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

[AndrewJin]

I have read the three kingdom era history of China which replaced the Han dynasty around 200AD, so I think it was the Han dynasty which replaced the Qin well over 2000 years ago, that sword is in prime condition being so old.

Correct, Zhou-Qin-Han-Three Kingdom

My city is named Wuhan, han is as in Han Dynasty

 

[SBUS-CXK]

I have read the three kingdom era history of China which replaced the Han dynasty around 200AD, so I think it was the Han dynasty which replaced the Qin well over 2000 years ago, that sword is in prime condition being so old.

OMG, that's a very confusing time in Chinese history. Is full of romantic heroism of the times. Can you really understand it?

I don't want to say too much.

 

[CriticalThinker02]

OMG, that's a very confusing time in Chinese history. Is full of romantic heroism of the times. Can you really understand it?

I don't want to say too much.

I've only read the three kingdom era history and through that era I have a little understanding of the Han dynasty that preceded it and Sima Shi's Jin dynasty that replaced it, yes I did understood it and really enjoyed alot reading up on, watching movies and tv series based on that the time period, I think what I find most fascinating of that era is the romanticization of certain characters like Zhuge Liang who I believe reflect the Chinese civilization and people's mindset, selfless loyalty to a just selfless ruler with a just cause while also possessing almost super human intellect, I'm sure in real history he was a very capable general and also possessed above average intelligence with remarkable feat but him being represented as a dragon just reinforces my understanding of how Chinese people are truly like, none the less he is one of my favorite heroes of the story.

One of the many other reasons of why I find this time period so fascinating is the countless number of generals, war lords and rulers with remarkable talents all rising at the same time fighting for power and control, if one takes any one of them and places them in any other era or history they would easily be able to carve out an empire for themselves but no it had to be at that time and under those very same circumstances that generals with talent possessing remarkable military strategies of that time, motivated by their ideologies and cause fighting it out in epic battle fought in castles, walls, forests, plains and sea and also the lessons you learn from the strength and weakness of those remarkable intellects of the past like for example even Zhuge Liangs weakness where he allowed his own ego to get in the way and not look for a worthy ruler himself, imagine a sleeping dragon which never slept or Cao Cao's in-ability to inspire loyalty from those individuals who possessed equal and or greater level of intellect than his, Liu was able to inspire Kongming to die for his cause while Sima ended Cao's.

Anyways sorry for rambling on and on but yeah I do really like reading up on this era of Chinese history and with only this piece of historical period being so rich in history, I shudder to think what over two thousand year history would truly be like.

 

[Offshore]

I've only read the three kingdom era history and through that era I have a little understanding of the Han dynasty that preceded it and Sima Shi's Jin dynasty that replaced it, yes I did understood it and really enjoyed alot reading up on, watching movies and tv series based on that the time period, I think what I find most fascinating of that era is the romanticization of certain characters like Zhuge Liang who I believe reflect the Chinese civilization and people's mindset, selfless loyalty to a just selfless ruler with a just cause while also possessing almost super human intellect, I'm sure in real history he was a very capable general and also possessed above average intelligence with remarkable feat but him being represented as a dragon just reinforces my understanding of how Chinese people are truly like, none the less he is one of my favorite heroes of the story.

One of the many other reasons of why I find this time period so fascinating is the countless number of generals, war lords and rulers with remarkable talents all rising at the same time fighting for power and control, if one takes any one of them and places them in any other era or history they would easily be able to carve out an empire for themselves but no it had to be at that time and under those very same circumstances that generals with talent possessing remarkable military strategies of that time, motivated by their ideologies and cause fighting it out in epic battle fought in castles, walls, forests, plains and sea and also the lessons you learn from the strength and weakness of those remarkable intellects of the past like for example even Zhuge Liangs weakness where he allowed his own ego to get in the way and not look for a worthy ruler himself, imagine a sleeping dragon which never slept or Cao Cao's in-ability to inspire loyalty from those individuals who possessed equal and or greater level of intellect than his, Liu was able to inspire Kongming to die for his cause while Sima ended Cao's.

Anyways sorry for rambling on and on but yeah I do really like reading up on this era of Chinese history and with only this piece of historical period being so rich in history, I shudder to think what over two thousand year history would truly be like.

How do you know about 3 kingdom? From games or mangga?

Romance of 3 kingdom written 600 years ago..

Actualy during warring time, there's a lot of heroic story but not recorded by history.
I believe there is more people smarter then zhugeliang in different era , the reason is simple, because all the tactic and art of war zhugeliang possess is from previous warring time.

3 kingdom era being so popular amongs east Asia is because each character is well recorded and even during sengoku era, the Japanese general used three kingdom book as a war reference and tactic.

 

[ahojunk]

Chinese dance drama with 3D effects debuts in Singapore
2017-01-07 10:20 | Xinhua | Editor:Wang Fan

Artists perform during Legend of the Moon dance drama at Star Theater in Singapore, on Jan. 6, 2017. Chinese dance drama Legend of the Moon which features 3D effects made its overseas tour debut in Singapore on Friday. (Xinhua/Bao Xuelin)

Artists perform during Legend of the Moon dance drama at Star Theater in Singapore, on Jan. 6, 2017. Chinese dance drama Legend of the Moon which features 3D effects made its overseas tour debut in Singapore on Friday. (Xinhua/Bao Xuelin)

Artists perform during Legend of the Moon dance drama at Star Theater in Singapore, on Jan. 6, 2017. Chinese dance drama Legend of the Moon which features 3D effects made its overseas tour debut in Singapore on Friday. (Xinhua/Bao Xuelin)

Artists perform during Legend of the Moon dance drama at Star Theater in Singapore, on Jan. 6, 2017. Chinese dance drama Legend of the Moon which features 3D effects made its overseas tour debut in Singapore on Friday. (Xinhua/Bao Xuelin)

 

[ahojunk]

Free Laba porridge served at Shaolin Temple
(Xinhua) 19:42, January 06, 2017

Combo photo shows Buddhist doctor Shi Yanbai searching a Chinese medicinal book for the ingredients for Shaolin Laba porridge at the Shaolin Temple in Dengfeng, central China's Henan Province, Jan. 4, 2017. The Laba Festival, a traditional Chinese festival on the eighth day of the 12th lunar month, fell on Jan. 5 this year. It's customary on this day to eat a special Laba porridge, usually made with at least eight ingredients, representing people's prayers for harvest. Many temples have the tradition of offering porridge to the public for free on the day. (Xinhua/Feng Dapeng)

Monks and volunteers prepare Laba porridge at the Shaolin Temple in Dengfeng, central China's Henan Province, Jan. 5, 2017. The Laba Festival, a traditional Chinese festival on the eighth day of the 12th lunar month, fell on Jan. 5 this year. It's customary on this day to eat a special Laba porridge, usually made with at least eight ingredients, representing people's prayers for harvest. Many temples have the tradition of offering porridge to the public for free on the day. (Xinhua/Feng Dapeng)

A monk prepares Laba porridge at the Shaolin Temple in Dengfeng, central China's Henan Province, Jan. 4, 2017. The Laba Festival, a traditional Chinese festival on the eighth day of the 12th lunar month, fell on Jan. 5 this year. It's customary on this day to eat a special Laba porridge, usually made with at least eight ingredients, representing people's prayers for harvest. Many temples have the tradition of offering porridge to the public for free on the day. (Xinhua/Feng Dapeng)

A monk prepares Laba porridge at the Shaolin Temple in Dengfeng, central China's Henan Province, Jan. 4, 2017. The Laba Festival, a traditional Chinese festival on the eighth day of the 12th lunar month, fell on Jan. 5 this year. It's customary on this day to eat a special Laba porridge, usually made with at least eight ingredients, representing people's prayers for harvest. Many temples have the tradition of offering porridge to the public for free on the day. (Xinhua/Feng Dapeng)

Abbot Shi Yongxin (front) and monks hold a ceremony on the occasion of Laba Festival at the Shaolin Temple in Dengfeng, central China's Henan Province, Jan. 5, 2017. The Laba Festival, a traditional Chinese festival on the eighth day of the 12th lunar month, fell on Jan. 5 this year. It's customary on this day to eat a special Laba porridge, usually made with at least eight ingredients, representing people's prayers for harvest. Many temples have the tradition of offering porridge to the public for free on the day. (Xinhua/Feng Dapeng)

Abbot Shi Yongxin (1st R, front) serves free Laba porridge at the Shaolin Temple in Dengfeng, central China's Henan Province, Jan. 5, 2017. The Laba Festival, a traditional Chinese festival on the eighth day of the 12th lunar month, fell on Jan. 5 this year. It's customary on this day to eat a special Laba porridge, usually made with at least eight ingredients, representing people's prayers for harvest. Many temples have the tradition of offering porridge to the public for free on the day. (Xinhua/Feng Dapeng)

 

[ahojunk]

People prepare for Laba Festival across China
2017-01-05 14:18 | Xinhua | Editor:Li Yan

Photo taken on Jan. 4, 2017 shows the ingredients of Laba congee in Hohhot, capital of north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. The Laba Festival, a traditional Chinese holiday on the eighth day of the 12th lunar month, will fall on Jan. 5 this year. It's customary on this day to eat a special Laba congee, or eight treasure porridge, usually made with at least eight ingredients, representing people's prayers for harvest, happiness and peace. (Xinhua/Ding Genhou)

A teacher shows the ingredients of Laba congee to children at the Qunying Kindergarten in Kaifeng, central China's Henan Province, Jan. 4, 2017. The Laba Festival, a traditional Chinese holiday on the eighth day of the 12th lunar month, will fall on Jan. 5 this year. It's customary on this day to eat a special Laba congee, or eight treasure porridge, usually made with at least eight ingredients, representing people's prayers for harvest, happiness and peace. (Xinhua/Li Junsheng)

A cook makes Laba congee at the Daming Temple in Yangzhou, east China's Jiangsu Province, Jan. 4, 2017. The Laba Festival, a traditional Chinese holiday on the eighth day of the 12th lunar month, will fall on Jan. 5 this year. It's customary on this day to eat a special Laba congee, or eight treasure porridge, usually made with at least eight ingredients, representing people's prayers for harvest, happiness and peace. (Xinhua/Meng Delong)

Residents eat Laba congee in Hohhot, capital of north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Jan. 4, 2017. The Laba Festival, a traditional Chinese holiday on the eighth day of the 12th lunar month, will fall on Jan. 5 this year. It's customary on this day to eat a special Laba congee, or eight treasure porridge, usually made with at least eight ingredients, representing people's prayers for harvest, happiness and peace. (Xinhua/Ding Genhou)

 

[Godman]

Looks healthy and nutritious

 

[Place Of Space]

Speed up! Kids can't wait any longer!

 

[ahojunk]

This Laba festival is occurring all over China.

========
Elderly gather in Wuhan to celebrate traditional Laba Festival
(People's Daily Online) 17:11, January 06, 2017

Hundred of elderly people from the Donghu district of Wuhan gathered to celebrate Laba Festival, a traditional Chinese holiday on the eighth day of the 12th lunar month, which fell on Jan. 5. Together, the group enjoyed a “banquet of 1,000 aged people,” which was started by Emperor Kangxi during the Qing Dynasty to show solicitude and respect to the elderly.

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@AndrewJin
This is in your home city.
Are you celebrating?
.

 

[JSCh]

2,800-year-old eggs exhibited at Nanjing Museum
(People's Daily Online) 14:42, January 09, 2017

Nearly 200 cultural objects relating to the rooster from the Chinese zodiac were exhibited at Nanjing Museum on Jan. 7, China News reported.

The objects included jade articles, porcelain, bronze wares, embroidery, paper cuttings, stamps and enamel pieces. Among these, eggs from the Western Zhou Dynasty (11th century-771 B.C.) drew special attention. The petrified eggs were unexpectedly unearthed in a Western Zhou Dynasty tomb in Jiangsu province, and are the oldest of all the objects exhibited.

 

[52051]

Chinese sword, purely hand-made by traditional process, now collectors in China like to purchase such purely hand-made sword.

Swords hand-made by craftman who recieved master title in China typically priced as $10,000 to $30,000 per sword.

 

[TaiShang]

Chinese museum demands return of horse sculptures from Pennsylvania

By Jiang Jie (People's Daily Online) January 13, 2017

(Photos of the two horse relief scupltures at Penn Museum. Source: Penn Museum website)

A Chinese museum in northwestern China’s Shaanxi province has openly demanded the return of two horse relief sculptures displayed at a University of Pennsylvania museum. The sculptures were illegally sold overseas.

The Zhaoling Museum made its announcement on Jan. 11 via its official WeChat public account, calling on the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology (Penn Museum) to return the pieces so that the “Zhaoling Liujun,” a set of six horse relief sculptures, can be reunited.

The six memorialized horses lived during the Tang Dynasty. They were allegedly the favorites of Emperor Taizong, Li Shimin. Together with other decorations and monuments, the six pieces were supposedly placed at the gate of the emperor’s tomb.

(File photo)

“We believe it is most reasonable for the two horses to be returned to China from the Penn Museum … The University of Pennsylvania has long been dedicated to global cultural heritage protection. We hope that the Penn Museum can reach a consensus with China on this issue and make a greater contribution to the protection of the common cultural heritage of human beings,” the Zhaoling Museum stated.

The other four horse sculptures are currently on display at the Forest of Stone Steles Museum in Shaanxi. Two replicas are standing in for the horses in Pennsylvania.

(File photo of the "Zhaoling Liujun" at the Forest of Stone Steles Museum)

Citing archives from the Shanghai Museum, earlier media reports revealed that the two missing pieces were sold for $125,000 to the then-director of Penn Museum by notorious antiques smuggler Lu Qinzhai, after Lu ordered the theft of the sculptures from the tomb.

According to the Zhaoling Museum, professional principles dictate that a museum must obtain its exhibited items without any legal burden. It should not purchase relics that have not been reported to authorities, and should assist in the return of improperly obtained articles if permitted by law. For exhibits dating earlier than 1970, museums should be able to prove that its items were acquired through proper channels.

“The Penn Museum should not have purchased the two horses, which were obviously excavated after deliberate sabotage that created damage on the [sculptures'] surface. We hereby demand that Penn Museum negotiate a plan to reunite the six horses,” the Zhaoling Museum stated.

It went on to articulate how the separated art pieces have damaged the completeness of the Zhaoling Liujun, which are best observed in their origin. The Zhaoling Museum also guaranteed that the two relief sculptures would be under good protection and would be available for viewing by both casual admirers and researchers.

The University of Pennsylvania and Penn Museum could not be reached for comment as of press time. It remains to be seen whether they will respond to the call.

 

[ahojunk]

Re-emerging Buddha reveals centuries-old story
2017-01-16 09:23 | Xinhua | Editor: Gu Liping

A Buddha head emerges from the water of the Hongmen reservoir in Nancheng county, east China's Jiangxi Province, Jan. 8, 2017. (Photo: Xinhua/Wan Xiang)

An underwater archaeological mission concluded on Sunday in east China's Jiangxi Province, revealing more about a Buddha statue that has emerged from the water of a reservoir.

Archaeologists said the Buddha statue, originally spotted by local villagers, is 3.8 meters tall and carved onto a cliff face. The base of a hall was also found under the water, indicating that a temple existed there.

The head of the Buddha was spotted at Hongmen Reservoir in Nancheng County in the city of Fuzhou late last year when a hydropower gate renovation project lowered water levels in the reservoir by more than 10 meters.

Judging from the head's design, the statue was carved during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), said Xu Changqing, head of the provincial research institute of archaeology.

The mission began earlier this month, carried out by the underwater cultural relic protection center under the State Administration of Cultural Heritage and Jiangxi Provincial Research Institute of Archaeology.

A path was found to the north of the statue, and an inscription with 30 characters was found to the south, according to Li Bin, researcher with the State Administration of Cultural Heritage. In front of the statue is the foundation of the hall, covering some 165 square meters, said Li.

Guan Zhiyong, head of Hongmen Township government, said the Buddha statue was built at the intersection of two rivers where boats easily overturned due to the rapid flow.

"According to folk tale, the ancient people built the statue to pray for safety," said Guan.

According to county records, the reservoir is located on the ruins of the ancient Xiaoshi Township, an important trade center and hub for water transportation between Jiangxi and Fujian provinces.

"The ruins of Xiaoshi town were not exposed by the lowered water levels, but the underwater team also explored the town," said Jin Huilin, curator of the museum of Nancheng County.

Hongmen Reservoir, also known as Zuixian Lake, was built in 1958. Many local villagers were relocated for the project. Hearing the news of the newly visible Buddha, some villagers went back to pay a visit.

Blacksmith Huang Keping, 82, used to live near the site.

"I went to the temple in 1952 and saw the Buddha statue for the first time. I remember the statue was gilded at that time," said Huang.

He recalled that there was a small temple at the foot of the Buddha statue and many of the villagers held Buddhist beliefs.

Jin Huilin said there was not yet a cultural relic protection department in the county when the reservoir was built, as the county museum was not established until 1983.

"There was also a lack of mature technology to protect cultural relics, and the statue could not be removed," he said.

Experts said the statue was well-preserved as the water prevented it from weathering and destruction by humans. Some historical heritage sites were destroyed during the Cultural Revolution between 1966 and 1976.

Archaeologists said they will conduct research to prepare for the protection of the reservoir's underwater relics.

"The water levels of the reservoir will rise when the spring flood arrives around March, and the head of the Buddha statue will be submerged again," said Shan Keke, official with the water authority of Nancheng.


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3.8 m statue is quite big.
The good thing about being submerged in water is that it is protected.
.

 

[ahojunk]

Canada returns two 200 million-year-old marine fossils smuggled from China
2017-01-19 09:05 | Ecns.cn | Editor:Yao Lan

Two marine fossils dating to the Triassic period more than 200 million years ago have been returned to China. The significant heritage objects being returned are a 220-million year old Saurichthys fish fossil from China’s Guizhou province, an early Ichthyosaur fossil, likely dating to the early Triassic period (252–247 million years ago) originating from China. These objects were illegally exported from China and were detained in Canada by the Canada Border Services Agency and the RCMP. China claimed these objects as their cultural property and requested their return. (Photo/Agencies)

Two marine fossils dating to the Triassic period more than 200 million years ago have been returned to China. The significant heritage objects being returned are a 220-million year old Saurichthys fish fossil from China’s Guizhou province, an early Ichthyosaur fossil, likely dating to the early Triassic period (252–247 million years ago) originating from China. These objects were illegally exported from China and were detained in Canada by the Canada Border Services Agency and the RCMP. China claimed these objects as their cultural property and requested their return. (Photo/Agencies)

A pair of carved wooden roof supports from southwestern China. These objects were illegally exported from China and were detained in Canada by the Canada Border Services Agency and the RCMP. China claimed these objects as their cultural property and requested their return. (Photo/Agencies)


********

Good work by RCMP.
Send those smugglers to jail.
.