Archive for December 16th, 2008

China Travel – Wandushan Ancient City

Tuesday, December 16th, 2008

The Wandushan Ancient City is located on the mountain ridge, 2.5 kilometers northwest of the Ji’an County, Jilin Province.

 

Built in the year of 3, the city acted as the defense of the inner city during the early Kogury period. The city was used for storing weapons and army provisions during peacetime, and switched to a military base during wartime. The king of Kogury moved the capital to the city in 209. In 244, Kogury was attacked by the Wei State, and Wandushan City was robbed and then abandoned for 100 years till 342 when the king of Kogury settled here again. But good times did not last long, and Kogury was captured again by the former Yan. The Kogury king ran away and the city became historical ruins after ups and downs.

 

With a perimeter of 7 kilometers, the grand city took an oval shape, with the northwest part raised and the southeast subsided. The city walls were built with regular stones. The well-preserved east wall is about 6 meters high. Wide passages were built on the wall top, and parapets were constructed outside the city walls. There were 5 gates remained, with the south gate as the main one that concaved inward for defense purpose.

 

Constructions found in the city include the Dewangtai, a reservoir and a large-scale palace foundation. The palace was built on the east slope and divided into two parts following the slope trend. Stone bases of a column were erected orderly inside the palace. Eaves tiles and common tiles with beast-face, lotus-petal and pane shaped patterns scattered on the ground. A watchtower was built on the south end of the mountainous region on the north side of the south gate. Ascending on the watchtower about 7 meters high, one can have a panoramic view of the whole city.

(Source: chinaculture.org)

Chinese Culture – Buddha Statues from Storage Pit at Longxing Temple

Tuesday, December 16th, 2008

 

Buddha statues found from a storage pit, mainly dating back to the Northern Wei Dynasty (386-534), Eastern Wei Dynasty (534-550) and Northern Qi Dynasty (550-577)

 

Location: Qingzhou, Shandong Province

 

Period: 529-1026

 

Excavated in 1996

 

Significance: These statues are significant materials to the study of the history of Buddhist art in China.

 

 Introduction

 

Longxing Temple is a famous Buddhist temple with a history of about 1,000 years. One of the reasons why the Longxing Temple is so important is that it provides a historical continuum of the Buddhist plastic arts in China from the Northern Wei through to the end of the Northern Qi, and thus a chance to document stylistic changes influenced by shifting alliances between north and south during this turbulent period.  

Colored statue of standing Buddha in stone: (left, the remnant height is 121.5 cm); Colored statue of standing Bodhisattva in stone: (right, height 95 cm)

 

The storage pit is located in the northmost of the temple, with a length of 8.7 meters from south to north and a width of 6.8 meters from east to west. In the pit there are more than 400 Buddha statues in various types and carving skills, of which the biggest is 320 centimeters high while the smallest only 20 centimeters high.

 

The Buddha statues, which include Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and arhats, as well as a large number of elliptical figural stelae, offers an interesting contrast in styles. The earlier Northern Wei Buddhas generally wear a loose outer robe that covers both shoulders and an undergarment tied at the neck, a combination known in Chinese as Baoyibodai, and representing a Sinicisation of the traditional Indian Buddha robes. By the Northern Qi period, the flimsier robes covered only the left shoulder and were closely moulded to the soft contours of the body, a style that can be seen both in early Indian Buddhist sculpture and that of Buddhist regions of Southeast Asia, such as Cambodia.

 

The discovery and excavation of the storage pit at Longxing Temple is by far the largest and most significant group of Buddha statues.

Source: chinaculture.org

Learn Chinese Podcast – Happy China 359

Tuesday, December 16th, 2008
 
 

    合: 快乐学汉语,轻松又好记。

  Learn Chinese the fun way.

  It’s much easier to remember.

  大牛:观众朋友们,

  Viewer friends,

  看着我们身后这片美丽的湖水。

  Look at the beautiful lake behind us.

  你们知道我们在哪儿吗?

  Do you know where we are?

  韩佳:这里就是有着绿色仙境之称的天目湖。

  This is Tianmu Lake also known as

  the Green Fairyland.

  大牛:绿色仙境啊?多让人神往啊!

  The Green Fairyland?

  What an attractive place!

  韩佳:那赶快跟我们一起走进天目湖吧。

  Let’s get up close to Tianmu

  Lake together.

  大牛:天目湖的景色果然不错。

  The scenery at Tianmu Lake is

  fantastic indeed.

  哎,韩佳,它为什么叫天目湖呢?

  Eh, Han Jia, why is it called Tianmu Lake?

  韩佳:是这样的。

  Oh, the reason is like this.

  因为这片湖水坐落在天目山的余脉。

  The lake lies cradled between

  Tianmu Mountain ranges.

  而且从高空看下来湖水就像是两只眼睛。

  From a bird’s-eye view, the lake

  looks like two big eyes.

  所以叫天目湖。

  So the lake got the name, Tianmu

  (heaven eyes).

  大牛:这双眼睛还水汪汪的呢,

  And these are “shui wang wang

  de” eyes,

  看起来真好看。

  very attractive indeed.

  韩佳:说得好。

  Nicely put.

  汪汪是指充满了水。

  ”wang wang” means watery.

  当然了,也可以用来形容眼睛明亮而且灵活。

  And surely, it can also be used to

  describe bright and brilliant eyes.

  大牛:汪汪,读一声,指充满了水。

  ”wang wang”, two 1st tones, means

  brimming with water.

  用来形容眼睛明亮而且灵活。

  But can also be used to describe

  bright and brilliant eyes.

  汪汪。

  ”wang wang”.

  韩佳:嗯,没错。

  Yes, exactly.

  天目湖就像一双水汪汪的眼睛。

  Tianmu Lake is like a pair of

  brilliant eyes.

  Tiānmù hú jiù xiàng yì shuāng shuǐwāngwāng de yǎnjing.

  天目 湖 就 像 一 双 水 汪汪 的 眼睛。

  Tianmu Lake is like a pair of

  brilliant eyes.

  大牛:而且这里的岛屿都长满了绿树。

  And all the islands here are covered

  with green trees.

  的确是

  This place is indeed

  韩佳:绿色仙境对不对?

  a green fairyland, right?

  大牛:没错。我们上岛看看。

  Exactly. Let’s take a look on an island.

  韩佳:好啊。

  Good.

  大牛:这里果然是绿树成荫,十分幽静。

  There are indeed trees growing in

  profusion and it is also very quiet here.

  韩佳:你看这里山中有湖,湖中有山。

  You see a lake in the hills

  and hills in the lake.

  的确是个让人身心放松的好地方。

  It is indeed a nice place for people

  to relax their body and mind.

  大牛:没错。

  Exactly.

  我一踏上这座小岛,

  Once I got on this small island,

  我的心情格外的舒服。

  my feelings are quite “shu fu”.

  韩佳:说到心情的时候可不能说舒服。

  When you talking about your feelings,

  you can’t use the word “shu fu” (comfortable).

  应该说心情舒畅。

  You should use “shu chang”

  (free from worries).

  大牛:舒服和舒畅不是一个意思吗?

  Is it that both “shu fu” and “shu chang”

  mean the same thing?

  韩佳:这两个词虽然相近但还是有区别。

  Their meanings are similar, but there

  are still differences between them.

  舒服是指身心很轻松愉悦;

  ”shu fu” means “relaxed and happy”

  舒畅是指很开朗很痛快。

  while “shu chang” refers to “cheerful

  and very happy”.

  大牛:比如说,清风吹来让人心情格外舒畅。

  For example, a fresh breeze brushes

  past, refreshing one’s body and spirits.

  Qīngfēng chuī lai, rang rén xīnqíng géwài shūchàng.

  清风 吹来, 让 人 心情 格外 舒畅。

  A fresh breeze brushes past, refreshing

  one’s body and spirits.

  韩佳,这位是谁呀?

  Han Jia, who is that man?

  韩佳:这个人呀?你肯定熟悉。

  That man? You must be familiar

  with him.

  大牛:是吗?

  Really?

  韩佳:姜太公。你不会没听说过吧?

  Jiang Tai Gong. You must have

  heard of him?

  大牛:姜子牙?

  Jiang Ziya?

  那这里为什么有他的雕像呢?

  Then why should there be a statue

  of him here?

  韩佳:据说姜太公就是在这里钓鱼的。

  Legend has it that it was right here

  Jiang Tai Gong angled for fish.

  大牛:是吗?

  Really?

  哎,他还挺有眼光,

  Huh, he did have an eye for places,

  选了这么个山青水秀的地方。

  choosing this place with green hills

  and clear waters.

  韩佳:哎,孔子有句话叫:

  Yeah. Confucius once said:

  “智者乐水,仁者乐山。”

  ”The wise enjoy water and the

  benevolent love mountains.”

  大牛:哦,这句话是什么意思呢?

  Oh, what does that mean?

  韩佳:这句话的意思

  It means

  就是说有智慧的人喜欢水,

  intelligent people enjoy places

  with water

  而宽厚仁爱的人喜欢山。

  while kind-hearted people love mountains.

  大牛:哎,那这里又有山,又有水;

  Oh, since there are both mountains

  and a lake,

  姜子牙肯定是一位既宽厚仁爱,

  Jiang Ziya must have been a both

  kind-hearted

  又富有智慧的人了。

  and intelligent man.

  韩佳:其实不光是他。

  Actually not just him.

  凡是喜欢山水的人都有这样的性格。

  All those who enjoy mountains and

  rivers have such dispositions.

  大牛:其实我也挺喜欢这里的山水。

  In fact, I also enjoy the hills and

  lake here.

  这么说…

  Does it mean …

  韩佳:说着说着,又把自己给夸进去了?

  Are you trying to praise yourself?

  大牛:我这是善于发现自己的优点嘛。

  Here I am only trying to find out

  my merits.

  韩佳:就是这里了,

  It was right here

  姜太公钓鱼,愿者上钩。

  that Jiang Tai Gong angled, waiting for

  fish to come to his baitless hook.

  大牛:韩佳,你这是干吗呀?

  Han Jia, what are you doing here?

  韩佳:这不明摆着吗,

  Isn’t it obvious

  钓鱼啊?

  that I am fishing here?

  大牛:可是你在这里离鱼好像远了点呀。

  But your place is a bit too far

  from the fish.

  韩佳:哎,要不怎么说愿者上钩呢。

  Oh, this is what “yuan zhe shang

  gou” means.

  总有送上门来的。

  There are always fish willing

  to be caught.

  大牛:我知道了

  I know

  这里一定有什么我不知道的秘密。

  there must be some secret here

  which I don’t know about.

  Zhèli yídìng yǒu shénme wǒ bù zhīdào de mìmì.

  这里 一定 有 什么 我 不 知道 的 秘密。

  There must be some secret here

  which I don’t know about.

  韩佳:有没有秘密你试试不就知道了。

  There isn’t any secret.

  You’ll know it if you have a try yourself.

  大牛:好,试就试。

  Okay, let me have a try.

  韩佳:来。

  Come on.

  大牛:我倒想看看谁会上钩。

  I’d like to see which fish would be

  willing to be caught.

  我上当了!

  Oh, I am fooled!

  韩佳,你这个人真是。

  Han Jia,

  韩佳,一不留神被你给捉弄了。

  I am fooled by you due to my

  lapse of vigilance.

  韩佳:我说什么来着呀?

  What did I say?

  愿者上钩。

  ”yuan zhe shang gou” (There are always

  ones willing to fall prey).

  大牛:好嘛,

  My goodness,

  我倒成了自己送上门的大鱼了。

  I have become a big fish willing

  to be caught.

  不说了,不说了。

  That’s it.

  还是接着去领略天目湖的风光吧。

  Now let’s enjoy the scenery around

  Tianmu Lake.

  韩佳:哎,对。现在就要为您献上赏心悦目。

  Yeah. Now we present today’s Feast

  for the Eyes.

  赏心悦目:

  韩佳:怎么样,天目湖的景色迷人吧?

  Do you think the scenery of Tianmu

  Lake is charming?

  大牛:那是。

  That’s for sure.

  只可惜天目湖还有很多精彩的内容

  A pity that we don’t have enough time

  today to show you the various

  今天没来得及展示给大家。

  other fascinating aspects of Tianmu Lake.

  韩佳:我知道,你是说天目湖三绝对不对?

  I know you mean the lake’s three

  unique features. Am I right?

  大牛:对呀。

  You are right.

  韩佳:没关系。明天我们再去好好体验体验。

  It doesn’t matter. We’ll try to find them out

  tomorrow.

  大牛:天目湖三绝究竟是什么呢?

  What are the three unique aspects

  of Tianmu Lake?

  答案明天揭晓。

  We’ll reveal the answer tomorrow.

  韩佳:嗯,那接下来呢

  Yes. Now it’s time

  先要看看我们今天的问题是什么。

  for today’s question.

  (问题部分略)

  大牛:精美礼品等您拿。

  A beautiful gift is waiting for you.

  韩佳:好了,感谢您收看我们今天的节目。

  Okay, thanks for watching our

  today’s program.

  我们明天相约不见不散。

  See you tomorrow at the same time.

  大牛:别忘了我们的口号:

  Don’t forget our slogan:

  合: 学说中国话,朋友遍天下。

  Learn Chinese and have friends everywhere.

(Source: cctv.com)