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Chinese Tunic Suit (China Travel Agency, Yangshuo Tours)

vicky | 29 July, 2008 02:55

The tunic suit has dominated Chinese fashion for many years and is known to Westerners as the "Mao tunic" or "Mao suit". It is a mistake, however, to associate the style with Mao Zedong.
For it is called by the Chinese themselves "Zhongshan Zhuang" or "Zhongshan suit" as it was a uniform that Dr. Sun Yat-sen (better known among the Chinese as Sun Zhongshan) liked to wear and recommended to the people of the country.
It was customary in ancient times to change the styles of the people's clothes whenever a new dynasty replaced an old one. The 1911 Revolution led by Dr. Sun Yat-sen overthrew the Qing Dynasty and founded the Republic of China. Members of his Nationalist Party proposed to change the national costume. During the discussions, Dr. Sun favored the casual dress prevalent in Guangdong Province but proposed certain modifications. A designer worked on his ideas and produced the tunic with four pockets and a turned-down collar, closed all down the middle with five buttons. It looked simple and tasteful and gave an air of sedateness. From then on Dr. Sun set a personal example by wearing the tunic suit on various occasions. It did not take long before the style became fashionable all over the country.

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Cheongsam (China Travel, Guilin Tours)

vicky | 28 July, 2008 03:56

The cheongsam is a female dress with distinctive Chinese features and enjoys a growing popularity in the international world of high fashion.

The name "cheongsam", meaning simply "long dress", entered the English vocabulary from the dialect of China's Guangdong Province (Cantonese). In other parts of the country including Beijing, however, it is known as "qipao", which has a history behind it.

When the early Manchu rulers came to China proper, they organized certain people, mainly Manchus, into "banners" (qi) and called them "banner people" (qiren), which then became loosely the name of all Manchus. The Manchu women wore normally a one-piece dress which. Likewise, came to be called "qipao" or "banh her dress". Although the 1911 Revolution toppled the rule of the Qing (Manchu) Dynasty, the female dress survived the political change and, with later improvements, has become the traditional dress for Chinese women.

Easy to slip on and comfortable to wear, the cheongsam fits well the female Chinese figure.Its neck is high, collar closed, and its sleeves may be either short, medium or full-length, de- pending on season and taste. The dress is buttoned on the right side, with a loose chest, a fitting waist, and slits up from the sides, all of which combine to set off the beauty of the female shape.The cheongsam is not too complicated to make. Nor does it call for too much

material, for there are no accessories like belts, scarves, sashes or frills to go with it.

Another beauty of the cheongsam is that, made of different materials and to varying lengths, they can be worn either on casual or formai occasions. In either case, it creates an impression of simple and quiet charm, elegance and neatness, not only of China but of foreign countries No wonder it is so much liked by women as well.

Tibetan Robe (China Hotel Booking, Guilin Tours)

vicky | 26 July, 2008 03:30

The robe embroidered with dragon patterns was made for the exclusive use of an emperor during the Qing dynasty. The ritual of embroidering dragon patrons on the emperor's robe, however, dates back to as early as the Zhou Dynasty (11th century-256 B.C.). During the Yuan and Ming, the emperors were already wearing robes graced with dragon patterns, but it was not until the Qing that they were named "dragon robes" and became part of the official attire system. A dragon robe is either yellow or apricot-yellow in colour, and embroidered with nine yellow dragons and five-hued auspicious cloud patterns. The clouds are interlaced with twelve other patterns—the sun, the moon and stars (representing the light of the throne), mountains (synonymous to stability), dragon (symbolizing adaptability to changes) auspicious bird (denoting elegance and beauty) water reeds (which represent purity and cleanness), and fire (meaning light). According to imperial Qing rituals, the emperor'! dragon robe was a kind of auspicious attire for lower-grade celebrations and ceremonies-it was by no means the highest grade of imperial attire. The dragon robe that was passed down from one emperor to another is embroidered with a dragon on the front and the back, before or behind the knees, on the shoulders, and on the lining of the chest. Thus a total of nine dragons are embroidered on a dragon robe. Observed from the front or behind it, five dragons could be seen at a glance, because in Chinese tradition the figures nine and five tallied with the dignity of the throne

Miao-Style Silver Jewellery (Private China Tours, Guilin Hotels)

vicky | 25 July, 2008 03:14

When a girl was born in a Miao family, her parents make it a point to save on food and expenses for a complete set of silver jewellery for her. The set, 15 kg in total weight, includes crown, horns, earrings, neckband, chest plaque, clothing ornament, waistband, and bracelets. It takes more than one hour for a young woman to put the entire kit on and finish her makeup. The Miao people's penchant for silver jewellery stems from their love of beauty, wealth and dignity. The colour of silver symbolizes the Miao people's character of fearing no tyranny and being impervious to temptation of wealth and position. It is also said that wearing silver jewellery

helps keep evil at bay. Silver jewellery can also be used as a symbol of a
person's marital status or as a betrothal gift.

Tombstone and Buried Tablet (Guilin Tours, Guilin Hotels)

vicky | 24 July, 2008 03:22

The mubei and muzhi are two different things that serve the same purpose. The Chinese tombstone (mubei), like its western counterpart, is an oblong piece stone, erected vertically in front of the tomb and engraved with an inscription beiwen). The muzhi is usually in the form a square stone tablet which is buried in the grave with the coffin and placed in front of it. The practice of burying a tab- let as part of the Chinese funerary rites appeared later than the tombstone.

The earliest Chinese tombstone had no inscriptions. They were but simple rectangular slabs with small holes, through which ropes were run to lower the coffin into the pit. Some of the very ancient tomb- stones still show vestiges of the holes on them.

The inscription, which appeared later, generally gives a brief account of the dead person, listing the major events he experienced and the lofty qualities he possessed to perpetuate his name to later generations. Important inscriptions or epitaphs, penned by eminent statesmen, men of letters or other public figures and engraved by master masons, are cherished as valuable relics important to the study of ancient literature, calligraphy and art in general.

Some inscribed epitaphs could be very long. One such on a great stele dedicated to the Prince of Qi or Han Shizhong (1089-1151), a Song Dynasty general famous for his resistance against northern invaders, has a total of over 13,900 characters, the longest ever found on any tombstone.

Other tombstones carry no inscriptions at all. A typical one, and also the best known, is the tall stele standing at the front of Qianling Mausoleum in Shaanxi Province. The crown of the stele is carved in the shape of several intertwining dragons, and the sides are decorated with cloud-and-dragon patterns, but there are no words engraved on the face. This is the monument that Empress Wu Zetian (624-705, reigned 690-705) erected for herself. She refrained from singing her own praises, but preferred to leave it for later generations to appraise her merits and faults.

Inscriptions are bound to reflect the age in which they are written. Though the practice of erecting tombstones is as a whole falling into desuetude in New China, the few that have been built are completely new in content and form.

Towering aloft in Tian'anmen Square is the Monument to the People's Heroes. Its face is engraved with eight big characters, gilded and written in the hand of the late Chairman Mao Zedong, reading: "Eternal Glory to the People's Heroes". At the back is a memorial article authored also by Mao but written out by the late Premier Zhou Enlai. The stele is different from all tombstones of past ages. It is a tombstone without a tomb, but a monument dedicated to all the heroes who have laid down their lives for the cause of the Chinese people. The monument is over 37 metres tall, and its pedestal, decorated on four sides with 10 sculptures carved in bas-relief on its white marble, is closed in by double-tiered marble balustrades. Simple and magnificent, it is also the grandest stele that China has ever built.

Source: http://www.yangshuochina.com/HistoryCulture/AncientRelics/2207.html

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Chinese medicine for slimming has a history of 5000 years; it is popular among the obesity people since Chines Ancient time. The slimming product is a health product has the function of reducing weight, lower blood sugar, and health care based on the research on function. It is the genuine slimming pills for the obese people.

Picture of the Ultimate and the Eight Diagrams (Guilin Tours, Yangshuo Tours)

vicky | 23 July, 2008 02:40

The picture is a composite of the Ultimate and the Eight Diagrams, and is found even now in some Chinese temples. The picture of the Ultimate consists of a black and a white fish--also called the yin and yang fish. The picture of the Eight Diagrams is an octagon formed of eight combinations of three whole or broken lines.

qian, sky

kun, earth

zhen, thunder

xun, wind

kan, water

li, fire

gen, mountain

dui, lake

According to legend, the picture was created by Fuxi, an ancient Chinese sage. It is written in the ancient book Zhou Yi (The Zhou Book of Changes) that "Changes originate in the Ultimate; from the Ultimate issue the two spheres. From the two spheres issue the four elements, and from the four elements the eight diagrams". That was the basic theory of the Ultimate giving rise to the eight diagrams. By the Ultimate, the ancient meant the origin of all things and creatures. The philosopher Zhu Xi (1130-1200) of the Southern Song Dynasty said, "The Ultimate is the way of all things in heaven and earth". The two spheres refer to heaven and earth, or yin (feminine, negative) and yang (masculine, positive). The four elements are metal, wood, water and fire, which are everywhere. The eight diagrams symbolize the eight natural phenomena: sky, earth, thunder, wind, water, fire, mountain and lake. So the picture represented the ancient Chinese's earliest knowledge of the universe, which contained a simple dialectical materialist point of view.

What is more interesting is the picture of the Eight Diagrams, which are formed of yao (lines), namely, the yangyao (male line whole line written as-- ) and the yinyao (female line, a broken line written as The two forms are contradictory opposites and they form the eight combinations.

By taking two of them or doubling them, 64 combinations can be made. It has been suggested that the German mathematician Wilhelm von Leibuiz (1646-1716) was inspired by the Chinese Eight Diagrams to create the binary system. If this was true, then the Chinese picture of the Ultimate and the Eight Diagrams made some historic contribution to the modern computer science.

In the early 1930's the Chinese scholar Liu Zihua, 27 years of age who was in France on a work-study basis, used the Eight Diagrams, without recourse to Newton's theory of gravity, to forecast the existence of the tenth planet of the solar system, and wrote a thesis entitled The Eight Diagrams Theory of the Universe and Modern Astronomy", which him the French national doctorate in 1938 and thrilled the world astronomist profession.

The Chinese picture of the Ultimate and the Eight Diagrams is still being studied by some Western scholars as a source of ancient science. It is certainly an important heritage of Chinese science and culture, though at times it was used for divination and other superstitious activities.

Source: http://www.yangshuochina.com/HistoryCulture/AncientRelics/2208.html

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Bi and Cong Ancient Jade Carvings and Sealing Clay

vicky | 22 July, 2008 02:51

Bi and Cong Ancient Jade Carvings

Bi and cong are both objects of art fashioned out of jade in ancient times. As symbols of good luck and the blue sky, they were used by aristocrats as ritual objects when attending audiences with the emperor, religious functions and funerals. Most often found in the tombs of the Shang, Zhou and Han dynasties, they also were used as jewellery.

Bi is a round flat piece of jade with a round hole in the middle. In 1936, 24 pieces of bi and 33 pieces of cong were unearthed from Tomb No.3 at Liangzhu Town of yuhuang, Zhejiang Province.

Cong is a rectangular piece of jade with a round hollow to accentuate the ancient Chinese theory that heaven is round and earth square. During the Shang and Zhou dynasties, cong was a fashionable talisman of good luck which served as a ritual object for worshipping heaven and earth. When it was used as a burial object, it was placed on the deceased's head and feet or around it.

Sealing Clay

The Beijing Museum of Ancient Ceramic Civilization's collection of more than 1,000 pieces of sealing clay of the Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC) has been regarded as an archive for the study of the origin of the political system of ancient China.

In ancient China official and private documents were inscribed on bamboo or wooden slips. Before these documents were announced the slips were bound with a piece of thread and sealed with clay. The sealing clay was imprinted with the impression of an official or private seal to prevent illegal opening. The clay-sealing method, which was also used for the ship- ping of goods, gradually fell into oblivion with the invention of paper and silk fabrics. Since clay sealing was first discovered by historians in the late Qing Dynasty (1616-1911), it has commanded the attention of epigraphers and collectors. For archaeologists it makes excellent material for the study of history and ancient epigraphy and calligraphy.

Source: http://www.yangshuochina.com/HistoryCulture/AncientRelics/2210.html

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Tally (China Tours,Guilin Hotels)

vicky | 21 July, 2008 02:28

Fu, or tally, was a kind of talisman in ancient China. Before paper was invented in China, tallies were made from bamboo or wood. A tally consists of two pieces and is used to a general as imperial authorization for troop movement or other schemes. Among the populace, the tally was used as proof of authorization for exchanges of goods or leases.
In ancient China the official tally was made of gold, silver, jade or bronze in the shape of tiger, dragon, human figure, turtle, snake, fish, etc. Most of them, however, appear in the shape of a tiger. The "tiger tally" was used by an emperor for delegating his generals with the power to command and dispatch the army. A tiger tally is inscribed with a text on its back and consists of two parts, with the right part retained in the central government and the left part issued to a local official or a commander. Only when the tally was authenticated could the authorization take effect, a practice which was fashionable during the Warring States, Qin and Han periods.
To fashion a tally in the image of a tiger was also meant to indicate that with the emperor's authorization, the command should act as promptly and courageously as a tiger. By tradition the Chinese regard the tiger as a symbol of valour. Even today a crack force in the army is likely to be named "Flying Tiger Detachment". It is thus understandable for our ancients to use the tiger tally for the manoeuvring of soldiers. Source:http://www.yangshuochina.com/HistoryCulture/AncientRelics/2211.html

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Jade Clothes Sewn with Gold (China Travel Agency, Yangshuo Tours)

vicky | 19 July, 2008 03:04

According to an ancient Chinese belief, when a man had put on clothes made of jade pieces sewn together with gold thread when he died, his remains would never go rotten.

In 1968, Chinese archaeologists working in Mancheng, Hebei Province, found such clothes in a tomb buried with the remains of Liu Sheng, a princes of the Western Han Dynasty, and those of his wife, Dou Pass. Only a few teeth and a pile of bones were left of the remains, the jade clothes remained intact. Liu's clothes were made of a total of 2,498 pieces of jade, sewn together with lengths of thread that is 96 percent gold, 4 to 5 cm in length and 0.35-0.5 mm in diameter. There were also soft and sturdy gold ropes made by twisting 12 pieces of gold thread 0.08- 0.13mm in diameter. It took about 1,100 grams of gold to put Liu's clothes together. His wife's clothes were fashioned out of 2,160 pieces of jade and sewn with 700 grams of gold. Judging from the technology of today, it takes an entire decade for an artisan to finishing making such piece of jade clothes.

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http://www.yangshuochina.com/HistoryCulture/AncientRelics/2212.html

Bronze Ware (China Travel, Guilin Tours)

vicky | 18 July, 2008 02:02

The bronze wares were unique national treasures for China in ancient times for their impressive designs, classical decorative ornamentation, and wealth of inscriptions.

The ancient Chinese society fell into Stone Tool Age and the Iron Tool Age.

The earliest stoneware in China was found in 3000 B.C. The Shang and Zhou dynasties ushered China into the height of the Bronze Age. During this period the making of bronze ware reached its zenith. After the Spring and Autumn and Warring

Statesperiods China entered the Iron Tool Age.

Bronze is the alloy of copper and zinc or copper and lead that is bluish grey. The museums across China and some important museums outside China, have all collected Chinese bronze ware dating back to the Shang and Zhou dynasties. Some of them are part of the cultural heritage passed down through the generations, but most of them were dug up from underneath the earth.

Ancient Chinese bronze ware fall into three types: ritual vessels, weapons, and miscellaneous objects.

Ritual vessels refer to those objects employed by aristocrats in sacrificial ceremonies or audiences. Therefore there is something distinctively religious and shamanist about them. These vessels include food containers, wine vessels, water pots and musical instruments.

Bronze weapons come in such varieties as knife, sword, spear, halberd, axe, and dagger.

The miscellaneous objects refer to bronze utensils for daily use.

In ancient China the making of bronze ware was dominated by the imperial families and aristocrats. And the possession of such wares was regarded as a status symbol.

In comparison with counterparts in other parts of the world, the Chinese bronze ware stand out for their inscriptions which are regarded as major chapters in the Chinese history of calligraphy.

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Source: http://www.yangshuochina.com/HistoryCulture/AncientRelics/2213.html

http://www.yangshuochina.com/HistoryCulture/AncientRelics/2213.html