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

China restores 1,500-year-old Yungang Grottoes
2015-10-29 15:59 | Xinhua | Editor: Gu Liping

A restoration project has been completed on the Yungang Grottoes, a 1,500-year-old Buddhist site in north China's Shanxi Province, according to management authorities.

Restoration work was carried out on the Wuhua caves, or "five marvelous caves," said to be the Yungang Grottoes' most impressive due to their bright colors.

"The sandstone of the Yungang Grottoes has been threatened by exposure to harsh weather for centuries, and the painted sculptures and frescos inside the Wuhua caves are the most severely damaged," said Zhang Zhuo, head of the Yungang Grottoes Research Institute.

"Water erosion, including mountain water infiltration and rain, is to blame for the damage," Zhang added.

The cultural heritage authorities of Shanxi launched the restoration project at the Wuhua caves in June 2012 to reinforce the sandstone, slow down water erosion, and make the colors more visible.

"Wood fences to keep tourists from entering Wuhua have been removed. Visitors will find new protection measures inside, such as glass curtain walls to separate them from the historic relics, and equipment for security and environmental monitoring," Zhang added.

Listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2001, the Yungang Grottoes contain more than 51,000 statues of the Buddha, with the largest measuring 17 meters high and the smallest two centimeters.

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Better focus can put the film industry on global screen
By Chen Shaofeng
October 30, 2015

As an important part of China's cultural industry and soft power, Chinese movies made great achievements during the 12th Five-Year Plan (2011-15) period. In fact, in the past five years the box office returns of Chinese movies have on average grown 35 percent a year and China has become the world's second-largest film market. More importantly, China's film industry is expected to maintain its rapid growth rate for at least two years.

The success of the Chinese film industry in recent years can be attributed to several factors. For example, the marketization of China's film industry has largely improved. The film industry's infrastructure construction has been rapid - recent years have seen a 28 percent annual growth in the number of cinemas and screens. This has expanded the movie market and led to booms during the summer holidays and Spring Festival.

Also, the rapid development of the Internet saw 70 percent of the movie tickets sold online during the National Day "golden week" in 2015.

Besides, Chinese filmgoers in recent years have been flocking to cinemas in larger numbers. And the authorities' support to and protection of the domestic film industry have vastly improved ticket sales.

On the other hand, Chinese film companies business models have matured over the years. Internet companies such as Alibaba, Baidu, Tencent and LeTV and many cultural organizations have entered the film industry with huge investments, which has helped expand the movie market further. As a result, the value of intellectual property has increased remarkably in the movie industry, and overseas investments have expanded.

But the Chinese movie industry still has plenty of room for improvement. First, although China makes a huge number of films every year, the quality of many leave much to be desired.

Second, Chinese films lag far behind Hollywood productions in terms of competitiveness. Almost half of China's box office returns come from Hollywood movies. And if the Chinese film market is opened completely, that percentage could be much higher.

Third, the Chinese film industry's industrial chain is still very short, and the overall income scale of China's film companies is comparatively small.

And fourth, Chinese films don't perform well in overseas markets. In fact, the export of Chinese films has declined in recent years.

The market space for the Chinese film industry is huge. And the key to promoting China's film industry lies in improving the productions, business models and international competitiveness of Chinese films. To achieve the goal, we have to pay more attention to three factors.

First, the focus should be on the production of "family movies". China's film audience is comparatively young: more than 70 percent of Chinese filmgoers are between 18 and 32 years of age. So movies that can be watched by families together (mainly cartoon films) will draw more children and adults to the cinemas.

Second, more efforts must be made to capitalize on the international market by making Chinese movies more competitive. If Chinese movies have a larger market, they could lower their cost of production and increase their profitability.

Third, the authorities should make efforts to lengthen Chinese movies' industrial chain, including box office returns, intellectual property protection, product placement and theme parks, which will effectively increase their added values.

If Chinese movies can move steadily toward the international market, they will not only improve China's soft power, but also boost exports of products related to Chinese culture. In this sense, the film industry is one of the most significant sectors of Chinese cultural industry, which makes improving Chinese films' quality an urgent necessity.

The author is vice-dean of the Institute for Cultural Industries, Peking University.
 
@Zsari , please do not engage the Indian on CPC, demography and soft power. Especially on this thread. 8-)

Most innocent new comers fall into the Indian inefficiency and circular rhetoric trap until they wise up eventually @Shotgunner51 :)

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‘Project A’ for young film talents
2015-11-1 21:43:01

Alibaba Pictures, owned by tycoon Jack Ma's Alibaba Group, will spend 1 billion yuan ($158.3 million) to find young film talents and invest in promising scripts, the company said at a press conference in Beijing on Wednesday.

The total box office income in the Chinese movie market up to September 30 had reached 33 billion yuan, nearly 60 percent of which are homemade movies, grabbing about 19.8 billion yuan. Hoping to piggyback on the growing market, Alibaba Pictures launched "Project A," meaning to find A-listed talents and movie insiders under 45 from directors and script writers to actors.

"Project A" includes four programs, a training program for filmmakers, 8090 comedy studio, a project incubator and a one billion fund. Alibaba Pictures and its partners will set up new film and drama programs for young talents, who will work as heavy weight directors' assistants to gain experience.

The first three director-turned tutors for the training program will be Anthony La Molinara, winner of The 77th Annual Academy Awards for Best Visual Effects, Hollywood director Renny Harlin and Chinese director Zhang Yibai. Zhang Qiang, CEO of Alibaba Pictures said that the training program is not only for directors, but open to all the filmmakers as training young talents through co-productions will be a new direction for Alibaba Pictures.
 
Classic play White Haired Girl begins nationwide tour

Theatrical remake of The White Haired Girl, a story about a young woman's inner struggle in a time of difficulty, will begin touring nationwide with the first show in Yan'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, on Nov. 6, 2015. The opera, composed by Yan Jinxuan, was first performed in 1945 with artist Wang Kun in the leading role. Several remakes have been produced thereafter, including a Peking opera performance in 1958, a ballet version in 1965, as well as an opera starring soprano Guo Lanying and a namesake film adaptation in 1950. This year marks the 70th anniversary since the birth of The White Haired Girl, the first play China composed after Chairman Mao Zedong's speech at the Yan'an Forum on Literature and Art in 1942.

Below are some scenes from the remake of The White Haired Girl.

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PRC cultural industries are not there yet. China need to rediscover Chinese culture and moral before anything else.

Before 1949, every single oversea Chinese look up to China and a lot of them forgo their life for China. Today, even Chinese want independent and the virus is spreading to HK.

All these are due to CPC destroying Chinese culture
PRC industries are clearly booming with yearly growth rate of more than 40%. It is easy to have a movie with box office more than $100 million. The records of box office can be broken just by several months.

Overseas Chinese do not look up to China due to the naturalization policy of China. Before 1949, all overseas Chinese were treated Chinese citizens. But after Indonesia Chinese massacre in 1965, PRC changed this policy because this policy gave hostile countries a perfect reason for murdering Chinese while China was too weak to protect them. But with China getting stronger, especially SCS military presence, you will see some change of this policy. Then oversea Chinese will look up to China again.

This is also a by-product of the revolution. There are many overseas Chinese who are object to this revolution. But slowly they will understand the importance of the revolution to China.
 
There is a lot of economic and cultural potential of ancient Chinese costumes.
I hope some Chinese entrepreneurs will capitalise on them.

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Art photos of beauty in ancient costumes
(People's Daily Online) Updated: 2015-11-03 14:33

Recently a girl in Southwest China's Sichuan province took some art photos in ancient Chinese costumes. The beautiful photos and exquisite makeup of the girl were spoken highly of by many netizens and go viral online. [Photo/scol.com.cn]

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Aha. Chinese tea, a cultural tradition and everyone knows about it.
It is 100 times more healthy than (sugary & acidic) soft drinks.
The time has come for a Chinese company or organisation to promote Chinese tea worldwide.

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Beautiful tea specialists perform in Tea Culture Week

The first Tea Culture Week is held in Nanjing, east China's Jiangsu province on Sunday, November 02, 2015. Some tea specialists wearing the traditional dress performed the tea ceremony during the event.

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Arts Festival reflects Silk Road cultures


Actresses perform during the opening ceremony of the 14th Asia Arts Festival & the 2nd Maritime Silk Road International Arts Festival in Quanzhou, southeast China's Fujian Province, Nov. 8, 2015. The Festival kicked off Sunday, drawing participants from over 40 countries and regions. [Chinanews.com]


A landmark arts festival launched by the Ministry of Culture has opened at the starting point of the ancient Maritime Silk Road.

The 14th Asia Arts Festival began in Quanzhou, Fujian province, on Sunday, and will continue through Nov 15.The city, known as Zayton in ancient times, was the world's biggest seaport during the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368).

Delegates and art troupes from 40 countries and regions around the world were represented at the event, which focuses on the traditional art of Asian countries as well as their modern development and legacy.

Quanzhou, China's hub for traditional marionette performance, will witness 60 performances brought by 25 troupes from China and overseas during the festival. Another planned highlight is a fine art exhibition displaying 250 works of art from 30 countries along the Maritime Silk Road that reflect the local people's traditional lifestyle.

"The arts festival this year will echo China's Belt and Road Initiative," said Huang Weizhou, deputy director of the Fujian Cultural Department, a co-organizer of the event.

"Models of cultural exchanges along the ancient route of the Maritime Silk Road will be explored during the festival, also to stimulate Fujian's cultural trade in the future."

An international forum on cross-cultural dialogues among countries along the route will be held during the festival. One hundred scholars, community leaders and officials from 20 Asian countries and regions will exchange ideas at the forum on how to establish a common cultural development in Asia.

"The aspirations of the peoples are vital to the construction of the 21st Century Silk Road. ... We should promote people-to-people cultural exchanges," said Yang Xiuping, secretary-general of the ASEAN-China Center, an intergovernmental organization promoting cooperation.

Also on Sunday, a 67-hectare theme park displaying the civilizations of Asian countries along the Maritime Silk Road was opened in Quanzhou to serve as a venue for some events. It will remain open after the festival.

The Asia Arts Festival, which began in 1998 in Beijing, is the first State-level international arts festival approved by the State Council.


Actors and actresses perform during the opening ceremony of the 14th Asia Arts Festival & the 2nd Maritime Silk Road International Arts Festival in Quanzhou, southeast China's Fujian Province, Nov. 8, 2015. The Festival kicked off Sunday, drawing participants from over 40 countries and regions. [Chinanews.com]

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Actors and actresses perform during the opening ceremony of the 14th Asia Arts Festival & the 2nd Maritime Silk Road International Arts Festival in Quanzhou, southeast China's Fujian Province, Nov. 8, 2015. The Festival kicked off Sunday, drawing participants from over 40 countries and regions. [Chinanews.com]
 
Children learn Chinese culture in temple

The opening ceremony of the Juequn School of Chinese Culture was held in Yufo Temple, Shanghai on Nov. 1, 2015. More than 100 people took part in the ceremony. Nearly 50 children between 6 and 12 years old will learn Chinese classics and practice calligraphy and proper etiquette in the school for three months.

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Master Juexing, abbot of Yufo temple, gives children writing brushes.

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Children learn etiquette.

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Children learn etiquette.

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Reading

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Playing games.

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Master Juexing and a lay Buddhist Yang Wenying inaugurate the Juequn School of Chinese Culture.
 
China's cliffside Hanging Temple under revamp
Xinhua, November 10, 2015

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The 1,500-year-old Hanging Temple on Hengshan Mountain was closed to tourists after its roof was damaged by a falling rock in October. [File photo]
North China's Shanxi Province is revamping an ancient temple known for its perilous perch on a sheer cliff to protect it from falling rocks.

The 1,500-year-old Hanging Temple on Hengshan Mountain was closed to tourists after its roof was damaged by a falling rock in October, its administration said.

Workers are now reinforcing a wall designed to protect it against falling rocks from above, while building a second paralleled wall and a safety net to ensure "double protection," said Qi Yanming, who heads the revamp project.

The project has received 3 million yuan (US$472,000) in funds from the State Administration of Cultural Heritage, Qi said.

It is still unknown when the temple will reopen.

The temple consists of 40 rooms connected by a series of corridors, bridges and walkways and houses more than 80 bronze, iron and clay statues.

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Chinese cultural treasure: Wing Chun White Crane Style
(People's Daily Online) 15:37, November 10, 2015

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A villager from Yongchun county demonstrates White Crane Style. (Xinhua/Lin Shanchuan)

Wing Chun White Crane Style was created by Fang Qiniang, daughter of Shaolin Master Fang Zhong during Qing Dynasty and it has 300 years of history. Wing Chun, which has been famous home and abroad in recent years, derived from White Crane Style. Kung fu masters like Ye Wen, Bruce Lee are the successors of White Crane Style.

To carry forward the style, White Crane Style Wushu art team has been set up and more people are sent to Southeast Asia, Europe and Americas, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan for exchanges about martial arts.

Wing Chun White Crane Style has been spread to more than 80 counties and regions. It has become an important link between Chinese and foreign cultural exchanges.In June 2008, Wing Chun White Crane Style was inscribed on the list of world intangible cultural heritage.


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White Crane Style master Zhou Jinsheng tells the story about Bruce Lee and White Crane Style.

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Foreigners practice White Crane Style. (Xinhua/Lin Shanchuan)

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White Crane Style master Huang Qingyuan (L1) practices the style. (Xinhua/Lin Shanchuan)


 
Wow! In the same week, China has two tea festival/expo in different cities. One in Nanjing and the other in Chengdu.

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Thousand-year-old tea culture promoted in Chengdu

The second Autumn International Tea Expo was held in Chengdu city, capital of southwest China's Sichuan province recently.

With the theme of promoting tea culture, the expo presented about 10,000 varies of exquisite tea sets from different places such as Foshan city of south China's Guangdong province, Jingde Town of east China's Jiangxi province and southwest China's Yunnan province. Tourists had a fantastic experience of the combination of 'Zen and tea'.

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New exhibition explores traditional Chinese ink painting’s place in modern society
Source:Global Times Published: 2015-11-11 18:28:01

The discussion about how traditional Chinese ink paintings should best keep up with modern times has continued on for years. Recently, a new national project has been launched to try and bring this discussion to the national level. Discourse on Chinese Ink Painting in a Global Setting Series, a project launched by the China National Academy of Painting, recently kicked off at the Times Museum in Beijing with an exhibition titled The Charm of Chinese Ink Painting.

On display until November 18, the exhibition features 148 contemporary ink paintings by 148 artists displayed side-by-side with ancient works and documents so as to unfold a complete and comprehensive picture that will enable visitors to get a better understanding of the origin and development of Chinese ink painting throughout the centuries.

As an important art form seen as capturing China's traditional humanistic spirit, ink painting faces the issue of how to stay modern while without losing its aesthetic and impressionistic spirit. Unlike older generations of Chinese artists who prefer traditional subjects such as landscape paintings, young artists today seek to take on more challenging subjects in order to reflect current social issues such as environment protection and care for children and seniors.

"This exhibition is attempting to show the beauty of Chinese ink painting from a number of perspectives, offering a panorama for visitors to understand its humanistic and aesthetic value," Wang Yi, curator for the Times Museum, told the Global Times.
 
New exhibition explores traditional Chinese ink painting’s place in modern society
Source:Global Times Published: 2015-11-11 18:28:01

The discussion about how traditional Chinese ink paintings should best keep up with modern times has continued on for years. Recently, a new national project has been launched to try and bring this discussion to the national level. Discourse on Chinese Ink Painting in a Global Setting Series, a project launched by the China National Academy of Painting, recently kicked off at the Times Museum in Beijing with an exhibition titled The Charm of Chinese Ink Painting.

On display until November 18, the exhibition features 148 contemporary ink paintings by 148 artists displayed side-by-side with ancient works and documents so as to unfold a complete and comprehensive picture that will enable visitors to get a better understanding of the origin and development of Chinese ink painting throughout the centuries.

As an important art form seen as capturing China's traditional humanistic spirit, ink painting faces the issue of how to stay modern while without losing its aesthetic and impressionistic spirit. Unlike older generations of Chinese artists who prefer traditional subjects such as landscape paintings, young artists today seek to take on more challenging subjects in order to reflect current social issues such as environment protection and care for children and seniors.

"This exhibition is attempting to show the beauty of Chinese ink painting from a number of perspectives, offering a panorama for visitors to understand its humanistic and aesthetic value," Wang Yi, curator for the Times Museum, told the Global Times.
do you have any pics of some of the modern ink painting shown at Times museum?
 
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