Chinese Art
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Chinese Folk art
"Kite"
China is the birthplace of kite in the world, and Henan and Shangdong where people worship birds and the sun are the first to create kite. They still kept the mode of the original kite in Kaifeng today. In my visit to an elder, Mr. Bai Jinsheng, in Kaifeng, he told me that kite was called "Hao" (the sky) in Kaifeng. As an old saying put it "On the third day in tile third lunar month, 'Hao' flies up to the sky." It is the time around the Pure Brightness Day when people come out to fly kite by the beach. Guys fly kite and girls play swings. Kite used to be
plain white without any painted color or pattern. When the wind is low, flying in the sky is "Ma Gua" (Jacket style), and in high wind, it will be "Tong Hao."
"Paper cut"
Paper-cut is a very distinctive visual art of Chinese handicrafts. It originated from the 6th
century when women used to paste golden and silver foil cuttings onto their hair at the temples,
and men used them in sacred rituals. Later, they were used during festivals to decorate gates and
windows. After hundreds of years' development, now they have become a very popular means of
decoration among country folk, especially women.
The main cutting tools are simple: paper and scissors or an engraving knife, but clever and deft
craftspeople are remarkably good at cutting in the theme of daily life. When you look at items
made in this method carefully, you will be amazed by the true to life expressions of the figure's
sentiment and appearance, or portrayal of natural plants and animals' diverse gestures. Patterns
of chrysanthemum display the curling petals, pied magpies show their tiny feathers and others such
as a married daughter returning to her parents' home, or young people paying a New Year call to
their grandparents.
Folding fan
Since Song dynasty, China began to produce folding fans, most of which are made of paper sticking around, and seldom are silk. The earliest practicality in the history was unearthed from the lacquered grave of South Song dynasty in Wujing of Jiangsu province.And folding fan had been popular during South Song dynasty already.It was the golden period of fan's development in Ming and Qing dynasties. In life, people and fan have close relationship, such as Kong Shangren "peach blossom fan", palm-leaf fan borrowed by monkey monk of "record of a journey to the west", paper fan torn by Qingwen of "dream of the red chamber". Though all of the characters are fancied, it was widely affected from the side face. Meanwhile, fan and calligraphy and golden paintings have a close relationship. Most famous artists had the best works of the golden painting on the fan handed down, which are Shenzhou, Wen Zhengming, Tang bohu, Qiuying in Ming dynasty, and "eight strange men of Yangzhou", Hun Nantian of Changzhou in Qing dynasty.Except for feather fan, bamboo fan, paper fan and folding fan, we have another plenty of kinds. "new record of fan" of Wang Tingding in Qing dynasty was recorded palm-leaf fan, duck web-footed fan, wheat straw fan, areca fan and cocoon fan which the design of cocoon fan is extremely unique.
Mask
The unique art style exhibited in the woodcut exorcist masks from Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties in the temples of Ping Village stands out among others in the Yangtze River valley. Carved perfectly straight or rounded, the characters are presented in a simple and natural way, poised, mysterious and ferocious. Tile woodcut by Chen Tuanfa, a seventh generation of a folk artist family in Ping Village,
is representative of today's art on exorcist masks. The same unsophisticated style is still largely visible in the art works in the region between Hunan and Jiangxi along the Yangtze River, the very birth place of the culture of exorcism.
The culture of exorcism in its very original mode of evil-dispelling and fortune-inviting is still well alive among the people in tile Yangtze River valley today. It is a live fossil to the study of Chinese ancient historical culture.
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Painting
The tools used in traditional Chinese painting are paintbrush, ink, traditional paint and special
paper or silk.
Chinese painting developed and was classified by theme into three genres: figures, landscapes, and
birds-and-flowers.
The birds-and-flowers genre has its roots in the decorative patterns engraved on pottery and
bronze ware by early artists. Among the common subjects in this genre, which reached its peak
during the Song Dynasty (960 - 1279), are flowers, bamboo, birds, insects, and stones. The genre
flourished under Emperor Huizong (1082 - 1135), who was an artist himself and excelled at both
calligraphy and traditional painting, especially paintings of exquisite flowers and birds.
Painters who specialized in figures included images of immortals, emperors, court ladies, and
common people in their works. Through their depictions of such scenes and activities as feasts,
worship and street scenes, these artists reflected the appearance, expressions, ideals, and
religious beliefs of the people. Chinese figure painting prominently features verve. The portrayal
of figures saw its heyday during the Tang Dynasty (618 - 907). The master of painting, Wu Daozi
(about 685 - 758), created many Buddhist murals and other landscape paintings that are marked by
variety and vigor. One of his best known works is a depiction of the Heaven King holding his
newborn son Sakyamuni to receive the worship of the immortals.
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Calligraphy
In China calligraphy occupies a distinguished position in the field of traditional art. It is not only a means of communication, but also a means of expressing a person's inner world in an aesthetic sense.Ancient people paid great attention to calligraphy. It was the essential whereby a candidate could manifest his literary talent in the Imperial Examination, for it gave a first impression to the examiners. Children of high officials had to learn and try to write a good hand; even emperors themselves were good at calligraphy, for example, the versatile Emperor Qianlong in the Qing Dynasty (1644 C 1911) has left us many examples of his handwriting on steles in temples and palaces.To practise calligraphy requires the basic tools of 'four treasures of study' (writing brush, ink stick, paper, and ink slab) as well as much concentration on guiding the soft writing brush charged with fluid ink, and writing on the paper where the ink will diffuse quickly. Once the brush movement hesitates, a black mark is created, so speed, strength and agility is the essence of fine artwork. When writing, many calligraphers will forget all worries and even themselves, combining all thoughts in the beauty of their art. Thus it can be compared with Qigong, which also can mould and improve a person's temper and promote well being.
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Chinese Kungfu
As man became more skillful in hunting and warfare, he also gradually developed dance for
entertainment and relaxation. Early records suggest that dance was often the imitation of various
animal movements, hence the Monkey Dance, the Bear Dance, the Bird Dance, and so on.
The Book of History refer to them as 'the dances of hundred animals'. In addition, rudimentary
sports appeared, such as Dance with Shield and Battle-Axe and Butting with Horns, both military
exercises. The Dance with Shield and Axe, which was a martial dance depicting battle and training
troops, demonstrate the early relationship between dance and fighting skill. Butting with Horns
was competitive wrestling practiced by the soldiers. This sport was said to have been a training
method before battle by the armies of the legendary Chiyou tribe of eastern China. The soldiers
wore horns on their heads as a symbol of courage, and then butted each other during the contest.
It was tradition that every feast should have a dance performance, which by the Han time would
often take the form of a sword dance. Unarmed combat contest were also popular during the Han
Dynasty. The rapid development in cavalry warfare of this period led to further improvements in
skill using bladed weapons.
According to the Book of Zhuang Zi, unarmed combat was a highly developed skill by the end of this
period, with many methods of attack, defense, counter-attack and feints. Fencing was also fairly
common at that time. It was especially popular among the people of the states of Wu, Yue and Zhao.
Competitions were frequent, but because contestants wore inadequate protection, injuries were
common during the bouts. In one fencing competition in the state of Zhao, more than 60 people were
killed or wounded over a period of 7 days. In the state of Wu, scars on the body of face were
common sight among the people. Nevertheless, the love of fencing went unabated among women as well
as men. By the Qin Dynasty (221 - 207BC), competitions had developed stricter rules with referees,
arenas and protective clothing. During the Han Dynasty (206BC - AD220), Kung Fu was developed
further, the element of sport and dance now becoming more apparent. Many martial dances appeared,
such as the Rapier Dance, the Broadsword Dance, the Twin-Halberd Dance and the Battle-Axe Dance.
While these dances contained elements of attack and defense, other postures and techniques evolved
which were designed clearly for callisthenic purposes. An historic record in 108 B.C. tells how
people came from as far as 300 li (150km) around the capital to see a contest.
Kung Fu could be defined as any of the various Chinese martial arts. Chinese Kung Fu was studied,
organized and systematized by the Shaolin monks. Shaolin Kung Fu is known for their many animal
styles such as Tiger, Crane, Dragon, Monkey, Praying Mantis and Snake. The word Kung Fu was
originally used by the West. It means "skill" or "ability". It literally does not have anything to
do with martial arts such as the word Tae Kwon Do, which means The Way of the Hand and Feet. In
China today, Wushu is the preferred word to describe Chinese Martial Arts. The word Kung Fu was
first used by a western Jesuit Missionary named Pere Amoit after witnessing exercises and training
regimen in China. He called it "Cong Fou" in his personal journals. The term "Kuo-Shu" was popular
in China until about 1930. This term has since been popularized by the Taiwanese Government to
describe Chinese Martial Arts.
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Chinese Opera
Chinese opera together with Greece tragic-comedy and Indian Sanskrit Opera are the three oldest dramatic art forms in the world. During the Tang Dynasty (618 C 907), the Emperor Taizong established an opera school with the poetic name Liyuan (Pear Garden). From that time on, performers of Chinese opera were referred to as 'disciples of the pear garden'. Since the Yuan Dynasty (1271 - 1368) Chinese opera has been encouraged by court officials and emperors and has become a traditional art form. During the Qing Dynasty (1644 - 1911), Chinese opera became fashionable among ordinary people. Performances were watched in tearooms, restaurants, and even around makeshift stages.Chinese opera evolved from folk songs, dances, talking, antimasque, and especially distinctive dialectical music. Gradually it combined music, art and literature into one performance on the stage. Accompanied by traditional musical instruments like the Erhu, the gong, and the lute, actors present unique melodies - which may sound strange to foreigners - as well as dialogues which are beautifully written and of high literary value. These dialogs also promoted the
development of distinct literary styles, such as Zaju in the Yuan Dynasty. For Chinese, especially
older folks, to listen to this kind of opera is a real pleasure.
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Pottery and Porcelain
Porcelain, also called 'fine china', featuring its delicate texture, pleasing color, and refined sculpture, has been one of the earliest artworks introduced to the western world through the Silk Road. The earliest porcelain ware was found made of Kaolin in the Shang Dynasty (16th - 11th century BC), and possessed the common aspects of the smoothness and impervious quality of hard enamel, though pottery wares were more widely used among most of the ordinary people. Anyway it was the beginning of porcelain, which afterwards in the succeeding dynasties and due to its durability and luster, rapidly became a necessity of daily life, especially in the middle and upper classes. They were made in the form of all kinds of items, such as bowls, cups, tea sets, vases, jewel cases, incense burners, musical instruments and boxes for stationary and chess, as well as pillows for traditional doctors to use to feel one's pulse.
Pottery may be the oldest artwork of human beings. As far back as the Neolithic Age (more than 8,000 years ago), people began mixing clay and water then baking it until it held its shape. Ancient people attached the word 'pottery' to their discovery and used it to create various vessels and tools to improve the quality of life. Over the course of thousands of years, pottery became dominant wares in people's daily life: used to cook, to store things, and to hold cuisine or waters as dishes.
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Chinese Music
Traditional Chinese music can be traced back 7,000 C 8,000 years based on the discovery of a bone
flute made in the Neolithic Age. In the Xia, Shang and Zhou Dynasties, only royal families and
dignitary officials enjoyed music, which was made on chimes and bells. During the Tang Dynasty,
dancing and singing entered the mainstream, spreading from the royal court to the common people.
With the introduction of foreign religions such as Buddhism and Islam, exotic and religious
melodies were absorbed into Chinese music and were enjoyed by the Chinese people at fairs
organized by religious temples.
In the Song Dynasty, original opera such as Zaju and Nanxi was performed in tearooms, theatres,
and showplaces. Writers and artists liked it so much that Ci, a new type of literature resembling
lyrics, thrived. During the Yuan Dynasty, qu, another type of literature based on music became
popular. This was also a period when many traditional musical instruments were developed such as
the pipa, the flute, and the zither.
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