Archive for December 26th, 2008

China Travel – Site of the 8.7 Conference

Friday, December 26th, 2008

The site of the 8.7 Conference (Baqi Huiyi) is located at No. 139, Poyang Street, Wuhan City, Hubei Province.
The site of the 8.7 Conference is actually a three-storeyed western-style building built in 1920. It was originally a mansion called Yihe New House built by British people. On the first floor were stores run by foreigners and all the living places were on the second and third floors. The second floor later became a residence of the aid agricultural advisor sent to China by the Former Soviet Union after the National People’s Revolutionary Army occupied Wuhan City during the Northern Expedition period. The 8.7 Conference was held right in the advisor’s room. The site has been well preserved and the conference hall of the meeting has already been restored. Historical materials and cultural relics of the conference are in display on the first floor.
In 1927, the First National Revolution failed due to repeat betrayals of Chiang Kai-shek and Wang Jingwei. Chinese revolution was then in a critical stage. In this case, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) held an emergency meeting on August 7, 1927, which was historically called the 8.7 Conference. Qu Qiubai, Li Weihan, Mao Zedong, Su Zhaozheng, Luo Yinong, Zhang Tailei, Deng Zhongxia, Lu Dingyi, Deng Xiaoping and so forth attended the meeting. During the conference, Chen Duxiu’s Right-deviationist Capitulationism Route was criticized and rectified and Chen Duxiu himself was dismissed from his post as General Secretary of the Central Committee of the CPC. A temporary Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the CPC was established, which was headed by Qu Qiubai. The Central Committee also decided to launch the Autumn Harvest Uprising in provinces like Hunan, Hubei, Jiangxi, Guangdong and so on in autumn that year under the general guidance decided on the Conference of launching land revolution and opposing the reactionary rule of the Kuomintang with armed forces. Mao Zedong was elected alternate member of the temporary Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the CPC and made a speech in which he put forward the famous thought– political power grows out of the barrel of a gun..

(Source: chinaculture.org)

Chinese Culture – Tomb of Princess of Chen State in Liao Dynasty

Friday, December 26th, 2008

 

Tomb of Khitan (Qi Dan) aristocracy

 

Location: Naimen Banner, Zhelimu League, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region

 

Period: 1018 AD

 

Excavated in 1986

 

Significance: It has supplied important materials to the study of the social, political, economic, and historical developments and other social aspects of the Khitan people in the Liao period, as well as cultural exchanges between the Han people and the Khitan people. 

Gold mask and a net sewn with silver thread: burial set (up, the length of the mask is 21.7 cm); Silver hat gilded with gold: burial set (bottom, height 31.5 cm); Glass jar with long neck and nipple design: wine vessel or water vessel (in the background, height 17 cm)

 

 Introduction

 

The discovery in 1986 of the joint tomb of the Princess of the State of Chen and her husband at Qinglongshan, Naimanqi, Zhelimu League in southeast Inner Mongolia revealed an unprecedented lavishness in burial dress that stunned the archaeological world. Here, for the first time, was an undisturbed royal tomb of the Liao Dynasty (916-1125) that dated from a little understood period in history when the semi-nomadic Khitan people ruled over a large part of northeast China.

 

The tomb has six parts: the grave tunnel, dooryard, front chamber, east wing room, west wing room, and main chamber, with a total length of 16.4 meters. There are many colorful paintings on each side of the grave tunnel and the coping of the chamber and wing rooms.

 

The royal pair was interred side by side on a wooden funerary couch with their heads resting on gilded-silver pillows. Their rich clothing and personal adornment provide visual evidence of elite Khitan burial custom that they hoped would assure a luxurious hereafter. Many of the items are Mingqi (spirit objects), having been designed for the grave rather than real life.

 

Each corpse was encased in a silver-wire mesh body suit that extended from the head to the toe. A gold death mask, an ornate headdress, earrings, a belt with gilded mounts hung with necessary accessories, and gilded-silver boots completed each outfit, along with clothing made of real fabric that had long ago disintegrated. Spare belts and other luxury items were scattered around their heads.

 

 Cultural Heritage

 

In many instances, the clothing and adornment are gender specific, proclaiming the sex of the wearer. A mustache distinguished the prince’s mask, while seriously male accessories, such as a small knife and an awl, were hung from his belt. By contrast, the princess’ belt carried feminine paraphernalia, including gold purses, jade tools and crystal containers.

 

The majority of the metal objects were made of hammered silver decorated in repoussé with phoenixes, cloud scrolls and Daoist figures, the details refined by chasing, and then the surfaces mercury-amalgam gilded. The headdresses were formed by several gilded-silver hammered sheets with chisel-cut openwork decoration enhanced by chasing, and then wired together. The boots were also made with hammered silver sheets but joined by soldering, rather than wire, after being decorated in repoussé with specific zoomorphic motifs: phoenixes for the princess and dragons for the prince.

 

Besides the lavish number of artifacts made of gold and silver, the grave goods also included superb ornaments made of amber, jade, crystal and agate.

Source: chinaculture.org

Learn Chinese Podcast – Happy China 369

Friday, December 26th, 2008
 
 

  大牛:嘘!观众朋友们,

  Hush-sh-sh! Viewer friends,

  我是来跟您告别的。

  I am here to say goodbye to you.

  从今天起,

  From now on,

  我就要告别我所热爱的主持工作

  I have to leave my fond job as program

  presenter

  专心拜师学武了。

  to learn martial arts whole-heartedly.

  最后让我跟您说一声我们的口号:

  Before I go, let me say our motto

  one more time:

  快乐学汉语,轻松又好记。

  Learn Chinese with fun.

  It’s much easier to remember.

  趁韩佳还没来,我得赶紧走。

  I have to go now before Han Jia comes.

  您可别忘了我。

  Please don’t forget me.

  韩佳:大牛,你要去哪儿?

  Hey, Daniel, where are you going?

  大牛:你别拦着我。

  Don’t stop me.

  我是铁了心要拜师学武的。

  I am determined to learn martial arts.

  Wǒ shì tiě le xīn yào bài shī xué wǔ.

  我是铁了心要拜师学武。

  I am determined to learn martial arts

  from an accomplished master.

  你怎么这身打扮啊?

  Why are you dressed like that?

  韩佳:你也别拦着我。

  Don’t stand in my way either.

  我也要去拜师学武。

  I’m also going to learn Wushu from

  a master.

  哎,说不定以后咱俩还是同门师兄妹呢。

  Hey, maybe we are co-disciples

  of the same master.

  大牛:啊?

  What?

  韩佳:别啊了,快走吧。

  What do mean what? Let’s go.

  大牛:峨眉山,我来了!

  Mt. Emei, I’m coming!

  韩佳:大牛,

  Daniel,

  咱们到底什么时候

  How long on earth have we to go

  才能找到拜师学武的地方啊?

  before we can find a place to learn Wush?

  这都走了半天了,

  We’ve been walking for such a long time

  连一个学武的人都没看到。

  and haven’t found a single Wushu

  practitioner.

  大牛:其实我只知道峨眉派

  In fact, I only know that Emei Wushu belongs

  是中华武术的三大流派之一。

  to one of China’s three major martial

  arts schools.

  至于去哪儿拜师啊,

  As to where to find the teachers,

  我也不知道。

  I have no idea either.

  韩佳:啊?

  What?

  大牛:别担心。车到山前必有路。

  Don’t worry.

  ”che dao shan qian bi you lu”.

  韩佳:你倒挺沉得住气。

  I didn’t expect you could be so calm.

  这武艺没学到,

  Although you haven’t learned any Wushu,

  汉语水平倒是有长进。

  you have already shown much

  progress in your Chinese.

  那你知道这句话怎么解释吗?

  Do you know what that sentence means?

  大牛:小看我。

  You are belittling me.

  车到山前必有路就是

  ”che dao shan qian bi you lu” means

  事到临头总会有解决办法的。

  where there’s a will, there’s a way.

  车到山前必有路。

  ”che dao shan qian bi you lu”.

  韩佳:事到临头总会有解决的办法的。

  For all things, there’s always a

  way out in the end.

  可是这办法什么时候才能找到啊?

  But when on earth can we find the

  way out?

  大牛:你看,办法来了。

  You see here it come.

  小朋友,我问你一个问题可以吗?

  Young friend, can I ask you a question?

  韩佳:你不行,还是我来吧。

  No, let me do it.

  小朋友,

  Young friend,

  能带我们见见你的师父吗?

  can you take us to see your master?

  Nǐnéng dài wǒmen jiàn jiàn nǐ de shī fu mā?

  你能带我们见见你的师父吗?

  Can you take us to see your

  martial arts teacher?

  嘉宾:你们刚才说要找我师父?

  Did you say you wanted to see my master?

  有什么事吗?

  What for?

  韩佳:是这样的,小师父。

  It’s like this, young master.

  我们俩想学武术。

  The two of us want to learn Wushu.

  所以呢想请你…

  So we’d like you to …

  嘉宾:这没问题。

  No problem.

  不过,我口渴得要命。不想走。

  But I’m very thirsty. I don’t want to go.

  韩佳:口渴?

  Thirsty?

  口渴。快,大牛。

  You’re thirsty. Come on, Daniel.

  大牛:小师父,现在可以走了吧?

  You master, now you can help us?

  师父:走,走,走。

  Come with me.

  嘉宾:师父,师父,

  Master,

  有两个人说要来找您。

  here are two people wanting to see you.

  师父:你们两位是…

  You two are …

  大牛:师父,您好。

  Hello, master.

  我大牛一个英国人。

  I am Daniel from Britain.

  不远万里来到中国

  I’ve come a long way to China

  就是为了拜您为师跟您学武术。

  only to learn Wushu from you.

  您就收下我吧。

  Please accept me as a disciple.

  韩佳:哎,师父,师父,

  Eh, master,

  还有我呢。

  me too.

  我叫韩佳。

  My name is Han Jia.

  我也要拜您为师。

  I also want to learn from you.

  师父:哎,先别拜,先别拜。

  Oh, don’t do that.

  你们了解峨眉武术吗?

  Do you know anything about Emei

  Wushu?

  韩佳:哦,我知道。

  Oh, I do.

  峨眉武术已经有4500多年的历史了。

  The Emei School of martial arts has

  a history of more than 4,500 years.

  大牛:对,对,对。

  Yes, right.

  我还知道峨眉武术讲究

  I also know Emei Wushu emphasizes

  内外兼修、刚柔并济,

  a combination of internal and external

  energies and “gang rou bing ji”,

  虽然我不知道这刚柔并济是什么意思。

  though I don’t know what “gang rou

  bing ji” means.

  但是师父听了肯定高兴。

  But our teacher must be glad to

  hear that.

  韩佳:刚柔并济

  ”gang rou bing ji”

  就是把刚强的和柔和的相互调和。

  means a combination of toughness

  and gentleness.

  大牛:明白了。

  Oh, now I am clear.

  刚柔并济就是把刚强的和柔和的相互调和。

  ”Gang rou bing ji” means a combination

  of toughness and gentleness.

  刚柔并济。

  ”gang rou bing ji”.

  师父:你们俩在嘀咕什么呢?

  What were you murmuring about?

  韩佳:师父啊,

  Master,

  我们是很诚心地要跟您学武的。

  we’re both sincere to learn Wushu

  from you.

  大牛:对。

  Yes.

  师父:那好吧。

  Alright.

  那你跟她学点基本功。

  Learn some basic skills from her.

  韩佳:好的。

  Yes, sir.

  师父:你跟她练练

  Practice with her

  看你的底子怎么样。

  to see how good your basic skills are.

  Nǐ gēn tā liànlian,kànkan nǐ de dǐ zi zěn me yàng.

  你跟她练练,看看你的底子怎么样。

  Spar with her and we’ll see what

  kind of level you’re at.

  大牛:我跟她?

  Practice with her?

  嘉宾:你没事吧?

  Any problem?

  大牛:没事儿,没事儿。

  No, not exactly.

  不过您刚才使的这个奇怪的兵器

  But what’s the name of the weapon

  叫什么名字呀?

  you used just now?

  嘉宾:这叫峨眉刺,

  It’s called Emei Prick,

  是我们峨眉武术特有的一种兵器。

  one of the weapons used in Emei Wushu.

  韩佳:峨眉刺啊?

  Emei Prick?

  这个好。

  That’s great.

  小师父,我跟您学这个吧。

  Young master, I’ll learn this from you.

  嘉宾:其实我这还不算什么。

  Actually my skills are nothing special.

  师兄们才是真功夫呢。

  My senior fellow disciples are

  capable of real skills.

  赏心悦目:

  峨眉派为中华武术三大流派之一

  Emei Wushu is one of China’s three

  major schools of martial arts.

  距今已有4500多年的历史

  It has a history of over 4,500 years.

  主张内外兼修 刚柔并济

  It emphasizes a combination of

  toughness and gentleness.

  刀光剑影 舞出中华气概

  These knives and swords exhibit the

  prowess of Chinese martial arts.

  身怀绝技 尽显少年豪意

  Even teenagers commands superb skills.

  一招一式都吸取了仙山的灵气

  Every gesture embodies the soul

  an ancient art.

  一动一静间展现出中华武术的风采

  Every movement shows the charm

  of Chinese Wushu.

  大牛:这可真是不得了啊!

  They are really great!

  都是千锤百炼的真功夫。

  These are all well-trained, hard-acquired

  skills.

  小朋友们,千万别模仿啊。

  Young children mustn’t imitate them.

  韩佳:是啊。

  Yes, indeed.

  大牛,

  Daniel,

  我看我们俩还是回去继续主持节目吧。

  I think it’s a lot better for us to go back

  and continue to present programs.

  你我好像都不是练武的料。

  Both you and I lack that stuff for Wushu.

  大牛:英雄所见略同。

  Yes, great minds think alike.

  ( 问题部分略)

  韩佳:您可以把您的答案和建议

  You may send us your answer or suggestions

  照我们屏幕上的方式发送给我们。

  using the method given onscreen.

  精美礼品等您拿。

  A beautiful gift is waiting for you.

  大牛:感谢您今天的收看。

  Thanks for watching today’s program.

  韩佳:别忘了我们明天

  Don’t forget tomorrow

  还有更精彩的节目在等着大家呢。

  there’ll be an even wonderful program

  waiting for you.

  大牛:更不要忘了我们的口号:

  And neither should you forget our motto-

  合: 学说中国话,朋友遍天下。

  Learn Chinese and have friends everywhere.

(Source: cctv.com)