Master artist Chen Wei

Chen Wei: An Introduction

Master artist Chen Wei, founder of the Hailang Institute of Chinese Painting, is internationally known for his landscape painting, particularly the painting of ocean waves. He created the "Pomazou Technique", which combines the techniques of both Chinese and western artists. His paintings are characteristic of vigor, boldness and simplicity, thus possessing a unique style.


Chen Wei's paintings are among the collections of former US president George Bush, China's Beijing People's Great Hall and art galleries and museums throughout the world. His paintings have also been exhibited and been highly praised in a dozen of cities including Tokyo, Moscow, Hong Kong, Beijing, and Shenzhen.

His works have been published in two major books: "A Collection of Paintings by Chen Wei" (in Chinese, English, Russian, French, German, and Spanish,) and "Biography of Contemporary Painter Chen Wei". More than one hundred print and broadcast media outlets have featured his works, including Perspective Magazine, the People's Daily, China Central Television, and numerous international television programs and newspapers.

Chen Wei was born in Fuzhou, Fujian in 1944.

kashi,a pearl on the old sill road

kashi,a pearl on the old sill road

This is a narrow, quiet lane. The road is lined with houses of one or two storied built of adobe or red brick. It is Saturday. A group of Uygur children are playing, bringing a joyful atmosphere to the quiet bane. At the end of the lane, a sign reading "Vegetable Bazaar Lane" reminds people of its past. The bazaar no longer exists, and people can only imagine the brisk scene here in the old days.
In the old districts of Kashi, many streets have "bazaar" as part of their names. Although most of the bazaars have ceased to exist except in name, there are still some that are still in use. From the names of these streets people can imagine the past glory of this ancient trading city on the Old Silk Road.



The animal market at the Sunday Bazaar.
Kashi, located in the southwestern part of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, has a history of more than 2,000 years. It has occupied an important position in northwestern China since ancient times. Situated at the juncture of the southern and northern routes of the Old Silk Road, it attracted merchants from many parts of the world to trade here . So Kashi became a famous trading city, called a bright pearl on the Old Silk Road. Meanwhile, Kashi is also a sacred place of Islam. Atigar Mosque, the largest mosque in Xinjiang, situated on Atigar Square in the center of the city, is more than 500 years old. The city has produced many famous figures throughout its history.

Kashi is divided into two parts: the new district and the old district, the streets are wide and lined with high-rise buildings, little different from other cities in China ; in the old district, the streets are narrow and most houses are low brick or adobe one.

In fact, today's Kashi has preserved the old traditions. On streets one can find markets selling various commodities, such as vegetables, fruits, food, garments, tools and handicrafts.

Kashi's markets differ from markets in other places in that most of the commodities on sale are made by the vendors themselves. Here tourists can see the handicrafts actually being made in the workshops. Wandering along an ancient street in Kashi, it is as if one has traveled back in time. At the shoes and caps market, the caps and boots on sale are made on the spot.

Going ahead, one can hear the clanging of blacksmiths' hammers. If you hear the sound of an electric saw, then you can go and see carpenters making furniture and kitchen utensils. If you smell the fragrance of baked cakes, you will soon find an eating place serving nang, the staple food of the Uygur people. The nang is broken into small pieces and dipped in soup. It is said nang can be kept for weeks without going stale.



Abahuoga Mazar. It is said that the Fragrant Imperial Concubine of the Qing Dynasty is buried here.
These markets are open every day. The famous Sunday bazaar has been operating since ancient times, and the scale has become larger and larger, attracting merchants from all over Xinjiang and neighboring countries such as Pakistan and Kirghizstan.

Farmers from the suburbs of Kashi come to the bazaar early in the morning, using various means of transportation, such as bicycles, motorcycles, tractors, trucks and donkey-drawn carts. The highways leading to Kashi are crowded with these vehicles and pedestrians on Sunday mornings, as well as with flocks of sheep.

On Sunday the whole city becomes a big market. It is hard to tell the markets from the ordinary streets. Of the 20 markets, some are comprehensive ones, and some are specialized markets selling local produce, arts and crafts, garments, knives, timber, coal or animals. Among them, the animal markets are the largest. Each day, more than 1,000 head of cattle, horses, sheep and camels are traded here.

October is the best season to visit Kashi, as the weather is pleasant and the autumn harvest makes the markets more brisk. In autumn, many types of fruit are on sale, such as grapes, watermelons, Hami melons and figs. Other local products include Xinjiang knives and carpets, which make good souvenirs for tourists.

Uygur people make up most of Kashi's inhabitants. On the streets, one can seldom see people of other ethnic groups except foreign tourists and tourists from other parts of China.

On the ancient streets of Kashi everywhere there are men wearing Uygur skullcaps and women wearing brown veils. The Uygur language is universally spoken by the local people.

After visiting Kashi's Sunday bazaar, people will understand the saying" without visiting Kashi, one cannot say he has visited Kashi. If you have a chance to visit Kashi, don't miss the chance to visit its Sunday Bazaar.

Chinese New Year Prints-Honour, Wealth and Glory

Chinese New Year Prints-Honour, Wealth and Glory



Good Fortune, Official Salary, and Longevity represent the ingredients of a happy life, and are represented in popular culture by a trinity of star gods. Fortune often appears holding a baby boy - male heirs being a great blessing and a sure sign that fortune smiled upon the family. Official Salary stands tallest with his official cap and tablet of office, and Longevity takes the form of an elderly immortal with an extended forehead and a peach of longevity (these attributes may also be perceived as symbols of fertility).

Fortune and Longevity have a more or less universal appeal and most cultures honour them in some way. The logic of 'Official Salary', however, may not be so apparent to readers not familiar with Chinese history. To understand why this attainment was so highly valued one must understand that the late-imperial Chinese state had created a system in which social prestige was closely linked to the civil service. There were many ways to become wealthy, but unless one had an official posting or title they would never be truly 'rich'.

Scholarship was thus highly regarded, and the figure of the successful scholar was widely celebrated. As elsewhere, scholarly achievement was measured in degrees, and among these degrees it was the highest jinshi, or 'metropolitan' degree that was most coveted. The scholar who finished first in that category was given the title of zhuangyuan or 'optimus'. Nianhua often depict the triumphant scholar returning home after having won this honour through the state civil service examinations. The scholar's family and locality have good reason to celebrate, since it was expected that the benefits of officialdom would ultimately return to them not just in terms of prestige, but also in terms of political influence and remittances drawn from the scholar-official's substantial earnings.

The value placed on scholarship should not cloud the fact that raw material wealth also had its attractions. The God of Wealth was a central deity in the Chinese pantheon, and nianhua of the late 19th and early 20th century abound with representations of gleaming jewels and precious metals. More subtle references to wealth are also suggested by rebuses (visual puns) such as a fish, which in spoken Chinese sounds like 'surplus'.

Mazu and Mazu Culture

Mazu and Mazu Culture



The Statue of Mazu at the Meizhou Bay
Over 1,000 years ago, a beautiful young firl by the name of Lin Mu was born at the Xianliang Port of Meizhou Bay in Putian, Fujian Province. Clever, brave and kindhearted, Lin Mu could forecast the weather and was happy to help fishermen in distress at sea. She encouraged the people to conquer nature and defeat evil, so she was much loved and esteemed by the people in her hometown. Unfortunately she died an early death at only 28. As the legend goes, she ascended to heaven and became an immortal at Meizhou Bay located opposite to the Xianliang Port.
For more over 1,000 years, she has been living, with a composed and tender smile, in the hearts of the people. The people pay homage to her, respectfully calling her fairy, the daughter of dragon, goddness, the mother or Mazu ( a title of respect for an aged woman): rulers of past dynasties upheld her and granted her the titles of "Lady", "Heavenly Queen" and "Holy Mother"; the times have bestowed her a series of loveable and respected names such as "Goddess of the Sea", "Goddness of the the Straits" and "Goddess of Peace of the Straits".

She is none other than the world-renowned Mazu, goddess of the sea, of Fujian, China.


The hairstyle of Mazu
The respect for Mazu has turned into a wide-spread belief with the passage of time. Following the footprints of sea merchants and overseas Chinese, Mazu went out of Putian, out of Fujian and out of China, making her presence in many corners of Asia, America, Australia and Europe. Consequently, over 1,500 Mazu temples are found all over the world, where Muzu from Meizhou are consecrated. The belief in Mazu has become a sort of transnational folk belief with more than 100 million worshippers. However, different from a religion in the ordinary sense, is a special kind of ideology connected with thropology, religion, folklore, sociology as well as the history of sea commnication overseas Chinese, culture and the development of Fujian and Taiwan. This is the culture of Mazu which has aroused an extensive interest and great attention of Chinese and foreign scholars and is now under integral part of the culture of the Chinese nation and a part of the brilliant civilization of China.

In recent years, there are a number of academic groups, experts and schoolars working on research of Mazu and published special works on the subject in Taiwan, Hongkong and Macao regions and in such countries as Japan, the United States, France, Singapore and Malaysia. The research on the Mazu culture has a great appeal and cohesive force to the Chinese both at home and abroad. Now the achievements in the research on the Mazu culture have become valuable material in the research on the history of navigation, science, overseas Chinese, development of off-shore islands and economic and cultural exchanges with foreign countries as well as the history of folklore and religion of ancient China.

For geographical and historical reasons, the belief in Mazu at Taiwan has turned out to be a popular belief. According to statistics, around two-thirds of the population in Taiwan believe in Mazu, and more than 500 Mazu temples are scattered on the island. In the wake of improving relations between both sides of the Straits, tens of thousands of Taiwan compatriots swarmed to the Meizhou Island to dedicate their piety at Mazu temples to fulfil their sincere wish which they had cherished for decades. The unique Mazu Pilgrim Tour will undoubtedly breakthrough the artificial hedge standing between the people on both sides of the Straits.

The Darma Festival

The Darma Festival

The Darma Festival is a well-known festival in Gyangze, with a history of more than 500 years. Now one of the most popular folk festivals in Tibet, it has a long story. It is said that after the death of Palba Sangpo, Prince of Dharma of Gyangze of the Sagya Kingdom, his disciples, lamas and the public would hold sacrificial rites each year to his memory, which was later stopped due to social turmoil. In 1408, Raodain Gongsang, son of Palba Sangpo, took the position of Prince of Dharma of Gyangze, who restarted the sacrificial activities that were held from April 10 to 27 on the Tibetan calendar, in addition to entertainment, such as exhibitions of Tangka painting scrolls, religious _chammo dance,_ horse-racing and _Dagor Myigor_ (sword-playing of ancient knights). By 1447, when Zhazi Rabdain became Prince of Dharma of Gyangze, more entertaining activities had been added, such as shooting on horseback, Tibetan Opera, song and dance. Thus, the Darma Festival was born. Another story says that the festival originated in the celebration of the completion of the Palkor Monastery. Today, the Darma Festival starts with Buddha painting unfolding festival on April 15 on the Tibetan calendar as a prelude every year, and officially opens on April 18. The 19 townships in the Gyangze County gather to celebrate the festival, which also attracts people from everywhere. Today, the Darma Festival is not only a folk festival but an exchange with a theme of _promoting economy through cultural activities._ During the festival, besides traditional sport items such as shooting on horseback, there are other contemporary pastimes such as ball games and track events. Around the sports ground are tent shops where trade takes place, and tents of farmers and herdsmen who come from afar. During the festival, farmers will drive their horse carts to bring their families to the annual festival. Some are fond of races, some like to watch performances, while still others will set up stands to sell home-made sweet milk dregs and other products. But most people will stay in their own tents and enjoy themselves until nightfall. The Darma Festival usually lasts seven to 10 days

Yangling Zhanshui Noodles

Zhanshui noodles are a favourite of people in Yangling and Wugong. The fresh vegetable and various sauces can be put into the cooking liquor of the noodles in summer, so it is a good choice to prevent heatstroke; the cooking liquor, with egg, chilli oil, ginger, garlic and vegetables, can also be heated in winter, so it is a slap-up feed to keep warm. It is a favorite of the old and the children.

The noodles of the northwest enjoy different characters. However, the features of Yangling Zhanshui noodle can be summarized in 20 Chinese characters: the noodles are white, thin and sticky; the soup with garlic and chilli oil is delicious; the noodles and soup are put into different basins; the more the noodles are chewed, the more delicious the noodles are. As a typical lical dish of Guanzhong(the middle part of Shaanxi Province) food, the Yangling Zhanshui noodles becomes more and more popular with people.

Chinese Opera——Kunqu Opera

Chinese Opera——Kunqu Opera

IN May 2001, UNESCO for the first time awarded the title of "Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity" to 19 outstanding cultural forms of expression from different regions of the world.

Kunqu Opera, a school of traditional Chinese opera, was among them. It is the only Chinese art form listed, and is now a facet of the common cultural heritage of humankind.

Kunqu is one of the earliest forms of traditional Chinese drama, having a history of more than 600 years. Its operatic melodies originate from Kunshan in Jaingsu Province.

After extensive exploration and reworking by its performers, it gradually developed into today's Kunqu.In the performance of Kunqu, refinement and rigor are emphasized.

A standard Kunqu scenario is very intricate. A Kunqu program not only details the arrangements of acts, verses, and the names of tunes to which verses are set, but also defines the roles, stage settings, costumes, props, and performers' movements, even going so far as to explain the significance of the position performers take on stage.

The roles of Kunqu are broadly divided into seven categories, including sheng (male roles), dan (female roles), jing (painted face), mo (middle-aged male roles), chou (clowns), wai, and tie, and each category has further subdivisions. For instance, the sheng roles have laosheng (aged male roles), wusheng (male warriors), and xiaosheng (young male roles), each of which are further divided according to the characters' prominence within the play. The xiaosheng -- young male role -- is divided into daguansheng (big hat role), xiaoguansheng (small hat role), jinsheng (kerchief role), qiongsheng (pauper role) and zhiweisheng (a warrior whose helmet decorated by a pheasant tail feather). The dan roles are divided into six sub-categories.

The Kunqu style of stage makeup is mainly used for jing and chou roles, and occasionally for sheng and dan roles. The three predominant colors being red, white and black. The shades of blue, green, purple and gold are used to portray forest brigands, or ghosts and demons. As in Peking Opera, the color red represents loyalty and justice, black conveys uprightness and straightforwardness, white signifies cunning and shrewdness, and yellow indicates a fierce, tough character. Most of the patterns and techniques of Peking Opera facial makeup evolved from Kunqu, and some were just copied from it.In the performance of Kunqu, refinement and rigor are emphasized.

A standard Kunqu scenario is very intricate. A Kunqu program not only details the arrangements of acts, verses, and the names of tunes to which verses are set, but also defines the roles, stage settings, costumes, props, and performers' movements, even going so far as to explain the significance of the position performers take on stage.

The roles of Kunqu are broadly divided into seven categories, including sheng (male roles), dan (female roles), jing (painted face), mo (middle-aged male roles), chou (clowns), wai, and tie, and each category has further subdivisions. For instance, the sheng roles have laosheng (aged male roles), wusheng (male warriors), and xiaosheng (young male roles), each of which are further divided according to the characters' prominence within the play. The xiaosheng -- young male role -- is divided into daguansheng (big hat role), xiaoguansheng (small hat role), jinsheng (kerchief role), qiongsheng (pauper role) and zhiweisheng (a warrior whose helmet decorated by a pheasant tail feather). The dan roles are divided into six sub-categories.

The Kunqu style of stage makeup is mainly used for jing and chou roles, and occasionally for sheng and dan roles. The three predominant colors being red, white and black. The shades of blue, green, purple and gold are used to portray forest brigands, or ghosts and demons. As in Peking Opera, the color red represents loyalty and justice, black conveys uprightness and straightforwardness, white signifies cunning and shrewdness, and yellow indicates a fierce, tough character. Most of the patterns and techniques of Peking Opera facial makeup evolved from Kunqu, and some were just copied from it.

The most prominent characteristic of Kunqu performance is its lyricism, where the posture of each role is in a dancing mode. Almost all traditional Chinese drama has elements of dance, and in some plays dances have been added, but these are unlike Kunqu, where every physical movement from beginning to end is in the mode of dance, thus creating a complete scope of performance technique.

The Horsetail Embroidery of Shui Minority

Horsetail embroidery is a traditional handicraft of Shui minority women in Sandu Shui Autonomous County, Guizhou Province. As its name suggests, horsetails are used to make embroidery. As a traditional art form of Shui women, it is used to make decorations on clothes, shoes, wallets and T-shaped bags for carrying babies on one's back.

A thread for embroidering has to be spun into three thin threads, which then entwine three to four pieces of horsetail hair. The hair is used to create different patterns. Cross-stitching, flat embroidery, and random embroidery are also needed to complete a piece.

Horsetail embroidery is intricate, and a dress decorated with horsetail embroidery may take more than a month to complete.

The skill is being lost as young Shui women now prefer moving to big cities to work or study. More measures should be taken to train Shui minority women in the art form before it becomes extinct.

silk umbrella

China is believed to be the home of umbrellas. which are still universally used in the country. The earliest umbrellas are known to have existed at least two thousand years ago and were made of silk.

At present. umbrellas in China are made of various materials: oilpaper. cotton. silk. plastic film and nylon. As in other countries. they are used either against the rain or as parasols to give shade from the sun. Some are built on straight frames while others are collapsible.

The best oilpaper umbrellas are generally thought to be those from Fujian and Hunan provinces. Their bamboo frames are treated against mould and worms. The paper covers are hand-painted with flowers. birds. figures and landscapes and then coated with oil so that they are not only practical but pretty and lasting. They may be used either in rain or sunshine.

The prettiest Chinese umbrellas. however. are those covered with silk. and the silk parasols of Hangzhou are veritable works of art which also serve a practical purpose. The silk. as thin as cicada`s wing and printed with landscapes . is also fixed on a bamboo frame. A parasol of Hangzhou. usually 53 centimetres or 20 inches long. weighs only 250 grams or 8.8 ounces. is very handy and makes a welcome souvenir for tourists. Local girls. to protect themselves against the sun. like to carry parasols with them. which have long become part of the female attire.

Umbrellas or parasols. apart from their practical uses. have also become part of the paraphernalia of the stage artist. A notable example is the wire walker who uses a parasol as a balancer to keep herself on the wire.

Pottery Metropolis

Yixing, Jiangsu Province, known in China as the "Pottery Metropolis", produces a much-valued red and boccaro ware. Teapots of this category made there were appraised as the best vessel there was, already in the Song Dynasty a thousand years ago.

Yixing earthenware is generally marked by its simplicity and exquisite craftsmanship. It is also appreciated for its practical utility. The material, called zisha (purple sand), is abundantly available in the locality. Although not as white or as fine as kaolin, it needs no glazing and, after firing, the product is solid and impermeable, yet porous enough to "breathe". A Yixing teapot enhances the tea brewed in it with respect to colour, smell, and taste. Its walls seem to absorb the tea and keeps its fragrance. In summer, it keeps tea overnight without spoiling. With hot tea inside, it does not scald the hand with purple sand being a slow heat-conductor. But in winter, it may serve as a handwarmer and may be left on a low fire to make certain types of tea which need simmering. To the Chinese tea connoisseur, it is the "ideal teapot".

The purple sand of Yixing may also be made into other utensils. The earthenware steam cooker is a casserole which cooks with steam and appears on the dining table as a serving dish as well. Drinking vessels and coffee sets of red ware are also welcome to users because they are good in preserving the flavour of the beverages. A boon to flower lovers, the red ware flower pot absorbs excessive water, helps the soil "breathe", keeps the roots from rotting, and generally ensures the plant a healthy growth.

What makes the Yixing earthenware all the more attractive is the tasty designs it bears. Artisans cut or incise on the unburnt bodies pictures of birds and fish, flowers and animals, Chinese characters and seal marks all in the traditional style, thus turning utensils of practical use into works of art with national features.

Technical innovations attained in recent years have made it possible for the "Pottery Metropolis" to turn out many refractory kitchen utensils such as steamers, rice cookers, pots, pans and dishes used for roasting. They can stand drastic changes of heat and may be used on any kind of fire to cook food by boiling, steaming, roasting or frying. Thus new uses have been developed for the traditional earthenware.

Now Yixing earthen utensils are sold in large quantities to more than eighty countries beyond the domestic market.

Hengshui Interior Painting

Hengshui Interior Painting

Hengshui, a county in Hebei Province, is known as the home of interior painting, an art form that is very special to China. With a special 90-degree-angle paintbrush used to paint inside glass or crystal objects, such artists can achieve exquisitely unique paintings. As a result of its superlative craftsmanship, interior painting has been praised as a peculiar and magnificent treasure for collectors.

Ⅰ. Origin
China's interior paintings originated from artwork inside snuff bottles. During the Jiaqing Period of the late Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) -- 400 years after the introduction of snuff tobacco to China, the art of interior painting followed. After many years of exploration and development, the artworks were expanded to include interior-painted furnishings, perfume bottles, wine utensils, beads and lighters.

In the early stages of interior bottle painting, since there were no transparent glass bottles and the inside walls were very sleek, only a few simple pictures could be painted, such as grasshoppers, cabbages, phoenixes and simple landscapes. Later on, craftsmen learned how to fill the bottle with water, iron sand and emery, making the inside walls like Xuan paper -- delicate but not sleek. As a result, artists could paint the insides of bottles with great detail, and snuff bottles were later developed into a kind of artwork featuring a combination of poetry and painting.

Ⅱ. Techniques

Interior paintings of various shapes and patterns were made of glass, crystal or agate through carving and grinding. Using a special paintbrush, artists paint the inside of a bottle through a narrow mouth, incorporating the entire process of composition, delineation, wrinkle-removal and coloring. Unlike traditional painting techniques where the artist begins with the background and moves outwards, the interior-painting artist must paint the foreground first. Such talented artists must study for many years to become masters.

Ⅲ. Contents

Interior painting subjects range from flowers and birds, to clouds and waterfalls, to historical figures and stories.

The most interesting characteristic of Chinese art is the implication of its paintings. The themes usually come from Chinese folk legends, historical stories, religion and philosophy (Confucianism, Taoism and Chinese Buddhism). The painted subjects are not purely decorative: Usually they indicate good wishes and people's expectations for good fortune and happiness, justice, good crops, health and longevity.

With its special artistic charms, interior painting is now attracting thousands of people from home and abroad, becoming a top collector's choice.

Chinese Papercuts

Cakes baked in the shape of people presented to a one-month-old baby.

In Shanxi and Shaanxi provinces, almost every home is decorated with papercuts on the windows and doors.
Papercuts are a handicraft made by women. They use scissors and paper to cut all kinds of pictures such as pomegranates, lotuses, peach blossoms, mice, fighting roosters and rabbits eating carrots.

To get rid of the old and make way for the new, every household puts up papercuts on the newly plastered window paper on the eve of Spring Festival. Chinese farmers still have the tradition of arranging farm production according to the lunar calendar. They number the years with twelve symbolic animals: the rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog and boar. So the papercuts of the twelve animals are indispensable. The papercut of an animal according to the lunar calendar. Papercuts are done all over China, but are different in the method in different areas.

Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River have a humid and rainy climate. People don't use papercuts to decorate windows, they use them to decorate embroidery and lanterns instead. Besides using scissors, a special knife is also used to carefully cut and trim the paper, showing the splendid scenery south of the Yangtze with smooth lines.

There is scanty rain and s dry climate in North China. To make the papercuts durable and wind-resistant, women often cut thick lines.

The papercuts in Shanxi and Shaanxi provinces are part of the local customs of the Loess Plateau. When a woman is going to have a baby, her mother-in-law will paste a papercut of a tiger on the door, to signify that when the tiger guards the door, devils dares not enter the house to make mischief and that the baby will grow up healthily. When harvest time comes, if it is cloudy and drizzling for days on end, farm women branches of trees. The paper figures can presumably sweep away the black clouds, so the sun may come out to dry the wheat.


Embroidered tiger-headed shoes and pillows made of silk and satin.

Nowadays, the superstitions concerning the papercuts have been toned down. However, women still decorate cave dwellings with all kinds of papercuts just for their beauty and not to dispel spirits. It is said that a boy often chooses a girl who is good at doing papercuts and embroidery. So you can often see there girls around seven and eight years old in a circle absorbed in learning to do papercuts.

Mianhua is art created with flour. Fermented flour is kneaded into various shapes such as animals, gourds, fruits and flowers, and then steamed and finally coloured.

In Mizhi County of Shaanxi Province, I was fascinated as an old woman kneaded the flour. She cut a small piece of dough and rubbed it several times. First she made a body of a bird. Then she rubbed a small piece of dough into short noodles, pressed them flat, pasted them on the back of the bird and made the wing of the bird with a comb. Finally she made the beak. She had kneaded a singing skylark.

It was even more interesting to see her knead a monkey. She kneaded the flour into a monkey with a hat very quickly. Finally, she put two black pieces of millet on the head of the monkey for the eyes. I calculated the time she took to make the dough sculptures: four minutes for the skylark and six minutes for the monkey.

When asked the origin of mianhua, she did not know. She said that it was handed down from generation to generation. Research says mianhua was related to the customs of funeral and sacrificial rites. Three thousand years ago in the Shang Dynasty, slaves were buried alive with their dead masters. Wooden and pottery figurines were buried with the dead masters instead. Nowadays, when paying respects during the festival for the dead, the Qingming Festival, people in northern Shaanxi Province still keep the ancient customs of watering the graveyard and offering mianhua as sacrifices to ancestors.


Windows, the edge of the kang and cupboards inside cave dwellings are all decorated with papercuts.

Today mianhua is used as a gift. In the home of a person who just got married, we saw mianhua which were sent by his relatives as a congratulatory gift, each weighing two kilogrammes. The mianhua with a picture of dragons and phoenixes was called long feng cheng xiang (dragons and phoenixes show prosperity.). The mianhua in the shape of a chain of locks expresses the hope that the newly married couple will live to an old age happily. Eighteen pairs of mianhua sent by eighteen relatives were arranged together just like an art display of mianhua.

According to a local custom, when returning to her parents' home, a married woman must bring half a basket of mianhua with her. The ring-shaped mianhua presented to her parents and other elders expresses the wish that the elders should have a long life as the ring goes round without the end. The mianhua are decorated with a bat and a sika deer as a symbol for the hope that the couple can spend their remaining years in happiness because the word for bat and happiness are homophonic in China. The word for sika deer and payment is also homophonic.

Mianhua shaped like a rabbit and tiger are given to children, to show the wish that a boy should be as strong as tiger and a girl as lovely and clever as a white rabbit. Mianhua in the shape of birds is used to show that children will be good at singing and dancing like birds.

Door Gods

Door Gods

After the Stove God, likely the best-known household deities were the ubiquitous door gods. Like the Stove God, door gods have a certain universality of use and representation, but unlike the denizen of the kitchen the door gods are much more likely to adhere to one of several legends connected with classical Chinese texts. One of the most commonly held beliefs is taken from the first century BC Shanhaijing (Classic of the Mountains and Seas), which notes that the door gods Shentu and Yulei originated as guardians of the celestial peaches:

In the vast ocean the mountain or land of Tusu lies. A large peach tree stands in it, the foliage of which extends three thousand miles. The north-eastern side of its branches is called the Gate of Spectres because it is there that the myriads of spectres go in and out. There were in that island two divine men, Shentu and Yulei by name, who direct the examination and management of the hosts of spectres. Spectres which caused evil and damage they fettered with ropes of reed or rushes, to give them as food to a tiger. Thereupon the Emperor Huang (27th cent. B.C) instituted the ceremonial usage of driving off spectres at the proper season; that is to say, he set up large images of peach wood, painted Shentu and Yulei on gates and doors, and, together with a tiger, suspended there cords of reed, in order to repulse them.

As related in the Ming dynasty novel Journey to the West Qin Shubao and Hu Jingde have equally classic origins, and were said to have been so effective in ridding the Tang Emperor's palace of ghosts that they were honored by having their images posted on the palace doors. In similar spirit of adopting traditions associated with mainstream Chinese culture, the seventeenth century Enfeoffment of the Gods supplies the 'Ran Deng' (Lamp Lighting) Daoist and Zhao Gongming. Guan Yu and Guan Sheng are a Grandfather-Grandson team who appear respectively in Romance of the Three Kingdoms and Outlaws of the Marsh. Whoever the door gods may be, the common denominator of all front gate Door Gods is trustworthiness, strength, and loyalty supported by a fierce martial countenance and impressive weaponry. Their posting at the most vulnerable point of an otherwise solidly enclosed court-yard situated them at the front line of defence in the spiritual security of the home.

Although less well represented in narrative, the interior door gods were important allies of their front gate counterparts. While the front gate door gods were of a martial nature the interior doors were governed by gods of a civil nature. These interior door gods are sometimes associated with historical scholars such as the Dou Yujun, whose five sons each passed the civil service examinations and became great officials. In general, however, the civil door god simply provides balance to the cultural configuration of the house, and encourages the visitor to feel at peace in their surroundings.

chinese fans

No one knows exactly how fans in China were invented. The invention or rather the discovery of the fanning function could have been as accidental as follows: a primitive man irritated with lots of flies and mosquitoes, picks up a big leaf off a plant next to him to drive the pests away. To his delight, his effort resulted in cooling air movements.

Before long, fans acquired ceremonial significance. More than 3,000 years ago, fans were made with bird's feathers and were an outstnading characteristic in imperial pomp. They lent infinite gracefulness and charm to court dancers, who achieved the appearance of heavenly phoenixes.

Along with the progress made in agriculture in the Han and Tang Dynasties, an ample supply of clothing material resulted. Silk and satin fans appeared and it became a fashion among scholars and artists to show their genius by writing and painting on fan surfaces. Fans soon acquired considerable social significance and became a part of the standard summer costume among the elite and the learned.

Tradition has it, folded fans were introduced to China from Japan and Korea about 1,000 years ago. They were usually made with fine paper mounted on bamboo. The scholars found it interesting to paint their poetic and artistic expressions on the surface.




A great variety of fans have been produced in China; sandalwood, ivory, even gold, silver and jade have been used as material.

Of particular interest is the sandalwood fan. Its most outstanding characteristic is the pleasant, fragrant scent that comes from the wood. Even in modern air-conditioned environment, it will certainly enhance the elegance and femininity of the lady holding it gracefully in her hand. It emits subtle fragrance which is as enchanting and refreshing as any expensive perfume.

Palm fans were made in the Jin Dynasty (265-420 AD) and have been widely used by the Chinese people. They are very useful and welcomed by people of less expensive taste.

Beijing Olympics Promote Lost Arts in China

Editor's note: Beijing is hush-hush about its much anticipated Olympics opening ceremony, but according to some American scholars who visited China recently, folk art will be prominently featured. They talked to NAM editor, Jun Wang, who monitors Chinese media.


SAN FRANCISCO – What will be presented at the Olympics opening ceremony has been kept under wraps in China, but U.S. scholars and students revealed that folk art will be performed in the most-looked-forward-to event ever in that country.

Blair Remington, a junior art major at the University of Central Florida (UCF) told New America Media that yo-yo and bow-and-arrow performances will be showcased at the Olympics opening ceremony. Peking opera masks will also be on display. "I'm looking forward to seeing them on TV," she said.

Remington, on her trip to China in May, learned this from artists who told her they would be performing. She went there last May with a student team from UCF and the University of Oregon (UO) to cover and do research on Chinese folk arts.

Christine Dellert from News and Information Services at UCF said students were sent to China for half a dozen trips in China Vine, a joint project by the two universities and their China partner, Shandong University of Art and Design, in the city of Jinan. Students there told her that folk artists will also be displaying their skills in the Beijing Olympic Village and media center, as well as at the opening ceremony. Besides the promise of fireworks, Beijing has not released information on what the opening ceremony will be like.

Chinese Folk Art -- Paper Cutting

Chinese Folk Art -- Paper Cutting

Long time ago, glassware was very expensive. Instead, people would paste a kind of Korean paper to their window frames. When the New Year came, people would paste once again to give it a new look. But the newly covered white paper looked so plain and neat that old women and young girls would do some paper-cut to decorate the windows with their clever hands. They used red paper to cut auspicious designs, such as wishes for super luck or for a smooth year. Each design was fine and cute. In addition, they also made the paper-cuttings of the Dragon Boat Festival. They used white paper as the background, pasted the red-paper-cut design of five poisonous plants and gourds as the subject, and then put a bunch of green Chinese mugwort in each side. The red, white and green colors here matched well and were so bright.

When there were wedding ceremonies at home or other celebrations, these red paper-cuttings would be in great need. The bridegroom's family would send the bride a plate covered by red paper as a wedding gift. In the plate, there must be at least one paper-cutting of Chinese character "double happiness", or more tastefully, an auspicious design. The bride's family would also use these lucky designs to decorate all the china and tinwork.


Also, in temple fairs there were many stands selling all kinds of designs, which were cut in white paper. Women could put them in their pillows or uppers of their shoes to follow the patterns to embroider. They needn't draw those patterns themselves. From above, the paper-cutting was used as the decoration of the windows and the design patterns of embroidery; it was used as an ornament to presents as well. Indeed, it was a very practical folk art. For example:


Paper-cuttings in Xianyang


Xianyang, China's former capital city, boasts of its thousand years long history which added charm to its humanity sights and social customs to enrich its ancient civilization. Its paper-cuttings combined the soul of the ancient cultures with the wisdom of generations of handicraftsmen in history. It could be so unsophisticated and elegant, serious and humorous that it has already become a folk art treasure for its rich and profound meanings inside.


The long history became an inexhaustible supply for Xianyang paper-cuttings. Its styles vary from freehand works on ceremonies of births and weddings to realistic works on natural creatures such as plants and animals. There are not only ancient stories and old customs on the paper-cuttings, but also folklore legends and characters in dramas. It covers almost the whole living of Chinese people. It is a psychological portrait of those people who pursuit for happiness and the bright future, moreover, it is a silhouette which vividly preserve the history in such an art form passed on by those handicraftsmen from generation to generation. It is a record of the evolution of Chinese history from which you will come to know about the traditional Chinese paper-cuttings. It will somehow unveil the ancient oriental nation to let you feel the true meaning of its 6,000-year-long history of civilization.


Paper-Cuttings in Zhongyang County, Shanxi Province


The value of Zhongyang paper-cuttings, personally, I don't think that it only limits to the value of the art itself. What's more, it lies in its cultural value.


From those paper-cuttings, we can find the ancient folk customs and traditions of Loess Plateau in the middle reaches of Yellow River. It is a historical legacy, which propelled the Chinese Nation in thousands of years. If we can distinguish the cultural characteristics of each historical period from all those cultures, just like those historians, we will astonishingly find that Xianyang paper-cutting record our nation's development, especially for its heritage of the ancient culture. For those things which are not written down but still can be reserved through legends and unearthed utensils, they are saved by Zhongyang craftsmen's scissors' points as a living fossil of our long history. Therefore, a Zhongyang paper-cutting is not only a simply paper work, but a historical monument which embodies a long and weighty history. From its works which are rooted in people, we can get the plain philosophical concepts of our ancestors about the relationships between the sky, the earth, the human beings and materials.

China explores folk art market

China's rich treasure of folk art is not only a precious cultural legacy, it's also an important economic resource. For years, the Chinese Folk Artists Association has toiled to help underdeveloped villages and counties to explore the lucrative potential of their own folk cultures.

Hougou Village in northern Shanxi Province had been economically depressed for years. Its plantations and stock breeding are spare. Mineral resources are scarce. Per-capita yearly income had long been around 400 yuan, or 58 U.S. dollars.

Five years ago, experts from the Chinese Folk Artist Association arrived in Hougou to look around. They carried out a careful evaluation, then advised the local government to make the development of rural tourism a priority.

The ancient village opened as a tourist attraction two years ago. The traveling public has responded enthusiastically.

Significant numbers are being drawn by the village's unique folk culture and traditional ways of life. At the end of 2007, local villagers' yearly average income had grown to more than 5000 yuan more than 10 times what it was just a few years ago.

In Wei County of Hebei Province, the tiny art of paper cutting helps to swell the fortunes of local people. Paper cutting has a history going back hundreds of years in Wei County. But until not long ago, people there considered the art nothing more than a trivial handicraft.

In 2003, the Chinese Folk Culture Association launched a project to try to save and protect the declining art of paper cutting.

Dozens of experts traveled from village to village, helping local folk artists to realize their artistic potential and to exploit the economic value of their craft.

In the short time since, Wei County paper cutting, has becoming celebrated for its delicacy and originality. Works from the community are selling worldwide.

ChineseJinshan Peasant Paintings'

ChineseJinshan Peasant Paintings' Background

Jinshan Peasant Paintings are created by Chinese peasants working in Jinshan County near Shanghai, China. During the late 1970s, the Chinese painter Wu Tongzhang began teaching painting techniques to the farmers in Jinshan. Most of these first painters were older women skilled in various folk arts that had been passed down through generations. These traditional folk arts, such as embroidery, paper cutting, paper folding, and weaving, heavily influenced the style of painting that developed.
Style
Jinshan Peasant Paintings are both natural and unnatural. They are natural, for they show a love of ordinary life--love of children, love of festivals, love of animals, and love of work and chores. But they are also unnatural, in that these ordinary life-events are shown according to the painters’ imaginations. The painters use a wide range of bright colors--colors that are often unnatural--and spread them throughout the paintings. Spatial reality and perspective are unimportant in these paintings. Figures and objects are usually drawn in a way that looks child-like. Taken together, these elements give the paintings a charming, primitive style. The paintings that result are not traditional Chinese and not Western, but are universal celebrations of life.
Artists at the Jinshan Peasant Painting Academy use tempera paint mixed with chalk, and paint on xuan (rice) paper. The paintings are then attached to heavier paper.

Original Paintings
The artists who create these paintings work together at the Academy of Jinshan Peasant Painting. All our paintings are original paintings created by these artists, and contain a "chop" and an "authentication sticker" from the Academy of Jinshan Peasant Painting. Other artists (not at the Academy) often copy the originals (most of the paintings for sale at tourist sights such as Guangzhou's Shamian Island are these copies), but when you buy our paintings you can be sure that the artist who created the design has painted it.

After designing a painting, the artist at the Academy of Jinshan Peasant Painting paints it many times. Each painting is "original", however, for it was done by the original artist; furthermore, since slight variations inevitably exist each time the artist paints the painting, each painting is unique.