Shexiang Museum on Yi Culture

Shexiang Tomb ＆ Museum of Yi Ethnic Group, or briefly called “Shexiang Museum” is an important museum on folk and ethnic culture of Yi people in Guizhou Province.Shexiang （1361-1396） was a celebrated woman chieftain of Yi ethnic group. During her rule, she organized the construction of nine post houses and ten bridges within her territory, making outstanding contribution to consolidating boundaries of southwest China, safeguarding national unification and ethnic unity and developing local economy and culture. After she died, she was conferred the title of “Shunde Lady” by the court of the Ming Empire.     

ART ADDS BEAUTY TO OLYMPICS：An interview with myo Khin. gold prize winner of Olympic fine Arts 2008

The 2008 Beijing Olympic Games is a sports gala for all mankind and a celebration to showcase the best of Chinese and foreign cultures. In August, the opening ceremony and the award- granting ceremony of ＂Olympic Fine Arts 2008＂ took place in China International Exhibition Center. This event attracted enthusiastic participation by artists from across the world. With their painting brushes, these outstanding artists portrayed strength and passion of athletes and expressed the spirit of Olympics, highlighting the theme of ＂art adds beauty to Olympics＂.     

A Walk in the Dashanzi

At the end of Apdl, the opening ceremony of the First Dashanzi International Art Festival, which lasted a month, was held in the Tense Space studio of the “798 Factory” area in Beijing‘s Chaoyang District. The opening ceremony attracted some 1,000 participants, half of which were foreigners. With the theme of “Light, Sound, Time”, the festival consisted of more than 30 displays of various forms of modem art, including visual arts, sound arts, live concerts, dancing, plays, performing arts, and architecture and design exhibitions. There were also four independent film festivals, and eight visual arts exhibitions including photography, painting, performing and installation. With over 200 famous artists from both home and abroad showing their talents, and about 40 art studios in the area open to public, this non-governmental festival was the first of its kind in the 20-year development of modern arts in China.     

CHINESE ARMORIAL PORCELAIN

China-Europe trade was first launched by Portuguese fleets which began to navigate in Chinese seas in the 16th century. Numerous Chinese commodities were shipped to Europe, among which Chinese porcelain was particularly favored by European noblemen and merchants as a sign of fortune. In the 17th and 18th century, the fever on Chinese art, triggered out by the French court, brought China-Europe trade growth to an unprecedented height.     

Spreading Chinese Culture Worldwide简

Aiming at commending overseas Chinese,foreign friends and public figures of China who have made huge contribution to the dissemination of Chinese culture, the award ceremony of “China Light： Persons of the Year 2013 in Disseminating Chinese Culture”, jointly hosted by the Ministry of Culture, the Information Office of the State Council, the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office of the State Council, Chinese People＇s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries and others, was held in Beijing on December 20, 2013. Senior officials fTom these host departments attended the ceremony and presented the awards to ten individuals and one group.     

SHANGHAI FILM FEST HIGHLIGHTS ASIAN YOUNG TALENTS

The 10th Shanghai International Film Festival （SIFF） was rounded off at Shanghai Grand Theatre on June 24, 2007. The full list of winners from Jin Jue Award was announced at the awarding ceremony and the closing ceremony with all the eight awards in their proper places. The international judges, together with film and TV stars, distinguished guests from home and abroad awarded the prizes to the winners. ＂Flight of the Red Balloon＂, the closing film led the 10th Shanghai International Film Festival to a successful conclusion.     

Sports Agent Industry Emerges in China

The agent profession is not new to Chinese. First appearing in the Western Zhou Dynasty, agents were called "Zhi Ren" then and "Ya Ren" from the Tang Dynasty onwards. In the Ming Dynasty, a certain amount of property and a license were required if one wanted to become an agent. In the late Qing Dynasty, Mai Ban (Chinese executives working in foreign firms), also a sort of agents, began to emerge in major cities of China.     

Evaluation and Research： Habitat Setting of Qujiang New Area New Release of View Point Series of Qujiang Cultural Tourism

On June 6, Xi＇an Qujiang Cultural Tourism Co., Ltd. held a ceremony to release its new book “Evaluation and Research： Habitat Setting of Qujiang New Area” at Overseas Chinese Art Gallery in Xi＇an. This book is the second collection of View Point Series of Qujiang Cultural Tourism planned and compiled by Qujiang Institute of Cultural Tourism （QICT）, following its first collection “Cultural and Historic Theme Attractions in China： Case Study and Analysis of Tourist Behaviors”.     

Art Information

Government and Bank Collaborate to Support Cultural Industries
On March 10, the Ministry of Culture of China （MOC） and the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China （ICBC） signed a strategic cooperation agreement in supporting cultural industries. Cultural Minister Cai Wu and ICBC Chairman Jiang Jianqing attended the signing ceremony. According to this agreement, MOC and ICBC will abide by the principle of＂conducting long-term cooperation, supplementing each other＇s advantages and promoting common development＂ in order to encourage the development of cultural industries of China.     

Cai Wu Attends the ＂World Cultural Development Forum＂

On November 24, 2013, the ＂World Cultural Development Forum＂ was held in Bali, Indonesia. High-level officials from over 30 countries in Europe, America, Asia and Africa came to attend this forum. Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, President of Indonesia was present at the opening ceremony and delivered a speech. Cai Wu, China＇s Minister of Culture, attended the meeting and delivered a keynote speech.     

Stamps released to celebrate successful bid of Grand Canal for World Cultural Heritage

The Culture and Finance Club was officially founded on June 16 in Beijing, an association co-established by China Society for the Promotion of Development-based Finance and China Society for the Promotion of Press and Culture. At the inauguration ceremony, CPPCC Vice Chairman Chen Yuan said that cooperation between culture and finance provides a key engine to drive the fast, sound and sustainable development of cultural industries in China.     

Paint on the Great Wall, Embrace the Olympics

Early in August, on Badaling Pass of the Great Wall in the northern suburb of Beijing, 500 children from Hong Kong and 200 children from Beijing participated in the opening ceremony of “Paint on the Great Wall, Embrace the Olympics”, a large-scale cultural exchange event jointly sponsored by Chinese Cultural Ministry, Beijing Municipality and Hong Kong Civil Service Bureau.     

The ＂February 8th Festival＂ of Yi People

＂The February 8th Festival＂, also called the ＂Miku Worship Festival＂, is the traditional ancestor worship festival for the Yi nationality in Dali, Yunnan Province. The ancestor worship, singings, and banquet are the major content of this festival. The Bi village is a family village composed of Yi nationalities in the Bi family, which is located halfway up a hill and surrounded by mountains. With 68 households and 314 villagers, the village has a history of more than 500 years. According to their founding legend, their ancestors used to live in the Diancang Mountains.     

Luxian＇s Dragon-shaped Bridges： Valuable Historic Legacies

The dragon is a Chinese totem symbolizing the emperor’s supreme power and the court’s dignity in ancient China. Dragon-related culture and traditions were also widely manifested in various dimensions of the Chinese society. Between 1368 and 1398, a great number of dragon-shaped bridges     

Magazine Review

Chinese Culture Pictorial
The second China Arts Awards ceremony was held in Beijing on December 19, 2013. Before the ceremony, Liu Yandong, Vice Premier of China, met the artists and writers who won the Awards and engaged in a friendly discussion with them.     

＂Presences China＂ ： Foreign Musicians to Compose Chinese Music

Eight French composers were invited to a competition called ＂Presences China＂ to compose distinctive Chinese music during Shanghai Music Festival taking place in May 2006. They were requested to use Chinese instruments and familiar Chinese melodies, which was hailed as a creative endeavor in the history of music.     

He Xirui： Legends of a Carpenter

He Xirui, a 59-year-old carpenter from Rongchang, Chongqing, was appointed a guest professor at the College of Arts and Media, Southwest Jiaotong University, at its opening ceremony on June 16, 2004. The news immediately called wide attention and generated controversy.     

Aobao： Mongolian Stone Heaps for Worship

The Mongolian people is a nomadic ethnic group and live on grazing. From May to July every year, a solemn worship ritual will be carried out in the vast grassland of the Hulun-Buir Prairie in Inner Mongolia, which is called ＂Aobao＂.     

2013 China - ASEAN Cultural Forum in GuangxiText by Zi Yue＇er and photo by Dong Lianshui

2013 China-ASEAN Cultural Forum was held from September 10 to 11 in Nanning,capital of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in China.Vice Minister of Culture Dong Wei attended the forum and gave a keynote speech at the opening ceremony.Mr.Li Kang,Vice Chairman of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region,UNESCO official Timothy Curtis,cultural officials and professionals from China and ASEAN countries attended the meeting.     

CLOCK COLLECTION OF THE PALACE： MUSEUM

The clock collection of the Palace Museum in Beijing is based on the court collections of the Ming and Qing dynasties. It consists of clocks by countries in East and West over the past 300 years or so and significantly contributes to the world＇s clock collection.