Chinese culture

Effects of herbal plants

Chrysanthemum Indicum  L.: Compendium of Meteria Medica recorded: chrysanthemum Indicum L. could clear away heat and dissolve toxins, eliminate heat, and brighten eyes (but should be less used). It is especially effective in detoxifying heat toxins, washing sore scabies, and disinfection. In summer, it could get you from insect biting while in winter.

Lavender: The fragrance of Lavender is faint scent,joyful, able to calm heart and relax body. What the folk medical theories define it is: effective in curing headache, apoplexy and paralysis? Also its fascinating incenses have been rooted in the females, allowing their hair full of fragrance, long and strong.

Rose:   The book of Food Herbs Medica recorded: It could nourish lung, spleen, liver and gall. It tastes sweet and luscious, and could make you feel vigorous.Also it could promote blood circulation and remove blood stasis, detoxify toxins, as well as offer detumescent effects, especially effective in eliminating dark boils on the face caused by endocrine dysfunction. Continue to us it for a long time, it could eliminate pigmentations on the face, playing the role of beauty conservation.

Osmanthus fragrants: Compendium of Meteria Medica recorded: Osmanthus fragrants could cure hundreds of diseases including nourishing nerve, wonderful to be the first before taking other medicines. Continuing to take it can beautify your face and air like a child, as well as prolong your health. What Chinese medical theories define it is: Warm nature, pungent taste, effective in strengthening stomach, resolving phlegm, promoting the production of body fluid, relieving petechia, flatting abdomen, as well as curing cough, stroke, diarrhea, inappetence, amenorrhea and bellyache.?Its branch, seed and root can all be made into medicine.

Cassia Seed (or Juemingzi): Shen Nong  Classic  recorded: Juemingzi could cure blue and green blind, eye-watch, white velum, red eyes, and pain tear.It is proved that Juemingzi is effective in relieving the optical nerve, brightening eyes, purifying heart, calming nerves, waking brain, nourishing liver and kidneys, reducing blood pressure, and purging digest etc. In summer, it can make you cool while in winter, feel warm.

Bamboo charcoal: Bamboo charcoal has a porous absorption structure, able to dry air and absorb sweat. It could produce negative hydronium and natural phytoncide, able to keep air fresh and clean. Its extreme infrared warm-hot effects could promote the blood circulation and clear away the tire, especially effective in curing rheumatism, headache and insomnia. It is really a wonderful choice of environmental protection bedding appliance for modern home life.

Gingkgo leaf:  Gingkgo is also called 揥hite nut? As one of the main relic plants of Cenozoic Fourth Glacial Epoch, it has lots of therapy effects, such as improving blood flow, increasing cerebral blood supply, adjusting blood lipid and blood pressure, improving memory, treating cardiovascular diseases, as well as removing numbness of hands and feet, especially  more important to keep good health the middle-aged and the old.

General Introduction of Beijing Opera

Beijing Opera. also called ``Eastern Opera.`` is a principle tradition in Chinese culture. It is called Beijing Opera because it is formed in Beijing.

Beijing Opera has a history of 200 years in which its fountainhead can be dated back to old local operas. especially Anhui Opera. which was very popular in northern China in the 18th century. In 1790. the first Anhui Opera performance was held in Beijing to celebrate the Emperor`s birthday. Later. some other Anhui Opera troupes went on to perform in Beijing. Anhui Opera was easy to move and good at absorbing the acting styles of other types of operas. Beijing accumulated many local operas. which made Anhui Opera improve quickly.

At the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century. after merging for 10 years. Beijing Opera finally formed. and became the biggest of all operas in China.

Beijing Opera has a rich list of plays. artists. troupes. audiences. and wide influences. making it the foremost opera in China.

Beijing Opera is a comprehensive acting art. It blends singing. reading. acting. fighting. and dancing together by using acting methods to narrate stories and depict characters. The roles in Beijing Opera include the male. female. painted-face. and comedic roles. Besides. there are other supporting roles as well. In addition. the types of facial make-up. especially concerning the color. are the most particular art in Beijing Opera. because they can symbolize the personalities. characteristics. and fates of the roles.

It is widely acknowledged that the end of the 18th century was the most flourishing period in the development of Beijing Opera. During this time. there were lots of performances not only in folk places. but also in the palace. The noble class loved Beijing Opera; the superior elements in the palace played a positive role in the performances. make-up. and stage setting. The mutual influence between palace and non-government places promoted Beijing Opera`s development.

From the 1920`s to the 1940`s of last century was the second flourishing period of Beijing Opera. The symbol of this period was the emergence of lots of sects of the opera. The four most famous were ``Mei`` (Mei Lanfang 1884-1961). ``Shang`` (Shang Xiaoyun 1900-1976). ``Cheng`` (Cheng Yanqiu 1904-1958). and ``Xun`` (Xun Huisheng 1900-1968). Every sect had its groups of actors and actresses. Furthermore. they were extremely active on the stage in Beijing. Shanghai. and so on. The art of Beijing Opera was very popular at that time.

Mei Lanfang was one of the most prominent Beijing Opera artists in the international world. He studied opera when he was 8. and began to perform on the stage when he was 11. In his more than 50 years of performing. Mei created and developed many acting phases. such as dancing. singing. make-up. and costumes. all of which helped him form his own style. In 1919. Mei led the opera troupe to Japan. which was the first time that China began to spread the art of Beijing opera overseas. In 1930. Mei Lanfang led a troupe to the United States and gained great success and significant recognition. In 1934. he was invited to visit Europe. and was given much attention by the European opera world. Later. other places in the world considered Beijing Opera as the performing sect of China.

After the reform and opening-up policy. Beijing Opera had new development. Especially as the traditional quintessence of China. Beijing Opera got great support from the government. Today. the Beijing Chang`an Opera House holds international competitions every year that attract many people from various countries. Beijing Opera is also the reserved program for the communication between Chinese and many foreign cultures.
 

Types of Facial Make-up in Beijing Opera

As mentioned earlier. specific types of facial make-up in Beijing Opera are put on the actors` faces to symbolize the personalities. characteristics. and fates of the roles.

Usually. red faces have positive meanings. symbolizing brave. faithful. and wise men. Another positive color is purple. which signifies wisdom and bravery.

Black faces. for their part. usually have neutral meanings. symbolizing just brave men; however. they can also represent uprightness.

Blue and green faces also have neutral meanings that symbolize the hero of the bush. with the former also hinting at strength and intrepidity.

Meanwhile. yellow and white faces have negative meanings that symbolize ferocious. treacherous. and crafty men.

Finally. gold and silver faces symbolize mysteriousness. and stand for monsters or gods.

Chinese women's costume--Qipao

Qipao (Ch'ipau) is one of the most typical, traditional costumes for Chinese women. Also known as cheongsam, it is like a wonderful flower in the Chinese colorful fashion scene because of its particular charm.

In the early 17th century in North China, Nurhachi, a great political and military strategist, unified the various Nuzhen tribes and set up the Eight Banner System. Later he led his troops into Beijing and overthrew the Ming Dynasty. Over the years, a collarless tube-shaped gown was developed, which was worn by men and women. This is the embryo of the Qipao. It became popular among the royal palace of the Qing Dynasty and the mansions of the Manchu nobility. At that time, it was loosely fitted and long enough to reach the insteps. Usually it was made of silk, and embroidered, with broad laces trimmed at the collar, sleeves and edges. The dress empresses of past dynasties wore them. Their style of dress was regarded as the highest of standards for Chinese women for several thousand years.

The only medium to display the elegance of a human body is an elegant costume. Whatever costume a woman wears, in addition to magnificence and nobility, she must have a thirst for elegance or beauty. Perhaps that's the reason why Qipao was born.

 In the past, the collar of the costume was made high and tight-fitting to keep warm. Qipao has incorporated this feature, not just for preventing coldness but also for beauty. The collar of Qipao generally takes the shape of a semicircle, its right and left sides being symmetrical, flattering the soft and slender neck of a woman. The collar of Qipao is meticulously made, especially the buttonhole loop on the collar, which serves as the finishing touch. We can't help but admire the designers' artistic originality. The design of the front of Qipao depicts the maturity of women properly, reminding people of the line of a Chinese poem 'A garden full of the beauty of spring can not be prevented from being enjoyed.'

Qipao generally has two big slits at either side of the hem for convenient movement and display of the slender legs of women. Unlike a short-length skirt, the slits of Qipao expose a woman's legs indistinctly when she walks, as if there was a blurred emotional appeal of 'enjoying flowers in mist.'

Qipaos can display Chinese women's modesty, softness and beauty. Like Chinese women's temperament, Qipaos are elegant and gentle.

Like other costumes, the beauty of Qipao comes first. Simplicity is one of its features from the collar, loop, chest, waist and hips to the lower hem, and a Qipao almost varies with a woman's figure. It not only lays stress on the natural beauty of a female figure, but also makes women's legs appear more slender. Mature women in Qipaos can display their graceful refined manner.

Besides its simplicity, Qipao provides designers with vast, creative space: some short, some long, with low, high, or even no collars at all.

Practicality always goes with beauty. Qipaos are worn in both urban and rural areas, its long-standing elegance and serenity making wearers fascinating.

When wearing Qipao, women should pay attention to the match as a whole; particularly middle-aged or elderly women should do so. Hairstyles, jewelry, socks and shoes should match Qipaos properly in color and design.

Today, with the development of the market economy in China, designs or styles of fashions are so dazzling as the stars that the eye cannot take them all in. As a result, people are often at a loss what to choose when facing the vast sea of fashions. On the other hand, it is just a golden opportunity for Chinese national costumes to regain their popularity. Fashion culture has become a point of intersection of social culture, reflecting economic developments, social progress and educational level. It represents people's spirit, living standards and aspirations towards beauty.

The origin of “Double happiness"

If you have ever dined in a Chinese restaurant or attended a Chinese wedding, you have probably seen this symbol.  This symbol means “double happiness.”  If you look at it closely, you can make out the image of two people walking arm in arm.  The long horizontal line in the center represents the arms.  The two “boxes” at the bottom of the kanji are the two sets of legs of the couple.  The two “boxes” in the middle of the Chinese character are the heads of the couple.  And, on top of each head is a “hat.” This Chinese character “Double Happiness”  is a very important symbol in the Chinese culture.  It represents a certain outlook and philosophy on life.  Namely, it conveys the idea that man and woman are meant to go through life together.  Every person, in effect, has a soul mate in this world.  The story about how this symbol was created reinforces this theme.   During the Tang Dynasty, a young man set out from his village on a journey to the capitol city to take a national examination.  On his way, he fell ill and had to stop at another village.  There, he was cared for by an herbalist and his young daughter.  The young man lamented the fact that he had to continue on his way to the capitol.  The man and woman had fallen in love.  As a sign of her affection, the young woman wrote down the right hand portion of a couplet for the man to keep until his return to her. “Green trees against the sky in the spring rain while the sky set off the spring trees in the obscuration.” Bolstered by her love, the young men continued to the capitol, where he scored the highest marks on the examination.  As reward for his achievement, he was brought before the emperor.  During the meeting, the emperor decided to test the intellectual prowess of the young man.  He wrote down a portion of a couplet and asked the young man to recite the complement. “Red flowers dot the land in the breeze’s chase while the land colored up in red after the kiss.” The young man immediately realized that the match to the emperor’s couplet was the right hand portion that his beloved had given him.  After hearing the young man recite the couplet, the emperor was so impressed that he appointed the young man court Minister. The young man returned to his beloved’s village to deliver the good news and to marry the young woman.  At the wedding ceremony, the young woman wrote down on a red piece of paper the symbol for happiness and “doubled” it in recognition of the two auspicious events.  To this day, newlyweds make sure that the Double Happiness is prominently displayed at their weddings.  It is truly a symbol of love and destiny.

Naxi script

The Naxi tribe is one of China's most interesting ethnic minorities. Scatered mainly around Yunnan Province, with small settlements in sichuan and Tibet, they were first visited by Western ethnologists in the early part of the 20th century and have been studied and written about eversince. There are about 280,000 Naxi and most live in lijiang autonomous county in northwest Yunnan.

the Naxi have a culture that's rich and diverse with their own music, art and most unique of all,their thousand-year-old pictographic writing system which is similar to hieroglyphics. The Naxi language is also the only remaining pictographic written language in use.

the Naxi priests are called dongba and they play an important part in keeping the language alive. The Naxi are buddhists and their ancient Buddhist texts are passed down through generations of priests who are the caretakers of the texts. Only priests are allowed to learn the written scrip and begin studying the pictographs when young,only becoming fluent after many years of study. Because of the complexity of the written language and the role of the priests its preserving it, the Naxi language is named dongba.

The language has approximately 2200 pictographs. when put together, some sentences appear as a series of pictures that have many possible interpretations without any fixed meaning. this highly symboic language requires years of study to fully understand.

the religious scriptures are also a record of Naxi life, recording everyting from politics to poetry to Naxi legends in about 20,000 encyclopedic volumes. In 1957, the Naxi adopted a writing system based on Latin characters in order to promote literacy. Sadly,only a few Naxi today can read the Dongba pictographs, though there are efforts to encourage its study.

The Four Famous Embroideries of China

The Four Famous Embroideries of China refer to the Xiang embroidery in central China`s Hunan Province. Shu embroidery in western China`s Sichuan Province. Yue embroidery in southern China`s Guangdong Province and Su embroidery in eastern China`s Jiangsu Province.

 Xiang Embroidery

 
Xiang Embroidery
Xiang embroidery is well known for its time-honored history. excellent craftsmanship and unique style. The earliest piece of Xiang embroidery was unearthed at the No 1 Tomb of Mawangdui. Changsha City of the Han Dynasty (206BC-AD220). The weaving technique was almost the same as the one used in modern times. which demonstrated that embroidery had already existed in the Han Dynasty. In its later development. Xiang Embroidery absorbed the characteristics of traditional Chinese paintings and formed its own unique characteristics. Xiang embroidery experienced its heyday at the end of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) and in the early Republic of China (early 20th century). even surpassing Su embroidery. After the founding of the People`s Republic of China. Xiang embroidery was further improved and developed to a new level.

Xiang embroidery uses pure silk. hard satin. soft satin and nylon as its material. which is connected with colorful silk threads. Absorbing the spirit of Chinese paintings. the embroidery reaches a high artistic level. Xiang embroidery crafts include valuable works of art. as well as materials for daily use.

Shu Embroidery

 
Shu Embroidery
Also called Chuan embroidery. Shu embroidery is the general name for embroidery products in areas around Chengdu. Sichuan Province. Shu embroidery enjoys a long history. As early as the Han Dynasty. Shu embroidery was already famous. The central government even designated an office in this area for its administration. During the Five Dynasties and Ten States periods (907-960). a peaceful society and large demand provided advanced conditions for the rapid development of the Shu Embroidery industry. Shu embroidery experienced its peak development in the Song Dynasty (960-1279). ranking first in both production and excellence. In the mid-Qing Dynasty. the Shu embroidery industry was formed. After the founding of the People`s Republic of China. Shu embroidery factories were set up and the craft entered a new phase of development. using innovative techniques and a larger variety of forms.

Originating among the folk people in the west of Sichuan Province. Shu embroidery formed its own unique characteristics: smooth. bright. neat and influenced by the geographical environment. customs and cultures. The works incorporated flowers. leaves. animals. mountains. rivers and human figures as their themes. Altogether. there are 122 approaches in 12 categories for weaving. The craftsmanship of Shu embroidery involves a combination of fine arts. aesthetics and practical uses. such as the facings of quits. pillowcases. coats. shoots and screen covers.

Yue Embroidery

 
Yue Embroidery
Also called Guang embroidery. Yue embroidery is a general name for embroidery products of the regions of Guangzhou. Shantou. Zhongshan. Fanyu and Shunde in Guangdong Province. According to historical records. in the first year of Yongyuan`s reign (805) during the Tang Dynasty (618-907). a girl named Lu Meiniang embroidered the seventh volume of the Fahua Buddhist Scripture on a piece of thin silk 30 cm long. And so. Yue embroidery became famous around the country. The prosperous Guangzhou Port of the Song Dynasty promoted the development of Yue embroidery. which began to be exported at that time. During the Qing Dynasty. people animal hair as the raw material for Yue embroidery. which made the works more vivid. During Qianlong`s reign (1736-1796) of the Qing. an industrial organization was established in Guangzhou. At that time. a large number of craftsmen devoted themselves to the craft. inciting further improvements to the weaving technique. Since 1915. the work of Yue embroidery garnered several awards at the Panama Expo.

Influenced by national folk art. Yue embroidery formed its own unique characteristics. The embroidered pictures are mainly of dragons and phoenixes. and flowers and birds. with neat designs and strong. contrasting colors. Floss. thread and gold-and-silk thread embroidery are used to produce costumes. decorations for halls and crafts for daily use.

 

Su Embroidery

 
Su Embroidery
With a history of more than 3.000 years. Su embroidery is the general name for embroidery products in areas around Suzhou. Jiangsu Province. The craft. which dates back to the Three Kingdoms Period (220-280). became a sideline of people in the Suzhou area during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). Well known for its smoothness and delicateness. Su embroidery won Suzhou the title City of Embroidery in the Qing Dynasty. In the mid and late Qing. Su embroidery experienced further developments involving works of double-sided embroidering. There were 65 embroidery stores in Suzhou City. During the Republic of China period (1912-1949). the Su embroidery industry was in decline due to frequent wars and it was restored and regenerated after the founding of new China. In 1950. the central government set up research centers for Su embroidery and launched training courses for the study of embroidery. Weaving methods have climbed from 18 to the present 40.

Su embroidery features a strong. folk flavor and its weaving techniques are characterized by the following: the product surface must be flat. the rim must be neat. the needle must be thin. the lines must be dense. the color must be harmonious and bright and the picture must be even. Su embroidery products fall into three major categories: costumes. decorations for halls and crafts for daily use. which integrate decorative and practical values. Double-sided embroidery is an excellent representative of Su embroidery.

 

China - The Silk Kingdom

Silk. as a symbol of ancient Chinese culture. has not only weaved an excellent picture in the nation`s civilization history. but also has made indelible contributions for the advancement of human beings. For thousands of years. Chinese silk has been known for its superior quality. exquisite patterns. and rich cultural connotations.

Several thousand years ago. when the silk trade first reached Europe via the Silk Road. it brought with it not only gorgeous silk apparel and decorative items. but also the ancient and resplendent culture of the Far East. From then on. silk was regarded as the emissary and symbol of Eastern civilization. The earliest silk article discovered to date is approximately 4700 years old. unearthed from a tomb dating from China`s Liangzhu Culture (c. 3300-2200 BC).

According to an ancient Chinese legend. the Silkworm Goddess appeared to the Yellow Emperor. the legendary ancestor of the Chinese people. after he had vanquished his adversary Chi You. She presented him with silk fibers spun from her own mouth as a sign of respect. The Yellow Emperor ordered the fibers woven into cloth and made into silk apparel. which he found exceedingly soft and comfortable.

Lei Zu. the Yellow Emperor`s wife. searched until she found some caterpillars capable of spinning silk fibers from their mouth. She raised these silkworms by feeding them mulberry leaves she picked herself. Later generations came to worship Lei Zu as the Silkworm Goddess. and the Yellow Emperor as the God of Weaving.

Sericulture. including cultivating the mulberry plant. raising silkworms. and producing silk fabric. has been an essential form of labor in China throughout the millennia. as China is the birthplace of sericulture. Raising silkworms and reeling the silk from their cocoons was ancient China`s greatest achievement in the use of natural fibers.

As long ago as the Neolithic Age (c. 12.000-2000 BC). the Chinese ancestors had invented flat-weaving and figured-weaving techniques. and were tinting cloth using natural (red pigment) vermilion dye. With improvements in looming devices and printing and dyeing methods. more varieties of silk were developed and a comprehensive system of cloth dying evolved. China possessed the most advanced silk dying and weaving techniques of the ancient world.