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Chinese Quintessence

Pottery

Pottery may be the oldest artwork of human beings. Over the course of thousands of years, pottery became dominant wares in people’s daily life: used to cook, to store things, and to hold cuisine or waters as dishes. As time passed, the technique became more and more consummate. Different kinds of pottery appeared in different times and regions. The Terra Cotta Warriors, discovered in Xi’an, are the finest representatives of artworks of the Warring States Period through the Han Dynasty. Visitors to the Warriors are continually amazed by the grandeur and elaborate displays of the well-preserved army. Another fine example of beautifully crafted pottery is the tricolor glazed pottery of the Tang Dynasty (618 - 907). The sculpting of figures, animals or daily appliances was amazingly in accord with the characteristics of Tang art - graceful and lively. Preferred by many foreigners to the region, the tricolor glazed pottery had been transported all over the world.

 

Chinese Martial Arts (Kung Fu)

Martial Arts are traditional Chinese sports which have developed over a long historical period. In order to survive the extremely hostile environment, the primitive Chinese ancestors learned some primary means of attack and defense such as leaping, tumbling and kicking. Moreover, they generally knew how to fight with weapons made from stones and wood or bare-hand fighting. This is considered to be the origin of martial arts.

The movements in martial art include kick, boxing, wrestling and seizing, which are performed by rules. Sects of martial arts are various. Generally speaking, Shaolin Sect and Wudang Sect are the two most famous sects. As the old Chinese saying goes 'In the north, Shaolin Kungfu is primarily recommended. While in the south, Wudang Kungfu is especially valued. Both of them lay emphasis on the internal practice for Jing (genuine energy), Qi (vital energy) and Shen (spirit) and external practice for muscle, bone and skin.

 

Silk

China is the earliest country to have produced silk. Silk is a symbol of the ancient culture of China. The ancient silk industry helps to spread Chinese culture to all over the world. Thousands years ago, when silk went to Europe along with Silk Road, what it brought was not only finery or gaudery, but the splendid oriental culture. Silk, since then, became the disseminator and symbol of oriental culture.

Westerners were very fond of Chinese silk. It is said that during the first century AD, a Roman emperor went to a theater wearing silk, which made a great stir in the audience. Since then, people wished to wear clothes made of Chinese silk. China, therefore, was called the “Silk Country”.


Poetry

Chinese poetry is a most highly regarded literary genre in China. Traditionally, it is divided into various subgenres, such as ci and qu. There is also a kind of prose-poem called fu. During the modern period, there also has developed free verse in Western style. All traditional forms of Chinese poetry are rhymed, but not all rhymed texts in ancient China are classified as poetry, for instance, lines from I Ching are often rhymed, but it is not considered poetry.


Traditional Chinese Medicine

With a history of 2000 to 3000 years, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has formed a unique system to diagnose and cure illness. The TCM approach is fundamentally different from that of Western medicine. In TCM, the understanding of the human body is based on the holistic understanding of the universe as described in Daoism, and the treatment of illness is based primarily on the diagnosis and differentiation of syndromes.


Chinese Calligraphy

In China calligraphy occupies a distinguished position in the field of traditional art. It is not only a means of communication, but also a means of expressing a person’s inner world in an aesthetic sense.
Ancient people paid great attention to calligraphy. It was the essential whereby a candidate could manifest his literary talent in the Imperial Examination, for it gave a first impression to the examiners. Children of high officials had to learn and try to write a good hand; even emperors themselves were good at calligraphy, for example, the versatile Emperor Qianlong in the Qing Dynasty (1644 – 1911) has left us many examples of his handwriting on steles in temples and palaces. 

 

Chinese painting

 

Chinese painting is one of the oldest continuous artistic traditions in the world. Painting in the traditional style is known today in Chinese as guó huà, meaning 'national' or 'native painting', as opposed to Western styles of art which became popular in China in the 20th century. Traditional painting involves essentially the same techniques as calligraphy and is done with a brush dipped in black or colored ink; oils are not used. As with calligraphy, the most popular materials on which paintings are made of are paper and silk. The finished work is then mounted on scrolls, which can be hung or rolled up.
Chinese painting developed and was classified by theme into three genres: figures, landscapes, and birds-and-flowers.

 

Paper-cut

Paper-cut is a very distinctive visual art of Chinese handicrafts. It originated from the 6th century when women used to paste golden and silver foil cuttings onto their hair at the temples, and men used them in sacred rituals. Later, they were used during festivals to decorate gates and windows. After hundreds of years’ development, now they have become a very popular means of decoration among country folk, especially women.


Cross-talk/Xiangsheng

Xiangsheng (Crosstalk) is a traditional Chinese comic performance featuring jokes and funny dialogues. Originated in Beijing, the art is popular across the country. It is widely believed that xiangsheng was formed sometime between the reigns of Emperor Xianfeng and Tongzhi of the Qing Dynasty, deriving from the “imitating shows” of the Song Dynasty. In the late Qing Dynasty, xiangsheng matured and