＂The Colors of Water＂： Miao Xiaolong＇s Modem Dance Concert

In China＇s dancing arena today where most dancers pursue hasty success, it is truly rare to prepare a dance concert for as long as seven years. And more amazingly,the whole production is planned and presented by merely one person who choreographs and directs the dance concert, designs all costumes, stage settings and lighting as well as dances its leading part. But Miao Xiaolong made it. Several months ago, this young talented teacher at the dancing department of the Music School of Shanghai Normal University presented his dance concert ＂The Colors of Water＂ in Shanghai.     

Ceremonial Costumes of Qing-Dynasty EmperorsDeep Love for ChinaA Low-Carbon Tour around Qujiang Theme ParkWuyutai＇s Tea Shop Opens in World Expo ParkFolk Architecture and Customs of Yi People47 Art information

The Qing Dynasty, the last feudal dynasty in China, is known for its most sophisticatedsystem for imperial costumes. Emperor costumes of the Qing Dynasty include ceremonial costumes, daily wears, traveling,wears and clothes dressedin raining days. Ceremonia costumes worn on importantoccasions, such as festivals and rites, are also called ＂dragon gowns＂in Chinese, as emperors were belieged to be the“soias of dragon”.     

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.     

Traditional Costumes of Yi Ethnic Group

<正>Traditional costumes of Yi people,as symbolic carriers of their ethnic culture,record the history,traditions,customs and social life of the ethnic group.     

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＂.     

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.     

MIAO MO＇S INK PAINTING

Miao Mo, born in Hua County, Henan Province in 1940, learned Chinese traditional painting under the mentorship of such masters as Zhao Wangyun and Shi Lu. He is currently professional painter with Shaanxi Province Traditional Painting Academy and member of China Artists Association. Miao is awarded the national firstgrade artist.[第一段]     

Fascinating Traditional Costumes of Tujia Ethnic Group

Costumes serve as important symbols to identify different ethnic groups, With the development of the time and social progress, costumes of Tujia people have evolved considerably but still retained traditional characteristics of their own, Their costumes are usually tailored with sophisticated process and woven with home-made textiles, In a tourist resort featuring Tujia people＇straditions, visitors can see looms used by ancestral generations of Tujia people. Before the cloth is woven, various patterns have been designed. The cloth is usually woven with silk threads of diverse colors.     

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.     

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.＂     

NE·TIGER Releases National Apparel Series

At the release ceremony of Olympic costumes early this year, NE·TIGER, dubbed as ＂China＇s top luxury brand name＂, presented an openig showcase. Soon after the ceremony, its haute-couture series of Chinese national apparel stunned world fashion designers in Hong Kong.     

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.     

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.     

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,     

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.     

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.     

Diversified Miao Villages

In history, the ethnic Miao had undergone a long period of large-scale and long distance migration, thus living a homeless life and enduring many hardships. However, they finally settled down in Guizhou and neighboring areas such as Wuling, Miaoling, Yueliang, Yunwu, Dalou and Wu Mengshan, adjacent to Hunan, Chongqing, Sichuan, Yunnan and Guangxi provinces.     

Rabbit-related Traditions of the Miao People

<正>The Miao ethnic group has large population who is widely distributedin southwest China. Over the sweep of history, the Miao people have frequently migrated f...     

The Art of Bookplate in China

A bookplate is usually a small print or decorative label pasted to a book to indicate its owner. As a form of higher art, bookplates are praised as ＂gems on paper＂ or ＂pearls in print＂. First appearing in the 1 5th century, bookplates are collected as timehonored artworks. In Europe, collecting and appreciating bookplates is recognized as one of qualifications for intellectuals. In China, bookplates have gained increasing popularity among collectors thanks to the upgraded aesthetic level of Chinese people.     

PEKING OPERA EIGURINES

My creation of Peking Opera figurines started in 1997. I was raised in Tianjin, a city with rich traditions of Peking Opera. My father, a Peking Opera lover, often took me to see Peking Opera shows. As a child, I didn＇t understand plots or arias but I was quite fascinated by brilliant facial makeup and costumes of performers. Back at home, I tried to use cloth leftover to make miniature Peking Opera figurines. Later I was enrolled in Beijing Handicraft Art School and Zhejiang Academy of Fine Arts. For several decades, I didn＇t have opportunities to spend time in my childhood hobby. But I have always been confident that one day I will again take up the art of sculpture.