20210601 culture5

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

=Wáng Zǐhán 王子涵= Tai Chi(taijiquan)

=Wang Zihan 王子涵= Tai Chi（Taijiquan）

Wang Zihan王子涵 Tai Chi（Taijiquan）

Introduction

1.1 Definition of Tai Chi

1.2 Types of Tai Chi

1.3 Health benefits of Tai Chi

Wǔ Sīyí 伍斯仪 Shu Embroidery (Sichuan Embroidery)

ok

Introduction

"Shu" was a beautiful and rich land in Chinese ancient times. In the book Origin of Chinese Characters(Shuo Wen Jie Zi), it explained that the character "Shu" looked like a silkworm crawling on a wide leaf. And in 12 types of oracle bone inscriptions, the character "Shu" also had the image of silkworm, which obviously expressed the relationship between "Shu" and silkworm. What's more, there were many legends that showed that Shu was the birthplace of silkworms and the kingdom of silk. For thousands of years, the silk civilization of ancient Shu bred advanced silk weaving technology, which not only provided raw materials——silk and silk threads for Shu Embroidery, which laid a solid foundation for the development of Shu embroidery; but also created an industrial and cultural environment for the development and prosperity of Shu embroidery.

History and Development

Shu embroidery, also called "Sichuan embroidery", mainly refers to embroidery in Chengdu-centered Sichuan Plain. Due to cultural and geographical factors, it also developed to the surrounding areas such as Chongqing. Shu embroidery and Xiang embroidery in Hunan, Yue embroidery in Guangdong, Su embroidery in Suzhou are called "Chinese four famous embroidery".

Shu embroidery was originated in the early Shang Dynasty. In the Spring and Autumn Warring States Period, the most developed textile industry was in Qilu area. With Qin gradually decreasing the six countries, the center of textile biased towards the ancient Shu. Besides, people's demand for diversity in clothing had made embroidery and brocade develop side by side, and produced the unique "brocade stitch" of Shu embroidery. In the Three Kingdoms Period, the nobles rushed to buy the splendid fabrics of Shu, so Shu embroidery became a symbol of wealth and status. At that time, Shu Embroidery was even used to exchange for carriages and horses to prepare for war. With the trade on the Silk Road, the demand for silk fabrics surged. In Sui and Tang Dynasties, Shu Embroidery developed rapidly and reached its peak, its weaving and embroidering patterns were also greatly enriched. Among them, the pattern invented by Dou Shilun was widely adopted and popular.

The hedonics of the emperors of the Song Dynasty greatly stimulated the demand for embroidery and promoted its development. And affected by Central Plains Embroidery School, people tended to pay more attention to the decoration and artistry of Shu embroidery rather than its practicality. Therefore, a large number of Shu embroidery were created on the basis of calligraphy and paintings of celebrities in the Song Dynasty. In the Ming Dynasty, in order to restore economy, Zhu Yuanzhang took effective measures to develop industry and commerce. Thanks to this, traditional textile technology had developed by leaps and bounds. Especially cross-stitch work and drawnwork were appreciated by civilians for their durability. In the Qing Dynasty, the industry of Shu embroidery gradually developed from home handmade to market-oriented management. In the late Qing, Shu embroidery formed a production and sales distribution center in Chengdu. With the improvement of the quality and quantity of Shu embroidery, a large number of works were spread overseas, which greatly enhanced the popularity of Shu embroidery in the world. Although various wars in modern times had a huge impact on Shu embroidery, and its skills had once been on the verge of extinction, after the foundation of new China, Chinese government attached great importance to the revival of Shu embroidery. Construction of a large number of technical centers and cultural bases helped to maintain the cultural treasure for generations.

Nowadays,the young generation have also contributed to the development and inheritance of Shu embroidery. What's more, extensive international exchanges and cultural dissemination let Shu embroidery shine home and abroad, making it possible for it to return to glory and prosperity.

References

1.古蜀丝绸文明 赵敏编,中国蜀绣,四川科学技术出版社,2011.05

Wú Xīnxīn 吴欣欣

Liu Zongyuan and Yongzhou ok

Yāo Yáng 么阳

Chinese traditional cultivation culture ok

Yì Míngxiá 易明霞 Ancient literature: The Classic of Mountains and Seas

1.Overview

The Ancient Chinese literature Shan Hai Jing, also known as The Classic of Mountains and Seas and The Classic of Great Wilderness, which was written by various authors in a single time, is a Chinese classic text and a compilation of mythic geography and beasts. It is largely a fabulous geographical and cultural account of pre-Qin China as well as a collection of Chinese mythology. The book is divided into eighteen sections; it describes over 550 mountains and 300 channels.

As for the content, it is not a narrative, as the “plot” involves detailed descriptions of locations in the cardinal directions of the Mountains, Regions Beyond Seas, Regions Within Seas, and Wilderness. The descriptions are usually of medicines, animals, and geological features. Many descriptions are very mundane, and an equal number are fanciful or strange. Each chapter follows roughly the same formula, and the whole book is repetitious in this way. Then, the different chapters of The Classic progress much like a travel record, in which each section concentrates on specific region, starting from the central lands (China) and working its way outward in each direction to the outlying lands located beyond the four seas surrounding the central lands. Different races, deities, plants, and minerals unique to their own region are described, and the text gives interesting information about each, including the histories and activities of many demonic or deific characters. This eclectic Classic also contains crucial information on early medicine (with cures for impotence and infertility), omens to avert catastrophe, and rites of sacrifice, and familiar and unidentified plants and animals. It offers a guided tour of the known world in antiquity, moving outwards from the famous mountains of central China to the lands “beyond the seas.” [Michael, 2001]

2.Authorship

The exact author(s) of the book and the time it was written were controversial. It was originally thought that mythical figures such as Yu the Great or Bo Yi wrote the book. The consensus among modern Sinologists is that the book was not written at a single time by a single author, but rather by numerous people from the period of the Warring States to the beginning of the Han dynasty. Then, based on Yang Xing-hui and Luo Da-he’s latest study, the book was initially dedicated by Bo Yi and transmitted orally by his descendants. Then, it was edited by Zhao Gao-lang or Heng the Father and presented to the emperor of the Zhou Dynasty by Zao the Father. Thus, it was passed on to the future generations. [Yang Xing-hui & Luo Da-he, 2016]

The Mythical Creatures Within the Book

The mythical creatures portrayed in the book have a romantic quality. They are a combination of ancient ancestors’ awe and admiration for morality, power, life and nature, and the result of ancient ancestors’ wisdom. Although these creatures are different from each other, they have certain features in common. Firstly, they all embody ancient ancestors’ original concept of life. Secondly, they usually have the qualities of a spiritual leader. Lastly, instead of being average people, these mythical creatures are all transcendent deities. [Xue Zheng-ying, 2016] The mythical creatures in the book can be classified into four kinds: the orcs, the aliens, the rare and exotic animals, the elves in plants. Some of them are popular and well know in Asian culture, such as Nine-tailed Fox, Phoenix, Nüwa, Houyi. These images are ancient people’s contemplation towards the origin of life and their exploration of nature. This surrealism has a profound impact on the traditional Chinese culture. Some of the images express Chinese ancestors’ pursuit of peace. Later, this pursuit of peace has also become a permanent pursuit in China. [Xiang Wei, 2020]

Here are some images and brief introductions to the mythical creatures within the book.

A nine-tailed white fox. As the legend goes, it was the matchmaker of China’s greatest hydraulic engineer The Great Yu and his wife Tushan Shi.

Fish Man, a mermaid, specialized in weaving waterproof silk fabric. According to the Book of Supernatural Beings, Fish Men/Women look like humans but with a fishtail. When they weep, their tears would turn into pearls; and their body oil can keep a lamp burning for a thousand years.

A beast with a dragon head and horse body known as the deity of Mt. Zhongshan.

A five-tail creature called Zheng, specialized in preying on man-eating beasts like tigers and leopards.

A Chinese unicorn called Guanshu.

A monkey-like creature known as Jufu, specialized in long-range stone hurling which terrified other beasts.

Changes in the Status

The earliest reference to the Classic of Mountains and Seas in history was made by Sima Qian, who expressed strong doubts about its credibility, which had a great impact on the status of the Classic of Mountains and Seas in the traditional Chinese civilization. Hence, since Liu Xiu of the Han dynasty complied the table of the Classic of Mountains and Seas and Guo Pu of the Jin dynasty made the first note about the Classic, scarcely had there been someone to study the book. Then, in the early twentieth century, the concept of “mythology” from the West and modern academic theories and methods such as anthropology and mythology were introduced to China. These brought a fundamental change in the status of the Classic. Since then, instead of being criticized by historians, it has become the cornerstone in contemporary study of “Chinese mythology”. [Chen Shuai, 2013]

Influences on Chinese Literature

The Classic of Mountains and Seas represents the earliest systematic repository of the myths and deities from ancient and early China, and this work has served as the primary inspiration for later Chinese mythology. The systematic presentation of these myths differs in nature from other textual collections of ancient and early myths identified with other parts of the world, which are structured by some forms of narrative continuity. The Classic is bereft of narrative continuity, and its material is structured in accordance with a mythic geography, in which different mythic elements, themes, and characters are located in terms of place and direction. It has no plot, but the mythological creatures and stories in the book lead to diversified imagination. The mythological creatures in the book have been extensively quoted in Chinese literature. In terms of narrative methods, the Classic is simple and concise in its descriptions but rich in imagination, which profoundly influences the narrative style and technique of the early Chinese novels.[Xiang Wei, 2021]

References

[1]项薇. (2021). 浅析《山海经》神话形象对后世小说文学的影响. 今古文创(12),25-26. doi:CNKI:SUN:JGWC.0.2021-12-011.

[2]Srisinthon, P. 2018. The Concept of Mountains in “The Classic of Mountains and Seas”. Walailak Journal of Social Science. 11, 1 (Jun. 2018), 101-129.

[3]薛正英.(2016). 论《山海经》神话英雄形象及文化精神. 现代交际(03),174-177+180. doi:CNKI:SUN:XKJJ.0.2016-03-068.

[4]杨兴慧 & 罗大和.(2016).《山海经》之作者析考. 西南民族大学学报(人文社科版)(10),66-73. doi:CNKI:SUN:XNZS.0.2016-10-011.

[5]陈帅. (2013). 《山海经》神话研究综述. 学理论(11),209-211. doi:CNKI:SUN:LBYT.0.2013-11-098.

[6]Michael, T. (2001). The Journal of Religion, 81(4), 678-680. Retrieved June 4, 2021, from http://www.jstor.org/stable/1206093

Questions

ok. Please do not forget to sign with the Wiki signature.

Yuán Jìng 袁静 Kingfisher Craft点翠

Dear professor, I suggest to change my topic into Kingfisher Craft.

Zhào Kē 赵轲 Chinese Funeral Culture

ok