Archive for August 13th, 2008

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Children Chinese – The Journey of Meng

Wednesday, August 13th, 2008

By Doreen Rappaport, Dial Books for Young Readers, NY, 1991.
…an ancient Chinese legend of love and courage during the period of the building of the Great Wall of China.

Meng Jiangnu’s husband Wan, a scholar, was taken from their home and carried away to help with the building of the Great Wall. Meng, saddened by the loss of her husband, waited for news of him. Much time passed without hearing of his whereabouts. One night in her sleep he came to her and told her he was freezing to death. She awoke and made the decision to travel to the area where she thought he was working and take him clothes she had made for him. During her journey she almost froze to death in a snow storm. A crow flew down next to her as she slept in the snow, and upon her awakening showed her how to flap her wings so she could join the crows and fly to her destination. Upon her arrival at the Great Wall she learned that her husband had died. She learned that he had been buried with many other workers in a section of the Great Wall. She searched the wall but couldn’t locate his body. Anger arose from within her and poured out of her causing lightning to split the sky and rain to pour from the heavens washing away whole sections of the Great Wall. As the bones of the workers swirled about Meng pricked her finger and asked that her blood penetrate the bones of her husband, Wan. She located his bones and wrapped them in the clothes she had brought for him. The cruel Emperor, Qin shi Huangdi, was furious with her but taken with her beauty. The Emperor gave her a choice of coming with him or being beheaded. Meng responded by asking for three wishes: to have her husband buried in the style of a prince, to have the kingdom mourn him for 49 days, and give him a public funeral. The Emperor granted her the three wishes. After Wan’s funeral she thanked the Emperor …and then threw herself into the sea for she could not stand the thoughts of being with the Emperor. The Emperor commanded that her body be drug from the sea, cut into pieces, and her bones ground into dust. As they threw her dust into the sea thousands of little silvery fish filled the waters. So today if you visit the Great Wall next to the Eastern Sea you and others in China will remember the story of Meng and Wan.

Rappaport’s telling of the story and the beautiful watercolor pictures by Yang Ming-Yi make this tale one that will touch your heart.

(Source: ancienthistory.mrdonn.org)

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Beijing Olympic – Shanghai local shoppers happy to pay for plastic bags

Wednesday, August 13th, 2008

Shanghai residents are more than willing to buy plastic bags or bring environmentally friendly carriers with them when shopping, Shanghai Daily found yesterday, the first day of the ban on free plastic bags.

Most stores priced its plastic bags from 0.1 to 0.5 yuan while the most expensive one, a large size bag in Watson, is being sold for 1.5 yuan (22 U.S. cents).

All the shoppers interviewed said they were happy to pay for the plastic bags to help protect the environment.

At a Carrefour store, there was a noticeable reduction in the use of plastic bags.

“Many customers brought environmentally friendly bags with them for shopping,” said the store’s spokesperson Li Jing. It handed out at least 300,000 such bags in the past two months to get customers used to the concept.

At Century Lianhua Supermarket’s Luban Road outlet, customers who don’t need plastic bags can check out through a quicker “green channel.” The supermarket said the move encouraged customers to bring their own baskets or bags.

Some small convenience stores also reported a drop in the use of plastic bags. In a Buddies store, assistants said people had always asked for free bags even when buying small goods. But yesterday most customers who bought one or two items said they didn’t need a bag.

At one Wal-Mart outlet, a customer surnamed Zhang bought a non-woven bag at the check-out. “This bag can be used repeatedly and is environmentally friendly,” he said.

Many people interviewed said they had forgotten to bring bags with them and said they would need time to develop the new habit.

(Source: en.beijing2008.cn)

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Chinese Culture – Four Famous Embroideries of China (2)

Wednesday, August 13th, 2008

Shu Embroidery

 

Shu Embroidery

Also called Chuan embroidery, Shu embroidery is the general name for embroidery products in areas around Chengdu, Sichuan Province. Shu embroidery enjoys a long history. As early as the Han Dynasty, Shu embroidery was already famous. The central government even designated an office in this area for its administration. During the Five Dynasties and Ten States periods (907-960), a peaceful society and large demand provided advanced conditions for the rapid development of the Shu Embroidery industry. Shu embroidery experienced its peak development in the Song Dynasty (960-1279), ranking first in both production and excellence. In the mid-Qing Dynasty, the Shu embroidery industry was formed. After the founding of the People’s Republic of China, Shu embroidery factories were set up and the craft entered a new phase of development, using innovative techniques and a larger variety of forms.

 

Originating among the folk people in the west of Sichuan Province, Shu embroidery formed its own unique characteristics: smooth, bright, neat and influenced by the geographical environment, customs and cultures. The works incorporated flowers, leaves, animals, mountains, rivers and human figures as their themes. Altogether, there are 122 approaches in 12 categories for weaving. The craftsmanship of Shu embroidery involves a combination of fine arts, aesthetics and practical uses, such as the facings of quits, pillowcases, coats, shoots and screen covers.

（Source: chinaculture.org）

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