Wanda＇s Wang Jianlin： Boost Cultural Industries with Chinese Elements

＂Shanghai has seen robust growth of cultural industries over the past years. My proposal, if any, is to further enhance cultural self-awareness and create more with Chinese elements,＂ Wanda＇s President Mr. Wang Jianlin recently said at the ]ecture series on Shanghai＇s cultural industries taking place at Shanghai Library.     

Walls Collapse But the Structure Stands Still

In February 1996, an expert delegation from UNESCO visited Lijiang, southwest Yunnan Province of China for the assessment of the city＇s application for the World Cultural Heritage entry. Old architectures, historical streets and crisscross streams winding through them shape the old town of Lijiang and are the most important elements that the expert board planned to evaluate. Unfortunately, the visit coincided with a great earthquake of the region, Many new buildings fell down and roads were badly broken. But to their surprise, experts found that the old town was not destroyed as seriously as they expected. Wails of old houses and shops collapsed or damaged to some extents, but their structures stood still and maintained original forms. Ironically, some new, modern buildings that were at odds with the overall appearance of the old town collapsed. In the old town, roads remained intact and streams continued to flow as usual. Experts therefore asserted that with adequate restoration, historic, artistic and scientific values of the old town of Lijiang would not disappear and the application was still valid. In the end of 1997, Lijiang was approved to enter the list of World Cultural Heritage by UNESCO.     

Yu Fei： Wuyutai＇s Senior Tea Art Specialist

My interview with Yu Fei, a senior tea art specialist of Wuyutai, took place at the second floor of Wuyutai＇s flagship store at Wangfujing, the most famous shopping street in Beijing. This teahouse is not only a place to drink tea, but also an exhibition space to display the history and tradition of Chinese tea culture. One of the most prominent exhibit is the old signboard made 127 years ago,inscribed with five Chinese calligraphic characters meaning ＂Wuyutai Tea Shop＂.     

YANG FENGCHEN： AN AMBITIOUS SCULPTOR

At the opening ceremony of the First National Exhibition on Professional Sculptors taking place in Chengdu, Sichuan Province,an old man with white hair and ruddy complexion drew special attention ot the aucllence. He was lang tel,gone,,, w, idl,H,,＊,, ,,~ .a..,~l, Sculpture Society. Yang was born of a famous family. His father, Yang Yingfeng devoted his lifetime to sculpting and is respected as the most prominent figure among the sculpture circle of Taiwan. Yang＇s exhibit at this exhibition, ＂Destiny Reverted＂, reinterprets the ancient Chinese philosophy and wisdom which emphasize on interaction between muscularity and feminism, the negative and the positive, and ceaseless vitality. ＂During mycreation process, I found with excitement that sculptures speak, epitomizing ideas, literature and even philosophy,＂ Yang explained with enthusiasm.[第一段]     

Classical Guqin Maker Tian Shuangkun

The quiet and melodious music led me to Tian Shuangkun＇s courtyard house in the depth of a hutong （alley） in the downtown of Beijing. Tian is a master maker of the Guqin, a seven-stringed zither known as China＇s oldest stringed instrument.His studio is furnished with traditional Chinese stuffs - old- style furniture, calligraphic and ink painting works, old pictures and the guqin as well. While I appreciated all these, Tian explained to me the long history of the guqin and his lifelong pursuit of perfection in making the guqin.     

Centennial Flavor of Wuyutai＇s Jasmine Tea

Beijing doesn＇t produce tea but people of old Beijing were fond of flagrant flavor of jasmine tea and developed a habit of drinking jasmine tea every day. Like salt and oil, jasmine tea is a necessity of every family. When a visitor came in old times, the family host would serve him with a lidded cup of jasmine tea. When the tea cup＇s cover is opened, the whole room would be permeated with fragrant aroma of jasmine flower.     

New Policies Adopted to Revive Intangible Cultural Heritage

At the quarterly news conference of the Ministry of Culture of China （MOC） in August, Ma Shengde, vice director-general respon- sible for intangible cultural heritage af- fairs released MOC＇s new approach- es and policies for the better protection and continuation of intangible cultur- al heritage. Ma said that these new mea- sures include producing documentaries by using literature kept in storehouses and archives, encouraging ICH and folk art showcases and performances at local houses of culture and squares, and im- proving the development oflCH-relat- ed derivative products, with an aim to revive ICH elements and make them an integrated part of people＇s lifestyle.     

Beauty of Ice and Snow on Canvas

Late September 2006, at the invitation of the Cultural Ministry of Belarus, a four-person delegation from northeast China＇s Heilongjiang Province visited Minsk, capital city of Belarus, to present China Ice and Snow Painting Exhibition at Belarus National Museum of History and Culture as part of China Culture Day co- sponsored by the cultural ministries of the two countries. The exhibition displayed 54 painting masterpieces by Yu Zhixue, founder of ice and snow painting, and his students. All the maior media organizations in Belarus reported the exhibition and Belarus Culture Daily gave an exclusive interview of Yu Zhixue. The Deputy Cultural Minister of Belarus was so impressed by the painting styles of Yu that he shook Yu＇s hands excitingly and highly praised Yu＇s works. A renowned Belarus painter said that ＂Trees with Crystal-White ice＂, donated by Yu to Belarus National Museum of History and Culture, would become an everlasting memory of the city of Minsk.     

Tang Yijie： China＇s Top Philosopher and Master of Chinese Learning

Tang Yijie was born in Tanjin on February 16, 1927. He graduated from the Department of Philosophy of Peking University, in 1951. He successively served as professor and advisor to Ph.D. candidates at Peking University＇s Philosophy Department, vice chairman of China Oriental Culture Society, vice chairman of China Society on the Studies of Yan and Huang Culture, and vice chairman of Chinese Confucius Society. In 1983, he worked at Harvard University as visiting scholar. In 1986, he was engaged as research jellow by New York State University. in 1990, he was conferred with honorary doctor by McMaster University of Canada. In 2006, he was conferred with honorary doctor by Kansai University of Japan. He served as guest projessor at University of Oregon, McMaster University, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, and Melbourne University respectively.     

A Life Destined for Calligraphy

I was born in the countryside. I had a colorful and joyful childhood although my peasant parents couldn＇t give me an affluent life at that time, My toys were all handmade by myself such as catapults and powder guns. Like many kids of the time, I also liked to dissemble and re-assemble clocks and radios as a means of entertainment. Once I noticed a small bottle of ink with a brush pen in it at the window and showed strong interest in them. Since then, my poor handwriting left over everywhere in my house. My father was tolerant and never scolded at my unrestrained scrawling. That was my first experience in Chinese calligraphy which led me to a life destined for this magic art.     

Alibaba Buys Stake in China Vision

Jack Ma said, ＂I have a great passion for the cultural industry, including movies and TV programs, because movies and TV programs has influenced my generation, and are to influence more in the future. I am concerned that during China＇s rapid growth, without the healthy de- velopment of the cultural industry, China will become the nouveau riche, wealthy but vulgar. Meanwhile, many intellectuals are reluctant to resort to commercial approaches. If they distain businesspersons and commercial approaches, they are unrealistic and unequipped with the means to grow. Therefore the country may face a gloomy future.＂     

Feng Jicai: A Staunch Savior of Chinese Traditional Culture

＂Our society is flowing with too many materialistic desires and lacks spiritual props. We have so ignored our cultural heritages that our society finds no props to en- dure,＂ said Feng Jicai, a 72-year- old writer, who has been a mem- ber of Chinese People＇s Political Consultative Conference （CP- PCC） for 32 years. In each of the past ten years, his proposals were related to ＂rescuing Chinese tra- ditional culture＂.     

Archaeologist Zou Heng： Life Savings Spent on Books

Zou Heng＇s house is nothing but a library. Most of his rooms, even the space beneath the bed, are filled with books. He began to buy books in his college years in the end of the 1940s and has kept doing so until now. The walls of his study are all furnished with bookcases reaching to the ceiling and even the desk and the floor are piled with books. Though in his eighties, he spends most of his time in reading and writing. His wife told me that he got up early at 5 am and work at the desk until late at night.     

The Legend of Bixi

Bixi is a reptile-like creature that resembles the tortoise. You can find it mostly at the entrances of temples and tombs. People believe that it can travel long distance with a huge stone on his back and enjoy long life. That is why so many ancient stone tablets were carved in the form of Bixi. It is said that Bixi can bring you good luck if you touch it. As an old Chinese ballad goes, "If you touch Bixi's head, you will worry nothing. If you touch Bixi's back, you will avoid any troubles…     

Liu Hong： Chinese Lute Is My Best Love

Liu Hong, member of Tianjin Musicians Association and council member of the Pipa （Chinese lute） Academic Committee of China Traditional Orchestra Association, currently teaches pipa at Tianjin Music Conservatory. She is openminded and bold and vigorous in her work. Losing her father when she was only one year old, Liu, together with her two elder sisters, were raised only by her mother who is an elementary school teacher. As she liked singing very much, her music teacher at the elementary school recommended her to the choir of the city＇s children place. Unfortunately, the choir had no vacancy when Liu came. She therefore was transferred to the instrument class. There she began to learn pipa. Liu was not exceptional at all in the very beginning, but she liked pipa and practiced very hard. When the class entered into the advanced level, only five children were qualified for further study and Liu was one of them.     

Too Dear For The Whistle

When I was a child of seven years old, myfriends, on a holiday, filled my pocket withcoppers. I went at once to a shop where theysold toys for children. Being charmed with the     

Publishing New Book to Celebrate Yang Jiang＇s Birthday

When Yang Jiang was celebrating her lo3rd birthday, People＇sLiterature Publishing House published the Complete Works of Yang Jiang（Nine Volumes）, collecting all of the renowned author, translator and scholar Yang Jiang＇s works including essays and novels. Her works like novel Baptism.     

A Fascinating Journey to the Old Town of Yuzhou

Yuxian County, called Yuzhou in ancient times, enjoys unique terrains and old traditions. As it borders with the northern province of Shanxi, it shares many cultural and business similarities with Pingyao, an old town of Shanxi inscribed in the World Heritage List. Since it is not far from Beijing, Yuxian has become a frequent destination for travelers from Beijing. The Extraordinary Art of Paper Cut In a paper cut workshop of Yuxian County, I was fortunate to see the whole production …     

Li Boqian： Ambitious but Down-to-earth in Archaeology

Like many other eminent professors of Peking University, Li Boqian looks humble and kind, bearing the precise and earnest nature as a scholar. He is plainly dressed and modestly behaved, but once on the rostrum, he is so full of passion that you can hardly believe he is already 75 years old. On the occasion of the 90th anniversary of the ArchaeoLogy Department of Peking University, Li received the interview by PKU News.     

PEKING OPERA EIGURINES

My creation of Peking Opera figurines started in 1997. I was raised in Tianjin, a city with rich traditions of Peking Opera. My father, a Peking Opera lover, often took me to see Peking Opera shows. As a child, I didn＇t understand plots or arias but I was quite fascinated by brilliant facial makeup and costumes of performers. Back at home, I tried to use cloth leftover to make miniature Peking Opera figurines. Later I was enrolled in Beijing Handicraft Art School and Zhejiang Academy of Fine Arts. For several decades, I didn＇t have opportunities to spend time in my childhood hobby. But I have always been confident that one day I will again take up the art of sculpture.