Miao Villages in the Leigong Mountain

Miao people is a trans-boundary ethnic group with long history, mainly distributed in Asian countries including China, Vietnam, Lao,Thailand and Cambodia. Some Miao people dwell in USA, France and Guyana. China is the birthplace of Miao people and the Leigong Mountain in southwest China＇s Guizhou Province is the largest habitat of Miao ethnic group. In ancient times, ancestors of Miao people left their homeland to escape wars and found shelters in the Leigong Mountain.     

Passion and Greatness： Miao Mo＇s Traditional Chinese Painting

Miao Mo is an accomplished painter nurtured in the time-honored artistic, tradition of Xi＇an, an ancient capital which witnessed heydays of the Chinese civilization. He showed strong interest in painting in his childhood and received academic training in fine arts in his teen years. In 1962, Miao pursued further training in the advanced course offered by the studio of traditional Chinese painting under the Artists Association of Shaanxi Province. In this three-year training program, Miao made remarkable progress in painting skills and deepened his understanding of the traditions and principles of Chinese painting, thanks to the mentorship of master Zhao Wangyun, founder of Chang＇an School of Painting, as well as the guidance of other prestigious artists like Shi Lu, He Haixia and Fang Jizhong.     

Stool Dance of the Miao Ethnic Group

People of the Chinese Miao ethnic group, dwelling in southeast Guizhou Province, enjoy many ancient and distinctive traditions. A couple of favorite customs are playing/usheng (reed-pipe wind) and the stool dance, which both continue to be highlights of Miao festivals and major events.     

My Second Hometown Langde Village

I was born in Gouliang Village, Fenghuang County, Hunan Province, which is dubbed as the ＂First Miao People Village of Western Hunan＂. But I have been more fascinated by my second hometown, Langde Village in Leishan County, Guizhou Province, which is known as the hometown of folk arts of China and one of the 100 most unique museums of China. The village was proclaimed as a key heritage site under state-level protection in 2001, included in the candidate list for World Cultural Heritage nomination in 2006, awarded the title of ＂China Landscape Village＂ in 2007 and hosted Olympic torch relay in 2008. Over the past 25 years, I visited this beautiful village for more than 100 times.     

MIAO PEOPLE CELEBRATES NEW YEAR BY OFFERING SACRIFICE TO TREES

Miao people is an ethnic group with a long history and mainly dwell in Asian countries like China, Vietnam, Laos, Thailand and Cambodia. China is the birthplace of Miao ethnic group. They originally dwelled in north China but later moved to the depth of mountains in southwest China in order to escape wars. Today Miao people are mostly distributed in mountainous areas in Hunan,     

Seal-shaped Houses in the Old Town of Miao Ethnic Group

The old town of Zhenyuan, standing among high mountains with a long river winding through it, is a strategically important town in southwest China. In ancient times, it was located on a road linking Southeast Asian nations and the capital of the Chinese Empire. As an old town and gateway in eastern Guizhou Province which is dwelled by Miao people, Zhenyuan enjoyed many historical remains and the most famous is Black Dragon Cave. In fact, it is not merely a single cave, but refers to a lar…     

White-skin Paper of Miao Villages

White-skin paper enjoys a special position in the culture of Miao ethnic group. It is used as paper-cut sketches for embroideries and to pack silver adornments and festive apparels of Miao people. It is said that worms will not grow in Miao people＇s festive apparels if they are packed by white-skin paper. On major sacrifice festivals and occasions of Miao people, mascots and objects to ward off evil beings are also made from white-skin paper. Without white-skin paper, Miao culture would lose much of splendor.     

MIAO MO’S INK PAINTING

Miao Mo, born in Hua County, Henan Province in 1940, learned Chinese traditional painting under the mentorshipof such masters as Zhao Wangyun and Shi Lu. He is     

Image of the Dog in Guizhou Culture

The dog is one of the earliest animals that mankind tamed and became man＇s close friend as early as in the primitive fishing and hunting age,according to historians.Panhu,a divine dog,is even a totem that Miao people worship.Today,Miao people surnamed Tian Still don＇t eat dog meat.It is said that the dog understand human feelings and raising and loving dogs has become part of human customs and culture. There are many entries about the dog in the Guizhou Section of China Cultural Relics Maps compiled by the State Administration of Cultural Heritage.     

Miao Ethnic Costumes：A Paragon of Bionic Application

Long before bionics emerged as an independent discipline of modern science, Chinese Miao ethnic group had consciously applied bionic methods to the designing of their costumes. Among more than 4000 pieces or sets of Miao costumes rescued through a heritage preservation program launched in Guizhou Province, there are many imitating shapes or movements of animals, such as eagle-headed hats, oxhorn-shaped combs, butterfly-shaped waistcoats and sparrow- tail-shaped shirts.     

Chinese Painter Rao Yongtang

Rao Yongtang, born in 1929 in Nanchang, Jiangxi Province, is a listed artist of national first grade, member of the Artists Association of Sichuan Province and the Artists Association of Chengdu City, council member and fellowship of Sichuan Province Painting Society for Senior Artists, honorary president of the international Xizhi Academy of Painting and Calligraphy, and tenor professor of the China Art Creation Center for Calligraphers and Artists.     

FOLK DANCE AND RELATED CULTURAL RELICS OF GUIZHOU

Miao ethnic group, most dwelling in the southwest province of Guizhou, is versed in singing and dancing. Folk dances of Miao people vary in accordance with props, movements, themes and performance venues. In terms of props, there are wooden drum dance, copper druln dance, reed pipe dance, bamboo stick dance, big knife dance, spear point dance and flower stick dance. From the perspcctive of movements, there are chicken fight dance, chicken dance, flower drum dance, rolling dragon dance and rolling pearl dance. Migration dance and stepping-bridge dance are so named because of their themes. And dances named after their different performance venues include stick-passing dance, round dance, Nan-hall dance and hidden-drum dance. Even for the same type of dances, there are minor differences in light of performance venues, gender and agc of dancers as well as instruments. The four most famous and popular types of folk dance in Guizhou include wooden drum dance, copper drum dance, flower drum dance and reed pipe dance. As these four dances are all accompanied by drums or reed pipes, Miao culture is thus called ＂culture of drum and reed pipe＂.     

BRONZE DRUMS OF LANGDE MIAO- PEOPLE VILLAGE

Some say that bronze culture is a dead culture and only valuable for archeological studies. However, as an important part of bronze culture, bronze-drum culture is well preserved and practiced in Langde Village where Miao people dwell, Here we can see the relationship between conservation and utilization of cultural heritage is well handled.     

Bullfight Tradition in China

The old and interesting tradition of bullfight has been preserved and practiced in Congjiang Counly, Guizhou. Local ethnic groups like Miao and Dong people have long relied on buffalos for farming and worship them. In Miao villages, buffalo heads are hanged at village entrances and buffalo horns are placed under deity niches. Miao people regard buffalos as their parents. Their worship of buffalos dates back to pre-history time. In the Book of History, it is written that ＂Legendary tribe chief Chi You, who is a figure with an ox head and a human body, has horns in his head.＂     

Wen Guichang＇s Paintings

Wen Guichang, born in Neijiang, Sichuan Province in 1962, learned traditional Chinese painting from famous painter Qiu Xiaoqiu. He is currently a professional painter, member of the Stage Artists＇ Association of Sichuan Province, fellowship of Shangri-La Colored Ink Painting Academy of Sichuan Province, executive council member of the Artists＇ Association of Neijiang, executive council member of Daqian Painting and Calligraphy Academy of Neijiang and member of the Dramatists＇ Association of Sichuan Province.     

Shaoxing East Lake： A Miniature Landscape

The East Lake is situated five kilometers to the east of the historic city of Shaoxing. With a wonderful combination of a hill, grottoes and stone bridges, it might pass for a miniature landscape. On a par with the West Lake in Hangzhou and the South Lake in Jiaxing, it is one of the three most famous lakes in southeast Zhejiang Province. Although it is quite small, its delicacy and elegance rank it among the best resorts in Shaoxing.     

Pang Zhu：An Accomplished Artist

Pang Zhu, or named Shan Zhu, born in Changchun, Jilin Province in 1945, is currently member of the Artists Association of Sichuan Province, executive council member of the Photographers Association of Chengdu City and professor with the department of art and design of Chengdu University of Science and Engineering. With the degrees in painting, photography, and advertising and decoration, Pang has dedicated himself to art education and painting for forty years or so. As a retired professor, he now offers advice on graduation design and thesis defense and organizes academic workshops in CUSE.     

URBAN SCULPTURE WORKS OF FAN WEN

Fan Wen, born in Linfen, Shanxi Provicc and graduated from the Sculpting Department of Sichuan Institute of Fine Arts, is currently member of China Sculpture Society and a professional artist working in the Institute of Sculpting Art of Sichuan Province. She holds such academic qualifications as the first-grade national level artist and the national registered artist for urban sculpture. Shc is also a resident artist in the art area of He Tang Yue Se （lotus pond in moonlight）.     

Fan Mingdong： a Talented Young Oil Painter

<正>Fan Mingdong, born in Yanyuan County, Liangzhou Prefecture, Sichuan Province in 1971, is a professional painter and member of the Artists Association of Sichuan Province.     

Crossing： Dialogues for Emergency Architecture

One year after the Wenchuan Earthquake killed thousands in the Sichuan Province, an exhibition on ＂Emergency Architecture＂ is on display at the National Art Museum of China in Beijing. This exhibition is organized by the United Nations Development Programme, the Department of Art of the Chinese Cultural Ministry and the National Art Museum of China, and supported by the School of Architecture at the Central Academy of Fine Arts.