Performing Arts Market: Abandon Extravagancy,Back to Normal简

At the end of 2012, the Chinese Government issued the Eight Provisions on how to improve the Party＇s general work methods and relations. 117 early August 2013, .five departments, including the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee issued a joint statement on abandoning extravagancy and advocating thrift on festival gala, which brought a ＂storm＂ to Chinese performing arts market. The number of the government-sponsored festival gala and large-scale performances has dropped sharply. These policies are welcomed and praised by the masses. What kind of influence did 01ese policies bring to the Chinese performing arts markets as well as the art troupes？ How did relevant institutions respond to it？ What is the right direction of Chinese per t~rmance arts ＇future development？ ... Recently, the People＇s Daily published a series on ＂Focusing on Performing Arts＂, which may offer some reference value for art troupes to catch the development trend.     

Chinese Steelyard Protected as Intangible Cultural Heritage

A Chinese steelyard is the measuring instrument used to measure weight. It uses a weight that moves on the scale stem and changes the ratio of the lever to measure, The steelyard consists of the following parts： an arm, a hook, lifting cords and a weight. The arm is graduated with the weight units. The hook, hanging from one end of the arm, is used to lift up the object to be weighed. Hanging from the other part of the arm is the free-moving weight, attached on a looped string. On the arm is fixed one, two or three lifting cords, placed much closer to the hook than to the other end. Anything to be weighed should be picked up by the hook, while the weigher lifts up the whole steelyard, holding one of the cords. He then slides the weight left or right until he finds a perfect balance of the beam. He then reads the weight from the graduation mark on which the weight-string rests.     

Intangible Cultural Heritage in China （I）

On December 4, 2013, UNESCO officially listed Chinese Zhusuan, knowledge and practices of mathematical calculation through abacus, as the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. It is China＇s thirtieth inscribed on the List and made the country to rank top in terms of the elements to be included on the List.     

Lin Fengmian： Life Dedicated to Art

Lin Fengmian [1900 - 1991 ] is a master artist whose life was dedicated to the development of fine arts of modern China. Lin went to France for the study of art in 1919. He was enrolled in Dijon Academy of Fine Arts in 1921 and later transferred to Paris State Higher School of Fine Arts. During his study in France, he began to develop the concept of ＂creation based on reflections on life＂.     

Sinologists Should Take the Lead in Translating Chinese Works简

The January issue published htternational Sinologists Gathered in Beijing, which briefly introduced the academic profiles of the translators and scholars active in the international sinology field today and the synopsis of their speeches delivered at the Symposium on Sinologists and International Cultural Dialogue. This article allows readers to have a basic understanding of international sinologists. From this issue on, we will select some of their brilliant speeches to entertain readers.     

CULTURAL HERITAGE CONSERVATION CALLS FOR GREATER PUBLIC AWARENESS AND INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION

A 36-person delegation from the US President＇s Committee on the Arts and the Humanity paid an official visit to China from June 5 to 13 at the invitation of Chinese Cultural Ministry. On June 10, the delegation attended a seminar on the conservation of world heritage sites in Suitcase House in Commune by the Great Wall,a resort hotel in the suburb of Beijing.At the seminar Shan Jixiang,Director-General of the State Administration of Cultural Heritage of China,delivered a presentation on the trends of cultural heritage conservation in China as wall as China-US exchange and cooperation in the field of cultural heritage conservation.     

LEARNING CHINESE HAS BECOME ALL THE RAGE IN HUNGARY

Budapest,the capital city of Hungary,is praised as a pearl on River Danube which divides the city into two parts-Buda and Pest.Buda is situated mainly in the hills to the west while Pest lies on the vast plains to the east which extend to the country＇s borders with Romania and former Yugoslavia.Ninc magnificent bridges of diverse styles link the two parts together.     

Cultural Minister Cai Wu Interprets the Spirits of CPC Third Plenary SessionReform of the Cultural System Navigates ＇Unchartered Waters＂

The new central leadership which took office one year ago interpreted the governing concept and reform roadmap of the central government through the Third Plenary Session of the Eighteenth Central Committee of CPC. The Decision on Major Issues Concerning Comprehensively Deepening Reforms adopted on the conference was considered a top-level design, equal to a guideline. What are the meanings behind the various tasks related to the innovation of cultural systems and mechanisms proposed by the document？     

AN EXHIBITION OF CARVED STONE PIERS TO WELCOME CHINESE NEW YEAR

From January 24 to February 14, 2009, an exhibition on carved stone piers from Beiiing and Tianjin was held in Beijing International Sculpture Park, displaying nearly 300 pairs of traditional carved stone piers of the Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties from the collection of Zhang Lianzhi, director of Tianiin Porcelain House Museum. It is the first time that an exhibition on carved stone piers has ever bean held during Spring Festival temple fairs. This largest ever exhibition on stone piers, together with the photo exhibition on stone piers by renowned photographer Cao Lijun attracted local viewers to appreciate folk traditions as a way to celebrate Chinese New Year.     

A walking Marriage Trile in the Grand Canyon

In his publications on ancient societies and origins of families, American anthropologist L. H. Morgan defines the human society as the matriarchal, the transitional and the patriarchal stages. This notion is also applicable to China. Research on forms of primitive marriage bears valuable significance on future marriage of human kind. And ＇Walking marriage＂ is one of the primitive marriage form still practiced today.     

The Power of Culture： a Key Factor UNESCO International Conference of “Culture： Key to Sustainable Development”

UNESCO International Conference of"Culture: Key to Sustainable Development" was held in Hangzhou from May 15 to 17,2013. The Vice Premier Liu Yandong,on behalf of the Chinese government and Chinese people,extended congratulations on the opening of this conference and warm welcome to representatives present. Premier Liu stated in her speech that this conference highlighted problems facing human beings with the theme of"culture:key to sustainable development".     

THE CULTURAL IDENTITY OF CHINA CONTEMPORARY ART

A 36-person delegation from the US President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanity paid an official visit to China from June 5 to 13 at the invitation of Chinese Cultural Ministry. On June 10, the delegation attended a seminar on the cultural identity of Chinese contemporary art chaired by Director Fan Di’an in the National Art Museum of China.     

THE CULTURAL INDENTITY OF CHINA CONTEMPORARY ART

A 36-person delegation from the US President＇s Committee on the Arts and the Humanity paid an official visit to China from June 5 to 13 at the invitation of Chinese Cultural Ministry. On June 10, the delegation attended a seminar on the cultural identity of Chinese contemporary art chaired by Director Fan Di＇an in the National Art Museum of China.     

Creativity Inspired by life＂Thou Art Understood＂ Paper Tape

Recently, the Palace Museum in Taipei unveiled the＂thou art understood＂ （literally＂l, the Emperor, understood your request!＂） paper tape, an item based on the comments thatEmperor Kangxi frequently marked in palace memorials. The tape is very popular in Taiwan as well as the mainland China and sells so good that the museum had to post a notice in its online store, saying 500 boxes of paper tape that were ready to sell on July 4th were sold out the next day. And 700 boxes restocked on July 6th were sold out in 30 minutes. From the release of the paper tape on July 3rd to the end of August, 21,672 paper tapes were sold out.     

AN EMBASSY TO CHINA

From 1419 to 1422, a large diplomatic mission consisting of 510 persons and dispatched by Timurid King Shahruh Bahadur paid a visit to the Ming Empire. The delegation member and painter recorded in his diary traditions and customs he saw along his journey and politics, economy, traditions and people of the Ming Dynasty. These notes were later compiled as “An Embassy to China”, which is now referred to as an important historical record for the study of cultural exchange between Central Asia and China of the time. The author, based on this literary work, reviewed that part of history on friendly exchange between China and lran.     

Getting to Know China： Appreciation of 100 Chinese Characters

Getting to Know China： Appreciation of 100 Chinese Characters is one of the book series ＂Meet China＂ produced by the Ministry of Culture of China in 2013. The book selects 100 Chinese characters that represent Chinese culture to some extent. Targeted at foreign readers most of whom are unfamiliar with Chinese characters, the book elaborates on the meanings of Chinese characters and their cultural connotation concisely and to the point.     

China Hosts Young Overseas Sinologists

Sinology is an academic discipline on the study of China, Chinese people and Chinese culture. Today, the scope of sinology has widened extensively to establish itself as a knowledge system on the study of Chinese philosophy, history, language, literature, arts, politics, economy and society. Sinology development relies on sinologists and translators who play an indispensible role in helping the rest of the world know more about China.     

Impression on Oil Painter Wei Kuizhong

On my way back to Beijing, I dropped into the art museum of Hebei Provincial Institute of Painting in the city of Shijiazhuang, where an exhibition on Wei Kuizhong＇s off paintings was on the display. I was so overwhelmed by those extraordinary works that I was eager to talk to the painter. Wei was a sincere and determined artist. He looked taciturn but when it came to his artistic pursuits and ideas, his eloquence surprised me. In the Chinese art market today when everybody complains about the lack of mainstream artworks, Wei＇s oil masterpieces with thrilling make him stand out as a leading figure.     

Recent and Forthcoming Events

On September 6th, the Confucius In- stitute Headquarters/Hanban, and Renmin University of China co-hosted the opening of the fourth World Con- ference on Sinology on RUC campus. Vice Premier Liu Yandong attend- ed the opening ceremony and subse- quently welcomed the foreign Sinolo- gists. This conference marks the 10th anniversary of the founding of Con- fucius Institute, with over 200 schol- ars of varying disciplines coming from 38 different countries and regions to discuss and exchange views on Sinol- ogy.     

The Matriarchal Society at Lugu Lake

Our journey to Lugu Lake, a beautiful resort in the northwest tip of Yunnan Province, was full of steep mountains and bumpy roads. But the landscape on the way was extraordinary： yellow rape blossoms flourished along roads; the plateau grassland was dotted with many anonymous flowers -- red, purple or yellow; high mountains were permeated by clouds and mists, springs and streams ran down from top of mountains; and goats and yaks grazed leisurelv on mountain slopes in the distance. All those testified to the truth of a popular proverb -- ＂Beautiful landscape is always on the way＂.