Archive for August 12th, 2008

Children Chinese – The Magic Tapestry

Tuesday, August 12th, 2008

By Demi, Henry Holt and Co., 1994.

This is the story of a poor widowed woman who had a special gift for weaving beautiful tapestries. Her three sons supported the family by cutting wood while she spent all her time weaving a beautiful tapestry with flowing streams, fish, animals and flowers. Her work on the tapestry was finished at the end of three years. One day as the sons were arguing about the tapestry a gust of wind carried it out the window and off into the eastern sky. One by one the three sons journeyed to retrieve the tapestry. At a mountain pass each son had to choose between completing 4 difficult tasks or taking a box of jewels. The first two sons took the jewels and went off to the city. The youngest son completed the dangerous tasks and was whisked to a palace at the top of Sun Mountain. There he found three fairies weaving copies of his mother’s tapestry that hung from the wall. He stayed the night and woke to find the fairies gone and the tapestry rolled up next to him. Soon he started for home, again completing the 4 difficult tasks, carrying the tapestry and thinking of one particular beautiful fairy. His mother was overjoyed at seeing him and the tapestry. As he rolled it out on the grass it surrounded them and became their environment. At that moment the animals and flowers came to life and the beautiful fairy he desired stepped out of the tapestry. And you know the rest…..the young couple became man and wife.

Another of Demi’s beautiful stories with her beautiful pictures.

(Source: ancienthistory.mrdonn.org)

Beijing Olympic – Emergency plan to be improved in Shanghai

Tuesday, August 12th, 2008

Shanghai will amend its emergency plan for public security accidents or natural disasters, city officials said Monday.

The amendment will focus on improving inter-government department coordination in case of emergency and making preparations more feasible.

Meanwhile, the city government will also intensify emergency drills in fire control, public transport passenger evacuation and other possible emergencies on regular basis, according to Gai Guoping, head of the city’s emergency management office.

The move came after the Shanghai Committee of the Chinese Political Consultative Conference, the city’s top advisory body, launched a series of inspections into the city’s public security condition after the devastating earthquake hit Sichuan Province on May 12.

“The inspection suggested that the city is still subject to hidden dangers and risks of possible public security accidents,” said Meng Yankun, a committee official overseeing the construction and environment issues.

For instance, Shanghai is dotted with thousands of high-rises. But fire control equipment for high-rises is not up to scratch in the city. The city endured the heavy snow period earlier this year which left Shanghai with an economic loss of 900 million yuan (129 million U.S. dollars). It might have been far worse had the snow lingered for two more days, Meng said.

“The city has an overall emergency preplan and 31 sub-plans for different government departments, but most of the items are so general that it lacks feasibility,” Meng said. (Xinhua)

(Source: en.beijing2008.cn)

Chinese Culture – Four Famous Embroideries of China (1)

Tuesday, August 12th, 2008

The Four Famous Embroideries of China refer to the Xiang embroidery in central China’s Hunan Province, Shu embroidery in western China’s Sichuan Province, Yue embroidery in southern China’s Guangdong Province and Su embroidery in eastern China’s Jiangsu Province.

 

 Xiang Embroidery

 

Xiang Embroidery

Xiang embroidery is well known for its time-honored history, excellent craftsmanship and unique style. The earliest piece of Xiang embroidery was unearthed at the No 1 Tomb of Mawangdui, Changsha City of the Han Dynasty (206BC-AD220). The weaving technique was almost the same as the one used in modern times, which demonstrated that embroidery had already existed in the Han Dynasty. In its later development, Xiang Embroidery absorbed the characteristics of traditional Chinese paintings and formed its own unique characteristics. Xiang embroidery experienced its heyday at the end of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) and in the early Republic of China (early 20th century), even surpassing Su embroidery. After the founding of the People’s Republic of China, Xiang embroidery was further improved and developed to a new level.

 

Xiang embroidery uses pure silk, hard satin, soft satin and nylon as its material, which is connected with colorful silk threads. Absorbing the spirit of Chinese paintings, the embroidery reaches a high artistic level. Xiang embroidery crafts include valuable works of art, as well as materials for daily use.

Source: chinaculture.org