20210601 culture

Final Exam Paper Page. Please write now here and improve until grading on 2021 06 15

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• Link to the other Final Exam paper pages: Final Exams 1 Bào Qìnwén 鲍沁雯 - Dù Xīnyǔ 杜心语; Final Exams 2 Guō Yàbō 郭亚波 - Huáng Zǐlóng 黄梓龙; Final Exams 3 Lǐ Yìhào 李艺浩 - Sū Xiāo 苏潇; Final Exams 4 Tāng Huì 汤惠 - Wáng Qìnyú 王沁瑜; Final Exams 5 Wáng Zǐhán 王子涵 - Zhào Kē 赵轲.

1. Every student should write a new English text on a phenomenon in Chinese culture as a new chapter in the text book. Please also make a comparisons to similar or different cultural phenomenons in Europe and/or the USA.

2. Please find a paper you want to proof read, contact the author, proof read (by copying each paragraph and make corrections/suggestions in the copy) and sign until May 25. The author then finalizes (works in the suggestions) until the final deadline June 1! Please proof read a fellow students' paper by copying each paragraph and make your corrections in the paragraph. In a final step, the original author of the paper has to decide, what of the corrections he/she will accept and work into the paper. The final version submitted on the deadline should not carry any of the fellow student's paragraphs and comments.

• You can use the texts in the coursebook as an example (like Unit 1, Text A). You only need to write Text A (like "Longevity Noodles") or Text B ("Mooncakes"), not a whole Unit. But please try to find fellow students who topics fit under the same Unit title ("Festival Meals") and arrange it accordingly.
• In the topic, please write the category, then the topic - your name and student no.
• For the text, please indicate ALL SOURCES with bibliographical references. That means: At least for every paragraph, sometimes for single sentences, you have to indicate at the end, where you have found this information. E.g. (Liu Miqing 2010, 17). This means you have found it in the book or paper written by Ms Liu on page 17.
• Add a section at the end called "References". There you write the full version of the reference: Liu Miqing 刘宓庆. (2010). 翻译基础 [Translation Basis]. Shanghai: East China Normal University 华东师范大学. Similarly, you do it for papers: Jin Wenlu`靳文璐. (2019). 机器翻译可以取代人工翻译吗? [Can machine translation replace human translation?]. 智库时代 Think Tank Times (40) 282-284.
• Please also add a list "Terms and Expressions".
• Please add a "Questions" section.
• Please add a "Answers" section.

This is the the first page with the final exam papers.

Please write another chapter of the textbook on any cultural phenomenon in China.

Bào Qìnwén 鲍沁雯：Chinese Jade Culture

Introduction

Since ancient times, jade has had an indissoluble bond with the Chinese people. Evolving slowly from the Paleolithic production tools into exquisite jade carvings, jade in China has bred Chinese unique jade culture, which has been developing with age, deeply integrating into China's national culture and becoming an indispensable part of it. Jade culture, derived from the concept of "culture", generally refers to the activities that human consciously exploited and utilized beautiful stones or jades. （Ruan Xibo 2017）In the development of Chinese culture for thousands of years, the promotion and accumulation of jade art and skills, as well as the related ideas, culture, system, folk style, all the spirit, the sum of material wealth, constitute China's unique jade culture. (Yao Shiqi 2004, 2) This article will focus on the origin of Chinese jade culture, the evolution of the function of jade, several basic cultural meanings of jade and the embodiment of jade culture in Chinese language in these aspects of China's jade culture for a brief summary and presentation.

The origin of Chinese jade civilization

The origin of Chinese jade culture

The origin of Chinese jade culture should be no later than 18,000 years ago during the period of the Peak Cave Cultural Site. At this time, in addition to working for food, the cave people have formed a basic aesthetic concept. In Zhoukoudian keel mountain top cave people site, archaeologists found many ancient works of art as sacrificial objects. Whether from the emergence of people's awareness of beauty, to the confirmation of archaeological objects, we can confirm that the Chinese land has appeared the prototype of jade culture in the mid-term of the caveman period. (Ruan Xibo 2017,1)

The origin of Chinese jade civilization

"Civilization" is opposite to “savage”. Corresponding to the history of human development, Chinese jade culture has gone through a long process of breeding and growing from birth to civilization. We trace the origin of Chinese jade culture back to the peak caveman period 18,000 years ago, then, 8200 years ago, at the Xinglongwa cultural site in Chifeng City, Inner Mongolia, the excavation of a pair of white jade marked the birth of China's jade civilization and the arrival of China's jade civilization era. The pair of jade block that has fine workmanship has not only been the oldest jade found in China so far, but also a milestone that marks the earliest human discovery of the true sense of jade jewelry. This shows that the aesthetic level , processing art, processing equipment of ancestors at that time has reached a relatively high level. The appearance of jade marks the birth of the era of Chinese jade civilization, which is exactly one of the main symbols of the origin of Chinese civilization. With the birth of the era of jade civilization, Chinese jade culture has gradually developed into social, economic, political, cultural, religious, artistic and moral aspects, in addition to maintaining the main direction of the original pursuit of beauty.(Ruan Xibo 2017,1)

The evolution of the function of jade in China

Mediumistic Jade Stage: From Prehistoric to Shang Dynasty

In the obscure prehistoric period, jade was given the spirituality of the God of Heaven. The use of jade control in the hands of the gods known as "spirits", they were considered to have mysterious power in the tribe, having the ability to communicate between Heaven and earth. All kinds of shapes of jade were their medium to communicate the heavens and earth, or so-called magic artifacts. Had just entered the early national form, Shang did not completely get rid of the strong atmosphere of witchcraft. Yin people were so fond of divination that they almost asked the gods for everything in the life. Kings and privileged nobles, transformed from the leaders of the original tribal alliance, remained the most direct master of jade.（Zhang Ruixiang, Yang Xiaoping, Ou Xiuhua 2018,84)

Ritual Jade Stage：Zhou Dynasty

Having Reflected on the demise of the Shang Dynasty, Zhou people adhered to the political concept that people should be respected more than ghosts and spirits. The Duke Zhou established a whole set of ruling systems by creating rituals and music. In terms of jade, he stipulates the texture, shape and specification of jade used by all classes of the nobles. The social etiquette system with jade as the carrier was perfecting day by day; In the Spring-autumn Warring period, Confucius linked the gentle, meticulous, flawless, clean and other properties of jade with the gentleman’s good character of benevolence, righteousness, wisdom, courage and so on, giving the unique human significance of "gentleman's virtue over jade". Promoted by the maxim that “gentlemen’s no reason, not body-yu”, jade wearing came into fashion. There are many types of jade wearing such as wrist ornaments, accessories and so on. The nobles wore these jades wearing not only to show their superior political status and the supreme glory of the social identity, but also to momently remind themselves to keep noble and elegant as a noble.（Zhang/Yang/Ou 2018, 84）

Burial Jade Stage：Han Dynasty

The Han Dynasty was politically unified and economically prosperous. With the opening of the Silk Road, Hetian jade was mined in large quantities and entered the inland, which provided the material basis for the development of its five cultures. In the field of ideology of the Han Dynasty, the tenet that "Ban from hundred philosophers, venerate Confucianism" was pursued; therefore, the Confucian worship of jade led to the further development of jade wearing in the Han Dynasty. In addition, on the one hand, because the ruling class of the Han Dynasty advocated filial piety, generous burial became popular as the best way to show filial piety. On the other hand, Taoism's religious view of "immortality" and the idea of immortalizing immortals went deep into the society, and jade was deified into an artifact that could maintain the immortality of the corpse and the immortality of the soul, which prompted the formation of the system of using jade corpse and presenting jade corpse and became an important part of social political culture and ritual culture, and jade burial became popular and developed to the extreme. Funeral jade is popular, developing from the Zhou Dynasty's jade cover to a complete set of jade clothes, nine orifices jade plugs, jade grip, jade pillow and jade pedal.（Zhang Ruixiang, Yang Xiaoping, Ou Xiuhua 2018,85）

Entertained Jade Stage：From Tang to the end of the Qing Dynasty

In the Tang Dynasty, jade was obviously secularized, and the mysterious color of ancient times disappeared. The Tang people did not fall into the old system, and made bold innovations, opening up a new era in decoration and shape. Auspicious animals, fruits, flowers, dancing and playing music, and a number of highly life decorative patterns are common in jade articles of this period. There are furnishings and decorations of all kinds. All kinds of jade articles with fine carvings and beautiful shapes are intended to show their superb technology, and even the design of the shape and ornamentation exceeds the utility itself. In the Song Dynasty, the development of commodity economy further accelerated the pace of secularization and commercialization of jade articles, and jade shops integrating processing and sales of celestial articles appeared in big cities such as Hangzhou. To the Qing Dynasty, jade craftsmen in the historical records have been numerous. The beauty of jade quality, the essence of jade carving, and its wide use are all in an unprecedented booming. After more than 8,000 years of development, the mysterious meaning of the ritual system gradually lost its attached power and gradually weakened, and the jade has become a popular artwork for Chinese from the emperor and the nobility to the ordinary people.（Zhang/Yang/Ou 2018, 86）

Some common cultural implications of jade in China

Symbol of power and wealth

Jade is a symbol of wealth and power. On the officialdom, the different positions and ranks would hold different jade. Since the ruling of the Emperor of Qin, the hereditary imperial jade seal had become the token of the imperial power. The leaders who dominated the world were often titled with “jade” such as "jade emperor" ,from which we can see that the political connotation of jade has become more prominent. Throughout the feudal society, the “Xi” (imperial jade seal) was an exclusive object for the emperor, which is mostly jade.(Zhang Ying 2016,2)

Symbol of Noble Morality

In the book Shuo Wen Jie Zi written by Xu Shen of the Eastern Han Dynasty, jade has "five virtues". Represented by Confucius, Confucianism combines ethical and moral values with jade or jade articles symbolizing “11 virtues” including benevolence, wisdom, righteousness, propriety, music, loyalty, faithfulness, heaven, earth, virtue, Tao and so on. Jade is regarded as the symbol of a gentleman to regulate morality and restrain behavior. Honest men describe the exquisite and clean jade as their pursuit of the highest moral ideal. In the minds of the "gentleman", jade is a symbol of nobility and purity, representing the noble character of human beings.(Wang Zhijie 2014,2)

The jade culture embodied in Chinese language

According to the cultural implication of jade, there are many corresponding words and sentences containing "Yu"(jade) in Chinese. First, in Chinese, "jade" is opposite to "stone". The Chinese character "Yu" symbolizes beauty, kindness and extraordinary, while "Shi"(stone) symbolizes ordinary. "Stone" and "jade" form distinction in contrast. If someone cannot distinguish right from wrong, we will say him “make no distinction between jade and stone ”（"玉石不分"). “Stone“ is used with “jade” to serve as a foil to the beauty of “jade”; however, the combination of "gold" and "jade" sets off and highlights the richness and nobility of "jade". The idioms "fine gold and beautiful jade"(“良金美玉”), "the house full of gold and jade" （“金玉满堂”）and "gold and jade predestined match"(“金玉良缘”) highlight the preciousness of "jade" with the preciousness of "gold".(Han Jiawei 2010,1)

Second, "jade" is a spiritual symbol of virtue. Its corresponding idioms, such as "as clean as ice and as pure as jade"(“冰清玉洁”), use the clarity of ice and the purity of jade to refer to one's noble and pure character. The idiom "It is better to die of ‘jade’ when life is a disgrace" (“宁为玉碎，不为瓦全”)to refer to one's willingness to die for justice rather than to live an ugly life. This idiom expresses the national belief that morality and personality is the first-line tenet via the widely accepted concept of "jade". Another example of the idiom "a jade tree in the wind"(“玉树临风”) is used to describe people who have not only good looks, but also good and pure qualities.（Han Jiawei 2010,3）

References

Yao Shiqi 姚世奇.(2004).《中国玉文化》Chinese Jade Culture .2

Ruan Xibo 阮希波. (2017).试论中国玉文化起源 [On the origin of Chinese jade culture].1

Zhang Ruixiang, Yang Xiaoping, Ou Xiuhua 张睿祥 杨筱平 欧秀花.(2018). 从神坛走向民间：中国古代玉器的发展历程[From the Temple to the Folk: The Development course of Ancient Chinese Jade].文物鉴定与鉴赏 Identification and appreciation of cultural relics (11).84-86

Zhang Ying 张颖. (2016).汉字“玉”的文化解读 [Cultural interpretation of the Chinese character "Jade"].2

Wang Zhijie 王志杰. （2014）. 论儒家思想对玉文化的影响 [On the influence of Confucianism on jade culture].2

Han Jiawei 韩佳蔚. (2010). 从汉语成语看“玉”的文化象征意义[View the cultural symbolism of "Jade" from Chinese idioms].1,3

Terms and expressions

Mediumistic Jade 巫玉

Ritual Jade 礼玉

Burial Jade 葬玉

Entertained Jade 玩玉

Hetian jade 和田玉

gentleman's virtue over jade 君子比德与玉

gentlemen’s no reason, not body-yu 君子无故，玉不去身

Ban from hundred philosophers, venerate Confucianism 罢黜百家，独尊儒术

nine orifices jade plugs 玉九窍塞

jade emperor 玉皇大帝

Xi (imperial jade seal) 玉玺

Shuo Wen Jie Zi 《说文解字》——东汉许慎

make no distinction between jade and stone 玉石不分

fine gold and beautiful jade 良金美玉

the house full of gold and jade 金玉满堂

gold and jade predestined match 金玉良缘

as clean as ice and as pure as jade 冰清玉洁

It is better to die of ‘jade’ when life is a disgrace 宁为玉碎，不为瓦全

a jade tree in the wind 玉树临风

Questions

1.What's the definition of jade culture?

2.When was the Chinese jade civilization born? And what marked its birth?

3.How many stages did the functions of jade go through in China?

4.What are the features of jade in the Tang Dynasty?

5.What are the two main cultural implications of jade in China?

Answer

1. Jade culture, derived from the concept of "culture", generally refers to the activities that human consciously exploited and utilized beautiful stones or jades.

2.8200 years ago; At the Xinglongwa cultural site in Chifeng City, Inner Mongolia, the excavation of a pair of white jade marked the birth of China's jade civilization and the arrival of China's jade civilization era.

3. There are 4 stages in total.

4.In the Tang Dynasty, jade was obviously secularized, and the mysterious color of ancient times disappeared. Auspicious animals, fruits, flowers, dancing and playing music, and a number of highly life decorative patterns are common in jade articles of this period. There are furnishings and decorations of all kinds. All kinds of jade articles with fine carvings and beautiful shapes are intended to show their superb technology, and even the design of the shape and ornamentation exceeds the utility itself.

5.First,it is a symbol of power and wealth;secondly, it is also a symbol of Noble Morality.

Chén Kērǔ 陈柯汝 Riverside Scene at Tomb Sweeping Day

Introduction

Introduction of the painting

Riverside Scene at Tomb Sweeping Day is a painting attributed to Song Dynasty artist Zhang Zeduan(张择端). It witnesses the daily life of people and prosperity of the capital city Bianjing(汴京), today’s Kaifeng(开封), from the Northern Song Dynasty. In the scroll, there are businesses of all kinds, selling wine, grain, cookware, bows and arrows, lanterns, musical instruments, gold and silver, ornaments, as well as many restaurants. Vendors extend all along the great bridge, called the Rainbow Bridge. In addition to the shops and diners, there are inns, temples, private residences, and official buildings varying in grandeur and styles. Over the centuries, the scroll was collected and kept among numerous private owners. It was re-purchased in 1945 and kept at the Beijing Palace Museum. It is regarded as a national treasure and is exhibited only for brief periods every few years.(Nico)

Introduction of the author

Zhang Zeduan (张择端）, courtesy name Zheng Dao(正道）, was of the Han nationality, born in East Valiant（东武） (present-day All City 诸城, Shandong Province), and a master of painting in the Northern Song Dynasty. Xuanhe years as a academician, he was good at painting floor view, buildings, trees, figures.

After Zhang Zeduan failed in the imperial examination, he began to learn Ruler Painting. Ruler Painting is a kind of drawing with the help of ruler to show the architecture. In painting, a small piece of wood is attached to the pen. With this piece of wood, the pen moves against the ruler and makes straight lines of different lengths according to the painter's intention. Ruler Painting is easier to draw effectively, as long as the use of skilled tools; it is also easier to paint fine and accurate, which will obtain the recognition of the viewer, so the painter is easier to make a living.

Three main parts of the painting

Zhang Zeduan shows a strong artistic generality in the picture. Taking the daily living conditions of the citizens of the Northern Song Dynasty Bianjing as the trail, the lively scene of shops strewn at random, citizens jostling with each other, and the bustling city life of heavy traffic are condensed into a long scroll of more than five meters.(Yang Bing 161-1)

Enter the city

From the beginning of "Enter the city", a group of "horse gang" appears first, carrying goods into the city for trade; then came a procession of bearers, carrying bridal chairs on their shoulders, followed by the attendants, each holding a bridal gift in his hand, hurrying on in the morning light. With the extension of the picture, the number of characters gradually increases, and the store also begins to open its doors to welcome visitors. There was a scene of unloading trades on the docks. At this time, the boats gathered the tow, the sail, the accounts, the cargo, and the cooking, which is the vivid representation of the real situation of Bianjing shipping.（Yang Bing 161-1)

Cross the river

When it refers to “cross the river”, there is a "Rainbow Bridge" across the Bianhe River. There were so many people on the bridge. Those who carry sedan chairs, sell farm tools or produce, ride donkeys or shout at others. In particular, there was a row of people on one side of the bridge, pointing fingers at the cargo ships carrying grain below. On the ship, the boatmen at the helm, support, throw the cable, put the mast, and shout command, in order to avoid collision between the ship and the bridge, each scrambling, which is a busy scene. This formed a sharp contrast to the quiet suburb atmosphere in “Enter the city”.（Yang Bing162-1）

Out of the city

When the chapter of "Out of the City" is unfolded, row upon row of restaurants, cars, tea-houses, restaurants, inns, medicine shops, cloth shops, houses, incense shops, temples and so on crisscross the street. There are carriers, coachmen, ox-drivers, donkeys, drinkers, storytellers, cart-repairers, drivers, fortune-tellers, chatters, gamblers, bake-sellers, camel caravans, and so on. There are a variety of situations in the market. Mules, horses, cattle, sheep, pigs, dogs, donkeys and other animals are all in shape and spirit.（Yang Bing,162-1）

Main idea of the painting

Looking further ahead, we come to the Rainbow Bridge. This is the climax of the social conflict in the painting. There was a great passenger ship full of passengers, when suddenly there was a great danger that the mast of the ship would strike the bridge. According to common sense, at a certain distance from the the Rainbow Bridge, there should be a person on duty to remind the trackers to stop towing and lower the mast, so as not to hit the bridge mast.(Yu Hui余辉、Xu Bei徐蓓,3-3)

But these jobs were all gone, so the tow-men were busy pulling the boat up to the bridge until the men on board found that disaster was imminent.(Yu Hui余辉、Xu Bei徐蓓,3-3)

There is a wave as the water rises, so the bridge is dangerous. The crowds on the bridge, caused entirely by the occupation on both sides, have compressed the width of the deck. At either end of the bridge came a group of civil officials and military generals, and their guards were quarreling with each other and making a mess of each other.(Yu Hui余辉、Xu Bei徐蓓,3-4)

The artist weaved various social contradictions in the bridge and under the bridge, reflecting the acute social problems caused by the inaction of officials in the late Northern Song Dynasty.(Yu Hui余辉、Xu Bei徐蓓,3-5)

Xuanhe years as a academician, he was good at painting floor view, buildings, trees, and figures.

At this time, the boats gathered the tow, the sail, the accounts, the cargo, and the cooking, and such scenery is the vivid representation of the real situation of Bianjing shipping.

When it refers to “cross the river”, there is a "Rainbow Bridge" across the Bian River. There were so many people on the bridge. Those who carry sedan chairs, sell farm tools or products, ride donkeys or shout at others.

When the chapter of "Out of the City" is unfolded, row upon row of restaurants, cars, tea-houses, inns, medicine shops, cloth shops, houses, incense shops, temples and so on crisscross the street.

According to common sense, at a certain distance from the the Rainbow Bridge, there should be a person on duty to remind the trackers to stop towing and to lower the mast, so as not to hit the bridge mast. --Dai Muyu (talk) 13:38, 7 July 2021 (UTC)

References

• Yang Bing 杨兵. (2021-04-10). 杨兵艺谈(十) 市井大观 时空集成——张择端《清明上河图》鉴赏.艺术品鉴
• Yu Hui余辉、Xu Bei徐蓓.繁华背后，《清明上河图》揭示了什么.2019-10-25.解放日报.
• Travel English.2017-12-19.https://www.sohu.com/a/211555543_652593
• Nico的外语课.20-05-19

https://baijiahao.baidu.com/s?id=1667096267305218444&wfr=spider&for=pc

Questions

1.What are the three main parts of the painting?

2.When was the painting made?

3.What is the main idea of the painting?

4.What kind of painting did Zhang learn?

Answers

1.“Enter the city”“Cross the river”“Out of the city”.

2. At Song Dynasty.

3.It is to reflect the acute social problems caused by the inaction of officials in the late Northern Song.

4.Ruler Painting

Terms and expressions

Ruler painting 界画

Riverside Scene at Tomb Sweeping Day 清明上河图

Bianjing 汴京

Kaifeng 开封

Rainbow Bridge 虹桥

East Valiant 东武

All City 诸城

Xuanhe years 宣和年间

the imperial examination 科举考试

horse gang 马帮

Dài Mùyǔ 戴沐雨 Mahjong: An Ancient Chinese Card Game

Introduction

The Images of Mahjong

Mahjong or Mah-jongg is a game originated in China, commonly played by four players. Mahjong is very popular in China's vast urban and rural areas, and it enjoys great popularity at all levels and all fields of society. As its entrance of thousands of households, Mahjong has become China's largest scale and the most influential intellectual sports.

In China, the game was originally called 麻雀(pinyin: máquè)—meaning sparrow—which is still used in some languages in southern China. It is said that the clacking of tiles during shuffling resembles the chattering of sparrows. The earliest written record of mahjong tiles was written as Ma Jiang tiles (马将牌), which shows that the source of the name of mahjong tiles is related to the name of horse tags. In the book Clear Barnyard Grass Banknotes once records: "The sparrow card is originated from horse tags (马吊牌) with the turn of just one sound." In Chinese Pinyin, "horse(马)" and "hemp(麻)" shares the same letters but with different pronunciation. And in jiangsu and zhejiang area, in Chinese Pinyin, if you change the tone of "hanging(吊)" into the fist pitch of voice, then it's the same tone as "bird(鸟)". Thus, Ma Diao can be called the sparrow card and hence the name mahjong.

Components

The Components of Mahjong

A full mahjong set contains 144 tiles, which can be divided into 4 groups of 34 tiles each. With each group, the tiles are divided among the five suits or series. Each of the 4 groups are identical. In modern sets, besides the three basic varieties of the tiles, the red tile is engraved with a character for hitting a jackpot, the green tile with the character of prosperity and the white tile with a rectangle.

Dots (alternatively wheels or circles): one through nine named as each tile consists of a number of circles. Each circle is said to represent can(筒, tǒng) coins with a square hole in the middle.

Bamboos: one through nine named as each tile consists of a number of bamboo sticks. Each stick is said to represent a string(索, suǒ) that holds a hundred coins. Note that 1 Bamboo is an exception: it has a bird sitting on a bamboo to prevent alteration.

Symbols (or characters): The wan suit, sometimes referred to as the character suit, consists of the Chinese characters 1-9. The numbers at the corner of the tiles were put there so that Americans and Europeans could understand what the tiles stood for. Some mahjong sets today have the numbers, while others do not.

The wind suit consists of tiles representing each of the four directions, north, south, east and west. The English letters E, S, W and N were added to the corner of the tiles to identify the directions. This series was not added until the mid-19th century.

The flowers consists of two series, each numbered 1-4. The flowers are considered to be bonus tiles because they earn extra points. Other than the tiles and its case, a mahjong set also includes a pair of dice, a roll of chips for score-keeping and a few extra blank tiles (in chase a tile is lost or misplaced).

Origin

A. Zhang Sui Theory

The Photo of Zhang Sui

The story about Zhang Sui from the Tang Dynasty is the earliest story about the origin of mahjong. Zhang Sui, a very famous astronomer in our history, was very clever and became a monk as he grew up. Around 722, the monk compiled a set of cards for people's entertainment. The specifications were 3.5 centimeters wide and 15 centimeters long, with "wan" characters, ropes and tubes printed on them. Later he added east, south, west, north, middle, prosperity and white altogether seven kinds.

The design of "wan" character, robes and tubes is from the concept of the ancient currency: tube is the so-called copper cash (made from copper with a square hole in the center of the circle), and one hundred copper cashes were strung into a rope; "wan" meant to be the combination of ten thousand of ropes. In the Later years, people found that the cards were not convenient and they were difficult to straighten out, so people used hard things like bamboo and aggregate to replace them. And in the modern society, the material used to make mahjong is developed into hard plastic and plexiglass.(Mahjong 2019, 92)

B. Water Margin Theory

The Pictures of Mahjong Created by Wan Bingtiao

Legend in the late Yuan and early Ming Dynasty, there was a man named Wan Bingtiao who was deeply attracted by the characteristics in the novel written by Shi Naian, Water Margin. In order to commemorate the heroic behaviors of Liangshan heroes, and encourage officials who lived a luxury and dissipation life to learn about the book and produce vigilance, Wan Bingtiao concentrated on the research of 108 mahjong cards, representing the 108 in the Water Margin. According to the homophones of his own name, Wan Bingtiao divided mahjong into "million", "cake", and "strip". And because the 108 heroes came from five directions (North, South, West, East, and Central) of the country, there was the "east", "south", "west", "north", and "central", each of which contains four cards, 20 cards in total. Furthermore, with different social backgrounds, there were rich and poor guys among Liangshan heroes, and Wan Bingtiao invented "white" (board) to represent the poor and "make" (fortunes) to represent the rich. In this way, summing up 20 cards mentioned above and "white" and "make" 8 cards, the entire 136 mahjong tiles appeared. (Lin Guoqing 1999, 56-59)

C. Zheng He's Voyage Theory

Zheng He and His Invention of Mahjong

In Ming Dynasty, Zheng He established the largest fleet of the time to travel aboard. During its long-term travelling, many sailors were suffered from the boredom on the fleet and the nostalgia of the home, resulting in their frustration and even illness. To calm down the unrest in the team, Zheng He made the most of the existing bamboo on the ship to make bamboo cards, engraved with text patterns, and then formulated the rules of the game, put them on the square table so that it could entertain four people at the same time.

For the purpose of their travelling was related to the business, he engraved "Fā" on the bamboo cards to meet the demand and pursuit of earning money. And for the lack of food on the ship, the daily staple of the sailors was baked round cakes, so he engraved circular designs on it, like cakes they ate everyday. Additionally, fishes were their food at the time when the sea was as calm as a millpond, and that's why bars were also engraved on cards. The design of "red middle" was aimed at relieving sailors' missing to their hometown, for its symbolized the vast central plains. The "West", "East", "North" and "South" were engraved due to the inspiration of the direction that sailors were most cared of. Lastly, the four kinds of flowers (Spring Peach Blossom春桃, Summer Lotus夏荷, Autumn Chrysanthemum秋菊, and Winter Plum Blossom冬梅) reflected the change of the four seasons. Although the patterns on the bamboo cards have changed a lot, the name of them remained the same. (Wang Cuiwen 2011, 69-71)

D. Food-Protection Cards Theory

Food-Protection Cards

Compared with the previous several arguments, "Food-Protection Cards" is much more well-known to the mainstream. It is said that in ancient times, the north depended on the supply of grains in the south, and in Taicang, Jiangsu Province, there was a large granary specially for hoarding grain. In order to protect the rice in the granary from being pecked by birds, the officials in charge of the granary launched the public to catch the birds. To reward those who caught the birds and protected the grain, they recorded the number of the birds people catching with cards made of bamboo. This was the "Food-Protection Cards" of Taicang, also known as the "sparrow card". This kind of card, engraved with various symbols and numbers, could be viewed, played, or used as a proof of cash prize.

The pattern of the "drum" was the cross section of the powder gun, and the "drum" meant the barrel of the gun. "Suo" meant "bundle", which was a bird strung with a thin string, so the pattern of "Suo" was represented by a bird. And "wan" was the unit of reward money. "South", "East", "North" and "West" were the wind directions, so they were called "wind". As for the "middle", "white", and "prosperity", "middle" was the meaning of shooting, and that's why it was red; "white" was the white board; "prosperity" meant giving out the rewards. (Hu Qiongxia 2014, 66)

Wisdom in Mahjong

Mahjong has been infused with the essence of many traditional cultural elements, with profound Confucianism and cultural connotations. To some extent, mahjong is the integration of ancient Chinese civilization, including the ancient astronomical calendar and Confucianism, Taoism, military, Yin and Yang and other philosophical thoughts.

A.Confucianism

In mahjong games, the Confucian idea "doing at will without breaking rules" is well expressed. Mahjong players do not have to consider others and accept their instructions. They can operate it freely, changing their operating procedures as they want. Mahjong has its own rules of the game, and players must be in the rules of the game, and if they "transgress", they will be punished accordingly.

Mahjong also embodies the idea that everyone is equal. As we all know, traditional China is a highly hierarchical society, which advocates a hierarchy of seniority and superiority, severely fettering the free development of people's body and mind. But in the mahjong game, players must have a look at home, stare at the next home, and guard against the opposite home, resulting that a person needs to battle with three other players. In the process of the game, players do not have to pay attention to the personality of opponents, their difference among social levels, the taboo about friends and relatives, and for all of them they have the same opportunity to achieve success.

The core of Confucianism is "harmony", which emphasizes the harmony between different ideas and interests. In mahjong game, the outcome of winning is also the best ending of a mahjong game. To achieve this, players must put the identity and size of mahjong in optimization combination, letting the thirteen cards combined orderly to achieve harmonious realm.

B.Philosophy

Chairman Mao once said: "China has three contributions towards the world: traditional Chinese medicine, A Dream in Red Mansions written by Cao Xueqin, and mahjong...If you know how to play mahjong, you can understand the relationship between contingency and necessity. There is much philosophy in mahjong tiles." (Sun Baoyi 2012, 120) Even Chairman Mao was interested in playing mahjong and spreading its philosophical thoughts, that is to say, we cannot merely regard it as a relaxing entertainment, but should learn more from it.

One of the representations of the ancient Chinese philosophy is the Five Elements Theory. Ancient Chinese philosophers believe that the world is made up of gold, wood, water, fire, and earth, five of the most basic materials. The ancient Chinese had the thought that the sky is round and the ground is square, so "white" is on behalf of the ground, and "hair" represents sky. As we all know, hair is at the top of body so it is used to express "sky". "Zhong" represents not only the earth in the Five Elements, but also the Man in the "Three Talents"(Heaven“天”, Earth“地” and Man“人”). It is the determination of "Zhong" that makes the east, west, south, north, middle, sky(hair) and earth(white) together constitute a true circle of heaven, which is not the circle of the earth, but the circle of the universe.

A complete set of mahjong tiles is composed of six categories and 42 patterns, including 108 orderly number tiles (including "wan", cake and strip), 16 wind tiles (south, east, north, and west), 2 arrow tiles (middle, hair and white), and 8 flower tiles (spring, summer, autumn, winter, plum, orchid, bamboo and chrysanthemum). This kind of combination design is not a random invention, but comes from the thought of thirty-six tiangang and seventy-two earth devil in ancient China, which reflects the simple cosmology view of ancient Chinese people. (Wu Shan 2010, 23)

In addition, the three suits of Wan, Cake and Tiao in Mahjong tiles respectively reflect the form of substance, and the number represents the quantity of substance. In ancient Chinese thought, 3 is the cardinal number and 9 is the polar number, so there are 9 pieces of wan, cake and strip respectively. Besides, in the mahjong rules, it is stipulated that each person catches 13 cards, and 13 multiplies 4 is 52, which is the same as the rule of 52 weeks a year.

C.Aesthetics

The Flower Cards

The pattern design of each mahjong card has a certain implication, which implies a certain appeal of traditional Chinese culture. Take the "flower" as an example, people usually use plum, orchid, bamboo and chrysanthemum ("Four Gentlemen") as the pattern, which occupy the four seasons (spring, summer, autumn and winter). "Plum" stands for nobility, "orchid" for elegance, "bamboo" for modesty and "chrysanthemum" for purity, showing people's understanding of the order of time and the meaning of life and the chase of a kind of aesthetic personality realm. And "middle", "hair", and "white" 3 cards are on the moral meaning of "fair", "development" and "purity". Actually, these patterns are the natural outpouring and expression of the unique aesthetic thoughts of Chinese people. (Zhang Lifang 2014, 9)

Influence

Since it was introduced into other countries from China, mahjong has developed rapidly. Now mahjong has become one of the most popular entertainment items for people all over the world.

A.Mahjong in America

Mahjong's voyage to Europe and the United States began in the early 1900s, when a growing number of Westerners came to China to explore its landscape and culture. In the 1920s, John Babcock, who used to work in Suzhou Mobil Oil Company, made his first attempt to organize and compile mahjong games in English. He published a book in China to teach Westerners how to play mahjong, unified the standard of English terminology, and formed the English name of mahjong as "Mah-jongg". The book was printed in twelve editions from 1920 to 1924, and sold across the ocean in the United States, Canada and Mexico. By 1923, there were almost 15 million Americans playing mahjong. In 1937, The National Mahjong Federation, the largest mahjong association in the United States, was founded in New York.

B.Mahjong in Japan

In 1909, a Japanese man brought Chinese mahjong tiles back to Japan and called them "sparrow". After mahjong was introduced to Japan, it became popular very quickly. Due to the popularity of mahjong, a large number of mahjong fans formed mahjong groups during the Showa era. In addition, Mahjong Pass has been launched to help people learn how to play the game.

Due to the prevalence of mahjong, there were many mahjong groups in Japan, such as the Japanese Mahjong League and the Japanese Mahjong Sports Association. In 1998, the Japan Mahjong Tournament Organizing Committee was established to hold mahjong tournaments in Japan and around the world. In 1999, Japan even built the world's first mahjong museum. (Wang Yafen 2016, 75-76)

C.Mahjong in Modern China

It was not until June 18, 1998 that the State General Administration of Sport officially approved mahjong as a sports competition. This is a key step towards mahjong becoming an official sports competition project, which has a milestone significance.

In October 2005, the World Mahjong Organization was established in Beijing, China, under the joint initiative of mahjong organizations from China, Japan, the United States, Germany, France, Denmark, the Netherlands, Hungary and other countries. World mahjong organization is a non-profit, non-religious, non-political open organization, and is the international intellectual mahjong sports, competition, training, and communication authority.

The World Mahjong Games is a global Mahjong tournament held annually by the Mahjong International League, which is the highest professional Mahjong competition in the world, known as the Olympic Games in the field of mahjong. The first World Mahjong Games was held from October 24 to October 28, 2015 at the Sheraton Sanya Hotel in Hainan Province, China. Masters of mahjong from more than 40 countries from five continents gathered together to compete for the highest global mahjong honor of the year.

China is considering the idea of putting forward a formal application to the International Olympic Committee to consider the traditional Chinese game of Mahjong as an Olympic event. "With Beijing to host the 2022 Winter Olympics, we hope that 'mind sports' could become Olympic events at this time," said Chen Zelan, a deputy director of the General Administration of Sport. Mahjong recently became the sixth officially-recognized 'mind sport' by the International Mind Sports Association (IMSA), following bridge, chess, Go, Chinese chess and international checkers. (International Talent Exchange 2017, 72) --Deng Dan1 (talk) 05:17, 16 June 2021 (UTC)(已修改)

Reference

[1] (2019).麻将.[Mahjong]. 文史天地History of Heaven and Earth(10),92.

[2] Lin Guoqing林国清.(1999).麻将文化透析.[Mahjong Culture Dialysis]. 福建公安高等专科学校学报.社会公共安全研究Journal of Fujian Public Security College. Social and Public Security Research (04),56-59.

[3] Wang Cuiwen汪翠文.(2011).麻将文化漫话. [Mahjong Cultural Ramblings].决策与信息Decision-making and information(11),69-71.

[4] Hu Qiongxia胡琼瑕.(2014).麻将里的中国文化. [Chinese culture in mahjong].商业文化Business Culture(13),66.

[5] Sun Baoyi, Liu Chunzeng, Zou Guilan孙宝义，刘春增，邹桂兰. (2012). 听毛泽东谈哲学：毛泽东的哲学思想.[Listening to Mao Zedong on Philosophy: Mao Zedong's Philosophical Thought]. 北京人民出版社Beijing People’s Press(120).

[6] Wu Shan吴山.(2010).麻将里的传统文化.[Traditional culture in mahjong]. 现代青年(细节版)Modern Youth (detailed version)(03),23.

[7] Zhang Lifang张黎芳.(2014).中国麻将文化对外传播问题及对策[Problems and Countermeasures of Chinese Mahjong Culture's External Communication].硕士学位论文, 南昌大学Master's Thesis of Nanchang University(9), Line12-23.

[8] Cao Yi曹屹(2021).麻将东风西渐史[The History of the Blowing of Mahjong from the West to the East].金秋, Golden Autumn(08):31-32.

[9] Wang Yafen王亚芬.(2016).试论中国麻将在世界上的传播[The View on the Spread of Chinese Mahjong in the World].山西青年,Shan Xi Youths (04):75-76.

[10] (2017).麻将或成为北京冬奥会比赛项目.[Mahjong may become an Olympic sport in Beijing].国际人才交流, International Talent Exchange(10):72.

Terms and Expressions

horse tags 马吊牌

hitting a jackpot 中头彩

the wan suit “万”

can “筒”

string “索”

the wind suit 风牌

specification 规格

plexiglass 有机玻璃

Food-Protection Cards 护粮牌

Confucianism 儒家思想

doing at will without breaking rules 从心所欲，不逾矩

harmony “和”

the Five Elements Theory 五行之说

"Three Talents" “三才”

"Four Gentlemen" “四君子”

the Showa era 昭和年间

Clear Barnyard Grass Banknotes 《清稗类钞》

Water Margin 《水浒传》

A Dream in Red Mansions 《红楼梦》

Mahjong Pass 《麻将通》

Questions

1.How many cards are there in mahjong tiles at best?

2.Why did Zheng He decide to create such bamboo cards for entertainment?

3.Which kinds of tiles reveal the aesthetics thoughts of Chinese people?

4.Who promoted the spread of mahjong in America?

5.When did the World Mahjong Organization establish in Beijing?

Answers

1.144 mahjong tiles

2.To calm down the unrest in the team and relieve sailor's boredom and nostalgia.

3.The flower tiles.

4.John Babcock.

5.In October 2005.

Dèng Dān 邓丹 Round Table Culture

A. Introduction

The most distinctive feature of a round table is its roundness. "Round " is an omnipresent, universal symbol with extensive meanings. Without beginning or end, without sides or corners, this geometric shape represents perfection, unity, wholeness and spirituality. "Round", a typical totem of Chinese traditional culture, mainly represents perfection and wholeness and has always been advocated by Chinese people. (Chen Yongjun 2018,106)

B. Round Table Culture in China

Having known about Chinese people's recognition of "round", it is not that difficult for us to understand the wide use of round tables in China.

(https://gimg2.baidu.com/image_search/src=http%3A%2F%2Fimg14.hc360.cn%2F14%2Fbusin%2F147%2F563%2Fb%2F14-147563324.jpg&refer=http%3A%2F%2Fimg14.hc360.cn&app=2002&size=f9999,10000&q=a80&n=0&g=0n&fmt=jpeg?sec=1626272595&t=e2c7e94e8d66bbfcbec3d41ec4331463)

The round table is a symbol of harmony. According to Chinese traditional geomatic omen theory, a circle is more capable of gathering human beings than a square. It also dissolves a disharmonious magnetic field and make things harmonious. With no sides or corners, a round table avoids bumps. Chinese devote particular care to "harmony" and has pursued relentlessly peaceful and harmonious family environment. As a result, round tables enjoy great popularity among Chinese families. (Chen Yongjun 2018,106)

The round table is a symbol of equality and tolerance. When we are sitting at a round table, the distance between each of us will be technically equal. Our status will be equal and we are able to hear everyone. But if we are sitting at a square table, two of us will probably be too distant to hear what we are talking about. Moreover, a round table actually presents to us the common ground that we share. When we are sitting at a round table, we start to look for things that we have in common instead of things that separates us. For example, when we are having dinner together in harmony, we can always talk about our fundamental needs that are similar. That's why we can solve so many global issues or the conflicts between nations on a round table in a peaceful way instead of quarreling with each other, arising division and finally causing conflicts. (He Zheng 2003,47)

The round table is a symbol of reunion. On almost every Chinese traditional festival, families will reunite to have dinner at round tables. While the grown-ups are discussing something, kids will be scuttling around or even crouching under the table to play hide and seek. The whole family are united by a round table and become closer with laughter and cheers. Besides, round tables are widely used at banquets, which shows the hosts' wishes for happy and successful banquets. When having round table banquets in China, there are some strict sitting rules to follow. The one facing the door is the host and guest. The one on the left side is the second, fourth, sixth, etc., and the one on the right side is the third, fifth, seventh. This seat order is also an indispensable part of Chinese round table culture. (Wu Meifeng 2015,154)

C. Conclusion

We all have a table like this in our homes. It is a symbol of a reunion of our families representing our sentiment, an attachment to our families. It is a symbol of harmony, representing our sincere hope for peace and security. It is also a symbol of equality, providing us with equal opportunities and balanced status. But as a matter of fact, in China, almost everything can be solved over a round table. The marriage bells between a loving couple, the mourning of the deceased, the negotiations between business partners and a state banquet to a president from other country can all happen on a same round table. (Wang Yan 2020,50)

The round table, in essence, has long become a representation of Chinese culture. The food on the table may change with time. The people sitting beside it may come and go. The reasons why we come together may be various, but the sensation behind it remains year after year the same and that is our tolerance of different people or willingness to embrace different cultures and artistic forms or care and love, and respect for not only our family, but also for a community, our nation and even the whole world. (Wang Yan 2020,50)

D. Round Table Culture in Western Countries

King Arthur and His Knights in the Round-table Conference(https://www.ancient-origins.net/sites/default/files/field/image/King-Arthur-and-His-Knights-Of-The-Round-Table.jpg)

In western restaurants and families, long tables are more commonly used. The round table has little to do with catering. When it comes to the Western round table culture, it mainly refers to the "round-table conference", and there is a story. Legend has it that King Arthur held a conference in the sixth century BC. He wanted the knights in his court to be considered equal; he did not want them fighting over status or rank. Therefore, they congregated around a round table to have their conference. As its name suggests, a round table has no edges or corners, implying that everyone who sits around it has equal status. (Chen Yongjun 2018,106)

Round-table conference, which has no upper or lower seats and indicates an equal and friendly consultation of all participants, has been accepted and applied by people in western countries in a short time and nowadays by people all over the world. (Sun Lingbin 2006,64)

As for the raw materials of the round table , most of them in western countries were made from marble in the very beginning, just like their artistic style---- cold and solemn. Although it shows equality, it still lacks softness. Later, most of the round tables were made of wood, which embodied the characteristics of affinity. Complex patterns are easy to attract people's attention and disperse people's energy. The abandonment of decorations let people maintain a high level of concentration and avoids unnecessary disturbance. Therefore, wooden round tables are more commonly used nowadays. (Chen Yongjun 2018,106)

The round table has no edges or corners, which rounds off the distinctions between people of high status and low status (This is why the round table is still used in international conferences);The round table is unable to speak, but it expresses all people's aspiration to equality; the round table has no arms and no hands, but it embraces the supreme justice of the world. The Western round table culture, just like the politic system they are proud of, expresses the ideas and thoughts of westerners. To some extent, it contributes to the settlement of many international disputes and resolved contradictions. (Chen Yongjun 2018,106)

--Ding Zhongxia (talk) 01:33, 16 June 2021 (UTC)Ding Zhongxia （已修改）

References

• Chen Yongjun 陈永军.(2018).浅谈圆桌文化. 天工(06),106-107.
• Sun lingbin 孔令兵.(2006).浅论圆的人文意义. 西北成人教育学报(02),62+71.
• He Zheng 何征.(2003).中国的“圆”文化. 浙江工艺美术(03),47.
• Wu Meifeng 吴美凤.(2015).大圆桌的由来. 紫禁城(11),138-154.
• Wang Yan 王嫣.(2021).中国的象征：我记忆中的圆桌（英文）. 疯狂英语(新读写)(04),50.

Terms and Expressions

totem 图腾

geometric 几何图形的

omnipresent 无处不在的；遍及各处的

harmony 和谐；和气

geomatic omen 风水

round-table conference 圆桌会议

King Arthur 亚瑟王

affinity 亲和

Questions

1. What is the most distinctive feature of a round table?

2. What does the round table symbolize in Chinese culture?

3. Why is round-table conference widely accepted?

Answers

1. roundness

2. harmony, equality, tolerance, and reunion

3. Because it has no upper or lower seats and indicates an equal and friendly consultation of all participants.

Dīng Zhòngxià 丁仲夏 Shengjing Imperial Palace

Introduction

Shengjing Imperial Palace, commonly referred to as Shenyang Imperial Palace, is not only the jewel in the crown of Shenyang’s cultural heritage, but also the jade in China. Thanks to its pre-Qing Dynasty origins, the palace has strong Manchu and Mongol architectural influences. It has a lot of special arts, from intricate brick gables and carvings to buildings whose form has been inspired by the shapes of nomadic tents. Although the complex has been standing for a little under 400 years, it’s in remarkable condition right down to the golden dragons that flank the imperial throne. (Candice Song 2021, 1-3)

History

Shenyang Imperial Palace is famous because Qing Dynasty's founder, Nuerhachi (1559-1626) and his son Huangtaiji (1592-1643) had lived here. And with the expansion of the Qing Dynasty, they moved to Beijing and lived in the Forbidden City. Construction of Shenyang Imperial Palace began in 1625 and accomplished in 1636 during the reign of Nuerhachi and Huangtaiji, so it has over 360 years history. After them, four emperors of Qing Dynasty had come back from Beijing to this palace for 10 times and enlarged this area and added a lot of buildings. They were Emperor Kangxi, Qianlong, Jiaqing and Daoguang (People probably heard of Kangxi and Qianlong because they lead to one of the most affluent periods of China). Therefore, until 1783, the palace was finally finished. （News/Nation 2019 1-3）

It was renamed Co-capital Palace and Emperor Eastward Inspection Palace after the foundation of the Qing Dynasty. With large-scale reparation time after time, the imperial palace now serves as a tourist attraction called Shenyang Imperial Palace Museum. Shenyang Imperial Palace was entitled "Historic Culture Relics Preserved Building" in 1961. The Imperial Palace in Beijing and Shenyang are the only two most well-preserved imperial architectural complexes existing in China today. When talking about the palace of China, many people probably just know about the Forbidden City of Beijing, it is the most popular one for foreigners. However, to some extent, many antiques and famous places of the Forbidden City are influenced by Shenyang Imperial Palace. (Candice Song 2021, 1-3)

Divisions

Its construction style of Shenyang Imperial Palace belongs to Ming and Qing Dynasty. It covers an area of 60,000 squaremeters, comprising over 20 courtyards, 300 houses and 70 buildings. There are 114 buildings and around 20 courtyards, and though this might seem rather small when compared to the only other surviving imperial palace in China—the Forbidden City, there is a lot to be said for Shengjing Imperial Palace’s diminutive size and famous elites. According to the build time and layout, the whole construction can be divided into three sections: the east, middle and west:

East part: The buildings around were built in the period of Nuerhachi including Great Administrative Hall and Ten Kings Pavilion;

Middle part: Buildings here were continued and completed in the period of Huangtaiji including Grand Qing Gate, Chong Zheng Hall, Phoenix Tower, Qingning Palace, Yanqing Palace, Qifu Palace etc;

West part: The buildings there were expanded and renovated by Emperor Qian Long (1736-1795) including Wen Su Pavilion. The whole palace, standing in great numbers, is lofty, magnificent and richly ornamented. (Candice Song 2021, 1-3)

A Story about the Antler Chair

(http://pic.nen.com.cn/003/009/349/00300934954_139882b5.jpg)

This palace is an emperor museum combining the architectural styles of the minorities of Man, Han and Mongolia. In addition to the magnificent palace buildings, the Shenyang Imperial Palace is also famous for its rich and precious collections at home and abroad. It has a large number of treasures in its exquisite works, such as Nuerhachi's Sword, Huang Taiji's Waist sword and the Antler Chair. (Candice Song 2021, 1-3)

There is also a legend about the origin of the chair. It is recorded that in 1631, Huang Taiji led his troops to attack a city in western Liaoning Province and built the cities of Huang Dizhi and Huang Bu on the opposite hill. Then, he bombarded the city with red-coated cannon, which scared the wild animals in the mountain. At this time, a panic-stricken deer rushed into Huang Taiji’s tent, was captured by Huang Taiji, and then made into an antler chair with its antlers. After the Antler Chair was produced, all people regarded it as a model. When Emperor Qianlong and Emperor Jiaqing toured Shengjing in the east, they composed poems and chanted on the occasion of appreciating Emperor Huangtaiji's antler chair. Emperor Qianlong also ordered craftsmen to carve poems and articles on the back of the Antler Chair.

(http://pic.nen.com.cn/003/009/349/00300934955_60049e74.jpg)

(http://pic.nen.com.cn/003/009/349/00300934956_70c27d5d.jpg)

Conclusion

In July 2004, Shenyang Imperial Palace was listed on the World Heritage List, and it has become one of the most important cultural relics in China. In addition, a famous world heritage site becomes the joint cultural wealth of all mankind. This change in historical and cultural area has also brought another change in scientific research on Shenyang Imperial Palace Museum. A new proposition and task for the museum's cultural management is put, especially for academic research activities. Now, Shenyang Palace Museum is established as a center for academic exchange, research and information. In the academic research of Shenyang Palace Museum, all efforts are mobilized to expand the content of academic research and to integrate the resources of academic research by cooperation. By studying Shenyang Imperial Palace from the viewpoint of academic, we can further understand the value of Shenyang Imperial Palace as a world heritage. （Deng Qing 2009，147）

Its most significantly historical value is the record of the rising of Qing Dynasty, its most significantly artistic value is the cultural spirit of Manchu, and its most significantly scientific value is the outstanding representative of national architecture.（Li Xiaoli 2014, 1）The value of Shenyang Imperial Palace is mainly reflected on its early cultural implication, palace culture source, color painting status and age, architectural complex integrity and so on. （Deng Qing 2009，148）

By connecting Shenyang Palace Museum with "Forbidden City Science" (故宫学)and conducting academic research under the framework of "Forbidden City Science" (故宫学), many researchers have comprehensively improved the academic research level, academic reputation, academic communication and cooperation between Shenyang Palace Museum and domestic academic circles. There are still abundant treasures in Shenyang Imperial Palace, waiting for us to drill.（Deng Qing 2009，146-148）

Terms and Expressions

Manchu 满族

Mongol 蒙古

Nomadic游牧民族的

Nuerhachi(1559-1626) 努尔哈赤

Huangtaiji(1592-1643) 皇太极

Kangxi 康熙

Jiaqing 嘉庆

Daoguang 道光

Red-coated cannon 红衣袍

Ten Kings Pavilion 十王亭

Grand Qing Gate 大清门

Chong Zheng Hall 崇政堂

Phoenix Tower 凤凰楼（翔凤楼）

Qingning Palace 清宁宫

Yanqing Palace 衍庆宫

Qifu Palace 启福宫

Wen Su Pavilion 文溯阁

Chant 吟唱

the Antler Chair 鹿角椅

References

Deng Qing 邓庆（2009）研究型博物馆的理论与实践-以沈阳故宫为例[The Theory and Practice of Research Museums -- A Case Study of Shenyang Palace Museum] Liaoning辽宁：Shenyang Palace Museum 沈阳故宫博物院

Li Xiaoli 李晓丽（2014）沈阳故宫的价值学研究[Study on the value of Shenyang Imperial Palace] Liaoning辽宁：Shenyang Palace Museum 沈阳故宫博物院

News/Nation（2019）沈阳故宫博物院的古建筑重新向公众开放[Ancient building of Shenyang Palace Museum reopens to public] China中国：Xinhua新华网

Candice Song（2021）沈阳故宫[Shenyang Imperial Palace] Liaoning辽宁 :Shenyang沈阳 Chinese Highlights中国亮点

Questions

1. How long has the complex been standing?

2. Why is Shenyang Imperial Palace famous?

3. When was the palace entitled "Historic Culture Relics Preserved Buildings"?

4. At what period were Shengjing Imperial Palace continued and completed?

5. What are features of the west part?

6. What is the legend about the origin of the chair?

Answers

1. A little under 400 years

2. Because Qing Dynasty's founder, Nuerhachi(1559-1626) and his son Huangtaiji(1592-1643) had lived here.

3. 1961

4. In the period of Huangtaiji

5. Lofty, magnificent and richly ornamented.

6. It is recorded that in 1631, Huang Taiji led his troops to attack the city of Daling River in western Liaoning Province and built the cities of Huang Dizhi and Huang Bu on the opposite hill.

Then, he bombarded the city with red-coated cannon, which scared the wild animals in the mountain.

At this time, a panic-stricken deer rushed into Huang Taiji tent, was captured by Huang Taiji, and then made into antler chair with its antlers.

After the Antler Chair was produced, all people regarded it as a model. When Emperor Qianlong and Emperor Jiaqing toured Shengjing in the east, they composed poems and chanted on the occasion of appreciating Emperor Huangtaiji's antler chair. Emperor Qianlong also ordered craftsmen to carve poems and articles on the back of the Antler Chair.

Dù Xīnyǔ 杜心语 Chinese folk argot

In the feudal society of China, argot was created by various groups or groups in the civil society, especially the secret societies, out of various cultural customs and communication needs. It was characterized by evasion and metaphor. At present, due to the development of the network, some network terms are also known as "network argot".(Sogou Encyclopedia 2017)

Ancient Local Argots

The language used by ancient Chinese people to sacrifice or perform witchcraft.Its shape is pattern, not character. Its pronunciation depends on the pronunciation of local dialects.(Guo Zhengyi,2012)

However, its vowels, consonants, initials and finals are very strict and complete, which are all formed according to the dialect and Putonghua mastered by the local people.(Zhao Pingan,2012)

Wild Cards/Argots

The argots in the wild is also called incision, spring point, inch point and lip point. Many gangs have created a complex system of incisions, some in dialects.Some of them are spread and extended from the ancient local argots.(Sogou Encyclopedia 2017；Qu Yanbin.2012)

The first is the argots formed by taboos , such as speaking on board, taboo saying "live" and "turn" and so on, and substituting other words.(Sogou Encyclopedia 2017)

The other is the jargon formed for the purpose of avoiding being known by outsiders. For example, in the old days, Xiangma in Northeast China was called "Yang" as "rhinoceros horn lingman", called "he" as "Jiujiang Baman", and called "Leng" as "Northwest Fengman"; In Contemporary Hong Kong underworld, "489" is called "marshal of the main road", and "438" is called "marshal of the second road", that is, "deputy hall leader".(Sogou Encyclopedia 2017)

The third is language game.What is more, Na Zheng is an important step when the boy sends betrothal presents to the girl and for courtesy the girl will send back part of the presents such as food and some clothes.(Sogou Encyclopedia 2017)

Normal Argots

The argots used in normal or daily life.More equivalent to a spoken language.(Sogou Encyclopedia 2017；Qu Yanbin.2012)

Such as:

Xiahai, originally means going to be a dancer prostitute, but now it means going into business.

Hao, shift room, prison detention center and so on.

Chicken, means prostitute. (Sogou Encyclopedia 2017)

Rock And Roll Argots

These argot began to spread in the rock circle, and then spread to the society, which had an impact on the evolution of language.

Rock and roll argot is an important social derivative of Chinese rock music. It began in the rock circle, and later spread to the society. Some rock and roll argot can even become the folk language samples of Chinese Society for a certain period of time(Jian Cui ，2006)

Such as:

"Head shaking point"

This is the term for metal party, which means the rhythm in metal music that can make the audience shake their hair, which is, of course, the stressed beat. However, the "head shaking point" is not the key to evaluate a music band's quality. Some core grinding style bands will have 100 remakes per minute, and your neck will not be able to stand it.(Jian Cui ，2006)

"Open a piece"

It's also called unpacking. There is an unwritten rule in the circle of buying rap records in Beijing, that is "open a piece". First of all, "piece" is a quantifier, each piece is made up of nine words; Each one can hold 25 standard size records. Since about 2001, there have been a large number of circles in Beijing to buy knock on records, and there has been a situation of "more monks than porridge", so the boss of knock on records has updated his products by opening a piece. In other words, at a fixed time, release a few records, and then let the customers rush to buy them in a half fight way.(Jian Cui ，2006)

"Missing"

Bad words. In the rock circle, the musicians who don't look up to each other or the audience will laugh at the "lack" of other people's favorite music style. It can also be used for minor personal attacks.(Jian Cui ，2006)

Modern Argots

The Modern Argots is not limited to the region, popular in all walks of life across the country.

“Real estate Argots”

When a poor person comes to see a house, the security guard at the door asks the manager, "can this pair of customers be received?", Hearing the word "reception", the manager knows that the poor who can't afford to buy a house will refuse on the ground that they have no house supply;

When a rich man visits a house, the security guard at the door asks the manager, "can you introduce this to the customer?", After hearing the Word introduction, the manager knows that he is a rich man who can afford to buy a house, so he will be treated as having a house supply.

“Club Argots”

Kuo Lie,which means expand the friend list.

Tian Cai,which means you are his/her tape,he/she wants to date with you.

Would you like to go out for a snack?,which means he/she wants to have a one night stand with you.

“Blind date Argots”

I want to have a staid home,which means ‘Do you have your own house?”

I haven’t find a suitable job,which means ‘I need you to support me.’

I don’t like kids,which means ‘I won’t give a birth with you after marrige.”

Terms and Expressions

1.Ancient Local Argots：古代地方黑话

2.Wild Cards/Argots：江湖黑话

3.Normal Argots：普通黑化

4.Xiahai：下海

5.Hao：号

6.Rock And Roll Argots：摇滚黑话

7.Head shaking point：甩头点

8.Open a piece：开件儿

9.Missing：缺的

10.Modern Argots：现代黑话

11.Real estate Argots：地产黑话

12.Club Argots：酒吧黑话

13.Kuo Lie：扩列

14.Tian Cai：天菜

15.Would you like to go out for a snack?：想一起去吃宵夜吗？

16.Blind date Argots：相亲黑话

Questions

1.How many kinds of Argots?

2.Did the ancient local argots depends on the local language?

3.What is the Modern Argots?

Answers

1.five

2.Yes

3.The Modern Argots is not limited to the region, popular in all walks of life across the country.

References

Qu Yanbin.曲彦斌.(2012) 《中国民间密语》

Jian Cui 健崔（2006）《健崔：中国摇滚黑话2.0版》

Sogou Encyclopedia 搜狗百科（2010——2017）中国黑话

Guo Zhengyi 郭正义（2012） 《解密张香玉‘宇宙语’访谈》

Zhao Pingan 赵平安（2012）《解密张香玉‘宇宙语’访谈》