Archive for September 17th, 2009

Chinese Culture – Four Great Academy of Classical Learning(1)

Thursday, September 17th, 2009

Chinese academy first emerged in the Tang Dynasty (618-907), and was popular in the Song Dynasty (960-1279). It usually has three architectural characteristics: being located beside mountains or along rivers, featuring three architectural parts respectively for lecturing, book collecting and ritual performance, and boasting large quantities of inscriptions by famous man of letters. The Four Great Academies in China are: Yuelu Academy in Hunan Province, Bailudong Academy in Jiangxi Province, Songyang Academy in Henan Province and Suiyang Academy in Henan Province.

Bailudong Academy

Bailudong Academy (White Deer Cave Academy) was the most famous of the four biggest academies in ancient China, and enjoys high prestige in the Chinese history of education. The Bailudong (White Deer Cave) Academy, well preserved today, was the place where Li Bo (773-831), a famous scholar of the Tang Dynasty (618-907), studied and lived. The academy was developed by Zhu Xi (1130-1200), a scholar of Neo-Confucianism during the Song Dynasty (960-1279), and enjoyed fame as an important educational center for feudal Chinese culture for several hundred years.

Yuelu Academy

The Yuelu Academy of Classical Learning, one of the oldest academies in China, is located on the eastern foot of Yuelu Mountains in Changsha, Hunan Province. It was established in the 976 during the Song Dynasty (960-1279) with the funds from the government. At its prime period when Zhuxi, a famous neo-Confucian in the Song Dynasty, gave lectures here, its students accounted about 1,000. The academy existed through the Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties, and was transferred to Hunan Institute of Higher Learning in 1903. After the Revolution of 1911, it became the Hunan Higher Learning Normal School and in 1926, officially named Hunan University. Serving as an institute for 1,000 years, the Yuelu Academy is honored as a “One-thousand-year-old Academic Institution”.

Zhu Xi and Zhang Shi, both well known Confucian scholars lectured at the academy. In 1903, the academy became a university and in 1925, Hunan University was established at this site. The traditional architecture and calligraphy inscriptions found throughout the grounds attest to the historical and cultural importance of this center of learning.

Source: chinaculture.org

Chinese Character – fable:寓言

Thursday, September 17th, 2009

fable:

Chinese Pinyin: yu4 yan2

(Source: about.com)

Learn Chinese Podcast – Happy China 634

Thursday, September 17th, 2009

Click to Watch Video Podcast

这几天,我们大家一直在说,

In the last few days, we

said that

其实这”万里海疆快乐行”

the Happy Journey along the

Coast was actually

也是一段圆梦之旅。

a journey to realize our dreams.

在这过去的五百一十一个日日夜夜里,

In the past 511 days and nights,

我们怀揣着一个

we always cherished

有关海洋的蓝色梦想,

a dream of the blue ocean

穿越中国大陆的万里海疆,

while traveling along the Chinese

mainland’s coastline,

一路上收获欢笑,经历成长。

reaping laughter and experiencing

growth all the way.

崔玉伟:可以说,

It can be said

这是一段非常难得的人生经历。

to be a hard-to-come-by

personal experience.

从某种角度上来说,

From a certain perspective,

作为每个人,

for each of us,

也是一个实现梦想的旅程。

this was also a journey to

realize our dreams.

就拿我自己来说吧。

Take me for example.

我从小生活在北京。

I’ve been living in Beijing

since my childhood.

没有经常去海边。

I seldom had a chance to

get out to a seaside.

所以对大海有着特别的向往。

So I had a special yearning

for the sea.

我们这次以车队的形式,

This time we traveled by

car together,

沿着海岸线一路走,一路拍。

filming all the way along

the coastline.

把中国沿海城市的发展

We recorded on camera

和滨海美丽的风光,

the development of the coastal cities

全部用镜头记录下来。

and the beautiful coastal scenery.

这本身就是一次梦想的实现,

It was itself a dream come true

同时也圆了我亲近海洋的梦想。

and also a realization of my dream

of getting close to the sea.

这些精彩的画面,

As I look back,

现在回想起来还历历在目。

those beautiful shots remain still

clear and vivid in my mind.

韩佳: 做好这件事情

Doing everything well

需要大家齐心协力。

requires us to work with

concerted effort.

冯东: 从小我有个梦想,

I have dreamed of becoming

a painter

想当美术家,

ever since my childhood,

拿起画笔,

with a brush in hand,

画遍祖国的大好河山。

painting the beautiful mountains

and rivers all over the country.

干上了电视这一行呢,

After I worked in television,

更加有这种机缘。

I have more chances.

一干就是三十多年。

I’ve been at the job for

more than 30 years.

在这一年多的

On the coastal journey

“万里海疆行”过程当中呢,

that lasted more than one year,

我们看到了很多珍贵的文物古迹,

we’ve seen many valuable relics

and historical sites,

这其中有七千年前的原始文明。

including a primitive civilization

over 7,000 years ago.

也看到了一百多年前的历史变革,

I also saw historical changes that

took place over 100 years ago,

其中有精美绝伦的陶瓷艺术,

including exquisite ceramics

还有一些恢宏的庙宇建筑。

and some impressive temples.

走近它们,我就回到了从小的梦想。

Getting close to them was my

childhood dream come true.

张超: 我从小喜欢爬山。

I’ve enjoyed mountain climbing

since my childhood.

每征服一座山峰呢,

Conquering each mountain peak

我就特别有成就感。

fills me with a sense of success.

我还梦想过作一名登山运动员。

I’ve also dreamed of becoming

a professional mountain climber.

这次跟着车队出发,

Traveling with the team,

原本以为沿海不会遇到什么山。

I originally thought we wouldn’t

meet any mountains at all.

可没想到,

But to my surprise,

沿着海边走,

traveling along the seaboard,

山也没少爬,

I climbed many mountains,

比如惊险陡峭的凤凰山,

such as the hair-raising, steep

Fenghuang Mountain,

底蕴深厚的崂山,

the culturally rich Laoshan Mountain,

奇石遍布的太姥山,

the queer stone-strewn Taimu Mountain

还有闻名天下的雁荡山等等。

and the famous Yandang Mountain.

它们可是让某些平时缺乏锻炼的同志

They did make some of my colleagues

who lack exercise

吃了点儿苦头。

have a bit of hard time.

导演: 这有意思吧?

Is it interesting?

多精彩这个地方,多好!

What a wonderful and pretty

place it is!

王渊源:要说我的梦想吧,

Talking about my dream,

其实以前在节目里也提起过。

actually I’ve mentioned it previously

in the program.

我可是立志要成为一名美食家,

I’ve been determined to be

a gourmet

尝遍天下美味的人。

to taste all the delicacies

of the world.

那么在这次海疆行的过程中呢,

During this coastal journey,

我跟大家一起饱眼福的同时呢,

while having a feast together

for our eyes,

更是饱了口福。

more importantly, I also had the

luck of eating a lot of delicacies.

朝着我这梦想呀

I made one big stride

迈进了一大步。

toward my dream.

像是潮州菜、闽菜、顺德菜、

I’ve tasted Chaozhou cuisine, Fujian

cuisine, Shunde cuisine,

厦门南普陀的斋菜,

Xiamen’s Nanputuo Buddhist cuisine

以及香港的小吃等等等等。

and snacks in Hong Kong.

我们把中国沿海的美食可是尝了个遍。

We’ve tasted all the gourmet delicacies

in China’s coastal regions.

现在想起来还真叫人流口水呢。

Recalling them makes my

mouth water.

真是太好吃了,

They are really delicious,

又软又香。

soft and tasty.

绍兴的黄酒味道果然不错。

The rice wine in Shaoxing

also tastes good.

特别好吃啊。

It’s very palatable.

光听名字我就已经胃口大开了。

Just hearing its name is

appetizing enough.

我已经等不及尝尝了。

I can’t wait.

真好吃!

It’s so delicious!

不过光饱眼福肯定不行。

It isn’t good enough to have

a feast for the eyes only.

我最关心的是饱口福。

What I care most about is to

satisfy my taste buds.

特别香闻起来。

It smells so good.

李冠男:一直以来我都有一个愿望。

I’ve had a wish for a long time.

也可以算作是梦想吧。

It may be also called a dream.

那就是,

That is,

希望能够走遍中国所有的古城、古镇,

I hope I can travel through all

of China’s ancient towns,

大大小小的,

big and small,

知名的或者是不知名的。

famous or unknown.

我喜欢看那些古民居,

I enjoyed seeing those ancient houses

还有老城墙。

and those time-honored city walls.

总觉得透过它们,

Through them,

可以感受到一种来自时间的力量。

I can always feel the strength

of time.

那在制作”万里海疆快乐行”

In making the Happy Journey

along the Coast

这个系列节目的时候呢,

TV series,

我们也碰到了很多的古城和古镇。

we also came upon many

ancient towns.

它们有的就建在海边,

Some of them are located

by the seaside,

有的却藏在深山。

some hidden deep in the mountains.

总是能给我们很多的惊喜,

They always gave us lots

of surprises

还有不断的创作的灵感。

and lots of creative inspirations.

所以我一直都觉得,

So I’ve always believed that

能有这样一个机会

having such an opportunity

在工作中充实自己,

to enrich my knowledge through work

还能离自己的梦想更近,

was one step closer my dream

真的是一件很值得庆幸的事情。

and also something to celebrate.

韩佳: 听大家说了这么多,

Hearing everyone say so much,

我也早就坐不住了。

I can’t bear sitting still

any longer.

这一路上,

All the way,

我们去了不少地方,

we’ve been to many places

而且也欣赏了许多美丽的风光。

and enjoyed a lot of beautiful scenery.

要说这其中最吸引我的,

What was most attractive to me

还是要属各地的传统民间艺术,

was the various local traditional

folk arts,

像是天津的杨柳青年画,

such as the Yangliuqing New

Year pictures in Tianjin,

唐山的皮影戏,

the shadow puppetry in Tangshan,

乐清的细纹刻纸,

the fine paper-cutting in Yueqing,

宁海平调里的耍牙绝技,

the teeth play of Ninghai opera

还有湛江遂溪的醒狮表演等等等等。

and the awakened lion dance performance

in Suixi of Zhanjiang.

它们大多数都是

Most of them have been

listed as

中国的非物质文化遗产。

part of China’s intangible cultural heritage.

让我们大饱眼福、受益匪浅。

They were really a feast for our eyes

and benefited us a great deal.

王渊源:韩佳,

Han Jia,

你说我敲得怎么样啊?

how do you think of my

drum-beating skill?

快乐学汉语 万里海疆行!

Learning Chinese the fun way on the

Happy Journey along the Coast!

韩佳: 观众朋友们,

Audience friends,

您现在看到的就是

you’re watching

著名的海阳大秧歌。

the famous Haiyang yangge dance.

这一路上,

All the way,

我们拜师傅、学本事。

we’ve invited teachers to teach

us skills.

虽然说学艺不精吧,

Although we didn’t learn these

skills very well,

但是也增长了不少知识,

we’ve surely increased our

knowledge and

而且还给大家带去了快乐。

also brought laughter and fun

to our audience.

韩佳: 所以我想这海疆行

So I think this coastal journey

不只是沿着一条

was not just one that we had

既定的路线走下来,

along a predetermined route,

更主要的是,

more importantly,

它给我们勾画出了一幅

it helped us draw

属于自己的梦想地图

a map of the dreamland of

each one of us.

“万里海疆快乐行”

The Happy Journey along

the Coast

本身就是我们大家共同的梦想。

was itself a common dream

for all of us.

而这一路走来的过程呢,

The whole journey

又串起了我们每一位工作人员的梦。

has linked together the dreams

of each of our staff members.

王渊源:那在今天的节目里呢,

In today’s program,

您所听到的

you’ve heard

是我们每一位工作人员的心声。

the heartfelt wishes of each

of our staff members.

您所看到的

What you’ve seen

是我们这一年多来努力的成果。

was the result of our efforts in

the past one year and more.

现在,节目已经接近尾声了。

Now our program is nearing

its end.

您要是还没看够的话,

If you think you haven’t

seen enough,

那接下来的精彩花絮千万别错过。

be sure not to miss the following

interesting tidbits in filming.

韩佳: 如果看过之后

If you still feel unsatisfied

您还是觉得意犹未尽的话呢,

after seeing these tidbits,

那就得收看我们明天的特别节目了。

please continue to watch the other

special tomorrow.

在明天的节目里,

In the program tomorrow,

我们会跟您聊一聊

we’ll tell you

我们镜头背后的故事。

some stories behind the camera.

王渊源:那么节目的最后,

At the end of the program,

还是要提醒您,

we’d still want to remind you

别忘了我们的口号。

not to forget our slogan.

合: 学说中国话,朋友遍天下!

Learn Chinese and make friends everywhere!

韩佳: 明天见。

See you tomorrow.

它已经有九百多年的历史了。

It has a history of more

than 900 years.

不光它的式样很特别,

It is not only special in shape,

同时,它也是整个儿观景最好的地方。

but also the vantage point for

seeing the Donghu Lake scenery.

王渊源:那我们也去看看。

Let’s hurry and go there

for a look.

韩佳: 这个”一下儿”呢是一个副词,

“Yixiar” is an adverb

表示时间非常短暂。

that means a very short

period of time.

可以了,可以了。

OK, OK.

没有。我是看他没事儿你”嗷”什么呀!

Nothing the matter with him. What

the fuss you are making about.

新年节目新气象!

A new year brings in new hopes!

王渊源:万里海疆继续行!

Our Happy Journey will surely

move on!

韩佳: 快乐不断,笑容不断。

There’ll continue to be more

fun and laughter.

王渊源:请大家继续,一起,继续,继续…

Let’s continue with our journey.

张果老是个男士。

But Zhang Guolao is a male character.

韩佳: 可是,你长得也不像啊。

But you don’t look like him.

与其不像,不如让我来。

In this case, you’d better

let me play him.

王军: 该我说了吧。

It’s my turn to speak.

韩佳: 还有两张来回的机票呢,

We’ll also provide her with two

free round-trip air tickets

王渊源:和三天的食宿。

in addition to board and lodging

and transport.

韩佳: 啊,什么?

What?

(Source: cctv.com)