Heritage of Middle Kingdom, UNESCO, Contemporary Chinese Culture: News & Images

[Mangus Ortus Novem]

Rich and living culture needs a greater global exposure.

Great going.

 

[TaiShang]

A very Chinese cartoon cat and his human creator

Xinhua, July 27, 2016


Wuhuang would warn his human that merely speaking harms a country and prosperity comes from taking solid, practical actions. [Photo/Official Weibo account of Baicha]

Nope. He is one of his own kind, and he is Chinese.

This is a cartoon cat created in traditional Chinese brush painting and oriental watercolors. His name, as you and I shall address him by, is Wuhuang, meaning "My Emperor", or a better translation "Your Imperial Majesty", because usually it comes with a hail of "Long live."

And does he not deserve the grand title.

His Majesty rules over his human and his human's pet bulldog, and he does not bow to no one, for he is proud as suggested by the name, or at least according to the way he perceives of himself.

But in order to earn a can of tuna, he would bear the condescension to allow kisses from his human subjects, and in cases necessary, tame a few fresh newcomers with his ultimate stare of irresistible cuteness.

Most importantly, he is wise: The cat knows the way of the Chinese living like many philosophers before him, and he shares his wisdom with his 2 million human followers.

For example, he would warn his human that merely speaking harms a country and prosperity comes from taking solid, practical actions

When you are feeling frustrated, disappointed, or simply having a hard moment when it seems as if the whole world has turned in your against, His Majesty would tell you, "Keep your calm. It makes your face looks slimmer", or he would advise you "In front of things that you cannot change, learn to enjoy them."

He even tells you not to keep staring into your cellphone screen and talk like a zombie in a crowd. He would remind you to drink plenty of water if you are feeling ill.

"Being it human or immortal, whoever stands beyond me shall be conquered by my cuteness!" [Photo//Official Weibo account of Baicha]

There simply are too many reasons for his fans to kneel before His Majesty's virtual image.

Since his debut in China's microblog platform Weibo in 2015, his popularity has been surging at a hurricane-like wild speed. Two books have been published to illustrate his daily life with his human "The Youngster" and the dog "Bazhahei"; his fansite, microblog, social network profile, and later an online souvenir store have gained more than 480 million hits in just one year.

In 2015, the first book of the comic series sold more than 400,000 copies, and the author Baicha won the top prize "The Golden Dragon Award" of China's cartoon and animation realm.

Baicha is a quiet young man in his early 30s, Gemini and native of the northwestern Xi'an, an introvert of very few words but with an active mind of wild imagination and a very unique sense of humor.

Though young by the looks, being one of the pioneers of China's modern cartoonists, he had been an illustrator for more than a decade.


"Don't be too harsh on yourself."[Photo//Official Weibo account of Baicha]

In 2009 and 2010, for two years in a row, Baicha's illustrations won China's maximum glory in science-fiction "The Milky Way Award" -- same honor that he shared with Liu Cixin and his "Three-Body Problem", later a Hugo Award winner.

The glory did not satisfy the young man's thirst for improvement, and his pursuit of something emblematically his own, his artistic signature continued.

And he was not alone in the search: As the social network developed, the interaction between the artist and his admirers online has been more and more frequent and constructive. Baicha would publish his latest works on the microblog platform where enthusiasts, friends and an increasingly wider range of followers would comment, make suggestions and advice for him to feel inspired, encouraged and motivated to get better.


"Keep your calm. It makes your face looks slimmer." [Photo//Official Weibo account of Baicha]

And that was when he met Wuhuang, a stray cat in reality. The artist adopted the cat, provided a home for the little creature who had always an expression of noble indignation, an encounter he himself described as "meeting the right cat in the right moment".

The cat has shown a strong character and completely charmed the artist who had been seeking inspiration in an imaginary world. "Since our co-existence, I have found myself changed: I used to resort to my imagination for creative notions and now I have begun to love observing the day-to-day reality", he added.

The cat lover enjoys contemplating his feline friend and finds sparks of inspiration in every detail of their mutual companionship. Using those truthful and realistic details, Baicha was able to re-create them with his imaginative ability and his understanding of a human life.

And that was how the cartoon cat Wuhuang came into being: He is neither a 2-dimensional cartoon nor a real feline predator, but a witty mixture of both.

In front of his huge success, he seemed almost out of the place and humble. He believed that in His Majesty he has begun to realize what could be his own artistic signature:

"Chinese artists have been growing to a certain maturity in terms of techniques, but many of us are still struggling to find a style that could be of ours own, and many are still stranded in the stage of imitation", he said.

He believes that China's traditional art forms, such as the watercolor brush painting he adopted in creating Wuhuang, could be a rich source of inspiration. To inherit and make evolve the cultural relics could be a way to establish Chinese cartoon's own signature.

On the other hand, the keen observation of the real, day-to-day life and an honest expression of the details of one's own existence would naturally be "truly yours own" and "of your own flavor", he suggested.

There is a popular saying around Chinese social network these days as people love to quote: "Life ought not be about the pots and pans at the moment present, but should also aspire for the poetry and those lands afar."

And Baicha said: "if you look with a joyous heart, poetry could be found in every piece of our daily survival."

 

[Jlaw]

A very Chinese cartoon cat and his human creator

Xinhua, July 27, 2016


Wuhuang would warn his human that merely speaking harms a country and prosperity comes from taking solid, practical actions. [Photo/Official Weibo account of Baicha]

Nope. He is one of his own kind, and he is Chinese.

This is a cartoon cat created in traditional Chinese brush painting and oriental watercolors. His name, as you and I shall address him by, is Wuhuang, meaning "My Emperor", or a better translation "Your Imperial Majesty", because usually it comes with a hail of "Long live."

And does he not deserve the grand title.

His Majesty rules over his human and his human's pet bulldog, and he does not bow to no one, for he is proud as suggested by the name, or at least according to the way he perceives of himself.

But in order to earn a can of tuna, he would bear the condescension to allow kisses from his human subjects, and in cases necessary, tame a few fresh newcomers with his ultimate stare of irresistible cuteness.

Most importantly, he is wise: The cat knows the way of the Chinese living like many philosophers before him, and he shares his wisdom with his 2 million human followers.

For example, he would warn his human that merely speaking harms a country and prosperity comes from taking solid, practical actions

When you are feeling frustrated, disappointed, or simply having a hard moment when it seems as if the whole world has turned in your against, His Majesty would tell you, "Keep your calm. It makes your face looks slimmer", or he would advise you "In front of things that you cannot change, learn to enjoy them."

He even tells you not to keep staring into your cellphone screen and talk like a zombie in a crowd. He would remind you to drink plenty of water if you are feeling ill.

"Being it human or immortal, whoever stands beyond me shall be conquered by my cuteness!" [Photo//Official Weibo account of Baicha]

There simply are too many reasons for his fans to kneel before His Majesty's virtual image.

Since his debut in China's microblog platform Weibo in 2015, his popularity has been surging at a hurricane-like wild speed. Two books have been published to illustrate his daily life with his human "The Youngster" and the dog "Bazhahei"; his fansite, microblog, social network profile, and later an online souvenir store have gained more than 480 million hits in just one year.

In 2015, the first book of the comic series sold more than 400,000 copies, and the author Baicha won the top prize "The Golden Dragon Award" of China's cartoon and animation realm.

Baicha is a quiet young man in his early 30s, Gemini and native of the northwestern Xi'an, an introvert of very few words but with an active mind of wild imagination and a very unique sense of humor.

Though young by the looks, being one of the pioneers of China's modern cartoonists, he had been an illustrator for more than a decade.


"Don't be too harsh on yourself."[Photo//Official Weibo account of Baicha]

In 2009 and 2010, for two years in a row, Baicha's illustrations won China's maximum glory in science-fiction "The Milky Way Award" -- same honor that he shared with Liu Cixin and his "Three-Body Problem", later a Hugo Award winner.

The glory did not satisfy the young man's thirst for improvement, and his pursuit of something emblematically his own, his artistic signature continued.

And he was not alone in the search: As the social network developed, the interaction between the artist and his admirers online has been more and more frequent and constructive. Baicha would publish his latest works on the microblog platform where enthusiasts, friends and an increasingly wider range of followers would comment, make suggestions and advice for him to feel inspired, encouraged and motivated to get better.


"Keep your calm. It makes your face looks slimmer." [Photo//Official Weibo account of Baicha]

And that was when he met Wuhuang, a stray cat in reality. The artist adopted the cat, provided a home for the little creature who had always an expression of noble indignation, an encounter he himself described as "meeting the right cat in the right moment".

The cat has shown a strong character and completely charmed the artist who had been seeking inspiration in an imaginary world. "Since our co-existence, I have found myself changed: I used to resort to my imagination for creative notions and now I have begun to love observing the day-to-day reality", he added.

The cat lover enjoys contemplating his feline friend and finds sparks of inspiration in every detail of their mutual companionship. Using those truthful and realistic details, Baicha was able to re-create them with his imaginative ability and his understanding of a human life.

And that was how the cartoon cat Wuhuang came into being: He is neither a 2-dimensional cartoon nor a real feline predator, but a witty mixture of both.

In front of his huge success, he seemed almost out of the place and humble. He believed that in His Majesty he has begun to realize what could be his own artistic signature:

"Chinese artists have been growing to a certain maturity in terms of techniques, but many of us are still struggling to find a style that could be of ours own, and many are still stranded in the stage of imitation", he said.

He believes that China's traditional art forms, such as the watercolor brush painting he adopted in creating Wuhuang, could be a rich source of inspiration. To inherit and make evolve the cultural relics could be a way to establish Chinese cartoon's own signature.

On the other hand, the keen observation of the real, day-to-day life and an honest expression of the details of one's own existence would naturally be "truly yours own" and "of your own flavor", he suggested.

There is a popular saying around Chinese social network these days as people love to quote: "Life ought not be about the pots and pans at the moment present, but should also aspire for the poetry and those lands afar."

And Baicha said: "if you look with a joyous heart, poetry could be found in every piece of our daily survival."

He just properly need to get some international branding specialist to market this. The illustrations is really good and feels "Chinese"

 

[Mangus Ortus Novem]

He just properly need to get some international branding specialist to market this. The illustrations is really good and feels "Chinese"

This will sell like mad...in Europe at least. North America is also a good market.

 

[ahojunk]

I recently saw a documentary on the Mogao Grottoes. The Mogao Caves, also known as the Thousand Buddha Grottoes, is a system of 492 temples, 25 km southeast of Dunhuang, an oasis strategically located on the Silk Road, in Gansu province, China.
This fragile heritage site needs to be protected and managed very carefully.

--------
World heritage grottoes controls visitor flow in summer
2016-07-29 16:30 | Xinhua | Editor: Gu Liping

Replicas of "Cave 220" in China's Mogao Grottoes are on exhibition at The Shanghai Himalayas Museum in Shanghai starting from November 29, 2015. (Photo/xinmin.cn)​

The administration committee for the Mogao Grottoes in northwest China has drafted an emergency plan to control the flow of tourists for the summer.

The plan will be in effect during odd-numbered dates in July and even-numbered dates in August, with a maximum of 12,000 tickets to be issued daily. Visitors can book tickets one day prior to their visit.

Tickets under the emergency plan will also be reserved on a real name basis.

The Mogao Grottoes feature a huge collection of Buddhist art, with more than 2,000 colored sculptures and 45,000 square meters of frescoes in 735 caves carved along a cliff. Listed in 1987, it was China's first UNESCO World Heritage Site.

 

[Mangus Ortus Novem]

A living civilisational state...

Great sight.

 

[ahojunk]

Traditional Tibetan costumes presented in cultural show
(Xinhua) Updated: 2016-07-27 06:55

Some pictures of traditional Tibetan costumes presented during a cultural show at Batang grassland of Yushu city of Yushu Tibetan autonomous prefecture, Northwest China's Qinghai province, July 26, 2016.

Tibetan traditional costume.

Tibetan traditional costume.

Beautiful Tibetan traditional costume.

Another view of Tibetan traditional costume.

Beautiful Tibetan traditional costume.

Beautiful Tibetan traditional costume.

 

[Mangus Ortus Novem]

Looks like China did a cultural genocide rather well in Tibet.

Healthy, happy Tibetans living in increasing prosperity is such a cultural genocide.

Now to do the same in South Tibet as well.

 

[ahojunk]

Good news for tourism, and hopefully it helps those in the rural regions.
There are lots of beautiful places in the rural and less developed areas of China.

--------
China tourism revenue year up 12.4 pct in H1
2016-08-02 07:51:16 | CRIENGLISH.com | Web Editor: Huang Yue

A Tibetan village in the Zhagana region in Diebu County of Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in Gansu Province. Zhagana is a mountainous region on the northeastern rim of the Tibetan Plateau, with an average altitude of 3,500 meters. The region has a unique cultural and natural landscape featuring Tibetan-style villages, primitive forests and mountains formed during the quatenary glaciation. [Photo: China.org.cn]


New figures show China's tourism industry raked in 2.25 trillion yuan, or close to 350-billion US dollars in revenue in revenue through the first half of this year.

This is up nearly 12.5-percent year-on-year.

National Tourism Administration stats show domestic tourists made 2.24 billion trips in the first half, an increase of 10.5 percent.

Inbound and outbound trips also increased by over 4-percent to around 127 million.

China's tourism industry accounted for close to 11-percent of China's overall GDP last year.

It also created over 10-percent of the new jobs across the country.

Tourism industry officials expect government spending on the sector to triple by 2020.

Government spending increased by over 40-percent last year to around 1-trillion yuan.

 

[ahojunk]

Education is related to culture, so I have decided to put this post here.

---------
China plans community education network by 2020
2016-07-31 08:49 | Xinhua | Editor: Li Yan

China plans to establish a national community education network by 2020 through 200 demonstration areas with exemplary practices and 600 others to test relevant practices, the Ministry of Education (MOE) announced.

Community education should be richer in content and more diversified in its forms, and resident participation and their approval of such schools should increase remarkably in the next five years, according to a guideline to promote community education issued by the MOE with other departments.

The guideline also called for better service capacity, pooling and sharing of educational resources.

It encouraged schools to offer community schooling by capitalizing on their existing facilities, courses and teachers.

Schools are required to open more resources to the public, such as libraries, museums, gymnasiums and exhibition halls.

The guideline asked localities to establish a cost-sharing mechanism to raise money for community education through government input, private endowment, and tuition.

 

[ahojunk]

Beautiful cheongsam or qipao.

--------
3,000 beauties in cheongsam showcase traditional culture
2016-07-30 18:50:01 | CRIENGLISH.com | Web Editor: Guo Jing

More than 3,000 young women attended a cultural festival on July 29, 2016, in Liupanshui city, southwest China's Guizhou province. Wearing qipao, or cheongsam, which are traditional Han Chinese clothes, and holding colorful oiled paper umbrellas, the beauties take a walk along a 1.13-kilometer-long bridge in a wetland park to promote the traditional Chinese dress style. [Photo: Chinanews.com]

Below are some pictures. Enjoy!

Qipao Festival, Liupanshui city, Guizhou province.

Qipao Festival, Liupanshui city, Guizhou province.

Qipao Festival, Liupanshui city, Guizhou province.

Qipao Festival, Liupanshui city, Guizhou province.

 

[Three_Kingdoms]

One of the best Chinese compositions being performed in Europe, in Paris to be specific
The name of the Erhu Maestro is Guo Gan

Chinese music : Guo Gan —— 二泉映月( Reflets de la lune sur L'Erquan )

and another hallmark of Chinese Classic， an erhu and gu-zheng duet:

Chinese music : Guo Gan —— 渔舟唱晚 ( Mélodie d'un pêcheur ramant au crépuscul )

 

[ahojunk]

Serve them right!

--------
Scenic sites stripped of top rating after inspection
By SU ZHOU (China Daily) Updated: 2016-08-04 07:53

File photo of Orange Isle in Changsha. [Photo/IC]


Two top-rated tourist attractions had their accreditation removed after more than 30 undercover investigations were taken at 20 scenic spots.

The China National Tourism Administration said on Wednesday that it has removed the 5-A scenic spot rating of Orange Isle in Changsha, Hunan province, and Shenlong Gorge in Chongqing over security concerns, overpricing, poor environmental management and poor facility maintenance, as well as bad service mainly resulting from a lack of staff members.

"For example, it took more than a week for a tourist to book a tour guide in the Orange Isle scenic spots," said Peng Decheng, director of the National Tourism Administration's planning and finance department. "In Shenlong Gorge, tourists didn't receive safety reminders from staff members when sitting on drifting boats."

The administration also issued serious warnings to three 5-A scenic spots in Anhui and Fujian provinces and required rectification.

Peng added that ratings will keep changing based on inspections.

China uses a five-tier tourist rating system based on criteria such as the importance of the site, transportation and sanitation. The highest rating has to be award by the administration, while lower ratings can be given by provincial tourism authorities.

Dai Xuefeng, director of the Tourism Research Center at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said that in the past, 5-A scenic spots that didn't perform well would only receive warnings or be downgraded.

"Many scenic spots that felt secure shifted their focus from management to making profits," Dai said.

In October, Shanhaiguan Scenic Spot in Qinhuangdao, Hebei province, lost its 5-A rating, the first time this had happened.

"Sightseeing will be the mainstream of China's tourism for a long time. Urging scenic spots to provide better service is the best way to protect tourists' rights," Dai said. "And we can see that after losing its 5-A rating, the management of Shanhaiguan Scenic Spot has improved greatly."

File photo of Orange Isle in Changsha.

File photo of Orange Isle in Changsha.

 

[Three_Kingdoms]

An audio-visual, cultural and artistic extravaganza - BROCADE BANQUET

 

[Three_Kingdoms]

Main venues of Silk Road Int'l Cultural Expo almost completed

(Xinhua) Updated: 2016-08-05 09:16Comments




Photo taken on August 3, 2016 shows the Silk Road International Convention Center in Dunhuang in Northwest China's Gansu province. [Photo/Xinhua]

A technician walks past the Silk Road International Convention Center in Dunhuang in Dunhuang in Northwest China's Gansu province on August 3, 2016. Two main venues of the Silk Road (Dunhuang) International Cultural Expo, Dunhuang Silk Road International Convention Center and Dunhuang Grand Theater, have been almost completed. The expo will be held in Dunhuang on September 20. [Photo/Xinhua]


A constructor works at the main conference hall in the Silk Road International Convention Center in Dunhuang in Northwest China's Gansu province on August 3, 2016. [Photo/Xinhua]


Photo taken on August 3, 2016 shows the Dunhuang Grand Theater in Dunhuang in Northwest China's Gansu province. [Photo/Xinhua]


Constructors work inside the Silk Road International Convention Center in Dunhuang in Northwest China's Gansu province on August 3, 2016. [Photo/Xinhua]