Hail the Conquering Hero: Remembering the Troops in The Hurt Locker,Inglourious Basterds and Avatar

Three recent movies about war are examined. All have been honored by critics and welcomed by audiences. The three movies are very different from one another. They reflect different ways of thinking and feeling about war. More specifically, they represent ways we relate to the troops we send into battle and our concerns about whether we have done and are doing the right things.     

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.     

灾难禳解故事中的习俗流传

罗香林先生的《客家源流考》一书中记载了一则“葛藤坑”故事：唐朝末年，黄巢起义大军进发到闽西，百姓纷纷逃难。黄巢见到一位逃难妇女，背上背着一个大孩子，手里却牵着一个小孩子，心中不解，询问才知，大孩子乃是其侄，父母双亡，因此准备在万不得已时牺牲自己的孩子，尽力为兄嫂保存血脉。黄巢大为感动，便告诉她在家门上插上葛藤，起义大军便不会骚扰。妇女回去告诉了全村的人，     

殷墟文化中的鸮鸟辟邪观念及其在后世的变化

1976年,河南安阳殷墟妇好墓出土玉鸮器6件,包括圆雕4件,浮雕2件。其中507号高5．7厘米,呈深褐色,造型作“鸱蹲”形。鸱之双腿粗壮,尾着地,两耳相连,有小孔,显然是佩戴品。472号高10．6厘米,是墨绿玉浮雕。鸮的形态钩喙圆眼,头有冠毛,颈饰鳞纹,线形流利。有穿孔,也为挂饰物。     

Venice Biennale: The Art of Communicating Resistance,Resistance as Art

ABSTRACT

This essay examines contemporary art as a tool of political resistance against existing and emerging ideologies as well as controversial and discriminatory cultural norms. On the example of the 2017 Venice Biennale, this research project analyses art, and more specifically, selected nation-specific exhibits, as pieces of critical pedagogy, representative of ideological and cultural resistance. Concentrating on the comparative analysis of art exhibits from US-American, Russian, and German national pavilions, this research project explains what their respective art communicates, what the main messages are, and elaborates on the impact, the salience, and the affect the exhibits have on their numerous audiences today, when the sphere of international and intercultural relations is challenged like never before. This essay further demonstrates that the exhibits challenge and critique the past and the present of their respective national cultures and attempt to refocus and humanize the future in the globalized world.