Wuyuan： the Most Beautiful Countryside in China

My traveling experiences have led me to more than half of China and countless beautiful places and moving stories have been recorded in my travelogues. But when I saw old villages in Wuyuan in the southern province of Jiangxi, I was totally intoxicated by its incredible beauty and realized that it was truly a fairyland. In a digitalized society today, urban dwellers are overwhelmed by concrete jungles of metropolises and access to history and traditions seems a luxury for them. But old towns…     

Impressions of Southern Yunnan Tells an Untold Story

In the late 19th century, a war occurred between China and France due to France＇s occupation of Tonkin Gulf in northern Vietnam. The Qing Court government was defeated and forced to sign an unequal treaty. According to this treaty, France acquired in 1898 an authorization to build and operate railways along borders between China and Indochina. Soon after, Vietnam-Yunnan Railway was constructed to cut across the Red River and tropical forests of southern Yunnan and lead to Kunming, a key town of southwest China.     

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,     

Beauty of Yixing Purple Sand Clay Teapots

Yixing clay is a type of clay from the region near the city of Yixing in Jiangsu Province, China. Its use dates back to the Song Dynasty [960-1279] when purple clay was firstmined around Lake Taihu in China. From the 1 7th century on, the ware was commonly exported to Europe. The finished stoneware, which is used for teaware and other small items, are usually red or brown in color. They are known as purple sand ware, and are typically unglazed. The clays used for Yixing wares are very cohesive and can be formed by slip molding,     

Gate God Portraits of Wenzhou

Han people in China have a tradition of pasting gate god portraits. On the eve of Chinese New Year people living in the north paste new gate god portraits and Spring Festival couplets. But in Wenzhou, a coastal city in southern Zhejiang Province, people only paste Spring Festival couplets. Gate god portraits are only painted in temples and ancestral halls. Painters paint portraits directly on gates, which are more than four meters tall each and look valiant. Local people believe that only by doing so can they ward off evils and ghosts and safeguard peace of their families and communities.     

The Miracle of Chinese Art Market

Before the reform and open up policy was launched in the late 1970s, there was virtually no art trade in Mainland China.Since the 1980s, China＇s art market began to develop gradually. Since the early 1990s when art auction was allowed, private collection and art trade have continued to thrive. In China, trade of private curios and art objects is conducted primarily in shops, street stands or indoor markets. Buyers and sellers bargain with each other and the deal is made when the two reach an agreement. Art auction was introduced into China from Western countries. In an open and fair environment, art objects are traded in the auction house and the buyer who bids the highest price obtains the object,     

PORCERLAIN TRADE OVER THE MARIME SILK ROADS IN THE SONG DYNASTY

Over the sweep of history, oceanic boats have been recognized as proof of the scientific evolution of mankind. During the Song-Yuan period, China had witnessed growing exchanges with other nations. A large number of Chinese emigrated abroad and brought advanced products of China to local people. At the same time, exotic treasures and produces continued to import into China, remarkably promoting the development of China. In the past two decades, sunken boats of ancient China continued to be discovered in Chinese seas, testifying to prosperous maritime trade of past dynasties. ＂South China Sea No. 1＂ and ＂Huaguang Corral＂, discovered in Taishan, Guangdong and Xisha Islands respectively, are the two sunken ships of the Song Dynasty that have attracted nationwide attention of both archeologists and general public alike.     

National Indoor Stadium： A Fan Unfolds

National Indoor Stadium of China is one of the three main venues for the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Located in the southern part of the Olympic Green, the National Indoor Stadium joins the group of landmark structures in the area, including the National Aquatics Center to the south and the National Convention Center to the north. It consists of a main structure, a warm-up gym nearby and other outdoor facilites, with a seating capacity of 18,000. The National Indoor Stadium will be the competition venue for the Olympic Artistic Gymnastics, Trampoline, and Handball competitions and the Paralympic Wheelchair Basketball competition.     

China Complex of Foreign Students

Huang Huilin, a South Korea student studying Chinese in Central China Normal University, graduated this year and was employed by a hotel in Qingdao, She said shyly to the reporter that she hoped to stay longer in China, ＂Although I have spent quite a long time in China, there are still much more alluring and mysterious to me,＂ In recent years, there are more and more foreign students who have shared similar experiences with Huang.     

Shadow Boxing Congress Calls for Healthy Body Building

From December 18 to 20, 2005, The 2nd World Shadow Boxing Congress was held in Haikou, capital city of southern Hainan Province, China, With the theme of ＂unity, friendship, health and peace＂, the congress has attracted some 2000 shadow boxing lovers from 11 countries and regions around the world, The event, jointly organized by China Martial Arts Association, the StateSports Administration and Haikou People＇s Government, aimed to promote shadow boxing and call for healthy body building.     

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.     

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.     

Getting to Know China： Appreciation of 100 Chinese Characters

Getting to Know China： Appreciation of 100 Chinese Characters is one of the book series ＂Meet China＂ produced by the Ministry of Culture of China in 2013. The book selects 100 Chinese characters that represent Chinese culture to some extent. Targeted at foreign readers most of whom are unfamiliar with Chinese characters, the book elaborates on the meanings of Chinese characters and their cultural connotation concisely and to the point.     

Philip Alden Kuhn:Prominent American Sinologist

The 4th World Forum on China Studies(WFCS),featuring the theme ofcoexistence in harmony: China’s integration with the rest of the world,was opened in Shanghai on November 6,2010.Four masters received the Research Contribution Award in China Study.They are Igor Rogachev,former Russian ambassador to China,Mori Kazuko,Japanese leading figure in the study of contemporary China,Jacques Gernet,eminent French sinologist,and Philip A.Kuhn,Francis Lee Higginson Professor.This award is a permanent honor granted to th...     

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.＂     

Jacques Gernet: Eminent French Sinologist

The 4th World Forum on China Studies(WFCS),featuring the theme of coexistence in harmony:China's integration with the rest of the world,was opened in Shanghai in November 6,2010.Four masters received the Research Contribution Award in China Study.They are Igor Rogachev,former Russian ambassador to China,Mori Kazuko,Japanese leading figure in the study of contemporary China,Jacques Gernet,eminent French sinologist,and Philip A.     

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.     

SUNKEN ANCIENT SHIP SALVAGED

Editor＇s words：Over the sweep of history,Chinese people have paid heavy price in their struggles with the ocean.A large number of sunken ships are evidence that testifies to the history of South China Sea as an important maritime passage linking the mainland to the outside world since the Song Dynesty dating back to more than 1000 years.In 1987 the discovery of the sunken Song-Dynasty ship＂South China Sea No.1＂in the border area between Yangjiang and Taishan counties in Guangdong Province is the landmark event for China＇s underwater archeologists.20 years from then on,surveys and excavations done to this ancient ship have witnessed the development of Chinese underwater archeology.With decades of efforts by experts from various fields,the sunken ship was eventually salvaged out of water in 2007 and will be housed in the newly-built Maritime Silk Road Museum in Guangdong...     

Grand Theatres： Easy to Build,but Hard to Operate

Building theatres has become a trend in China. According to statistics trom the publicchannel, the theatre construction is now spreading from the first-tier cities to the second and third-tier cities, with ever increasing investment volume and land areas. It is estimated that in the next 3-s years, there will be about 10 theatres completed and delivered for operation every years. However, how to operate the newly built theatres is a key issue, among which, the management and provision of contents are major challenges.     

Costa rica international arts festival highlights chinese culture

The Republic of Costa Rica is a country. situated in the southern part of Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the east-southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east. Costa Rica means a rich and fertile coast in the Spanish language. In fact, it is one of the leading economies in Central America.