China in the Eyes of Arab Painters--Exhibition on Works of Residence Program for Arab Painters

On September 10, 2014 a grand opening ceremony of＂China in the Eyes of Arab Painters＂, an exhibition on works of residence program tor Arab painters, took place at the National Art Museum of China. This event was co-hosted by the Ministry of Culture of China and Secretariat of the League of Arab States and co-organized by China Arts and Entertainment Group and the National Art Museum of China.     

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.     

A Color Documentary Film The Hutong and Courtyard Houses of Beijing

in Beijing, besides the splendid Forbidden City, there are also Hutong and siheyuan featuring the typical flavor of thi5 ancient capital. Siheyuan - a com-pound with traditional Chinese houses of gray bricks and tiles built a round a courtyard - used to be the civil residence in Beijing. Hutong is the narrow alleyway that connects Siheyuan. Through over 900 years of development from Yuan, Ming to Qing dynasty, more than 2,000 varied Hutong with different length and width scattered among the courtyards. The naming of Hutong, styling of the decorated     

Building Upon History, Looking Forward to Future Prince Kung＇s Mansion Forum 2013

Reputed as the＂mansion with half of the history of the Qing Dynasty＂, Prince Kung＇s Mansion used to be the residence of Heshen; Things changed, however, in 1851, the mansion was resided by a new owner, Yixin, Prince Kung.The mansion was hence named after him.     

Showcasing the Spirit of the Olympics through Art

The exhibition of ＂Olympic Fine Arts 2008＂ opened in Beijing International Exhibition Center on August 11 in celebration of the 29th Olympic Games. The event was initiated by the International Olympic Committee and co-organized by the Chinese Ministry of Culture and the Organizing Committee of Beijing Olympic Games. With the theme of ＂China and the world＂ and the slogan of ＂Art makes Olympics better＂, this international gala for art precisely expressed and continued the spirit and concept of ＂Olympic Contest for Sports and Art＂, an event that was held in Sydney and Athens respectively,     

Magazine Review

Big Push to the Reform
35 years have passed since the policy of reform and opening up was launched in China. The magazine released the feature column of ＂Figures of Reform＂ in this issue, reviewing the practices and experiences of several key economists in the country＇s relbrm process. These featured economists include Du Runsheng, dubbed as ＂father of China＇s rural reform＂, Lin Yifu who proposed the development strategy of comparative advantage, Zhang Zhuoyuan who participated in the drafting of the Tenth Five-Year Plan, Mao Yushi, generally considered to be one of the most controversial intellectuals in China, and Cai Fang, widely called ＂economist speaking for the benefit of the poor＂. All these economists bear strong responsibility for the nation and the people and work hard to pursue truth.     

Cultural Exchange Promotes Common Development

Apress conference on ＂African Cultures in Focus 2010＂was recently held in Beijing.This cultural event isjointly sponsored by the Ministry of Culture, the State Administration of Radio Film and TV, the General Administration of Press and Publication, the General Administration of Sport and the State Administration of Cultural Heritage.     

Long Song： bound of Nature in the Mongolian Grasslands

On November 25, 2005,“long song” was proclaimed by UNESCO as one of the ＂Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity＂. ＂Long song＂, or called ＂urtiin duu＂ in the Mongolian language, is one of the most distinct and honored form of music in Mongolian culture. It is chiefly performed in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region of China, the State of Mongolia as well as the Russian Republic of Buryat.     

Gao Xiaohua： Painting the Truth of Life

As an initiator of ＂Wounded Art＂, a representative of ＂Rural Realism＂ and one of the founders of the ＂Sichuan School of Painting＂, Gao Xiaohua has unarguably been recognized as one of the leading artists in contemporary Chinese art history. In 1978 his oil painting entitled ＂Why＂ daringly broke the political taboo and boldly raised the touchiest social question with awesome guts. Therefore his name and his painting become everlasting in Chinese art history. In 1982 he had another great success of completing his oil painting entitled ＂Rush to the Train＂, which is highly praised as the contemporary version of ＂Riverside Scenery on Pure Brightness Festival＂, one of the greatest Chinese classical painting. He focuses on everyday life of general public with stunning realness and sensation. It becomes an epitome Red Crag＂ and ＂Chongqing on a Bomb-site＂. He demonstrates his open mind, lofty ideal and strong sense of historical and social responsibility nowadays when the domestic art market is booming up in an unprecedented manner.     

A Life of Red Sandalwood

If you drive along the Chang＇an Avenue eastward in Beijing and pass through skyscrapers in CBD, you will soon encounter a complex of ancient buildings of Ming and Qing styles - China Red Sandalwood Museum. Behind the immense door lies an ancient art palace. This is the world＇s largest museum of red sandalwood architectures and carvings and also the only private museum in China that has ＂China＂ in its name, which receives the most heads of states and foreign government officials.     

Chinese Spring Festival Celebrated in Thailand

From January 23 to February 4, ＂Cultural Series in Celebration of Chinese Spring Festival＂ was launched in Thailand, coorganized by Chinese Cultural Ministry, Chinese Embassy in Thailand and departments of the Thai Government concerned. It was the fifth session of the event and the largest Spring Festival celebration that China held overseas in 2009.     

Colorful China： Exhibition on Ethnic Traditions of China

The exhibition ＂Colorful China＂ was recently held in the Capital Museum in Beijing, This exhibition displayed 100 pieces or sets of masterpieces of ethnic tradition in foursections, including ＂Unity and Self-Reliance＂, ＂Ethnic Diversity and Harmony＂, ＂Superb Craftsmanship＂ and ＂Mental Cultivation＂. These historic exhibits collected by 12 different museums of China offered viewers a good opportunity to take an in-depth look at ethnic cultures and traditions preserved and promoted in the process of modernization.     

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]     

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.     

A Chinese Farmer Grows Ball-like Gourds as Olympic Gifts

July 17, 2008 marked the 88th birthday of Juan Antonio Samaranch, former president of the International Olympic Committee, On July 18,Zha Taishan, a farmer from Wuwei, northwest Gansu Province of China, with the coordination through China Collectors Association, went to Samaranch＇s residence in Barcelona, Spain to celebrate his birthday. Zha offered Samaranch three gourds in the shape of the football, the basketball and the volleyball respectively as his birthday gifts. With seven years of special care and growth, these gourds are innovative products that have obtained six national patents. When he presented the gifts to Samaranch, he felt so excited that he couldn＇t help shedding tears. At the very moment when he hugged with Samaranch, Zha forgot all the hardship and difficulties he had experienced in the past seven years.     

Recent and Forthcoming Events

The 4th Chinese Film Festival opened officially in Paris
On May, 12nd, the 4th Chinese Filrn Festival was officially opened in Gaumont on the avenue of Champs- Elysees. Zhai .luan, Ambassador of China to France, Yin Fu, Director of China Cultural Center in Paris and Chairperson on the part of China of this festival, special guest Catherine Deneuve, Xia Zitong and Liu Xiaoguang, the leading actress and producer of the film ＂The Monkey King＂ and other guests attended this opening ceremony.     

“KINGS OF GUIZHOU AND QUEENS OF VALAIS”

The photo exhibition ＂Kings of Guizhou and Queens of Valais＂ by Swiss photographer Petri de Pita was held in Beijing during Chinese Spring Festival in 2009 to present a comparative black and white photo report on the similarity between the fighting cows in Swilzerland and the fighting buffalos in China.     

Olympic Village Permeated with Fragrance of Chinese Tea

When elegant images of Chinese porcelain and the huge character of ＂Cha＂, meaning ＂tea＂, were shown in the hi-tech scroll of Chinese ink painting at the opening gala of the Beijing Olympic Games, the global audience seemed overwhelmed by the brilliant history of Chinese ancient civilization as represented by the miraculous Silk Road through which tea and porcelain accounted for major exports of the Central Kingdom. Recognized as a symbol of Chinese culture, the art of tea has been demonstrated at the Olympic opening ceremony and in the Olympic Village for the first time in history.     

＂Peer Gynt＂ Debuts in the Peking Opera Style

From May 12 through 18, a group of senior students from the opera school of Shanghai Drama Academy, with an average age of 20, staged three opera programs in Beijing, including the Pelting opera programs in Beijing, including the experimental production ＂Peer Gynt＂, the contemporary production ＂On the Top of the Wall, on the Horseback＂ and the adapted classics ＂Qing Feng Ting＂ （Gentle Breeze Pavilion）. The three productions, all of which are original creations by those students, attracted extensive interests and positive comments by the audience, the media and the professional circle. And ＂Peer Gynt＂ captivated most attentions.     

Grand Songs of Dong Ethnic Minority

On a weekend of June, 2005, a special concert took place in Beijing which was jointly presented by folk singers from Dong ethnic minority of southwest Guizhou Province and Norway. A young boy standing on a stilted tower looked into the distance and thought of his first lover days when they kept each other＇s company all the time, laboring in the farmland and doing housework at home together. ＂My dear, where are you？＂ the boy cried with deep sentiments and sorrowful singing betrayed his strong love. The lingering and melodious music of ＂the Stilted Tower＂ moved all the audiences.