20201215 cultexam 4

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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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Architecture, Bridges - Yu Ni 余妮

Four Famous Bridges in China—中国四大名桥

--Yu Ni (talk) 03:16, 1 December 2020 (UTC)

Introduction

China is the hometown of bridges, which has been called "the country of bridges". It was developed in the Sui Dynasty and flourished in the Song Dynasty. The bridges all over the land of china were woven into a traffic network extending in all directions, connecting the motherland in all directions. Many of the architectural arts of ancient Chinese bridges are pioneering works in the history of bridges in the world, which fully demonstrates the extraordinary wisdom of the ancient Chinese working people. Guangji Bridge in Chaozhou city (alose called Xiangzi Bridge), Zhaozhou Bridge in Hebei province, Luoyang Bridge in Quanzhou city and Lugou Bridge in Beijing are known as the four ancient bridges in China.Quotation missing. E.g. (Gui Ninghuo 2009, 12)

Zhaozhou Bridge

Zhaozhou Bridge, also known as Anji Bridge, is the oldest long-span stone arch bridge in China. The bridge was built on the Xiaohe River, Hebei Province. From a distance, it looks like a bright moon in the clouds and a rainbow after rain hanging in the sky, beautiful and spectacular. Built in the Sui Dynasty, it was built by Li Chun, a famous craftsman. With a length of 64.40 meters and a span of 37.02 meters, it is the largest span and the earliest single-span stone arch bridge with open shoulder in the world. Li Chun creatively used the flat arch style, so that the stone arch height was reduced to 7.23 meters, and the ratio of arch height to span was about 1:5. In this way, the slope of the bridge deck is gentle, which is convenient for vehicles, horses and pedestrians. Moreover, it has the advantages of saving materials, fast construction, and increasing the strength and stability of the bridge.Quotation missing. E.g. (Gui Ninghuo 2009, 12)

Zhaozhou Bridge has been there 1400 years ago. It has experienced 10 times floods, 8 times wars and many earthquakes, but it has not been damaged. Mao Yisheng, a famous expert in bridges, said that regardless of the internal structure of the bridge, surviving for more than 1300 years explains everything. According to records, Zhaozhou Bridge has been repaired eight times since its completion. Two small arches are added at both ends of the main arch, one is to save materials, the other is to reduce the weight of the bridge body, and to increase the discharge of the river under the bridge. In order to protect Zhaozhou Bridge, at the end of last century, the new bridge built 100 meters away from Zhaozhou Bridge still follows its style, but the number of small arches on the main arch is increased to five on one side. In order to increase the flood discharge capacity, Li Chun also showed ingenuity by setting two small arches on each shoulder of the large arch. It can not only save stone and reduce the weight of the bridge body, but also help to discharge the flood, so as to achieve the perfect unity of architecture and art. It has become a great achievement of bridge engineering technology in China, which is more than 1200 years earlier than the similar arch bridge built in Europe in the middle of 19th century. In addition, there are flowers and animal head patterns carved on the balustrade of the bridge. The image is very exquisite and can be called the Sui and Tang Dynasties sculpture art masterpiece. The success of Zhaozhou Bridge has a wide and far-reaching influence on traffic, architecture and art.Quotation missing. E.g. (Gui Ninghuo 2009, 12)

Luoyang Bridge

Quanzhou is a famous city with a history of more than 1700 years. As early as the Tang and Song Dynasties, Quanzhou was known as an important trading port. Merchants, scholars and missionaries from all over the world came to Quanzhou, leaving many precious historical and religious relics and classical buildings. Luoyang Bridge, also known as “Wanan bridge”, was built by the governor Cai Xiang in the Northern Song Dynasty and completed in six years. Because it is difficult to build a bridge at the confluence of the river and the sea, the river is wide and deep, and the project is arduous. The bridge is 834 meters at length and 7 meters at width. There are Zhaohui temple and Zhenshen temple in the north of the bridge, and Caixiang temple in the south of the bridge. In 1988, it was listed as one of the national key cultural protection units and one of Quanzhou’s world cultural heritage sites. Quotation missing. E.g. (Gui Ninghuo 2009, 12)

It was very difficult to build Luoyang Bridge at first. Because the river is wide and the current is swift, sometimes there is wind tide, the water potential is dangerous. Before the construction of the bridge, people came and went by ferries, which often capsized. In order to pray for the safety of the transition, the ferry here was named Wanan Du, so the bridge was also named Wanan Bridge after its completion. Therefore, it was also named Luoyang Bridge because it was built on the Luoyang River. There are many innovations in the construction technology and technology of Luoyang bridge, the raft foundation style, the application and development of wedge pier and the use of oyster to cement bridge pier. After its completion, it has become an important channel of communication between Quanzhou and the mainland. Therefore, Luoyang Bridge has the reputation of “Wan An Ji Zhong”. Under the influence of the completion of Luoyang Bridge, there has been an upsurge of bridge construction in Fujian province, especially in Southern Fujian. Dozens of large and medium-sized stone girder bridges have been built.Quotation missing. E.g. (Gui Ninghuo 2009, 12)

Lugou Bridge

Lugou Bridge is the oldest stone multi-hole arch bridge in Beijing, which has a history of more than 800 years. In the Jin Dynasty, Lugou river was an important transportation point from north to south. There are 11 bridge holes in the whole bridge, and the span and height of each hole are not the same. As early as the Jin Dynasty, this bridge was listed as one of the “Eight Sights of the capital”.Quotation missing. E.g. (Gui Ninghuo 2009, 12)

The bridge deck of Lugou Bridge is slightly curved with lower ends and uplift in the middle. The lower riverbed of the bridge is paved with pebbles and quartz sand. The whole bridge is built on it, which is very solid and stable. A large stone lion is carved on the top of the pillar, and some small stone lions are carved on the head, under the feet or on the back of the breast. The two ends of the bridge are used as drum-shaped stone block. At the east end are two big stone lions and the west end are two big stone elephants which are huge and charming. In addition to the stone lion and stone statue on the top of the fence, there is a 4.65-meter-high ornamental table, which looks like meeting and seeing off pedestrians.Quotation missing. E.g. (Gui Ninghuo 2009, 12)

As the oldest stone arch bridge in Beijing and the place where the whole nation’s Anti-Japanese war broke out, Lugou bridge is not only an important cultural resource in Fengtai District, but also a memorial place for major national activities. Bearing rich historical resources, Lugou bridge has become important to publicize the revolutionary tradition of the Chinese nation and carry out patriotic education. Standing on the Lugou Bridge, you can see the surrounding city, the memorial hall of the Chinese people’s Anti-Japanese War, the Yongdinghe River ferry wharf, the pinghan railway bridge site, and the Anti-Japanese War sculpture garden, which together constitute a spectacular historical and cultural map.Quotation missing. E.g. (Gui Ninghuo 2009, 12)

Guangji Bridge

Guangji Bridge is located at the east gate of the ancient city of Chaozhou, Guangdong Province. Commonly known as Xiangzi bridge. Crossing the vast Hanjiang River, it is an important transportation hub of Fujian and Guangdong. With its unique style of “18 shuttle boats and 24 continents”, it is praised as “the earliest open-close bridge in the world” by famous bridge expert Mao Yisheng.Quotation missing. E.g. (Gui Ninghuo 2009, 12)

There is also a square white marble pavilion on both sides of the bridge, and each column has a dragon carving. In particular, on the stone tablet of the imperial stele Pavilion at the east end of the bridge, the inscription “Lugou Xiaoyue” written by Emperor Qianlong of Qing Dynasty is the most famous. Stone lions and stone pavilions at both ends of the bridge, together with Chinese totem pillar, constitute the bridgehead buildings with national characteristics. Marco Polo, an Italian at the end of the 13th century, praised Lugou Bridge as “a beautiful stone bridge in Hanbali”. It is the oldest existing large-scale double-arch long bridge in northern China. “Lugou Xiaoyue” is also one of the famous “Eight Sights of Yanjing”.Quotation missing. E.g. (Gui Ninghuo 2009, 12)

There are many folklores about Guangji Bridge. One of the legends is “the immortal Buddha builds the bridge”. That is, after Han Yu came to Chaozhou in the Tang Dynasty, in order to communicate with the two sides, he asked his nephew Han Xiangzi and other eight immortals to build a bridge with Guangji monk in Chaozhou. Due to the failure of his magic power, the middle section could not be connected. Monk Guangji and He Xiangu, one of the eight immortals, were connected with 18 shuttle boats by using lotus flowers as giant cables. Therefore, the bridges were called “Xiangzi bridge” and “Guangji Bridge” respectively. Where their magic power failed, there were “Wuyang mountain” (Fuyang town) and “pig mountain” (Huxi town).Quotation missing. E.g. (Gui Ninghuo 2009, 12)

The second legend is that Wang Yuan removed the strange stones. Wang Yuan was the magistrate of Chaozhou who presided over the large-scale bridge repair in the seventh year of Xuande of the Ming Dynasty. He built “24 towers” on the bridge, which was known as “the first bridge in the south of the Yangtze River”. Due to the large amount of stone needed to build the bridge, it was said that there were two strange stones on Hulushan mountain, which caused frequent fires and lawsuits in Chaocheng. So, he personally led people up the mountain, took the lead in smashing down two strange stones, and wrote a poem about removing strange stones. Wang Yuan’s move not only dispelled people’s fear of strange stones, but also solved part of the stone for bridge repair.Quotation missing. E.g. (Gui Ninghuo 2009, 12)

The third legend is “Wu Fu Gong Ji Shui”. The Duke of Wu was the governor of Chaozhou in the Daoxian period of Qing Dynasty. One year, because of the flood of Hanjiang River, Chaozhou City was in danger. He offered sacrifices to the water on the east gate and begged for the water to retreat. However, the water did not retreat. So, he threw his official hat and uniform into the water, indicating that he would live and die with the city. Strange to say, the flood receded at this time. Since then, people have set up his statue sacrifice in the east gate tower, and built a memorial archway of “people can't forget him” in the East Bridge of Xiangzi bridge.Quotation missing. E.g. (Gui Ninghuo 2009, 12)

Many of China’s ancient and modern bridge science and technology have been in the forefront of the world’s bridge construction, and many bridge styles continue to have an impact on the world’s modern bridge construction. At the same time, it is a living treasure of cultural relics, recording a lot of precious information.Quotation missing. E.g. (Gui Ninghuo 2009, 12)

References

References missing.

Terms and expressions

石拱桥 stone arch bridge

望柱 baluster

桥基 settlement

泄洪 flood discharging

桥墩 pier

抱鼓石 drum-shaped stone block

华表Chinese totem pillar

栏杆 balustrade

燕京八景 Eight Sights of Yanjin

启闭式桥梁 open-close bridge

Questions

1.Which is is the oldest long-span stone arch bridge in China?

2.How many folklores are there about Guangji Bridge and what are they?

3.How long has Zhaozhou Bridge been there ?

4.Why did Li Chun use the flat arch style to build Zhaozhou Bridge?

Yuan Tianyi 袁天翼

Milk Tea

We live in a modern world with countless yummy food where youngsters can’t live without milk tea. There is even one popular cyber saying that goes like this:”Youngsters continue their lives by drinking milk tea.” Milk tea, popular throughout the whole country, even the world, originated from bubble tea of Taiwan. Currently, we have entered “Milk Tea 4.0 Era”. Such an era has endowed milk tea with a brand-new meaning, becoming a cultural symbol pf modern civilization human life, especially youngsters’ lives, namely, a pursuit of identity recognition for youngsters.（Li Xintong 李欣童.2020） So, is milk tea really so miraculous? Is it really so tasty? We may as well discuss the past and current situations of milk tea!

A.The Origin of Milk Tea

Each school holds its own opinion about the origin, but in fact, if we carefully analyse the fact, we can easily find its true origin, that is---”Mongolia Milk Tea” drunk by nomadic tribes in Mongolia Plateau. Till now, the nomadic tribes living in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region of PRC still treat visitors with milk tea, which is an unshakable traditional custom.

B.The Development of Milk Tea

Due to the rampant global expansion of British colonists, lots of oriental local products, including milk tea of China, were also transported to the occidental world. Later, it was improved and developed in Britain. Since the introduction of milk tea into Britain, due to the distinction of climate and dietary habits, British gave up the utilization of spice, but mixed sundry kinds of tea to replace spice to make milk tea, and added maple sugar as condiment, thus giving birth to the rudiment of modern milk tea and its basic ingredients.（《世界著名奶茶大全》 厨影美食） Later, Taiwan introduced milk tea. In the spring of 1987, manager of a Taiwanese cold drink department---Ms. Lin Xiuhui of "Chunshuitang" , added local snack flour into milk tea, and after her successful promotion to consumers, Lin and her colleagues Shen Tonge, Lin Lingru and Wang Yufeng, were inspired by cooked flour whose shape is similar to black pearl, thus creating the name “Pearl Milk Tea”(Bubble tea, currently). Henceforth, the name full of aesthetic feeling was spread.（《世界著名奶茶大全》 厨影美食） By far, modern milk tea has preliminarily come into shape.

1.Local Changsha Milk Tea

When in Changsha, talk as Changshanese do, so let’s talk about Changsha local milk tea first. As we all know, Changsha is famed as an Internet celebrity city, mostly due to “Sexytea”. Sexytea was founded in 2013 as Changsha’s original Chinese style tea brand, uniquely practicing the creation of “new Chinese-style fresh tea”, and staying committed to growing to an original tea beverage design brand. What Sexytea brings to customers is not only a cup of tea, but also an interesting lifestyle, thus showing the beauty of China on the basis of tea. All Sexytea milk tea is produced with Nestle fresh milk and excellent quality tea leaves as ingredients. The logo of Sexytea is mainly composed of a Jiangnan woman. A fan and a beauty vividly show the majesty and quaintness of antique Chinese style. Compared with other current milk tea brand logos, that of Sexytea has left a great impression on people.（茶颜悦色密码 2020） The signature milk tea of Sexytea is “black tea latte”, comprised of Ceylon black tea, Zelanian Anchor whipping cream and American pecans. On the top of the paper cup is Anchor whipping cream with pecans. Black tea latte emphasizes both milk and tea, with each flavor balanced pretty well.

2.Hong Kong-style milk tea

The inventor of Hong Kong-style milk tea is Lin Muhe, the founder of the time-honored brand Lanfangyuan in Central, Hong Kong. The 81-year-old "Father of Hong Kong-style milk tea" has never used silk stockings to make tea. When Lanfangyuan was firstly opened, silk stockings were not yet fashionable in Hong Kong. When Lin Muhe was about 10 years old, he worked in Hong Kong, with his wife and a clerk opened Lanfangyuan Food Stall in Baihua Street of Central in 1952. During those days, the small stall always attracted nearby dockers every afternoon, who enjoyed themselves watching Lin Muhe and his colleagues washing their tea bags to and fro. When they saw the brown color of tea bags, they thought it was silk stockings. After that, they would shout "a cup of silk stockings milk tea". This is the origin of silk stockings milk tea(currently Hong Kong-style milk tea).（《百度百科——丝袜奶茶》)

3.Indian Masala Chai

Authentic Masala Chai can only be drunk in India, which is cooked by delicate handicrafts. Due to the addition of various spices, the taste is strong, mellow, hot and spicy at the beginning. However, if the flavor is slightly changed, it will be sweet or spicy, or the various flavors will react with each other. It is just as confusing as Indian curry, but pretty fascinating. Maybe this is what Masala Chai should be. Drinking Indian milk tea is not only a baptism to taste, but also a return to primitive nature.（《世界著名奶茶大全》 厨影美食）

1.Advantages

Drinking milk tea can quickly supplement sugar, increase body energy, decrease fatigue and improve working efficiency.

2.Disadvantages

Drinking too much milk tea will increase the possibility of getting fat. It will also increase cholesterol, and even lead to hyperlipidemia and hyperglycemia, doing harm to liver and kidney, increasing risks of angiocardiopathy, thus affecting study and memory, and damaging normal gastrointestinal function. It will even cause cancer if drunk for a long time.

References

1.李欣童.（2020）浅谈台湾奶茶文化的三十年变迁.传播力研究,4(14)14-15

2.《世界著名奶茶大全》 厨影美食

3.《百度百科——丝袜奶茶》

4.茶颜悦色密码 （2020）国企管理,(20)68.

Terms and Expressions

Milk tea 奶茶

Spice 香辛料

Rudiment 雏形

Sexytea 茶颜悦色

Black tea latte 幽兰拿铁

Hong Kong-style milk tea 丝袜奶茶

Cholesterol 胆固醇

Hyperglycemia 高血糖

Mongolian Plateau 蒙古高原

Maple sugar 枫糖

Bubble tea 珍珠奶茶

Internet celebrity city网红城市

Pecans 碧根果

Masala Chai 马萨拉奶茶

Hyperlipidemia 高血脂

Angiocardiopathy 心血管疾病

Gastrointestinal 肠胃的

Questions

1.What is the origin of milk tea?

Mongolia Milk Tea.

2.Who promoted milk tea?

British colonists.

3.What is the birth place of modern milk tea?

Britain.

4.What is Changsha’s most famous Internet celebrity milk tea shop’s name?

Sexytea.

5.Is Hong Kong-style milk tea produced with silk stockings?

No.

6.What are the advantages of drinking milk tea?

Drinking milk tea can quickly supplement sugar, increase body energy, decrease fatigue and improve working efficiency.

7.What are the disadvantages of drinking milk tea?

Drinking too much milk tea will increase the possibility of getting fat. It will also increase cholesterol, and even lead to hyperlipidemia and hyperglycemia, doing harm to liver and kidney, increasing risks of angiocardiopathy, thus affecting study and memory, and damaging normal gastrointestinal function. It will even cause cancer if drunk for a long time.

Zeng Liang 曾良

Qingming Riverside Landscape Garden

Zeng Xinyuan 曾心媛

Batik(Lanran)

Batik is a traditional printing and dyeing craftsmanship of textile in China. It was called laxie (Xie, a printing and dyeing method) in ancient times, also known as one of the four great ancient printing techniques which also include jiaoxie (tie-dye), huixie (hollow printing), and jiaxie ( Clamping fabric with clips and the clamped part is difficult to be penetrated by the dye, so as to produce patterns)) in ancient China.（百度百科—蜡染）

History

According to interpretation of "Laran" in the collection of Wang Aijun of Junyou Society: Batik is an ancient dyeing technique. It is called “Batik” in Indonesia or Malaysia.

Batik art, with a long history, emerged in China. According to the records of the “Eryi Records”, Batik appeared in the Qin and Han Dynasties, and then became popular during the Six Dynasties. The court of the Sui Dynasty especially liked this kind of handicrafts, and special patterns appeared in this period. The earliest unearthed batik object was a quilt which excavated in the tomb of Chu in the Warring States Period in Changsha, and the patterns on the quilt is still unknown.

Batik was especially popular in the Tang Dynasty, during which the technology was more mature than before. At that time, batik can be divided into two types: single-color dyeing and multi-color dyeing, the latter of which can use as many as four or five colors. Later generations can get a glimpse of the gaudiness of batik patterns in the Tang Dynasty from clothes of two women in Song Huizong’s copy of The Painting of Pounding the Texture by Zhang Xuan, and horsemen’s clothes in The Painting of Lady Guoguo on a Spring Outing. Due to the great influence of Chinese culture in the Tang Dynasty on Japan, Nara’s Shosoin has preserved various treasures of Chinese craftsmanship since the Tang Dynasty, including a set of batik folding screen, which was brought back to Japan by a monk in the Tang Dynasty.

Batik has declined in China since the Song Dynasty, but it has become popular in various parts of Southeast Asia at the same time (especially in Japan, Sumatra and other islands). So far, Indonesian and Malaysian clothes are almost all made of batik.（百度百科—蜡染）

Types

Because of vast territory of China, Chinese folk batik art has different forms and styles in different regions. Whether to understand batik art from the perspective of region or ethnic group, it seems difficult to adopt a single method to classify the batik art because of its diversity.Therefore, some scholars analyzed the characteristics of batik art according to different regions, and some scholars tried to understand the style of batik art based on different ethnic groups. We adopted both ways to classify batik art.

China's batik is mainly distributed in Guizhou, Yunnan, Guangxi, Hainan, Sichuan, Hunan, Guangdong, Taiwan, Jiangxi provinces. Chinese batik has different types, such as type of Danzhai, Chonganjiang, Zhijin, Rongjiang, Southern Sichuan, Hainan, Wenshan, etc. The use, craft, pattern and style of batik vary from region to region.（百度百科—蜡染）

Technical Process

Preparation

Firstly, bleaching and washing the cloth with straw ash, then knead boiled taros into a paste and apply them to the back of the cloth. After drying, using horns to smooth and polish the cloth on a natural ironing table—slate.

Applying wax

Putting the white cloth flat on a wooden board or table, and filling a ceramic bowl or metal pot with beeswax, which was melt with charcoal ash or chaff shell in the brazier, so as to dip the wax with a copper knife. Then people can start drawing with the wax. Making a rough sketch according to paper-cut patterns, based on which various beautiful patterns were drawn on the cloth.

Dip-dyeing

Firstly, putting the wax-painted cloth in an indigo dyeing vat. Secondly, taking it out and dry in the air after being soaked for five or six days, and it will be light blue. After soaking it several times, it will become dark blue. To have both light and dark patterns on the same cloth, one needs to apply wax to the light blue cloth and dip dye it again, after which it appeared in two shades of blue. When the wax-painted cloth was soaked in the dyeing vat, some "wax seals" were broken due to folds, forming natural cracks, generally called "ice patterns". This "ice pattern" tends to make the batik pattern more layered and unique.

Dewaxing

After rinsing, boiling with clear water, the wax was removed, showing clear-cut blue and white patterns on the cloth.（廖利.《蜡染艺术》2012）

Materials

The basic principle of batik is to apply wax in the shape of flower on cloth (in ancient times, people use beeswax, while in modern times, people use mixed wax made of paraffin, beeswax, and wood wax), and dip dye the the part without wax blue, while the the part with wax turn out to be white, known as “white space” in jargon. Besides, dyestuff could only be used in low temperature because that every wax would melt in high temperature.

In ancient times, there were no chemical dyes, people had to use vegetal dyes, for example, the stems and leaves of various plants such as Polygonum in Polygonaceae, Isatis tinctoria in Cruciferae, and Woody in leguminous can be fermented to produce indigo dyestuffs. Dyestuffs made from other plants such as safflower for red, madder, yellow gardenia, turmeric for yellow, and Rhamnus utility for green, could only be dyed in hot water, or the color may fade quickly. However, in high temperature, the beeswax had melted and couldn’t maintain the flower shape on the cotton. Therefore, it was difficult to make batik fabrics of other colors but indigo in ancient times.

In the modern printing and dyeing industry, the X-type reactive dyes used in large quantities are all low-temperature types, which can be used below 20-35 degrees and have many different colors. That’s why modern batik crafts can be colorful. However, from the perspective of environmental protection, indigo batik is safer and healthier. （廖利.《蜡染艺术》2012）

Patterns

From the classification of Guizhou batik patterns, there were mainly two categories: natural and geometric patterns. Natural patterns can be divided into plant patterns and animal patterns.

Natural patterns include chrysanthemum, lotus, peach, orchid, peony, pomegranate, gourd, sunflower, cockscomb, duckweed, aquatic plants, bracken, pepper, and nameless flowers in the mountains.

Animal patterns include ox, dragon, Birds, tigers, lions, elephants, deer, dogs, rabbits, chickens, rats, phoenixes, pheasants, titmouses, owls, bats, butterflies, bees, frogs, snails, turtles, shrimps and other patterns.

The patterns were originated from the nature, based on which ethnic minorities in Guizhou province made bold changes in creation, accurately presenting characteristics of the objects in an extravagant way with high aesthetic value. （《贵州蜡染图案的常用题材》老苗人蜡染民族工艺品网）

Batik art has been handed down from generation to generation in ethnic minority areas. After a long time development, it has accumulated rich creative experience and formed an unique art style, becoming a flower of national art with Chinese characteristics.(廖利《蜡染艺术》2012）

Terms and Expressions

batik 蜡染

laxie 蜡缬

huixie 灰缬

jiaoxie 绞缬

jiaxie 夹缬

Eryi Records 《二仪实录》

The Painting of Pounding the Texture 《捣练图》

The Painting of Lady Guoguo on a Spring Outing《虢国夫人游春图》

single-color dyeing 单色染

multi-color dyeing 复色染

Nara’s Shosoin 奈良的正仓院

Polygonum 蓼蓝

Polygonaceae蓼科植物

Isatis tinctoria 松蓝

Cruciferae 十字花科

anil 木蓝属植物

leguminous豆科

safflower红花

madder茜草

yellow gardenia黄色栀子

turmeric姜黄

Rhamnus utility冻绿

Questions and Answers

1. Which four printing techniques are the four great printing techniques in ancient China?

Laxie, huixie, jiaoxie,and jiaxie.

2. When did batik appear and became popular?

Batik appeared in the Qin and Han Dynasties, and then became popular during the Six Dynasties.

3. What batik product was kept in Nara’s Shosoin?

Nara’s Shosoin has preserved various treasures of Chinese craftsmanship since the Tang Dynasty, including a set of batik folding screen.

4. Where does batik mainly distribute in China?

China's batik is mainly distributed in Guizhou, Yunnan, Guangxi, Hainan, Sichuan, Hunan, Guangdong, Taiwan, Jiangxi provinces.

5. What are the 4 main processes of making a batik?

Preparation, applying wax, dip-dyeing, and dewaxing.

6. How does “ice patterns” appear?

When the wax-painted cloth was soaked in the dyeing vat, some "wax seals" were broken due to folds, forming natural cracks, generally called "ice patterns".

7. Why was it difficult to make batik fabrics of other colors in ancient times?

Because dyestuffs of different colors could only be used used in hot water, or the color may fade quickly. However, in high temperature, the beeswax had melted and couldn’t maintain the flower shape on the cotton.

References

百度百科—蜡染

《蜡染艺术》.www.worlduc.com.廖利

《贵州蜡染图案的常用题材》老苗人蜡染民族工艺品网

Zhang Hui 张慧

A.Chinese Ancient weapons

In ancient China, there was a saying of “18 martial arts”, which actually refers to 18 kinds of weapons. Generally, it refers to bow, crossbow, gun, stick, knife, sword, spear, shield, axe, greataxe, dagger halberd, spiked mace, iron whip, bar mace, hammer, trident, palladium, and dagger axe. But the weapons in Chinese martial arts are far more than eighteen kinds, if you add all kinds of strange weapons and all kinds of hidden weapons, its total number is no less than a hundred kinds of fear.

Short weapons

The so-called short weapons are generally no longer than a person’s eyebrows, lighter in weight, and often held in one hand when used. The most common short weapons are knives and swords.

Long Weapons

The most common long weapons in the martial arts world are spears, stick, and swords. The cord strike concealed weapons are rope dart, meteor hammers, flying claws, soft whips, iron lotus flowers and so on.

Historical Origins

Generally speaking, Chinese ancient weapons refer to the various types of weapons and total equipment used by the Chinese army and civilians in ancient China from the prehistoric period to the end of the Qing Dynasty, that is, until the Opium War in 1840. Both Chinese and foreign studies of ancient weapons take the use of gunpowder as a historical phase, that is, before the invention of gunpowder, the weapons used in the army were called cold weapons. After the invention of gunpowder, the weapons made of gunpowder appeared, firearms. This was the period when cold weapons and firearms were used together. Ancient Chinese weapons can be roughly divided into three stages, the first is the prehistoric period, which is the Stone Age weapons. After the beginning of bronze smelting and casting, the main material for weapons at this time began to change to bronze. The weapons of this period were the weapons of the Bronze Age. After people understood the smelting of metals, the main material of the weapons used by the army was changed to steel, and then it entered into the Iron Age. During the Northern Song Dynasty, gunpowder began to be used in weapons. China was the home of gunpowder, and its army was the first to use gunpowder weapons. After gunpowder came to the West, there was a great development. Therefore, the Dutch and Spanish merchant ships came to China and brought over advanced western firearms, and the Ming Army began to introduce western firearms production technology. After the Opium War, the Qing Dynasty started to train new soldiers, Yuan Shikai started to train new soldiers, and started to introduce new western firearms, the history of ancient Chinese weapons ended. The following is a specific introduction of several weapons.

The meteor hammer

The meteor hammer(Chinese: 流星錘), often referred to simply as meteor (Chinese: 流星), is an ancient Chinese weapon, consisting at its most basic level of two weights connected by a rope or chain. One of the flexible or "soft" weapons, it is referred to by many different names worldwide, dependent upon region, construction and intended use. Other names in use include dai chui, flying hammer, or dragon’s fist. It belongs to the broader classes of flail and chain weapons. The meteor hammer could be easily concealed as a defensive or surprise weapon, being of a flexible construction. The primary advantage for using a meteor hammer was its sheer speed.There are two types of meteor hammers:[1] a double-headed version (the typical image of a meteor hammer is generally of this type) and a single-headed version.

Using a meteor hammer involves swinging it around the body to build up considerable speed before releasing the meteor to strike at any angle. Since the meteor has two heads, one could be used offensively while the other could be used to defend, parrying attacks or ensnaring an opponent’s weapon to disarm them. When used by a skilled fighter, its speed, accuracy and unpredictability make it a difficult weapon to defend against. While being swung, a meteor may be wrapped around its user’s arms, legs, torso, neck or waist, before being unwrapped by a powerful jerk of the body to deliver a devastating and swift blow. A master is fully capable of striking, ensnaring or strangling from a distance.

Rope Dart

The rope dart or rope javelin (simplified Chinese: 绳镖), is one of the flexible weapons in Chinese martial arts. Other weapons in this family include the meteor hammer, flying claws, Fei Tou flying weight, and chain whip. Although the flexible weapons share similar movements, each weapon has its own specific techniques. Demonstration of the use of a rope dart. The rope dart is a long rope (usually 3–5 metres or 10–16 feet) with a metal dart attached to one end. This was a weapon from ancient times, which allows the user to throw the dart out at a long-range target and use the rope to pull it back. The rope dart can be used for twining, binding, circling, hitting, piercing, tightening, slashing and other techniques.

Rope dart play consists of twining, shooting, and retrieval. Twining and shooting can be done from any joint such as foot, knee, elbow, and neck. The rope is anchored on one hand and played primarily with the other hand.

Skillful use of the rope dart can easily trick an opponent because the dart can shoot out very suddenly, from a person beyond immediate reach. Just like the chain whip, excellent hand-eye coordination is a must for the practitioner to use this weapon well. In some Wushu training regimens, the chain whip and Changquan are prerequisites for learning the rope dart.

A variation of this weapon is the meteor hammer, which has a blunt weight on the end of the rope. It was used in a similar fashion to the rope dart, and many of the techniques are the same.

These ancient weapons have been replaced by newer weapons as they have evolved, and eventually their historical missions have come to an end. The ancient weapons that once equipped the military have been forgotten. So far, many people have only a glimpse of the ancient weapons from movies and plays.

It is not uncommon for people to be forgotten. In fact, this kind of forgetfulness is quite normal, as weapons are not always the only thing that can be forgotten. It is with the development of society that old things are naturally forgotten as they are continually being eliminated and renewed. We look forward to the development of more advanced weapons, more technological progress, and a stronger country!

B.Terms and Expressions

greataxe 钺

trident 叉

dagger halberd 戟

spiked mace 殳

soft whip 软鞭

bar mace 锏

dagger axe 戈

rope dart 绳镖

C.Questions

1. The total numbers of Chinese martial arts?

Answer: The weapons in Chinese martial arts are far more than eighteen kinds.

2. The name of the first stage of Chinese weapons?

Answer: The Stone Age weapons.

3. The other weapons in the family of rope dart?

Answer: The meteor hammer, flying claws, Fei Tou flying weight, and chain whip.

4. How to use a meteor hammer?

Answer: Using a meteor hammer involves swinging it around the body to build up considerable speed before releasing the meteor to strike at any angle.--Zhang Hui (talk) 14:16, 3 December 2020 (UTC)

References

《中国兵器的发展》沈志刚

"Chinese Kung Fu – Meteor Hammer". China A-2-Z. March 6, 2009. Archived from the original on September 23, 2009.

Zhang Ling 张玲

=Terracotta Army=

The Terracotta Army, also known as Qin Shi Huang’s Buried Sculpture Legion, refers to the thousands of life-size clay models of soldiers, horses, and chariots which were deposited around the grand mausoleum of Shi Huangdi, first emperor of China and founder of the Qin dynasty, located near Lishan in Shaanxi Province, central China. The Terracotta Warriors are actually soldiers guarding Emperor Qin Shi Huang’s mausoleum and protecting him in the afterlife. 

For centuries, Qin Shi Huang's massive mausoleum remained undetected until it was unearthed by chance by a group of farmers. In 1974, some farmers in the nearby Xiyang Village began digging a well o find a water resource on some waste land. At first, they found some unique red soil about 2-meter (6.6-feet) in depth underground. On the fifth day after the work started, they found a torso of a pottery figurine, and the villagers originally believed that it was a statue of god and became nervous about offending the god. Thereafter, they continued to find some bronze arrows, crossbows and broken warriors from the well. Prompted by this surprising find, archaeologists began to explore the area, resulting in the discovery of thousands of similar soldiers. After careful examination, they found that the pottery fragments should be parts of the Terracotta Warriors from Emperor Qin Shi Huang’s mausoleum.

As the king of the Qin state, Qin Shi Huang (also known as Shi Huangdi) unified China from 221 BCE and then founded the Qin dynasty which is the first and multinational feudal empire in Chinese history. After he unified China, he considered his achievement surpassing the legendary "San Huang (three emperors)" and "Wu Di (five sovereigns)". He created a new title for himself: "Huangdi" together with "Shi (means the first)", hence get the name "Qin Shi Huang" or "Qin Shi Huangdi", which means he was the first emperor of China. The emperor seems to have been especially keen on acquiring immortality, so he sent his ministers to go on quests seeking for an elixir of immortality, and young emissaries were sent across the Eastern Sea in search of the fabled Penglai, land of the immortals. Having failed in these attempts to unnaturally prolong his life, Shi Huangdi returned to the age-old standby of autocratic rulers and had a huge mausoleum built instead. In fact, the whole great project began early in his reign, for it required a great deal of work to prepare.

Ancient Chinese rulers generally had two or three statues outside their tombs as guardians, but Shi Huangdi chose a large group of such statues. The Terracotta Army is actually one of only four in all likelihood as that portion so far excavated (1.5 km from the mausoleum) is on the eastern side and is probably duplicated on the other three sides of the mausoleum. Even this one-quarter section has not been fully excavated, and archaeologists have explored only three of the four pits. The main pit of the four which contain the discovered army measures 230 x 62 meters and is 4 to 6 meters deep. It had around 6,000 slightly larger than life-size depictions of infantrymen (1.8-1.9 metres tall), chariots and horses. The second pit, which is slightly smaller and R-shaped, had around 1,300 figures in it. Pit 3 is concave-shaped and consists of two wing-rooms, a chariot-house and around 70 figures. Judging from the internal layout of pit 3, it should be the headquarters of pit 1 and pit 2. The terracotta warriors can be divided into two categories: soldiers and military officials. Depending on the actual combat requirements, different types of warriors have different equipment. Most of them are clad in fine armor with bronze weapons in hand. The face shape, figure, expression, eyebrows, eyes and age of each terracotta warriors are different.

Experts confirmed that the material used to mold the terracotta warriors and horses is the "yellow earth" from around the mausoleum. Yellow earth is a kind of suitable material with good cohesiveness and plasticity. And the addition of grit to the earth enhances its mechanical properties, making it easy to form large figures. The figures of the terracotta warriors were fired in kilns. For even heating, the Qin craftsmen left small holes in the proper places on the figure. During the firing, the craftsmen paid special attention to keeping the heat at 1,000 C (1,830 F). In addition, experts did a lot of experiments and found that during the firing, these figures were placed upside down in the kiln. This was because the upper part of the figure was heavier than the bottom. The terracotta warriors we see today are steel gray without fresh colors, but they actually were once colored. They were painted with natural pigments refined from minerals. Though having been buried underground for more than 2,200 years, they remained the bright colors after being unearthed at the beginning. However, because of the lack in technologies to preserve the colors, they faded out in just a few minutes once exposed in the air. Historians theorize that the heads and bodies of warriors were manufactured on an assembly line production. This means that each individual part, such as the arms and legs, were made independently to speed up manufacturing. Then, after firing in the kiln, these different complete parts were assembled into one figure. Since each warrior's face was unique, it is believed that artisans added individual clay features on top of the mold for the face, perhaps based on real soldiers of the time.

The terracotta figures of Qin Dynasty vividly and richly portray a variety of figures with certain characters. It is a symbol of the maturity of Chinese ancient molding art. It not only inherited the ceramic tradition of China since the Warring States period, but also laid the foundation for the prosperity of molding art in the Tang Dynasty. It serves as a connecting link between the preceding and the following. It is known as "the eighth wonder of the world" and "the treasure of ancient human spiritual civilization". In 1987, the mausoleum of the first emperor of Qin Dynasty and the pits of terracotta warriors were approved by UNESCO to be included in the World Heritage List.

=Terms and Expressions=

1. Terrocotta army / Qin Shi Huang’s Buried Sculpture Legion 秦始皇兵马俑

2. chariot n. 战车

3. mausoleum n. 陵墓

4. Qin Shi Huang / Shi Huangdi 秦始皇

5. Pit 1 一号坑

6 .Pit 2 二号坑

7. Pit 3 三号坑

8. kiln n. 窑

9. Eighth Wonder of the World 世界第八大奇迹

10. World Heritage List 《世界遗产名录》

=Questions=

1. Why did Qin Shi Huang make the Terracotta Army?

The purpose of Qin Shihuang's construction of the Terracotta Army is to have an army protect his mausoleum after his death.

2. How were the Terracotta Army discovered?

The Terracotta Army was discovered by chance by a group of farmers when they were digging a well.

3. How many figures are in the Terracotta Army, and has the whole Terracotta Army been discovered?

According to the estimate, there are more than 8,000 Terracotta Warriors, including about 6,000 from Pit 1, around 1,300 from Pit 2, and around 70 from Pit 3. However, these may be just a part of the whole Terracotta Army. With development in archeological technologies, it’s expected more Terracotta Warriors will be found in the future.

4. How the terracotta warriors were made?

The material used to mold the terracotta warriors and horses is a "yellow earth" sourced from around the burial sites. The heads and bodies of the warriors were made via assembly line production. Artisans used mud to make a rough cast and then put it into kilns.

5. Were the terracotta warriors once colored?

The Terracotta Warriors were once colored. They were painted with natural pigments refined from minerals. But because of the lack in technologies to preserve the colors, they faded out in just a few minutes once exposed in the air. 

6. Why is the Terracotta Army important?

The Terracotta Army is an important part of the mausoleum of the first emperor in Chinese history. It’s the largest ancient military museum in China. It’s a treasure for studying ancient military science of China.

Zhang Peiwen 张佩闻

                                                                              Penjing
 Bonsai, also known as penjing, is the ancient Chinese art of depicting artistically formed trees, other plants, and landscapes in miniature. 

 A.Categories

Penjing generally fall into one of three categories: 1. Shumu penjing (树木盆景): Tree penjing that focuses on the depiction of one or more trees and optionally other plants in a container, with the composition's dominant elements shaped by the creator through trimming, pruning, and wiring. 2. Shanshui penjing (山水盆景): Landscape penjing that depicts a miniature landscape by carefully selecting and shaping rocks, which are usually placed in a container in contact with water. Small live plants are placed within the composition to complete the depiction. 3. Shuihan penjing (水旱盆景): A water and land penjing style that effectively combines the first two, including miniature trees and optionally miniature figures and structures to portray a landscape in detail.

 B.History

China has a long history of bonsai, dating back to the Neolithic Age, about eight or nine thousand years ago.People already know that plants were planted in bonsai to enjoy the scenery. In the Neolithic site of Hemudu in Yuyao County, Zhejiang Province, a piece of pottery with potted plants was found, which is believed to be the earliest evidence to determine the origin of bonsai. In the Western Han Dynasty, When Zhang Qian was on a mission to the Western Regions, in order to introduce the pomegranates from the Western regions to the central Plains, he adopted the method of potted pomegranates, which is the earliest record of potted plants in China so far. In the Southern and Northern Dynasties, the literati of the six dynasties pursued the artistic conception of landscape beauty, developed the pattern of one pool and three mountains in the garden design of the Han Dynasty, introduced nature into the garden, and pursued poetic painting, which laid a good foundation for the prosperity of bonsai in the Tang and Song dynasties and later.Powerful cultural prosperity in the Tang Dynasty, promoted the growth of bonsai art at that time, both the court and the folk, making enjoying bonsai makers try to become a fashion by using the theory of landscape painting creation will be combined into rocks and plants bonsai, strengthened the potted landscape artistic conception beauty in the Tang Dynasty. The bonsai of Song Dynasty developed further on the basis of inheriting the bonsai of the Tang Dynasty, and the difference between tree bonsai and landscape bonsai was more clear. The miniaturization of miniascape in Yuan Dynasty was achieved, which promoted the popularization and promotion of miniascape. Ming and Qing Dynasties, bonsai category is more diverse, in addition to the landscape bonsai drought bonsai water drought bonsai, there are also set with gold and jade bonsai. They are made of gold, ivory, gem cloisonne and other precious materials, which are noble and elegant, their appearance further enriched the types of ancient bonsai.

 C.Techniques and Care

Leaf trimming: the selective removal of leaves (for most varieties of deciduous tree)or needles from a bonsai's trunk and branches. Pruning: prune the trunk, branches, and roots of the candidate tree. Clamping: using mechanical devices for shaping trunks and branches. Grafting: new growing material (typically a bud, branch, or root) into a prepared area on the trunk or under the bark of the tree. Defoliation: It can provide short-term dwarfing of foliage for certain deciduous species. Watering must be regular and must relate to the bonsai species' requirement for dry, moist, or wet soil. Repotting must occur at intervals dictated by the vigour and age of each tree. Tools have been developed for the specialized requirements of maintaining bonsai. Soil composition and fertilization must be specialized to the needs of each bonsai tree, although bonsai soil is almost always a loose, fast-draining mix of components. Location and overwintering are species-dependent when the bonsai is kept outdoors as different species require different light conditions. It is important to note that few of the traditional bonsai species can survive inside a typical house, due to the usually dry indoor climate.

 D. In Other Culture

Similar practices exist in other cultures, including the Japanese traditions of bonsai and saikei, as well as the miniature living landscapes of Vietnamese hòn non bộ. Generally speaking, tree penjing specimens differ from bonsai by allowing a wider range of tree shapes (more "natural-looking") and by planting them in bright-colored and creatively shaped pots. In contrast, bonsai are more simplified in shape (more "minimal" in appearance) with larger-in-proportion trunks, and are planted in unobtrusive, low-sided containers with simple lines and muted colors.While saikei depicts living landscapes in containers, like water and land penjing, it does not use miniatures to decorate the living landscape. Hòn non bộ focuses on depicting landscapes of islands and mountains, usually in contact with water, and decorated with live trees and other plants. Like water and land penjing, hòn non bộ specimens can feature miniature figures, vehicles, and structures. Distinctions among these traditional forms have been blurred by some practitioners outside of Asia, as enthusiasts explore the potential of local plant and pot materials without strict adherence to traditional styling and display guidelines.

Terms and Expressions

 miniature小型的，缩小的
 trimming 修剪
 pruning  剪枝
 the Neolithic Age 石器时代
 pomegranate 石榴
 literali  文人
 clamping  折枝成型

Question

Have you ever raise any plants?

How do you know about Bonsai (or Penjing)?

What about the techniques of raising bonsai?

From which dynasty, bonsai emerged in China?

What are the differences about bonsai in China and other countries?

Answers

Yes, I have raised plants like orange tree in my backyard.

It is one of the Chinese traditional art forms, whose elements are based on plants and stone.

We can use the technique named clamping to shape the branches of the plant in order to beautify it.

The Han Dynasty

Penjing allows a wider range of tree shapes (more "natural-looking") and by planting them in bright-colored and creatively shaped pots.

Zhang Weihong 张维虹

A. Douyin and Tik Tok

Douyin, (抖音, literally “shaking sound” in Chinese) is a short video media app owned by China’s young tech giant Bytedance (字节跳动). It is used for creating and sharing 15-second videos. The contents usually include challenges and funny videos. It is one of the few applications that has enjoyed wild popularity inside and outside China. In the first quarter of 2018, the international version of Douyin, Tik Tok, was the most downloaded iPhone app in the world. Although they were developed by the same parent company, they are actually not one and the same. Depending on which app store you have access to, you will only have access to one version of the app, Douyin (in Chinese app stores) and Tik Tok (in overseas app stores). The two apps host completely different content, and content is not shared between the platforms. But both versions of TikTok offer a wide selection of sounds and song snippets, along with the option to add special effects and filters.

The app allows users to create, edit, and share short videos as well as livestreams, often featuring music in the background. The most popular types of content on Douyin are dances, comedies, babies, food, pets, pranks, and stunts. The platform is based around ultra-short, user-posted videos with music that are 15 seconds in duration but can be strung together to make 60-second “stories.” In their videos, users can interact with the camera and sing along to a song of their choice from Douyin’s extensive music library. Showing off dance skills and comedy routines are also popular pastimes on the app. Unlike most video apps, there is no “play” or “pause” button on Douyin. Once you open the app, a video starts immediately. You scroll through a 15-second bottomless stream of videos, as does how you scroll through photos on Instagram. Therefore, many people will spend most of the time on the For You Page. Unlike other popular Chinese apps like Weibo and WeChat, where you have to actively follow specific accounts to be pushed toward their content, Douyin identifies users’ interests through a powerful recommendation algorithm that identifies users’ interests and preferences through their viewing behaviors. This is where the algorithm puts content in front of users, anticipating what they will enjoy based on content they have already engaged with. It's also where it shows content it thinks could go viral. The idea is that if the content is good it will travel, regardless of how many followers the creator has. File:Tik Tok.png

B. Comparison Between Tik Tok and Instagram

As we have mentioned before, Tik Tok is somehow similar to Instagram. But while their app fundamentals are alike, they have many features that distinguish them from each other. Time limit: TikTok currently does not have a long-form video feature. Instagram’s long-form video feature, IGTV allows video length of up to one hour. Users: Their users age range differs from each other, most TikTok users are younger than that of Instagram. Most TikTok users belong to generation Z and most Instagram users belong to generation Y. Community: compared to Instagram, the Tik Tok community is distinctly palpable. The app allows users to easily connect, create friendships, and collab with others. Each week something new trends, which enables virality and increases the potential for popularity. Creators have identified this supportive environment to grow followers and have left Instagram for Tik Tok.

C. Popularity and Effects

It’s clear that Tik Tok is making waves in the social app space. With an explosion of growth, Tik Tok is expected to continue a steep upward trend. Whereas this new app is enjoying its hockey stick trajectory, Instagram growth is slowly dropping in 2019. Several reasons why Douyin is so popular include: Localized content - the app often runs local contests and challenges and captures local trends using localized hashtags. Douyin also sends personalised recommendations to each of its users. This ensures that Douyin users are always updated on the latest trending videos and are never out of ideas for video creation. Easy content creation, sharing, and viewing - due to the short format, neither the video-creation nor the watching process takes much time or effort. Also, the short-form video content plays as soon as a user opens the app. Celebrity endorsements - several celebrities, including Angelababy(Chinese), Jimmy Fallon(American), have helped drive TikTok's popularity.

There is no doubt that TikTok has had an impact on today’s world. It has become prevalent in schools, in the workplace, and in many other public venues. It is quite common to find someone either making a TikTok or doing one of the TikTok dances. Moral Entertainment: The major advantage of TikTok is that it serves as a great source of entertainment. Overall, TikTok is a great app to help stay entertained, especially during the stress of the pandemic. Publicity: With TikTok, anyone can create short videos doing anything they choose to do that’s appropriate and legal to ensnare the public interest and become viral in society. Learning New Things: On top of the funny videos and the dancing videos, there are some people that make videos with great opportunities and life tips that can help many people. Also, there are other people like doctors or teachers on TikTok utilizing the platform to teach new things every day. Providing New Opportunities: With the ongoing pandemic, young students such as high schoolers have been finding remote volunteering and internship opportunities directly from TikTok. As an engaging platform, TikTok connects determined youths together to volunteer for nonprofits like Linens N Love or intern for companies.

Despite the many benefits of TikTok however, there are negative effects to take into consideration as well. Some of the following negative effects of TikTok are: Addiction: Most people scroll through the for you page looking at videos perfectly catered to their tastes through the TikTok algorithm. The app is designed to be addictive, with an unlimited stream of videos at around 30 seconds each, making it hard to get bored. It’s incredibly easy to fall down the TikTok hole and suddenly reemerge hours later having lost an entire day. Bullying/Mental Health: While the application can be used to spread positivity, it can also be used as a platform for bullying. Some people use the app to criticize other people’s videos, while some users create videos deriding others. This leads to a negative impact on the mental health of everyone involved which can lead to life-threatening situations and decisions. Unsafe: On TikTok, there are no restrictions as to who can join the app, so strangers can easily message children and create harmful situations.

In a nutshell, TikTok is a fun, entertaining, and addictive app which has seen a surge in popularity in the last few months. The Tik Tok app also has the potential to become the next big social networking platform. However, the app also aroused lots of concerns like addiction, mental health and unsafe issues.

Terms and Expressions

Tik Tok (Douyin) 抖音

ByteDance 字节跳动

Short video platforms 短视频平台

Recommendation algorithm 推荐算法

Celebrity endorsements 名人代言

Questions and Answers

1. What is Tik Tok

TikTok is a short-form, video-sharing app that allows users to create and share 15-second videos on any topic.

2. What is different between Douyin to Tik Tok?

They are two different versions which can be downloaded in different regions -- douyin in China, and Tik Tok overseas.

3. Why tik tok is so popular around the world?

Celebrity endorsements, Localized content, Easy content creation, sharing, and viewing

Summary: TikTok is a fun, entertaining, and addictive app which has seen a surge in popularity in the last few months. The Tik Tok app also has the potential to become the next big social networking platform. However, the app also aroused lots of concerns like addiction, mental health and unsafe issues.

Zhang Yinliu 张银柳

Four Buddhist Shrines - 佛教四大名山

A: Buddism is one of the most important religions in China. As the introduction of Buddhism from India in Han Dynasty, China initiated temple construction and sites of enlightenment and continues today. The Buddhist culture in China went through long history of growth and prosperity, and ultimately turns into historical appeal and cultural charm together with the attractive natural scenery where they pullulated, achieved fame throughout the world. Among the numerous famous Buddha Mountains in China, the most sacred four called Four Buddhist Shrines, are known as Gold Wutai, Silver Putuo, Copper Emei and Iron Jiuhua respectively for they believed to be the holy seats Manjusri Bodhisattva, Avalokitesvara, Samantabhadra Bodhisattva and Ksitigahba Buddhisattva reincarnated to tame certain beings.

Gold Wutai, also called Wutaishan, Mount Wutai, or Mount Qingliang in Chinese, is a National Natural and Cultural Heritage, National Geopark, as well as the only Buddhist sanctuary Chinese Buddhism and Tibetan Buddhism coexist in perfect harmony. Mount Wutai is located in Wutai County, Xinzhou City, Northeast of Shanxi province in China and is called the top buddhist holy land. Mount Wutai tops the four great mountains of Buddhism for its long history and grandness of temples. It also known as one of the Top 5 Buddhism shrines in the world with Lumpini in Nepal and Sarnath, Buddha-gaya and Kushinagar in India. Buddhism propagated into Mount Wutai from the Eastern Han Dynasty and culminated in Southern and Northern Dynasty when emperors extended temples on a large scale to over 200. The second blossom of Buddhism came during the flourishing Tang Dynasty during which there were more than 30,000 Buddha statues made. There are five main peaks of Wutai Mountain, including Wanghai Peak, Yedou Peak, Guayue Peak, Splendid Peak and Cuiyan Peak. A large number of temples which are the treasury of precious cultural heritage attract thousands of tourists every year,including Xiantong Temple, Nanchan Temple, Foguang Temple and etc. The Great White Tower is the most famous symbol of Mount Wutai lying in Tayuan Temple.

Silver Putuo, ashram of Avalokiteśvara ( Goddess of Mercy), lies in a 13 square kilometers small island of Zhejiang Province in southeast China. Silver Putuo,also named Mount Putuo, owns the honor of Buddhist Kingdom on the Sea. It is a National 5A Tourist Resort and a world excellent ecological scenic spot with charming island scenery and unique Buddhist charisma of temples, sculptures and etc. Taoism is the earliest religion cultivated on Mount Putuo 2,000 years ago from Qin Dynasty. And Buddhism only get spread on Mount Putuo in Tang Dynasty and later rose to the peak during later Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China, the largest Buddhist Kingdom of ancient China with over 4,000 monks. The three main sacred Buddhist temples are Puji Temple which is the Buddhism center of important Buddhist fairs on Mount Putuo and the biggest temple worshipping Goddess of Mercy on foothill, Fayu Temple which is the second largest temple in most noble and delicate decoration on hillside, and Huiji Temple which is a beautiful garden style temple located the highest on hilltop. The Purple Bamboo Woods is an tourist-attractive scenery point where popele can enjoy the picturesque landsacape around and experience the Buddhist culture.

Copper Emei refers to Mount Emei in Sichuan province. It is the ashram of Samantabhadra Bodhisattva. Mount Emei usually refers to the Da’e Peak of Mount Emei Scenic Area, the highest peak among the four most sacred Buddhist mountains. It is Listed both as the World Cultural and Natural Heritage among the four Buddhist mountains. By the middle of 1st century, Buddhism spread into Mount Emei from India though Silk Road. Then Wannian Temple (previously known as Puxian Temple) was constructed in the 3rd century, and more than 100 Buddhist temples were built afterwards, making Sichuan a Buddha center for a time. The giant bronze statue of Samantabhadra Bodhisattva in Wannian Temple was casted after a Buddhists group learnt Buddhism from India in Song Dynasty. Mount Emei is not only famous for its Buddhist treasures and precious cultural relics, but also for its four great natural spectacles of sunrise, clouds sea, golden summit and light of Buddha from the mountaintops at Golden Summit. Jast the same as other Buddhist shrines, there are many temples such as Baoguo Temple, Wannian Temple, Fuhu Temple...

Iron Jiuhua refers to Mount Jiuhua in Southern Anhui province. It is known as the shrine Ksitigarbha Buddha and one of the four most sacred Buddhist mountains in China. Initially named Mount Jiuzi, later it was renamed into Mount Jiuhua according to a poem by great poet Libai during Tang Dynasty - nimbus is divided to two kinds, sacred mountain generates nine glories to praise the beauty of Mount Jiuhua. The first religion developed in Mount Jiuhua was Chinese Taoism. Until the middle and late of Tang Dynasty, Buddhism was gradually accepted and spread in Mount Jiuhua along with construction of more Buddhist temples. There are 78 sites which contains precious Buddhist statues, scriptures and antiques, including Huacheng Temple which is the ashram of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva as well as the ancestral temple of longest history, Tiantai Temple, Longevity Palace, Zhiyuan Temple and etc.

B. Terms and Expressions

Buddhist adj.佛教的

Buddhism n.佛教

shrine n.圣地

pullulate v.大量产生

Gold Wutai 金五台

Silver Putuo 银普陀

Copper Emei 铜峨眉

Iron Jiuhua 铁九华

Manjusri Bodhisattva 文殊菩萨

Avalokitesvara 观音菩萨

Samantabhadra Bodhisattva 普贤菩萨

Ksitigahba Buddhisattva 地藏菩萨

reincarnate v. 使转世，使化身

ashram n. 修行的住所

Lumpini n. 蓝毗尼

Sarnath n. 鹿野苑

Buddha-gaya n. 菩提伽耶

Kushinagar n. 拘尸那罗

Wanghai Peak 望海峰

Yedou Peak 叶斗峰

Guayue Peak 挂月峰

Splendid Peak 锦绣峰

Cuiyan Peak 翠岩峰

Xiantong Temple 显通寺

Nanchan Temple 南禅寺

Foguang Temple 佛光寺

The Great White Tower 大白塔

Puji Temple 普济寺

Fayu Temple 法雨寺

Huiji Temple 惠济寺

The Purple Bamboo Woods 紫竹林

Wannian Temple 万年寺

Baoguo Temple 报国寺

Fuhu Temple 伏虎寺

Golden Summit 金顶

Huacheng Temple 化城寺

Tiantai Temple 天台寺

Longevity Palace 百岁宫

Zhiyuan Temple 祗园寺

nimbus is divided to two kinds, sacred mountain generates nine glories to praise the beauty of Mount Jiuhua. -By Libai

妙有分二气，灵山开九华。—李白

C. Questions

1.What are the Four Buddhist Shrines or the Four Sacred Buddhist Mountains ?

2.Which bodhissattvas' holy seats are the four mountains belong to respectively?

3.Where are the Four Buddhist Shrines respectivly?

4.What are the top five Buddhist shrines in the world?

5.Among the Four Buddhist Shrines, which one has the honor of "The Buddhist Kingdom on the Sea"?

6.Among the Four Buddhidt Shrines, Whose name is related with the Poet Libai?

References

--Zhang Yinliu (talk) 03:03, 4 December 2020 (UTC)

Zhang Yu 张瑜

Compass

Compass, together with papermaking, gunpowder and printing was referred to the Four Great Inventions, celebrated in Chinese culture for their historical significance. Compass, as the ancient China’s advanced science and technology, has made great contribution to the navigation undertaking both in China and the rest of the world. China was the first one to find the magnetism that could guide the polarity and use the polarity in the earth’s magnetic field and invent the instrument that could guide the directions. The earliest reference to magnetism in Chinese literature, Devil Valley Master, was found in the 4th century BC. It recorded that "The lodestone makes iron come, or it attracts it". The earliest south-pointing device probably appeared in the Warring States Period. It seemed like a spoon made by lodestone. With round bottom, it could rotate freely in the smooth plate. When it stopped, the handle of the spoon would guide the South. Therefore, people all called it "south-governor" or Si Nan. However, in the process of making the south-governor, the lodestone was easy to lose its magnetism due to vibration. Besides, when rotating on the plate, it produced huge friction and resistance, which affected its effects. Therefore, the south-governor has not been applied in a wide range. In the Song Dynasty, the book Wu Jing Zong Yao(General Military Principles), written by Zeng Gongliang and Ding Du in 1044, recorded a magnetic device used as a "direction finder", called "south-pointing fish". It made by thin iron slice and was magnetized by the earth's magnetic field. When people made use of it, they could float it in a bowl of water to guide the south. The device was recommended as a means of orientation "in the obscurity of the night". Although it effectively avoided the shortcomings of the south-governor, the magnetism was weak acquired from the magnetic field, resulting in the decreased in practical values. In the South Song Dynasty, the book Dream Pool Essays written by Shen Kuo recorded the first magnetic needle compass, which was the combination of the magnetic needle and plate. This kind of compass had meridian indicator needle, which directed the south and the north. There are two types of magnetic needle compass, that is wet suspension compass and dry suspension compass. The wet suspension compass was used with its needle floating on the water. And the dry suspension compass was a wooden frame crafted in the shape of a turtle hung upside down by a board, with the lodestone sealed in by wax. When floating, the needle at the tail would always point at the northern cardinal direction.

Compass, as an instrument to guide the direction, had played an important role in people’s daily life and navigation undertaking. At the beginning, the compass was used for geomancy (prognostication) to determine the best location and time for things such as burials and weddings. It was recorded that Qin emperor used the diving board and compass in royal court to affirm his right to the throne. The original shape of the compass made people believe that the square plate symbolized earth and the circular disc symbolized heaven. And around the circular disc, there inscribed the Eight Trigrams, the 24 directions (based on the constellations) and the 28 lunar mansions (based on the constellations dividing the Equator). Although the geomancy was a kind of superstition, the compass was endowed with people’s wishful thinking. Nowadays many people still use the concepts of Feng Shui to decide the location of buildings and enterprises as well as the auspicious time for open ceremony.

Before the invention of compass, navigators usually depended on the positions of the sun, the moon and the polestar to take their bearings. However, relying on the celestial phenomena posed another problem. When the navigators met the rainy days, they were unable to distinguish the directions according to the celestial phenomena. The appearance of compass made up for the defect. The compass used for navigation started from the end of Northern Song Dynasty. In the Ming Dynasty, it was with the compass that the navigator, Zheng He, could made seven voyages to the western countries. The voyages expanded the foreign trade and promoted the exchanges of economy and cultures between China and western countries. The compass had played an important role in providing guidance.

The compass was introduced to the Arab world and Europe during the Northern Song Dynasty. After the compass entered into the Europe, the Europeans further improved the compass and invented the dry compass with fixed support. Until 15th century, they invented the gimbal to keep the dry compass in a horizontal level. The application of compass in Europe promoted the coming of the age of sail. The great philosopher Marx pointed that Europe opened the global market and established the colony via the compass.

Diagram of a Ming dynasty mariner's compass, Public Domain license by Wikimedia. Click [1] for original source.

References

• "FOUR Great Inventions". China's Foreign Trade.05(2012):94.
• "Compass, One of the Four Great Inventions of Ancient China". China Week.04(2003):35.
• 鲁才全，黄惠贤. 《中华文明光耀寰宇 中国古代的“四大发明”及中华医药学》. 1995:1-11.

Terms and Expressions

• Four Great Inventions四大发明
• Devil Valley Master 鬼谷子
• lodestone 天然磁石
• south-governor司南
• Wu Jing Zong Yao (General Military Principles) 《武经总要》
• Zeng Gongliang曾公亮
• Ding Du丁度
• south-pointing fish指南鱼
• Dream Pool Essays 《梦溪笔谈》
• wet suspension compass 水罗盘
• dry compass旱罗盘
• Eight Trigrams八卦
• gimbal常平架

Questions

• What’s the earliest reference to magnetism in Chinese literature? (Devil Valley Master, found in the 4th century BC)
• When did the earliest south-pointing device appear? (In the Warring States Period)
• Why had the south-governor not been applied in a wide range? (In the process of making the south-governor, the lodestone was easy to lose its magnetism due to vibration. Besides, when rotating on the plate, it produced huge friction and resistance, which affected its effects.)
• What are the differences between the south-governor and the south-pointing fish? (The south-governor seemed like a spoon made by lodestone. With round bottom, it could rotate freely in the smooth plate. When it stopped, the handle of the spoon would guide the South. While the south-pointing fish was made by thin iron slice and was magnetized by the earth’s magnetic field. When people made use of it, they could float it in a bowl of water to guide the south.)
• What are the two types of magnetic needle compass? (wet suspension compass and dry suspension compass)
• What’s the symbol of the original shape of the compass? (the square plate symbolized earth and the circular disc symbolized heaven)
• What did the navigator depend on before the invention of the compass? (Before the invention of compass, navigators usually depended on the positions of the sun, the moon and the polestar to take their bearings.)

Zhang Yujie张毓婕

Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio

"Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio", abbreviated as "Liao Zhai", is a collection of short stories in classical Chinese created by Chinese Qing Dynasty novelist Pu Songling. The earliest copy of it can date back to the Kangxi period of the Qing Dynasty.

The Introduction of the Author-Pu Songling

Pu Songling was born in a scholarly family. In his early years, he wanted to take part in the imperial examinations to become an official. Unfortunately, after repeated attempts, he could only make a living by teaching. He had been interested in folk stories about ghosts and gods since he was a child. In order to collect materials, Pu Songling once opened a teahouse in front of his home. People who come to drink tea can use a story to replace tea money. Each time he was told a wonderful story, Pu Songling would polish it after he went home. In this way, Pu Songling collected a large number of bizarre stories, and after sorting and processing, he included many of them in "Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio".

Contents and Themes

The whole book of " Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio " has nearly 500 chapters which can be divided into three types:

One is the love story, which occupies the largest proportion of the book. Most of the main characters in these stories are not afraid of feudal ethics and bravely pursue free love. Representative works of this type include "Lotus Fragrant", "Xiao Xie", "Lian Cheng", "Huan Niang", "Crow Head" and so on. The second is to criticize the imperial examination system for its destruction of scholars. "Ye Sheng", "Si Wen Lang", "Yu Qu E" and "Wang Zian" are all such works. The third is to expose the brutality of the ruling class and their oppression of the people, which is of great social significance, such as "Xi Fangping", "Promoting Weaving", "Dream Wolf", and "Mei Girl".

In despair, Pu Songling expressed his desire for a better future with fantasy fairies, ghosts and fox spirits. He reflected the real life and put forward many important social problems. He strongly criticized the shortcomings of the examination system, the spirit of feudal ethics, and supported for free love.

A Typical Story

Qiao Sheng, a native of Jinning(a place in Yunnan province), was a honest young man with outstanding talents. At that time, a wealthy middle-aged man wanted to choose a son-in-law for his daughter, Lian Cheng. Although Qiao Sheng was very poor, he was appreciated by Lian Cheng because of his integrity and talents, but Lian Cheng was forced to be engaged to the son of a salt merchant. Soon afterwards Lian Cheng got a strange disease and the only way to save her was to make a kind of medicine with an adult man's chest meat. Lian Cheng’s father was extremely worried and promised to marry his daughter to whoever agreed to save her. Without hesitation, Qiao Sheng came to Lian Cheng and cut off the meat from his chest. But after Lian Cheng recovered from her illness, her father broke his word and refused to marry Lian Cheng to Qiao Sheng. In a few months, Lian Cheng died of sadness. Qiao went to mourn before her death, and also died of excessive grief. In the underworld, the two met again. With the help of a friend, Qiao Sheng and Lian Cheng both came back to life. However, the salt merchant bribed the judge and he sentenced Lian Cheng to marry the son of the salt merchant. Lian Cheng did not eat and drink at the salt merchant’s home, and she even tried to hang herself. The salt merchant had no choice but to let Lian Cheng go home. In the end, Qiao Sheng and Lian Cheng had a happy ending.

Features of the Book

1.The stories are bizarre and full of changes. The author uses fairies and ghosts to describe the human society, making the novels mysterious and bizarre. What’s more, readers are captivated by the twist and turn of the plot.

2.Making the plants and animals full of natural characters and the features of the human. The heroines of these novels have both human thoughts and feelings as well as the features of animal’s appearance. The author perfectly unifies the two to achieve the effect of "forgetting to be alien".

3.The languages are concise and comprehensive, pregnant with meaning widely.

4.Using a lot of descriptions of environment, appearance, and mentality as well as vivid languages to create distinctive characters. For example, Ying Ning, a female character in the book, was living in a courtyard with lively birds and the fragrance of colorful flowers, and her living room was bright and clean. The environment was in harmony with her beautiful appearance and innocent temperament.

Terms and Expressions

teahouse 茶馆

scholarly family书香世家

imperial examination 科举制度

underworld 阴曹地府

fox spirit 狐妖

salt merchant 盐商

forgetting to be alien 忘为异类

Questions

1.How many chapters are there in the Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio?

Nearly 500.

2.How did Pu Songling collect stories from others?

Pu Songling opened a teahouse in front of his home and let people who come to drink tea use a story to replace tea money.

3.Do you know the types of the stories in this book?

One is love story, the second is to criticize the imperial examination system and the third is to expose the brutality of the ruling class and their oppression of the people.

4.Please list some representative works of love story in this book.

"Lotus Fragrant", "Xiao Xie", "Lian Cheng", "Huan Niang", "Crow Head".

5.In the typical story, when Lian Cheng was ill, what was the only way to save her?

The only way to save her was to make a kind of medicine with an adult man's chest meat.

6.Could you please list one or two features of the book?

The stories are bizarre and full of changes.

Making the plants and animals full of natural characters and the features of the human.

The languages are concise and comprehensive, pregnant with meaning widely.

Using a lot of descriptions of environment, appearance, and mentality as well as vivid languages to create distinctive characters.

Zhang Yuxing 张宇星

A. Confucianism

In the Pre-Qin period, scholars from different schools were gathering together to share their opinions toward the same issues and try to figure out the best way to solve problems at that time, forming a famous situation of “One-hundred schools of thought”. Among them, Confucianism, with representative figures of Confucius, Mencius and Xunzi, was prominent and has caught many attentions. Even at present, it is also one of the most important schools with far-reaching influence in Chinese history of thought.

Confucius is the founder of Confucianism. Living in the Spring and Autumn Period with many contradictions in the society, Confucius acknowledged those turbulences and wars threatened the traditional culture as more and more common people suspected, even criticized, the traditional culture, therefore, Confucius aimed to rebuild the balance in mind and seek for the new harmony in the society by reshaping people’s mind, which was the general background of the emergency of Confucianism. However, to establish a school and cure people’s mind is a tough work, especially at that time, as Emperor Shi Huangdi promoted legalism and prohibited Confucianism. In order to govern the whole nation, unified mind was essential, the emperor even buried many disciples committed to Confucianism and incinerated many masterpiece, causing profoundly negative effect, which was famous as “Burning of Books and Burying of Scholars” (“焚书坑儒”). However, as Confucianism was the treasure of traditional Chinese culture consisting quite a few thoughts with far-reaching meaning in our life, it was boasted by Dong Zhongshu in Han Dynasty. As Confucianism had some flaw in Pre-Qin Dynasty, Dong Zhongshu integrated part of thought from Legalism and Daoism to further its development, and applied it in the governance. Since then, the model of governing the country with Confucian ethics and morality as the center, with the strict punishment of the jurist as the auxiliary with Taoist power politics as the means, basically conformed to the national conditions of ancient China, and became the ruling class of all dynasties to pursue the unchanged rule of the country.

In Confucianism, benevolence stands in the center. It proposes that the governor should love and be kind to his people. Only in that way, he could govern the whole nation as long as possible and the nation can survive whatever disaster it encountered. In our daily life, Confucianism has its cues in every part of life, and we also advocate Confucianism and regulate our behaviors according to it.

B. Taoism or Daoism

Taoism also named for Daoism. Its representative figures are world-renowned Chinese thinkers: Lao-Tzu and Zhuang Zhou. There are quite a few famous masterworks of Taoism, among which the most famous is Tao Te Ching (《道德经》). Although Confucianism has far-reaching influence on Chinese society, Daoism also stands prominently in the history of Chinese thought as it has the deepest influence on Chinese philosophy, literature, science and technology, art, music, health, religion and so on, so we need to know it comprehensively.

First, the same with Confucianism, Taoism also emerged in the Pre-Qin Dynasty and was part of “One-Hundred School of Thoughts”. And in the Spring and Autumn Period, Lao-Tzu concluded the quintessence of scattered thoughts about Daoism into a systematic thought, which symbolizes the form of Daoism. After Lao-Tzu, the school of Daoism was divided into different part, with Huang-Lao Thought being the most famous among others. Then, Lu Buwei compiled “Lü shih ch'un ch'iu” (《吕氏春秋》), also referred to The Annuals of Lu Buwei, which set Daoism as its main thought and integrated other schools, landing the preparation for the great unity then.

However, after the foundation of Qin-Dynasty, Emperor Shi Huangdi turned to Legalism. In the Han Dynasty, the governor chose Daoism as the official thought to unify the whole nation, which symbolized the its resurgence, and even Dong Zhongshu absorbed the positive points of Daoism and integrated them into Confucianism in his governance. When it came to Sui and Tang Dynasty, Daoism became prominent once again as Wang Yangming and other important figures combined its thought with Buddhism. At present, the thought of Daoism also present in our life, especially in management and business.

C. Legalism

Legalism is a famous school of thought in Chinese history with the rule of law as its core. Unlike Confucianism and Daoism, people promoting Legalism are not only ideologists, but also activists focusing on the practical use of laws or regulations.

Legalism was born quite late, but it came to take its form very quickly as Emperor Shi Huangdi initiated the period of governing the country according to the rule of law, falling into the category of Legalism. Since then, each monarch, to some extent, follows this principle. In this way, Legalism keeps its status and influences Chinese governance greatly. Even at present, we still promote the rule of law as it can ensure the fairness and justice of the judgment and safeguard the common people at large.

Legalism advocates clear rewards and punishment according to laws and regulations. To that end, Provisions should not be set arbitrary, rather, it should be clear and explicit with official formulation, and governments are responsible for informing common people so as to ensure that everyone has known that and would follow regulations.

D. Mohism

Mohism, also referred to Moism and developed by academic scholars studying under the leadership of ancient Chinese philosopher Mozi, was one of the four main philosophic schools from around 770–221 BC (during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods), about the same time as Confucianism, Taoism and Legalism. Different from three schools listed above, Mohism focuses on natural science and logic, rational thought. A tradition of Mohism, a disciplined group, goes that disciples in official states, wherever he is, should promote the school’s proposition in his or her official states, and their salary must also be dedicated to the group. The development of Mohism has former and later period with different focus. The early thought mainly involves the social politics, ethics and the ideology, paying attention to the present world war, and the later contributed greatly in logic, closer to the field of scientific research. The main ideas of Mohism are equal love between people (Jian Ai) and against the war of aggression (Fei Gong). They also advocate economy, oppose waste (Jie Yong), attach importance to inheriting the cultural wealth of their fore-owners (Ming Gui), master the laws of nature (Tian zhi) and so on.

During the Warring States Period, Mohism mastered many practical techniques which were useful for the development of society, so it has attracted quite a few people to follow him. Even at present, it is widely accepted that top two influential schools of thought fall in Confucianism and Mohism. However, as Mohism promoted itself political status, many monarchs oppressed its development. Gradually, it lost the foundation of survive and came to extinct. Scholars failed to re-dig out the its precious thoughts from historical records until the end of the Qing Dynasty, After the arduous efforts of its disciples in recent years, the basic growing course has been found out, and the theories and thought appeared to recover and catch many scholars’ attention with self-advancement.--Zhang Yuxing (talk) 08:44, 5 December 2020 (UTC)

Questions

1.Who are the representive figures of Confucianism?

2.What is “Burning of Books and Burying of Scholars” (“焚书坑儒”)?

3.What is the masterpiece of Daoism?

4.When did Daoism emerge?

5.What symbolize the form of Daoism?

6.What is the core of Legalism?

7.Why do we promote the rule of law at present?

8.What are the four main philosophic schools from around 770–221 BC?

9.What does Mohism promote?

10.What did Emperor Shi Huangdi promote?

Answers

1. Confucius, Mencius and Xunzi.

2. In order to govern the whole nation, unified mind was essential, the Emperor Shi Huangdi buried many disciples committed to Confucianism and incinerated many masterpiece, causing profoundly negative effect.

3. Tao Te Ching (《道德经》).

4. In the Pre-Qin Dynasty.

5. In the Spring and Autumn Period, Lao-Tzu concluded the quintessence of scattered thoughts about Daoism into a systematic thought, which symbolizes the form of Daoism.

6. The rule of law.

7. It can ensure the fairness and justice of the judgment and safeguard the common people at large.

8. Confucianism, Daoism, Legalism and Mohism.

9. The main ideas of Mohism are equal love between people (Jian Ai) and against the war of aggression (Fei Gong). They also advocate economy, oppose waste (Jie Yong), attach importance to inheriting the cultural wealth of their fore-owners (Ming Gui), master the laws of nature (Tian zhi) and so on.

10. Legalism.

References

1.陈建华. 孔孟之间的儒家人性世界[J]. 兰州学刊, 2020(B82).

2.王木林. 先秦儒家经济伦理思想阐释[J]. 山西财政税务专科学校学报, 2020(4): 45-47,51.

3.刘世宇. 命名与秩序——先秦儒家“名”思想引论[J]. 北京大学学报(哲学社会科学版), 2018(5): 73-81.

4.吴全兰. 论道家思想对西汉以儒学为主导的意识形态的补充与调节[J]. 中原文化研究, 2020(6): 20-27.

5.任安静. 探析儒家文化与道家文化中的美学思想[J]. 美术教育研究, 2020(19): 54-55.

6.宋丽艳. 论道家的自然理论及其实践智慧[J]. 黑龙江社会科学. 2020(4): 9-15.

7.王进文. “起礼义,制法度”——从“礼”的结构与功能探讨荀子对法家思想的吸收与改造[J]. 孔子研究. 2020(4): 135-151.

8.初婉琳. 浅析先秦时期的大一统思想——以法家为例[J]. 新西部. 2020(17): 14, 96.

9.和乐乐. 强国之道的反思:论秦代的法家思想及其走向[J]. 北京印刷学院学报. 2020(6): 58-61.

10.周宝砚. 墨家民本思想及其当代价值[J]. 学理论. 2020(11): 53-54.

11.程军. 现代“工匠精神”的传统道家思想来源——基于《庄子》匠人寓言的解读[J]. 理论月刊. 2020(9): 144-153.

12.马腾. 论清华简《治邦之道》的墨家思想. 厦门大学学报(哲学社会科学版). 2019(5): 63-73.

13.魏义霞. 先秦哲学与中国哲学的源头[J]. 首届“中华传统文化与华夏文明探源”国际论坛论文集. 2018. --Zhang Yuxing (talk) 13:21, 7 December 2020 (UTC)

Zhao Xi 赵茜

A. Writing Brush

Writing brush is a writing and painting tool originated from China and is one of the four treasures of the study, writing brushes, ink sticks, paper and inkstones. Its history dates back to the Neolithic Age, which has been 5000 or 6000 years up to now. However, the physical object of writing brush was found in a Chu tomb in the Warring States periods.

In the Qin dynasty, writing brush had its own basic model. It is said that the General Meng Tian in the Qin dynasty who was a supervisor of the construction of the Great Wall invented the writing brush. Therefore, in the hometown of writing brush --- Hengshui, Hubei province and Huzhou, Zhejiang province, people commemorate and celebrate the invention of writing brush by making dumplings and drinking on the 3rd of the 3rd lunar month.

In the Han dynasty, as the calligraphy grew vigorously, the making technique of writing brush has become more mature. The development of calligraphy promoted the shape of writing brush with excellent workmanship and started to pursue the decoration except for its function. The diameter of the pen-holder was from thick above to thinner below.It was no longer just a writing and painting tool, but an object worthy of appreciating and collecting. What’s more, writing brush-making industry came into being and grew gradually which made writing brush-making as a professional technology. Compared with the Qin dynasty, the writing brush in the Han dynasty was made more exquisite as people paid more attention to the comfort and feeling when they used it to write or paint.

In the Wei and Jin dynasties, the process of making writing brush was fundamentally similar to that in the previous dynasties. It only had little difference in the length and diameter of pen-holder for the user’s convenience.

The Sui and Tang dynasties were the flourishing period when the writing brush-making industry developed rapidly in Xuanzhou. In the Tang dynasty, the first professional producing place of writing brush came into being in the history, which made Xuanzhou of Anhui province play a role as the center of writing brush manufacturing all over the country. There were two masters of making writing brush. One was Mr.Chen and the other was Mr.Zhuge. The brushes produced in this place were called Xuan Chinese writing brushes and were much loved by writers, calligraphers, emperors and ministers. Materials for their head mainly was rabbit hair. For the selected superior material and exquisite workmanship, the writing brushes became tributes to the imperial household.

By the Song dynasty, writing brush manufacturing technology reached its peak. Xuanzhou was still the center of manufacturing and many new types of brushes were produced and the classification of brushes was more specialized. However, Xuan writing brush gradually lost its former level in workmanship because every place across the country had its own way to make writing brushes. The best choice of materials for the pen heads was not only the rabbit hair any more.

A batch of masters of making brushes appeared in the Huzhou of Zhejiang province in the Yuan and Ming dynasties, such as Wu Yunhui, Feng Yingke and Lu Wenbao. Writing brush made in this place, known as Hu writing brush, was characterized by pointed tip, even brush hair, round brush belly and flexible hair. Since the Qing dynasty, Huzhou has been the center of writing brush manufacturing. At the same time, several well-known writing brushes emerged in succession, among which writing brushes respectively made by Li Dinghe in Shanghai and made by Wu Yunhui in Jiangxi have won prizes in the international fairs.

In the late Qing dynasty, with the incoming of western paintings, traditional Chinese realistic paintings began to fail and the writing brush was renovated. There were three centers of writing brush manufacturing in the history, Hengshui, Xuanzhou and Huzhou. At present, painting brushes produced in Shanghai, Suzhou and Beijing also enjoy high reputation.

Writing brush can be classified according to the usage, shape, material of its head and so on. Brushes can be used to write or paint. Based on its shape, there are brushes with round hair and brushes with pointed hair. What’s more, materials for the head part of writing brushes includes goat hair, yellow weasel hair, black rabbit hair, pig hair, mouse mustache, and hair of buffalo’s tail. According to the hairs texture, Chinese brushes can be divided into the one with soft hair, mixed hair and hard hair. Considering the length of the tip, writing brush can be categorized as three types: small one, middle one and large one.

Different types of brushes may possess different functions and usages. Writers prior to the Song dynasty used brushes with hard hair to write. By the Ming and Qing dynasties, as writers wrote larger Chinese characters, brushes used by them were changed from brushes with hard hair to brushes made of goat hair, namely goat-hair brushes, because the length of goat hair was apt to write big characters. Generally, people often use brushes with hard hair to write cursive script and semi-cursive script and always use hard-hair brushes to write regular script, official script and seal script. As for choosing the tip of a writing brush, we should choose appropriate length. If the tip of a brush is long, the tip will not be easy to master, but the brush can contain a lot of ink, suitable for writing cursive script.

As a tool and carrier for inheriting and promoting Chinese culture and art, writing brush has forged a unique art of Chinese calligraphy and the distinctive artistic style of Chinese painting. Each dynasty in Chinese history has witnessed famous craftsmen appearing and fine works produced, which helped form a profound cultural accumulation.

B. Terms and Expressions

笔锋 the tip of a wring brush

笔杆 pen-holder

宣笔 Xuan Chinese writing brush

羊毫笔 goat-hair brush

鼠须笔 mouse-mustache brush

C. Questions

1. What are the four treasures of the study?

  Writing brushes, ink sticks, paper and inkstones

2. How long is the history of writing brush?

  5000 or 6000 years up to now.

3. When was the physical object of writing brush found?

  In the Warring States periods.

4. How many centers of writing brush manufacturing in the history? What are they?

  There were three centers of writing brush manufacturing in the history, Hengshui, Xuanzhou and Huzhou.

Zhao Xiaoyan 赵晓燕

Jingwei Tries to Fill the Sea

Jingwei is a bird in Chinese mythology, who was transformed from Yandi's daughter Nüwa. She is also a goddess in Chinese mythology. The story is recorded in the Shanhaijing:Three thousand ninety li farther southeast, then northeast, stands Departing-Doves Mountain. On its heights are many mulberry trees. There is a bird dwelling here whose form resembles a crow with a patterned head, white beak, and red feet. It is called Jingwei and makes a sound like its name. She is the younger daughter of Yandi named Nüwa. Nüwa was swimming in the Eastern Sea when she was unable to return to shore and drowned. She then transformed into the bird Spirit-Guardian and regularly carries twigs and stones from the Western Mountains to fill up the Eastern Sea. The Zhang River emanates from here and flows eastward into the Yellow River.[1] The story means dogged determination and perseverance in the face of seemingly impossible odds.Based on different research perspectives, people classify the myth into different types of myths. Obviously, the myth is a typical metamorphosis myth, and belongs to the myth of "life after death", that is, the soul is entrusted to a real substance. The woman drowned in the sea and became a bird to carry out the revenge business of reclamation. The myth of “Jingwei Tries to Fill the Sea” expresses the most essential and eternal thing about human beings: the fear of survival, and above all, the eternal and unique spirituality of human beings. These archetypal themes express the cultural consciousness of the ancestors arising from their most basic survival. Survival here is simply a cherishing of life. As a result of this initial instinct to preserve life, the sense of crisis gradually spread to a deeper and broader level in later generations.

The Great Flood of Gun-Yu

The Great Flood of Gun-Yu, also known as the Gun-Yu myth, was a major flood event in ancient China that allegedly continued for at least two generations, which resulted in great population displacements among other disasters, such as storms and famine. People left their homes to live on the high hills and mounts, or nest on the trees. According to mythological and historical sources, it is traditionally dated to the third millennium BCE, or about 2300-2200 BC, during the reign of Emperor Yao. Yu tried a different approach to the project of flood control; which in the end having achieved success, earned Yu renown throughout Chinese history, in which the Gun-Yu Great Flood is commonly referred to as "Great Yu Controls the Waters". Yu's approach seems to have involved an approach more oriented toward drainage and less towards containment with dams and dikes. According to the more fancily embellished versions of the story it was also necessary for him to subdue various supernatural beings as well as recruit the assistance of others, for instance a channel-digging dragon and a giant mud-hauling tortoise (or turtle). In the history of Chinese civilization, the story "the Great Flood of Gun-Yu" played an important role in healing water. In the process of curing water, Yu relied on the concepts of hard work, making the best use of the situation, scientific treatment of water and putting people first, and overcame many difficulties to achieve success. This led to the formation of the spirit of Da Yu's water management, which is based on the concepts of selflessness, national supremacy, people as the foundation of the nation, and scientific innovation. The spirit of the Great Yu is the source and symbol of the Chinese national spirit.

The Legendary of Nian

According to Chinese mythology, a Nian is a beast that lives under the sea or in the mountains. The character nian more usually means "year" or "new year". The earliest written sources that refer to the nian as a creature date to early 20th century. As a result, it is unclear whether the Nian creature is an authentic part of traditional folk mythology or a part of a local oral tradition which was recorded in the early 20th century. Nian is one of the key characters in the Chinese New Year with scholars citing it as the reason behind several practices during the celebration such as wearing red clothing and creating noise from drums and fireworks. Various aspects of cultural practices relating to Chinese New Year are now included as part of the nian legend. Once every year at the beginning of Chinese New Year, the nian comes out of its hiding place to feed, mostly on men and animals. During winter, since food is sparse, he would go to the village. He would eat the crops and sometimes the villagers, mostly children. There are several accounts as to how it looked, such as the way some sources cited that it resembles a flat-face lion with a dog's body and prominent incisor. Other authors described it as larger than an elephant with two long horns and many sharp teeth. The weaknesses of the nian are purported to be a sensitivity to loud noises, fire, and a fear of the color red. The reason why people consider the year as a monster is because the earth and sky bring food and clothing, as well as disasters. Therefore, it is important to start the year with a respect for nature and to pray for blessings through rituals.

Terms and Expressions

Jingwei Tries to Fill the Sea 精卫填海

Yandi 炎帝

Shanhaijing 山海经

Departing-Doves Mountain 发鸠山

Nüwa 女娃

Eastern Sea 东海

the bird Spirit-Guardian 精卫鸟

Zhang River 漳水

The Great Flood of Gun-Yu 鲧禹治水

Emperor Yao 尧帝

Nian 年

new year 新年

Questions

1.Who is Nüwa?

She is the younger daughter of Yandi,then transformed into a bird called Jingwei.

2.What can we learn from the Great Flood of Gun-Yu?

The spirit of Da Yu's water management, which is based on the concepts of selflessness, national supremacy, people as the foundation of the nation, and scientific innovation.

3.What are the customs of Chinese New Year?

Wearing red clothing and creating noise from drums and fireworks.

References

[1]Translation in Strassberg(2002),132. --Zhao Xiaoyan (talk) 14:04, 3 December 2020 (UTC)

Zhou Yiwen 周艺文

Face Changing in Sichuan Opera

Sichuan Opera (Chuan Ju) originated at the end of the Ming (1368-1644) and the beginning of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). With immigrants flooding into Sichuan, different dramas were brought in to blend with the local dialect, customs, folk music and dances. Gradually, brisk humorous Sichuan Opera, reflecting Sichuan culture, came into being.

Sichuan Opera is well-known in China, and it is characterized by solo singing, skillful acting, rich percussion and incredibly funny comedies. Performers wear brightly colored costumes and move to quick, dramatic music and they are always full of wit, humor, lively dialogues, and pronounced local flavors. They also wear vividly colored masks that they may change within a fraction of a second. The magic stunts such as quick face changes without makeup and the acrobatics such as jumping through burning hoops and hiding swords entertain and amuse audiences.

One of the most fascinating, artistic charms of Sichuan Opera is face-changing, which is achieved by quickly tearing off, rubbing, or blowing away a mask to reveal another. Face changing is the highlight of Sichuan Opera. It is said that ancient people painted their faces to drive away wild animals. Sichuan Opera absorbs this ancient skill and perfects it into an art.

The performer prepares many special masks in advance made of gauze and elastic materials, such as sheep embryo membranes and rubber. After the masks are painted with different designs and assembled with a special transparent thread, they are pasted onto the performer’s face. The special masks for “changing faces” must be made to fit the performer’s face to ensure that they are pasted as close as possible to the skin. Previously, the masks were discarded after a performance, but today they can be recycled with some minor repairs.

Face changing began 300 years ago, during the reign of the Qing Dynasty Emperor Qianlong (1736-1795). It is an important aspect of Sichuan Opera, and the precise techniques that are used to change masks in modern Sichuan Opera is a closely guarded secret. The secrets have been passed down within theatre families from generation to generation. It was listed as intangible cultural heritage in 2005. At the beginning opera masters changed the color of their face during performances by blowing into a bowl of red, black or gold powder. The powder would adhere to their oiled skin quickly. In another method, actors would smear their faces with colored paste concealed in the palms of their hands.

Face changing is a magical art. Actors change more than 10 masks in less than 20 seconds! By raising the hand, swinging a sleeve or tossing the head, an actor uses different masks to show different emotions, expressing invisible and intangible feelings through visible and tangible masks. The changing of types of lian pu (Chinese opera facial make-up) and colors reflect a character’s mood: for instance, red represents anger and black represents extreme fury. From green to blue, red, yellow, brown, black, dark and gold, these masks show fear, tension, relaxation, slyness, desperation, outrage, and so on.

Face-changing was first used in a story about a hero who stole from the rich to help the poor. When he was caught by feudal officials, he changed his face to puzzle them and escaped as a result. By the 1920s, opera masters began using layers of masks made of oiled paper or dried pig bladder. Skilled performers could peel off one mask after another in less than a second. In contemporary opera, performers wave their arms and twist their heads, and their painted masks are changed again and again, much to the astonishment and amusement of the audience. Modern-day masters use full-face painted silk masks, which can be worn in layers of as many as twenty-four, and be pulled off one by one. It is amazing to watch actors change their masks with a magical sweep of a hand or the turning of the head. It is difficult to see the masks being changed. Sichuan Opera master Peng Denghuai changed 14 masks in 25 seconds, and reverted to four masks after revealing his true face. This was his latest Guinness World record, breaking his previous one. Hong Kong super star Andy Lau was said to respect Mr. Peng as teacher and mentor in this stunt. One Sichuan Opera master also used Qigong movements as he changed face color from red to white, then from white to black.

There are three types of face changes, Wiping Mask routine, Blowing Mask routine and Pulling Mask routine. In the Wiping Mask routine the actor applies cosmetic paint in a certain position on his face. If the whole face is to be changed, the cosmetic paint is applied to the forehead or eyebrows; for changes on the lower half of the face, paint is applied to his cheeks or nose; or to other specific parts. The Blowing Mask routine works with powder cosmetics, such as gold, silver, and ink powders. Sometimes a tiny box is placed on the stage; the actor draws near and blows at the box. The powder will puff up and stick to the face. Sometimes the powder is put in a cup. The secret to success in this act is to close the eyes and mouth and to hold the breath. The Pulling Mask routine is the most complicated. Masks are painted on pieces of damask, well cut, hung with a silk thread, and the lightly pasted to the face one by one. The silk thread is fastened in an inconspicuous part of the costume. With a flick of his cloak the performer magically whisks away the masks one by one as the drama develops.

Today hi-tech is used to enhance this traditional art. Lasers and twinkling lights add a touch of mystery. And modern faces like Zorro are invited to the stage.

Vovabulary list

Sichuan Opera (Chuan Ju) n.川剧

Face changing n.变脸

gauze 纱布

sheep embryo membranes 羊胚胎膜

Lian pu 脸谱

Peng Denghuai 彭登怀

Andy Lau 刘德华

Wiping Mask 抹脸

Blowing Mask 吹脸

Pulling Mask 扯脸

Peng Denghuai 彭登怀

Andy Lau 刘德华

Zorro 佐罗

Questions

--Zhou Yiwen (talk) 11:42, 9 November 2020 (UTC)

1.How long is the history of Sichuan Opera?

Sichuan Opera (Chuan Ju) originated at the end of the Ming (1368-1644) and the beginning of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).

2.What are the characteristics of Sichuan Opera?

Sichuan Opera is characterized by solo singing, skillful acting, rich percussion and incredibly funny comedies.

3.What is expected of a Chuanju performer in appearance?

Performers wear brightly colored costumes and move to quick, dramatic music and they are always full of wit, humor, lively dialogues, and pronounced local flavors. They also wear vividly colored masks that they may change within a fraction of a second.

4.How long is the history of face changing?

Face changing began 300 years ago, during the reign of the Qing Dynasty Emperor Qianlong (1736-1795).

5.What are the three types of face changes?

There are three types of face changes, Wiping Mask routine, Blowing Mask routine and Pulling Mask routine.

Zhou Yuanqu 周园曲

中国古代选官制度--Zhou Yuanqu (talk) 12:55, 27 November 2020 (UTC)

Zhu Meimei 祝美梅

Ancient Chinese Doors and Windows

In the early age of human existence, the purpose for the construction of buildings was quite clear: to ensure security and ward off the cold.

When doors and windows first came into existence, they only had the primary function of ventilation and lighting. Nowadays, the Chinese character for “window” is 窗（chuang），but in ancient times, its was written as 囱（cong），which, both in meaning and pronunciation is the same as the character for “chimney”. This clearly shows that, in ancient times, windows were used for ventilation, at least they were used more for ventilation than for lighting. The traditional Chinese character for “door” is 門（men），composed of two door leaves (hu, 户), originally meaning a door with two leaves. Thus, a door with two door leaves was called a 门（men）, and door with one leaf was known as a hu, 牖（you），which is seldom used now, meant a window in the wall, whereas cong was a window in the roof.

Although no buildings prior to the Qin dynasty have survived, we can imagine how simple they were. Doors and windows at this time only had basic functions. We can assume that no decoration was applied, and that there were even no window rods. Windows with vertical rods appeared in the Han dynasty, which can only be seen in excavated funeral objects. During Han times, paper was not used to cover windows. Although papermaking was invented in the Western Han (206BC-25AD), it was not until hundreds of years later that paper was installed in windows. Historic Records of Later Han (Houhanshu), Biography of Liang Ji describes: “All the windows are covered qi and green suo.” Qi is a kind of fabric that can ward off wind and allow light to enter.

Great progress was made in architecture when windows with vertical rods came into existence. First of all, it made it possible to enlarge a window. If windows were not covered, the function of a house to ward off wind and cold would be diminished; if windows were too big, it would be difficult to close and block them up. In addition, as fabric manufacturing in the Han dynasty was quite developed, windows covered with fabrics were both practical and good-looking.

Windows with vertical rods began to be commonly adopted in Wei and Jin times. During this period there was a row of windows with vertical rods installed in the enclosed walls of many private residences. In the competition among literati in garden building, the function of doors and windows became sophisticated. Installed between natural scenes and houses, they acted as partitions.

During the period from the Sui and Tang dynasties to the Song dynasty, doors and windows in constructions gradually matured. From the drawings in the Building Standards, we can see diversified lattice patterns and elaborate carvings in waist panels, showing that a variety of decorative means for doors and windows were in place at that time. However, the style of lattice doors was comparatively simple, with only two types: single-waist-bar type and double-waist-bar type. The “waist bar” was a transversal wood bar inset in the part. Compared with a plank door, this kind of lattice door was better for lighting, more attractive in appearance, and lighter in weight.

In the Song dynasty, windows with vertical rods remained prevalent, while windows with traceries or scroll work were occasionally installed. There were two kinds of lattices used in windows: flat lattice and cuspate lattice. The cross section of a flat lattice strip was rectangular or square; whereas the cross section of a cuspate lattice strip was a triangle, with an angle pointing outwards and the bottom pointing inwards, so that the indoor side of the lattice could be pasted with paper or fabrics.

Lattice doors in Song times were wide and low, while in the Ming and Qing such doors (renamed “partition doors”) became narrower and higher. Two reasons were attributable to such changes. First, horizontal upper windows were seldom installed on top of partition doors in the Ming and Qing. Second, very often in Ming and Qing constructions, partition formed much of the facade of a house, and an increase in the number of such doors could create a more rhythmic effect, which would also make it easier to evenly distribute the doors.

Innumerable doors and windows of the Ming and Qing, either from official buildings or from private residences, have survived today, including all kinds of exquisitely made partition doors and windows. As the area south of the Yangtze River was prosperous and rich, and possessed a very talented society, doors and windows from this area are especially representative of the talents and adeptness of craftsmen in older times.--Zhumeimei (talk) 01:05, 23 November 2020 (UTC)

References

梁思成.中国建筑史[M].江苏美术出版社，1994.

萧默.中国建筑艺术史[M].文物出版社，1999.

张家骥.中国造园论[M].山西人民出版社，1991.

马未都.中国古代门窗[M].中国建筑工业出版社，2006.

Terms and Expressions

ventilation 通风

chimney 烟囱

qi 绮

green suo 青锁

Building Standards 《营造法式》

waist panel 腰华板

lattice pattern 格心

single-waist-bar type 单腰串（腰串是指格门框架中间横向木条，用以分割格门上下部分）

double-waist-bar type 双腰串

Windows with vertical rods 直棂窗

partition door 格门

Questions

What’s the function of doors and windows at the very beginning?

Why windows with vertical rods have made great progress in architecture history?

What's the meaning of “waist bar”?

Answers

They only had the primary function of ventilation and lighting.

First of all, it made it possible to enlarge a window. In addition, as fabric manufacturing in the Han dynasty was quite developed, windows covered with fabrics were both practical and good-looking.

The “waist bar” was a transversal wood bar inset in the part.

Yuelu Academy(One of the Four Most Prestigious Academies)-Zhu Xu 朱旭 student no.202070080631

Yuelu Academy(One of the Four Most Prestigious Academies)

As one of the four most prestigious academies over the last 1000 years in China, Yuelu Academy has been a famous institution of higher learning as well as a centre of academic activities and cultures since it was formally set up in the ninth year of the Kai Bao Reign of the Northern Song Dynasty (976).

The Academy has witnessed a history of more than one thousand years without a break, so it is called a "one-thousand-year-old academy". The historical transformation from Yuelu Academy to Hunan University is an epitome of the development of China's higher education, which mirrors the vicissitudes of China's education system.Shortly after its establishment, Yuelu Academy was known throughout the whole of China for its style of school management and its role in the dissemination of academic learning. When Emperor Zhenzong of the Northern Song Dynasty summoned the dean, Zhou Shi, to an interview, and conferred upon the Academy his Majesty's inscription, Yuelu Academy vaulted into great fame, and enjoyed the reputation "xiao xiang zhu si", meaning it was a place in Hunan where great scholars assembled. It is right here that the renowned "Huxiang School of Learning" in the history of the li philosophy (the philosophy of principle) began to gain currency when Zhang Shi lectured in the Academy in the Sorthern Song Dynasty. And when Zhu Xi came here twice to give lectures, so popular were the lectures that there were too many visitors for the Academy to seat, and the water in the Yinma Pond (the Horse-Watering Pond) was drained by their horses.

Later on, the Academy saw other learning and ideas promulgated and exchanged such as the Yangming School in the midst of the Ming Dynasty, the Donglin School in the last years of the Ming dynasty, the Han School of the Qian Long and the Jia Qing Reigns (1736-1821) and the New Learning of the last years of the Qing Dynasty. The academic learning and education system of Yuelu Academy have had a far-reaching impact on the formation and development of Hunan's cultural tradition.

Yuelu Academy mainly comprises Main Gate, Lecture Hall, Lushan Temple Tablet, Yushu Library, Wenchang Pavilion, Six Gentleman Hall, Ten-sacrificial-vessels Hall, Grand Sunlight Platform, the Banxue Building, the Hexi Platform, etc.The four characters "Yue Lu Shu Yuan" (Yuelu Academy in Chinese) on the horizontal board of the Main Gate were inscriptions of Zhenzong, an Emperor of the Song Dynasty (960AD-1279AD). From then on, Yuelu Academy became well-known all around the country and students came to study in an endless stream. On the door posts of the gate are couplets which read Wei Chu You Cai, Yu Si Wei Sheng (the Kingdom of Chu, the unique home of talents; the Academy of Yuelu, the very cradle of all). This couplet originates from Chinese classics and is considered appropriate, given the fact that talents have been delivered continuously by the Academy since its establishment.

the gate of Yuelu Academy

Its architecture part had been reconstructed in 1980’s, but the garden landscape lacked unified design. Nowadays, the garden landscape of academy is losing its poetic imagery gradually. Under the principle of respecting history and spreading garden tradition, the conception of improving landscape axis for the academy and restoring Eight Scenes of Yuelu Academy is proposed for the overall restoration of the academy landscape. It is meaningful for setting a good example for the Chinese classical academy’s garden and replenishing the traditional garden art.The Lecture Hall, also called a "Hall of Loyalty, Filial Piety, Integrity and Chastity", is a core building of the Academy. Located at the heart of the Academy, the Lecture Hall is the most important place for teaching and momentous ceremony. In the 6th year of Qiandao Reign (1168 A), the Southern Song Dynasty, the famous idealists Zhang Shi and Zhu Xi made a joint lecture here, which was the first joint lecture in the Confucian academies of China.

plan for Yuelu Academy

There are also many valuable cultural relics made of steles in the Lecture Hall. On the inner walls of the hall are engraved four big Chinese Characters- Zhong, Xiao, Lian, Jie (loyalty, piety, honesty and integrity) which were written by the great scholar Zhu Xi. There are others famous saying inscribed as well, such as "Uniform and stand as a mark of respect" written and set by Ouyang Zhenghuan, a master of the Qing Dynasty, and the stele "School Regulations" written by master Wang Wenqing of the Qing Dynasty are all important historical materials for the study of the education in China's Confucian academies. They still hold their own enlightening meaning to us nowadays.

A group of Qin documents inscribed on bamboo slips was acquired by the Yuelu Academy on the antique market in Hong Kong in 2007. Four of these manuscripts are criminal case records dated from the final decades before the unification of China by the state of Qin in 221 B.C. These texts shed light not only on the administration of justice on the eve of imperial unification but also on various aspects of social, economic, and cultural history and historical geography.

Having a history of more than one thousand years, there have been countless talented students learning here. Especially in the late 19th century and 20th century, it witnessed a great number of patriotic thinkers, politicians, militarists, industrialists and diplomats.Today, Yuelu Academy, which has undergone restorations, has been listed as a key historical site under the state protection. It still shoulders the responsibility of conducting academic researches and training professionals.--Zhu Xu (talk) 15:24, 6 December 2020 (UTC)

References

徐艳文.古朴典雅的岳麓书院建筑群[J].中外建筑,2020(06):17-20.

陈宇翔.岳麓书院:湖湘文化传承的圣地[J].新湘评论,2020(03):22-23.

陈松长.岳麓书院所藏秦简综述[J].文物,2009(03):75-88+1.

孔素美,白旭.中国古代书院建筑形制浅析——以中国古代四大书院为例[J].华中建筑,2011,29(07):177-180.

楊振紅, 金鍾希. Laws Relevant to “Benming and Guard” in the Qin Bamboo Slips Collected by Yuelu Academy. 2018, 142:1-23.

Legal Process Unearthed: A New Source of Legal History of Early Imperial China. 2017, 137(2):383-391.

Li Bo He, Xing Yao Xiong. The Landscape Restoration Conception of Yuelu Academy Scenic Zone. 2012, 1976:405-411.

Terms and Expressions

Kai Bao Reign 开宝年间

Emperor Zhenzong 宋真宗

xiao xiang zhu si 潇湘洙泗

Huxiang School of Learning 湖湘学派

Donglin School 东林党

Lushan Temple Tablet 麓山寺碑亭

Yushu Library 御书楼

Wenchang Pavilion 文昌阁

Six Gentleman Hall 六君子堂

Grand Sunlight Platform 明伦堂

the Banxue Building 半学斋

the Hexi Platform 赫曦台

Currency, Jiaozi(A Paper Currency in Northern Song Dynasty) - Zou Xinyu 邹鑫雨, student no. 202070080633

Introduction

Jiaozi(A paper currency in Northern Song Dynasty)

Jiaozi was a form of banknote which appeared around the 10th century in the Sichuan capital of Chengdu, China. It 's recognized as the first paper currency in history by numismatists. Jiaozi was actually a certificate of deposit at first. During the Song Dynasty, "jiaozi banks" appeared in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, which offered a cash-custody services for merchants who had difficulty carrying large sums of money. The depositors would deliver their deposit to the jiaozi bank, and the bank would fill in the amount of the deposit on a paper roll made of broussonetia papyrifera(paper mulberry) and return it to the depositor, for which the depositor had to pay the bank the storage fee. This kind of mulberry paper roll, on which the amount of deposit was filled temporarily, was called jiaozi. With the development of the market economy in Northern Song Dynasty, the use of jiaozi became more and more widespread. Many merchants jointly established jiaozi banks which specialize in issuing and exchanging jiaozi, and set up branches in various places. As the banks kept their promises, jiaozi gradually won a high reputation. In order to avoid the trouble of minting and transporting the coins, more and more large transactions between merchants paid for the goods directly with jiaozi. Later, the dealers found that only using part of the deposit wouldn't endanger the credibility of jiaozi, so they began to print jiaozi with uniform denomination and formats as a new means of circulation to the market. It was this step-by-step development that made jiaozi gradually take on the characteristics of a credit currency and become a real banknote. In 1004-1007, Zhang Yong, the governor of Yizhou, reorganized the jiaozi banks, eliminating the outlaws and running them exclusively by 16 wealthy merchants. At this point, the issuance of jiaozi was officially recognized by the government in Northern Song Dynasty. E.g. (Mu Zi 2006, 79).

The Emergence of Jiaozi

The appearance of paper currency in the Northern Song Dynasty was not accidental; it was an inevitable product of socio-political and economic development. With the rapid development of the commodity economy in the Song Dynasty, there was a need for more currency in circulation, but the copper coin was in shortage and couldn't meet the demand in circulation. Iron coin was common in the Sichuan region at the time, and was of low value and heavy weight, making it extremely inconvenient to use. Chengdu was an important economic centre, and the roads to the outside world were extremely rugged, so there was an objective need for a light currency, which is the main reason why paper currency first appeared in Sichuan. Furthermore, although the Northern Song Dynasty was a country of highly centralized feudal dictatorship, the national currency was not uniform and there were several currency zones, each with its own rules, which were not used by the other. In addition, the Song government was frequently attacked by the Liao, Xia and Jin dynasties, and had to issue paper currency to cover its financial deficit. All these reasons led to the creation of the paper currency, "jiaozi".

The Development of Jiaozi

Initially, jiaozi was issued freely by merchants. In the early years of the Northern Song Dynasty, "jiaozi banks" emerged in Chengdu, Sichuan province, for merchants carrying large sums of money who operated a cash deposit business. At this time, jiaozi was only a form of deposit and withdrawal receipt, not currency. With the development of the commodity economy, the use of jiaozi became more and more widespread, and many merchants joined together to set up jiaozi banks specializing in issuing and exchanging jiaozi, and they also opened branch banks in various places. Due to the creditworthiness of the jiaozi bank owners, people could withdraw their money as they came. And the printed designs of jiaozi were too exquisite to be forged, the bank owners began to print jiaozi with a uniform denomination and format, which was issued to the market as a new means of circulation. This kind of jiaozi was already the symbol for minted coins, and really became paper currency. But it had not yet been recognized by the government, and was still issued by private individuals as "private jiaozi". Not all jiaozi banks were law-abiding and trustworthy. During the Jingde reign (1004-1007), Zhang Yong, the governor of Yizhou, reorganized the jiaozi banks, weeding out the outlaws and exclusively let sixteen wealthy merchant run the banks. It was only then that the issuance of jiaozi was recognized by the government. In the first year of the reign of Emperor Renzong of the Song Dynasty (1023), the government set up the Yizhou Jiaozi Affairs Department, with one or two officials as supervisors to preside over the issuance of jiaozi, and set up a paper-copying academy to eliminate currency forgery, strictly enforcing the printing process. This was the earliest paper currency officially issued by the government in China - the "official jiaozi".

The Influence of Jiaozi

The advent of jiaozi facilitated commercial exchanges and made up for the shortage of money in circulation, which is a major achievement in the history of China's currency. In addition, as the earliest paper currency issued in China and even in the world, jiaozi occupies an important position in the history of printing and printmaking, and is of great significance to the study of China's ancient paper currency printing technology, as well as a contribution of China's financial industry to the world.

References

• Mu Zi 穆梓. (2006). 漫谈世界上最早的纸币——交子 [Talking About The World's Earliest Banknotes - Jiaozi]. 中国品牌与防伪 China Brand and Anti-counterfeiting (01) 78-79.

• He Shengming. (1990). Dictionary of Finance and Economics[M].China Finance and Economics Press.

• Paper currency.Modern Chinese Dictionary (7th Edition)[M].The Commercial Press,2016.

• Jiaozi 交子.(2016).第七版现代汉语词典[Modern Chinese Dictionary (7th Edition)].The Commercial Press 商务印书馆.

4.Li You.Facts of The Song Dynasty[M].The Commercial Press,1935.

5.Xuan Yanwen.A Brief Analysis of Paper Currency in Song Dynasty-Jiaozi as An Example[D].Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences,2015.

6.Wang Baoping.On Jiaozi And The Commercial Prosperity of The Song Dynasty[J].Journal of Kaifeng Vocational College of Culture & Art,2010,02:47-50.

Terms and Expressions

jiaozi 交子

jiaozi bank 交子铺

private jiaozi 私交

Zhang Yong 张咏

Yizhou 益州

Yizhou Jiaozi Affairs Department 益州交子务

official jiaozi 官交子

Questions

1.What is the earliest paper currency in the world?

2.Why did people in the Northern Song Dynasty give up using iron and copper coins as currency in circulation?

3.Which group of people firstly issued jiaozi?

4.When was jiaozi officially issued by the government?

5.What achievements did jiaozi make?

6.What other Chinese paper currency do you know?

Answers

1.Jiaozi.

2.Because the copper coin was in shortage and couldn't meet the demand in circulation, and iron coin was common in the Sichuan region at the time, and was of low value and heavy weight, making it extremely inconvenient to use.

3.Merchants.

4.In the first year of the reign of Emperor Renzong of the Song Dynasty (1023).

5.The advent of jiaozi facilitated commercial exchanges and made up for the shortage of money in circulation.

6.Huizi(a paper currency in Southern Song Dynasty), the paper currency in Qing Dynasty, the paper currency in the Chinese Soviet Area Period and Renminbi.

--Zou Xinyu2 (talk) 07:51, 11 November 2020 (UTC)Zou Xinyu

Cosmetics, Traditional Chinese Make-Up - Zubareva, Ekaterina

--ZubarevaEkaterina (talk) 15:02, 14 November 2020 (UTC)

Introduction

Ancient China was the greatest power with a philosophy incomprehensible to our worldview. The culture of the East is strikingly different from that of the West. In China, it was customary for children to paint their cheeks with red paint in the form of an apple, so that the spirits, looking at the children, would be pleased, seeing that they were joyful and healthy. A fragile woman with a small foot was considered ideal. To do this, even in early childhood, girls wore tight shoes or tightly bandaged the foot so that it would stop growing.There are a lot of differences in types and ways of doing make up. [2]

Let's go back to Ancient China and talk about the history of cosmetics in China. Few people find it a secret that Chinese women have a yellowish skin color. To hide this "flaw", the women of ancient China used a powder made from rice starch. Such powder was abundantly sprinkled on the face, so many Chinese women had a snow-white face, and for contrast they painted their lips red, eyebrows shaded black. To apply blush, ancient Chinese women used vegetable broth, and the skin of the face was cleansed with milk and tea. At that time, Chinese women paid increased attention to nail care.

It is worth noting that many skin care products in Ancient China cost a lot, so only wealthy people or representatives of the nobility could afford such pleasure.

In our times, light types of makeup and a natural appearance are especially appreciated, while in the old days Chinese women preferred to abundantly apply a wide variety of paints to their faces, and the more paints were applied, the more beautiful a Chinese woman was considered. Accordingly, representatives of the nobility were considered the most beautiful, who had the opportunity to use the most exquisite and expensive recipes for personal care and makeup.

From childhood, Chinese women were taught the science of beauty: how to apply blush, mascara, whitewash, from an early age they were accustomed to the cosmetic etiquette of those times. For example, makeup had to be applied in such a way that the face appeared impassive, and the features did not have to be harsh and rough. By the way, if a Chinese woman bared her teeth while laughing, everyone considered her ill-mannered.[3]

I.Base make up

1.Lead powder

As early as the Shang Dynasty, in order to make their skin look white and delicate, people directly applied lead powder to the face, and it was the most common way of makeup at that time. “Sheng Nong’s herbal classic” also mentions that women make up with lead and tin powder. You should know that lead is highly toxic and does great harm to the skin, which is why ancient poetry always laments that beauty is easily lost.[4]

2.Rice powder

In fact, as early as before the lead powder, people still have relatively safe base makeup products, the earliest use of rice powder is made by the rice.

“Qimin Yaoshu (齐民要术)” also records the method of making rice powder in detail. The selection of rice is exquisite. It is not directly used after grinding into a fine powder, but also processed, soaked in cold water, fermented and rotted, then cleaned and drained, then exposed to the sun, and finally used for makeup. However, the adhesion of rice powder is not good, and it is easy to fall off once it moves, so it is quickly eliminated by the later lead powder.[5]

II.Color make up

Compared with modern times, ancient make-up is not so elaborate and simple. It can be generalized into three categories: blush, eyebrows, lipstick.

1.Blush

Blush also has a beautiful name in ancient times called Yanzhi (胭脂, rouge).

Rouge is a kind of cosmetics made from a kind of flower named “Hong Lan” as the main raw material after being mixed. After the Huns were introduced into the Central Plains, the production of rouge was not only limited to plants, but also added with oil, animal bone marrow, etc. to make its texture more viscous, forming a state of lipstick to adapt to different needs. Since then, the use of rouge has become more abundant.

2.Lipsctick

Lipstick is a popular aesthetic fashion product since the pre-Qin Dynasty. But in ancient times, it was called Chun Zhi (唇脂), or Kou Zhi (口脂). In ancient times, the color of lipstick was mostly red, which could make the color of lips more gorgeous, make people look better, more youthful and energetic. Therefore, it was deeply loved by ancient women. The painting methods of the female lip make-up in the past dynasties are different, but they can’t escape the similar aesthetics, that is, the smaller the lips, the better.

3.Eyebrows

Eyebrow painting began in the Warring States period, but the tools for eyebrow painting did not appear at that time. The beauty-loving women used burnt willow branches as eyebrow pens. Later, “Dai (黛)” appeared. It is a kind of mineral with a dark blue color. Before use, Dai must be put on the stone inkstone and ground into powder shape. Then, add water to mix.

In the Han Dynasty, it became more common and common to decorate the eyebrows, and it also derived a new aesthetic. The more women drew eyebrows, the better they looked. In a word, there are many ways to draw eyebrows in ancient times. It can also be seen from this that the ancient people were keen on drawing eyebrows at that time.

III.Tang dynasty make up

1.Early Tang Dynasty makeup style: the beauty of simplicity

The Tang dynasty makeup style of the can almost be said to be the most versatile in the entire ancient history of China, because both in terms of national power and politics, the Tang dynasty almost reached the pinnacle of history, and because of this prosperity, the makeup of the women’s makeup in the people’s peace of environment constantly changing refinement.[6]

With the transformation of the early Tang Dynasty, the flourishing Tang Dynasty, and the middle and late Tang Dynasty, the makeup was also making different changes, and for this reason, some special makeups were created, as we can see from the many ancient wall paintings and drawings.

In the early Tang Dynasty, influenced by the short-lived Sui Dynasty (581-617), the royal family did not pursue luxury and advocated simplicity. Therefore, the overall makeup of the women’s more subtle and graceful, to lightly coated with lead white makeup and lightly coated with rouge red makeup mainly.

-White make up-

Since ancient times, people have advocated the beauty of white, so women have the custom of powder, only to the Tang Dynasty, women’s powder and style more diverse and prevalent. During the Zhenguan period, white makeup was popular among women, probably the same as modern girls wearing BB creams and foundations.[7]

-Red make up-

In order to highlight the contours of the face and make the face look redder, women would choose one or a few places to dye rouge on the forehead, eyelids, cheeks, and chin during the Zhenguan to Wuzhou period.

As a result, red makeup such as Huadian(花钿), Xiehong(斜红), Mianye(面靥), and other red makeup and accessories have gradually diversified.[8]

2.Flourishing Tang Dynasty makeup style: the beauty of openness

After the Wuzhou period, the Tang Dynasty was at its peak, and there was closer communication between different ethnic groups, so women’s makeup also developed a new style. It was common for women to wear men’s clothing, without Weimao(帷帽)[9] and put on a pretty make-up. However, the women’s pursuit of beauty in the Tang Dynasty did not stop there, their facial makeup also changed a lot. Women’s red makeup redder, face rouge, Huadian also more and more.

For example, the Jiuyun makeup (酒晕妆, jiǔ yùn zhuāng), like a woman after drinking wine, is the most intense of the red makeup; the next is the Feixia makeup (飞霞妆, fēi xiá zhuāng), which has a white touched with red feel; the lightest is the more girly Peach-blossom makeup, light and bright as a peach blossom.[10]

In addition, there are some alternative makeups, such as tear makeups(泪妆) and Ti makeups(啼妆, tí zhuāng), which are even more like spreading rouge all over the face.

3.Middle & Late Tang Dynasty makeup style: the beauty of exaggeration

After the An Shi Rebellion (安史之乱), women’s makeup went through a peaceful transition period for decades, during which there were not many new styles and it became lighter.

In the mid to late Tang Dynasty, due to the impact of national and social unrest, women’s lives were no longer as unrestrained as they were during the peak of the Tang Dynasty, so their makeup also gradually changed.

However, the red makeup was still the mainstay, but women who liked to be different were more daring in the field of fashion and innovative makeup, but also absorbed more exotic elements, making a lot of makeup full of fantastic imagination, and even unbelievable.

The most prominent of the late Tang dynasty women’s distinctive make-up was the Yuanhe period’s Shishi makeup (时世妆, shí shì zhuāng).[11]

It is further exaggerated on the basis of the Ti makeup, the two cheeks painted redder, lips painted black, eyebrows painted as the end of the forked “Fen Shao eyebrows (分梢眉)”, or shaped like a spring silkworm out of a cocoon “Chu Jian eyebrows (出茧眉)”, the overall image is black eyebrows, face ochre, black lips.[12]

By the Changqing period, Shishi makeup was out of fashion. The woman’s black lips are no longer visible, but then another eye-opening makeup, Xie Yun makeup (血晕妆,xiě yùn zhuāng), began to prevail.[13]

A simple way to describe the Xieyun Makeup is that the woman shaves off all of her eyebrows and then draws three or four red or purple lines above and below her eyes to imitate the effect of being scratched, giving the impression of a bloodied wound.

4.Tang Dynasty Makeup – a reflection of the culture of the times

Tang dynasty social and economic, political and cultural prosperity, open atmosphere, giving women unprecedented tolerance, women’s makeup with the historical timeline, from subtle grace to graceful and elegant, so that we can see the creativity of women and artistic charm.[14]

Although the makeup of women in ancient times was aesthetically different compared to modern times, but behind every makeup, is the performance of Chinese cultural connotation, just with the flow of history, Tang Dynasty makeup has not been continued in life.

Overall, the boldness and innovation of Tang women in the pursuit of beauty and fashion have added an indelible chapter to the history of makeup and the Chinese culture.

References

https://www.newhanfu.com/what-is-traditional-chinese-makeup-1.html --ZubarevaEkaterina (talk) 09:23, 7 December 2020 (UTC)

https://www.newhanfu.com/history-of-tang-dynasty-makeup-style.html--ZubarevaEkaterina (talk) 09:29, 7 December 2020 (UTC)

https://makiyazhglaz.com/vidy-makiyazha-glaz/istoriya-makiyazha-drevnyaya-indiya#7b3--ZubarevaEkaterina (talk) 09:23, 7 December 2020 (UTC)

https://legchina.livejournal.com/410.html --ZubarevaEkaterina (talk) 09:23, 7 December 2020 (UTC)

http://www.chinamodern.ru/?p=1763 --ZubarevaEkaterina (talk) 10:14, 7 December 2020 (UTC)

https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/201804/21/WS5ada295aa3105cdcf6519a30.html --ZubarevaEkaterina (talk) 10:17, 7 December 2020 (UTC)

Some of Image Sources: Niki-镜子 & Vanessa_娜萨酱 [15]

Questions

1.What kind of powder did the women of ancient China use to have a snow-white face?

2.Why is lead powder dangerous?

3.What are 3 categories of Ancient Chinese make up?

4.What bacame more common in Han dynasty?

5.What are the types of Early Tang dynasty's make up?

6.Why is Tang dynasty make up a reflection of that time's culture?

Answers

1.Rice powder.

2.Lead is highly toxic and does great harm to the skin.

3.Three categories of Ancient Chinese make up : blush, eyebrows, lipstick.

4.Decorating eyebrows became more common.

5.White make up and Red make up.

6.Tang dynasty social and economic, political and cultural prosperity, open atmosphere, giving women unprecedented tolerance, women’s makeup with the historical timeline, from subtle grace to graceful and elegant, so that we can see the creativity of women and artistic charm.