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

[ahojunk]

Guizhou has huge tourism potential.

Yes, indeed.

Guizhou, Guangxi, Sichuan and Yunnan have lots of beautiful sceneries and many colorful ethnic minorities.

I hope the tourism officials know how to promote them.

Regardless, the HSR is going to give tourism there a very big boost.

 

[AndrewJin]

Yes, indeed.

Guizhou, Guangxi, Sichuan and Yunnan have lots of beautiful sceneries and many colorful ethnic minorities.

I hope the tourism officials know how to promote them.

Regardless, the HSR is going to give tourism there a very big boost.

There are more than 2000 private guesthouses and hostels in Lijiang alone.
Soon, they will have to build more when the final Yunnan section of Shanghai-Kunming HSR opens.

 

[ahojunk]

Here comes China to further support its cultural industries.
5 billion yuan (US$786.5 million) is a lot of money.

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China strengthens support for cultural industries
2015-10-03 14:02 | Xinhua | Editor: Gu Liping

The Ministry of Finance (MOF) has earmarked 5 billion yuan (786.5 million U.S. dollars) to help support the cultural industries.

This year, 850 cultural projects have already received financial support, up 6.25 percent from last year, according to a statement by the MOF.

The funding was mainly used to help integrate new media with traditional media, the MOF said.

The financial support will be made available to more important areas, such as film and television, bookstores, and foreign-cultural trade.

The MOF has provided 24.2 billion yuan in special funding since the initiative began, supporting more than 4,000 cultural projects. The money has played an important role in restructuring and developing the cultural industries, according to the statement.

 

[ahojunk]

Filmmakers join online heavy-hitters
2015-10-03 13:43 | China Daily | Editor: Gu Liping

The four-installment coming-of-age series directed by Guo Jingming has brought in a record haul of 1.8 billion yuan ($280 million).

As China's Internet giants rewrite the rules of the game for the traditional film industry, a new big player backed by the world's largest game company recently tapped into the booming market.

Tencent Pictures, a subsidiary of Tencent Holdings, announced its founding on Sept 17. It aims to challenge the Hollywood blockbusters.

One of the highlights is the upcoming fantasy film Warcraft, which is adapted from the online video game. It's scheduled for release in 2016.

Cheng Wu, CEO of Tencent Pictures, said the company will cooperate with Legendary Pictures, a US film studio, to co-produce the epic adventure title.

Legendary, which is based in Burbank, California, is behind a series of fantasy blockbusters, including Godzilla and Seventh Son.

Tencent will make use of its strength in big-data collection and customer-oriented systems to tailor the marketing and distribution for Warcraft's warm-up in China, Cheng said.

Peter Loehr, CEO of Legendary East, said: "China's significance is rising among global filmmakers. We are glad to have the opportunity to cooperate with a company as influential as Tencent."

Alongside the big movies from the United States, Tencent Pictures is talking about its strategic cooperation with novelist turned-filmmaker Guo Jingming, one of the country's wealthiest authors and the director of the highest grossing franchise Tiny Times.

The four-installment coming-of-age series has brought in a record haul of 1.8 billion yuan ($280 million).

Guo will cooperate with Tencent Pictures to produce his upcoming film adaptation of the fantasy novel Legend of Ravaging Dynasties.

"In contrast to Hollywood's mature chains, China's entertainment industry lacks a complete system to develop a brand program, which should cover a wide range from TV series and movies to computer games and smartphone games," Guo said.

He expressed disappointment in some shortsighted investments - for example, adapting a TV drama series to the big screen only after it became a sensational hit.

He insists that a valued project should be developed in every aspect from the beginning.

Attracted by Tencent's huge customer base, Guo said he expects the company's large online platform will provide a big boost to his movies.

Under the film arm of Tencent Holdings, three sub-studios have been founded to independently develop their own programs.

Chen Yingjie, chief of one studio, said interactive communication with online fans will be an important element in program development.

He gave the example of Destiny Changer, an upcoming series based on the namesake best-selling novel.

Nearly two-thirds of the unfinished novel is still being written and updated on a website. The first season of the series, based on the finished chapters, will be released at the same time.

"We'll keep a close eye on feedback. The story lines and characters can be revised by requests from fans," Chen said.

"In the past, directors and script writers have the final say in a production, but now that right belongs to the audiences."

The second-quarter report from Tencent showed that its social and messaging platform WeChat boasts 600 million registered customers, up 37 percent from the 550 million accumulated as of the previous quarter.

For the world's second-largest movie market, which had nearly 650 million Internet surfers at the close of 2014, it means a dominant percentage of Chinese netizens are using an app developed by Tencent.

"Tencent can use WeChat to promote any movie it wants to, and also shelve those it's unwilling to highlight," said a joking review from Cui Yongyuan, a TV host and cultural critic.

The remark made ripples during a forum at this year's Shanghai International Film Festival.

Some traditional movie tycoons take their worries further and show them earlier.

During last year's Shanghai festival, Yu Dong, CEO of Bona Film Group, predicted that in the future all the traditional movie giants will be affiliated with Internet behemoths, led by Baidu, Alibaba and Tencent.

"The only part they are unfamiliar with is how to produce a good movie. That requires unique creativity," Yu said during the 2015 Shanghai festival.

Many insiders say that Tencent's move to recruit veteran filmmakers-starting with all three studio chiefs in the movie circle - could revolutionize the industry.

 

[ahojunk]

Not quite Chinese cultural news but Cambodian.
If tourism is carefully managed and nurtured, it can bring big in money.
Besides bringing in money directly to the tourist destination, the associated hotel, travel and restaurant industries benefit too.

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Cambodia's Angkor Wat earns over 43 mln USD from ticket sales in 9 months

PHNOM PENH, Oct. 2 (Xinhua) -- Revenue from ticket sales to foreign tourists visiting Cambodia's famed Angkor Wat Temple reached 43.3 million U.S. dollars in the first nine months of 2015, up 0.24 percent year-on-year, according to a news statement on Friday.

From January to September this year, the ancient site received 1.52 million international visitors, an increase of 1.8 percent over the same period last year, said the statement released by the state-run Apsara Authority, which manages the site.

Three largest sources of foreign tourists to the temple are China, South Korea and Japan.

Angkor Wat Temple, inscribed on the UNESCO's World Heritage List in 1992, is the kingdom's most popular tourist destination. It is located in Siem Reap province, some 315 km northwest of capital Phnom Penh.

An entrance fee to the site is 20 U.S. dollars a day for a foreigner, 40 dollars for a three-day visit and 60 dollars for a week-long visit.

 

[TaiShang]

Schools to pool resources to improve art education
October 2, 2015

China's education department on Friday promised to hire more art teachers and pool resources to provide students with better art education.

The Ministry of Education said in a press release that it is working on a timetable and effective measures to make sure that primary and middle schools have enough art teachers, especially those in remote and less developed rural areas.

Compared with the subjects included on major school entry exams such as Chinese, Math and English, art lessons remain elective and are sidelined in many Chinese schools, the ministry statement said.

Last Wednesday, the State Council issued a national program on improving art education and nurturing aesthetic skills among young people.

The biggest barrier to improving art education is a lack of qualified art teachers, the ministry statement stressed.

It promised to invest more government resources in the training of art teachers and also urged local education departments to pool existing resources, such as local artist associations and art troupes.

Art colleges are encouraged to lend a hand through support projects with primary and high schools.

Private art schools and training programs are also welcomed to work with public schools, the ministry said.

The education departments will evaluate the level of art education in schools every three years.

 

[ahojunk]

Forbidden City puts more of its history on display
2015-10-12 08:57 | Shanghai Daily | Editor: Wang Fan

Beijing's Palace Museum, also know as the Forbidden City, opened four new sections yesterday, making 65 percent of the complex accessible to the public.

New attractions at what was the imperial palace in China's Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties, include royal palaces and a Buddhist worship hall.

The museum, which recently imposed a daily limit of 80,000 visitors as a security measure, will also reduce numbers at the new attractions.

Shoukang Palace, in the Cining Palace section, where the mother of the Qianlong Emperor (1711-1799) lived for 42 years, will allow just 50 visitors at any one time, the museum said.

The 50-visitor limit will also apply to Cining Palace itself, where ancient sculptures are on display, while visitors will not be allowed inside Xianruo Hall, the first Tibetan Buddhist worship hall, but can view it from outside. The Yanchi Building near the Meridian Gate will exhibit a 39.39-meter painting of the Kangxi Emperor (1654-1722) hosting his birthday party, with visitors restricted to 300 at any one time.

The Donghua Gate, where the museum's architectural art is on display, has a 200-visitor limit while visitors will have to book to enter the Baoyun Building, a former storehouse for relics which now displays the early history of the museum.

Shan Jixiang, the museum's curator, told the Legal Evening News the museum plans to leave just one ticket office open for visitors unable to buy tickets online.

"We're also considering allowing in different numbers of visitors at different times of a day. For example, 30,000 visitors from 8:30 to 10:30am, 20,000 visitors from 10:30am to 12:30pm and 15,000 visitors from 12:30 to 2:30pm and from 2:30 to 4pm," he said.

In 2014, more than 15.25 million people visited the museum and since January 1 last year, it has closed its doors every Monday for renovation and maintenance work.

On Saturday, the former imperial palace celebrated 90 years as a public museum.

 

[JSCh]

China's young return to traditional roots
2015-10-11 01:38:14 GMT 2015-10-11 09:38:14(Beijing Time)
By Xinhua writer Guo Ying

BEIJING, Oct.11 (Xinhua) -- Dressed in the style of the Han Dynasty that ruled China 1,800 years ago, 6-year-old Chen Quanjin is chanting ancient Chinese classics with several other children about the same age as their heads sway from side to side.

Instead of taking piano lessons or attending English learning courses, Chen spent his weekend doing traditional Chinese studies at the Chengxian Guoxue Institute in Guozijian, China's highest education institute from the 13th to 19th centuries.

Chen has mastered the Dizigui, a Chinese book dating back more than 300 years that lays out standards for being a good child and student. He says the three-character verses are understandable and trip off the tongue.

"Older siblings should befriend younger ones; younger siblings should respect and love older ones. Siblings who keep harmonious relationships among themselves are being dutiful to their parents," Chen quotes from the work.

With students aged mostly from 4 to 10, the Chengxian Guoxue Institute aims to expand children's exposure to traditional culture through introductions to Confucianism, Chinese calligraphy and other traditional values, says director Ji Jiejing.

"Traditional Chinese culture should not lose its grip on young Chinese as it is good for their moral development and the cultivation of their character. Some wisdom delivered through the Chinese classics might help children deal with the challenges in their own lives," Ji says.

"As a kind of enlightenment, I think traditional Chinese learning can start at an early age, say around 4, so the philosophy will be deeply rooted in their hearts."

The popularity of the Chengxian Guoxue Institute reflects a resurgence of interest in traditional culture. In recent years, Chinese students' English learning craze has, to some extent, led to the neglect of their mother tongue, especially China's traditional cultural legacy. So there has been a pressing call for a school system that attaches enough importance to the learning of traditional culture.

Beijing's Tongzhou district is a pioneer in teaching traditional culture. More than 50 primary and middle schools there have compulsory Chinese language lessons and one period a week focusing on cultural traditions. They are working with experimental textbooks for the lessons, which began in 2009.

"We try to find innovative ways to instill traditional culture into students, such as chanting the classics with morning gymnastics and holding couplet-writing competitions," says Lu Hongli, of Tongzhou's Teacher Research and Training Center.

"They gradually develop an aesthetic sense of Chinese classics and the spirit of Chinese culture," Lu says.

The experimental textbooks used in Tongzhou district were developed by the China Traditional Culture and Art Center. Initiated by the Ministry of Education, they are the first in a series of nationwide experimental textbooks for primary and middle schools. The center is also working on the high school curriculum with methods to assess the teaching of traditional culture and different models for examinations.

Zhang Jian, secretary-general of the China Traditional Culture and Art Center, says traditional Chinese culture will inevitably be included in China's college entrance examination.

"That will provide a stimulus for students in primary and middle schools to learn traditional culture. But testing is not the ultimate goal. The learning process will undoubtedly improve students' moral standards and nurture their love for China's cultural legacy," Zhang says.

The government is also driving the movement. In April 2014, the Ministry of Education issued a guideline for teaching traditional culture from primary school through college. It required more lessons on traditional culture to be included in primary and middle school textbooks.

President Xi Jinping echoed this view when he visited Beijing Normal University in September 2014. He voiced disapproval of decisions to remove classic Chinese poems and essays from textbooks.

"China's cultural genes should be planted in the minds of the young," Xi said.

China's Language and Culture Press, one of the most authoritative publishers of school textbooks, has revised its Chinese language textbooks by raising the proportion of traditional culture from 30 percent to 50 percent. If approved, the Ministry of Education will put the textbooks into use.

In the opinion of Wang Xuming, president of the Language and Culture Press and a former spokesman for the Ministry of Education, the fundamental importance of the mother tongue must be stressed in the curriculum, and traditional Chinese culture should be placed at the core of Chinese language learning. He also called for more effective and creative ways of teaching to make the classics more appealing.

"For example, we placed enlightening open questions in the textbook such as 'How would you relate Confucianism to modern society?' to prompt student thought. We hope to combine the lessons with contemporary issues in the hope that students can utilize ancient wisdom to solve current problems," Wang says.

The enthusiasm for traditional Chinese culture has created a growing demand for teachers specializing in this area. Some colleges and universities have started special graduate and postgraduate courses in the subject. The Ministry of Education announced that traditional Chinese culture will become an official major in universities starting next year.

Professor Guo Qiyong, dean of the School of Chinese Classics at Wuhan University, says traditional culture offers China the ideological roots to develop and prosper as a nation. Without it, Chinese would lose their identity in the trend of globalization.

"It's especially important for China's younger generations to inherit traditional Chinese culture and solidify their national identity," Guo says.

 

[ahojunk]

What? I didn't know that cuisine can be a UNESCO listing.

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China eyes UNESCO listing for Confucius family cuisine
2015-10-18 16:06 | Xinhua | Editor: Qian Ruisha

China is preparing a bid for the family cuisine of ancient philosopher Confucius to be listed as a UNESCO intangible cultural heritage, experts said on Sunday during a food conference in east China's Qufu City.

A committee for the standardization of Confucius's family cuisine was established and officially launched preparations for the UNESCO application during the ongoing 5th Asian Food Study Conference in the ancient thinker's hometown.

"It will take at least three years to prepare before we file the application to UNESCO," said Liu Deguang, director of the committee, adding that the committee plans to hire special teams to collect historical materials and promote standardized production.

The family cuisine of Confucius developed as a result of frequent visits by China's emperors, high-ranking officials and other distinguished guests to Confucius's home. Many banquets, ceremonies and royal commemorations were held there, giving the family the opportunity to develop its own style of formal cuisine.

The time- and labor-intensive cuisine has been challenged by modern technology and requires preservation, experts said.

"Cooking Confucius family cuisine is complex, labor-intensive and demands great attention to detail," said chef Wang Lingtao.

The most complex banquet in Confucius family cuisine consists of 196 dishes, including six cold dishes such as braised sea cucumber and stir-fried seasonal vegetables. They are served on special silvered porcelain plates, and dining etiquette and manners have been passed down by Confucius's descendants for more than 2,000 years, according to Wang.

In ancient times, chefs at the Confucius Mansion passed on cooking skills and recipes only to their descendants or apprentices. But now experts believe the recipes should be made public so they can be preserved.

Confucius (551-479 BC) is regarded as one of China's most influential sages. Some of his ideas about food and diet played a significant role in the development of Chinese food culture.

Confucius family cuisine was included as part of China's national intangible cultural heritage in June 2011.

 

[TaiShang]

Wang’s ‘The Moon’ wows audiences
Published: 2015-10-19 18:58:01

A scene from The Moon Opera Photo: Courtesy of Zhang Xiaolei

It's no surprise that writer Bi Feiyu's novel The Moon Opera has been adapted into various art forms from small acreen TV dramas to big screen movies and even modern dance. However, people who have seen the trial performances in Shijiazhuang in Hebei Province in late September and the official debut at the National Center for The Performing Arts in Beijing from October 4-6, were surprised to find that the dance version presented by dancer Wang Yabin surpassed their expectation for a dance drama. A melding of modern and classic dance forms, The Moon Opera by Wang Yabin portrays both the stage career and emotional life of an opera performer, said a review by Beijing Youth Daily.

Praised for her work, Wang is currently staging the dance on Mondays and Tuesdays at the ongoing Shanghai Arts Festival. Wang recalled that it was in 2012 when she happened to read the novel that touched her heart and motivated her to adapt it into a new dance for her dance series. Before The Moon, Wang and her friends created six seasons of dances depicting various topics including Genesis and Dreams.

The novel depicts the life of protagonist Xiao Yanqiu, who plays qingyi, the female role in an opera. On the stage, she is Chang'e, a fairy living on the moon according to Chinese fairytales. The novel shows Xiao Yanqiu's emotional conflict when she is forced to give up her beloved stage life for a more mundane job at a school and her revisting the pain when an expected opportunity to return to the stage is offered to her.

In Wang Yabin's eyes, Bi's portrayal of Xiao reads like Chinese traditional acupuncture, accurate, sentimental and penetrating. Under Bi's pen, Xiao is so close to real life and it seems that "she is tailored to me," Wang said.

Her choreography, direction and understanding of the role as depicted in her brilliant performance has won Wang acknowledgment from not only ordinary audiences, but also dance insiders. Wang Wei, vice president of the Beijing Dance Academy said Wang's The Moon mirrored real life and her use of the sleeve shaking technique effectively displayed Xiao's inner turmoil.

 

[TaiShang]

Dance drama 'Confucius' to hit Belgrade stage
October 20, 2015

The enduring legacy of ancient Chinese philosopher Confucius (551-479 BC) will be told through dance in Belgrade as officials announced Tuesday here a dance drama of the same name will be staged next month.

A large-scale original dance drama by China National Opera & Dance Drama Theater, "Confucius" has seen soaring popularity since its Beijing debut in 2013. In November, the dance drama will tour to Greece and then Bulgaria before reaching Serbia.

Speaking at a press conference on the performance here Tuesday, Serbian Culture Minister Ivan Tasovac said the friendly relations between Serbia and China is expanding to the field of culture, resulting in increasing exchanges of performances and artists.

"Culture is the area where civilizations can intertwine in the most simple and natural way," Tasovac said.

***

@cirr , @ChineseTiger1986, @cnleio , please do not feed the Indian by engaging him.

I guess he thinks he is cunningly smart.

 

[TaiShang]

China, Mongolia kick off culture week
Source:Xinhua Published: 2015-10-23 10:18:02

A culture week between China and Mongolia began Thursday in Hohhot, capital of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.

The event is the biggest cultural exchange program between the two countries in recent years, according to the organizer.

More than 1,000 artists from China, Mongolia and Russia will perform over the next six days, including 56 Mongolian dance performances.

 

[ahojunk]

1st China-Mongolia Expo kicks off in Hohhot
2015-10-24 12:43 | China News Service | Editor:Li Yan

Models present costumes of Mongolian ethnic group during the opening ceremony of the 1st China-Mongolia Expo in Hohhot, capital of north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Oct. 23, 2015.

 

[TaiShang]

Confucius temple free to teachers since 2016
October 25, 2015

China's 15 million teachers are to be exempted from paying for tickets to visit the Confucius temple, family mansion and cemetery, according to Qufu city in east China's Shandong Province.

Kong Deping, head of Qufu bureau of cultural heritage, said that a draft proposal had been made to stop charging teachers from next year. To save the 150 yuan (about 25 U.S. dollars), teachers will be required to verify their occupation.

"Confucius, who started China's first private school 2,000 year ago, should be revered by all contemporary teachers," said Li Changsheng, the city's Party secretary.

"Teachers will welcome the new policy and bring more of their families and students to visit," said Kong Weifeng, a teacher at Qufu Experimental Primary School and a 78th-generation descendant of Confucius. All of the descendants bear the family name "Kong".

 

[Aepsilons]

Wang’s ‘The Moon’ wows audiences
Published: 2015-10-19 18:58:01

A scene from The Moon Opera Photo: Courtesy of Zhang Xiaolei

It's no surprise that writer Bi Feiyu's novel The Moon Opera has been adapted into various art forms from small acreen TV dramas to big screen movies and even modern dance. However, people who have seen the trial performances in Shijiazhuang in Hebei Province in late September and the official debut at the National Center for The Performing Arts in Beijing from October 4-6, were surprised to find that the dance version presented by dancer Wang Yabin surpassed their expectation for a dance drama. A melding of modern and classic dance forms, The Moon Opera by Wang Yabin portrays both the stage career and emotional life of an opera performer, said a review by Beijing Youth Daily.

Praised for her work, Wang is currently staging the dance on Mondays and Tuesdays at the ongoing Shanghai Arts Festival. Wang recalled that it was in 2012 when she happened to read the novel that touched her heart and motivated her to adapt it into a new dance for her dance series. Before The Moon, Wang and her friends created six seasons of dances depicting various topics including Genesis and Dreams.

The novel depicts the life of protagonist Xiao Yanqiu, who plays qingyi, the female role in an opera. On the stage, she is Chang'e, a fairy living on the moon according to Chinese fairytales. The novel shows Xiao Yanqiu's emotional conflict when she is forced to give up her beloved stage life for a more mundane job at a school and her revisting the pain when an expected opportunity to return to the stage is offered to her.

In Wang Yabin's eyes, Bi's portrayal of Xiao reads like Chinese traditional acupuncture, accurate, sentimental and penetrating. Under Bi's pen, Xiao is so close to real life and it seems that "she is tailored to me," Wang said.

Her choreography, direction and understanding of the role as depicted in her brilliant performance has won Wang acknowledgment from not only ordinary audiences, but also dance insiders. Wang Wei, vice president of the Beijing Dance Academy said Wang's The Moon mirrored real life and her use of the sleeve shaking technique effectively displayed Xiao's inner turmoil.

@TaiShang ,

I prefer this: