中国传统艺术英语介绍资料

中国传统艺术英语介绍Chinese Folk ArtsPapercutThe papercuts of Shanxi feature a wide variety of themes, including flowers, human figures, animals, legends, folk tales all stoties from operatic works, and showing a bold and unrestrained style, simple and unsophisticated presentation and strong local characteristics. There are two types - colored and monochrome.Chinese papercutClay FigurinesThe Huishan clay figurines made in Wuxi, Jiangsu Province emerged in the Ming Dynasty and have a history of over 400 years. Thanks to their unique art style, these colored figurines have been well received by the Chinese people throughout the country and have been sold to 50 countries and regions. Masters of the art have given demonstrations in Japan, the U. S., Australia and other counthies. Hence Huishan clay figurines display the best color modeling art in the East.A coloured sheepWoodblock New Year PicturesYanghabu Woodblock New Year Pictures Originated in the Ming Dynasty. Yangjiabu is located near Weifang City in Shandong Province. The original settlers, mostly with the family name Yang,moved here from Zitong County in Sichuan Province during Hongwu reign period of the Ming Dynasty. The woodblock pictures used New Year decorations have mainly Buddhist themes, while the horizontal wall pictures are based on woodblock illustrations.Yangjiabu new year picturesFolding FanThe folding fan is a folk handicraft for use in cooling oneself in summer, and is also used as a decoration or a stage prop in traditional Chinese operas. Due to their fine workmanship, thefolding fans produced in Rongchang, Chongqing, are prized both at home and abroad. Since ancient times, Rongchang folding fans have been sold well throughout the country, as well as to India, Myanmar and other countries.Folding fanEmbroideryEmbroidery is traditional Chinese handicraft art. which is divided into the SuZhou, Sichuan, Guangdong and Hunan schools. Suzhou embroidery is celebrated for its sophisticated stitching, vivid pictures, beautiful patterns and elegant colors. Human Embroidery emphasizes vivid patterns. Guangdong and Sichuan embroideries feature popular motifs, such as a peacock spreading its tail, a magpie on the branch of a plum tree, pines and cranes as symbolsof long life, two dragons playing with a ball, and a phoenix and Peony. The embroidery items have varied themes: Some are romantic and exaggerative, others reflect the reality, or are vividand true to life. Both are of practical and ornamental uses.Chinese embroideryYang Liuqing New Year PicturesOne of China's three famous folk New Year picture styles, Yang Liuqing New Year Pictures originated in Yang Liuqing Town, in the westem suburbs of Tianjin City, in the early l7th century. Adopting the method of integrating block printing and hand-colored decoration, they are characterized by varied themes such, as brightness, vivacity, happiness, auspiciousness and fascination. The pictures by the young people in Yang Liuqing have enjoyed ahigh reputation in China.Yangliuqing newyear picturesFarmer Calligraphy and PaintingsXukou Town in Jiansu Province is known as a "town of Chinese Calligraphy and Paintings". Yushe and Yaoshe villages in the County are particularly famous for their output of calligraphy and painting. Over five million calligraphy and paintings have been produced in the County by more than 600 artists since 1956. In 1988 the "Youth Calligraphy and Painting Research Society of the Fragrant Hill of Wuxian County" was established. Xukou village's farmer paintings are renowned for their unique style integrating a strong flavor of life with the fragrance of the soil. Huangzhong County in Qinghai Province is also called a "County of farmer Calligraphy and Paintings" by artists. Over 70 local farmer painters have created more than 1, 000 art works, of which some have been displayed in the international and national exhibitions. Their paintings are characterized by a simple, vigorous natural and fresh style with traditional folk features.China Huxian peasant pantingsShadow Plays, Puppets and MarionettesShadow plays are a traditional folk art, the origin of which can be traced back to the Western Han Dynasty (206 BC ~ 24 AD). With puppets made out of cow's leather or donkey hide, the shadowplay figures of the Guanzhong area of Shaanai Province are modeled on the stone relief pattems of the Han Dynasty, the academic-style painting of the Song Dynasty and folk paper-cuts. Guanzhong shadow play figures are popular with collectors and as home decorations. Yangzhou's puppets are controlled by three wooden sticks - one to maulpulate the ears, eyes, nose and mouth of the puppet, and the other two to manipulate the puppet's hands. The music of the show is based on Beijing and local operas. The Yangzhou Puppet ArtTroupe has toured many countries and regions in the world, such as Japan, the United States, Australia, Russia, France, Italy, Holland, Taiwan and Hong Kong and has been well received by the audiences.Quanzhou City in Fujian Province is noted for its marionettes. Four puppeteers manipulate the figures, each of which can have up to 30 strings. Two international puppet festivals were held inQuanzhou in l986 and l990, respectively, in which over 300 artists from all over the world participated, including those from Britain, Germany, Austria, Italy, Spain,Holland, Japan and thePhilippines. Quanzhou also hosted the International Puppet Festival February 2002. Chinese leather shadow play puppetStone Carvings of Hui'anThe stone carvings of the Hui'an area of Fujian Province have a history of over 1,600 years. Over the centuries, they have developed into over 250 varieties in six categories. Hui'an stonemasons created such treasures as the East and West pagodas in Quanzhou, the peristyles of the Dragon Hill Temple in TaiPei, the stone lion at the Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum in Nanjing, the statue ofZheng Chenggong on Drumming Wave Islet in Xiamen, and the peristyles of the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. The stone carvings by Hui'an have a ready market at home and abroad.The Capital of PorcelainLocated in northeastern Jiangxi Province, Jingdezhen is one of the famous historic and cultural cities in China. It has a l,000-year history of making porcelain, and has long been known as the"Capital of Porcelain". During the Sui and Tang Dynasties, the white-glazed porcelain produced in JingdeZhen was called "Artificial Jade ware".Chinese Lunar New Year and 12 animalsChina uses the Gregorian calendar for civil purposes, but the Chinese lunar calendar is also important in China. The Chinese Lunar New Year - known as Spring Festival today in China - is the biggest holiday in China. The Chinese lunar calendar is the longest chronological record in history dating back to 2,600 BC Like the Gregorian calendar, the Chinese Lunar Calendar is a yearly one, but the start of the lunar year is based on the cycles of the moon so that New Year Day can fall anywhere between late January and the middle of February. Each lunar year is associated with one of 12 zodiac animals.The mouse, or rat, is the first in the cycle of l2 animals representing years. The others are, chronologicaIly, the ox, the tiger, the rahbit, the dragon, the snake, the horse, the sheep, themonkey, the rooster, the dog and the pig. How come animals, specific animals, designate years? Why l2, no more, no less? And why these specific animals are chosen?There are different explanations about their origin. A popular legend says, long long ago, a certain god ordered all the animals to pay him a visit on New Year's Day, that is, the first day of the first month. He said he would give the first 12 animals to come the title "King of the Animal World" and let each hold the title for one year.The l2 winners happened to be those mentioned above. Another theory holds that the animals originated from the 28 constellations, or the Lunar Mansions, which are named after animals. Every two or three constellations stand for a year, and the most commonly known animal in each group was chosen for that year. Thus we have the l2 animals.A more convincing theory maintains that using animals to symbolize years began from totems of minority peoples in ancient times. Different tribes had different animals as their totems; gradually, these animals were used as a means to remember the years. Alongside the increasing exchanges between the hinteriand and the border regions, the custom of using animals to designate years made its way to the hinterland and was adopted by the Han people, the largest national group in China.At that time, the Hans were using the 10 Heavenly Stems and the 12 Earthly Branches to designate years. They took one from each series to make a pair for one year and developed a system based on a 60 year cycle. It is back to square one and the cycle begins again.When the method of using animals to represent years was introduced into the hinterland, the ancient Chinese married them to the l2 Earthly Branches, one to each. So 12 animals were used. And animals officially began to be used to designate years during the Later Han of the Five Dynasties Period a little more than 1,000 years ago.The New Year visit-to-the-god story explains how the unpleasant Mouse managed to become the first of the 12. As the story goes, when the Ox heard of the God's decree, he said to himself: "It's a long journey to visit that God. I am not a fast traveler and I'd better start early." So he set out on the eve of the Lunar New year. The Mouse heard the Ox and jumped onto his back, without being noticed. The Ox, sweating all over, was so glad to be the first to arrive at the God's place. But just as he was about to express his New Year greetings to the God, the mouse jumped down over the Ox's head and became the first to kowtow to the God. So he was appointed the first King of the Animals and consequently, the first of the l2 animals to designate years.A more authentic explanation says, the Earthly Branches are divided into two categories: yin and yang. Each of them is paired with an animal of the same "gender". The gender of the animal isdetermined by the number of a specific part of its body. Odd numbers are yang and even numbers are yin. The tiger, the dragon the monkey and the dog, all have five toes on each foot or paw, and the horse has one hoof. So we know they are yang animals. The cloven-hoofed species such as the ox, the goal and the pig fall into the yin category because their hoofs are divided into two parts. The rooster is also yin since it has four toes on each foot. The rabbit hastwo upper lips and the snake has a two-point forked tongue. So they are yin, too. The mouse had been a problem. It has four toes on each fore leg and five on each hind leg. It has both yin and yang qualities and there seemed to be no pace to put it. Fortunately, the first of the Earthly Branches, Zi can be considered both yin and yang. The branches were also used to designate days and hours, and when symbolizing the hours, this branch covers a period from eleven in the evening to one o'clock in the morning. PM is yin and Am is yang. So the mouse goes together with this first branch. It is this double gender feature, a kind of split personality, you might say, that makes the little mouse the leader among his colleagues.Now you may be wondering why there is no Year of the Cat, especially since cats have been popular as pets for thousands of years in China as well as in many other countries. Well, in the legend, the cat failed to be chosen because he was a day late getting to the God's place. The Mouse had played a trick on him. He lied to the Cat, telling him the wrong date for the competition. The cat was not pleased and has hated the Mouse ever since.。