Archive for category Cultural Relics
Sedan Chair – Jiaozi
Posted by sharon in Cultural Relics on July 27, 2010
Sedan chair, also called Jiaozi in Chinese, is a traditional Chinese transportation vehicle that carried by at least two bearers. Actually, it is a movable chair or bed which is installed on two bars.
Sedan chair has a long history for more than 4000 years in China. It is said that it originated in the early Xia Dynasty (2033B.C?-1562B.C?). In Tang Dynasty (618~907), except the Emperor and Empress, no one was allowed to use it. During the Southern Song Dynasty (1127~1279), it gradually became a common mode of transportation for persons of all ranks.
Most sedan chairs are made of wood, bamboo, rattan, etc. According to the purposes, they are classified into different types, such as the official sedan chair, civilian sedan chair, wedding sedan chair, etc. They can be lifted by two persons, four persons, eight persons or even sixteen persons.
Nowadays, sedan chairs are still can be easily found in tourist attractions. In some mountain areas, especially in Jiangsu and Zhejiang Provinces, they still function as a traditional transport vehicle for carrying tourists.
Mogao Grottoes
Posted by sharon in Cultural Relics on July 9, 2010
Mogao Grottoes, also called Thousand Buddha Caves, is situated in the city of Dunhuang in Gansu Province. It is the pearl of the Silk Road. Since the Han Dynasty it has been an important gateway to the West and a culture bridge between China and the Western countries. Mogao Grottoes is the best preserved Buddhist art treasures in the world. In 1987, it was listed as World Cultural Heritage.
Legend goes that when a monk travelled here, he saw golden light shining on Mingsha Mountain and there were thousands of Buddhas under showers of golden rays. Then the Mogao Grottoes was begun to build about in 366AD.
It is about 1600 meters high with five floors and in the shape of a honeycomb loft. It is a wonderful art palace with ancient buildings, sculptures, murals, particularly famous for the colorful murals to the world. There are about seven basic kinds of murals: paintings of Buddha, illustrations of Buddhist scriptures, illustrations of Fables, myth (some of them are taken from literature Shanhaijing), portraits of donors, decorative patterns, landscape and portrait paintings. Among them, Feitian, an imagined flying god, and the Reverse Playing of the Lute are the most famous paintings.
Mogao Grottoes is the largest and richest ancient art treasures in the world. Nowadays, it is regarded as an important source of studying Chinese culture. It also gives rise to a new subject – Dunhuangology.
Kunqu
Posted by sharon in Cultural Relics on September 17, 2009
Kunqu, also known as Kun opera or Kunqu opera, is one of the earliest forms of traditional Chinese drama. Evolved from the Kunshan melody, it has a history of more than 600 years.
At first, Kunqu was simply singing, without any costumes, makeup or acting. Later, a native Kunshanese called Liang Chenyu (1519-1591) transformed Kunqu into stage drama. He was good at play writing, poetry and music. With the help of some other talented musicians, they wrote an opera called “Washing the Silken Gauze”. The performance was a great success. Then Kunqu became quickly popular, and numerous new plays were subsequently created and staged. During Qing Dynasty (1636-1911), Kunqu became a nationwide art form.
Due to its great influence on other Chinese theatre forms, Kunqu is also known as the teacher or mother of many other types of Chinese operas.
It is an elegant opera in terms of music, recitation and the performers’ movements. Due to its soft arias and the graceful movements, it is acclaimed as watermill songs. It is also of great literary value as the performance itself has carried forward the tradition of ancient poetry and common speech.
Today, you may appreciate the art form performed professionally in some mainland Chinese cities: Beijing (Northern Kunqu Theatre), Shanghai (Shanghai Kunqu Theatre), Suzhou (Suzhou Kunqu Theatre), etc.
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