There is no any other country in the world like China where people are so fascinated about numbers. The fact that people in the Northern part of the country like the Number "4" lies that the the Northern Chinese pronunciation of the number has a similar pronunciation with that of Happiness, however, in many other part of China the same number "4" it has a similar pronunciaton with the word death, so many people try to avoid their mobile No. ending up with it. People like the number"8" is because it has a similar pronunciation with that of "Fa", which in Chinese means a good fortune or earning a lot of money. Although numbers has no meaning, it reflects the Chinese people's good wish for the a better life.
2014年3月31日星期一
Upside-down 'Fu' Character
Not all luck-bringing papers are couplets. Some are four-character-phrases that express traditional sentiments(感情) for a rich and bountiful spring. Still others are single characters, for example, the Chinese character "fu ( 福)", meaning luck, blessings, happiness and good fortune.
The character "fu" is everywhere during the festival. On the doors of shops and families and even in rooms, people like to paste high the "fu" character calligraphed on red paper.
Fu (福 ) is written on the paper squares, which can be pasted normally or upside down, for in Chinese the "reversed fu" is homophonic with "fu dao le" pronounced as "fu comes". The upside down fu becomes a pun that implies "good fortune has arrived". Thus, the paper squares represent the "arrival" of spring and the "coming" of prosperous year.
2014年3月28日星期五
How do Chinese people name their babies
In China, the method of naming children by their surname first and given name second has existed since ancient times. The surname is passed down from one’s ancestors and cannot be changed. Therefore, in order to express their hopes and wishes for their newborn, people pay great attention to the selection of given names. Generally, Chinese people follow several principles when choosing names:
Special meaning of commemoration: for instance, many babies born in 1949 or on October 1 were named 建国 (Jianguo; to found a country) or 新华 (Xinhua; New China). (Note: October 1, 1949 is the day the People’s Republic of China founded).
Avoidance of taboos: foreigners like to name their newborn after their ancestors as an act of remembrance. It is opposite in China, where people, in order to show respect, feel bound to avoid using their ancestors’ names;
Distinguishing sexuality: boys are often named with masculine Chinese characters, such as 鹏, 宏, 刚, etc. Girls are often named with graceful Chinese characters, such as 娜, 婷, 丽, etc.
Implied meanings: each Chinese character has its unique meaning. People prefer to combine such kinds of Chinese characters. For example, if a person has the surname 石, the name 石磊 represents a hope that he is strong.
In recent years, people try to avoid giving the same names as others. Some even choose Chinese characters from ancient Chinese or literary works. The methods of selecting names grow increasingly varied.
THE WRITING BRUSH
Among the various calligraphic tools, the writing brush is special to China. It represents one of the four treasures of study, which also include paper, ink and ink stone.
The writing brush has a long history in China. Legend has it that the brush was invented by Meng Tian (? - 210 BC), a general under the First Emperor of the Qin Dynasty (221-206BC), but primitive painted pottery contains decorative designs painted by tools resembling a brush. Clearly visible stains or brush marks remain in certain places on the pottery. This evidence suggests that the brush may have predated written language itself. The history of the Chinese brush can be traced back at least 6,000 years.
A brush comprises two parts: the head and shaft. The head is made of goat, wolf, rat or rabbit hair, which is softer than bamboo, a pencil, quill or ballpoint pen. The shaft is made of bamboo, wood, lacquer and porcelain, as well as some precious materials, including mother-of-pearl inlays, ivory and jade.
There are four types of famous writing brushes in China.
1. The Hu Writing Brush, produced in Huzhou City, Zhejiang Province
The Huzhou writing brush falls into four categories. The first is made of goat hair, which is very flexible; the second, of brownish rabbit hair; the third, of stiff weasel hair; and the fourth is a mixture of goat and weasel hair, which is neither too flexible nor too stiff.
The workmanship of the brush is exquisite and complicated since it contains more than 120 processes -- from selecting materials to the finished products.
These brushes are especially handy both for painting and calligraphy. Due to its shaft, this type of brush is usually made of either red sandalwood or mottled bamboo, white porcelain or even with ivory. It is therefore regarded as the best-quality brush and the most exquisite handicraft.
2. The Xuan Writing Brush
The Xuan writing brush, together with the famous Xuan paper, is made in Jingxian County, Anhui Province. In ancient times, Jingxian County was under the jurisdiction of Xuanzhou Prefecture, where the product got its name.
Scholars of the Jin Dynasty (256-420) were especially fond of the Xuan brush. During the Tang (618-907) and Song (960-1279) dynasties, Xuanzhou became a writing-brush manufacturing center, and the Xuan brush was listed as a tribute to emperors.
At that time, folk artisans made a breakthrough in craftsmanship in selecting materials and polishing the shaft. Brushes were both sharp and neatly cut, and plump and smooth at the tip, enabling artists to write and draw freely. The Xuan brushes, made elaborately from brownish rabbit hair, are considered to be the best and come at a very high price.
3. The Daiyuexuan Writing Brush
This writing brush was originally made by the venerable artisan Dai Yuexuan. Now, the brush is well known in Beijing for its high quality and elaborate craftsmanship. With the semi-manufactured writing brushes from Huzhou of Zhejiang Province as the main material, artisans used their immense skills to create a tool with a unique, sharp point, neat cut, with a smooth roundness and graceful stiffness at the tip. Because of these four characteristics, this brand enjoyed high prestige among artists and calligraphers.
Dai actually worked for a writing-brush workshop located by the east entrance to the Liulichang Cultural Street in Beijing 80 years ago. His brushes were much better than the brand from Huzhou, even though the same materials were used. Later on, the Daiyuexuan brand became renowned far and wide.
4. The Houdian Writing Brush, produced in Houdian Village
The manufacture of writing brushes came into existence in Houdian Village of Shandong Province during the reign of Emperor Yongle around 1404 of the Ming Dynasty, and flourished in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). In the early years of the Republic of China, almost all brushes sold at Beijing's famous Daiyuexuan and Hukaiwen stores were made by workers from Houdian. In 1952, the Houdian people built a large plant to pass on the traditional craftsmanship to the younger generation and to develop it.
The main materials for the brush come from animals' tails, such the wolf and civet, or ox ear hair, in more than 40 varieties. Hair collected in the winter is best for making high-quality brushes. Five main procedures are followed strictly to produce the brush correctly: washing and dying of the hair, carving characters on the shafts, packaging, and miscellaneous processes. Each of the five procedures contains about a dozen processes before a uniquely shaped brush with a special specification is made for different purposes.
Brushes made at Houdian Village are durable, offering a good combination of flexibility and stiffness, the ability to absorb more ink than others, and with little likelihood that the hair will out.
Without the writing brush, Chinese painting and calligraphy could not have achieved such distinct features, and thus would not have enjoyed such great success around the world. The writing brush makes great contributions to the dissemination of Chinese culture. With the development of social economy and culture, craftsmanship is continually improving, and the types of writing brushes are on the rise.
2014年3月26日星期三
CHINESE PAINTING(5)
Picture mounting
Chinese painting are also mounted to add brilliance to them. A painting is not considered to have been completed until it is mounted, a requirement unique to Chinese paintings.
A blending of components
A Chinese painting is a marriage of poetry, calligraphy, seal and image. National artists often indicate the theme of the painting, the artist's name and the date of the painting. Sometimes, a poem or a prose extract is written next to the painting. These verses and lines complement and enrich the meaning behind the painting. Seals are also affixed to embellish or balance the painting.
CHINESE PAINTING(4)
coulour
In Chinese paintings, the ink is the dominant feature while colours are peripheral. Chinese painters classify the black ink into five "colours": concentrated, thick, heavy, thin and light. Black is considered a colour and more colours can be represented by varying the intensity
White space
White spaces are often seen in Chinese painting. They are considered a part of the painting. They add life to the painting and give room for imagination.
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