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Festivals are lifeblood of traditional culture

Festivals are lifeblood of traditional culture  
 
 
　　Qixi Festival, the Chinese equivalent of Valentine's Day that fell yesterday, was not only a disappointment for forgotten lovers, but also for businessmen left with empty pockets.

　　Worse still is the suggestion that young people are beginning to turn their backs on traditional Chinese festivals, celebrating them with less and less enthusiasm.

　　Compared to the Western Valentine's Day on February 14, fewer chocolates, roses and cards were sold and even the number of wedding ceremonies was much lower.

　　Many young people are not even aware of the Qixi Festival or its cultural meaning, as media polls showed.

　　The cold reception has prompted cultural experts to seriously worry that the lovers' festival, marked for generations since the Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 220), is dying out. Some have even called for legislation to make the festival a legal "Chinese Lovers' Day," which falls on the seventh day of the seventh month of the lunar year.

　　But the effectiveness of such a measure is in doubt, although efforts to preserve traditional festivals are highly commendable.

　　A growing number of traditional Chinese festivals, such as the Dragon Boat Festival and Mid-Autumn Festival, share the same fate as the Qixi Festival.

　　Young people are showing less interest in traditional culture as symbolized by these festivals. Even if all traditional festivals are finally made legal, the risk of them becoming purely formalized celebrations with little meaning is not removed. If the younger generation fails to identify with the cultural significance of these holidays, there is little that can be done.

　　While complaining about traditional festivals' fading appeal, decision-makers should reflect on cultural protection. Undeniably our country has done a bad job of preserving culture and traditional festivals, compared to neighbouring Japan and the Republic of Korea (ROK).

　　The 2,500-year-old Dragon Boat Festival falls on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month. The traditional customs and rituals of the occasion, which originated in China, have been better preserved in the ROK.

　　Only a few years ago did China begin to realize the significance of preserving intangible cultural heritage when the ROK planned to apply to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization to list its version of the Dragon Boat Festival as an important example of intangible culture.

　　Concern about traditional holidays also reminds people of the growing influence of foreign cultures as the country opens wider to the outside world. With traditional festivals waning and imports such as Christmas and Valentine's Day gaining widespread popularity, the public including cultural professionals have tended to measure traditional Chinese festivals in economic terms.

　　Business rather than culture has begun to play a dominant role. More and more people are preoccupied with how much money can be generated during the holidays.

　　In fact what makes traditional festivals unique and what keeps them alive is their cultural elements. After all, it is unique culture that contributes to the world's diversity amid globalization.

Chinese Arts - Handicrafts Stoneware, Earthenware, Pottery

Ceramics are objects shaped from earthen materials and fired in a kiln to make them water-proof and durable to a certain extent. The basic materials for ceramics are mineral-rich clay, containing kaolinite (Al2[Si2O5][OH]4), silica and feldspar. The crystal structure of these minerals allows a plastic forming of the clay, making it possible to create every thinkable shape that does not decay during the firing process. Feldspars are aluminosilicates containing sodium (Na), potassium (K) or calcium (Ca), fluxing agents, that reduce the melting temperatures of the silicates that harden the object. After blending of raw materials according to special recipes, the vessel is formed upon a rotating wheel, if the vessel shall be round. In the kiln, the ready made earthenware objects are gradually heated from room temperature through a hot zone, and back to room temperature to achieve some measure of bonding of the silica particles, consolidation of the object's shape and reduction in porosity. Refinement of the earthenware can either be reached by vitrification of by glazing. Vitrification can be reached through a change of the silicate's crystal structure into an amorphous glass structure, and it happens at very high firing temperatures between 1,500 and 1,800��C (2,900 and 3,200��F) that can be lowered by fluxing agents. Glazing is made by dipping the fired object into - or painting it with - a glazing slurry and firing it again at a somewhat lower temperature than the main firing. By the addition of special metallic oxides, the vessels are given colors of a relatively small range.
Earthenware and ceramics were produced by the human race as long as it exists. The oldest examples of Chinese ceramics serve, as in the other parts of the world, to identify the different cultures. Depictings of human beings especially came up during the Warring States period ��� and were very popular under the Qin �� and Han �h dynasties that created whole armies of clay statues. Tomb offering clay figurines serve as important archeological objects to reproduce architecture and clothing of ancient China. From the Jin Dynasty �x on, vessels and objects are glazed, mostly with yellow, green and brown colors (produced by ferrous oxides, ferric oxides, lead and vegetable charcoal combined with soda-lime). Typical for Tang Dynasty �� ceramics are the three colors (sancai ���) white of the vessel itself, therfore called whiteware, dark green and brownish yellow. Song Dynasty �� ceramics are only one-colored, either with a soft green or glazed white. But during this period, porcelain develops as an important ceramic product, and the taste of colors also changes to the worldwide known typical blue-white ceramic chinaware, which fully developed during the Yuan Dynasty Ԫ.
Clay was not only the raw material for vessels either daily use vessels or art objects, but also the ground material for statues of deities in Confucian, Daoist and Buddhist temples.

Historical periods: [Qin-Han pottery][Jin pottery][Tang pottery][Song pottery]  Typical for the Dawenkou culture ����� (5000-3000 BC) located in Shandong are the red colored vessels painted with geometrical patterns. The vessels are sometimes shaped as animals, but we also find tripods among the Dawenkou vessels.
 Longshan culture �ɽ (3000-2000 BC) was the follower of the Dawenkou culture. Its pottery is a refined style of the latter. The eastern type of Longshan pottery is black colored and already shows the typical vessel types that are casted into bronze vessels during the Shang period ��, like the tripod ding �� vessel to the left.
 This Longshan tripod called gui �k by archeologists does not even represent a prototype of the typical three legged li vessel type of the Shang and Zhou �� dynasties, but also shows the begin of the nipple-nail (ruding ���) pattern of the later bronze vessels. But the whole composition with twisted handle and curved spout was not copied by the Shang artists. 
 Majiabang culture �R�ҞI (5000-3500 BC) was located in the lower Yangtse valley. Its ceramics are mostly brown and show non-geometrical, more spontaneous patterns, sometimes realistic motifs like birds or fish. Right picture: Banshan culture ��ɽ, a western branch of Yangshao culture ���� (5000-3000 BC) was located in the northwest (modern Gansu) and is - like the Majiabang culture - caracterized by wide-bellied cooking pottery, but it is painted with more geometrical patterns than the former. 
 While the stone-age pottery has either been painted or decoreated with cords, Shang pottery decoration is much more refined and shows very new patterns, like the flower and labyrinth motifs on the left vessel of the type dou ����.
 Shang bronze vessels are worldwide known, but metal objects were only affordable by the upper class. Ceramics were, of course, much cheaper and easier to produce, and at the same time shows the same styles concerning shape and decoration as the bronze vessel. The left pot is a Shang period vessel called lei . 
 Looking very modern, this wine pot of the type hu �� is a product of artists from the Spring and Autumn period ���� that shows the typical features of Chinese vessels: three feet and the cloud-dragon-labyrinth pattern. 
 Even during the Warring States period, vessels were not only cast of bronze, but also made from clay, like the left ding �� tripod, having at least the same smoothness and beauty of its bronze counterparts. 

 Another example of a Warring States pot, a vessel type called zun ��. Late Zhou artists created vessels with phantastic shapes and patterns, exhausting all possiblities they had. This vessel is shaped like a bird and has no similar counterpart among bronze vessels. 
 Among the most famous Chinese earthenware is the clay army, unburied from 1974 on near the tomb of the First Emperor of China, Qin Shihuangdi ��ʼ�ʵ� (r. 246/221-209 BC). It consists of several thousand statues of soldiers, mainly infantry, generals and chariot drivers. All figures are a little bit less than lifesize. While during the Shang Dynasty, human sacrifices after the death of a ruler were very common, the trend to humanization during Zhou time made it possible to replace real guardians for the dead ruler by clay statues. 
 The whole body of the statues is sculptured realistic, and not even two soldiers have the same face. The production of the whole army must have consumed many time and manpower, and archeologists are not able to reproduce a soldier because of special blending and firing techniques that have not been handed down to later generations. 
 The statue of an archer from the tomb of the First Emperor, on the right his head, showing armament, clothing and hair style in detail. Originally, the soldiers were all painted and equipped with wooden weapons that are already rotten in the earth.
 
 Very typical for Han Dynasty �h ceramics are grave furnishings. Similar to Egypt, rulers and members of the aristocracy had added things needed for daily life to their tomb. Mirrors, drinking and eating vessels, or even models of their domain or farmstead accompanied the nobles in the neither world.
 The court life of Han Dynasty was filled with music, dance and other entertainments. Among the most beautiful pieces of Han art are the figurines of dancing girls, showing us the type of clothing they wore and how women pinned up their hair. From the rest of coloration, we must assume that red was a very popular color during Han time. 
 Although the vessel shapes of Han Dynasty pottery are still very similar to the ancient types, the decoration had changed. Scenes of daily life of the aristocracy, like the hunting scene on the left vessel, became prevalent instead of the old geometrical clouds and dragons. 
 Han Dynasty pottery was not yet glazed, but painted with two main colors, red and black. The middle part of this 50 cm tall water container shows tigers among flower tendrils. The ceramics of southern China during the Han Dynasty used much more dark colors, like gray, white and black, and had patterns full of verve, depicting birds, flames, clouds and souls of deceased persons, as many vessels have been discovered in Han time tombs. 
 The technic of glazing was invented during the 2nd century AD. Later Han ceramics, pottery as well as other objects like candle holders, are regularly glazed by yellowish brown, green-gray, black or translucent slurry. The left vessel (50 cm tall) shows that even new types of vessels came up. Western Jin Dynasty ��x pots are typically covered with the picture of a fortress, sometimes with a flock of doves sitting on the roofs and wild animals playing around. 
 Jin Dynasty pottery is tending to be more round than the traditional vessel types from Shang to Han dynasties. The left vessel is covered with a dark glaze, into that flower patterns are scratched.
 The new vessel types are often straight necked over a wide belly. The black glazed pottery is typical for Eastern Jin times. 

 Not every pottery of the time of division followed the new stream of types and shapes. We still find traditional three legged pots like the left yellow glazed pot from the Six Dynasties time ��. The composition of this object is not traditional, especially the hollow handle to pour out the wine inside that could be heated by a small fire between the three legs.
 Like during Han times, the nobility of the time of division had still made figurines of persons to enrich either their palace rooms or their tomb. While the more civil oriented dynasties of the south favored civil persons like officials and court women, the warrior dynasties in the north preferred depictings of soldiers (from the left: a ceramic figurine from Eastern Jin; from the Southern Dynasties; and from Northern Wei ��κ).
 A stoneware pot from Sui Dynasty ��. Although very short-lived, the Sui Dynasty developed its own style for jars, characterized by a long neck and a dragon head-handle with the dragon head partially hidden in the spout.
 Three color glazing (sancai ���) was very popular during Tang Dynasty ��. The three legged ball shaped vessel to the left is totally glazed with brown color, only added with green coloured leafs giving the vessel the appearance of a pumpkin.
 Tang popular art gives us clear details of the intrusion of Non-Chinese peoples into China. Camels traveled along the silk road to Inner Asia, bringing with them mercantiles and musicians from the West. Horses were an immensurable part of the military society of Tang, and figurines of horses are found everywhere. The example of the horse to the left is not glazed, but only painted.
 Tomb offerings are already highly important archeological findings to reconstruct social life of Han dynasty. Equally, the life of the ruling class is well represented by these three coloured figurines of court ladies, dancers and eunuchs or officials. 
 Engraved with petals, this beautiful transparently glazed Five Dynasties ��� box is shaped like a pumpkin or an apple.

 Song period �� earthenware is mostly glazed with blue flux, like the bowl to the left. The shapes of Song time vessels are entirely new and cut off their binding to the traditional pre-Han forms.
 A rose red glazed dish with three feet from Song Dynasty. Although most Song ceramics and porcelain is glazed with soft blue or green, fresh colours like in this example, or even black glazings are often seen. 
 While the ground material clay is still formable, the patterns of peony flowers were cut into the body of this 20 cm tall Song time vase, before it is glazed to be dark green after the furnace process.
 East Asians do not use pillows like in the West. This tiger shaped head rest is one of the oldest examples of Chinese furniture, dating from Jurchen Jin Dynasty ��. 
 Without any glazing, this 30 cm tall Yuan Dynasty Ԫ jar has the appearance of greek ceramics. Wave patterns at rim and bottom, the picture in the middle shows a scholar reading a book while he is sitting in a boat.

 

Chinese Arts - Handicrafts

Silver and gold are the most precious metals and at the same time relatively easy to work with so that in every culture, art treasures made of noble metal have developed. For some cultures in old America, gold was even the only metal they could work with. In China, goldsmithry was developed quite late. The oldest items are from the Warring States period.  A golden crown with spiral headband, from the area of Xiongnu ��ū people. The motives of the band are not influenced by Chinese art but remind of the Thracian goldsmith's art. The eagle's head is made of turquois.
 This pair of eardrops are also from the Xiongnu area in Inner Mongolia. The left piece has a pendant turquois stone.
 This piece of jewelry with the shape of a monkey from the Warring States period ��� was found in Shandong. The core is made of silver and partially covered with gold. Small blue stones are inlaid in the animal's eye sockets.
 This vessel called zhan �K was dug out of the Warring States tomb of Marquis Zeng ��� in Hubei. The filagree spoon is a hint that this bowl of solid gold (weight 2150 g, diameter 15 cm) has not been used for liquids.
 Slim and gender is this pair of silver tigers from the Warring States period.
 Silver dish from the Qin Dynasty �� (diameter 37 cm) with fine gold inserts. The pattern reminds of the lions in Nordic art.
 Gold seal of Han Dynasty emperor Wendi �h�ĵ� (height ca. 2 cm). The inscription says, "Executive seal of Wendi" �ĵ��Эt.
 Head ornament from the Northern Dynasties ���� (actually: Northern Yan ����). This kind of ornament with the always moving small spangles was popular until the 20th century, in most cases as a hairpin. The example to the left looks more like a crown.
 The influence of Central Asian and Near Eastern art can be seen in this embossed gold cup from the Tang Dynasty ��. It is decorated with eight persons, musicians and dancers.
 Less crude and with applied filigree ornaments and pearls, an other Tang Dynasty cup.
 This wunderfully cast and slightly embossed dragons of red gold were made during the Tang Dynasty (height only 2-3 cm). Every single piece shows a different movement.
 Embossed gold bowl from the Tang Dynasty. The pattern has the shape of lotus petals, showing the influence of Buddhism also in decorating handicraft items.
 A miniature shrine with precious stones inlaid in the base and upon the roof, the body made of gold, silver and bronze during the Tang Dynasty.
 This golden chased dish from the Tang Dynasty shows dragons and fish coming out of the surface (47 cm diameter).
 A spangled hair pin from the Tang Dynasty. Compared to the piece from the Northern Dynasties, it shows a development in refining.
 A tortoise made of silver and fine gold upon whose back a metal candleholder is mounted. The candle's upper part is formed like a real candle with a flame and can be taken off to put in a real candle. A tasteful example of Tang time goldsmith's art (34 cm tall). It resembles some stone pillars in the famous "stele forests" that are found everywhere in China.
 This silver cup from the Tang Dynasty shows scenes of dancing and hunting on its eight areas.
 A silver incense burner from the Tang Dynasty.
 Dali ���� was a realm in the modern province of Yunnan. Its art has much common with that of its southern neighbors Laos and Birma. This silver core gilded specimen is a picture of the Hindu mythical bird Garuda. The flames behind the bird are ornamented with five rock crystals (18 cm tall).
 Composed of five different metals, this praying set from Dali copies the shape of a buddhist stupa or mynah (shelita ������) and can be taken away as a pocket altar.
 The influence of Islamic art can be seen in this dish from the Song Dynasty �� (diameter 17 cm)...
 ... while this dish shows the typical Chinese motif of dragons and fish playing in the water.
 A Song Dynasty silver case, made of woven wires (yinsi �y�z).
 The producer of this bowl from the Song Dynasty decorated with pearls used the old nipple-nail pattern to decorate his work.
 The Khitan people that founded the Liao Dynasty �| had much contact to the Central Asian islamic people and adopted their style in the art, like in this silver pot.
 A very crude silver hairpin from the Yuan Dynasty Ԫ.
 A typical feature of many Chinese daily used handicraft is the box-in-the-box principle like this beautiful set of big and small silver boxes from the Yuan Dynasty.
 From Song times on, this new pattern of intertwined clouds, waves or dragon bodies became very popular, especially used to decorate boxes like this round Yuan dynasty box.
 Highest perfection of goldsmith's art: a very filigree hairpin from the Ming Dynasty �� (22 cm long).
 The upper part of this golden hairpin from the Ming Dynasty is shaped like a leaf and inlaid with precious stones.
 Like many items of Ming and Qing art, this golden jue �� vessel on a dish is very overloaded with precious stones.
 A Ming empress was the owner of this gaze-like crown, made of gold wires (24 cm tall).
 The feet of this armillary sphere (celestial globe) are made from intertwined gold dragons, the base is partially made of cloisonn��, and more than 3000 black and white pearls shape the particular constellations inside the golden heaven of this spectacular piece of Qing �� emperor patronage (height 30 cm).
 The wings of this Qing butterfly-shaped brooch are composed of different precious stones.
 A statue of the meditating Guanyin �^�� Bodhisattva, cast in gold and holding a wooden rosary in his/her hand.
 Hairpins inlaid with different stones from the Qing Dynasty.
 This wonderful combination of a bowl on a high stand is made of two different materials. Stand and cover are made of gold, the bowl itself of jade. Cut turquois stones are inlaid in cover and stand. The inner surface of the bowl is engraved with a text in Tibetian. This shows the presence of Tibetian monks and diplomats at the Qing court in Beijing.
 Chinese art oftenly uses the shape of the gourd, in most cases for chinaware vases and here, for a pot with handle. The golden chased pot from the Qing Dynasty is inlaid with precious stones.
 In old China, religion was never a matter of wars like in Europe. Ancestor worship, Buddhism, Daoism, Christianity and Islam could exist side by side and were respected at the Qing court. Qing goldsmiths created this two floor gold wire pagoda with a Buddha image inside (23 cm tall)
 A penjing �辰, a kind of bonsai-like landscape in a pot. In most cases, this landscapes are made of stone like jade or soapstone and have the shape of a mountain. This penjing is a palm tree, minutiously chased of gold filagree.
 A ruyi ���� scepter of solid gold. The scepter in China had not the same meaning like in Europe where it was exclusively used by the sovereign. Originally it could have been a note table of bamboo for the ministers that they held respectfully in their hands in front of the breast during an audience, like the gui ��. In later times, it was made of each possible material but mostly of jade, a stone that symbolizes longevity. The shape of the scepter is taken from a kind of mythological mushroom that was said to give eternal life. In Qing times, the ruyi scepter was used by princes and the Emperor as a symbol of their position.
 A poem, the fullmoon and an osmanthus constituate this wonderful composition of a night sky picture. Leaves and flowers are equally detailed like the grass and the stones on the ground (heigt 163 cm).
 A golden spittoon on a small table from the old palace in Peking.
 This embossed silver bowl was made in Yunnan.
 Dozens of silver wires (yin leisi �y�n�z) unite to petals that are bound together in the upper part, thus shaping a flower vase (17 cm tall).