Have you ever been moved by the film soundtrack of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon? Musician Tan Dun used a traditional Chinese musical instrument, erhu, in his arrangement.

Erhu is a two-stringed bowed musical instrument and sometimes known in the west as the “Chinese violin” or “Chinese two-string fiddle”. It is a very expressive instrument and often used as a drama accompanied instrument in small ensembles and large Chinese folk orchestra.

Erhu History

Erhu is developed from and part of Huqin – a family of Chinese musical instrument.

Huqin was introduced to the Han nationality during the Tang Dynasty (A.D.618-907). ‘Hu’  meaning ‘foreign’ and ‘Qin’ referring to ‘string instrument’, the Huqin has its root in the Xiqin which  originated from the Mongolian Xi Tribe.

After centuries of development, a series of similar bowed stringed instruments derived from Huqin surfaced in the market, in order to meet the high demand of bowed stringed instruments used for music accompaniment in local opera shows and dramas. For example, now we have banhu, jinghu, gaohu, yehu and sihu etc, and erhu being the most popular and well-known in the huqin family of instruments.

The instrument was named Erhu only in recent times. The first Chinese character of the name of the instrument (二, èr, two) is believed to come from the fact that it has two strings. An alternate explanation comes from the fact that erhu is the huqin that produces the second highest pitch relative to the gaohu in the modern Chinese orchestra. The second character (胡, hú) indicates that it is a member of the Huqin family.

Erhu - a unique Traditional Chinese instrument

The Beauty of Erhu

The tone of erhu is mellow and bright, similar to the violin, yet more soulful and expressive. And it can imitate many natural sounds such as the sounds of birds and horse. Its midrange and high frequency stand out and enables it to perform music with a variety of moods, especially melancholic tunes, but also capable of playing merry melodies.

Erhu – Instrument Parts

Here are the introduction to the different parts of this instrument to you.

Erhu - breakdown and explanation of the instrument's parts

Erhu - sound box

Qín tǒng (琴筒), sound box or resonator body

The sound body of the erhu is a drum-like little case usually made of rosewood, sandalwood or other dense and heavy hardwoods and python skins. It usually has a hexagonal or octagon shape with the length of approximately 13 cm. The front opening is covered with skin of python (snake) and that of the back is left open. The function of this case of resonance is to amplify the vibrations of the strings.

Qín pí (琴皮), skin

The resonator is covered with a piece of stretched python skin that produces a unique tone. The bigger the scales of the python skin used, the better the tone produced.

Erhu - skin & pad

Erhu - Neck

Qín gǎn (琴杆), neck

The neck of the erhu is about 81 cm long and is manufactured with the same materials as the resonator. There is no fret or fingerboard and the player plays the instrument by pressing their fingertips onto the strings without them touching the neck.

Erhu - top of neck

Qín tóu (琴头), top or tip of neck

The top of neck is bent for decoration. It usually has a simple curve with a piece of bone or plastic on top, but is sometimes elaborately carved with a dragon’s head.

Qín zhóu (琴轴), tuning pegs

There are two cone-like tuning pegs through the neck vertically. Traditionally, it was made of wood, metal machine gear pegs are common used in these days. The upper one is bound with the inner string and the under one is bound with the outer string.

Erhu - tuning pegs

Erhu - nut

Qiān jīn (千斤), nut

It’s a small loop of metal wire placed around the neck and strings acting as a nut pulls the strings towards the skin, holding the bridge in peace.

Erhu - bridge

Qín ma (琴码), bridge

The bridge is often made of wood and together with the nut determines the scale length.

Nèi xián (内弦), inside or inner string

It is usually tuned to pitch D4, nearest to player.

Wài xián (外弦), outside or outer string

It is usually tuned to pitch A4.

Gōng (弓), bow

The bow is made by two parts: Gōng gǎn (弓杆, bow stick) and Gōng máo (弓毛, bow hair). The proper length of the bow is about 80cm. Just like other bowed stringed instrument, bow rubs against the string and then makes the sound. What is special about the erhu is that the bow hair is never separated from the strings. The bow stick is made by bamboo and white horse tail hair is regarded as the best material for the bow hair.

Erhu - bow hair between strings

Qín diàn (琴垫), pad

It is a piece of sponge, felt, or cloth placed between the strings and skin below the bridge to improve its sound.

Qín tuō (琴托) ,base

It’s a piece of wood attached to the bottom of the qín tǒng to provide a smooth surface on which to rest on the leg.

Playing posture

An erhu player normally sits with the instrument on his or her left upper thigh with left hand mastering the strings meanwhile moving the bow horizontally over the two vertical strings by right hand. Vibrato, slide, trill, harmonic overtone and pizzicato are frequently-used skills during the performance.

Famous Erhu masters:

Liu Tianhua

A notable composer and player for the erhu was Liu Tianhua (刘天华) (1895-1932)

Liu Tianhua - a noteable and famous Erhu player and composer

He is a Chinese musician who studied western music as well. He composed 47 exercises and 10 solo pieces (1918-1932) which were significant to the development of the erhu as a solo instrument. His works for the instrument include Yue Ye (月夜; Yuè yè, Moon Night) and Zhu Ying Yao Hong (烛影摇红; zhú yǐng yáo hóng, Shadows of Candles Flickering Red).

Ah Bing

Another famous composer and player for the erhu was Ah Bing (阿炳, 华彦均) (1893-1950), a blind erhu mobile busker.

Ah Bing - a blind Erhu player

He can play many Chinese traditional musical instruments when he was young. The composition Er Quan Ying Yue (二泉映月; èr quán yìng yuè, Moon Reflected on Second Spring) is one of the most famous erhu music in China. It is seldom that people were not moved after hearing the melancholic tune.

Song Fei

Song Fei (宋飞) (born 1969) is an outstanding erhu musician in modern times and once performed in Carnegie Hall and Golden Concert Hall.

She began to learn erhu playing when she was seven from her father, who was also an excellent erhu player, and became famous when she was a teenager. She replayed many classical erhu compositions such as Er Quan Ying Yue and injects her own style in it. Also she plays some western classical music such as Korsakov’s Flight of the Bumble Bee, which shows her exquisite skill and expands the influence of erhu in the west.

Thanks to the contribution of pioneer Erhu performers, ever since the Erhu was created, the instrument has been constantly improved. Played with a variety of techniques, it is now extremely popular for both solo and orchestral performances. In classical Chinese music the erhu is melodic, haunting, ever changing, and alive. The traditional style of playing is rich in ornamentation, giving the music a deep, three-dimensional quality.

Listen to Erhu Music

Erhu piece – “Er Quan Ying Yue”

Learn Some Mandarin

Dragon Boat Festival, regarded with similar significance as other Chinese festivals like Spring Festival, Tomb-Sweeping Day and Mid-Autumn Day, is a very important day to Han people in China and the history of this traditional festival dates back to 2000 years ago.

Dragon Boat Festival is also known as Duanwu Festival, Calamus Festival and Chongwu Festival. The festival occurs on the fifth day of the fifth month of the lunar calendar of China, that’s why it is also known as Double Fifth Festival. The festival usually falls in June of the western calendar. This year of 2010, the festival falls on 16th of June.

There are plenty of folk activities on this day and the focus of the celebrations includes eating the rice dumpling-zongzi, drinking realgar wine, and racing dragon boats.

History & Legend of the Dragon Boat Festival

There are various versions about the origin of the Double-fifth Festival, and at least ten different ones were sorted out by scholars, among which the most influential version is to reminisce about Qu Yuan (屈原, BC340-BC278).

It is said that Qu Yuan was a poet and a minister in the State of Chu during the Warring States Period (BC475-BC221). At first he won the full confidence and respect of his sovereign, King Huai of the Chu State. But later the king was surrounded by jealous self-seekers, so he ignored Qu Yuan’s advice that the State of Chu ought to unite with the state of Qi to fight against the state of Qin.

Qu Yuan, a poet and political advisor in ancient China, which the origin and history of Dragon Boat Festival is based upon.

As a result, King Huai was tricked into the State of Qin and died there. King Qingxiang of Chu, the eldest son of King Huai, didn’t take revenge.  Instead, he dismissed Qu Yuan from office and sent him into exile as a vagrant. Later the capital of Chu was captured by the troops from Qin. In great agony, Qu Yuan drowned himself in the Miluo River (汨罗江, located in today’s Hunan province) with his wishes to save his beloved country unfulfilled.

The legend claims that the day when Qu Yuan drowned himself in the river was the fifth day of the fifth lunar month. The local people rushed in boats to rescue or search for him. Some of them threw bamboo tubes with rice and other food inside into the river, hoping to feed fish and shrimps lest they should eat away his body. This is said to be the origin of zongzi (rice dumpling).

An old doctor of traditional Chinese Medicine poured the realgar wine into the river to make river dragons drunk, otherwise they would hurt Qu Yuan. The local people were also said to have paddled out on boats, either to scare the fish away or to retrieve his body. This is said to be the origin of dragon boat racing.

Customs & Activities of Dragon Boat Festival

Dragon Boat Racing

Dragon boat racing is one of the main highlights during the Dragon Boat Festival. This competition is very popular all over China especially in the south.

Dragon boat racing is a popular traditional sport during the festival

A dragon boat is a human-powered boat traditionally made of teak wood to various designs and sizes: from small dragon boats with 10 paddlers, up to the massive traditional boats which can have a capacity of 50 paddlers. It is a long, slim, dragon-like canoe and is often brightly painted and decorated with designs of Chinese dragon heads and tails. The crew use single bladed paddles to drive the boat forward, a method of propulsion common to many other paddled water craft around the world. Every boat usually has one drummer or caller at the bow facing towards the paddlers, and one sweep or helmsman at the rear of the boat.

A dragon boat race usually cover distances over 200m or 250m, 500m, 1000m and 2000m. Before the race starts there is also a series of ceremonies such as worship and awakening the dragon. A fierce battle among the competitors was ignited the moment the competition starts. Bursts of percussion and the cheering from viewers heat the atmosphere up rapidly.

During the sprint, the drummer leads the paddlers throughout a race using the rhythmic drum beat to indicate the frequency and synchronicity of all the paddlers’ strokes (that is, the cadence, picking up or accelerating the pace, slowing the rate, etc.) The drummer may issue commands to the crew through a combination of hand signals and voice calls, and also generally exhorts the crew to perform at their peak. The drummer may be considered the “heartbeat” of the dragon boat.

Nowadays, dragon boat racing is a worldwide sport. Modern dragon boat racing is organised at an international level by the International Dragon Boat Federation (IDBF). IDBF International Standard Racing Boat has a Crew of 22, consisting of 20 paddlers, one Drummer and a Helm (Steerer).

Dragon boat racing has since become an Internationally practised sport

Eating zongzi

Eating zongzi is an essential activity of the Dragon Boat Festival. This kind of traditional Chinese food is made of glutinous rice stuffed with different fillings and wrapped in bamboo or reed leaves.

It is said that as early as the Spring and Autumn Period(BC 770- BC 476),the earliest form of zongzi: Tongzong(筒粽) and Jiaoshu(角黍) came into existence. The former was made of rice in the bamboo tubes while the latter was made of the broomcorn millet wrapped in leaves in cow-horn shapes. With the evolution over many dynasties, Zongzi is seen in various shapes with a variety of fillings.

The shape of zongzi ranges from being relatively tetrahedral in southern Chinese to cylindrical in northern Chinese. Wrapping a zongzi neatly is a skill which is passed down through families, as are the recipes.

The many types and flavours of zongzi

Zongzi comes in many types and flavours. The more traditional ones includes savoury rice dumpling with fillings like meat, mushroom, salted eggs and nuts. The sweeter versions may have red bean or a plain rice dumpling which is usually dipped in honey or sugar before every bite.

Different fillings give the dumpling different tastes. Mung beans, red bean paste, jujubes, Chinese sausage, red-cooked pork, dried shrimp, dark’s egg yolk and so on are very common ingredients in zongzi recipe.

While making a zongzi with red-cooked pork filling, the glutinous rice in the recipe is commonly dipped in soy sauce beforehand making the zongzi tastier, complimenting the filling better and giving it its distinctive brownish color.

Zongzi need to be steamed or boiled for several minutes depending on how the rice is made prior to adding the fillings. Usually, 20 minutes will be sufficient. Once cooked, the zongzi can easily be frozen for later consumption. While Zongzi is a daily food product that is available in many Chinese markets throughout the year, during this Dragon Boat Festival, Zongzi becomes very popular. Being synonymous with the festival, many families will buy or even home-make Zongzi as part of a Chinese tradition.

Standing the egg

An interesting and fun custom during this festival is to make eggs ‘stand up’.

In the Lunar Calendar, June is the ‘Horse month’, while the ‘Horse hour’ is from 11:00 AM to 13:00 PM. The Dragon Boat festival being in June, it is traditionally believed that you will be lucky for the coming year if you can make an egg standing up during Horse hour on day of the festival. It is said that it will be easier to make an egg stand up at noon.

This feat seemed quite a phenomenon and people looked for the scientific explanation. It seems an egg can stay ‘standing up’ because the Dragon Boat Festival is close to the summer solstice, which is the longest day of the year. The summer solstice occurs when the Earth’s axis tilts the most toward the sun, causing the sun to be farthest north at noon. During the day and especially at noon, the gravitation between sun and earth pulling at each other are the strongest, hence explaining the phenomenon.

Try making an egg stand during the noon of Dragon Boat Festival! It may amuse you and your friend and bring you good luck for the coming year!

The Balmy Bag

Children often hang a small balmy bag on their necks on this day. It‘s believed that if you carry the small spice balmy bag around with you, it not only drives away evil spirits but also brings fortune and happiness to those who wear it.

The small bags are hand-made by local craftsmen. They‘re made with colourful silk, fine satin or cotton. Figures of animals, flowers and fruits are often embroidered onto the bags and inside are mixed Chinese herbal medicines which send out the charming flavour.

Happy Dragon Boat Festival !

In recent years, the Dragon Boat Festival has been restored in China as an official national holiday. 14^th, 15^th, 16^th in June are the holidays in 2010. If you have a chance to tour around China during then, join us in the fun!

Learn Some Mandarin

Madam White Snake is a Chinese legend/folklore, which existed as oral traditions before any written compilation. It has since become a major subject of several Chinese opera, films and TV series. The earliest attempt to fictionalize the story appears to be “Madame White Snake Jailed Eternally in the Leifeng Pagoda“ in Jing Shi Tong Yan by Feng Menglong  during the Ming Dynasty (1368 to 1644).

The story in “Jing Shi Tong Yan” was a story between righteous and evil with Fahai out to save Xu’s soul from the demon Bai. Over the centuries however the story has evolved from horror to romance with Bai and Xu genuinely in love with one another. There are many modifications to the story later.

The Story

There are many versions of the legend of “Madam White Snake” but generally, the story is set during the Southern Song dynasty.

It tells of a powerful female white snake demon, Bai Suzhen, and a green snake demon of lesser powers, Xiao Qing, that take on human form and become two beautiful women. They set home in human world and meet the scholar Xu Xian at the Broken Bridge. White snake eventually fell in love with him and marries him.

One day, Xu Xian visited a temple to pray for his family’s well-being and met the antagonist of the story, a Buddhist monk named Fa Hai who sensed the ‘devil scent’ on Xu Xian and warns Xu Xian that he married a snake demon and advises him to press her to drink some wine because it would change her in her real form.

Xu Xian follows that advice and because the white snake is pregnant and her magical powers are weakened, she turns on her snake form. When he saw her in her true form, he dies of fright. White snake was devastated and stole the magical herb from Mount Kunlun to save him.

Bai is fighting to get herbal medicine to save Xu Xian’s life

Meanwhile, Fa Hai seize Xu Xian and forcefully separate him from White snake and captured him to Jin Shan Temple. White snake decided to launch a flood attack against Fa Hai for him to release Xu Xian. Both White snake & Green snake defeated Fa Hai and was reunited at the Broken Bridge with Xu Xian, who managed to escape from Jin Shan Temple.

However, Bai Su Zhen was eventually captured and imprisoned in the Lei Feng Pagoda by Fa Hai after giving birth to a son.

Green snake has been trying to attain immortality so as to be able free White snake from Lei Feng Pagoda. Meanwhile, Xu Xian raised their child who eventually emerged as a top scholar in the imperial examinations. The new imperial scholar paid respects to his mother at the Lei Feng Pagoda.

Green snake finally succeeded in attaining immortality and attacked Lei Feng Pagoda and crumbled it. Bai Su Zhen was able to be reunited with her husband, her son and Green snake after defeating Fa Hai in the end.

Madam White Snake can be interpreted as a reflection of the tension between social norms and individual desires. Xu Xian and Bai Su Zhen’s love affair was one that did not confirm to social norms and Fa Hai represents the force that attempts to uphold social hierarchy and maintain social norms. Fai Hai’s attempts and eventually success in separating them implies the priority or victory of society over individuals.

On the other hand, individuals are rewarded when they confirm to social norms as reflected in Xu Xian’s son who emerged as the top scholar in the imperial exams. As an imperial scholar and who exhibited filial piety, the son achieved two important goals that every Chinese parent could wish for in their son.

As a result, Bai Su Zhen was rewarded through her release from the Lei Feng pagoda but the social norms continued to prevail; she was rewarded with immortality but remain separated from her beloved husband and son.

The Location

Madam White Snake’s tragedy is a popular story and has inspired operas, plays and even movies. The story even propelled many places to fame and they continue to be the most popular tourist sites in China, such as Lei Feng Pagoda, located at the West Lake in Hangzhou.

The Lei Feng Pagoda where Bai Suzhen was imprisoned.

The Bridge where Bai Suzhen met with Xu Xian at the first time

Movie & TV drama

The Legend of the White Snake Maiden is a Taiwanese production made in 1993 starring veteran actresses Zhao Yazhi and Cecilia Yip Tung.

1993 movie Green Snake starring Maggie Cheung & Joey Wong, directed by Tsui Hark.

Legend of the Snake Spirits (青蛇与白蛇) Singapore 40-episodes TV series in 2001 directed by Shu Quin Lai with Fann Wong, Christopher Lee and Yuyan Zhang

Operas

The story has been performed numerous times in various operas, such as Beijing opera, Cantonese opera and other Chinese operas.

A Beijing Opera

A Cantonese Opera

Vocabulary

白蛇传  bái shé zhuàn  Legend of the White Snake

金山寺    jīn shān sì    Golden Mountain Monastery

雷峰塔   léi fēng tǎ    Lei Feng Pagoda

中国京剧  zhōng guó jīng jù   Peking opera

粤剧  yuè jù   Cantonese Opera

It is the last days of the Southern Song Dynasty when its people still cling to old practices. On a fine spring day, Du Liniang, the sixteen year old daughter of an important official, Du Bao, to abandon her studies and take a walk in the garden, where she falls asleep.

In Du Liniang’s dream she encounters a young scholar, identified later in the play as Liu Mengmei, whom in real life she has never met. Liu’s bold advances starts off a flaming romance between the two and it flourishes rapidly. Du Liniang’s dream is interrupted by a flower petal falling on her Having awakened from her dream, she became lovesick and un-consoled in her longing, until she finally pined away with a broken heart in the seclusion of her maidenly chamber.

Later, Liu takes shelter in Du’s family residence one summer by chance for an examination. In Du’s room, he finds her portrait. Meantime, the president of the underworld adjudicates that a marriage between Du Liniang and Liu Mengmei is predestined and Du Liniang ought to return to the earthly world. The girl comes back to life.

Du Liniang appears to Liu Mengmei in his dreams who now inhabits the same garden where Du Liniang had her fatal dream. Liu agrees to exhume her upon her request and Du Liniang is brought back to life. Liu visits Du Bao, Du Liniang’s father, and informs him of his daughter’s newly resurrection. However, Liu was captured and imprisoned for being a grave robber and an impostor.

The ending of the play follows the formula of many Chinese comedies. Liu Mengmei narrowly escapes death by torture thanks to the arrival of the results of the imperial examination in which Liu has topped the list. The emperor pardons all.

Many people have been moved with the story of Du Liliang.

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The Peony Pavilion is distinguished particularly by the play’s highly refined and subtle lyrics hailed as another height in Chinese literature. Aided by the then newly developed Kun music, the lyrical prose of the Peony Pavillion weave out a dainty fabric of nuances and metaphors which elegantly transgress the divide between nature’s beauty and man’s inner cosmos of emotions and desires.

Through the lights and shadows of the its literary fabric transpire the play’s ravishing sensitivity and intoxicating effeteness and, almost antithetically, a persistent tone of youthful optimism. Within a few words, the audience finds itself, carried by the magic of the play’s language, already in the midst of a celebration of sensitivity, a banquet of metaphors and a dance of the imagination the compound of which defines nothing less than a unique form of and literary and esthetic pleasure.

In 1999, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts produced a 20 hour version of Tang Xianzu’s Peony Pavilion directed Chen Shizheng.

This 20 hour version was perhaps the first full length staging in 300 years and spurred a renewed interest in the full opera beyond a few celebrated episodes. Lincoln Center’s version toured extensively, playing in New York, Paris, Milan, Singapore, Caen, Charleston, Aarhus, Berlin, Perth and Vienna. DVD highlights have been released in the United States and Taiwan.

In the latest version of The Peony Pavilion, adapted by Bai Xianyong, has once again surprised the world with its breathtaking storyline and the modified, yet preserving costumes that are designed to accommodate the perspective of the modern day viewers. It premiered in 2004 helped rejuvenate this tradition.

Bai Xianyong, a Chinese scholar at the University of California, Working out of the Jiangsu Suzhou Kunqu Theater, the group condensed and adapted the original fifty-five scenes to twenty-seven scenes, and twenty hours of performance time to nine.

He invited over 80 excellent artists from the China’s mainland and Taiwan to form the most powerful team. The actors are not only at their prime time, but also are excellent in appearance, singing and action, very close to the temperament of the figures in the play. The stage pursues the beauty of simplicity so that the play will display the elegance and classicality of the Suzhou ancient culture, and also be full of the charm of youth. The performance was a huge success.

Bai Xianyong, who had chosen The Peony Pavilion because of its universal message of love, hoped that his rendition would attract youth to Kunqu. According to Bai, the goal of this youth-oriented production was to “give new life to the art form, cultivate a new generation of Kunqu, and offer respect to playwright Tang and all the master artists that came before.” His production of The Peony Pavilion was his way of doing so.

Vocabulary

昆曲   kūn qǔ    kunqu opera

牡丹亭  mǔ  dān tíng     The Peony Pavilion

中国文学    zhōng guó wén xué     Chinese literature

剧作家   jù zuò jiā    Playwright

Background

Xishi was the daughter of a tea trader in Zhuji, the capital of the ancient State of Yue (current Zhejiang Province) around 500BC during the Spring and Autumn Period (770-476BC). At that time, China was divided into several kingdoms fighting for power.

When the State of Yue was vanquished by the State of Wu, the King of Yue, Gou Jian was forced to serve Prince Fuchai of Wu for 3 years. On his release, King Gou Jian slept on brushwood and drank gall before each meal to remind himself of the humiliation his country had suffered. He plotted the downfall of his conqueror as soon as he was released. Goujian’s minister Wen Zhong suggested training beautiful women and offering them to Fuchai as a tribute, knowing that Fuchai was a lustful man and could not resist beautiful women. He commissioned men to search far and wide for a woman. Xishi, whose beauty was much talked of even from early childhood, was selected for this task and sent to the capital.

King Gou Jian approved of the choice and had Xishi trained in royal court etiquette. Gou Jian ordered his minister Fan Li to take Xishi to the Prince of Wu as a tribute gift from Yue. During the journey, Xishi fell deeply in love with the wise minister. Fan Li also grew to admire this courageous lady who was willing to give her life for her country. Consequently, before they parted, they made a secret pledge of undying love.

They arrived at the capital of Wu and Prince Fuchai was enchanted by Xishi’s appearance and doted on her. Gradually he began to neglect his political duties, preferring to idle away his time with Xishi. He frequently took her out on carriage rides to the noisy and prosperous sections of the city. On these rides, he liked to boast to those around him that he had won the heart of the most beautiful woman in the world.

Xishi, however, never lost sight of her mission. Bewitched by the beauty of Xi Shi, Fuchai forgot all about his state affairs and on their instigation, killed his best advisor, the great general Wu Zixu. Fuchai even built Guanwa Palace (Palace of Beautiful Women) in an imperial park on the slope of Lingyan Hill, about 15 kilometers west of Suzhou. The strength of Wu dwindled, and in 473 BC Goujian launched his strike and put the Wu army to full rout. King Fuchai lamented that he should have listened to Wu Zixu, and then committed suicide.

In one disputed account of her fate, it was written that Goujian ordered Xi Shi to be drowned by being thrown into a lake, to avoid being tempted by her as Fuchai was.

In legends, after the fall of Wu, Fan Li retired from his minister post and lived with Xi Shi on a fishing boat, roaming like fairies in the misty wilderness of Tai Ho Lake, and no one has seen them ever since.

She is remembered by the Xi Shi Temple, which lies at the foot of the Zhu Lou Hill in the southern part of the city, on the banks of the Huansha River.

A memorial statue of Xishi at The Xi Shi Temple

The West Lake in Hangzhou is said to be the incarnation of Xi Shi, hence it is also called Xizi Lake, Xizi being another name for Xi Shi, meaning Lady Xi.

Art Works based on story of Xi Shi

浣纱庙 Silk-Washing Temple

吴越相谋计策多，As the states of Wu and Yue piled plot upon plot,

浣纱神女已相和。The silk-washing goddess offered ease;

一双笑靥才回面，a pair of laughing dimples turned the prince’s head,

十万精兵尽倒戈。And a hundred thousand soldiers let fall their shining spears.

范蠡功成身隐遁，Fan Li, having succeeded, went into retirement;

伍胥谏死国消磨。Wu Xu died for his advice, and his country was wiped out.

只今诸暨长江畔，And yet, today, by the long river at Zhuji,

空有青山号苎萝。There’s nothing but a green hill named Zhu Luo.

This poem is based on the story of Xishi. The temple is dedicated to Xi Shi, who originally laundered silk for a living in Zhuji.

Early built in Tang Dynasty, Xishi Temple, was rebuilt in 1989 and enlarged in 2001, whose area is over 20 thousand meters now, encompassing Xishi Temple, Ancient Yue’s Platform, Beauty Pond, Xishi Long Corridor, Yiguang Pavilion, Zhuluo Village, and Showroom of Xishi’s Historical Material, and attracting tourists of over 10 thousand person times yearly.

NCPA Original Opera: Xi Shi

It is the first original opera produced by National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA), which adopts Western opera to interpret the ancient legends about Xi Shi in a brand new way, recreating grand view of the war between the Kingdom of Wu and the Kingdom of Yue, as well as the legendary story of a beauty.

TV Drama

Xi Shi is a historic celebrity, through her story; there are numerous television programs and movies around this legend.

Dong Zhizhi as Xi Shi in 1983

Jiang Qinqin as Xi Shi in 1995

Zhou Yang as Xi Shi in 2005

Idiom : Dong Shi imitates a frown

It is said that there lived an ugly woman named Dong Shi in the neighborhood. She was plain-looking and illiterate, but daydreamed to become a beauty someday. The “Dong” in her name means “east” contrasting to Xi Shi’s “Xi”, which means “west”.

Xi Shi, being a sickly girl, often had chest pains. It was said that her beauty was most attractive whenever she had her hand on her chest, wincing from the pain. As Dong Shi saw Xi Shi win the admiration of others while she was walking with her hand on the chest and brows furrowed, she imitated Xi Shi. But this only increased her ugliness. This in turn has created the saying “Dong Shi imitates a frown” meaning to attempt imitating another only to emphasize one’s own weaknesses.

Vocabulary

被迷住  bèi mí zhù   Bewitched

减小  jiǎn xiǎo   Dwindled

西施殿 xī shī diàn  Xi Shi Temple

东施效颦  dōng shī xiào pín   Dong Shi imitates a frown

春秋时代  Chūn qiū shí dài   Spring & Autumn period (the warring states period)

馆娃宫  guǎn wá gōng   Guanwa Palace

]]> http://ilearn-culture.com/traditions/historical-figures-tales/four-beauties-of-ancient-china-xi-shi/feed/ 0 http://ilearn-culture.com/traditions/crafts-performing-arts/chinese-paper-cut/ http://ilearn-culture.com/traditions/crafts-performing-arts/chinese-paper-cut/#comments Tue, 23 Feb 2010 09:58:19 +0000 Simon Zhang http://ilearn-culture.com/?p=3288 Chinese Paper cut or Jianzhi is one of China’s most popular folk-arts. It originated from the 6th century, various paper objects and figures used to be buried with the dead or burned at the funeral ceremony.

Chinese Paper cuts, which were usually of symbolic character, were part of this ritual. After hundreds of years’ development, nowadays, Chinese paper cuts are very decorative. They can be pasted onto walls, windows, doors, columns, mirrors, lamps and lanterns in homes especially during the Spring Festival and wedding days. Entrances are decorated with paper cut is supposed to bring good luck.

Chinese Paper cutting stands out for its charm – exacting lines and ingenious patterns which are all hand-made.

It shows us the life expressions of the figure’s sentiment and appearance, or portrayal of natural plants and animals’ diverse gestures. Exaggeration and symmetry are the skills often used by these folk artists. Flowers are most common to see in the patterns.

If you want to make a Chinese Paper cut, what you need are: paper and scissors or an engraving knife.

To make the three-dimensional scenes pop out visually from the paper, as they are usually in monochrome (especially red), engravers must exert their imagination. Knife cuttings are fashioned by putting several layers of paper on a relatively soft foundation consisting of a mixture of tallow and ashes. Following a pattern, the artist cuts the motif into the paper with a sharp knife which is usually held vertically. Skilled crafters can even cut out different drawings freely without stopping.

One of the basic methods of paper cutting is called positive image. It involves cutting around the design you wish to make cutting away all background paper leaving the design in tack thus you have a beautiful positive image.

Since there is a positive image it is only natural that there is a negative image. The negative image is the opposite of the positive image. That is you cut away from the lines and shapes of the design leaving the background in tact as one piece This method is especially well suited for dyeing.

The perfect Chinese paper cutting method is a combined positive and negative image. According to the design in some places you use the two methods above flexibly and thus you bring forth the special features of both methods in one perfect design.

Here are some places which are famous for Chinese Paper-cuts:

• Yuxian in Hebei Province
• Fengning Manchu Autonomous Region in Hebei Province
• Zhongyang in Shanxi Province
• Ansai in Shaanxi Province
• Jinzhou city in Liaoning Province
• Yangzhou in Jiangsu Province
• Yueqing in Zhejiang Province
• Foshan, Shantou, Chaozhou(all in Guangdong Province)
• Luxi City in Yunnan Province

Nowadays, more and more fashion elements combine with traditional Chinese paper cuts. As the photos below shows a paper cut of Obama on one of the street as well as paper cut-inspired dress.

Vocabulary

剪纸  Jiǎn zhǐ   paper cut

巧妙的图案  qiǎo miào dē tú àn   Ingenious patterns

手工制作  Shǒu gōng zhì zuò   hand-made

立体  lì tǐ   3-dimensional

正象  zhèng xiàng   Positive image

Yā suì qián and traditional Red Packet

The Chinese have a custom of using Red Packets (with money inside) as a gift for special occasions. A Red Packet is a rectangular (sometimes square) paper envelope usually red in color, and often with auspicious wordings or pictures printed on it. The Red Packet (红包：hóng bāo) is also sometimes known as Ang Pow/Ang Pao or (利是: lì shì) (or pronounced as ‘Lai See’ in Cantonese).

During Chinese New Year， the elders will give Red Packets to the unmarried younger folks as part of the festive celebration customs. Read more about Chinese New Year Customs. Red Packets are also given on wedding dinners to the married couple, and sometimes as gifts on birthdays.

The act of giving Red Packets is a joyous one. It symbolizes the sharing of happiness and the giving of well-wishes.

The Red Packet originated from 压岁钱 yā suì qián which were copper coin threaded together with a red string in the Qing Dynasty. As printing became more common, simple red envelopes were printed with auspicious Chinese phrases. Today, the customs of giving and receiving Red Packets are still practiced. The designs on these little red envelopes get more and more fanciful and innovative every year.

Current Designs of Red Packets

5 Red Packets series designed to form a complete picture when placed together

Nowadays, Red Packets don’t have to conform to only red-coloured envelopes and bold golden writings.

assorted designs

Brands on Red Packets

Chinese New Year being the biggest festive season for the Chinese, many brands and companies see this as an opportunity to do a little marketing, providing their self-designed Red Packets for their customers.

a Red Packet conceptual design for Microsoft

It is a common practice for banks to give out Red Packet envelopes for their customers

m&ms chocolates Red Packet Design

A Red Packet from Mac Donald's

Festive with No boundaries

Chinese New Year is celebrated regardless of religion or race.

Red Packet printed with a Christian Bible verse of thanksgiving

Roaring Tigers on Envelopes

Very often, Chinese Zodiac animals appear on Red Packet designs. This year 2010, the Chinese Zodiac animal is the Tiger.

2010 - Year of the Tiger

Tigers wishing you a Happy New Year and Good Health and Luck

Cute Cartoon Designs

Since most of the Red Packets are given to the younger generations during Chinese New Year, many Red Packets are designed with colourful and cute characters to appeal to them.

Popular cartoon characters on Red Packet designs

Hello Kitty cartoon designs on Red Packets

cute cat illustration

fanciful Red Packet design - cartoon baby girl in a tiger costume

Animated Ang Pow

The creativity of Red Packet Designs are limitless! Look at these animated Red Packets in action.

Unique Red Packet Designs

It is simply impossible to show you all the fancy and interesting Red Packet designs out there. For both kids and adults each year, one of the fun comes from seeing and collecting new and unique Red Packets.

Here are some not so traditional designs:

iLearn Culture wishes you a Happy New Year! May you receive lots of Red Packets this festive season!

]]> http://ilearn-culture.com/traditions/festivals-customs/red-packet-designs/feed/ 7 http://ilearn-culture.com/traditions/festivals-customs/chinese-new-year-goodies/ http://ilearn-culture.com/traditions/festivals-customs/chinese-new-year-goodies/#comments Thu, 11 Feb 2010 03:46:09 +0000 Lisa Ma http://ilearn-culture.com/?p=3133

Traditional Chinese New Year Food is a symbol of prosperity, good luck, health and long life for everyone at the table. Each and every food, either by its appearance or the pronunciation of its name, symbolizes age old Chinese beliefs. Traditional Chinese New Year Food like dumplings, spring rolls, wishes good things for the coming year.

Given below are some of the Traditional Chinese New Year goodies.

1.    Jiao Zi

Delicious Jiaozi dumplings are considered lucky because of their resemblance to ancient Chinese currency. In ancient times, Chinese currency consisted of dumpling-shaped silver and gold ingots called yuan bao. The dumplings symbolize wealth and hopes for a profitable future.

In northern China, it is customary for families to spend the hours before Chinese New Year preparing these tasty dumplings, which are eaten just after midnight.

In addition to Chinese New Year, many families prepare jiaozi for other special occasions such as birthdays, sending a family member away, or even for western holidays such as Christmas or Thanksgiving.

2.    Spring Rolls

Spring rolls symbolize wealth and prosperity, since their colour and shape is similar to a gold bar. Originally, spring rolls were filled with vegetables in celebration of the coming of Spring; shrimp and barbecued pork were added later.

3.    Har Gow dumplings

Although not a traditional New Year food, dumplings of all types are enjoyed more frequently during the New Year season. Har Gow are the steamed shrimp dumplings with the translucent wrapper (the secret ingredient that makes the outside wrapping so shiny is wheat starch).

4.    Sesame Balls

These delicious large balls of glutinous rice flour, filled with sweet red bean paste and rolled in sesame seeds, are especially popular during the Chinese New Year season. What makes sesame balls special is the way they expand during deep-frying. According to Chinese tradition, this symbolizes the way your luck may expand throughout the New Year.

5.    Cakes

Cakes have a special place in Chinese New Year celebrations. Their sweetness symbolizes a rich, sweet life, while the layers symbolize rising abundance for the coming year. Finally, the round shape signifies family reunion.

In south China, the favorite and most typical dishes were nian gao, sweet steamed glutinous rice pudding.  In the southern regions of China and Hong Kong, common celebration dishes are turnip cake and new year cake.

Traditionally, these were made in the home and then given to relatives as a token of love and respect, though the abundance of ready-made turnip and new year cakes in supermarkets and restaurants means that the laborious process of making these new year foods at home has largely been eliminated.

In the north, steamed-wheat bread (man tou) and small meat dumplings were the preferred food. The tremendous amount of food prepared at this time was meant to symbolize abundance and wealth for the household.

6.    Apple

Fruits can be tasty as well as expressive. In China, it’s not uncommon, especially around New Year, to find these fruits with natural writing on them. This is usually called fa cai guo meaning lucky or fortune fruits. Growers simply tape a stenciled sticker over the fruit before they’re matured to block out light and thus create a natural design.

7.    Pomelo and Orange

Pomelos symbolize abundance and prosperity. For newlyweds, this represents the branching of the couple into a family with many children.

Tangerines and oranges, symbols of abundance happiness, are a must gift item when visiting family or friends during the two-week long New Year celebration. Tangerines with leaves intact assure that one’s relationship with the other remains secure.

8.    Togetherness Tray

When visiting relatives, it’s customary for them to offer guests tea, along with a round or octagonal tray filled with a variety of treats, from nuts to sweets. This is known as the Tray of Togetherness. Traditionally, the tray was made of wood, with eight interior dishes of porcelain, but nowadays many people opt for plastic.

The tray usually contains an inner set of eight compartments to help keep the goodies separated. Each compartment is filled with a special symbolic food:

• Candy Melon (growth and good health)
• Coconut (unity)
• Kumquat (gold; for prosperity)
• Longan (many good sons)
• Lotus Seeds (fertility)
• Lychee Nut (close family relationships)
• Peanuts (longevity)
• Red Melon Seeds (red; for happiness, joy, honesty and sincerity)

Vocabulary:
jiǎo zī
饺   子    dumpling      n.

chūn juǎn
春        卷     spring roll   n.

zhēng jiǎo
蒸        饺   Har Gow      n.

mán tóu
馒      头      steamed-wheat bread   n.

píng guǒ
苹      果     apple          n.

yòu zi
柚    子    pomelo         n.

jú zi
橘 子        orange         n.

Chinese New Year is more than just the delicious snacks

Chinese New Year or Spring Festival is the most important of the traditional Chinese holidays. It is sometimes called the Lunar New Year, especially by people outside China. The festival traditionally begins on the first day of the first lunar month in the Chinese calendar and ends on the 15th; this day is called Lantern Festival.

This year of 2010, the first day of Chinese New Year coincidentally falls on 14th February Valentine’s Day.

The Spring Festival is the most important festival for the Chinese people and is when all family members get together, just like Christmas in the West. All people living away from home go back, becoming the busiest time for transportation systems of about half a month from the Spring Festival.

Bright and red decorations can be seen in homes and malls

Many customs accompany the Spring Festival. Some are still followed today.

House Cleaning

The entire house should be cleaned before New Year’s Day. On New Year’s Eve, all brooms, brushes, dusters, dust pans and other cleaning equipment are put away. Sweeping or dusting should not be done on New Year’s Day for fear that good fortune will be swept away. After New Year’s Day, the floors may be swept. Beginning at the door, the dust and rubbish are swept to the middle of the parlor, then placed in the corners and not taken or thrown out until the fifth day. At no time should the rubbish in the corners be trampled upon. In sweeping, there is a superstition that if you sweep the dirt out over the front entrance, you will sweep one of the family away. Also, to sweep the dust and dirt out of your house by the front entrance is to sweep away the good fortune of the family; it must always be swept inwards and then carried out, then no harm will follow. All dirt and rubbish must be taken out the back door.

Houses are decorated and new year snacks are prepared for visitors

Reunion dinner

A reunion dinner is held on Chinese New Year’s Eve (known as Chúxī) where members of the family, near and far away, get together for the celebration. The venue will usually be in or near the home of the most senior member of the family. The New Year’s Eve dinner is very sumptuous and traditionally includes chicken and fish. In some areas, fish (simplified Chinese: 鱼; traditional Chinese: 魚; pinyin: yú) is included, but not eaten completely (and the remainder is stored overnight), as the Chinese phrase “may there be surpluses every year” (traditional Chinese: 年年有餘; simplified Chinese: 年年有余; pinyin: nián nián yǒu yú) sounds the same as “may there be fish every year.”

Reunion dinner dishes

Red packets

Traditionally, Red envelopes or red packets are passed out during the Chinese New Year’s celebrations, from married couples or the elderly to unmarried juniors. It is also common for adults or young couples to give red packets to children. Red packets are also known as Ya Sui Qian, literally, the money used to suppress or put down the evil spirit during this period.

Red packets almost always contain money, usually varying from a couple of dollars to several hundred. Per custom, the amount of money in the red packets should be of even numbers, as odd numbers are associated with cash given during funerals One exception is the number four as it is considered bad luck, because the word for four is a homophone for death, money in red envelopes never adds up to $4. However, the number 8 is considered lucky (for its homophone for “wealth”), and $8 is commonly found in the red envelopes. Sometimes chocolate coins are found in the red packets.

Chinese New Year Red Packets

Burning crackers

Burning crackers was once the most typical custom on the Spring Festival. People thought the spluttering sound could help drive away evil spirits. However, such an activity was completely or partially forbidden in big cities once the government took security, noise and pollution factors into consideration. As a replacement, some buy tapes with firecracker sounds to listen to, some break little balloons to get the sound too, while others buy firecracker handicrafts to hang in the living room.

Fire Crackers are used to celebrate the occasion with a blast!

Decorative Fire Crackers to spice up your home deco.

Everyone, young and old, rich and poor, looks forward to celebrating the noisiest, most joyous and longest festival of the year. For Chinese at home and abroad, the Spring Festival is always the most important festival.

During Chinese New Year, exchanges of auspicious greetings is a common custom. Take a look at some of the popular Chinese New Year Auspicious Greeting!

2010 is the Tiger Year, here are some Auspicious Greetings specific to the Tiger Year!

Learn Mandarin Words

chūn jié 春 节	spring festival,chinese new year
chú xī 除 夕	Chinese new year eve
dà sǎochú 大 扫 除	house cleaning
nián yè fàn 年 夜 饭	reunion dinner
hóng bāo 红 包	red packets
fàng biān pào 放 鞭 炮	burning firecrackers

The Tiger is the third sign in the cycle of Chinese Zodiac, which consists of 12 animal signs.  It is a sign of courageous, active, and self-assured.  People who are born in the Year of Tiger are generally optimistic, passionate and independent. They also have traits of rebellious, dynamic, and unpredictable. They are quick tempered but considerate, affectionate but careless.

The Tiger is a natural born leader and symbolizes power, passion and daring. This fearless and fiery fighter is revered by the ancient Chinese as the sign that wards off the three main disasters of a household: fire, thieves and ghosts.

Previously we posted an article on Chinese New Year Customs and some popular Chinese New Year Greetings.

Here are some Chinese New Year Greetings about Tiger that may come in handy this festive season!

虎年大吉  hǔ nián dà jí

Good Luck in the Year of Tiger

虎运连年  hǔ yùn lián nián

As lucky as the Tiger year after year

虎虎生威，虎年更猛  hǔ hǔ shēng wēi, hǔ nián gèng měng

To prosper with fury like a tiger and be successful in the Year of Tiger

福虎凌云  fú hǔ líng yún

Reach out to the clouds and soar into the sky with the Lucky Tiger

瑞虎丰年  ruì hǔ fēng nián

Lucky Tiger brings you a good harvest.

福虎贺岁 fú hǔ hè suì

Lucky Tiger welcomes a brand New Year

虎啸祥瑞 hǔ xiào xiáng ruì

Tiger roars and calls for a lucky New Year

虎年如意 hǔ nián rú yì

Things going as you planned in the Tiger Year

虎气冲天  hǔ qì chōng tiān

A great Tiger Year ahead!

With that, iLearn’s here to wish you a Happy Tiger Year, best wishes & prosperity for 2010.