KITCHEN RANGE PAINTING OF JIAXING

Every household in Jiaxing＇s villages has a two-stove opening or three-stove opening kitchen range. Dazzling arrays of patterns and designs with text captions are painted on the surface of ldtchen ranges, which are called ＂kitchen range painting＂ by local villagers.     

The Art of Bookplate in China

A bookplate is usually a small print or decorative label pasted to a book to indicate its owner. As a form of higher art, bookplates are praised as ＂gems on paper＂ or ＂pearls in print＂. First appearing in the 1 5th century, bookplates are collected as timehonored artworks. In Europe, collecting and appreciating bookplates is recognized as one of qualifications for intellectuals. In China, bookplates have gained increasing popularity among collectors thanks to the upgraded aesthetic level of Chinese people.     

Rain Flower Pebbles

Rain flower pebbles are stunningly beautiful stones emedded with naturally occurring designs.A legend sas that during the Liang (502-557AD)of the Southerm dynasties when Master Monk Yunguang was expounding the texts of Buddhism,the Heavenly God was so moved that he rained flowers.Those flowers,when falling on the ground,trned into colorful stones and were so callled“rain flower pebbles“.     

Folk Houses of Qiang Ethnic Group

Folk houses of Qiang ethnic group, mostly built by stones, date back to 5000 years, Over the sweep of history, Qiang people have assimilated the best of other ethnic cultures and developed an architectural system consisting of centralized, large-scale buildings which are rarely seen in constructions of other ethnic groups in China,     

A Safari to the Hometown of Hetian Jade

Hetian jade is considered jade ofhighest grade for its fine quality,pure texture and color of mutton tallow. Jewelry tributes to Chinese emperors from Xinjiang were mostly made of hetian jade. Jade stones above the 5,000-meter snow line on the Kunlun Mountain are always mysterious attractions to travelers from the outside world.     

Collecting Arts,Gollecting Joys

Pu Guoyi, a well-known art collector in Chengdu, showed me around his deluxe residence where a considerable number of artworks are housed. His collections range from landmark creations by prestigious artists such as ＂Crossing the River＂ by Luo Zhongli, ＂The Green Dog＂ by Zhou Chunya, ＂The Five-pointed Star＂ by Len Jun, ＂The Superman＂ by Wei Jia, ＂Chairman Mao on the Beach of Beidaihe＂ by Hou Bo, ＂Rescuing the Nation＂ by Luo Xiaoyun, ＂The Panorama of the World＂ by Li Zhanyang and ＂Dramatic Figures＂ by Jiao Xingtao, to outstanding oil, print, photo and sculpture works by emerging art students. Hanged on walls or displayed on the floor, these collections have witnessed Pu＇s fascinating career as an art collector.     

Lingering Melodies from Northwest China—Musical“White Dove”debutsin Poly Theatre in Beijing

A legendary story from grandma＇s ballad, a touching love story with both pain and joy. The musical “White Dove”, following the successful performance of the epic drama “Qinghai： A Mysterious Land”, has recently debuted in Poly Theatre in Beijing. This musical production is based on hua＇er, a type of song prevalent throughout northwest China, with singers interacting and improvising topical and love lyrics. “The Yellow River and the Yangtze River are like two long plaits. The Qinghai Lake is like a mirror. Doves are cwstal white and their red eyes are like agate stones...” These are the typical lyrics from this musical production.     

Architecture of Buyi Ethnic Group

Buyi ethnic group, one of the most populous ethnic minorities dwelling in southwest China, evolves from Yue people in the remote past and has long lived on paddy rice farming. As they are mostly distributed in mountainous areas, many houses of Buyi people are made of rock slates. However, over the sweep of history, Buyi people have developed a variety of forms of residence besides slate-made dwellings, such as those made of thatch or rammed earth or those on stilts. Their houses are built at riverside, in mountains, caves or in the fort-like manner. And walls of their houses are made of stone, wood, earth or bamboo.[第一段]     

SHADOW PLAY OF LAOTING

The shadow play of Laoting is a local theatric genre in northern China. Laoting County is located in the eastern part of Hebei Province and this folk art expression is also called ＂eastern Hebei shadow play＂. Puppet figures and props used in Laoting shadow plays are all engraved on donkey skin. Characters sing or speak in Laoting＇s local dialect.     

Shi Yue： Dedicated to Chinese Traditional Music

＂In the early springime, burgeoning flowers look more beautiful in the caress of gentle breeze and against brightness of the pure moon. Ancient beauties, either slim or plump, look gloomier under shining stars... ＂ That is a line from the poem Shi Yue has written. She set the poem to music and named the composition ＂Charm of Strings＂. Shi Yue learned music composition as an optional course for one year when she studied in Central Conservatory of Music and got best performance in composition analysis and harmony. ＂I had highest examination scores in my class. They are quite helpful to my music creation later,＂ Shi said.     

Mo Mingxin Eloborotes on Snuff Bottle Collection

Every elite scholar envisions a paradise in his mind＂ For collectors, snuff bottles are their paradises. Small and delicate, snuff bottles integrate various forms of art, including poetry, calligraphy, painting, seal carving and engraving, embodying Chinese culture and craftsmanship within tiny boxes. Over the past century or so, snuff bottles have always been favored by art collectors, thanks to their unique values for appreciation and collection.     

Conflict and Integration： A French＇s Life in China

West Street is the oldest in Yangshuo, a small town in Guilin, with towering karst peaks and surrounded by Li River. In this lessthan-one-kilometer street, there are more than 100 cafes, bars, restaurants and hotels, all with both Chinese and English or French ads. Called ＂a foreigner street＂, West Street attracts tens of thousands of foreign tourists every year. Le De （happy）, a French-styled restaurant, and Hong Fu （Big Fortune）, a Chinese-styled hotel, are the most splendid restaurant ＆ hotel in the street, which is situated in an old guild hall with the history of some 200 years and run by French twin brothers whose Chinese names are Wen Shuanefu and Wen Shuanelu.     

Mysterious Jiana Stone Compound

In Tibetan-inhabited areas, visitors can often find piles of stone carved with six-word mystic teaching of truth or Buddhist sutras at lakesides, mountain entrances, monasteries, roadsides or burial sites. Those ubiquitous stone piles, painted in white, red or blue, are the mysterious and world famous Manipile, or called “holy pile”.     

THE GAME OF GO AND SONG-DYNASTY GO STONES

Recently,I was lucky to see a set of go stones made in the Ding Kiln of the Northern Song Dynasty,The ceramic go stones feel so delicate and glossy as if the black ones were like lacquer and white ones like jade.     

Jiedexiu：Homeland of tibetan pulu fabrics

“Pulu“,or tibetan woolen fabrics,are as important and popular amons tibetans as cotton clothes are to inland chinese,this type of richly textured cloth originated in jiedexiu,     

China''''s First Dong Ethnic Eco-Museum

Deep in the mountain ranges in southeast of Guizhou Province, there is a small village of Dong ethnic group named Tang'an. It is where China's first Dong ethnic eco-museum, co-founded by China and Norway, is located. For most people, museums usually mean grand buildings where exhibits are displayed for appreciation or memory. What they show to visitors are living states that are separated from their practitioners or no longer exist in realities. But in eco-museums, culturally valuable elem…     

ARCHITECTURAL HERITAGE： GRANARIES ON STILTS IN GUIZHOU

There are a variety of granaries in Guizhou, a southwest province dwelled bv different ethnic groups. Some store their grains indoors while others outdoors; some keep their crops on the ground while others underground. Granaries are made from various ldnds of material, such as bamboo, wood, stone or brick. And their shape also varies, including round, square or suspending ones.[第一段]     

A Mysterious Blue Box：＂Water Cube＂ for Beijing Olympics

The National Aquatics Center, or more popularly known as ＂Water Cube＂, stands on the opposite of ＂Bird＇s Nest＂ in the Olympic Green. This miraculous building features a mysterious transparent blue appearance and an innovative structure, perfectly mixing architectural concepts and cutting-edge technologies. Based on the traditions of Chinese culture and architectural design, Water Cube stands out in a simplistic and streamlined form, creating a harmonious co-existence with Bird＇s Nest while distinguishing itself from the grandeur of the latter. The building＇s design is inspired by the traditional concept of Chinese philosophy, ＂integral unity and harmony between the round heaven and the square earth＂, which are respectively represented by Bird＇s Nest and Water Cube. While meeting functional needs for international competitions, this square blue box is considered an outstanding example integrating traditional culture with modern functional facilities.     

Theater, Opera, Forbidden City

Every theater fan can name one or two theaters.But when it comes to theaters for imperial use,you cannot miss those built by Qing emperors in the Forbidden City.Small or large,elaborated or simple,they all reflect royal style.Many cultural relics in the Palace Museum are related to opera,such as