20201215 cultexam 2

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Final Exam Paper. Please write now and improve until grading on 2020 12 15

• 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: Huadong 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.
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Chinese Red Culture - Kang Haoyu 康浩宇, 202070080638 英语口译

康浩宇 Kang Haoyu

Chinese Red Culture

Chinese red culture is unique in the world. As a very important culture, it has both tangible cultural resources and intangible ones. Red culture in China refers to the advanced culture with Chinese characteristics created by the Communism Party of China and Chinese people in revolutionary years.(Zhu Guilian, Li Jin 2010, 87)

1. Development

China has a brilliant history and splendid civilization in ancient times. However, after the Opium War of 1840, China was plunged into the darkness of domestic turmoil and foreign aggression. Despite of all efforts that countless dedicated patriots had made, they still failed to change the plight. The October Revolution in Russia brought Marxism-Leninism to China. With Communism as the the highest ideal and ultimate goal, the Communist Party of China shouldered the historical mission of national rejuvenation. With the firm leadership of the party, Chinese people embraced national independence, people's liberation, national reunification and social stability, and stepped into a new era of prosperity and happiness.(Xi Jinpin 2017)

Red culture is condensed by the Communist Party of China in the great struggle of leading the Chinese revolution. It is an advanced Marxism culture that was inherited and developed in the new period of socialist construction. It's a collectivism culture of bravery, sacrifice and devotion that seeks happiness for the Chinese people and rejuvenation for the Chinese nation.Red culture is embodied in the aspects of ideal belief, value pursuit and spiritual outlook, and is tightly related to material remains, mechanism behaviors and cultural and artistic forms.(Luo Liling, Pu Qingpin 2018, 45)

First of all, red culture is a revolutionary culture, which was formed by the Chinese Communist Party in the great struggle of leading the Chinese revolution. After the founding of People's Republic of China, the Communist Party of China led the Chinese people to inherit and carry forward the revolutionary culture. In the new period of socialist construction and reform and opening up, a vigorous and advanced socialist culture was formed, which enriched and developed the connotation of red culture. Revolutionary culture and advanced socialist culture are two major components of red culture, and are the core value and spiritual subject of contemporary Chinese culture. As for Chinese red culture, Among them, Marxism is the soul, the common ideal of socialism with Chinese characteristics is the theme, the national spirit and the spirit of the times are the essence, and the socialist concept of honor and disgrace is the foundation. These four aspects influence, infiltrate and interact with each other, revealing the essential characteristics of red culture scientifically and completely.(Zhu Guilian, Li Jin 2010, 87)

2. Symbols

The word “red” in “red culture” has many symbols. Chinese people have “red” complex since ancient time. Red represents authority. For, example, official documents are also called red heading documents. Red represents courage. Red is the color of Chinese national flag. Chinese military strategists and generals have a deep understanding of the role of red in war, so they use red flags to unite their morale, inspire their courage, and summon their spirit of going forward bravely and not fearing sacrifice. Red represents honor and auspiciousness. For instance, the places are always adorned with red for conference and ceremony. People are awarded with red flower and red certificates. Red represents revolution. When Marx was asked about "favorite color" in his early years, he clearly answered "red". In 1864, First International was founded, and its logo was red. The first army of the Communist Party of China was named Red Army, and Ruijin, the first revolutionary base area, was called Red Capital. There were also red boats in South Lake and red flags in Jinggangshan.(Chen dongwang, Huang Weiliang 2006, 19)

3. Values

Red culture has many values. Red culture has the value of history. It witnesses the early development history of the Communist Party of China. It shows the inevitability of the socialist road in China. And it is an important weapon to guide the success of Chinese revolution. Besides, red culture has the value of civilization. Carrying forward the red culture is an urgent need to cultivate a new national spirit. Red culture is important for the construction of socialism culture and ideology. Moreover, red culture has the value of economy. Red culture is a powerful driving force for the development of the socialist market economy. It is an important medium of economic development under the new historical conditions. The red cultural industry has become a new economic growth point.(Wang Yidi 2007, 149)

4. Red Culture in Nanchang

Nanchang is the capital city of Jiangxi Province and it is where August 1st uprising took place. Nanchang is renowned as the cradle of Chinese revolution and the place where the military flag rose. Because in August 1st uprising,communist party of china formed its first army in Nanchang. There are lots of red culture resources in Nanchang.

Bayi Square is at the center of Nanchang city. It was built to memorize August 1st uprising. Bayi Square highlights the theme of "Bayi History and Culture" in all directions. The memorial area, cultural area, reminiscence area and leisure area of Bayi Square show Bayi Uprising in different forms. The landmark in the square is Bayi Nanchang Uprising Memorial Tower. Besides, Nanchang August 1st Memorial Hall is a special memorial hall established to commemorate Nanchang Uprising.（Peng Bo, Zhang Li, Li Jiangyuan 2006, 58）

References

[1] 程东旺, 黄伟良. “红色文化”的价值形态与德育功能探析[J]. 现代教育科学, 2006: 19-21.

[2] 罗丽琳,蒲清平. 红色文化的思想政治教育基因及其时代价值[J].新疆师范大学学报, 2018: 45-52

[3] 彭波, 张丽, 李江源. 整合红色资源,提升江西文化力[J]. 江西崛起策论, 2006:58-60.

[4] 王以第. “红色文化”的价值内涵[J]. 文化论苑, 2007:149-150.

[5] 习近平, 决胜全面建成小康社会 夺取新时代中国特色社会主义伟大胜利——在中国共产党第十九次全国代表大会上的报告,人民日报,2017.

[6] 朱桂莲,李晶. 德育视角下的中国红色文化研究综述[J]. 研究综述, 2010:87-89.

Terms and Expressions

red culture 红色文化

Opium War 鸦片战争

red heading documents 红头文件

red army 红军

August 1st uprising 八一起义

Questions

1. What is the historical background of the birth of red culture?

2. What are two major components of red culture?

3. How many symbols dose the word "red" in red culture has? What are they?

4. How many values dose red culture has? What are they?

5. What is the landmark in Bayi Square?

Answers

1. In modern China, Communist Party of China led the Chinese revolution and led people to fight against suppression.

2. Revolutionary culture and advanced socialist culture are two major components of red culture

3. Four. Authority, courage, honor and revolution.

4. Three. History value, civilization value and economic value.

5. Bayi Nanchang Uprising Memorial Tower

The Ancient Tea Horse Road - Lei Fangyuan 雷方圆, 202070080593 MTI 英语笔译

The Ancient Tea Horse Road

Introduction

The Ancient Tea Horse Road is a folk international trade route that exists in southwest China and is a corridor for ethnic economic and cultural exchanges with horses as the main means of transportation. It originated from the ancient southwest frontier of the tea horse mutual market, flourished in the Tang and Song dynasties and in the Ming and Qing dynasties, and prospered in the middle and late World War II. The Tea Horse Road was listed by the State Council as the seventh batch of national key cultural relics conservation units on March 5, 2013. (Zou Jingyi , Zhang Yimei 2018,131) --Lei Fangyuan (talk) 13:46, 20 December 2020 (UTC)

Historical Routes

China’s ancient tea horse road is divided into:

1. Shanxi-Gansu tea horse road is the main route for tea to travel westward in mainland China and exchange for horses. It is one of the main routes of the ancient Silk Road. 2. Shanxi - Tibet tea horse road (wade ancient road) began in the Han Dynasty, formed by the Shanxi merchants and the ancient southwest border tea and horse each other.During the Ming and Qing dynasties, the government controlled tea trafficking, and the tea trafficking sub-regional, including the most prosperous tea horse trading market in Kangding, known as the wade ancient road. (Kang Yuming, Li Jinfeng 2020:281)

3. The ancient Yunnan-Tibet Tea Horse Road was formed in the late sixth century AD. It is in the south of Yunnan's main tea producing areas. It is an important trade channel between ancient China and South Asia.

4. Sichuan-Tibet Tea Horse Road is a part of the Shan-Kang-Tibet Tea Horse Road. It is an essential bridge and link between ancient Tibet and the interior. It is in the east of Yazhou edge, west to Lhasa, Tibet, and finally through to Bhutan, Nepal and India, a total length of nearly four thousand kilometers. (Kang Yuming, Li Jinfeng 2020:282)

There are three main routes of the ancient tea-horse road: The Qinghai-Tibet line (the ancient Tang and Tibetan road), the Yunnan-Tibet line and the Sichuan-Tibet line. Among the three ancient tea-horse roads, the Qinghai-Tibet line was established in the Tang Dynasty and developed earlier, while the Sichuan-Tibet line was the most influential and well-known later. These three routes are closely related to Chengdu, and among them, the Yunnan-Tibet route and the Sichuan-Tibet route pass through Chengdu, and their development is closely related to the tea-horse trade. (Kang Yuming, Li Jinfeng 2020:283) --Lei Fangyuan (talk) 14:06, 20 December 2020 (UTC)

Historical Values

1. The Golden Road of Tourism

The ancient tea-horse road tour has unique scenery, profound cultural connotation, exclusive resources and is unparalleled in the world.

2. Ancient Roads for the Propagation of Civilization

The ancient Tea Horse Road was not only an important migration corridor for the ancient ancestors between Wei-Tibet and present Sichuan and Yunnan, but also an important aperture for the spread and exchange of ancient civilizations between present Sichuan, Yunnan and Tibet. (Ji Jing 2016:354)

3. Migration Corridor of National Cultures

On this ancient road, which stretches for more than 10,000 miles, Chinese, Tibetan, Yi, Naxi, Lisu, Hani, Kino, Qiang, Pumi, Bai, Nu, Jingpo, Achang and other ethnic groups have flourished here for thousands of years, highlighting the diversity and original form of ethnic culture in southwest China.

4. The Path of National Spirituality

You can't talk about the ancient tea-horse road without mentioning the horse gangs. The horse gangs have formed a unique cultural carrier in the course of thousands of years. Their spirit is attached to this ancient road, and become part of the Chinese national spirit. (Ji Jing 2016:355)

5. The Road of National Unity and Integration

The ancient tea-horse road is like a huge net in southwest China, through which people of all nationalities strengthen their ties and communication, promote political, economic and cultural interaction, development and integration among all nationalities, and enhance the emotional ties between them.

6. The Road of Securing the Borders

The expansion of the ancient tea-horse road and the flourishing of the tea-horse trade contributed to the stability and consolidation of China's southwest frontier.

7. The road to economic development

The Thousand-Year Tea Horse Trail contributed to the formation of many towns in the region through the tea and horse trade, which greatly contributed to the economic development of the region. (Ji Jing 2016:355)--Lei Fangyuan (talk) 14:10, 20 December 2020 (UTC)

Terms and Expressions

1.The Ancient Tea Horse Road(茶马古道)

2.Sichuan-Tibet Line（川藏线）

3.Yunnan-Tibet line（滇藏线）

4.wade ancient road（蹚古道）

Questions

1.What is the ancient tea horse road ?

2.How many main routes does the ancient tea-horse road conclude?

3.What is the historical value?--Lei Fangyuan (talk) 14:11, 20 December 2020 (UTC)

Answers

1.The Ancient Tea Horse Road is a folk international trade route that exists in southwest China and is a corridor for ethnic economic and cultural exchanges with horses as the main means of transportation.

2.There are three main routes, including the Qinghai-Tibet line (the ancient Tang and Tibetan road), the Yunnan-Tibet line and the Sichuan-Tibet line.

3.The ancient Tea Horse Road, a passage that once played an important role in the birth and development of the Chinese nation just like the Silk Road, has been gradually buried in the dust of history with the washing away of modern civilization.

References

Zou Jingyi, Zhang Yiqing邹怡情,张依玫. (2018). 作为文化线路的茶马古道遗产保护研究[ A Study on Heritage Conservation of Ancient Tea Horse Road as a Cultural Route]. 北京规划建设 BeiJing Planning Review (04)131-140.

Kang Yuming, Li Jinfeng康昱明,李金峰.(2020).甘肃茶马古道文化线路遗产探究[ A Study on Cultural Route Heritage of Ancient Tea Horse Road in Gansu Province].农村经济与科技Rural Economy and Science (11)281-283.

Li Gang, Li Wei李刚,李薇. (2011). 论历史上三条茶马古道的联系及历史地位[ On the Connection and Historical Status of Three Ancient Tea Horse Roads in History]. 西北大学学报Journal of Northwestern University (04):113-117.

Ji Ji纪静. (2016). 茶马古道的兴起及其价值研究 [ A Study on the Rise and Value of Ancient Tea Horse Road ]. 福建茶叶 Tea In Fujian (07):354-355.--Lei Fangyuan (talk) 08:20, 21 December 2020 (UTC)

Literature, Novels - Lei Kuangxi 雷旷溪 学号202070080639 MTI 英语口译

Four satirical novels in ancient China

At the end of the Qing Dynasty, literary scholars with reformist ideas criticized current affairs through novels and proposed to save the country, which were called novels of condemnation. Li Baojia's novel "The Records of Officialdom Exposed", Wu Wa-ren's "The Strange Situation of Seeing in twenty years", Liu E's "The Travels of an Old Man" and Zeng Pu's "Nie Hai Hua" represent the highest achievement of such novels, and are known as "the four great condemnation novels of the late Qing Dynasty". They attacked corruption and made straightforward judgments about current problems, forming a strong literary trend of criticizing reality in modern times.

The Four Great Condemnation Novels of the late Qing dynasty mainly exposed the dark side of society and its various shortcomings, and dealt with various aspects of social life at that time. In spite of the shortcomings pointed out by Lu Xun, "the rhetoric is revealing, the pen has no hidden edges, and the rhetoric is even too much", they have unprecedented breadth in reflecting social reality, and their sharp and incisive strokes caused strong repercussions at that time.(https://baike.baidu.com/item/晚清四大谴责小说/702907?fromtitle=四大谴责小说&fromid=10570148&fr=aladdin)

Introduction

At the end of Qing Dynasty, literary scholars with reformist ideas criticized current affairs through novels and proposed to save the country, which were called novels of condemnation. The novels Li Baojia's The Records of Officialdom Exposure, Wu Wa-ren's The Strange Situation of Seeing in twenty years, Liu E's the Travels of an Old Man and Zeng Pu's Nai Hai Hua represent the highest achievement of such novels, and are known as "the four great condemnation novels of the late Qing Dynasty". They attacked corruption and made straightforward decisions about current problems, forming a strong literary trend of criticizing reality in modern times.

The Four Great Condemnation Novels of the late Qing dynasty mainly exposed the dark side of society and its various shortcomings, and dealt with various aspects of social life at that time. In spite of the shortcomings pointed out by Lu Xun, "the rhetoric is revealing, the pen has no hidden edges, and the rhetoric is even too much", they have unprecedented breadth in reflecting social reality, and their sharp and incisive strokes caused strong repercussions at that time.(wenku)

Nie Hai Hua

Nie Hai Hua was written by Zeng Pu (1872-1935). It has a total of 35 chapters. It is a novel of condemnation, historical fiction and political fiction. In the novel, Jin Yun (Wenqing) is the main character. After he won his degree as a scholar, he took a famous courtesan, Fu Caiyun, as his concubine in Suzhou. He was then ordered to travel to Russia, Germany, Austria, and the Netherlands. After returning to China, Jin Wenqing died of illness in Beijing, and Fu Caiyun left the Jin family to resume her old profession in Shanghai. She changed her name to Cao Menglan and then went to Tianjin to work as a prostitute, calling herself Sai Jinhua.

The novel takes the story of Jin Wenqing and Fu Caiyun as the main line, vividly describes the historical and cultural changes as well as political and social changes from Tongzhi to Guangxu more than 30 years, exposing the decay and decline of the rulers, criticizing the feudal system of imperial examination, satirizing the officials, truly reflecting their spiritual life and cultural mentality. At the same time it also enthusiastically glorifies Feng Zicai, Liu Yongfu and other war heroes and Sun Yat-sen and so on. The revolutionary activities of the Democratic Revolutionaries express the author's patriotic thoughts against the feudal dictatorship and advocates national democratic revolution. In specific writing, the author adopts the modern popular block novel structure combined with the traditional mesh novel structure to unfold the plot, with ups and downs, twists and turns, touching and orderly, always around the main line.

As a historical novel, Nie Hai Hua draws on the spirit of the ancient "good history" of China to portray its characters. At the same time, it draws on the satirical approach of "The History of Confucianism" in which "the fair-minded accuse the evils of the times", commenting on events and weighing characters in a realistic manner. In terms of art, Nie Hai Hua also has many shortcomings.However, it is a skillful structure and outstanding novel at that time.(wenku)

the Travels of an Old Man

"The Travels of an Old Man" was written by Liu E (1857-1909) and has a total of 20 chapters. Liu E was an entrepreneur and scholar, not a professional writer, but his reputation as a literary figure was far greater than that of an entrepreneur and scholar. This novel is an unfinished work of his that was written in his later years with an autobiographical nature. The novel takes a bell-ringing mountebank, Lao Can (Tie Ying), as its main character, and narrates his experiences and activities during his travels in northern China, exposing the decadence and darkness of the Qing government, the brutality and lethargy of the officials, and the poverty and oppression of the people, especially attacking the abusive behavior of those "Qing officials" who are actually cruel officials, and expressing the author's strong views on the perilous reality of society and the country.

The artistic achievement of the novel is very high. The first is the superb descriptive skills, whether it is a description, a landscape, or a narrative, can be vividly depicted, such as the scenery of Thousand Buddha Mountain, Daming Lake etc., which makes people have a sense of being in the real world. Secondly, its psychological description and psychological analysis, with appropriate language, can brilliantly show the inner world of the characters. Thirdly, the exquisite structural art. The novel is in the form of a Travel Journal, with travel as a clue,and organic combined of what he see, hear, think and do along the way forms a unique structural feature of the novel.(wenku)

The Records of Officialdom Exposed

"The Records of Officialdom Exposed" by Li Baojia (1867-1906) has five editions and a total of 60 chapters. This is the first long chapter novel in China's modern era that was published serially in newspapers and magazines and achieved a social sensation, creating a culture of critical reality in modern fiction.

The novel consists of more than 30 relatively independent bureaucratic stories linked together, involving the Qing government from the emperor, down to the minor officials and so on, and these various bureaucrats of all kinds of evil behavior were exposed: They embezzled public funds, corrupted and perverted the law or the named "expedition bandits", but is harmful to the people. The work is like a scroll of the officialdom at the end of the feudal society, touching on the main contradictions of that time.

The novel's writing method is modelled on "The Scholars" and has been developed, making full use of exaggeration, comic style and satirical techniques. Only a few strokes will outline the character's voice and physical appearance. And the author is also good at describing the details, so that the characters are vivid and evocative, with a strong artistic impact. Therefore, the subsequent imitation of the work is quite a lot, it became a great read.(wenku)

"The Strange Situation Witnessed in Twenty Years"

"The Strange Situation Witnessed in Twenty Years" was written by Wu Woyao (1866-1910), it has a total of 60 chapters. This is a long novel with autobiographical flavor. Through nearly 200 short stories that the protagonist hears and witnesses from the death of his father to his failure in business. It outlines the strange realities of late Qing society during the 20 years from the Sino-French War to the beginning of the 20th century.

The scope of social life is much broader than "The Records of Officialdom Exposure". In addition to describing the officialdom, there are also involving the shopping malls, foreign markets, science fields, medical and astrological practices. It exposes the political situation, moral outlook, social customs, and human conditions of the increasingly colonized Chinese feudal society, and is of high cognitive value in helping readers to see the irreparable historical destiny of the late Qing society and feudal system.

The novel adopts the first-person narrative story, structured in a way that makes the reader feel intimate and trustworthy, setting a precedent in the history of Chinese fiction. The structure is also very clever: "nine deaths and a lifetime" is not only the narrator of the book story, but also the backbone of the structure of the book, and at the same time uses flashbacks, interpolations and other methods, combining it organically together, making the whole book complex and simple appropriate, muddle together.(wenku)

Conclusion

As a result of the bourgeois reformists and democratic revolutionaries strongly advocated, the novel creation in the late Qing Dynasty got unprecedented development, and a large number of influential novels emerged, forming a prosperous situation of the novel creation in late Qing Dynasty. The emergence of the "Four satirical novels" in late Qing Dynasty is an important sign that the creation of Chinese novels entered another prosperous period.

Reference

• [1]https://baike.baidu.com/item/晚清四大谴责小说/702907?fromtitle=四大谴责小说&fromid=10570148&fr=aladdin
• [2]二十年目睹之怪现状[M]. 北方文艺出版社 , (清) 吴趼人, 2012
• [3]老残游记[M]. 北方文艺出版社 , (清) 刘鹗, 2012
• [4]官场现形记[M]. 北方文艺出版社 , (清) 李宝嘉, 2012
• [5]孽海花[M]. 北方文艺出版社 , (清) 曾朴, 2012
• [6]四大谴责小说政治批判手法研究[J].李辉东,2017

Terms and Expressions

The Records of Officialdom Exposure 《官场现形记》

The Strange Situation of Seeing in twenty years 《二十年之目睹怪现象》

the Travels of an Old Man 《老残游记》

Nai Hai Hua 《孽海花》

The Four Great Condemnation Novels of the late Qing dynasty 晚清四大谴责小说

Questions

1. What are The Four Great Condemnation Novels of the late Qing dynasty ?

2. Which novel is modeled the "The Scholars"?

3. What’s the common characteristic of these four novels?

4. What other satirical novels do you know?

Answers

1、They are Li Baojia's The Records of Officialdom Exposure, Wu Wa-ren's The Strange Situation of Seeing in twenty years, Liu E's the Travels of an Old Man and Zeng Pu's Nai Hai Hua.

2、The Records of Officialdom Exposure

3、The Four Great Condemnation Novels of the late Qing dynasty mainly exposed the dark side of society and its various shortcomings, and dealt with various aspects of social life at that time.

4、E.g.The Scholars

Shadow Play - Li Lili 李丽丽 No.202070080594 MTI 英语笔译

The Origin of Shadow Play

Chinese Shadow Play[1]

Shadow play most likely originates from India or Central Asia in the 1st millenium BCE (Orr 1974:69). It has a long history according to the written records. Legend has it that Empress Xiaowu, the wife of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, died of illness. Emperor Wu missed her so strongly that he was in a trance and ignored the government's affairs all day. One day, Minister Li Shaoweng went out and came across a child playing with a doll in his hand. The shadow of the doll was so vivid that he came up with an idea to cut the Mrs. Li's image out of cotton and silk, painted it, and installed wooden poles on its hands and feet. When Emperor Wu looked at it, it was like a treasure that he was glued to it. This love story is considered to be the earliest origin of shadow play. (Wei Liqun 2018,13)

There are also some views that shadow play originated in Xi'an of Tang Dynasty, however, it is worth discussing that although there were a variety of operas in the Tang Dynasty, yet there were no any records of shadow play mentioned in the Tang Dynasty. Up to now, the earliest shadow play was recorded in Song Dynasty. Its rise and development were closely related to Bianjing’s (the capital of Northern Song Dynasty) superior geographical environment, the development of commodity trade and good commercial transportation at that time. (Wei Liqun 2018:14-15)

Introduction

In Chinese ancient society, Chinese began to give performances using puppets against an illuminated screen. This is “shadow puppets”, also known as “lamp and shadow play”. It is considered as “precursor of movie” because it was the earliest moving part of form dubbed with human voice in the world. During a play, puppeteers hide behind the white screen and move puppets, while narrating the story, usually through singing. Performances are accompanied by musicians playing percussion and stringed instruments. A shadow puppet can perform actions such as “serving drinks”, “waving a sword and a spear,” or even “smoking” by puppeteer holding and moving manipulating rods on its body. (Wang Yexia 2012,1-2)

Typically, a shadow puppet has three rods and some may have five or seven rods. It can create rich designs such as shadow puppets, animals and stage props, for example, buildings, imperial palaces, chariots, tables and chairs as well as weapons. It is so rich that it includes almost everything under the sun. It combines traditional Chinese plastic art and performing art as well as the arts of painting, paper cutting, local opera, and ventriloquism. Besides, it has absorbed the best parts of local operas, folk songs and emerged into many schools. The well-known ones include Tangshan Shadow Play in Hebei Province, Beijing Shadow Play as well as Shaanxi, Shanxi and Hunan Shadow Play. etc. (Wang Yexia 2012,2-3)

So how to make a puppet? First, draw pictures of the various parts of the shadow puppets; second, finish carving with a knife and a hard board underneath the design; third, color the puppet with watercolor pens; fourth, paint the body parts with a brush dipped in oil. This can make the puppet transparent and better reflect colors under the light.; fifth, connect joint sections with the cotton thread; sixth, make the manipulating rods; finally, attach the manipulating rods to the shadow puppet with cotton thread. Thanks to different manipulating rods moves, the shadow puppet has a life, and can show happiness, anger, sorrow and gladness. (Wang Yexia 2012,29-35)

shadow play of puppet [2]

The eyes and the eyebrows of a shadow puppet’s five facial features represent different personalities. The good and positive people are typical of a benevolent and kind countenance, with nice-looking eyebrows and eyes, while the villain or the general are ferocious look, with sharp eyebrows and almond-shaped eyes. And the former are often concealed teeth and the latter are revealed teeth. The middle-aged people have short beard, but the elderly men have long beard. (Wang Yexia 2012,10-11)

The decorative designs on the shadow puppets are so important that they must match the character’s social status. In a shadow play, female characters are usually decorated with patters such as flowers, grass, clouds and phoenix, while male characters are often decorated with dragons, tigers, water and clouds. Shadows puppets look colorful under the light. To achieve a better visual effect, the translucent puppets need to be painted on both sides. The different colors of heads can also represent different characters’ personalities. The red is a symbol of a heroic and upstanding character and the representative is Guan Yu. The black is a sign of a just, honest and selfless personality and the representative is Zhang Fei. The yellow shows a brave and irascible character and is often used in fantasy plays to represent people with magic power. (Wang Yexia 2012,13-16)

The Situation of Contemporary Shadow Play

Since the founding of the People's Republic of China, shadow play, as an art form, has undergone a series of reforms, including the organization of theatrical troupes, the compilation and creation of plays, the drawing and performing forms of shadow play. With the advent of the "Cultural Revolution", the prosperity of shadow play came to an abrupt end. The troupe was disbanded, the repertoire was banned, and the artists were transferred to other fields. A large number of precious shadow puppet props and documents were damaged. This situation, except for some places, lasted until 1976. (Zhu Hengfu 2020,36）

After the end of the "Cultural Revolution", shadow puppet art rapidly revived, However, with the economic development being put in the first place of social activities and the popularity of television and the richness of artistic forms, shadow play is declining day by day with an irresistible trend, because shadow play arts are unable to keep pace with the times and get the appreciation from the audience. As a result, the prospect of shadow play art is becoming increasingly bleak. （Zhu Hengfu 2020,36）

In order to inherit Chinese culture and protect the ancient art forms such as shadow play, on May 20, 2006, it was approved by the State Council to be included in the first batch of national intangible cultural heritage list. On November 27, 2011, UNESCO included Chinese shadow play in the "Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity".（Zhu Hengfu 2020,36）

References

• Orr, Inge C. (1974). "Puppet Theatre in Asia". Asian Folklore Studies. Nanzan University. 10 (1):69–84.
• Wang Yexia 王业霞.(2012). 《皮影戏》 [Shadow Play] 北京：高等教育出版社 Beijing: [Higher Education Publishing House]
• Wei Liqun 魏力群.(2018). 《小书大传承-皮影》["Small Book, Big Heritage - Shadow Play"] 重庆：重庆出版社 Chongqing: [Chongqing Publishing House]
• Zhu Hengfu 朱恒夫.(2020). 中国皮影戏的历史，现状与剧目特征[The History, Current Situation and Repertoire Characteristics of Chinese Shadow Theatre] 浙江艺术职业学院学报 [Journal of Zhejiang Arts Vocational College]

Words and Expressions

• shadow puppet皮影戏
• paper cutting 剪纸
• ventriloquism 口技
• manipulating rod 操纵杆
• five facial features 五官
• sharp eyebrows and almond-shaped eyes 尖眉杏眼
• Cultural Revolution 文化大革命
• intangible cultural heritage 非物质文化遗产

Questions

• 1. When is the earliest shadow puppet’s record in China?
• 2. What forms of art does Chinese shadow play apply?
• 3. What does a red head stand for in a play?
• 4. When was Chinese shadow play put in the "Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity".

Answers

• 1. Song dynasty.
• 2. It combines traditional Chinese plastic art and performing art as well as the arts of painting, paper cutting, local opera, and ventriloquism. Besides, it has absorbed the best parts of local operas, folk songs and emerged into many schools.
• 3. The red is a symbol of a heroic and upstanding character.
• 4. On November 27, 2011.--Li LIli (talk) 12:32, 20 December 2020 (UTC)

Confucian Culture - Li Liqin 李丽琴 Student No.202070080595 MTI 英语笔译

Introduction

Confucian school is an academic school founded by Confucius, developed by Mencius, and composed by Xunzi. Today, it still retains a certain vitality. Confucian school takes Confucianism as its guiding ideology whose central ideas are forgiveness, loyalty, filial piety, brotherhood, courage, benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom and faith. (Li Xiaoyu 2010, 31)

Confucian school was on an equal footing with the other hundred schools in the pre-Qin period. After the First Emperor of Qin, also called Qin Shihuang, burned books and buried scholars alive, the development of the Confucian school suffered a serious defeat. Then, in order to maintain the feudal autocratic rule, Emperor Wudi of the Han Dynasty followed Dong Zhongshu's advice of "banishing other schools of thought and worshiping Confucianism only" and imposed restrictions on thought, which led to the revival of Confucian school. (Zhang Qizhi 1990, 20) The concepts of "Confucian school", "Confucianism", and "Confucian Religion" should be distinguished since Confucian school is a school of theory, Confucianism a social stratification, and Confucian religion belief. (Chen Zhibin, Du Aihong 2017, 60-61)

Laozi founded Chinese Taoist school; Confucius started Chinese Confucian school; Sun Tzu initiated Chinese military strategist school; Mozi was the founder of Mohism in the early Warring States. Confucianism contributes to guiding the code of conduct and constructing social order; Taoism focuses on fostering the view of nature and the orientation of spiritual development; Legalism serves the system construction of national political management; the concepts of Universal Love and utilitarianism are two cornerstones for the Mohism. The General Unity idea of Confucianism has played an important role in the unification of a nation, the enhancement of national cohesion and the integration of cultural values. (Tan Su 2012, 68)

After more than two thousand years of development and evolution, Confucian culture has built up a complete ideological system, involving politics, education, morality, ethics, code of conduct, life skills and other aspects. It has cultivated the wisdom and soul of the Chinese people throughout the history, and formed deep-rooted set patterns of thinking, psychology and survival. (Xiang Chunling 2008, 42-43)

Analysis of Confucian Culture

Intelligence Development

Confucius is a great educator, as well as a pioneer and practitioner of mass education. After Confucianism was established as a dominant culture, both the rulers and the public respected the teachings of the sage and attached great importance to education. In this context, a basic requirement is to stay highly cultured and steeped in propriety. After the Emperor Wen initiated the imperial examination system in the Sui Dynasty, those who are good scholars could make an official, which inspired students of poor families to change their lives by studying hard and diligent. (Zhang Qizhi 1990, 19)

For generations, the Chinese people have attached great importance to the education of their children, which is conducive to the improvement of the thinking ability of the whole nation. However, the corrupt of bureaucracy and the darkness of officialdom in metaphase and anaphase made many literati feel despairing about official career and discredit about the concept. In addition, the Four Books and Five Classics were the main learning content of Confucianism. Apart from government-run schools, private schools and self-study can hardly meet the requirements of the Six Classical Arts. (Zhang Qizhi 1990, 21) Therefore, the Four Books and Five Classics were the focus of students, while the Six Classical Arts were not highly valued.

Spiritual Guidance

In terms of spirit, Confucianism contends that "As heaven maintains vigor through movements, a gentleman should constantly strive for self-perfection; The terrain is vast, a gentleman carries goods with great virtue." (Zhang Qizhi 1990, 86) Benevolent people love each other, which reflects the essence of “Unity of Man and Nature” and also the most brilliant connotation of Confucianism. This philosophy calls for people’s active contributions to the society. It is still alive in modern times, and is the fundamental requirement of people's spiritual orientation in the future. (Li Xiaoyu 2010, 32)

Order Construction

In the age of barbarism and backwardness, a common feature was that a small number of people used power and force to suppress and enslave the majority, thus resulting in labor division and unfair distribution of wealth and generating corresponding social hierarchy and concepts. Given the fact that Confucianism developed in the transitional period of feudal society, the thoughts of Confucius and Mencius were rooted in the idealist view of destiny and did not break the shackles of social hierarchy. In addition, they even advocated the distinguish between the noble and the humble and highlighted the importance of hierarchy division. (Li Fangping 2013, 56)

In this context, the benevolence they advocated had great limitations in political management. The public could not be treated equally in terms of political status. Instead, the so-called benevolence calls for improvement of the living conditions of the public and more benefits from the ruling class. However, its purpose was to maintain social order and reconcile social contradictions. This is also the root cause of feudal rulers’ favoring of Confucianism. In essence, Confucianism did not promote social equality, instead, it worked to maintain the unequal feudal hierarchy that aggravated servitude. In fact, after a long history of feudal rule, the sense of hierarchy would be part of the national psyche. With the progress of times and civilization, the view of destiny and the thought of social order have become psychological shackles of the Chinese people. (Li Fangping 2013, 56)

After eliminating the ideology of feudal hierarchy and formalism, some philosophies of Confucianism still generate positive effects on modern society. Specifically, the spirit of benevolence and universal love is conducive to cultivate people’s spirits; the concept of “the country belongs to the public” reflects a sense of social responsibility to make contributions for society, which can be expanded into a sharing social and political philosophy for different countries. (Li Xiaoyu 2010, 33)

Filial piety and brotherhood increase the harmony and stability of family; Loyalty, faithfulness, propriety and forgiveness are conducive to the relationship between different countries, societies and people. "Loyalty" means that people should stay loyal to the country and people; "Friendliness" and "forgiveness" play an important role in resolving various contradictions and animosities; when it comes to "filial piety" and "propriety", many redundant forms inherited from feudal society should be eradicated and be more practical. (Xiang Chunling 2008, 39-41)

The Contemporary Value of Confucian Culture

Today, Confucian culture is still of great significance. We must explore the value of Confucian culture on the basis of the excellent tradition of the Chinese nation and by combining the characteristics of the times with and the actual situation. The Confucian culture has affected Chinese more than two thousand years and gone deep into each aspect of Chinese society. (Xiang Chunling 2008, 39)

Ideological and Political Education

Confucian culture calls for “the people-oriented” philosophy, and it places a high priority on human value and dignity. (Zhang Qizhi 1990, 51-57) Over the years, the Chinese nation has been influenced by this excellent philosophy. On this occasion, its behavioral pattern and psychological structure are endowed with uniqueness, which is mainly manifested in two aspects. One is to respect yourself, learn how to love and care yourself. Moreover, gain dignity and achieve the development of human value through the continuous improvement of moral cultivation. Second, respect others and show respect for others' personality by respecting, understanding and caring for others. (Xiang Chunling 2008, 39-40)

Modern Economic Construction

Under today’s circumstance, some ideological contents are still alive and produce positive effects on promoting the economic construction of modernization and fostering modern patriotism emotion of the Chinese people. (Li Chengzong 2002, 65)

First of all, Confucian culture emphasizes the thought of "benevolence" and group consciousness. It is conducive to the cultivation of collectivism and provides a spiritual pillar for China's modern economy. (Li Chengzong 2002, 65)

Since Confucian culture reflects a collectivist view on life, individuals are full of sense of duty and responsibility towards others and groups. In this context, their self-cultivation targets at regulating the family, country and the world. Thus, the value of individual is closely linked with the rise and fall of the country, so they have a strong sense of responsibility. "Everyone being responsible for the fate of his country" has been a common belief for thousands of years. Such a social responsibility will give rise to a huge driving force for the development of the country and society. (Tan Su 2012, 68)

Second, the consciousness of "self-improvement" and the proposition of "seeking truth" in the Confucian culture strengthen the national spirit and provide a source power for China’s economic modernization. (Li Chengzong 2002, 66)

Yi Zhuan put forward: "As heaven maintains vigor through movements, a gentleman should constantly strive for self-perfection." It means that continuous development is the law of nature and that a gentleman should pursue progress and be strong, unyielding resilient and positive. For thousands of years, the Chinese nation has formed a fine tradition of working hard and striving for strength under the influence of these thoughts. Today, we carry forward the spirits of “self-improvement” and "seeking truth" in ways that further enhance national spirits and provide a strong driving force for the socialist modernization. (Li Chengzong 2002, 67)

Third, the "reform and innovation" concept in Confucian culture is conducive to the expansion of the reform and opening up and the acceleration of China's socialist modernization. On the basis of admitting the fact that the continuous development is the universal law of nature, Confucian culture puts forward the "innovation idea". The Book of Rites said, "If you can in one day renovate yourself; do so from day to day and let there be daily renovation." The Book of Changes said, "Reform refers to destroy the old, while innovation means to establish the new.” (Li Chengzong 2002, 67)

The concept not only serves as the theoretical basis for reform and innovation throughout the history, but also provides valuable lessons for the reform in socialist economic and political systems today. Domestically, promoting the innovative spirits can greatly enhance the reform consciousness of the Chinese people. Externally, it is conducive to advancing the opening up by leveraging the global influence of Confucian culture. (Li Chengzong 2002, 67)

Legal Construction

Confucian culture places a high priority on personal cultivation, while a highly civilized society under the rule of law must be composed of highly educated citizens. Confucian school, a school with thousands of years of history in China, has become an integral part of the Chinese culture. (Li Xiaoyu 2010, 32-33)

Nowadays, since China has called for the policy of combining the rule of virtue with the rule of law, it is the time for Confucian culture to find its historical position and fully play its role. Exploring the influence of Confucian culture on the construction of contemporary Chinese rule by law, not only can we help us more deeply understand the traditional culture, but also can promote the process of building the rule of law in contemporary China. (Li Xiaoyu 2010, 32-33)

The rule by virtue thought is an important part of Confucian culture and it emphasizes the importance of moral education. It is a national strategy pursued by ancient Chinese rulers and a method of national governance embodying reference significance in today’s China. (Wei Na 2014, 1-2)

In terms of national governance, Confucianism emphasizes the importance of morality, believing that national governance should not mainly rely on harsh punishment, instead, moral education should be applied to reform people. Confucius said, "By governing with virtue, rulers will be loved by the public, just like stars surround the North Star." By comparing rulers to the North Star and people to the stars, Confucius emphasized the importance of moral governance. (Wang Jie 2004, 77)

How to rule by virtue? First of all, rulers should pay attention to their personal cultivation and develop good moral characters, so that they can set a good example for the public. Only when officials and common people obey the ruler sincerely, can a good social atmosphere be formed. Secondly, since Confucianism takes "benevolence" as its core and calls for the rule of virtue, many people subconsciously believe that Confucianism denies the role of criminal law and that Confucian culture does not call for the rule of law. (Wang Jie 2004, 82-83)

In fact, this is not the case. While Confucianism advocates the rule of virtue, it also emphasizes the supplementary role of rule of law. Confucius said, "Sages believe that national governance must combine the rule of virtue and law." That is to say, if people are governed by systems and laws, they seek for impunity but lack of conscience; however, if they are guided by morality and etiquette, they will have a sense of right and wrong and will impose strict requirements on themselves. (Wang Jie 2004, 83)

In a word, we should clearly realize that, although Confucian culture is an excellent traditional culture in China, it was generated from the feudal society and its original intention was to maintain the feudal autocratic monarchy. Therefore, it inevitably has some drawbacks and limitations. Under this circumstance, we must analyse Confucian culture dialectically and explore the value of Confucian culture. At the same time, we should discard the bad habits and unfavorable factors left by it, so as to better carry forward our traditional culture and accelerate the construction of the rule of law in contemporary China. (Wang Jie 2004, 83)

The Confucius Institute

With the improvement of China's international status and the increasingly extensive international exchanges, Chinese culture has won wider foreign attention and the world is more eager to learn and understand the Chinese culture. The Confucius Institute project, founded in 2004, emerges in response to the call of the times. Today, Confucius Institutes have spread throughout Asia, Africa, The Americas, Europe and Oceania. (Wang Ying, Ti Wenjing 2009, 30)

Fundamentally speaking, its is conducive to the "going out" of Chinese culture since language is an important carrier of Chinese culture. It is of positive significance to the construction of China's national image, the promotion of China's international influence, the realization of wider international communication. (Wang Ying, Ti Wenjing 2009, 30)

The rapid development of Confucius Institutes has fully demonstrated the needs and aspirations of people around the world to learn Chinese and learn more about China, but there are still some problems in this process. Today, countries are committed to spreading their own language and culture, so there is a fierce competition in international cultural promotion. In addition, the Confucius Institutes is struggling to achieve sustainable development. Internally, its development has been restricted by many factors, including the shortage of teachers and textbooks, the low quality and the lack of pertinence. (Wu Ying, Ti Wenjing 2009, 31)

At present, Confucius Institutes are prevalent all over the world, but the promotion strategy seeking for quantity and speed results in a serious shortage of teachers capable of teaching Chinese as a foreign language. According to statistics, there is a global shortage of at least five million TCSL teachers. (Wu Ying, Ti Wenjing 2009, 31)

Secondly, the lack of high-quality and localized teaching materials for Chinese has also become a bottleneck for the development of Confucius Institutes. The shortage of Chinese textbooks affects the depth of cultural communication of Confucius Institutes directly. Thirdly, Confucius Institutes are not capable of spreading the ideological depth of the Chinese culture. Although the textbooks are rich in content, they mainly focus on promoting folk culture by introducing Chinese food, tea and wine, traditional Chinese medicine and martial arts. Meanwhile, they rarely involve the ideological essence of traditional Chinese culture and the modern value of Chinese culture. (Wu Ying, Ti Wenjing 2009, 32)

The Confucius Institutes should fully explore the modern significance of Confucianism and cast the quintessence of Chinese culture, and strengthen the spread of the core idea of Chinese culture and its modern cultural value. The connotation of Chinese culture is very rich. What Confucius Institutes should spread is not all the contents of Chinese culture, but the contents with universal value that are different from other countries and represent the essence of Chinese culture. (Xiang Chunling 2008, 42)

Terms and Expressions

儒家 Confucian school

儒学 Confucianism

儒教 Confucian religion

兼爱 Universal love

恕、忠、孝、悌、勇 forgiveness, loyalty, filial piety, brotherhood, courage

仁、义、礼、智、信 benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom and faith

学而优则仕 A good scholar will make an official

四书五经 the Four Books and Five Classics

天行健，君子当自强不息；地势坤，君子以厚德载物。As heaven maintains vigor through movements, a gentleman should constantly strive for self-perfection; The terrain is vast, a gentleman carries goods with great virtue.

天下兴亡，匹夫有责 Everyone being responsible for the fate of his country

Questions

1. What’s the central ideas of Confucian culture?

2. What’s the difference among Confucian school, Confucianism and Confucian religion?

3. What do you think of the relationship between Confucian school, Taoist school, Mohist school, Legalist school?

4. What’s the Six Classical Arts?

5. What you think of the ancient influence of Confucianism?

6. Do you think Confucian culture still has its contemporary values in China? And why?

7. What do you think of the current situation of the development of the Confucian institute?

Answers

1. The central ideas of Confucian culture are forgiveness, loyalty, filial piety, brotherhood, courage, benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom and faith.

2. Confucian school is a school of theory, Confucianism is a social stratification, and Confucian is a religion belief.

3. Confucian school emphasizes the code of conduct and the social order construction; Taoist school focuses on fostering the view of nature and the orientation of spiritual development; Legalist school serves the system construction of national political management; Mohist school emphasizes Universal Love and utilitarianism. Although Confucian school, Taoist school, Mohist school and Legalist school are different schools with different theories, they are not completely antagonistic.

4. The Six Classical Arts refers to propriety(礼), music（乐）, archery（射）, riding（御）, writing（书） and arithematic（数）.

5. The ancient influence of Confucianism should be analysed from a historical perspective. It was generated from the feudal society and its original intention was to maintain the feudal autocratic monarchy. Therefore, it inevitably has some drawbacks and limitations. While contributing to intelligence development, spiritual guidance and order construction to some extent, it has also led to some negative effects in the long run. For example, it called for rigid feudal hierarchy and resulted in spiritual constraints.

6. Yes. Although Confucian culture has a history of thousands of years, it still has contemporary values in today's society. For instance, Confucian culture calls for “the people-oriented” philosophy and places a high priority on human value and dignity, which is still of profound significance; Confucian culture emphasizes the thought of "benevolence" and group consciousness. It is conducive to the cultivation of collectivism and provides a spiritual pillar for China's modern economy.

7. The rapid development of Confucius Institutes has fully demonstrated the needs and aspirations of people around the world to learn Chinese and learn more about China, but there are still some problems in this process. Nowadays, the Confucius Institutes is struggling to achieve sustainable development. Internally, its development has been restricted by many factors, including the shortage of teachers and textbooks, the low quality and the lack of pertinence. Joint efforts of all social sectors should be made to achieve the sustainable development of it.

References

• Chen Zhibin, Du Aihong 陈智斌, 杜艾红. (2017). 儒学、儒家、儒教之异同 [The Differences and Similarities of Confucian School, Confucianism and Confucian Religion]. 审计月刊 Audit Monthly (03) 60-62.

• Li Chenzong 李承宗. (2002). 论儒家文化对培养现代爱国主义情感的积极作用 [On the Positive Effects of Confucian Culture on Cultivating Patriotism]. 廊坊师范学院学报 Journal of Langfang Teachers College (02) 65-70.

• Li Fangping 李芳萍. (2013). 儒家思想对中国文化的影响研究 [A Study on the Influence of Confucianism on Chinese Culture]. 前沿 Forward Position (10) 55-56.

• Li Xiaoyu 李晓愚. (2010). 儒家仁爱思想的当代诠释 [Contemporary Interpretation of Benevolence]. 郑州大学学报(哲学社会科学版) Journal of Zhengzhou University (05) 31-33.

• Tan Su 谭苏. (2012). 论春秋战国时期的百家争鸣 [On the Competition of Ideas in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period]. 兰台世界 Lantai World (10) 67-68.

• Wang Jie 王杰. (2004). 为政以德: 孔子的德治主义治国模式 [Rule of Virtue: Confucian’s Model of Governance]. 中共中央党校学报 Journal of the Party School of the Central Committee of the C．P．C. (02) 77-83.

• Wu Ying, Ti Wenjing 吴瑛, 提文静. (2009). 孔子学院的发展现状与问题分析 [The Development Status and Problems of Confucius Institute]. 云南师范大学学报 (对外汉语教学与研究版) Journal of Yunnan Normal University (05) 28-33.

• Xiang Chunling 向春玲. (2008). 儒家文化的现代意义 [On Modern Significance of Confucian Culture]. 中共中央党校学报 Journal of the Party School of the Central Committee of the C．P．C. (06) 39-43.

• Zhang Qizhi 张岂之. (1990). 中国儒学思想史 [The History of Chinese Confucianism]. 陕西：陕西人民出版社 Shaanxi: Shaanxi People’s Publishing House. --Li Liqin (talk) 14:04, 20 December 2020 (UTC)

Ch'ien Chung-shu - Liu Liu刘柳， 202070080596 MTI

Ch'ien Chung-shu

Ch'ien Chung-shu (1910-1998), a well-known scholar, writer, translator and literary researcher, was born into an education family in Wuxi, Jiangsu Province. In Chinese academic circles, Qian was ranked with Rao Zongyi, a master in academic circles, and both were called "South Rao and North Qian". He was admitted to Tsinghua University in 1929 and got to know Yang Jiang in 1932. Qian became famous soon after the enrolment, not only for the 15 mark of his mathematics, but for his excellent Chinese and English, especially full marks in English.(360 Encyclopedia)

Qian had an engagement with Yang the year after their acquaintance and went to study at Oxford University in England along with her. In 1937, he obtained the bachelor's degree from Oxford with the treatise China in the English Literature of the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries, and his daughter Qian Yuan was born the same year. He wrote a great many profound literary works in his lifetime. When it comes to Ch'ien Chung-shu, people would think of his representative work Fortress Besieged, which was published in 1947.(360 Encyclopedia)

As a realistic satirical novel, Fortress Besieged is known as "The New Scholars" in the 1940s. The novel is centralized on Fang Hongjian,who returned from studying abroad at the beginning of the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression. It depicts the struggles in love, marriage,career and life of a group of intellectuals who were far away from the times and the people during the War of Resistance against Japanese Agression. It reveals their inner poverty, emptiness and lowliness, criticizes the dark reality of the Kuomintang-controlled areas, and reveals the crisis of modern civilization and the dilemma of modern life.(Qian Zhongshu 1947)

In the preface of the book, Qian said that, "In this book I intended to write about a certain segment of society and a certain kind of people in modern China. In writing about these people, I didn’t forget they are human beings, still human beings with the basic nature of hairless, two-legged animals. "The novel is like an X-ray mirror that reveals the deformed characters and ugly souls of those "hairless and two-legged animals" and analyzes the cultural matrix which is responsible for the deformed characters and ugly souls of these "latest style" literati.(Qian Zhongshu 1947)

Yang Jiang said, "The main connotation of Fortress Besieged is that those who are besieged by the city want to escape, while those outside want to rush in. This is what most people wish for in life, whether in marriage or career. "The meaning of "fortress besieged" is also stated several times in the novel. It tells people that life is a besieged city everywhere, people have marriage and divorce, divorce and marriage in endless succession,with everlasting confusion and dilemma. The questions that Qian raised in the novel refer to a question of universal significance, which is the crisis of modern civilization and the dilemma of modern life as a whole. In December 1990, the television series Fortress Besieged was broadcast on China Central Television(CCTV) and enjoyed great popularity.

Ch'ien Chung-shu has made significant achievements in literary research and literary creation. In particular, it is of great significance to carry forward and deny traditional Chinese culture scientifically and learn from foreign culture selectively. He has wrote the collection of essays Written in the Margins of Life (1941), the collection of short stories Humans·Beasts·Ghosts (1946), and the novel Fortress Besieged (1947).

Both his essays and novels are wise and meaningful. Qian has read Chinese history, philosophy and literary classics in depth and has studied western old and new literature, philosophy and psychology. Many of his works, such as Limited Views:Essays on Ideaas and Letters and Patchwork:Essays on Art and Literature, have enjoyed high reputation in academic circles both at home and abroad.

Ch'ien Chung-shu viewd China and the world with a cultural criticism spirit. Based on his profound knowledge of Chinese and world culture, Qian has always shown a clear mind and a deep insight when observing Chinese and Western culture. He didn't reject any theories or doctrines, nor did he blindly follow any authorities. He devoted his life to promoting Chinese literature and art to the world.

To this end, he not only explicated the profound meaning and unique value of Chinese culture in depth, but also pointed out its historical and regional limitations. He not only criticized the Chinese for their arrogance towards the local culture due to certain illusions, but also mercilessly eliminated the Westerners' prejudice centered on European and American culture due to ignorance. It is Ch'ien Chung-shu who has promoted cultural communication between China and other countries.

November 21st,2020 is the 110th anniversary of the birth of Ch'ien Chung-shu. People often call him a well-informed scholar, but he is more of a down-to-earth writer and scholar. He was indifferent to fame and wealth and alaways took a rigorous and serious attitude towards academic research. We feel ourselves in an entirely new world when we read the subtle metaphors in Fortress Besieged, while we read Limited Views:Essays on Ideas and Letters and Patchwork:Essays on Art and Literature, we are amazed at Qian's erudition. People all over the world admire his talent, but in fact,it is his meticulous and diligent reading spirit that makes him a well-informed scholar.(Wang Shuizhao 2020)

Many of his life experiences and the question of whether his scholarship was systematic or not have attracted much attention. Wang Shuizhao, professor of Chinese Department of Fudan University, who has studied and worked with Ch'ien Chung-shu for a long time, has recently published his new book Academic Life of Qian Zhongshu, in which he writes about Qian's life experiences and academic achievements based on the first-hand historical data, his personal experiences and his own understanding of academia, and gives answers to the questions discueesed widely, such as Qian's experience of being falsely accused, whether there exists system in his scholarship and the collision of viewpoints between Qian and Chen Yinke.(Wang Shuizhao 2020)

Terms and Expressions

China in the English Literature of the Seventeenth and Eighteenth centuries 《十七十八世纪英国文学中的中国》

Fortress Besieged 《围城》

Kuomintang-controlled areas 国统区

Written in the Margins of Life 《写在人生边上》

Humans·Beasts·Ghosts 《人·兽·鬼》

Limited Views:Essays on Ideas and Letters 《管锥编》

Patchwork:Essays on Art and Literature 《谈艺录》

the 110th anniversary of the birth of Ch'ien Chung-shu 钱钟书诞辰110周年纪念日

Academic Life of Qian Zhongshu 《钱锺书的学术人生》

Questions

1.What is Ch'ien Chung-shu's representative work? When was it published?

2.When was the TV series Fortress Besieged broadcast?

3.Do you know other works about Ch'ien Chung-shu? Can you list some of them?

4.Which book did Wang Shuizhao publish in commemoration of the 110 anniversary of the birth of Ch'ien Chung-shu? What does he talk about in this book?

5.Which sentence is your favoriate in Fortress Besieged?

Answers

1.Ch'ien Chung-shu's representive work is Fortress Besieged. It was published in 1947.

2.It was broadcast in December 1990.

3.Patchwork:Seven Essays on Art and Literature（《七缀集》） and Poetic Remains of an Ephemeral Life（《槐聚诗存》）.

4.Wang Shuizhao published his new book Academic Life of Qian Zhongshu in commemoration of the 110 anniversary of the birth of Ch'ien Chung-shu, in which he writes about Qian's life experiences and academic achievements.

5."I want to be able to occupy the whole life of the man I love. Before meeting me, he would have had no past and would be waiting for me with a clean slate."

References

Qian Zhongshu.钱钟书.(1947).围城.[Fortress Besieged].上海晨光出版公司[Shanghai Chenguang Publishing Corporation].

Wang Shuizhao.王水照.(2020).钱锺书的学术人生.[Academic Life of Qian Zhongshu].中华书局[Zhonghua Book Company,Ltd.].--Liu Liu (talk) 13:25, 21 December 2020 (UTC)

Crosstalk 相声

by Liu Ou 刘欧，202070080597，MTI

The Development of Crosstalk

Crosstalk, in the ancient time known as onomatopoeia, originally refers to imitate others’ voices. It was evolved and further developed from the folk opera in North China, and integrated with imitating oral skills and other folk art forms. It is generally believed to be formed during the Emperor Xianfeng (1850—1861) and Emperor Tongzhi (1861—1874) period in Qing dynasty (1636-1912). It’s a folk vocal art that uses jokes or funny questioning and answering to make the audience laugh. In the early years of the Republic of China (1912-1949), crosstalk gradually developed from one-person ventriloquism to one person stand-up talk, and the name changed to cross talk. Later, it developed into stand-up crosstalk, dual crosstalk, and group crosstalk. And it becomes a veritable form of art. After years of development, dual crosstalk has finally become the most popular form of crosstalk among audiences. In the late Qing Dynasty, crosstalk formed its modern features and styles. The language uses in crosstalk is mainly Beijing dialect, however, there are also “dialect crosstalk” in other regions of China(360 Encyclopedia).

Crosstalk is an original folk art with a long history in China, which is deeply loved by the majority of the people. The crosstalk art was almost disappeared but has been reborn and developed very rapidly especially since the founding of the People’s Republic of China. It is no longer only palys in several cities in the north, nor spread only within the citizens, but also spread from the north to the whole country, and from the city to the countryside(Hou Baolin 1982,01).

Four Basic Skills in Crosstalk

Speaking, imitating, teasing and singing are the four basic artistic skills of crosstalk. “Speaking” means to tell jokes, stories, lantern riddles, drinking games, etc; “imitating” is to imitate all kinds of birds and animals, hawking, singing and the sound of different languages, etc; “teasing” is to gag and tease; “sing” means to sing Taiping Lyrics (most of which contain the meaning of peace and prosperity, so they are called Taiping) (Hou Baolin 1982:194), opera lyrics and songs. Crosstalk artists regard “speaking, imitating, teasing and singing” as their "four compulsory lessons". For example, the artists grasp the rhythm in language and correct their pronunciations by “saying tongue twisters" or "reciting classical repertoires". And gain the ability of imitation by learning different kinds of sounds.Moreover, they practice the singing skills by singing “Taiping lyrics”,opera lyrics and songs. (Hou Baolin 1982:11)

Characteristics of Crosstalk

First of all, crosstalk is the art of “speaking”, which belongs to the art of “performing with words”, so it is different from drama that “performing with words as well as body movements”. This kind of performance has a close relationship between the actors and the audience that shortened the distance between the stage and the audience. The actors directly communicate with the audience and perform with the audience's cooperation and tacit understanding to obtain artistic effect. In this sense, crosstalk is a collective performance of actors and audiences. From the perspective of the audience, they are not standing on the opposite side of the actors and appreciating the stage performance passively and objectively, but creating artistic images with the actors (Hou Baolin 1982:02).

Secondly, crosstalk is the art of "laughter". Crosstalk performers use laughter as a weapon to expose contradictions, shape characters and evaluate life. Without laughter, it can constitute any other arts, but not crosstalk and comedy. In other words, crosstalk has the characteristics of humor and satire. It reflects that life is not flat, but exaggerated and even deformed. China has a long tradition of satirizing emperors or high rank officials, and its written record could be traced back to the Zhou (1046 BC - 256 BC) and Qin (221 BC - 207 BC) Dynasties. Satire in some periods and times is a product of class oppression. China has been in a feudalistic society for a long time, without political democracy and freedom of speech, the people often take circuitous methods to fight against the ruling class. Satirical art is like a weed under a boulder. Only through deformation and roundabout can this kind of art maintain to exist (Hou Baolin 1982:03).

“Speaking” and “laughing” constitute the basic outline of cross talk art, which is a language performance art with comedy style. “Speaking”, as a kind of rap art, establishes the mode of crosstalk art, which is distinguished from drama art. “Laughing” is the artistic characteristics of crosstalk, which distinguishes it from other rap art forms. These two characteristics are interdependent and complementary (Hou Baolin 1982:04).

Crosstalk is different from comedy. In comedy, the laughter of audience mainly comes from plot and comic characters, while in crosstalk it mainly comes from “baofu” (jokes). Sometimes the laughter relies on the plot, but sometimes the plot is not needed. The performers win the applaud of audience by the charm of their language. And “Baofu” must be expressed in the way of “dialogue” and “chatting” between the actors (Hou Baolin 1982:04).

Famous Artists of CrossTalk

In Emperor Tongzhi (1861—1874) and Emperor Guangxu (1875—1908) periods, Zhu Shaowen (stage name “Qiong Bupa, which means not afraid of poverty”) was regarded as the “ancestor” of crosstalk art. Other famous crosstalk artists including Hou Baolin (1917-1993), a pioneering master of crosstalk. In his 60 years of art career, he has devoted himself to the research and development of crosstalk art and brought laughter to the audience. Under his leadership and promotion, crosstalk art has really entered thousands of households and reached a remarkable artistic peak. His crosstalk works including Drama Talks, Drunkenness etc. Ma Sanli (1914-2003) is the son of the crosstalk actor Ma Delu. Ma Sanli devoted himself to the exploration of long-term artistic practice, and created the unique “Ma’s Style of Crosstalk”. He was the oldest, most experienced and most accomplished crosstalk leader in the cross-talk circle at that time. So he was deeply loved and respected by all walks of life and the audience. Ma's cross talk enjoys wide popularity among the people. In Tianjin, it was a saying that “no branches of crosstalk did not learn from Ma”. His representative works including “Eating Yuanxiao (dumpling)”, “Selling Tickets” and “the Yellow Crane Tower”. Other famous crosstalk artists include Zhang Yongxi, Liu Baorui, Hou Yaowen, Jiang Kun, Feng Gong, Niu Qun and Guo Degang. (Baijiahao 2018)

Terms and Expressions

speaking, imitating, teasing and singing 说学逗唱

Taiping lyrics 太平歌词

Baofu 包袱

Drama Talks 《戏剧杂谈》

Drunkenness 《醉酒》

Selling Tickets 《卖挂票》

Questions

1. When did crosstalk form its format?

2. What is Taiping lyrics?

3. Who was regarded as the “ancestor” of crosstalk art ?

4. What are the four basic skills of crosstalk?

Answers

1.It is generally believed to be formed during the Emperor Xianfeng (1850—1861) and Emperor Tongzhi (1861—1874) period in Qing dynasty.

2.Taiping lyrics (most of which contain the meaning of peace and prosperity) is the content to be sang in the crosstalk.

3.Zhu Shaowen.

4.They are speaking, imitating, teasing and singing.

References

1.Hou Baolin, Xue Baokun,侯宝林,薛宝坤.(1982).《相声溯源》[The Origin of Crosstalk]1-13+194. 人民教育出版社 People's Literature Publishing House.

2.Sohu 中国相声介绍 [The Introduction of China's Crosstalk] https://cul.sohu.com/20090619/n264630449.shtml

3.360 Encyclopedia. 相声[Crosstalk] https://baike.so.com/doc/1925383-2037001.html

4.Baidu 最著名的十位相声名家排行[The Rank of Ten Famous Crosstalk Artists] https://baijiahao.baidu.com/s?id=1590742532351773378

GO 围棋

by Liu Yi 刘艺 202070080640 MTI英语口译--Liu Yi (talk) 08:04, 9 November 2020 (UTC)

Go is an adversarial game with the objective of surrounding a larger total area of the board with one's stones than the opponent[1]. As the game progresses, the players position stones on the board to map out formations and potential territories. Contests between opposing formations are often extremely complex and may result in the expansion, reduction, or wholesale capture and loss of formation stones.[2](NRICH Team, Going First, 2007)

A basic principle of Go is that a group of stones must have at least one open point bordering the group, known as a liberty, to remain on the board. One or more liberties enclosed within a group is called an eye, and a group with two or more eyes cannot be captured, even if surrounded.[3] (Iwamoto, Kaoru,1977) Such groups are said to be unconditionally alive.

The general strategy is to expand one's territory, attack the opponent's weak groups (groups that can be killed), and always stay mindful of the "life status" of one's own groups. The liberties of groups are countable. Situations where mutually opposing groups must capture each other or die are called capturing races, or semeai. In a capturing race, the group with more liberties (and/or better "shape") will ultimately be able to capture the opponent's stones. Capturing races and the elements of life or death are the primary challenges of Go.

Players may pass rather than place a stone if they think there are no further opportunities for profitable play. The game ends when both players pass or when one player resigns. In general, to score the game, each player counts the number of unoccupied points surrounded by their stones and then subtracts the number of stones that were captured by the opponent. The player with the greater score (after adjusting for komi) wins the game.

In the opening stages of the game, players typically establish positions (or "bases") in the corners and at the sides of the board. These bases help to quickly develop strong shapes which have many options for life (self-viability for a group of stones that prevents capture) and establish formations for potential territory. Players usually start in the corners because establishing territory is easier with the aid of two edges of the board. Established corner opening sequences are called "joseki" and are often studied independently.

"Dame" are points that lie in between the boundary walls of black and white, and as such are considered to be of no value to either side. "Seki" are mutually alive pairs of white and black groups where neither has two eyes. A "ko" (Chinese and Japanese: 劫) is a repeated-position shape that may be contested by making forcing moves elsewhere. After the forcing move is played, the ko may be "taken back" and returned to its original position. Some "ko fights" may be important and decide the life of a large group, while others may be worth just one or two points. Some ko fights are referred to as "picnic kos" when only one side has a lot to lose. The Japanese call it a hanami (flower-viewing) ko.

Playing with others usually requires a knowledge of each player's strength, indicated by the player's rank (increasing from 30 kyu to 1 kyu, then 1 dan to 7 dan, then 1 dan pro to 9 dan pro). A difference in rank may be compensated by a handicap—Black is allowed to place two or more stones on the board to compensate for White's greater strength. There are different rule-sets (Korean, Japanese, Chinese, AGA, etc.), which are almost entirely equivalent, except for certain special-case positions.

Aside from the order of play (alternating moves, Black moves first or takes a handicap) and scoring rules, there are essentially only two rules in Go:

• Rule 1 (the rule of liberty) states that every stone remaining on the board must have at least one open "point" (an intersection, called a "liberty") directly orthogonally adjacent (up, down, left, or right), or must be part of a connected group that has at least one such open point ("liberty") next to it. Stones or groups of stones which lose their last liberty are removed from the board.
• Rule 2 (the "ko rule") states that the stones on the board must never repeat a previous position of stones. Moves which would do so are forbidden, and thus only moves elsewhere on the board are permitted that turn.

Almost all other information about how the game is played is a heuristic, meaning it is learned information about how the game is played, rather than a rule. Other rules are specialized, as they come about through different rule-sets, but the above two rules cover almost all of any played game.[4](British Go Association,2007)

Although there are some minor differences between rule-sets used in different countries, most notably in Chinese and Japanese scoring rules, these differences do not greatly affect the tactics and strategy of the game.

Except where noted, the basic rules presented here are valid independent of the scoring rules used. The scoring rules are explained separately. Go terms for which there is no ready English equivalent are commonly called by their Japanese names.

The two players, Black and White, take turns placing stones of their colour on the intersections of the board, one stone at a time. The usual board size is a 19×19 grid but for beginners, or for playing quick games, the smaller board sizes of 13×13 and 9×9 are also popular.[5] The board is empty to begin with. Black plays first, unless black is given a handicap of two stones or more (in which case, white plays first). The players may choose any unoccupied intersection to play on, except for those forbidden by the ko and suicide rules (see below). Once played, a stone can never be moved and can be taken off the board only if it is captured. A player may also pass, declining to place a stone, though this is usually only done at the end of the game when both players believe nothing more can be accomplished with further play. When both players pass consecutively, the game ends and is then scored.

Terms and Expressions

Go 围棋 heuristic 启发式的

adversarial game 对抗性游戏 intersection 交叉点

board 棋盘 black 黑棋

formation 阵型 white 白棋

move 走棋 scoring rule 计分规则

liberty 自由度 player 棋手

Questions

1, What’s the basic principle of Go?

2,Aside from the order of play (alternating moves, Black moves first or takes a handicap) and scoring rules, What are other two essential rules in Go？

3, What countries have the most notable scoring rules differences?--Liu Yi (talk) 08:36, 9 December 2020 (UTC)

Answers

1, A basic principle of Go is that a group of stones must have at least one open point bordering the group, known as a liberty, to remain on the board.

2,The rule of liberty and the "ko rule".

3, Most notably in Chinese and Japanese scoring rules--Liu Yi (talk) 08:35, 9 December 2020 (UTC)

References

[1]Matthews, Charles (2004). Teach Yourself Go. McGraw-Hill. ISBN 978-0-07-142977-1.

[2]NRICH Team, Going First, University of Cambridge, retrieved 2007-06-16

[3]Iwamoto, Kaoru (1977). Go for Beginners. New York: Pantheon. ISBN 978-0-394-73331-9.

[4]British Go Association, Comparison of some go rules, retrieved 2007-12-20

[5]Kim, Janice; Jeong, Soo-hyun (1997). Learn to Play Go. Five volumes (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Good Move Press. ISBN 978-0-9644796-1-6.--Liu Yi (talk) 07:36, 21 December 2020 (UTC)

The Four Most Handsome men in Ancient China

by Liu Yiyu 刘怡瑜,202070080598 MTI 标题 is missing--Liu Liu (talk) 08:21, 14 December 2020 (UTC)

It is said that there were four most beautiful women in ancient times, and corresponding to that, it is worth mentioning that there were four most attractive men at that time.Despite that we consider these four men as attractive, this refers to more than just their appearance. They have a common feature: it proves that while their appearance is marvelous, they are also outstanding in literature. Namely, as a Chinese saying goes, they are endowed with both beauty and talent.

These four men are Pan An, King Lanling, Ji Kang, and Wei Jie.（Wang Zhenbo 2008,59-60）

The allusion of “throwing fruit to fill a carriage” originates from Pan An, which resembles movie fans nowadays to see their idols. There is a comment on Pan An’s appearance: "No more and no less." The history books also describe Pan An with three words “good-looking, well-mannered, and graceful”. Although these did not describe Pan An’s appearance in details, such as eyebrows and eyes or lips, from these side descriptions, we can know that Pan An’s appearance is far above ordinary people, and even his styles draw imitation from others.

At the same time, Pan An is known as “the flower of a county in Heyang”, and he is also one of the few men who are compared with flowers to be praised for excellent appearance. The beauty of exterior only fails to last long in this world. Pan An's talent and temperament and the devotion to his wife are also often eulogized. Pan Yue showed his unusual talent since he was a child, and he was called a child prodigy by the villagers. In his early years, he was appreciated by an official and recommended as a scholar.

Later, served as the magistrate of Heyang (now Meng County, Henan), he was diligent in political affairs, and advocated the people to plant more fruits and trees. The county was full of trees and peaches and plums everywhere, known as “Flower County”. During his administration, his political achievements were remarkable. Besides, Pan An holds a special place in the history of literature.

He was good at composing verse and orders, expatiation, and skilled in the choice of words and building of sentences, which fully reflects the characteristics of Taikang literature that pays attention to the beauty of form. He was expert in composing Ci lyric of sorrow and admonishment, and his current works such as Widow's Fu, Mourning Poem and other famous works are all known for their narration and empathy. Pan An can be described as both internally and externally blessed.（Liu Xixue 2003,63-64）

Gao Changgong (541-573), known as King Lanling, the grandson of Gao Huan, Emperor Shenwu, and the fourth son of Wen Xiang, Emperor Gaocheng. There is a very popular legend about King Lanling. It's believed that King Lanling was a brave and supremely skilled general. However, because he looked very sweet and it seemed hard to frighten the enemy, he often wore a half-mask when fighting, which sounds very fairytale.

Nevertheless, the beauty of King Lanling is beyond doubt and otherworldly. Book of Northern Qi Dynasty described that he was friendly looking and mentally strong, with beautiful voice and appearance.King Lanling spent half his life in military affairs, and made great achievements. While this gave him glory, it also brought bad luck. There is an old Chinese saying that the glow of a inferior from massive achievements will overshadow his superior.

Although the King Lanling did not have the idea of usurping the throne, but the incumbent felt threatened because of his existence itself. In the end, a glass of poisonous wine ended the life of the Lanling King.（Wang Zhenbo 2008,59-60）

Song Yu (about 322 BC-298 BC), as it is widely rumored, a student of Qu Yuan, was born in the capital city of Song Dynasty during the Warring States Period (now Shangqiu, Henan). Song Yu was a writer of Ci lyric of State Chu in the late Warring States period, adept in Ci lyric and even acclaimed as a great poet after Qu Yuan' reputation. Later generations often referred to them as “Qu Song”. Rumors circulate that there are many Ci lyrics from him, and Book of Han records about 16 works, but many of them are lost today.

His works embrace Nine Discriminations, The Fu poetry of Wind and so on. He was the first to write about sadness from Autumn and to write about women. His description of women's nature exerts a great influence on later generations such as Cao Zhi. The goddess in Song Yu's The Fu poetry of Goddess embodies the essence of pre-Qin female beauty, recounting the beauty of the goddess of Wushan Mountain in details so much so that later generations have coveted for it for thousands of years.

16 works survived, among which Nine Discriminations is believed to be truly composed by him. It is equivalent to Qu Yuan's Li Sao or A lament in the history of Chinese literature. Both poets can be called the two shining pearls in Ci lyric at their times.（Wang Zhenbo 2008,59-60）

Wei Jie (286-June 20, 312), a metaphysician and an official of the Jin Dynasty. Wei Jie was a noted talker and metaphysicist during the Wei and Jin Dynasties. He was appointed as an assistant of the prince in the matter of politics. In the fourth year of the reign of Emperor Yongjia(AD310), Wei Jie died at the age of 27. Both ancient books and ancients commented on Wei Jie's appearance. Wang Ji reckoned that, “A jade is on my side, and I feel like I am nobody”; “Wandering with Jiu is like sauntering with a pearl on the side, with him shining brightly.”

History Retold as a Mirror for rulers authored by Sima Guang goes into detail: "Wei is blessed with attractive appearance and has his own understanding when talking and sharing; Often he reckons people can be forgiven if they are inferior..." Wei Jie not only have a mere marvelous exterior, but also he can discern metaphysics from his perspective. Wei Jie’s views always amaze the concerned parties.

It is said that even three sons of the Wang family, are not as good as the first son of the Wei family, and the three sons of the Wang family were all well-known scholars at that time, and the Wei Jie could be regarded as unmatchable compared with the three in family background, appearance, and talents.（Wang Zhenbo 2008,59-60）

Terms and Expressions

Pan An 潘安

King Lanling 兰陵王

Ji Kang 嵇康

Wei Jie 卫玠

throwing fruit to fill a carriage 掷果盈车

scholar 秀才

expatiation 铺陈

Book of Northern Qi Dynasty 《北齐书》

the Warring States Period 战国时期

Book of Han 《汉书》

Nine Discriminations 《九辨》

The Fu poetry of Wind 《风赋》

The Fu poetry of Goddess 《神女赋》

the goddess of Wushan Mountain 巫山神女

metaphysician 玄学家

a noted talker 清谈名士

History Retold as a Mirror for rulers 《资治通鉴》

Widow's Fu 《寡妇赋》

Mourning Poem 《悼亡诗》

英文书名要用斜体--Liu Liu (talk) 13:43, 19 December 2020 (UTC)

Questions

1.Who are the four most handsome men at ancient time in China?

2.Who is Gao Changgong?

3.How did Lanlin King die?

4.What works did Song Yu compose?

5.Who are the two shining pearls in Ci lyric according to the passage?

6.What History Retold as a Mirror for rulers comment on Wei Jie?

Answers

1.These four men are Pan An, King Lanling, Ji Kang, and Wei Jie.

2.Gao Changgong (541-573), known as King Lanling, the grandson of Gao Huan, Emperor Shenwu, and the fourth son of Wen Xiang, Emperor Gaocheng.

3.In the end, a glass of poisonous wine ended the life of the Lanling King.

4.His works embrace Nine Discriminations, The Fu poetry of Wind and so on.

5.Qu Yuan and Song Yu

6."Wei is blessed with attractive appearance and has his own understanding when talking and sharing; Often he reckons people can be forgiven if they are inferior..."

References

刘细学.古代四大美男[J].文史天地,2003(06):63-64.

王真波.四大美男都是怎么死的[J].青年文学家,2008(11):59-60.

Mogao Grottoes by Lou Cancan

by --Lou Cancan 娄灿灿 student no.202070080599 MTI 英语笔译

Introduction

Iconic Building of Mogao Grottoes

The Mogao Grottoes, known as the Thousand Buddhas Caves, were built on the eastern cliff of Mingsha Mountain, 25 kilometers to the southeast of Dunhuang city. There are 492 caves (well preserved) today, containing over 2,400 painted clay statues and 45,000 square meters of murals and 5 timber structures on the cliff of the southern district. There are also more than 300 caves used as both living room and burying place for monks and painters on the cliff of the northern district. Near the Mogao Grottoes, there are some other cave temples: West Caves of Thousand Buddhas (22 caves), Yulin Caves (42 caves), East Caves of Thousand Buddhas (23 caves, 8 caves with murals and statues among them), Five Cave Temples( 5 caves). (Fan Jinshi 2010，170)

Their built-dates, contents and artistic styles are very similar to Mogao Grottoes,so they are often referred to as Dunhuang Grottoes. From the 4th until the 14th century, caves were constructed by monks to serve as shrines with funds from donors. The major caves were sponsored by patrons such as important asclergies, local ruling elites, foreign dignitaries, as well as Chinese emperors. Other caves may have been funded by merchants and other local people such as women's groups. (Sha Wutian 2020, 122)

History

Mogao Grottoes were not built in one day. According to relevant records in the Tang Dynasty, in 366 AD, a monk named Yuezun（乐僔）was roaming about Dunhuang. One day, he caught a sight of the Buddhas over the Sanwei Mountain opposite the cliff of the Mingsha Mountain, so the devout believer set to build the first cave on the cliff. Later, monk Faliang（法良）came here and joined him cultivating in caves. Since then more and more caves have been excavated over a thousand year. (Whitfield 1990, 8)

By the time of Northern Liang, small community of monks had formed at this site. The caves initially served only as a place of meditation for hermit monks. Later, they were developed to serve the monasteries that sprang up nearby. Members of the ruling families of Northern Wei and Northern Zhou constructed many caves here, and it flourished in the short-lived Sui Dynasty. By the Sui and Tang Dynasties, Mogao Caves had become a place of worship and pilgrimage for the public. In the Sui Dynasty, Hexi Corridor was controlled by central authority. The emperors were pious followers of Buddhism and they ordered to build stupas across the country. Therefore, more than 100 caves were excavated in Mogao Grottoes within 37 years. (Fan Jinshi 2010，175-178)

Taoist Wang Yuanlu

By the Tang Dynasty, the number of caves had reached over a thousand. During this period, Dunhuang became the main hub of commerce of the Silk Road and a major religious center. A large number of the caves were constructed during this era, including the two large statues of Buddha at the site, the largest one constructed in 695 following an edict a year earlier by Tang Empress Wu Zitian to build giant statues across the country. The site escaped the persecution of Buddhists ordered by Emperor Wuzong in 845 as it was then under Tibetan control. As a frontier town, Dunhuang had been occupied at various times by other non-Han Chinese people. After the Tang Dynasty, the site went into a gradual decline, and construction of new caves ceased entirely after the Yuan Dynasty. In the Five Dynasties and Ten States period and the Northern Song Dynasty, Mogao Grottoes were preserved and kept by Cao Yijin（曹议金). (MA Shichang 2010, 303) After that, his later generations governed Dunhuang Prefecture and constructed multiple family caves such as Cave 55. (Gao Xiujun 2016, 9)

During the Ming Dynasty, the Silk Road was finally abandoned and Dunhuang slowly became depolulated and was forgotten by the outside world. Most of the Mogao caves were abandoned. The site, however, went back to a place of pilgrimage and worship by local people at the beginning of the twentieth century. On June 22th,1900, while Taoist priest Wang Yuanlu（王圆箓）was removing sand from Cave 161, he found a treasure-house on the wall of the corridor containing a great number of scrolls of Buddhist writings, old administrative papers, embroidered work and paintings. Since then, Dunhuang has become well known throughout the world. Both Chinese and foreign scholars have made extensive studies on the findings.(Stein 1912, volume 2)

Art

A Chaitya with a Central Pillar

The art of Mogao Grottoes mainly consists of three aspects: architectural structure, mural and sculpture and they vary from dynasty to dynasty. There are mainly three types of structural forms of Mogao Grottoes: Vihara, Chaitya and Hall with inverted funnel shaped ceiling. A Chaitya with a central pillar is the main form of the caves in the early period of the Sixteen States, with Northern Wei, Western Wei and Northern Zhou Dynasties included. The murals may be divided into seven sorts:Buddhist figures, Sutra illustration, Buddhist stories, Buddhist historical pictures, Chinese mythologies, donors and decorative designs. Buddhist stories in the murals can be divided into three types: Jataka（佛本生), Buddha’s life and fate story. A Jataka is a narrative which tells of the good deeds performed by Sakyamuni during his perious existence such as prince Sudanda giving up his body to feed the hungry tigers. As to sculptures, they were constructed on a wooden frame, padded with reed, then modelled in clay stucco and finished with paint.（Duan Wenjie 1994, 163)

A Prince is Feeding Hungry Tigers with His Body

Cave 251 in Northern Wei

The artistic styles in the Sixteen States, which gradually turned away from being primitive and simple to an easy and graceful styles in the Northern Wei, manifested in figures with well-chiseled builds and emaciated looks. In the Northern Zhou, the styles of figures show that Chinese art combining the influence of foreign and native styles gradually became more nationalized. ( Fan Jinshi 2010, 174)

The characteristics of the statues in the Sui Dynasty are robust body, large head, square face and short legs. The caves become spacious and more suited for large paintings, such as the Sutra illustrations and huge pictures of Buddha expounding sermons. Bold and vigorous, brush work was painted with intricate and flowing lines. For example, Lotus Sutra on the ceiling of Cave 420 displays a lot of episodes of mountains, forests, rivers, buildings and so on in a limitated space. The theme and art in the Sui Dynasty show an important devdelopment in traditional art and indicate a comimg glorious new era. （Duan Wenjie 1994, 164)

Cave 68 in Tang Dynasty

In the Tang Dynasty, the caves are large with an inverted funnel shaped ceiling. The murals consist mostly of huge paintings of stories from Buddhist Sutras with well-regulated scenes and well-balanced composition. The figures at that time have round and plump faces and curved eyebrows which expresses the aesthetical taste of the people living in Tang. The mural in Cave 220 contains vivid portraits of the Emperor and his ministers listening to a sermon. The ministers attending to Emperor are each bestowed with differrent appearances and expressions. Some are natural and graceful and some cautious. The well-proportioned painted statues were made with more consummate care and attention to the detail, showing us the solemn Buddha. ( Fan Jinshi 2010, 174)

In addition, very tall and colossal statues of Buddha began to be made. The outstanding one is an early Tang Dynasty statue 34 metres high in Cave 96. In 781-848A.D, Hexi region fell into the Tibetan. Hence, there was an interesting change: the king of the Tibetan took the place of central-plain emperors in the wall-painting.( Fan Jinshi 2010, 175)

By the time of the Five Dynasties and Ten States period and the Northern Song Dynasty, the grottoes carved in this period are very large and different in form and layout. The subject and style of the statues and murals remain the influence from Tang Dynasty, but the use of colours and the drawing techniques show a simple folk style. From the 9th century to 12th, the Uygur had been in Dunhuang. The artistic styles bear the imprint of both Han and Uygur. The Uygur murals are generally characterized by the simplicity of the subject, the looseness of the arrangement, the direct and rough brush strokes. (Rong Xinjiang 1999, 248)

The human figures have features of certain minority groups. In the Western Xia Dynasty(1036-1227), most of caves were repaired and renovated, and only 10 caves were built because of the limited cliffs. Compared to the Yulin Grottoes at the same time, painting of Dunhuang display the Pure-land Sutra, containing simpler content. Only 27 caves are extant in Yuan times(1227-1372). The murals in Cave 3, however, still remain the Tang and Song techniques, namely using different types of drawing to depict different parts of human figures such as iron-wire lines, orchid-leaf strokes and broken-reef strokes, etc. Since the 15th century, the Mogao Grottoes had gradually fallen into neglect in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. (Rong Xinjiang 1999, 248)--Lou Cancan (talk) 08:44, 21 December 2020 (UTC)

Terms and Expressions

hermit 隐士

stupas 舍利塔

Emperor Wuzong ofTang Dynasty 唐武宗

Vihara 精舍

Chaitya 支提窟

stucco 灰泥

Sakyamuni 释迦牟尼

Sutras 佛经

Questions

1.What do Dunhuang Grottoes refer to?

2.Who built the first cave and when?

3.In 1900, who found the treasure-house in Mogao Grottoes and what were stored in it?

4.How many aspects does the art of Mogao Grottoes mainly consists of and what are they respectively?

5.What are the characteristics of the statues in Sui Dynasty?

Answers

1.Near the Mogao Grottoes, there are some other cave temples: West Caves of Thousand Buddhas (22 caves), Yulin Caves (42 caves), East Caves of Thousand Buddhas (23 caves, 8 caves with murals and statues among them), Five Cave Temples( 5 caves). Their built-dates, contents and artistic styles are very similar to Mogao Grottoes, so they are often referred to as Dunhuang Grottoes.

2.According to relevant records in Tang Dynasty, in 366 AD, a monk named Yuezun（乐僔）was roaming about Dunhuang. One day, he caught a sight of the Buddhas over the Sanwei Mountain opposite the cliff of the Mingsha Mountain, so the devout believer set to build the first cave on the cliff.

3.On June 22th,1900, while Taoist priest Wang Yuanlu（王圆箓）was removing sand from Cave 161, he found a treasure-house on the wall of the corridor containing a great number of scrolls of Buddhist writings, old administrative papers, embroidered work and paintings.

4.The art of Mogao Grottoes mainly consists of three aspects: architectural structure, mural and sculpture.

5.The characteristics of the statues in Sui Dynasty are robust body, large head, square face and short legs.

References

Fan Jinshi 樊锦诗.(2010). 敦煌石窟 [The Caves of Dunhuang]. Gansu: The Dunhuang Academy 敦煌研究院. 

Gao Xiujun 高秀军.(2016). 敦煌莫高窟第55窟研究 [Research on the 55th Grotto of Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang].Lanzhou University 兰州大学.

MA Shichang.(2010). Buddhist Cave-temples and the Cao Family at Mogao Ku, Dunhuang. MA Shichang,27(2),303-317.

Rong Xinjiang 荣新江. (2010). 敦煌藏经洞的性质及其封闭原因 [The Nature of the Dunhuang Library Cave and the Reasons for Its Sealing]. Shanghai: Shanghai Ancient Books Publishing House 上海古籍出版社.

Sha Wutian 沙武田. (2020). 佛教供养与政治宣传——敦煌莫高窟第156窟供养人画像研究 [Buddhist offerings and Political Propaganda -- A Study on the Portrait of the Patron of the 156th Grottoes in Dunhuang].中原文物 Cultural Relics in Central Plain, No.215,118-128.

Stein, M. Aurel. Ruins of Desert Cathay.(1912). Personal Narrative of Explorations in Central Asia and Westernmost China, volume 2. London: Macmillan.

Suemori Kaoru. (2020)."Thousand-Buddha images in Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes: Religious spaces created by polychromatic patterns". Kyoto: Hozokan. 

Duan Wenjie. (1994). Dunhuang Art: Through the Eyes of Duan Wenjie. Abhinav Publications. p. 163.

Whitfield, Roderick and Farrer, Anne, Caves of the Thousand Buddhas. (1990). Chinese Art from the Silk Route, British Museum Publications. P . 5-20.

https://books.google.ru/books?hl=zh-CN&lr=&id=vYPNqlAMZWAC&oi=fnd&pg=PP7&dq=info:9v6pr21oST8J:scholar.google.com/&ots=s-uXhnyDBp&sig=u3H7MAh_OpGRS6Iwxoqx0rC5_fo&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mogao_Caves

https://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=zh-CN&as_sdt=0%2C5&q=mogao+grottoes&oq=

Four State-Level Cultural Relics by Luo Weijia

by Luo Weijia 罗维嘉 Student No.202070080600 MTI

Four State-Level Cultural Relics by Luo Weijia

China, home to one of the world’s most ancient civilizations, abounds in cultural relics, from ancient tombs, architecture, instruments to handicrafts, historical books and so on. They embody rich information about history and culture and vividly display the process of Chinese cultural development. The astounding artistic and technological levels shown in those relics continue to impress people today. (Xu Ling 2019)

Simuwu Ding

Simuwu Ding -photo by the National Museum of China in Beijing

In ancient China, ding was a symbol of imperial power. Therefore, ding is often used in phrases and expressions in the Chinese language to imply authority (Anna 2015). For instance, "wending", literally “enquiring about ding”, means plotting to usurp political power, yiyan juiding, literally “One word of promise is equal to nine dings”, means a decisive comment (Lü Shuxiang 2016).

Simuwu Ding was a very precious cultural relic, found in 1937 in Anyang of Henan Province. It was produced in the late Shang Dynasty more than 3000 years ago. This square-shaped ding is the largest existing bronzeware in the ancient world. It is now housed in the National Museum of China in Beijing (Li Weiming 2015).

Ding was a cooking vessel probably used to boil or cook food in the primitive society. At that time, dings were made of clay. During the Shang and Zhou (1700 BC-256 BC) dynasties, bronze cast technology reached a very high level in China. Therefore, people used bronze to cast ding. However, dings were no longer cooking utensils in ordinary people’s life but an object for important ceremonies to offer sacrifices (Anna 2015).

Simuwu Ding was cast by Emperor Wuding of the Shang Dynasty as a ritual object for a ceremony to offer sacrifices to his mother. The three characters simuwu form an inscription on the inside of the sidewall. According to archeologists, si means sacrificial ceremony and muwu is the name of the emperor’s mother. Later on, Simuwu became the name of this huge ding (Li Weiming, 2015).

Simuwu Ding is 1.33 m high, 1.10 m long and 0.78 m wide, weighing 832.84 kg. At that time, it needed 1000 kg of metal and two to three hundred workers to produce it. This ding is solid in build, magnificent in appearance and was made with fine craftsmanship. The four pillar legs are thick and powerful. Each side has a blank space in the middle, surrounded by a band of decoration featuring taotie (animal faced creatures) and kuilong (one-legged dragons), symbolic of harvest and auspiciousness. Simuwu Ding represents the highest level of bronze cast technology in the Shang and Zhou dynasties (Li Weiming 2015).

The Chime Bells of Marquis Yi

The Chime Bells of Marquis Yi -photo by Hubei Museum

The chime bells, or bianzhong, are a kind of percussion musical instrument made of bronze. China is the earliest country to manufacture and use such instrument. Chime bells were divided into groups according to their size, temperament, pitch and were hang on a rack. A small hammer or wooden club is used to hit the bell to make a resonant and agreeable sound (Hubei Museum, 2015).

The Chime Bells of Marquis Yi are the largest and the most complete ancient chimes existing today in China. They were unearthed from the tomb of Yi, the Marquis of Zeng, a small state of the Warring States Period (475 BC- 221 BC), in 1978. When they were found, all bells were still hanging on their rack. They are now preserved in Hubei Museum (Hubei Museum, 2015).

There are altogether 65 bells hung in eight groups on wooden or bronze bars. The rack, 10.79m long, 2.67m high, is made of three bars, namely, the upper, middle and lower bars, held up by six bronze warriors and a few round, wooden posts. The 65 bells weigh over 2500kg. The largest bell is 1.52m in height and weighs more than 203.6kg. The smallest bell is about 20cm in height and weighs 2.4kg. It is extremely rare to see a set with so many bells of such weight and size (Wan Quanwen, 2020).

The Chime Bells of Marquis Yi are exquisitely cast and look very elegant. To help artists to perform music, there are instructions on each bell with 3700 characters in all (Wan Quanwen, 2020). There are also words about the hanging indication and musical temperament that are called the “valuable music theory work”. The Chime Bells of Marquis Yi show that, as early as the Warring States Period, China already had a very rich musical culture. The chime bells still could produce a pure and accurate note after unearthed. The tone is excellent and the timbre is pure.

After excavation of the chime, Chinese musicians created a melody entitled Bianzhong Yuewu (music and dance accompanied by chime bells), to once again demonstrate the charm of ancient Chinese music (Zhou Yi, 2016).

Jade Suit with Gold Thread

Jade Suit with Gold Thread -photo by Hebei Museum

Ordinarily, the texture of clothes is cotton, flax or silk. However, there were suits made of gold and jade, that is “Jade Suit with Gold Thread”(Wang Jing, 2008).

The emperors of the Han Dynasty believed that jade could prevent their corpses from decaying, and they regarded jade as full of dignity and nobility. Therefore, they used jade suits as their grave clothes. Gold thread, silver thread or copper thread was used to link pieces of four-square jade separately that are called Jade Suit Sewn with Gold Thread, Jade Suit Sewn with Silver Thread and Jade Suit Sewn with Copper Thread (Wang Jing, 2008).

The two sets of jade suits of the Han Dynasty tomb unearthed in Mancheng of Hebei Province in 1968 revealed to the world the real features of such grave clothes (Li Yawen,2019). Their owners were Liu Sheng, Prince Jing of Zhongshan, and his wife, Dou Wan, of the Western Han Dynasty(206 BC-25 AD).

In appearance, a jade suit follows the shape of a human body. It consists of five parts, i.e., head mask, coat, trousers, gloves and shoes. Each part is made of pieces of jade. The size and shape of each jade piece was designed according to its position. Most jade pieces are shaped in square or rectangular form, but there are a few in trapezoid, triangle or multi sided shapes. Each jade piece is perforated at its corners, through which a gold thread goes through to sew the pieces together. Liu Sheng’s jade suit is rather large, 1.88m long and made up of 2498 pieces. The gold thread used for this suit is about 700g in weight (Li Yawen, 2019).

Such refined suits made some 2000 years ago in the Han Dynasty indicate the high design level and excellent craftsmanship of that time. In fact, of course, the rulers’ dream of preventing their corpses from decaying could never be realized. The practice of wearing jade suits was banned during the Three Kingdoms Period (220-280) (Wang Jing, 2008).

Bronze Galloping Horse

Bronze Galloping Horse -photo by Gansu Provincial Museum

In 1969, a galloping horse in bronze was unearthed in an Eastern Han Dynasty (206 BC-220 AD) tomb in Wuwei, Gansu Province in western China. The bronze statue is a famous representative sculpture of the Han Dynasty. Wuwei County leapt to fame with the discovery of this national treasure (Li Xiaohu & Zhao Jing, 2019).

The 34.5 cm-high bronze horse, covered with spots of verdigris, has a full and robust body. The prancing legs, flying tail, slightly dilated nostrils portray a galloping horse. What is ingenious about it is that one of its hind feet is stepping on a flying swallow. That means the galloping horse is faster than a flying swallow (Wang Qian, 2020). The positioning of its four legs strictly conforms to that of a living horse and is highly praised by many local and foreign archeologists and artists.

In this work, Chinese ancient artists combined realism and romanticism, and ingeniously integrated galloping horse and flying swallow through rich imagination, original conception and skillful craftsmanship (Wang Qian:10-11). The swift flying swallow sets off the amazingly fast speed of the galloping horse. According to analysis of its mechanics, Bronze Galloping Horse finds a center of gravity in the swallow to give the statue its stability. The romantic image of the swallow sets off the power and strength of the horse, providing a rich imaginative experience for viewers (Li Xiaohu & Zhao Jing, 2019).

Bronze Galloping Horse is believed to be a portrayal of the "heavenly steed" of Chinese legend. It is of high craftsmanship, fully expressive of the horse-breeding culture of China's western regions. It has become a symbol of Chinese tourism and a representative work that brings forth the time-honored cultural tradition of the Chinese nation and the oriental aesthetics to the world. The cultural relic is now preserved in the Gansu Provincial Museum(Wang Qian, 2020).

Terms and Expressions

Simuwu Ding 司母戊鼎

Emperor Wuding of the Shang Dynasty 商王武丁

taotie 饕餮

National Museum of China 中国国家博物馆

chime bells/bian zhong 编钟

Marquis Yi 曾侯乙

The Chime Bells of Marquis Yi 曾侯乙编钟

Bianzhong Yuewu 《编钟乐舞》

Hubei Museum 湖北省博物馆

Jade Suit with Gold Thread 金缕玉衣

Jade Suit Sewn with Silver Thread 银缕玉衣

Jade Suit Sewn with Copper Thread 铜缕玉衣

Bronze Galloping Horse 铜奔马/ 马踏飞燕

Gansu Provincial Museum 甘肃省博物馆

Questions

1. What does ding symbolize?

2. When was Houmuwu Ding produced?

3.How many bells do the chime bells of Marquis Yi contain?

4.What is the size of the largest bell?

5.What kind of thread was used to link pieces of four-square jade?

6.When did the Jade Suit with Gold Thread unearth?

7.What is ingenious about the Galloping Horse?

8.Where is Bronze Galloping Horse preserved now?

Answers

1.Ding was a symbol of imperial power.

2.It was produced in the late Shang Dynasty more than 3000 years ago.

3.They contain 65 bells.

4.The largest bell exceeds 1.5m in height and weighs more than 200kg.

5.Gold thread, silver thread or copper thread was used to link pieces of four-square jade.

6.It unearthed in 1968.

7.It is that one of its hind feet is stepping on a flying swallow.

8.It is now preserved in the Gansu Provincial Museum.

References

Anna 安娜.(2015).中国人的鼎文化[The Ding Culture of the Chinese]. 科学大观园(15),72-73.

Hubei Museum 湖北省博物馆.(2015).曾侯乙编钟[The Chime Bells of Marquis Yi ]. 中华文化论坛(11),2.

Li Xiaohu & Zhao Jing 李小虎 & 赵静.(2019).青铜雕塑“马踏飞燕”的艺术解读[The Artistic Effect of the Bronze Galloping Horse]. 艺术教育(09),170-171.

Li Weiming李维明.(2015-06-19).司母戊鼎研究历程初览(上)[A Brief Introduction to the Research Process of Simuwu Ding].中国文物报,006.

Li Weiming李维明.(2015-07-03).司母戊鼎研究历程初览(中)[A Brief Introduction to the Research Process of Simuwu Ding].中国文物报,006.

Li Weiming李维明.(2015-07-31).司母戊鼎研究历程初览(下)[A Brief Introduction to the Research Process of Simuwu Ding].中国文物报,006.

Li Yawen 李雅雯.(2019)浅说满城汉墓中的金缕玉衣[On the Jade Suit with Gold Thread in Han Tombs in Mancheng] .文物鉴定与鉴赏 (03):38-39.

Lv Shuxiang 吕叔湘.(2016)现代汉语词典 (第七版)[Modern Chinese Dictionary (the 7th edition)]. 北京:商务印书馆.

Wang Jing 王静.(2008).汉代玉衣研究[A Study of Jade Clothes in Han Dynasty].(硕士学位论文,河北师范大学).

Wang Qian 王倩.(2020).青铜雕塑“马踏飞燕”的研究[The Study of the Bronze Galloping Horse].艺术品鉴, (26):10-11.

Wan Quanwen 万全文.(2020).曾侯乙编钟[The Chime Bells of Marquis Yi ].文史知识 (11):1-2.

Xu Ling 徐玲.(2019).博物馆与近现代中国文物保护[Museums and the Protection of Cultural Relics in Modern China]. 中国博物馆(01),57-61.

Zhou Yi 周仪.(2016).“八音合鸣 乐舞齐容”——大型乐舞作品《编钟乐舞》述评[The Comment on Bianzhong Yuewu]. 戏剧之家(19),66-67+79.

Architecture and Gardens, The Forbidden City by Luo Yuqing

by Luo Yuqing 罗雨晴 Student No.202070080601 MTI英语笔译 ==

A Panorama view of the Forbidden City

I. Introduction

The Forbidden City (Chinese: 紫禁城; pinyin: Zǐjìnchéng) is a palace complex in Dongcheng District, Beijing, China, and with a total area of 720,000 square meters (180 acres). It lies in the center of Beijing's central axis. Today, the Forbidden City houses the Palace Museum, and was the former Chinese imperial palace and residence of the Emperor of China from the Ming dynasty (since the Yong Le Emperor) to the end of the Qing dynasty, between 1420 and 1911. The Forbidden City served as the home of Chinese emperors and their households and was the ceremonial and political center of the Chinese government.(Barmé, Geremie R 2018,26)

The Forbidden City is a national AAAAA tourist attraction and was listed as the first batch of key cultural relics under national protection in 1961. What’s more, it was declared a world cultural heritage in 1987, and listed by UNESCO as the largest collection of preserved ancient wooden structures in the world.(UNESCO,2007)

II.The Name of the Forbidden City

The common English name "Forbidden City" is the translation of the Chinese name Zijin Cheng (Chinese: 紫禁城; pinyin: Zǐjìnchéng; English: Purple Forbidden City). The name Zijin Cheng first formally appeared in the period of Jia Jing. In ancient China, the planning concept of "harmony between man and nature" was emphasized. The stars in the sky were used to correspond with the capital planning to highlight the legitimacy of the regime and the supremacy of imperial power. (Li Xieping1997, (04)29-31)

“ Zi ”, or "Purple", refers to the North Star, which was called the Ziwei Star in ancient China. The emperor of heaven lived in Ziwei palace, while the human emperor claimed to be the "son of heaven" who was ordered by heaven. His residence should be a symbol of Ziwei palace to correspond to the heaven emperor. “Jin” means that this splendid palace symbolizes supreme power and status of the royal family. In that case, this palace was forbidden, and no one could enter and leave the palace without the emperor’s permission. Cheng means city. (Li Xieping1997, (04)29-31)

Today, the site is most commonly known in Chinese as Gùgōng (故宫), which means the "Former Palace". The museum which is based in these buildings is known as the "Palace Museum" (Chinese: 故宫博物院; pinyin: Gùgōng Bówùyùan).

III.The History of the Forbidden City

When Hongwu’s son Zhu Di became the Yong Le Emperor, he moved the capital from Nanjing to Beijing, and construction began in 1406 on what would become the Forbidden City. Construction lasted 14 years and cost more than a million workers. From 1420 to 1644, the Forbidden City was the seat of the Ming dynasty. (Yu Zhuoyun1984,18)

In April 1644, it was captured by rebel forces led by Li Zicheng. He set fire to parts of the Forbidden City in the process of retreating to Shannxi. By October, the Manchus had achieved supremacy in northern China, and a ceremony was held at the Forbidden City to proclaim the Emperor Shunzhi as ruler of all China under the Qing dynasty. (Guo Moruo 1944,3.14)

In the 22nd year of Kangxi's reign (1683), the reconstruction of the rest of the destroyed buildings of the Forbidden City was started, and it was basically completed in 1695. After being the home of 24 emperors – 14 of the Ming dynasty and 10 of the Qing dynasty – the Forbidden City ceased being the political centre of China in 1912 with the abdication of Puyi, the last emperor of China. (Yu Zhuoyun1984,30)

The layout of the Forbidden City

In 1933, the Japanese invasion of China forced the evacuation of the national treasures in the Forbidden City. Part of the collection was returned at the end of World War II, but the other part was evacuated to Taiwan in 1948 under orders of Chiang Kai-shek. After the establishment of the People's Republic of China in 1949, some damage was done to the Forbidden City as the country was swept up in revolutionary zeal. During the Cultural Revolution, however, further destruction was prevented when Premier Zhou Enlai sent an army battalion to guard the city.( Xie Mengyin & Qu Wanlin 2006, 11.7)

IV.The Structure of the Forbidden City

Firstly, the Forbidden City is a rectangle and symmetric in its layout. Its palaces are arranged along a north-south axis, on which the three main halls, the rear three palaces and the imperial garden are all located. This central axis not only runs through the Forbidden City even the whole city, but also reaches Yongding Gate in the south, Drum Tower and bell tower in the north.(Xie Li 2005,(03)100-102)

Secondly, the Forbidden City is divided into two parts, the Outer Court and Inner Court. The Outer Court is the place where the emperor deals with political affairs. There are mainly three halls: the Hall of Supreme Harmony, the Hall of Central Harmony, and the Hall of Preserving Harmony. The Inner Court or Back Palace includes the northern sections, and was the residence of the Emperor and his family, and was used for day-to-day affairs of state. The inner court takes Palace of Heavenly Purity, Hall of Union and Palace of Earthly Tranquility as its center with six palaces in the east and six palaces in the west.(Xie Li 2005,(03)100-102)

VI The Collections of the Forbidden City

Han Banquet map

The Palace Museum was then established in the Forbidden City in 1925, whose extensive collection of artwork and artifacts were built upon the imperial collections of the Ming and Qing dynasties. Part of the museum's former collection is now in the National Palace Museum in Taipei. Both museums were descended from the same institution but split after the Chinese Civil War.(Li Wei & Wang Shuo 2005,6-22)

The collections of the Palace Museum are based on the Qing imperial collections, including paintings, ceramics, seals, steles, sculptures, inscribed wares, bronze wares, enamel objects, etc. According to latest audit, it has 1,863,404 pieces of art. They are numbered by "Gu", "Xin" and "Shu". Except for the ancient books and documents, all the other collections are labeled with "Gu" and "Xin". The number of ordinary cultural relics begins with the word "Zi", and the ceramic specimens begin with the word "Biao". The general catalogue is divided into 25 categories, and the numbers in each category are sorted from small to large. (Website:The Collection of the Palace Museum )

Many collections once lost and was brought back to the Palace Museum later, for example, Han Banquet map. And there are some exquisite collections like Painted Pottery Figurine of a Female Dancer, Mirror with the Twelve Astrological Emblems and Snuff Bottle with Painted Enamel Design of Western Women.(Website:The Collection of the Palace Museum )In addition, The Palace Museum has one of the largest collections of mechanical timepieces of the 18th and 19th centuries in the world, with more than 1,000 pieces. (Meng Fuxia 2012, (21) 73-74)

Painted Pottery Figurine of a Female Dance

Mirror with the Twelve Astrological Emblems

Snuff Bottle with Painted Enamel Design of Western Women

Terms and Expressions

palace complex 宫殿群

central axis 中心轴

the Palace Museum故宫博物院

the Yong Le Emperor 永乐皇帝

key cultural relics under national protection 国家重点文物保护单位

world cultural heritage 世界文化遗产

harmony between man and nature 天人合一

the imperial garden 御花园

the Hall of Supreme Harmony 太和殿

the Hall of Central Harmony 中和殿

the Hall of Preserving Harmony 保和殿

Palace of Heavenly Purity (乾清宮)

Hall of Union 交泰宫

Palace of Earthly Tranquility 坤宁宫

Han Banquet map 韩熙载夜宴图

Painted Pottery Figurine of a Female Dancer陶彩绘女舞俑

Mirror with the Twelve Astrological Emblems十二生肖镜

Snuff Bottle with Painted Enamel Design of Western Women画珐琅西洋人物鼻烟壶

Questions

1. What’ s the meaning of “Zi” in the Chinese name Zijin Cheng?

2. When was the Forbidden City listed by UNESCO as the largest collection of preserved ancient wooden structures in the world.

3.How many emperors have been lived in the Forbidden City?

4.How long did it take to build the Forbidden City?

5.Why some parts of national treasures are in the National Palace Museum in Taipei now.

6. What two parts can the Forbidden City be divided into?

7.When was the Palace Museum established?

Answers

1.“Zi” refers to the North Star, which in ancient China was called the Ziwei Star

2.In 1897.

3.24 emperors.

4.14 years.

5.Because both museums descend from the same institution but were split after the Chinese Civil War.

6.They are the Outer Court and Inner Court.

7.The Palace Museum was then established in the Forbidden City in 1925

References

Barmé, Geremie R(2008). The Forbidden City. Harvard University Press.26.

UNESCO(2007). "UNESCO World Heritage List: Imperial Palaces of the Ming and Qing Dynasties in Beijing and Shenyang".

Li Xieping 李燮平. (1997) "紫禁城"名称始于何时[When did the name of the Forbidden City come into being?]. 紫禁城Forbidden City, (04) 29-31.

Yu Zhuoyun(1984), Palaces of the Forbidden City, New York: Viking Press,p18.

Guo Moruo 郭沫若.(1994) 甲申三百年祭[Commemorating 300th Anniversary of the Jia-Sheng Year]. 新华日报 New China Daily, 3.19.

Xie Li 谢丽.(2005) 北京中轴线上的十七座门[Seventeen doors on the central axis of Beijing].紫禁城 Forbidden City, (03)100-102.

Meng Fuxia 孟福霞. (2012)北京故宫空间布局构思探源——论中国古代宫殿建筑的美学精神[On the Origin of the Space Layout of the Palace Museum in Beijing--On the Aesthetic Spirit of Ancient Chinese Palace Architecture]大众文艺Popular Literature and Art, (21) 73-74.

Li Wei&Wang Shuo 刘薇,王硕.2005故宫文物南迁路线图揭秘[Unveiling the Route Map of the Cultural Relics of the Imperial Palace to the South] 华夏经纬网Jinwei Network, 6.22 http://www.huaxia.com/wh/gjzt/2005/00333230.html

The Collection of the Palace Museum 故宫博物院馆藏https://www. dpm.org.cn /Home.html

Xie Mengyin & Qu Wanlin 谢荫明,瞿宛林. (2006) “文化大革命” 中谁保护了故宫 [Who protected the Forbidden City in the Cultural Revolution? ].人民网People’s Daily Online,11,7. http://history.people.com.cn/n/2014/0811/c372327-25441615.html

--Luo Yuqing (talk) 09:48, 21 December 2020 (UTC)

Chinese Marriage Customs

by Mo Ling 莫玲 202070080602 MTI 英语笔译

China is an ancient country of rites. When it comes to the most important thing in one’s life---marriage, Chinese people have developed a set of unique and grand ceremonies. Generally speaking, weddings in ancient China needed to be approved by parents and arranged by parents.(Zhou Dandi,Yue Shufa 2012,12)

Six Procedures

There are six etiquettes in the process from the negotiation to the completion of marriage, namely Na Cai, Wen Ming, Na Ji, Na Zheng, Qing Qi and the last step Qin Ying.(Gao Xiaoqian 2017,235)

Na Cai is the begining of all the marriage procedures. It refers to a practice that if a boy intends to marry a girl, firstly his family must invite a matchmaker to the girl's home to propose marriage. After obtaining the consent of the girl's family , the boy's family should entrust the matchmaker to make a proposal formally with some gifts. Usually, the most common gift is wild goose, which represents fidelity. Besides, mandarin ducks and sheep are also frequently-used gifts.(Gao Xiaoqian 2017,235)

Wen Ming means that the boy's family asks the matchmaker to fetch the girl's name and date of birth. There are two purposes of this step: the one is to prevent the marriage of close relatives with the same surname; the other is to assure the compatibility of the prospective bride and bridegroom through their “eight characters” of the birth moment.(Gao Xiaoqian 2017,235)

Naji happens after the matchmaker takes back the woman's name and eight characters. If divining an auspicious omen, the boy's family will inform the girl’s parents and decide to engage the marriage.(Gao Xiaoqian 2017,235)

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.(Gao Xiaoqian 2017,235)

Qing Qi means that the boy's family choose an auspicious day to hold the wedding ceremony and then dispatch the matchmaker to tell the girl’s family.(Gao Xiaoqian 2017,235)

Qin Ying is the last procedure of the six etiquettes, that is, the groom goes to the bride's home to take the bride to his home.(Gao Xiaoqian 2017,235)

Customs

In addition to the six steps mentioned above, there are many other customs in the traditional Chinese wedding ceremony. Generally speaking, ancient marriage was ordered by parents and matchmaker and many young people could not master their own marriage. Before wedding ceremony, men and women were not allowed to meet each other in that ancient people were very conservative and most girls were kept in boudoirs. If they met in private before marriage, it would be regarded as a kind of female infidelity and parents would also think it quite unlucky. Under this circumstance, newlyweds could only see each other until the day of marriage.(Zhang Yueyong 2013, 47-48)

On the wedding day, the boy’s family will hold a big banquet at home. Before setting out to pick up bride, the bridegroom should first worship his ancestors for the sake of safety and auspice during the process of picking up the bride. (Gao Xiaoqian 2017,235)

After that, the following step is the most grand one among the whole ceremony --- at the dusk moment, the groom and the bride, his parents as well as all the guests will gather together at the central room to witness the kneeling etiquettes of the couple, which consists of 4 steps: (Gao Xiaoqian 2017,235)

The first kowtow is for heaven and earth, which shows ancient people’ reverence and appreciation towards the gods and nature for creating a favarable living environment for them. The second kowtow orients parents to express gratitude to parents for their fostering and sincere hope that parents can keep in good health. And then the new couple will kowtow towards each other, which carries the couple’s expectation of living together until old age. The last procedure is Going to the bridal chamber : the bride will be sent into the bridal chamber and the groom will drink with guests until night.(Gao Xiaoqian 2017,235)

After wedding ceremony, the couple must return to the girl’s home together at the third day, which is called “Huimen” or “Guiling”. This etiquette is indispensable. The groom should take some gifts for respect and change the way that he addresses the bride’s parents, and the latter will also prepare a good meal for the couple’s coming.(Gao Xiaoqian 2017,235)

Development

As time goes by, there are many reforms about marriage nowadays. Adults own the freedom to choose their spouse and they can meet each other every day if possible. Parents can’t master their “life event” any more.(Zhang Yueyong 2013, 47) In addition, many couples skip the cumbersome rites in the wedding ceremony. Some of them choose to hold the ceremony in the church with some close relatives and friends and some even finish it through travel.(Zhou Dandi,Yue Shufa 2012,15)

Nevertheless, most young people still adopt the main procedures of the traditional Chinese customs, some of which are handed down until the present day. There still exist betrothal gifts and dowries, and many couples choose to wear red costumes. The bridegroom should go to the bride’s home to escort her to the wedding and so on. Thus it can be seen that most traditional Chinese marriage customs are deeply rooted in the hearts of Chinese people and show a unique Chinese characteristics.(Zhou Dandi,Yue Shufa 2012,15)--Mo Ling (talk) 12:54, 20 December 2020 (UTC)Mo Ling

References

Gao Xiaoqian. 高筱倩.(2017) 中国传统婚嫁习俗研究［The Research on Traditional Chinese Marriage Customs］戏剧之家[Drama House] 235.

Zhang Yueyong. 张月莹.(2013) 中国近代婚嫁礼俗及婚姻观念转变的探索[A Study on the Change of Marriage Customs and Marriage Concepts in Modern China] 松州学刊［Songzhou Academic Journal］ 47-48.

Zhou Dandi, Yue Shufa. 周丹迪, 岳书法.(2012) 浅析近代以来中国婚嫁民俗的演变[On the Evolution of Chinese Marriage Customs Since Modern Times] 文化学刊[Cultural Academic Journal] 15.

Terms and Expressions

Na Cai 纳彩

Wen Ming 问名

Na Ji 纳吉

Na Zheng 纳征

Qing Qi 纳征

Qin Ying 亲迎

Huimen 回门

Guiling 归宁

betrothal presents 彩礼

the central room 堂屋

bridal chamber 婚房

“eight characters” of the birth moment 生辰八字

Questions

1.How many procedures are needed from the negotiation to the completion of marriage?

2.Did the ancient young people have the rights to decide their own marriage or not and why?

3.What is the kneeling etiquettes?

4.When the couple have to return to the girl’s home?

5.What changes have been made nowadays?

6.Please list some new wedding customs.

Answers

1.There are six etiquettes in the process from the negotiation to the completion of marriage, namely Na Cai, Wen Ming, Na Ji, Na Zheng, Qing Qi and the last step Qin Ying.

2.No, they didn’t have the right to decide their own marriage because ancient marriage was ordered by parents and matchmaker.

3.It consists of 4 steps: the first kowtow is for heaven and earth, which shows ancient people’ reverence and appreciation towards the gods and nature for creating a favarable living environment for them. The second kowtow orients parents to express gratitude to parents for their fostering and sincere hope that parents can keep in good health. And then the new couple will kowtow towards each other, which carries the couple’s expectation of living together until old age. The last procedure is Going to the bridal chamber.

4.At the third day of the wedding ceremony.

5.Adults can choose their spouse by themselves and they can meet each other whenever they want; Some couples choose to hold the ceremony in the church some even finish it through travel, etc.

6.Examples:couple can choose to live in the either part of the two families; wedding ceremony can be hold in hotel; the bride can wear white wedding dress rather than the single red in the ancient time.

Chinese cinema (dramas and movies) and its popularity and affection in Vietnam by Ngo, Thi Minh Huong

by Ngo, Thi Minh Huong

Twelve Animals of the Chinese Zodiac

by Ouyang Ling 欧阳玲 202070080603 MTI英语笔译

2020 is the year of rat according to the Chinese zodiac which consists of twelve animals used by people to name years. The traditional Chinese zodiac has been passed down for more than 2000 years since its origin(The Editorial Board, 2010: 2). The twelve zodiac signs are Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Pig, which are assigned in a repeating 12-year cycle(The Editorial Board, 2010: 2). This traditional Chinese scheme was originated from China and then has enjoyed a popularity in many other Asian countries(The Editorial Board, 2010: 12-13). With its cultural connotation and time-honored impact, the Chinese zodiac has been engraved in every Chinese people.

Origin

Regarding the origin of the Chinese zodiac, there are various opinions but many of them are presented without sufficient evidence. There are many myths explaining these animal signs and their arrangement. Among them the most time-honored one is the Great Race. In this story, the Jade Emperor, Ruler of the Heavens, wanted to devise a way to measure time, so he organized a race. At the end, the first twelve animals who made it across the river were the winners and so they earned themselves a spot on the zodiac calender in the order they arrived(The Editorial Board, 2010: 6).

Besides this folk story, some scholars claim the zodiac scheme was indeed derived from the Twelve Earthly Branches but did not occur at the same time while the Earthly Branches appeared. Since the Han Dynasty, the Earthly Branches have been used to record the time of day. Therefore some hold until that time, the 12 zodiac came into being as a supplementary to refer to the 12 periods of 24 hours. Since the original meaning of the Earthly Branches at that time was obliterated due to the passage of time, the ancient Chinese attached the Earthly Branches and the Ten Heavenly Stems to the zodiac(The Editorial Board, 2010: 5-7).

There also stands an opinion that the zodiac signs were originated from the totem worship in the primitive society. According to some researches on the origin of Chinese zodiac, there were only twelve earliest surnames in ancient China, which were derived from the names of the twelve animals in the Chinese zodiac scheme. Here the twelve animals refer to the totems at ancient times and different surname tribes use different animals as their totems. Therefore, the twelve animals of Chinese zodiac was developed from the totems of ancient tribes(The Editorial Board, 2010: 4-5).

Folk Culture and Belief

The zodiac sign can not only reveal one’s age, but also represent his or her personality, career prospects and way of life according to Chinese superstition(The Editorial Board, 2010: 40).

The Chinese seem to believe that they have some affinity with the animals of the years in which they were born and that their personal traits and fortunes come under their mysterious influence. According to superstitious belief in China, Zodiac animals are combined with the Five Elements that consist of Metal, Wood, Water, Fire and Earth, to tell one's destiny. Since people have their zodiac sign's fixed elment, there are many folk beliefs based on this. For example, people born in the years of Metal Rat are believed to have a promising future; people born in the years of Fire Rat are deemed to be clever and intelligent and Wood Rat independent and self-respected(The Editorial Board, 2010: 40).

Besides, since the zodiac is determined by the year of birth, there are many implications of one’s birth year. For example, some zodiacal preferences prevail in Chinese population. Chinese have always had a strong affection for the Dragon, so married couples prefer to give births in the year of Dragon. Since dragon is regarded as the auspicious and divine creature, the children born in these years of dragon are believed to have fortune. These cultural preferences and folk beliefs have influenced prospective parents’ reproductive behavior in the Chinese society(Yip et al., 2002: 1804)

Moreover, Chinese people believe certain animals get on better than the others, so the zodiac has had a great impact on marriage as well. Specifically, people who is born in the Year of Tiger would have perfect romance with Pigs, Rabbit with Dogs and Dragon with Roosters. On the contrary, some zodiac signs are believed to have misfortune if they are married with people of certain zodiac. As the Chinese idiom goes, if a dragon and a tiger fight against each other, there will be one injured. This old says reflects that dragon and tiger are natural enemies according to the belief(The Editorial Board, 2010: 34-35).

And this is the reason why men and women would like to evaluate their Bazi, the Eight Characters, before they get married. However, in reality, personality is related to one’s experience through the life journey rather than the pre-written zodiac signs. People born in the same year would have very distinctive personalities. Similarly, the destiny is also a result of people’s character and most decisions they’ll be making along the way. Of course the marriage is a more complex thing that cannot be deemed to have a pre-given outcome brought by the zodiac(The Editorial Board, 2010: 34-35).

Conclusion

Chinese zodiac is a complex scheme which combines the traditional Chinese astrology in it. Based on the Five Elements theory, Yin and Yang system and Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches system, the traditional scheme has developed a profound connotation and implications through generations. Over thousands of years, this popular culture has affected people’s major decisions in naming, marriage, giving birth and attitude towards each other. But people have to consider zodiac in a rational and scientific way. Perhaps the zodiac may help us to understand what we’re given, but it cannot determine our destiny. We should treat it as the precious cultural heritage and explore the profound culture and historical traces embodied in it(The Editorial Board, 2010: 1-2).

References

《大中国上下五千年》丛书编委会(2010) The Editorial Board of the Five Thousand Years of Great China（Dazhongguo Shangxia Wuqiannian） Series,《中国生肖文化》The Culture of Chinese Zodiac, 北京：外文出版社 Beijing: Foreign Languages Press.

Yip, Paul S.F.伊普, Lee, Joseph 李 and Cheung, Y.B.张 (2002).The Influence of the Chinese Zodiac on Fertility in Hong Kong SAR 论生肖对香港生育率的影响. Social Science & Medicine《社会科学与医学》, Volume 55, Issue 10 第55卷第10期, 1803-1812.

Terms and Expressions

Jade Emperor 玉皇大帝

Ten Heavenly Stems 十天干

Twelve Earthly Branches 十二地支

Five Elements 五行

Metal, Wood, Water, Fire and Earth 金木水火土

Eight Characters 八字

Questions

1.How long is the history of Chinese zodiac?

2.What are the twelve zodiac signs in order?

3.From what time the Earthly Branches was used to record time?

4.According to Chinese folk belief, what kind of characteristics do people born in year of rat have?

5.Which zodiac animal is mostly praised in China?

6.Can you name some pairs of zodiac animal that get along well with each other according to Chinese folk culture?

7.Which pair of animals that are natural enemies according to Chinese folk culture?

Answers

1.More than 2200 years.

2.Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Pig.

3.Han Dynasty.

4.They are smart, adaptable, and have the will to fight, but, on the other hand, they are so over-ambitious and easy to fail.

5.Dragon.

6.Tiger and pig, rabbit and dog and dragon and rooster.

7.Dragon and tiger.

--Ouyang Ling (talk) 14:13, 20 December 2020 (UTC)

Lisu People and Daogan Festival of Lisu Ethnic Minority by Peng Ruihong

by Peng Ruihong 彭锐宏 202070080641 MTI 英语口译==

Introduction of Lisu people and Daogan festival

The Lisu ethnic group are the Tibeto-Burman ethnic group living in mountainous areas such as Burma, southwest China, Thailand, and Arunachal Pradesh in India.

There are about 730,000 Lisu people living in Lijiang, Baoshan, Nujiang, Diqing, Dehong and other counties in Yunnan province and Sichuan province in China. The Lisu nationality is one of the 56 official nationalities recognized by China. In Myanmar, the Lisu ethnic group is recognized as one of the 135 ethnic groups with an estimated population of 600,000. Approximately 55,000 Lisu people live in Thailand, where they are one of the six main hill tribes. They mainly inhabit remote mountainous areas. (Ernst, Gabriel 2019)

The Lisu tribe consists of more than 58 different clans. Each clan has its own name or surname. The most famous family clans in the tribal clans are Laemae pha, Bya pha, Thorne pha, Ngwa Pha (Ngwazah), Naw pha, Seu pha, Khaw pha. Most of the surnames come from their own hunter work in primitive times. But later, they adopted many Chinese surnames. Their culture has the same characteristics as the Yi nationality or Nuosu (Lolo) culture. (Ernst, Gabriel 2019)

Daogan Festival (刀杆节) is a traditional festival of Lisu ethnic groups living in Lushui County(泸水县), Nujiang Lisu Autonomous Prefecture(怒江傈僳族自治州).Due to the death of the old artists, they were once lost in Nujiang Prefecture and recovered in recent years. They are mainly distributed in Luzhang Village(鲁掌镇), Luzu Village(鲁祖村) and Loma Village(洛玛村) of Lushui County(泸水县).(Ernst, Gabriel 2019)

Legend

During the Ming Dynasty, when people of different clans of feudal China invaded the borders of Yunnan, the emperor sent Wang Ji (王骥), the war department of the Chinese feudal ministry, to resist the enemy with troops. Wang Ji united with the local people of Li clan and soon expelled the invaders. But later, Wang Ji was killed by traitors. To commemorate Wang Ji's great achievement and to pray for the brave soldiers who died bravely in defending the border, the Li tribe held the "Going up to the mountain of swords and going down to the sea of ​​fire" event. (上刀山，下火海), and designated the 15th day of the first month of the lunar calendar every year as the Knife Gan Festival.(Li Zhihuan,2010)

Meaning

Going up to the knife mountain and going down to the sea of ​​fire are the main custom performances of the Taozhen Festival, which reproduce the life experience of people living in mountainous areas as they climb the mountains and the hard spirit and skills of climbing.(Li Zhihuan,2010)

Performing

Pine trees were used as tool poles, iron knives as tool ladders, crinkled paper as flowers, and bamboo as flower sticks. When we go up the rice mountain and down the fire, we play cowhide drum, gong , hairpin , na (唢呐) and other musical instruments under the knife pole. There are strict procedures and rituals from pointing flowers, pointing knives, playing knives, tying knives, tying flowers, welcoming flowers, and altars. Setting , knife pole , vertical pole , sacrificial dragon , knife stand and dismantling knife (in the sea of fire). Knife poles are usually called gold pillar, silver pillar or male pillar and female pillar respectively, representing the dead and the living. Thirty-six long sharp knives representing 365 days a year are tied to the sides of the ladder with paper flowers made of five-color paper. After the knife poles are tied, Heung Tong/Heung Tong (巫师) recites the words in his mouth and performs the knife dance with drum music. After the knife dance, to the sound of Suo na, gongs and drums, the knife bearer grasps the blade with both hands, steps on the blade with bare feet and then climbs up. When the knife-bearer reaches the top through the three scissors, the knife-bearer opens the lock of heaven, takes out the grains and flowers, spreads them out into the boiling crowd, and then places the red ribbon on the colored door, over which he sings the old prayer song, and then he comes down from the pole of the knife again. After that, he stepped barefoot into the burning charcoal fire, licking the burning plow with his tongue and biting the burning chains with his teeth, which showed the national spirit of the Li people and their superb performance skills.(Li Zhihuan,2010)

Development

According to legend, it commemorates an ancient Han Chinese hero who showed great kindness to the Lisu people. The Lisu people made the anniversary of the hero's death a traditional holiday for their own people, and used symbolic rituals such as going to the Mountain of Swords and the Sea of Fire to express their feelings of willingness to go through fire in return. On the day of the Knife Festival, several able-bodied men first perform the "firewalking" ceremony. They jump into the red-hot coals with bare feet and perform various stunts. On the second day, they sharpen 36 long knives and tie them to two 20-meter-high wooden racks with rattan strips, forming a knife ladder. With bare hands and feet, the performers climb to the top from the edge of the knives and perform various difficult moves at the top of the pole. Today, this thrilling traditional sacrificial ritual has evolved into a sporting event for the good people of the Lisu people to perform their stunts.(Li Zhihuan,2010)

Terms and Expressions

1.Lisu people 傈僳族

2."Up and down the mountain" event 上刀山，下火海

2.going to the Mountain of Swords and the Sea of Fire上刀山，下火海--Kang Haoyu (talk) 05:00, 17 December 2020 (UTC)

3.The Lisu tribe 傈僳族

4.clan 氏族

5.primitive times 原始时期

Questions

1.How many Lisu people live in Yunnan and Sichuan？

2.How many clans make up the Lisu people？

3.Who united with the local people of Li clan and soon expelled the invaders？

4.Which day is the Daogan Festival？

5.What musical instruments do they play under the knife pole?

Answers

1.About 730,000 Lisu people.

2.The Lisu tribe consists of more than 58 different clans.

3.Wang Ji.

4.15th day of the first month of the lunar calendar every year.

5.They play cowhide drum, gong , hairpin , na (唢呐) and other musical instruments.

References

• Ernst, Gabriel (21 October 2019). "'We try to not be Thai': the everyday resistance of ethnic minorities"
• "Yunnan Province of China Government Web". Eng.yn.gov.cn.
• 李智环．Li Zhihuan. 傈僳族人口分布及形成原因分析 [Analysis of the Distribution and Causes of the Formation of the Lisu People] 《保山学院学报》， 2010 [Journal of Baoshan College], 2010

Chinese Clothing by Phyo, Su Kyi

by Phyo, Su Kyi, Student No-20191108000,Major: Comparative Literature and Cross-cultural Studies.

Introduction

Chinese Clothing has a long history, in which Han people dominate most periods. For thousands of years, generations of clothing designers have devoted themselves to building the Kingdom of Clothes, making the garments that cover the human body into an important component of Chinese culture. The progress can be seen through its changes in clothing styles. Clothing manufacture in China dates back to prehistoric times, at least 7,000 years ago. Archaeological findings of 18,000 years-old artifacts such as bone sewing needles and stone beads and shells with holes bored in them attest to the existence of ornamentation and of sewing extremely early in Chinese civilization. (www.topchinatravel.com 2004) Chinese clothing has undergone continuous transformations throughout history, providing a reflection of the culture in place at any given time. A wealth of archaeological findings coupled with ancient mythology, poetry, and songs enable us to see the development of distinctive Chinese fashions through the ages. (Mei Hua-2010-page-1)

1-Chinese traditional clothing

Traditional clothing can reflect the traditional clothing culture with Chinese characteristics. Traditional clothing mutually integrates its unique style, comfortable fabric, bright colors, rich designs and exquisite craft elements to bring people impulsive feelings with visual communication. Traditional clothing culture with Chinese characteristics enjoys its unique artistic features in the style, color, fabrics, decoration, craft etc. They are profoundly influenced by Chinese traditional culture ideas in the process of their formation and development and finally condensed into the national culture bearing Chinese culture features.(Jiangsu, 2016,page-2)

1.1 Traditional Han Chinese Clothing (Han Fu)

"Han Fu" refers to the attire worn by the Han people from the enthronement of the Yellow Emperor (about 2698 BCE) till the late Ming Dynasty (1368-1644 CE). It became known as the Han Fu (fu means "clothes" in Chinese), because the fashion was improved and popularized during Han Dynasty. It is usually in the form of long gown, cross collar, wrapping the right lapel over the left, loose wide sleeves and no buttons but a sash. Although simple in design, it gives different feelings to different wearers. (www.topchinatravel.com 2019)

1.2 Chinese Suit (Tang Zhuang)

It is a combination of the Manchu male jacket of Qing Dynasty and the western style suit. It is usually straight colored, with coiled buttons down the front. Its color and design are in traditional Chinese style but tailoring is western. (www.topchinatravel.com 2019)

1.3 Cheongsam (Qipao)

Originating from the Manchu female clothes, it evolved by merging with Western patterns that show off the beauty of a female body. Its features are straight collar, strain on the waist, coiled buttons and slits on both sides of the dress. Materials used are usually silk, cotton and linen. Cheongsam is the most popular Chinese attire in the world today.(www.topchinatravel.com 2019)

1.4 Chinese Tunic Suit (Zhongshan Zhuang)

Also called the Yat-sen Suit, it was designed by Dr.Sun Yat-sen by combining the Western-style suit and Chinese attire. It has a turn-down collar and four pockets with flaps. As Chairman Mao Zedong worn it quite frequently, it is also called the Mao Suit by westerners. It is the main attire from the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949 till the 1980s. China's leaders still wear it today when attending important occasions, such as military parades (www.topchinatravel.com 2016).

2.Chinese Traditional Clothing Elements

There are many old stories in ancient Chinese civilization, and Chinese traditional elements come up with the tenacity of the Chinese nations long history. Different times has their unique cultural connotations and form elements,which include Chinese architecture, costumes, traditional Chinese painting and folk art etc., and those cultural connotations and form elements are precious heritage that the ancestors leave to their off-springs. The change of dynasties in the history of our country lead to changes of cultural centers, which finally lead to the appearance Chinese traditional elements with different representative features in each historical periods, nations and regions. These elements include: Chinese silk ,cloth of brocade, hemp,blue printed fabric; chirpaur, Chinese -style chest covering, Chinese tunic suit, collar,surplice, mandarin and split etc.; colorful ethnic colors: such as bright red,green,yellow and blueetc.;Neolithic patterns, bronze patterns in Shang and Chou dynasties, ancient lacquer were pattern in Qin and Han dynasties. (Jiangsu,2016, page-3)

3-Chinese Traditional Clothing Design

Chinese traditional clothing of each dynasty has its own unique clothing style and design, but no matter how the style changes,the mainstream concept of traditional Chinese clothing always emphasizes symmetry and balance, and the clothing symmetry can be seen in sleeve, placket, hem,pattern ect.Chinese traditional clothing design is particular about proportion,such as the ancient Chinese woman dresses, short jacket unlined uper garment (named Ru)marching long dress , and it emphasizes the perfect proportion which hold that"the upper part should be short, the below part should be long"; in Song and Ming dynasties people the collocation of long BeiZi(a kind of dress that girls dress in ancient times) and short skirt, the "long upper part,short below part"ratio perfectly reflects the proportions beauty of the clothing.(Jiangsu,2016, page-5.)

4-Chinese Traditional Clothing colors

Green, white, yellow, red, black ,the five colors, form the Chinese traditional color system. They have obvious implied meaning and identification.Black stands for that the dark heaven, and yellow stands for the earth at dusk, and black and yellow stand for the heaven and the earth ,and they are mostly used in the Kings' clothing, About the colorific choice of Chinese traditional clothing the yellow and red which the historical role is prominent perform particularly well. In the late period of the Warring States as a royal color yellow appeared and became the supreme ruler's senior clothing color.(Jiangsu, 2016,page-6).In Chinese traditional clothing colors red has evoluted from the original noble characteristic to the civilians characteristic. It evolution has experienced a certain period of time. The original red uses magenta, red ,cinnabar to represent.(Jiangsu,2016,page-7) --Phyo Su Kyi 1 (talk) 08:07, 19 December 2020 (UTC)su kyi

Conclusion

Chinese traditional culture is an indispensable source of inspiration in fashion design.Therefore, we should advocate the national advanced culture, make the Chinese traditional culture achieve the development in the clothing design.

Terms and Expressions

历史-history,

期-period,

世代-generations,

服装-clothing,

设计师-designers ,

装饰-ornamentation

中国服饰- Chinese clothing

服饰-Costumes

传统服装-Traditional clothing

服装设计-Clothing design

时尚设计-Fashion design

几代服装设计师-Generations of clothing designers

中国西装-Chinese Suit

旗袍-Cheongsam

中山装-Chinese Tunic Suit

中国传统元素-Chinese traditional elements

Questions

1-What’s archaeological findings in Chinese fashions through the ages?

2-What's Traditional Clothing?

3-How is means Han Fu?

4-What's the popular Chinese attire?

5-How called was Chinese Tunic Suit?

6-What'are include Chinese traditional elements? --Phyo Su Kyi 1 (talk) 04:33, 10 December 2020 (UTC)Su Kyi

Answers

1- A wealth of archaeological findings coupled with ancient mythology, poetry, and songs enable us to see the development of distinctive chinese fanshions through the ages.

2-Traditional clothingis the clothing which can reflect the traditional clothing culture with Chinese characteristics.

3-Han Fu is fu means clothes in Chinese.

4-Cheongsam is the most popular Chinese attire inthe world today.

5-It is also called the Yat-sen Suit,it is designed byDr.SunYat-sen by combining the western-style suit and Chinese attire.

6-Chinese traditional elements include: Chinese silk,cloth of brocade, hemp, blue printed fabric.

--Phyo Su Kyi 1 (talk) 11:56, 9 December 2020 (UTC)Phyo Su Kyi

References

1.Jiangsu.,(2016), “Influences of Chinese Traditional Clothing Elements on Modern Clothing Design”,

Nanjing University of Finance and Economics,Soochow University,Published by Atlantic Press.

2.Mei Hua,(2010), `Chinese Clothing´, Cambridge University Press The Edinburgh Building,Cambridge CB28RU,UK Published in the United States of America by Cambridge University Press,NewYork www.cambridge.orgInformation on this title:www.cambridge.org/9780521186896 Originally published byChina Intercontinental Press as Cinese Clothing(9787508516615)in2010©ChinaIntercontinentalPress.

3.https://www.topchinatravel.com/china-guide/history-of-chinese-clothing.htm

4.https://www.travelchinaguide.com/intro/clothing/--Phyo Su Kyi 1 (talk) 10:26, 9 December 2020 (UTC)Phyo Su Kyi

Chinese traditional dance=

by Pingki, Tanchangya, Student No:201921080004, Major: Comparative Literature and cross culture studies.

1. Introduction

There is a long recorded history in China for various kinds of dances. China is highly took position for art consisting for many modern and traditional dance genres. The dance covers a world a worldwide range, like folk dances, ballet, rituals and weeding ceremonies. We also know about that, there are also 56 officially recognized ethnic groups have their own folk dances and style of forms. The best known Chinese are the Dragon dance and Lion dances both dances were known in earlier dynasties in various forms. " Lianxiang " is a Chinese traditional dance , people usually plays it for entertainment and body building.The author presents the view that the dance can relax tendons and activate collaterals by striking shoulders, chest, waist, abdomen, buttocks, feet and acupuncture points of the four limbs, and slightly swaying knees together with shoulder, the set of movement can also exercise bones, muscles.--PINGKI TANCHANGYA 4 (talk) 05:14, 20 December 2020 (UTC)

2. Characteristics of the Dance

Characteristics of the movements

There have 3 characteristic of the movements are: thrashing, quivering and lowering. The performer holds bamboo pole to play various dance movements by striking shoulders, chest, waist, abdomen, buttocks, feet and acupuncture points of the four limbs, and slightly swaying knees together with shoulder vibration. The traditional movements are modified and developed which is called single- thrashing and double-thrashing. Single-thrashing movements including crouch thrashing, jump thrashing, rolling thrashing and mixed thrashing with one bamboo pole. --PINGKI TANCHANGYA 4 (talk) 06:04, 20 December 2020 (UTC)

3. The Dragon Dance

The Dragon dance is a form of traditional dance and performance in Chinese culture. Like the lion dance it is most often seen in festive celebrations. Many Chinese people often use the term "Descendants of the Dragon" as a sign of ethnic identity, as part of a trend started in the 1970s. Chinese people who taught them agriculture, law and medicine, the foundations of civilization. Dragons are believed to bring good luck to Chinese people, which are reflected in their qualities that include great power, dignity, fertility and wisdom. The appearance of a dragon is both frightening and bold.The Dragon Dance originated during the Han Dynasty and was started by the Chinese who had shown great belief and respect towards the dragon. It is believed to have begun as part of the farming and harvest culture, also with origins as a method of healing and preventing sickness. It was also a popular event during the Song Dynasty and become a folk activity and like the lion dance, was most often seen in festive celebrations. As the dragon gives people a feeling of great respect, it is often called the Sacred Dragon. The emperors of ancient China considered themselves as the dragon. The Dragon is also the emblem of Imperial Authority. It symbolizes supernatural power, goodness, fertility, vigilance and dignity.

4. The lion Dance

The lion dance is a traditional Chinese dance performed on big occasions, such as the Spring Festival (Chinese New Year) for good luck, as it is believed that the lion is an auspicious animal. In Chinese culture, the lion symbolizes power, wisdom, and superiority. People perform lion dances at Chinese festivals or big occasions to bring good fortune and chase away evil spirits.The lion dance is one of the most important traditions during Chinese New Year. It is performed to bring prosperity and good luck for the upcoming year. The lion dance is also a way to create a festive atmosphere and bring happiness. Performed in a lion costume, accompanied by the music of beating drums, clashing cymbals, and resounding gongs, lion dances imitate a lion's various movements or demonstrate martial arts, depending on the style. Though lion dances all use similar costumes, during its long development, the lion dance has divided into two styles: southern and northern.

4.1 The Southern Lion Dance

The southern lion dance originated in Guangdong, and it is the style popular in Hong Kong, Macau, and the hometowns of overseas Chinese. The southern lion dance is a performance based on the study of a lion's behavior, with an emphasis on actions like scratching and shaking of the body. Performances are vivid and entertaining, even comical. There are also skillful performances, such as playing with a ball, which includes swallowing it.

4.2 The Northern Lion Dance

The northern lion dance has close relations to kungfu Chinese martial arts. A young lion is performed by a single person and an adult lion is performed by a duo. Costumes are more robust, and less decorative, to allow for more movement. In the adult lion dance, the performer in front holding the lion's head is often lifted by the other to make the lion stand up. Northern lion dances are more gymnastic, involving rolling, wrestling, leaping, jumping, climbing, or kowtowing. The best places to see northern Chinese lion dances are China's martial arts theaters, like the Red Theater in Beijing, or even at the Shaolin Temple.--PINGKI TANCHANGYA 4 (talk) 14:19, 20 December 2020 (UTC)

5. Conclusion

"Lianxiang” is a remark traditional dance that popularized in lots of regions and nations. It’s a folk dance that combines entertainment and body-building. Dragons are believed to bring good luck to Chinese people, which are reflected in their qualities that include great power, dignity, fertility and wisdom.The lion dance is an excellent example of Chinese folk culture, which has spread across the world with Chinese immigration. Overseas Chinese in Europe, America, etc. have established many lion dance clubs, performing on Chinese festivals or big occasions, particularly Chinese New Year.

Terms and Expressions

1.Han Dynasty 汉朝。

2.Traditional dance history 传统舞蹈史。

3.The lion Dance 舞狮。

4.The Dragon Dance 龙舞。

5.Lianxing 联兴。

6.Chinese Dance 中国舞。

7.Festivals 节庆。

6. Questions

1. What is lianxing?

2. What is the Dragon Dance? Have you seen it before? And Where?

3. The dragon Dance originated from where?

4. what Lion Dances Symbolized?

5. How many Chinese Traditional Dance names you know?

Answers

1."Lianxiang" is generally a traditional dance that is quite popular in lots of regions.

2. The Dragon dance is a form of traditional dance and performance in Chinese culture. Yes, I have seen it before in China.

3. The Dragon Dance originated from the Han Dynasty. It was started by the Chinese people those had shown great belief and respect towards the dragon.

4 The lion dance performed at Chinese festivals and  “Lion” symbolizes power, wisdom, and superiority.

5.

1.The folk dance.

2 The Duhuang Dance.

3.The Lion Dance.

4.The Dragon Dance.

References

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Chinese_dance.

http://en.cnki.com.cn/Article_en/CJFDTotal-JFYS201701031.htm.

http://en.cnki.com.cn/Article_en/CJFDTotal-TIRE200403012.htm.

https://www.atlantis-press.com/proceedings/etmhs-16/25849367.

Origin of lianxiang.http://www.google.cn.

Classification of Lian Xiang. http://www.google.cn.--PINGKI TANCHANGYA 4 (talk) 15:27, 20 December 2020 (UTC)

The Liquor Culture of Ancient China by Qu Miao

by 瞿淼 Student No.202070080604 MTI英语笔译 ==

1.The Origin of liquor in China

With a long history of liquor-making, China boasts a variety of vintage liquor, which is renowned at home and abroad. Penetrating in China’s entire history of civilization, the liquor culture plays a significant role in many aspects, such as cuisine, literature, and health care, of Chinese people’s daily life.(Yang Li, 2005,17)

As to the origin of Chinese liquor, opinions vary and no unanimous conclusion can be drawn, and the most widely accepted version is that Du Kang invented liquor. There are divergent views on Du Kang’s identity, so far, documents have been found which recorded his deeds in the Yellow Emperor era and Xia-Shang-Zhou dynasties. And even his address is disputable. Some people think he lived in Baishui, Shaanxi province and was buried here, while others hold the opinion that he lived in Ruyang, Henan province. However, Du Kang is generally believed to be the Chinese Dionysus. According to the legend, one day it rained suddenly while Du Kang was herding the sheep. Hastily driving the sheep back to the sheepfold, he forgot some husked sorghum rice in a hollowed trunk by accident, and when he came back after a few days, the rice he left there became so fragrant that he couldn’t help tasting some. Surprisingly, it was palatable. This unexpected finding made Du Kang start to develop the liquor-brewing technique. Nowadays, Du kang has become the synonym of liquor in many places. Moreover, ancestral halls of Du Kang have been built in Baishui in Shaanxi province and Ruyang in Henan province to enshrine him. And the liquor produced in these places are called “Du Kang Liquor.”(Huang yixi, 2008, 21)

2.The Types of liquor in Ancient China

With constant reform and innovation of the techniques of brewing liquor, thousands of types of vintage liquor have been created in China. According to the different production techniques, Chinese liquor can be divided into fermented wine and distilled liquor.

Yellow rice wine is the oldest fermented wine around the world. Shaoxing Wine, a famous specialty of Shaoxing, Zhejiang province, is the representative of yellow rice wine. It has a very long history, and the wine industry in Shaoxing was prosperous early in the Warring States period. Shaoxing wine looks yellow and clear, hence sugar is added in its raw material. The most prominent of Shaoxing Wine is that it’s fragrance improves with age. In addition to Shaoxing Wine, there are other famous yellow rice wine like Jiujiang Old Seal Wine, Mellow Wine and Dongwu Rice Wine and so on. where is the source is coming from please? (Huang yixi, 2008, 25)

Yellow rice wine is the oldest fermented wine around the world. Shaoxing Wine, a famous specialty of Shaoxing, Zhejiang province, is the representative of yellow rice wine. It has a very long history, and the wine industry in Shaoxing was prosperous early in the Warring States Period. Shaoxing wine looks yellow and clear, because sugar is added in its raw material. The most prominent characteristic of Shaoxing Wine is that it’s fragrance improves with age. In addition to Shaoxing Wine, there are other famous yellow rice wine like Jiujiang Old Seal Wine, Mellow Wine and Dongwu Rice Wine and so on.(Wang Jianguo, Xu Liang, 2005, 32)

Liquor and Spirits(Baijiu), a kind of distilled liquor, is divided into the following flavor types: sauce-flavor type, light flavor type, strong flavor type and other flavour types. Kweichow Moutai is a traditional Chinese specialty liquor. It is one of the world's three major distilled liquors on par with Scotch whiskey and French cognac. It is also the origin of Daqu sauce-flavored liquor with a history of more than 800 years. The style and quality of Kweichow Moutai is characterized by "prominent sauce, elegant and delicate flavour, full-bodied, long aftertaste, and lasting fragrance in an empty cup". Its special style comes from the unique traditional brewing techniques formed over the years and the brewing methods are combined with the agricultural production in the Chishui River Basin, which is affected by the environment and seasonal production, retaining some of the original traces of local life. In 1996, Moutai's craftsmanship was identified as a state secret to be protected. In 2001, the traditional craft of Moutai was included in the first batch of national material cultural heritage. In 2006, the State Council approved the inclusion of the "Moutai traditional brewing process" in the first batch of national intangible cultural heritage lists, and declared the world intangible cultural heritage.(Yang Li, 2005, 11)

3.The Types of Drinking Vessel in Ancient China

Chinese people always pay attention to the beauty and delicacy of tableware, and we stress the exquisiteness and suitability of wine vessels when drinking. Therefore,as part of the liquor culture, drinking vessels also have a long history and varied appearances.

In different historical periods, due to the continuous development of society and economy, the production technology, materials, and appearance of wine vessels naturally has undergone corresponding changes; therefore, a wide variety of wine vessels have been produced. As early as the Neolithic culture period, pottery with shapes similar to later wine-ware, such as the pottery of the Peiligang culture period, appeared. The development of the liquor industry and the noble identity of the drinker have made it possible for liquor utensils to be differentiated from ordinary eating utensils. The quality of wine-ware often becomes one of the symbols of the status of drinkers. Bronze ware originated in Xia Dynasty, and the earliest bronze wine ware that has been discovered is from the Xia Erlitou culture period. Bronze ware reached its heyday in the Shang and Zhou Dynasties and declined in the Spring and Autumn Period. The purpose of the Shang and Zhou drinking vessels was basically specific.(Du Jinpeng, 1995, 58)

In the Shang Dynasty, due to the development of the liquor industry and the improvement of bronze production technology, China's wine ware reached unprecedented prosperity. The bronze wine vessels of the Shang and Zhou Dynasties were divided into liquor boiling vessels, liquor serving vessels, drinking vessels and liquor storaging vessels according to their purposes. Each vessel has many styles, some are in common styles, and some take animal shapes. Take Zun as an example, there are Elephant Zun, Rhino Zun, Niu Zun, Yang Zun, Tiger Zun, etc. (Du Jinpeng, 1995, 58)

During the Qin and Han Dynasties, lacquered wine utensils became popular in Southern China. It became the main type in the Han Dynasty, Wei and Jin Dynasties, and its shape basically inherited the shape of bronze liquor vessels. Porcelain roughly appeared around the Eastern Han Dynasty. Compared with pottery, the performance of porcelain surpassed that of pottery. The shape of liquor glasses in the Tang Dynasty was much smaller than in the past, so some people think that distilled spirits appeared in the Tang Dynasty. The Song Dynasty was the heyday of ceramic production, and there were many exquisite wine vessels. People in the Song Dynasty like to warm rice wine before drinking it. So the matching combination of injection vessel and bowl were invented. People placed the injection vessel with wine in the bowl, and poured hot water into the bowl to warm the wine. (Huang yixi, 2008, 23)

4.Drinking Games in Ancient China

As early as the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, drinking games appeared at banquets in the Yellow River Basin. There are many ways to make wine games. The way the literati and the ordinary people make drinking games are naturally very different. Literati often use poems or couplets, guessing characters or guessing puzzles, etc., while ordinary people use simple ways to act without any preparation. It requires a quick, witty, artistic and talented person to do liquor games. The drinking games are of great significance to the transformation, enrichment and development of drinking rituals. It is not only an important means to add wine to the fun and to invigorate the banquet, but also to make Chinese culture enter the wine and become the Liquor Culture. (Li Fangzhou,1998, 39) --Qu Miao (talk) 14:32, 21 December 2020 (UTC)

Terms and Expressions

1.Du Kang 杜康

2.Chinese Dionysus 中国酒神

3.husked sorghum rice 秫米饭

4.Baishui 白水县（陕西渭南市辖县）

5.Ruyang 汝阳县（河南省洛阳市下辖县）

6.fermented wine 发酵酒

7.Distilled liquor 蒸馏酒

8.Yellow rice wine 黄酒

9.Shaoxing Wine 绍兴酒

10.Jiujiang Old Seal Wine 九江成年封缸酒

11.Mellow Wine 醇香酒

12.Dongwu Rice Wine 东吴老酒

13.Liquor and Spirits 白酒

14.Kweichow Moutai 贵州茅台

15.sauce-flavor type 酱香型

16.light flavor type 清香型

17.strong flavor type 浓香型

18.Daqu sauce-flavored liquor 大曲酱香型白酒

19.the Peiligang culture period裴李岗文化时期

20.the Xia Erlitou culture period 夏二里头文化时期

21.Zun 樽

22.injection vessel and bowl 注子和注碗

23.drinking games 行酒令

Questions

1.Who is generally believed to invent liquor in China?

2.What is the most prominent characteristic of Shaoxing Wine?

3.Why does Shaoxing wine look yellow and clear?

4.Why did people in the Song dynasty invent injection vessel and bowl?

5.How to use the matching combination of injection vessel and bowl in the Song dynasty?

6.How do literati play drinking games in ancient Chian?

Answers

1.Du Kang

2.It’s fragrance improves with age.

3.Because sugar is added in its raw material.

4.Because they liked to warm the liquor before driking it.

5.Place the injection vessel with wine in the bowl, and pour hot water into the bowl to warm the wine.

6.Literati often use poems or couplets, guessing characters or guessing puzzles, etc.

Bibliography

• Huang Yixi 黄亦锡. (2008) 酒、酒器与传统文化[Wine, Wineset and Traditional Culture: the Study of Wine Culture of Ancient China]. 厦门大学Xiamen University.

• Li Fangzhou 李方舟. (1998) 酒令——酒文化的珍品[Liquor-a treasure of wine culture]. 质量天地Production Room.

• Du Jinpeng 杜金鹏. (1995) 中国古代酒具[Ancient Chinese Wine Set]. 上海文化出版社 Shanghai Culture Publishing House.

• Yang Li 杨 利. (2005) 酒文化及酒的精神文化价值探微[A Probe into Wine Culture and Spiritual Cultural Value of Wine]. 邵阳学院学报Academic Journal of Shaoyang University, 2005(02):82-83.

• Wng Jianguo&Xu Liang 汪建国,徐亮.(2005)我国黄酒的特征及展望[Characteristics and Prospects of Chinese Rice Wine] 江苏调味副食品Journal of Jiangsu Seasoning Food, 2005(06):8-12.

--Qu Miao (talk) 14:32, 21 December 2020 (UTC)

China Railway High-Speed ​​(CRH) by Rajabov, Anushervon

by Rajabov, Anushervon student NO. 201921080005 Major: Comparative literature and cross culture

Introduction

High-speed railway (HSR) in China is the longest network of high-speed railways in the world and is used most widely. The network of UNCC includes the recently built railway at the estimated speed of 200-350 km / h (120-220 miles per hour). The Chinese VSM accounts for two thirds of world high-speed railways. Almost all trains, the path and services of the HSR belong to the Chinese railway corporation under the CHINA Railway High Speed brand (CRH). The high-speed railway has developed rapidly in China over the past 15 years. CRH was put into operation in April 2007, the Intercity Line Beijing-Tianjin, which opened in August 2008, became the first HSR allocated passenger line. HSR applies to all administrative provincial levels, except Macau and Tibet. The total length of the HSR network reached 36,000 km (22,000 miles) in August 2020. The HSR construction boom continues, and the HSR network should reach 70,000 km (43,000 miles) in 2035. China's first high-speed trains were imported or built in accordance with the Technology Transfer Agreement with foreign trains manufacturers, including Alstom, Siemens, Bombardier and Kawasaki Heavy Industry Since the initial technical support, Chinese engineers have overpower the internal components of the train and built local trains produced by the CRRC State Corporation. The appearance of a rapidly accelerated railway in China has decreased in the way and changed Chinese society and the economy. The World Bank study has shown that "a wide range of travelers with different income levels chooses HSR for its comfort, convenience, safety and punctuality."[3]

Definition and terminology

High-speed trains in China are usually belonging to passenger trades of classes G, D and C. in class G trains (高 铁; Gāotiě; "High-speed rail") are commonly used trains E In class D trains (动 车; Dòngchē; "Electrical multiple unit") are presented by EMU trains operating at lower speeds, whether in high-speed or low-speed ways. The actual movement speed of class D trains can vary greatly. D211 Creament train from Guyang-east to Guangzhou-South along the High Speed Railway Guang-Guangzhou, a line with an estimated speed of 250 km / h, on average, 207 km / h per trip. The sleeping train D312 EMU between South Beijing and Shanghai at a low speed Beijing - Shanghai on average passing 121 km / h. Class C (c héngjì; “intercity”) trains that run on high-speed tracks at speeds above 250 km / h are also considered high-speed trains.[4]

Influence on airlines

The proliferation of high-speed rail has forced China's domestic airlines to cut airfares and cancel regional flights. The effect of high-speed railway on airfare is most acute when traveling for less than 500 km (310 miles). By the spring of 2011, commercial airlines were fully stopped at previously popular routes such as Wuhan Nanjing, Wuhan Nanchang, Xi'an-Zhengzhou and Chengdu Chongqing. Flights along the routes with a length of more than 1500 km (930 miles) usually do not suffer. As of October 2013, half a speed of passengers were transported monthly on high-speed rail than in the country's airlines. where the source a Technologies Chinese High Speed Railway Controls Various Electric Forms of Trains, Hexie HAO Title (Simplified Chinese: 和谐 号; Traditional Chinese: 和 諧 號; Pinyin: Héxié Hào; Harmony) is for designs which are imported from other nations and designated CRH-1 to CRH-5 and CRH380A (L), CRH380B (L) and CRH380C (L). CRH compositions are designed for fast and convenient movement between cities. The weakness of intellectual property Hexie HAO creates obstacles to China in the export of its products related to high-speed railways, which leads to the development of a fully recycled railway franchise called Fuxing Hao (Rejuvenation) that based on local technologies.[5]

4 + 4 HSR network

The network consists of eight high-speed rail corridors, four of which run from north to south and four from east to west, for a total length of 12,000 km. Most of the lines follow existing routes and are for passenger traffic only. These are known as Passenger Lines (PDL). Several sections of the national network, especially along the southeastern coastal corridor, have been built to connect cities that previously had no rail links. These sections will carry both passenger and cargo. High-speed trains on HSR corridors can usually reach speeds of 300-350 km / h (190-220 mph). On mixed HSR lines, passenger trains can reach a maximum speed of 200–250 km / h (120–160 mph). This ambitious national grid project was slated to be built by 2020, but government incentives have significantly shortened the construction timeframe for many lines.[6]

Advantages

HSR provides a fast, reliable and convenient means of transporting large numbers of travelers across a densely populated country over long distances that: Increases economic productivity and long-term competitiveness by increasing rail capacity and unifying labor markets. Moving passengers onto high-speed lines frees up older railways to carry more cargo, which is more beneficial for railways than for passengers whose fares are subsidized. Boosts the economy in the short term as high-speed rail construction creates jobs and stimulates demand in the construction, steel and cement industries during the economic downturn. 110,000 workers were mobilized for the construction of the Beijing-Shanghai high-speed railway. Facilitates economic integration between cities and promotes the growth of second-tier cities. The introduction of high-speed rail provides a 59% increase in the market potential of minor cities connected by bullet trains. [7]

Wenzhou accident

On July 23, 2011, two high-speed trains collided on the Ningbo-Taizhou-Wenzhou railway in the Lucheng district of Wenzhou city, Zhejiang province. The accident occurred when a train passing near Wenzhou was struck by lightning, lost power and stopped. Signals failed, causing another train to stop a stopped train. Several carriages derailed. State Chinese media confirmed 40 deaths and at least 192 people were hospitalized, including 12 seriously injured. The train accident in Wenzhou and the lack of accountability by rail officials have generated public outcry and heightened concerns about the safety and management of China's high-speed rail system. Concerns about quality and safety have also influenced plans to export cheaper high-speed train technology to other countries. In the aftermath of the deadly disaster, the Chinese government has suspended approval of new rail projects and began security checks on existing equipment.[8]

Terms and expressions

高 铁 - High-speed rail 动 车 - Electrical multiple unit 和 諧 號 – Harmony 復興號 - Rejuvenation

Questions

1. What does the World Bank research say? 2. What forced China's domestic airlines to cut airfares and cancel regional flights? 3. How many high speed rail corridors are there in the 4 + 4 HSR network? What is their total length? 4. What caused the accident? 5. What are the benefits of HSR?

Answers

1. The World Bank study has shown that "a wide range of travelers with different income levels chooses HSR for its comfort, convenience, safety and punctuality." 2. The proliferation of high-speed rail has forced China's domestic airlines to cut airfares and cancel regional flights. 3. The 4 + 4 HSR network consists of eight high-speed rail corridors, four of which run from north to south and four from east to west, for a total length of 12,000 km. 4. The accident occurred when a train passing near Wenzhou was struck by lightning, lost power and stopped. 5. HSR provides a fast, reliable and convenient means of transporting large numbers of travelers across a densely populated country over long distances. The introduction of high-speed rail provides a 59% increase in the market potential of minor cities connected by bullet trains.

References

http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/451551468241176543/pdf/932270BRI0Box30ffic020140final000EN.pdf https://ru.qaz.wiki/wiki/China_Railway_High-speed https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayback_Machine http://www.railjournal.com/A/xfeature2.html https://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/jul/23/china-train-crash-kills-32.

The Chinese Language by Seydou, Sagara

by Seydou, Sagara, Student No:201911080004,Major:Translation Studies==

Introduction

China is a very big country with a large population, multi-ethnic,and multi-lingual. Each etthnic groups may have its own lingo, or dialects and there are great differences between the dialects because of the speech impediment. For example, if people in different places use their dialects to talk, they may not be able to understand each other, and the situation may lead to embarrassment and misunderstanding. Therefore, the Chinese people communicate with each other in a common language, called Putonghua and also known as Mandarin in Western countries. Government also has implemented a strategy to promote Putonghua and to facilitate it learning with Pinyin . Cheng Aimin (2019,124)

Putonghua and Dialects

Putonghua is the national language of China, and Chinese is the most widely spoken language in the world. More than one billion of the world's populations are Chinese speakers. The Chinese population is already one fifth of the population of the world and is rapidly expanding its presence everywhere and influence many people around the world. Cheng Aimin (2019, 25)

It is the modern standard Chinese language with the Beijing pronunciation as its standard pronunciation, the northern dialect (also known as Mandarin, the official language in the past) as its basic dialect, and the modern vernacular as its grammatical norm. Therefore, the northern dialect sounds more like Putonghua than other dialects. Putonghua is a standardized language, which is legally used all over the country. In 2000, the law of the People’s Republic of China on common languages and characters established the legal status of Putonghua and standardized Chinese Characters as the national language and writing system. Putonghua is also one of the six working language of the United Nation and an important means of communication between China and foreign countries. According to statistics from ethnologist, in 2015, 70 percent of China’s population had the ability to speak Putonghua, but there were still about 400 million people who spoke dialects or minority languages. Article 19 of the constitution of the People’s Republic of China stipulates that ‘’ Putonghua is widely used by the state ‘’, and the third week of September is the national Putonghua Publicity week. We often hear some sayings like this: ‘’ Learn Putonghua well and you will have friend all over the world.’’ Chinese dialects are usually divided into seven groups: northern dialect Wu dialect, Hunan dialect, Jiangxi dialect, Hakka dialect, and Cantonese dialect and Fujian dialect. Most northern are close to Putonghua and easy to understand a non-native speaker. Cheng Aimin (2019, 126)

The dialects in China differ greatly. Speaking Putonghua allows the Chinese people to communicate better with each other and promote the development of economy and culture everywhere. However, the promotion of Putonghua cannot be achieved in a short time. The Chinese government plans to enable more than 80% of Chinese people to speak Putonghua by 2020. (C.Gov art 10. 2017)

Only by learning Putonghua can you communicate with people from all parts of China and event with Chinese –speaking people all over the world. While striving to promote Putonghua among the people of the whole country, China also pays special attention to the protection of dialects, which should not be lost after learning Putonghua. . Cheng Aimin (2019, 126)

Ancient Chinese and Modern Chinese

Over the past three thousand years, Chinese has undergone a long period of development and changes, and has been constantly interacting with the languages of other nations. Ancient Chinese and written Chinese characters are not exactly the same as they are now. When we visit Chinese historical sites, we often see couplets, poems, and inscriptions. Most of them are written in classical Chinese and traditional Chinese characters. Classical Chinese is a written language formed on the basis of the spoken language in the pre-Qin period. Cheng Aimin (2019, 127)

By the time of the Tang Dynasty and the Five Dynasties (the 7th century to the 10th century), the spoken Chinese had changed greatly and had significant differences with the classical style of written Chinese. The pronunciation, vocabulary and grammar had changed greatly. But all the time, some people still insisted on writing in classical Chinese, while others wrote in the commonly used vernacular (spoken Chinese). The Four Classical Novels created in the Ming and Qing dynasties, The Dreams of the red Chambers, The Romance of the Three Kingdoms, The Outlaws of the Marsh and the journey to the west, are all representative works of the ancient vernacular. After the May 4th movement in 1919, China launched a vernacular movement advocating ‘’my hand writes my speech’’. Since then, the vernacular has gradually been more widely used in the whole society, and modern Chinese has gradually developed and formed. Compared with ancient Chinese, modern Chinese absorbs a lot Western grammar and has added many disyllabic words. Cheng Aimin (2019 ,128)

Idiomatic Phrases- Idioms, Proverbs, Common Sayings, and Allegorical Sayings

Many phrases with fixed meanings in Chinese have been handed down from the ancient times. Mastering these phrases will make your language more authentic and vivid. For example, ‘’Lofty mountains and flowing rivers ‘’. Playing the lute to the cow’’ ‘’prescribing medicine according to symptoms’’, and ‘’ pleading guilty by carrying a rod on one’s back’ ’these phrases, often contain four Chinese characters each, are called idioms. They are quite formal and often originate from ancient historical stories, fables, myths and legends, or literary works. Sometimes we cannot guess the meaning of an idiom simply according to the meaning of the words. For example, 崇山峻岭，流淌的河流 ‘’lofty mountains and flowing rivers’’ means meeting someone who can really understand and appreciate them, while吹牛的长笛 ‘’ Playing the lute to the cow’’ means the casting pearls before swine. Wendy Abraham: (2018 ,115) There are also proverbs, common sayings, and allegorical sayings created and passed down by the common people in spoken language, which are quite colloquial and emotional, reflecting the unique culture of China.

Proverbs are common and easy -to understand fixed phrases used orally, often explaining a truth. For example, ‘’ if you are not in charge of a home, you don’t know how expensive the firewood and rice, if you don’t have children, you don’t know kinds your parents are.’’ ‘’Seeing is better than hearing 100 times, and doing is better than seeing 100 times’’ Cheng Aimin (2019, 129)

Common sayings mostly come in a three –character format, but there are also other formats. In addition to the literal meaning, there are deep metaphorical extensions. For example, 吹牛皮 ‘’blow cow skin’’ (meaning bragging or boating) ‘给某人. 穿紧身鞋 ‘’give SB . Tight shoes to wear ‘’ ( meaning making things hard for SB), ‘为外国人工作时的消磨时间‘’kill time when working for foreigners ‘’ ( loafing on the job) , 提一个黑锅 ‘’ carry a black pot’’ ( taking the blame for the fault of others ) , 钉在眼睛里 ‘’ nail in the eyes’’ ( thorn in the flesh ), 狗腿 ‘’ dog leg’’ ( hired thug) , 不管3x7 = 21 ‘’regardless of 3x7= 21’’( regardless of consequences, in the spite of anything ), 打不了八极 ‘’ can’t hit with eight poles’’ ( extremely distant or unrelated ). (Contemporary Chinese Dictionary Chinese -English Edition 2002,232) An allegorical saying is divided into two parts. It is like a riddle: The first part is a metaphor, and the second part is an explanation. There are two types of allegorical sayings: homophonic and figurative. Example of the homophonic type ‘’ the nephew carries a lantern – to light up the uncle’’ (pronounced the same ‘’ as before ‘’ in Chinese); ‘’the monk opens an umbrella – no hair and no sky ‘’ (‘’ no hair ‘’ is pronounced similar to ‘’ lawless ‘’ in Chinese). Examples of the figurative type: ‘’ A mute person takes a dose of bitter medicine- they can’t say it is bitter ‘’; ‘’ Mice go to the street – everybody shouts and beats them.’’ Cheng Aimin (2019.130)

Language policy

While vigorously promoting Putonghua, the Chinese government has also promulgated many policies to protect dialect and minority languages. In order to promote Putonghua, China promulgated the Chinese Pinyin Program in 1958. Pinyin (the standard Chinese sound- spelling system) is widely used in Putonghua promotion, international Chinese teaching, foreign exchange and other fields. It has become an important tool for reading Chinese characters, learning Putonghua, training and improving reading and writing ability. With the popularization of modern information technology, pinyin is widely used to input the Chinese characters on computers and mobile phones. Pinyin affects all aspects of social life. In translation, Chinese names of people, places, food, and even some cultural concept with Chinese characteristics (Such as Beijing, pingpang, Shaoling, Gongful) are directly spelled with Pinyin, which is therefore an important standard for translation and a bridge for international exchange. Minglang Zhou: (pp.71-95).

Conclusion

Today, an increasing number of people from other countries now want to learn Chinese language and culture and also many universities from different countries throughout the world offer Chinese language courses because Putonghua is also an open door to a huge job market in all of the countries where Putonghua is the language of commerce like Mainland China, Taiwan and Singapore. Learning Chinese can help to make a better future for everyone. Abundant opportunities for governments and business careers as well as scientific and cultural exchanges await the student of Chinese. The China market is blossoming after decades of global isolation. As China is rapidly becoming a world economic power as it opens its doors to foreign investment expands its infrastructure, those who know Chinese will be valuable to business.

References

Cheng Aimin.(2019), 中国概况 [Understanding China]. Shanghai Foreign Language Education Press. Minglang Zhou: Language Policy in the People’s Republic of China (p.71-95), Wendy Abraham: let’s talk Mandarin Chinese: 1,001 real-life phrases and Idioms. Law of the People's Republic of China on the Standard Spoken and Written Chinese Language (Order of the President No.37) Article 10 Putonghua and the standardized Chinese characters shall be used as the basic language in education and teaching in schools and other institutions of education, except where otherwise provided for in laws. The Contemporary Chinese Dictionary Chinese -English Edition 2002)

Terms and expressions

Lingo: 林戈

Lingo: 行话，语言

Putonghua: 普通话

Await student:等待学生

Pinyin: 等待学生

Pinyin: 拼音

Lofty: 崇高

Vernacular: 白话

Swine: 猪

Questions

1. Why Putonghua is spoken in United Nations Organization? 2. How many people speak Putonghua in China and around the world? 3 .Why Chinese government is promoted Putonghua among many others languages?

Answers

1. Because it is an important means of communication between China and foreign countries. 2. According to ethnologist 70 percent of China’s population had the ability to speak Putonghua, and according to the10 most spoken languages in the world Chinese (and all of its varieties such as Mandarin) is by far the most spoken language across the world with 1.31 billion speakers. 3. Because Putonghua is become an international language and it also facilitate understanding between different ethnic groups in China.