THE TIME-HONORED ART OF CHINESE PUPPET AND SHADOW PLAY

Puppet and shadow plays are two old artistic expressions that integrate painting, engraving, carving and performing. Their history in China can date back to at least more than 2500 years.     

QUANZHOU PUPPET SHOWS FASCINATES RUSSIAN AUDIENCES

From November 2 to 4, Quanzhou Puppet Company presented three performances in Moscow, Russia as part of the closing events for the Year of China in Russia. The programs staged included ＂Imperial Inspector＂ which was awarded national prizes as well as two classical episodes—＂Drunken Zhong Kui＂ and ＂Happiness at Lantern Festival＂.     

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.     

SHADOW PLAY CHERISHED AS INTANGIBLE CULTURAL HERITAGE

In celebration of ＂China Cultural Heritage Day＂, a comprehensive exhibition showcasing Chinese .shadow play masterpieces was held in June in the National Art Museum of China. Some 17,000 rare leather silhouettes used for shadow plays and collected by NAMOC was displayed for the first time in the history of NAMOC and shadow plays by folk troupes were presented in the museum for three days in order to give the audience an authentic taste of this timehonored art form.[第一段]     

LION STATUES IN BEIJING

The lion is an exotic animal that was brought into inland China as an imperial tribute in the Han Dynasty （206 BC - 220 AD） when Western influences began to be imported. As few Chinese had opportunities to see this non-indigenous species, lion-shaped artworks crafted by ancient Chinese mostly did not reflect the authentic imagc of the lion. The ferocious lion is not only the king of beasts but also closely related to life of mankind.     

CURIO MARKETS IN BEIJING

Beijing enjoys a long history as the capital of six dynasties in ancient China. Historical and cultural legacies accumulated over the sweep of history have made it possible to develop a booming private collection market. So far the city. sees the largest number of curio and antique markets in China,     

ANCIENT PAGODAS IN BEIJING

Pagodas, an architectural type unique to Buddhist cultures, are widely distributed over the vast land of China, available in high mountains and deep valleys, ancient temples, snow-covered plateaus and the depth of deserts. Pagodas were not indigenous to ancient China but introduced together with Buddhism.     

PRIVATELY-OWNED MUSEUMS IN BEIJING

Private collection in Beijing dates back to 800 years and saw its heydays in the early 20th century. The long history of private collection has enabled the city to take the leading place in China＇s collection field. Over the past two decades, in particular, collection has gained increasing popularity among ordinary people in Beijing and some have even run privately-owned museums.     

FORMER CELEBRITY RESIDENCES IN QINGDAO

Many famous cultural personages in the history of modern China dwelled or .stayed in Qingdao, a beautiful coastal city in east China. Their former residences are now well preserved as cultural heritage, which add to cultural richness and natural beauty to this beach paradise.     

CHINESE CULTURE SHINES IN RUSSIA

Editor＇s words： Co-initiated by Chinese President Hu Jintao and Russian President Putin, the Year of Russia and the Year of China were launched in 2006 and 2007 respectively. This is the largest cultural event ever held in each other＇s country in the history of China-Russia exchange. In September, the staff reporter had an exclusive interview with Mr. Li Dongwen, Director-General of the Bureau for External Cultural Relations, Ministry of Culture of China, who gave a comprehensive review of the Year of China in Russia.[第一段]     

ORNAMENTAL DRAGON DANCE IN YUEQING

Qianhudai is a small village in Wengyang Township, Yueqing County, coastal province of Zhejiang, which is only less than 500m away from East China Sea. In the past local villagers mostly red themselves on fishing. From the first to sixteenth of the first lunar month during which Chinese celebrate their New Year, local people play ＂ornamental dragon＂ and ＂bench dragon＂ through village alleys as part of Spring Festival celebrations.     

TEMPLES OF MATSU IN GUIZHOU

Matsu, or the Goddess of Sea is widely worshipped in coastal areas of China and temples are built in these areas to enshrine statues of Matsu or Heavenly Queen. But it is quite interesting that there are quite a few Matsu temples in the inland province of Guizhou. Among these temples, the Heavenly Queen temple in Zhenyuan County is the largest, best-preserved and finest-built one and proclaimed as a site under the province-level protection.     

CHINESE CONTEMPORARY ART IN HIGH FEVER

Chinese contemporary art witnessed high-profile exposure in the international art community in 2007. Both art exhibitions and art expositions taMng place in China attracted worldwide interest as its art market continued to grow. In fact, international art community has shifted their attention from Western countries to Asia and Middle East. ＂Apparently,     

PICTURE STORY BOOKS REGAIN POPULARITY IN CHINA

Lianhuanhua, or Xiaoren.shu, is a palm-size picture book of sequential drawings with brief captions, It used to be an important way for Chinese youth, or even adults to enjoy themselves while learning knowledge about Chinese ＇literature and history Lianhuanhua features diversity of artistic expressions and extensive scopes of subjects in Chinese culture and tradition, which made it distinct from comic books of other countries,[第一段]     

TEN ARCHEOLOGICAL DISCOVERIES OF CHINA IN 2006

＂2006 Ten Archeological Discoveries of China＂ were co-released by China Heritage News and China Archeology. Society on April 8, 2007. Launched in 1990 the annual event saw nearly 600 nominations this year. According to Tong Mingkang, Deput.v Director-General of the State Administration of Cultural Heritage, the event has become a famous brand name and many sites which won this annual award have been given special care by local governments. Tong also highlighted three major criteria for assessing candidate discoveries： their value and importance pertaining to academic study; application of new technologies and approaches; protection measures adopted during and after excavation.     

WUYUTAI：A LEADER IN TEA CULTURE

Legends have it that Shen Nong, Patron of Agriculture living 4700 years ago, tasted hundreds of herbs by himself in order to find those which can cure diseases for his clan people. The other day he took poisonous herbs by accident, but fortunately he picked out several green, tender leaves with fragrance and chewed them. All of sudden he felt refreshed and was not longer uncomfortable. He called this tender leave ＂Cha＂ （Chinese pronunciation for ＂tea＂） and hence the origin of the tea.     

OLD SHOPS IN QIANMEN EMBRACES NEW LIFE

Qianmen, located on the southern section of the north-south axis line of Beijing, is known as the most traditional shopping street with the richness of street culture in Beijing. It is the pool of many century-old shops and restaurants which have survived and prospered over the sweep of history with their excellence in quality and service.     

CONFUCiUS MEMORIAL CEREMONY IN JILIN CONFUCiUS TEMPLE

The trend to convert to traditional Chinese culture has been growing worldwide since China adopted the policy, of reform and opening up in the late 1970s. Amidst this global boom for Chinese culture, the memorial ceremony to honor the ancient Chinese philosopher and educator, Confucius, for his unparalleled impact on subsequent cultures worldwide, is gaining increasing popularity among Chinese people, in particular, overseas Chinese.[第一段]     

LIANG ZI： FASHION LEADER IN GAMBIERED SILK

China Fashion Week 2007 was a lucky event for Liang Zi, a Chinese designer that has committed herself to the concepts of ＂peace, health and beauty＂. At this annual world-class gala for the fashion circle, she won the double honors of ＂Jin Ding Award＂ and ＂Best Female Designer＂, both of which are the top prizes for Chinese fashion designers and had never been awarded to one single designer.     

TIBETAN TANGKA PAINTING GOES TRENDY IN COLLECTION MARKET

Tangka, a Tibetan term, is a type of scroll painting considered one of the two most valuable traditions of Tibetan painting, together with Tibetan mural painting, In 2006, Tangka was inscribed on the first National List for Intangible Cultural Heritage of China. Since then, this time-honored art expression has been gaining increasing attention of art collectors. In recent years, quite a number of tangka paintings from the Ming and Qing dynasties have been sold with exorbitant prices at auction fairs; many contemporarytangka masterpieces were also purchased with hundreds of thousands of RMB yuan.