened, the original body is removed. The shell is then smoothed with putty, polished, and coated with layers of lacquer. After being carved, it becomes the bodiless lacquerware of extremely light weigh and superb finish.
The beauty of traditional bronze art is still to be found in incense burners and sacrificial vessels in temples, in statues on display in schools, or in decorative pieces in homes. The application of traditional bronze designs has become an indispensable element of modern architecture, apparel, and furniture design. This is one way that the brilliance and artistry of the early Chinese continue their everlasting shine into the lives of Chinese today and of the future.
In the present, traditional Chinese furniture is generally arranged in symmetrical suites or sets. However,these are supplemented with more flexible arrangements to prevent the room from having an atmosphere that is too sedate and reserved. Paintings or examples of calligraphy might be hung on the wall to create a more lively environment. Ceramic, enamel, or other little objects might be placed in an antique display cabinet for added elegance. Flower arrangements made of jade or stone might top an occasional square table for a welcome change in scenery. Any or all of these can add splashes of color and liveliness to the room. These delicate additions set off the heavy furniture to give a rich composite effect.
With China's increasing economic prosperity, more and more people are placing great importance on interior design and room arrangement. With this prosperity, more people are also becoming very particular when choosing furniture. And because of a corresponding enhancement in spiritual life, traditional Chinese style furniture now enjoys a special vogue. Many like to collect and use traditional Chinese furniture in all sorts of ways in their homes; it has become part of the modern lifestyle.
The development of traditional Chinese furniture went from the simple to the intricate and was closely linked to the Chinese lifestyle and to cultural and economic changes in China as well. In ancient times, the Chinese sat mostly on straw mats on the floor. After the Warring States period (475-221 B.C.), beds and couches began to come into widespread use for seating. During the Wei-Chin (220-420 A.D.) and the Northern and Southern dynasties (420-589 A.D.) period, Western-style chairs, folding stools, and other seating gradually entered China. From that point on, Chinese everyday living began to be conducted from chairs rather than sitting cross-legged on the floor.
Beginning in the late Ch'ing Dynasty (1644-1911 A.D.), foreign living styles began to be adopted in China, and as a result originally predominant Chinese-style furnishings gradually became collector's items. Not only chairs, but also Chinese tables, cabinets, bookcases, and decorative screens reached the height of their development during the Ming (1368-1644 A.D.) and Ch'ing dynasties.
Ming furniture features simple, smooth, and flowing lines, and plain and elegant ornamentation which fully bring out the special qualities of frame-structure furniture. Influenced by China's burgeoning foreign trade and advanced craftsmanship techniques, furniture of the Ch'ing Dynasty period turned to rich and intricate decoration with coordinated engraved designs.
Part of a Traditional Chinese Chair
As in traditional Chinese architecture, wood is the major material used in the manufacture of furniture. This was in response both to needs arising from Chinese lifestyles and to China's rich forest resources. The two main types are lacquered furniture and hardwood furniture. Lacquered furniture was commonly used in palaces, temples, and in the homes of the wealthy. Lacquered furniture includes the carved lacquer style; in this style, lacquer is used to fill in an engraved design and then rubbed flat; the outlined lacquer style; and the mother-of-pearl inlay style. Two or more methods might also be combined in the same piece. Hardwood furniture was very common in the homes of nobles and officials. Woods employed include red sandalwood, pearwood, padauk, ebony, and nanmu. Because it is dense, hard, and resistant to decay, red sandalwood is the most highly valued material for use in furniture making.
Bamboo and rattan furniture also have a long history. Bamboo is a product unique to Asia. Simple and ingenious techniques are used to make clever and useful modular pieces that can be used together or separately. Bamboo is used in combination with other materials, such as wood, rattan, metal, and ceramic tile, in endless variation. A great deal of bamboo and rattan furniture is exported to Europe and the United States, where it is extremely popular.
Chinese are fond of furniture with inlaid and carved work. In addition to shells and enamel chips, brilliant, colorful, and artistically grained jade, stones, ivory (and other animal teeth), horn, agate, and amber have been used since bygone times for inlaid designs. Marble is an example of stone often used for inlaid work. Colorful ceramic plates are also a popular material for beautification. Another elegant technique used since ancient times is the inlaying of different types and colors of woods in a single piece. The methods of carving include relief carving, negative engraving, and free-style carving. Common subjects for furniture carving are the symbols popular to the Chinese culture such as flowers, dragons, phoenixes, the ch'ilin which is a mythical Chinese beast, and stylized cloud and leaf patterns.
http://library.thinkquest.org/20443/furniture.html
The lifestyles of the Chinese people have changed, but the importance of traditional festivals in their lives has not faded. Along with these major festivals, many other traditional festivals are observed in modern China that demonstrate the important place that tradition and longing for times past occupy in the life of the Chinese people. Besides the ethnic, geographic, historic, and linguistic ties that unite the Chinese, traditional festivals are one of the strongest bonds reinforcing the cultural identity of the Chinese.
Today, Fashion designers use a mixture of traditional and modern ideas to create new fashions. These new fashions also incorporate age-old motifs such as guardian deities, lions, and masks of Chinese opera characters. Chinese bronze is another source of printed, woven, embroidered, and applied design for clothes. Some of the distinctive designs include dragons, phoenixes, clouds, and lightning. Motifs from traditional Chinese painting also end up in woven or printed fashion designs.
Traditional Garments
In modern society, men are seen at social occasions wearing the dignified and refined traditional Chinese long gown, and women often wear the ch'i-p'ao, a modified form of a traditional Ching Dynasty fashion, on formal occasions. The variations of height, length, width, and ornamentation of the collar, sleeves, skirt, and basic cut of this Oriental fashion are limitless.
Many accessories such as macramé are used to decorate shoulders, bodices, pockets, seams, and openings of clothing, as well as belts, hair ornaments, and necklaces. Some successful examples of combinations of modern and traditional fashion elements are the modern bridal tiara, based on a Sung Dynasty design and the Hunan Province style of embroidered sash made in the traditional colors of pure red, blue, and green. From these examples, it can be seen how traditional Chinese dress is the foundation of modern fashion. However, the Chinese have also adopted many Western styles of clothing such as business suits and jeans.
Today, the way of life in China is not different at all from anywhere else in the world due to Western influence. You can see in China today modern apartment complexes and towering high-rise buildings as well as modern style homes. Clothing in China is very similar to that of the Western cultures now.
However, tradition still lingers in all Chinese households and societies all over the world. In older neighborhoods, rural mud and straw houses can still be seen, and in rural areas the traditional way of life are still very alive. And although the way of life now is very modernized, traditional values of family importance and reputation still is felt by all families.
Today, the Chinese live in smaller family units, usually only with parents and children, and sometimes grandparents. Almost all adults have a job, male or female. In many families, a grandparents looks after the house and children during the day, and more and more children attend nursery school and kindergarten so that mothers can be free to work.
Today, girls as well as boys are valued. Women now do many kinds of work outside the home. Many young households share in the shopping, housecleaning, cooking, and caring for the children to show that they believe the sexes are equal. Some of the older generations may still show slight hope for a grandson or great-grandson and disappointment if the outcome is a granddaughter, but in the end they love and value each with equality. However, equality between the sexes is more widely accepted in the cities than in the countryside.
Relationships have become more democratic as parents no longer expect their children to show unquestioning obedience; however, most Chinese parents today, although much more lenient and reasonable, still are strict and expect a good deal of respect. As for marriage, young people today generally choose their own marriage partners on the basis of shared interests and mutual attraction. However, parents still play a role in arranging some marriages, especially in rural areas. Any couple today would at least consult their parents about such a major decision.
http://library.thinkquest.org/20443/living.html
As with many other elements of the Chinese culture, tradition has been mixed with modern technology. Although many traditional buildings still exist, almost all new buildings are built with Western style architecture. It's not uncommon to see skyscrapers in a large city of China. Traditional houses, however, are still exquisitely built.
China`s modern architecture tends to reflect political and aconomic, rather than ethnic and climatic, considerations. From the mid-nineteenth century onwards, treaty ports were built up in the European colonial manner by the foreign merchants, banks, shipping firms and missionaries who conducted their affairs there. Today, the former offices, warehouses and churches – often divided up for Chinese use – still give certain cities a distinctive look. Hankou ,part of Wuhan , has a customs house and whole streets of colonial buildings, as do the former east-coast concessions of Shangai, Qingdao, Yantai, Shantou, Xiamen and Guangzhou. European inspired building continued on into the 1930s.
After the communist takeover, there were various attempts to unite Chinese styles with modern materials. When employed, this strategy was successful, and many modern rural dwellings still follow traditional designs , simply replacing adobe walls with concrete. But during the 1950s while Russia was China`s ally, a brutally functional Soviet style became norm, requiring that everything from factories to hotels be built as identical drab, characterless grey boxes. Since China opened up to the western world and capitalism in the late 1970s, however, there`s been a move towards a more “international” look, as seen in the concrete-and-glass high-rises going up across the country. While brighter than Russian model, these are, in general, hardly any more inspirational or attractive, and are afflicted by a mania for facing new buildings in bathroom tiles. Perhaps the most distressing aspect of this trend is that any indigenouis characteristics are seen as old-fashioned, and yet, compared with similar buildings in the west, these new buildings are very poor imitations. Yet even , here there are occasional attempts to marry the traditional Chinese surrounded by walled compounds and topped with curled rooftiles.
In recent years, with a great deal of money and resources washing around, the Chinese urban landscape is set to be ripped up and reconstructed yet again. Eye-catching, prestige projects by the worlds most expensive architects have begun springing up , particularly in Beijing, which is to be showcased as a dynamic, hip city in time for the Olympics in 2008. The city`s residents – three hundred thousand of whom have been relocated to make space for the boom – point out that this much reconstruction would only normally take place after a war. The new CCTV building by the radical Dutch firm OMA will be a truly bizarre structure, a double Z with a hole in the middle and no right angles, nicknamed “the twisted doughnut”. There are plenty who doubt whether it`s possible to build. The national theatre (“the egg”), three halls under a dome floating at the centre of an artificial lake, has been designed by French architect Paul Anreu, and will be and astonishing sight, specially considering its location at the heart of the staid communist city. In Shangai the Xintiandi complex of accommodation and restaurants is a rare example of an extravagant architectural gesture that`s still recognizably Chinese, a collection of shikumen, houses with stone gateways, painstakingly reconstructed with original materials. Happily, this seems to have started a trend, and Chinese cities may soon start to look a little more Chinese.
How did China wanted to be known and remembered by the rest of the world? what are the important things of their culture?
The tourist books let us know what one country wants us to see and know of it, in a tourist book you can find the must important things of a culture. watching a rough tourist guide of China i got several notes.
(Tourist Guide of China notes)
• A world of chopsticks, tea, slippers, massed bicycles, shadow-boxing, exotic pop music, teeming crowds, chaotic train stations, smoky temples, red flags and the smells of soot and frying tofu.
• The ferocious dragons and lions of Chinese statuary have been produced for 25 centuries or more, and the script still used today reached perfection at the time of the Han dynasty, two thousand years ago.
• China is undergoing a huge commercial and creative upheavel.
• Must of China historic architecture has been deliberately destroyed in the rush to modernize.
• China main exports are clothing, textiles, tea and fossil fuels, and its main trading partners are US, Japan, South Korea and Europe.
• Beijing is on everyone´s itinerary, and the Great Wall and the splendour of the imperial city are certainly not to be missed.
• Buddhism, Taoism and Confucionism, though the country is officially atheist.
• Shangai is te mainland`s most westernized city.
• Wealth of wildlife habitats, the country`s vast human population has put pressure on the environment, bringing sone high rpofile creatures to the edge of extinction. Most famous of these is giant panda, which survives in pockets of high bamboo forest. A fes siverian tigers, snub-nosed golden monkey, white headed langur and Chinese alligator.
• Mount everest
• Chinese cities some of the most polluted on earth. Black sludge fills canals and streams; buildings are mired by soot; blue sky is only a memory; the population seem permanently stricken with bronchitis; and acid rain withers plants.
• The only traditional Chinese festival marked by an official holiday is also the biggest of all, the Spring Festival or Chinese New Year.
• Crime is a growth industry in china, with official corruption and juvenile offences the worst problems.
• Chinese have almost no concept of privacy. People will stare at each other from point-blank range and pluck letters or books out of others hands for close inspection. Even toilets are built with partitions so low that you can chat with yuour neighbour while squatting.
• Beijing remains spiritually and politically the heart of the country
• First impression of Beijing are of an almost inhuman vastness, conveyed by the sprawl of apartment buildings in which most of the city`s population of fifteen million are housed.
• Beijing has assimilated a lot of outside influences, and today it is perhaps the most cosmopolitan part of China, with and international flavour reflecting its position as the capital of a major commercial power.
• Students in the latest baggy fashions while away their time in Internet cafès and McDonald`s, hip hip has overtaken the clubs, businessmen are never without their laptop and schoolkidscarry mobile phones in their lunchboxes.
• Beijing Olympic Games 2008
• The wall is so tall because it is stuffed with the bones of soldiers
• The wall is so deep because it is watered with the soldiers blood.
• While the concept of being Chinese has been around for over two thousand years, the closer you look, the less “China” seens to exist as an entity.
• China has one of the largest economies.
• The traditions are expressed more clearly in how the Chinese act than in the symbols and rituals of overt worship.
First of all i want to start with the image above, The name of it is "maid in China " hahaha (in spanish jajajaja) in emilias lenguage (jahsjhajhsj and sometimes i have numeric laugh j82j8382j8jjjjajjjajaja), yes, that is what i want to talk about, humor.
Starting a new brief???
wow!!!! don`t panic! this is like a quiz of the one we can learn lots of things to be better at the next time :), this is not the real world, ok yes, but no at the same time! jaja just try to do your best, try to get all what you can of it and get prepare for the real thing, graduating it`s just the begining.
Soooo!!! please emilia! don`t panic and start, enjoy the flavour of chopsticks, tea, slippers, massed bycicles, shoadow-boxing, exotic pop music, teeming crowds, chaotic train stations, smoky temples, red flags and smell of soot and frying tofu.
