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.     

Grand Canyon of Nu River

Nu River （Angry River in Mandarin） rises from the south slope of Tang＇gula Mountain in northwest Qinghai Province.Tibetan people dwelling on the river＇s upper stream call it ＂Naqu＂, meaning ＂river of black water＂. Its name changes into ＂Nu Jiang＂ after it flows into Yunnan Province from Tibet Autonomous Region. The river then stretches through Myanmar and runs into the Indian Ocean and the section outside China is called ＂Salween＂. Within Yunnan Province, Nu River roars between Gaoligong Mountain and Bilo Snow Mountain which stand at an altitude of 4,000 to 5,000 meters. While the river bed is only 800 meters above the sea level, the river valley is 3,000 to 4,000 meters lower than mountain peaks,     

China to Kick Off Structural Reform in Culture

＂Comprenenszvely aeepening reform＂is a key phase in China in 2014. Structural reform in culture constitutes an important aspect of the comprehensive reform in economy, politics, culture, society and ecology. The Implementation Plan on Deepening Structural Reform in the Cultural Sector, recently approved by the central government, marks a milestone in China＇s new campaign of market-oriented reform and heralds a new round of cultural restructuring. The curtain has raised and a significant reform is about to kick off.     

Qujiang Cultural Tourism Honored as ＂50 Good-Faith Listed Companies of China 2014＂

Qujiang Cultural Tourism Co., Ltd was recently inscribed as ＂50 Good- Faith l.isted Companies of China 2014＂. It stood out of the 239 candi- date companies and is the only cul- tural tourism business in China and listed company in Shaanxi province to he included in this new list. Good faith is an essential element comprising the value system of Chi- nese traditional culture. It lies at the very core of an enterprise＇s corporate culture and bears an enterprise＇s so- cial obligation. As a leading company in China＇s cultural tourism industry,     

Bird＇s Nest：The National Stadiumor the 2008 Olympics

The National Stadium, a major sports venue for the Beijing Olympic Games in 2008, stands on the southern tip of the central section of the Olympic Green. As a landmark of the Olympic Green, this multi-function stadium is the city＇s largest and most advanced sports facility. The National Stadium was co-designed by Herzog ＆ Menron, Arup and China Architecture Design ＆. Research Group. The whole structure covers an area of 258,000 sq. km. Its exterior resembles a bird＇s nest. The steel nest, looking like gray mineral, is covered by transparent coating. Inside the nest is a bowl-like bleacher in earthen red. The stadium＇s design reminds viewers of the red palaces within the gray walls of the Forbidden City. The National Stadium is a perfect blend of traditional Chinese aesthetics and culture, contemporary art and the Olympic spirit. The whole building is fnll of dynamics. Even human activities on the stadium＇s staircases constitute integral elements of the building＇s exterior. While it is amazingly innovative creation, the stadium is characterized by a simplistic and elegant style.     

Tibet： a Holy Land at the Roof of the Earth （Part Ⅲ）

The exhibition ＂The Holy Land of Tibet＂ was held in Taipei Palace Museum from July 1 to September 19. Tibet, an autonomous region of China known as the Roof of the Earth ： enjoys rich and time-honored Buddhist traditions. For instance, a popular legend about the origin of the Tibetan people is widespread,that the Goddess of Mercy incarnated herself into Macaque and married with Rakasasa and their offspring were ancestors of theTibetan ethnic group. Religious concepts and image styles of Tibetan Buddhism are drastically different from Buddhism of inland China.That is why inland Chinese feel unfamiliar with Tibetan Buddhism.     

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.     

Review and Impression：Chinese Movies

The year of 2005 marked the centennial anniversary of Chinese film.Over the past century,film has changed people＇s ways of life,influenced their ideas and concepts and expanded their sphere of imagination.As a celebrated American critic said.film is the most typical art form of the time which has an integrated feature in both technology and society.Therefore,it takes an important responsibility to develop,restore and upgrade people＇s ability to feel and experience. The year of 2005 has passed and to review Chinese movies in the past year will fring us a delightful memory.     

Xu Yuanchong： a Translator not But Better than an Academician

Editor＇s Note： On 22 August, China Foreign Language Publishing Administration, Translator＇s Association of China and China Academy of Translation launched an award ceremony in Beijing, representing International Federation of Translators （FIT） to award Aurora Borealis Prize to Prof. Xu Yuanchong of Peking University. Two of Prof Xu＇s friends from Southwestern Associated University in the early years attended the ceremony to express their congratulations. One is Nobel Physics Laureate Yang Zhenning and the other is Wang Xiji, the academician of Chinese Academy of Science and winner of ＂Two Bombs and One Satellite＂ award （meaning atomic bomb, hydrogen bomb and man-made satellite）.     

Shanghai Museum

Shanghai Museum was founded in 1952 and originally housed in the former horseracing club in Nanjing West Road. In 1996, the museum moved into the current site in People＇s Square in the heart of the city and reopened to public. The unique architectural form of the new building, featuring a round top and a square foundation and symbolizing the traditional Chinese philosophical concept that the square earth is under the round sky, is an outstanding combination of tradition and modernity and presents an extraordinary visual effect.     

Li Qing Dedicated to Art of Fire

Ceramics is an art of fire. The tension and flexibility of earth are extended in the artist＇s hands to show the unique textural beauty and subtle feelings of the artist and original materials from the nature are mixed and tempered by fire. This complicated process demonstrates the artist＇s particular ideas, feelings and dispositions. In the eyes of Li Qing, a young artist from Chengdu, Sichuan Province, that is the very nature of ceramics that fascinates him so much.     

The Glorious Era Showcased on Canvas

The huge portrait of Deng Xiaoping, respected as the ＂chief architect of China＇s reform and opening up＂, is a landmark standina in the downtown of Shenzhen, the first city embarking on the road to reform and opening up in the late 1970s. In the end of last year, a miniature replica of this famous portrait was installed, accompanied by the slogan ＂adhering to the Party＇s fundamental guideline for at least 100 years＂, in the courtyard of the National Art Museum of China.     

The Portland Classical Chinese Garden

The Portland Classical Chinese Garden, or called ＂Lan Su Yuan＂ in Chinese, was located in the downtown area of Portland,USA, It used to be China Town, but now has become the city＇s famous tourist site, The garden offers busy city dwellers not only an ideal retreat away from tense working life and annoying traffic buzzing, but also a completely different landscape and culture from the east. That is why a tour to ＂Lan Su Yuan＂ is viewed as the easiest and best way to experience Chinese culture,     

Hengdian World Studio： Hollywood of the East

Dubbed ＂Oriental Hollywood＂ and situated on the outskirts of Hengdian, a township of Dongyang city in East China＇s Zhejiang Province, Hengdian World Studio has become a favorite rendezvous for tourists and since its inception, this state-of-the-art film and television studio has welcomed many famous film actors and directors. It is estimated that 70% of China＇s film and TV studios are losing money, but Hengdian is an exception. This privately-owned studio seems to be never short of tourists and film stars. What is the secret of its success？     

Xi＇an Hosts Folk Video Festival

From October 28 to November 1, the 4th China Xi＇an International Folkvideo Festival was held in Xi＇an.This event is co-hosted by the Center of International CulturalExchange and China DV Commission and organized by Shaanxi Cultural Industry Investment Holdings Group （SCG）. With attentive review and discussion by the 11 jury members, the twelve awards were granted to a number of video and animation works, among which ＂Return Home Gloriously＂, ＂Bass＇s Grasslands＂ and ＂Watcher＂ won the Best Feature, the Best Micro~lm and the Best Animation.     

China＇s National Beauty -The Treasure of Hua Fu： The 2009 NE·TIGER Hua Fu Collection Fashion Show

On the evening of Nov. 5th, 2008, in the Golden Hall of Beijing Hotel, NE.TIGER raised the curtain on CHINA FASHION WEEK for the seventh successive year. As the architect of Chinese-inspired Fashion, NE.TIGER continued on last year＇s theme of ＂The national beauty in China＇s national dress＂. The 2009 collection took as its theme ＂the national beauty captured in Hua Fu＂, presenting an embodiment of the quest for renaissance and innovation of Chinese luxury expressed by the words of NE-TIGER founder Mr. Zhang Zhifeng： ＂infused by a single source, integrating a world of styles……     

The Red Flag Is Flying： Thematic Painting of China in the 20th Century

＂The Red Flag Is Flying： Thematic Painting of China in the 20th Century＇is a research and publication project sponsored by the National Publication Fund and published by People＇s Fine Arts Publishing House. It is the result of several decades of art research and five years of collection and compilation by the author Cheng Lvsheng. The book includes nearly 4,000 thematic painting works by up to 1, 500 Chinese painters.     

Forbidden City on the Film

The film-production in the VISION BEIJING project has concluded after more than 600 days of planning, filming and post production work.The VISION BEIJING Organizing Committee invited five of the world＇s most famous film directors, Giuseppe Tornatore （Italy）, Majid Majidi （Iran）, Patrice keconte （France）, Daryl Goodrich （Great Britain） and Andrew kau Wai-Keung （Hong Kong） to make a five-minute film each about Beijing and its people＇s enthusiastic preparations for the 2008 Olympic Games. The final products of the project will serve as an audio-video record of the rich connotations of Beijing＇s ＂People＇s Olympics＂.     

Art Information

COLLECTION ＆ AUCTION CHEN DANQING＇S ＂SHEPHERDS＂ HITS RECORD HIGH AUCTION PRICE Chinese oil painter Chert Danqing＇s ＂Chinese Studies Institute＂ was sold at 12 million RMB at Poly Autumn Fair 2007. But the record was only kept for less than 24 hours. On the next evening, his masterpiece ＂Shepherds＂, one of the oil paintings from his ＂Tibet Suite＂, was purchased with the price of 32 million R.MB at another auction fair, setting a world record for his personal works. Chen＇s ＂Tibet Suite＂, a seven-piece oil series created around 1980, made a stir in the art circle in the 1980s and was considered bringing fresh air to China＇s art world suffocated by mediocre realism.     

Tang Paradise Celebrates Ninth Anniversary

Shangyi Festival, also known as the Double Third Festival, is an ancient Chinese festival celebrated on the third day of the third lunar month. On this day, people would go for an outing by the water, picnic and pluck orchids. The festival this year coincides with the 9th anniversary of the Tang Paradise, a site park in the southern suburb of Xi＇an, a historic city of northwest Shaanxi province. The spring outing event entitled ＂En- voy of Spring＂ and the poetry recital for women were launched in the park to celebrate this traditional festival.