The dragon and the phoenix are the principal motifs for decorative designs on the buildings, clothing and articles of daily use in the imperial palace. The throne hall is supported by columns entwined by gilded dragons, the central ramps on marble steps were paved with huge slabs carved in relief with the dragon and phoenix, and the screen wails display dragons in brilliant colours. The names in the Chinese language for nearly all the things connected with the emperor or the empress were preceded by the epithet "dragon" or "phoenix"; thus, "dragon seat" for the throne, "dragon robe" for the emperor's ceremonial dress, "dragon bed" for him to sleep on, and "phoenix carriage", "phoenix canopies" and so on for the imperial processions. The national flag of China under the Qing Dynasty was emblazoned with a big dragon. The earliest postage stamps put out by China were called "dragon-heads" because they showed a dragon in their designs. Even today the dragon is sometimes adopted as the symbol of Chinese exhibitions held abroad or the cover designs of books on China printed by foreign publishers. "The Giant Dragon of the East" is becoming a sobriquet for the country.
Belief in the dragon, and drawings of the imaginary animal, can be traced back to primitive society when certain prehistoric tribes in China adopted the dragon among other totems as their symbol and guardian god. Some of the recently un- earthed bronze vessels of the Yin Dynasty, which existed more than 3,000 years ago, are decorated with sketches of dragons of a crude form. Earliest legends in China described the dragon as a miraculous animal with fish scales and long beards. As time went on, it became more and more embellished in the minds of the people, acquiring the antlers of the deer, the mane of the horse and the claws of the eagle—in short, appropirating the distinctive features of other creatures until it became what we see today everywhere in the palace.
The Chinese phoenix, likewise, exists only in legends and fairy tales. Sovereign of all birds, it has the head of the golden pheasant, the beak of the parrot, the body of the mandarin duck, the wings of the roc, the feathers of the peacock and the legs of the crane; gloriously beautiful, it reigns over the feathered world. An early design of the phoenix can be seen on the silk painting discovered in a tomb of the Warring States Period (475-221 B.C.) near Changsha in Hunan Province.
The dragon and the phoenix often served in classical art and literature as metaphors for people of high virtue and rare talent or, in certain combinations, for matrimonial harmony of happy marriage. As an important part of folk arts, dragon lanterns, dragon boats, dragon and phoenix dances are still highly popular on festivals among the people of all localities.
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Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Wind-Riding Streamers (China Hotels, Guilin Hotels)
Travellers to Tibet often espy strings of tiny flags hanging down from trees or the eaves of buildings, or fluttering on mountaintops. Made of paper or cloth and inscribed with religious incantations, they are known as "prayers' streamers" or "wind and horse streamers" because they also bear horse patterns.
A wind and horse streamer is about 10 cm square and inscribed with patterns with a strapping stud in the centre. The stud has auspicious symbols inscribed on its back and is surrounded with the likenesses of its four divine protectors: the roc, dragon, tiger and lion. These five animals are portrayed in different gestures, but they look heroic and awe inspiring. On some of the streamers the patterns of roc, dragon, tiger and lion are replaced with their names in the Tibetan language. The flags come in white, yellow, red and green colours to symbolize the four direction of universe. In the Tibetan language, "wind" means "dragon", and "horse" means "smooth sailing"; thus the connotation of the flag of wind-riding horse is very much akin to the Han people's wish for good luck.
According to ancient Tibetan history books, the wind-riding horse flag was invented by Kongze Chiyai Jambo. "Kongze" is the Tibetan transliteration of "Confucius", and "Chiyai Jambo", meaning "Master of Wisdom", is a title the Tibetans bestowed on Confucius. Legend has it that in his lifetime, Confucian had served in a variety of positions such as shaman, historian, master of ceremony, and fortune teller; it was probably he who had drawn the likeness of horses and cattle on paper and burned them as sacrifices to the deceased, a practice which found its way to Tibet. In the beginning the Tibetans, too, burned the horse-patterned streamers as sacrifices to the dead; later they learned to let the streamers flutter in the wind so that the wind-riding horse could fly into the sky freely--a habit which has something to do with the Tibetan tradition of celestial burial, by which bodies are cut up and fed to birds of prey.
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Guilin not only has beautiful scenery and human sites, but also has diversity of folk culture. It will show you rich Yangshuo Tour Packages, furthermore, provide Chinese medicine, Kongfu and paintings and other Guilin Tours. For the foreign friends who love the Chinese culture.
A wind and horse streamer is about 10 cm square and inscribed with patterns with a strapping stud in the centre. The stud has auspicious symbols inscribed on its back and is surrounded with the likenesses of its four divine protectors: the roc, dragon, tiger and lion. These five animals are portrayed in different gestures, but they look heroic and awe inspiring. On some of the streamers the patterns of roc, dragon, tiger and lion are replaced with their names in the Tibetan language. The flags come in white, yellow, red and green colours to symbolize the four direction of universe. In the Tibetan language, "wind" means "dragon", and "horse" means "smooth sailing"; thus the connotation of the flag of wind-riding horse is very much akin to the Han people's wish for good luck.
According to ancient Tibetan history books, the wind-riding horse flag was invented by Kongze Chiyai Jambo. "Kongze" is the Tibetan transliteration of "Confucius", and "Chiyai Jambo", meaning "Master of Wisdom", is a title the Tibetans bestowed on Confucius. Legend has it that in his lifetime, Confucian had served in a variety of positions such as shaman, historian, master of ceremony, and fortune teller; it was probably he who had drawn the likeness of horses and cattle on paper and burned them as sacrifices to the deceased, a practice which found its way to Tibet. In the beginning the Tibetans, too, burned the horse-patterned streamers as sacrifices to the dead; later they learned to let the streamers flutter in the wind so that the wind-riding horse could fly into the sky freely--a habit which has something to do with the Tibetan tradition of celestial burial, by which bodies are cut up and fed to birds of prey.
China tours website will lead you to discover symbolized Silk Road Tours, unique ice-covered Tibet Tours, magnificent Yangtze River Tours…It will introduce the famous traveling city Guilin and Yangshuo which the scenery is second to none in guilin. China has rich culture and history.
Luxurious Guilin Hotels, Holiday Villages, folk travel will cater the foreigners many ideal accommodations.
As well as Yangshuo China Travel Guide information: the world fairyland; Chinese culture, with a long history. Yangshuo Attraction, Guilin Attraction guide, China Attraction guide, Chinese history and culture exhibition, all beautiful China hills and water, and Yangshuo China Hotels.
Guilin not only has beautiful scenery and human sites, but also has diversity of folk culture. It will show you rich Yangshuo Tour Packages, furthermore, provide Chinese medicine, Kongfu and paintings and other Guilin Tours. For the foreign friends who love the Chinese culture.
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Big-Mouthed Celestial Animal (Li River, Guilin Tours)
Travellers to Yunnan and Sichuan in southwest China are impressed by the colorfully painted wood ladles in the shape of a strange animal hanging on the front doors of the dwellings of local Miao, Yi and Han residents. The animal looks grotesque with a wide-open mouth as if ready anytime to swallow the demons and goblins that dare to invade. Obviously the wood ladle is a talisman designed to ward the dwellings of evil and disaster.
A variation of masks worn by exorcising dancers in south China, this image of big-mouthed animal was born of totemism and primitive culture. It is found in different places--glazed on eaves tiles or decorating a temple, or carved on a stone pillar that stands by the road to guarantee good luck and rich harvest for local people. Maling, a remote mountainous county of Sichuan, is best known for its renditions of this legendary animal, which features a bizarre look and a striking contrast between bright red and green colours that is somewhat neutralized with black and white. The Eight Diagrams is painted on its fore- head to render a mysterious Taoist touch to the animal. The Maling style of big-mouthed animal is one of the major rural handicrafts of Sichuan.
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A variation of masks worn by exorcising dancers in south China, this image of big-mouthed animal was born of totemism and primitive culture. It is found in different places--glazed on eaves tiles or decorating a temple, or carved on a stone pillar that stands by the road to guarantee good luck and rich harvest for local people. Maling, a remote mountainous county of Sichuan, is best known for its renditions of this legendary animal, which features a bizarre look and a striking contrast between bright red and green colours that is somewhat neutralized with black and white. The Eight Diagrams is painted on its fore- head to render a mysterious Taoist touch to the animal. The Maling style of big-mouthed animal is one of the major rural handicrafts of Sichuan.
China tours website will lead you to discover symbolized Silk Road Tours, unique ice-covered Tibet Tours, magnificent Yangtze River Tours…It will introduce the famous traveling city Guilin and Yangshuo which the scenery is second to none in guilin. China has rich culture and history.
Luxurious Guilin Hotels, Holiday Villages, folk travel will cater the foreigners many ideal accommodations.
As well as Yangshuo China Travel Guide information: the world fairyland; Chinese culture, with a long history. Yangshuo Attraction, Guilin Attraction guide, China Attraction guide, Chinese history and culture exhibition, all beautiful China hills and water, and Yangshuo China Hotels.
Guilin not only has beautiful scenery and human sites, but also has diversity of folk culture. It will show you rich Yangshuo Tour Packages, furthermore, provide Chinese medicine, Kongfu and paintings and other Guilin Tours. For the foreign friends who love the Chinese culture.
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Hada (China Hotels, Yangshuo China)
Hada, a long piece of silk used by the Tibetans and some Mongols as a gift when greeting people, worshipping celestial beings, and in daily person-to-person contacts.
According to the book Tibetan Customs and Habits by the Tibetan scholar Chilai Qoizhag, hada was invented by the Han people before it found its way to Tibet. During the Yuan Dynasty, when the Tibetan Sakya King, Phags-pa, returned to Tibet after meeting Hublai, the founding emperor of the Yuan Dynasty, he brought a piece of hada that was inscribed with patterns of the Great Wall on both ends and the four Chinese characters that mean "good luck".
Hada is of different lengths, but generally it is 2 metres long and 30cm wide. Most of it is fashioned out of white silk7 because white means purity. There are also ones made from homespun. Red, yellow and light blue hada are made of fine silk fabrics and embroidered with Buddhist statues, Sanskrit messages, lotus flower and auspicious clouds, to be used for occasions of the highest grades.
When worshiping Buddhist statues, greeting or bidding farewell to friends, or holding weddings or funerals, the Tibetans show their respects and affection to their friends or beloved ones with hada. Whenever they are on a trip they make it a point to bring along several pieces of hada to be given to friends or relatives. Tiny pieces of hada are attached to letters as a way of good will.
The Tibetans are very etiquette conscious when presenting hada. When the recipient is an elderly, they would bend their body and hold hada above their head before presenting it to the recipient's seat or feet. The ritual is much simpler between peers--you simply thrust the hada to the recipient's hand. When a hada is presented to a member of the younger generation, it is often tied to the youngster's neck, and the youngster is supposed to bend his body to show gratitude.
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Guilin not only has beautiful scenery and human sites, but also has diversity of folk culture. It will show you rich Yangshuo Tour Packages, furthermore, provide Chinese medicine, kongfu and paintings and other Guilin Tours. For the foreign friends who love the Chinese culture.
According to the book Tibetan Customs and Habits by the Tibetan scholar Chilai Qoizhag, hada was invented by the Han people before it found its way to Tibet. During the Yuan Dynasty, when the Tibetan Sakya King, Phags-pa, returned to Tibet after meeting Hublai, the founding emperor of the Yuan Dynasty, he brought a piece of hada that was inscribed with patterns of the Great Wall on both ends and the four Chinese characters that mean "good luck".
Hada is of different lengths, but generally it is 2 metres long and 30cm wide. Most of it is fashioned out of white silk7 because white means purity. There are also ones made from homespun. Red, yellow and light blue hada are made of fine silk fabrics and embroidered with Buddhist statues, Sanskrit messages, lotus flower and auspicious clouds, to be used for occasions of the highest grades.
When worshiping Buddhist statues, greeting or bidding farewell to friends, or holding weddings or funerals, the Tibetans show their respects and affection to their friends or beloved ones with hada. Whenever they are on a trip they make it a point to bring along several pieces of hada to be given to friends or relatives. Tiny pieces of hada are attached to letters as a way of good will.
The Tibetans are very etiquette conscious when presenting hada. When the recipient is an elderly, they would bend their body and hold hada above their head before presenting it to the recipient's seat or feet. The ritual is much simpler between peers--you simply thrust the hada to the recipient's hand. When a hada is presented to a member of the younger generation, it is often tied to the youngster's neck, and the youngster is supposed to bend his body to show gratitude.
China tours website will lead you to discover symbolized Silk Road Tours, unique ice-covered Tibet Tours, magnificent Yangtze River Tours…It will introduce the famous traveling city Guilin and Yangshuo which the scenery is second to none in guilin. China has rich culture and history.
Luxurious Guilin Hotels, Holiday Villages, folk travel will cater the foreigners many ideal accommodations.
As well as Yangshuo China Travel Guide information: the world fairyland; Chinese culture, with a long history. Yangshuo Attraction, Guilin Attraction guide, China Attraction guide, Chinese history and culture exhibition, all beautiful China hills and water, and Yangshuo China Hotels.
Guilin not only has beautiful scenery and human sites, but also has diversity of folk culture. It will show you rich Yangshuo Tour Packages, furthermore, provide Chinese medicine, kongfu and paintings and other Guilin Tours. For the foreign friends who love the Chinese culture.
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Spring Festival Couplets (China Travel, Li River)-Guilin trip
By tradition the Chinese love to paste couplets on their gateposts or door panels when celebrating Spring Festival. The couplets are generally written on red paper and the sentences contain auspicious meanings. In the region south of the Yangtze River, couplets are inscribed on yellow paper during funerals.
The Spring Festival couplets originated in the peach wood charms against evil (hung on the gate on New Year's Eve) in ancient China. Legend has it that the names of two celestial beings who were conquerors of demons and goblins are written down on pieces of peach wood to be hung on the gate to protect a family from evil and disaster and greet the coming of an auspicious year. Later, people simply drew the images of these two celestial beings on their doors. Looking ferocious with glaring eyes and sharp weapons, they were enough to scare demons of all descriptions from intruding. Even today, pictures of the two gods can still be seen in ancient buildings. Later, people simplified the ritual by writing couplets on the peach wood to give expression to their best wishes, aristocratic families by which to sing praise of their ancestors' meritorious deeds and show off their wealth. Later they became popular among commoners. By the Song Dynasty the couplets had become part of local life.
It is no easy job to compose a good couplet because it requires symmetry in every field: sentence for sentence, noun for noun, verb for verb, and statistics for statistics. And it should sound poetic and reflect the actual situation of a family.
Today, Spring Festival couplets have acquired a new meaning--they have become a folk form to eulogize social development and people's better life.
http://www.yangshuochina.com/HistoryCulture/LuckyThings/2359.html
China tours website will lead you to discover symbolized Silk Road Tours, unique ice-covered Tibet Tours, magnificent Yangtze River Tours…It will introduce the famous traveling city Guilin and Yangshuo which the scenery is second to none in guilin. China has rich culture and history.
Luxurious Guilin Hotels, Holiday Villages, folk travel will cater the foreigners many ideal accommodations.
As well as Yangshuo China Travel Guide information: the world fairyland; Chinese culture, with a long history. Yangshuo Attraction, Guilin Attraction guide, China Attraction guide, Chinese history and culture exhibition, all beautiful China hills and water, and Yangshuo China Hotels.
Guilin not only has beautiful scenery and human sites, but also has diversity of folk culture. It will show you rich Yangshuo Tour Packages, furthermore, provide Chinese medicine, kongfu and paintings and other Guilin Tours. For the foreign friends who love the Chinese culture.
The Spring Festival couplets originated in the peach wood charms against evil (hung on the gate on New Year's Eve) in ancient China. Legend has it that the names of two celestial beings who were conquerors of demons and goblins are written down on pieces of peach wood to be hung on the gate to protect a family from evil and disaster and greet the coming of an auspicious year. Later, people simply drew the images of these two celestial beings on their doors. Looking ferocious with glaring eyes and sharp weapons, they were enough to scare demons of all descriptions from intruding. Even today, pictures of the two gods can still be seen in ancient buildings. Later, people simplified the ritual by writing couplets on the peach wood to give expression to their best wishes, aristocratic families by which to sing praise of their ancestors' meritorious deeds and show off their wealth. Later they became popular among commoners. By the Song Dynasty the couplets had become part of local life.
It is no easy job to compose a good couplet because it requires symmetry in every field: sentence for sentence, noun for noun, verb for verb, and statistics for statistics. And it should sound poetic and reflect the actual situation of a family.
Today, Spring Festival couplets have acquired a new meaning--they have become a folk form to eulogize social development and people's better life.
http://www.yangshuochina.com/HistoryCulture/LuckyThings/2359.html
China tours website will lead you to discover symbolized Silk Road Tours, unique ice-covered Tibet Tours, magnificent Yangtze River Tours…It will introduce the famous traveling city Guilin and Yangshuo which the scenery is second to none in guilin. China has rich culture and history.
Luxurious Guilin Hotels, Holiday Villages, folk travel will cater the foreigners many ideal accommodations.
As well as Yangshuo China Travel Guide information: the world fairyland; Chinese culture, with a long history. Yangshuo Attraction, Guilin Attraction guide, China Attraction guide, Chinese history and culture exhibition, all beautiful China hills and water, and Yangshuo China Hotels.
Guilin not only has beautiful scenery and human sites, but also has diversity of folk culture. It will show you rich Yangshuo Tour Packages, furthermore, provide Chinese medicine, kongfu and paintings and other Guilin Tours. For the foreign friends who love the Chinese culture.
Saturday, July 19, 2008
"Fu" and "Fu" Upside Down (Guilin China, Yangshuo China)
The Chinese character 'fu" means good fortune and happiness, and during Spring Festival virtually every family would paste it upside down on their doors in the hope that the word could bring blessings to their families. As to why 'fu" should be placed upside down there are three interpretations.
The first interpretation has the practice of pasting 'fu" during Spring Festival originate in Jiang Ziya of the Zhou Dynasty (11th Century-256 B.C.). When Jiang Ziya was made a god, his wife demanded to be made a goddess. "After I married you I was always in poverty in my life," Lord Jiang said. "Seems you are destined to be poor. So let me appoint you as the Goddess of Poverty." No knowing what being the Goddess of Poverty held in store for her, his wife was nevertheless happy about becoming a goddess. Cheerfully, she asked, "Now that I'm the Goddess of Poverty, where shall be my domain?" Jiang replied, "You are off limits wherever there is good fortune." When the residents got word of Jiang's instruction, they wrote the character "fu"on paper and pasted it on the doors and windows of their houses to keep the Goddess of Poverty away. Thus pasting 'fu" during the Spring Festival became a Chinese tradition.
The second interpretation ascribes the practice to Zhu Yuanzhang, the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty. One year, on the 15th of the first lunar month, Zhu went incognito on a fact-finding inspection tour. When he arrived at a town he saw people huddle together and watch a painting that poked fun at women of west Anhui refusing to have their feet bound by featuring a bare-footed woman holding a large watermelon in her arms. The emperor, however, misconstrued the meaning of the painting, thinking that people were laughing at his wife, Empress Ma, who came exactly from west Anhui. Returning to his palace he sent some soldiers to look into the matter. He particularly ranted to know who were those people, who watched and commented on the painting, and who was the painter. He also asked the soldiers to paste "fu" on the doors of those who did not join in the crowd. Two days later, another team of soldiers arrived in town to arrest people from the houses whose doors were not marked with "fu" on charges of scoffing at the queen. Since then the Chinese have been pasting "fu" on the doors of their houses to shun trouble.
The third interpretation attributes the practice to Fu Jin, the princes of Gong of the Qing Dynasty. Once, on the lunar New Year's Eve, the butler of the mansion of the Prince of Gong wanted to curry favour with his master. He followed past practice and had several large "fu" written and pasted on the front gates of the warehouse and the mansion. One of the men sent to do the pasting was illiterate and put the character upside down on the front gate of the mansion. Enraged, the prince wanted to punish the perpetrator by whipping him. The butler, who had the gift of the gab, hastened to go down on his knees and pleaded: "Your humble servant often heart people say that Your Excellency is a man of longevity and great fortune. Indeed great fortune did arrive today; it is a good sign." The prince was convinced. "This is why the passers-by were saying that great fortune had arrived in the mansion of the Princess of Gong," he thought. "Once an auspicious saying is repeated for a thousand times, my wealth could increase by 10,000 taels of gold and silver." He then awarded the butler and the servant who pasted the paper upside down fifty taels of silver. Since then the practice of pasting "fu" upside down during Spring Festival has become a tradition followed by both imperial aristocrats and commoners
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As well as Yangshuo China Travel Guide information: the world fairyland; Chinese culture, with a long history. Yangshuo Attraction, Guilin Attraction guide, China Attraction guide, Chinese history and culture exhibition, all beautiful China hills and water, and Yangshuo China Hotels.
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The first interpretation has the practice of pasting 'fu" during Spring Festival originate in Jiang Ziya of the Zhou Dynasty (11th Century-256 B.C.). When Jiang Ziya was made a god, his wife demanded to be made a goddess. "After I married you I was always in poverty in my life," Lord Jiang said. "Seems you are destined to be poor. So let me appoint you as the Goddess of Poverty." No knowing what being the Goddess of Poverty held in store for her, his wife was nevertheless happy about becoming a goddess. Cheerfully, she asked, "Now that I'm the Goddess of Poverty, where shall be my domain?" Jiang replied, "You are off limits wherever there is good fortune." When the residents got word of Jiang's instruction, they wrote the character "fu"on paper and pasted it on the doors and windows of their houses to keep the Goddess of Poverty away. Thus pasting 'fu" during the Spring Festival became a Chinese tradition.
The second interpretation ascribes the practice to Zhu Yuanzhang, the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty. One year, on the 15th of the first lunar month, Zhu went incognito on a fact-finding inspection tour. When he arrived at a town he saw people huddle together and watch a painting that poked fun at women of west Anhui refusing to have their feet bound by featuring a bare-footed woman holding a large watermelon in her arms. The emperor, however, misconstrued the meaning of the painting, thinking that people were laughing at his wife, Empress Ma, who came exactly from west Anhui. Returning to his palace he sent some soldiers to look into the matter. He particularly ranted to know who were those people, who watched and commented on the painting, and who was the painter. He also asked the soldiers to paste "fu" on the doors of those who did not join in the crowd. Two days later, another team of soldiers arrived in town to arrest people from the houses whose doors were not marked with "fu" on charges of scoffing at the queen. Since then the Chinese have been pasting "fu" on the doors of their houses to shun trouble.
The third interpretation attributes the practice to Fu Jin, the princes of Gong of the Qing Dynasty. Once, on the lunar New Year's Eve, the butler of the mansion of the Prince of Gong wanted to curry favour with his master. He followed past practice and had several large "fu" written and pasted on the front gates of the warehouse and the mansion. One of the men sent to do the pasting was illiterate and put the character upside down on the front gate of the mansion. Enraged, the prince wanted to punish the perpetrator by whipping him. The butler, who had the gift of the gab, hastened to go down on his knees and pleaded: "Your humble servant often heart people say that Your Excellency is a man of longevity and great fortune. Indeed great fortune did arrive today; it is a good sign." The prince was convinced. "This is why the passers-by were saying that great fortune had arrived in the mansion of the Princess of Gong," he thought. "Once an auspicious saying is repeated for a thousand times, my wealth could increase by 10,000 taels of gold and silver." He then awarded the butler and the servant who pasted the paper upside down fifty taels of silver. Since then the practice of pasting "fu" upside down during Spring Festival has become a tradition followed by both imperial aristocrats and commoners
China tours website will lead you to discover symbolized Silk Road Tours, unique ice-covered Tibet Tours, magnificent Yangtze River Tours…It will introduce the famous traveling city Guilin and Yangshuo which the scenery is second to none in guilin. China has rich culture and history.
Luxurious Guilin Hotels, Holiday Villages, folk travel will cater the foreigners many ideal accommodations.
As well as Yangshuo China Travel Guide information: the world fairyland; Chinese culture, with a long history. Yangshuo Attraction, Guilin Attraction guide, China Attraction guide, Chinese history and culture exhibition, all beautiful China hills and water, and Yangshuo China Hotels.
Guilin not only has beautiful scenery and human sites, but also has diversity of folk culture. It will show you rich Yangshuo Tour Packages, furthermore, provide Chinese medicine, kongfu and paintings and other Guilin Tours. For the foreign friends who love the Chinese culture.
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Protective Chicken Talisman -Yangshuo Guilin tour
In old days the Chinese had the habit of pasting or painting chicken talismans on the doors of their dwellings on the lunar New Year's Day. This habit is still very much alive today in rural areas in Shaanxi Province in northwest China.
An ancient Chinese belief regards the chicken as the variant or emblem of the sun. Thus to paste a talisman in the image of a chicken is like having the sun on the door. The habit gives indirect expression to people's longing for the advent of spring. Chinese ancients also believed that the chicken talisman can help ward off the dismal impact of demons.
From this connection between the chicken and the sun, the ancients gave wings to imagination and invented the image of the Heavenly Chicken that is always the first to announce the sunrise on a daily basis. The lunar New Year's Day is known as "yuandan", or the "first sunrise of the year", and it goes without saying that only the Heavenly Chicken is capable of knowing when the sun rises for the first time of the year and reporting the news to the mundane world. Pasting the chicken talisman on the door is actually a symbolism of the chicken and sun worship.
The chicken talisman is pasted up on the lunar New Year's Day because it is also the Day of the Chicken. As the classic The Book of Divination puts it, "The first day is the day of the chicken, the second day is devoted to the dog, the third day to the pig, the fourth day to the goat, the fifth day to the cattle, the sixth day to the horse and the seventh day to man." This matchup between animals and time was derived from people's understanding of space. Seven is the number of the universe to indicate the east, south, west, north, and middle, upper and lower directions. East takes the number one position because it is the direction in which the sun rises and because it is also in accord with the first day of the week. Wood is the symbol for east, where the divine Hibiscus rosa-sinensis and peach trees grow. While the sun rises over the top of the Hibiscus rosa-sinensis tree, the chicken perches in the peach tree. This is why east is matched up with the chicken and becomes the symbol of the day of the first sunrise of the year. In that sense, the chicken talisman entails our remote ancestors' imagination of the universe and their way of keeping time.
China tours website will lead you to discover symbolized Silk Road Tours, unique ice-covered Tibet Tours, magnificent Yangtze River Tours…It will introduce the famous traveling city Guilin and Yangshuo which the scenery is second to none in guilin. China has rich culture and history.
Luxurious Guilin Hotels, Holiday Villages, folk travel will cater the foreigners many ideal accommodations.
As well as Yangshuo China Travel Guide information: the world fairyland; Chinese culture, with a long history. Yangshuo Attraction, Guilin Attraction guide, China Attraction guide, Chinese history and culture exhibition, all beautiful China hills and water, and Yangshuo China Hotels.
Guilin not only has beautiful scenery and human sites, but also has diversity of folk culture. It will show you rich Yangshuo Tour Packages, furthermore, provide Chinese medicine, kongfu and paintings and other Guilin Tours. For the foreign friends who love the Chinese culture.
An ancient Chinese belief regards the chicken as the variant or emblem of the sun. Thus to paste a talisman in the image of a chicken is like having the sun on the door. The habit gives indirect expression to people's longing for the advent of spring. Chinese ancients also believed that the chicken talisman can help ward off the dismal impact of demons.
From this connection between the chicken and the sun, the ancients gave wings to imagination and invented the image of the Heavenly Chicken that is always the first to announce the sunrise on a daily basis. The lunar New Year's Day is known as "yuandan", or the "first sunrise of the year", and it goes without saying that only the Heavenly Chicken is capable of knowing when the sun rises for the first time of the year and reporting the news to the mundane world. Pasting the chicken talisman on the door is actually a symbolism of the chicken and sun worship.
The chicken talisman is pasted up on the lunar New Year's Day because it is also the Day of the Chicken. As the classic The Book of Divination puts it, "The first day is the day of the chicken, the second day is devoted to the dog, the third day to the pig, the fourth day to the goat, the fifth day to the cattle, the sixth day to the horse and the seventh day to man." This matchup between animals and time was derived from people's understanding of space. Seven is the number of the universe to indicate the east, south, west, north, and middle, upper and lower directions. East takes the number one position because it is the direction in which the sun rises and because it is also in accord with the first day of the week. Wood is the symbol for east, where the divine Hibiscus rosa-sinensis and peach trees grow. While the sun rises over the top of the Hibiscus rosa-sinensis tree, the chicken perches in the peach tree. This is why east is matched up with the chicken and becomes the symbol of the day of the first sunrise of the year. In that sense, the chicken talisman entails our remote ancestors' imagination of the universe and their way of keeping time.
China tours website will lead you to discover symbolized Silk Road Tours, unique ice-covered Tibet Tours, magnificent Yangtze River Tours…It will introduce the famous traveling city Guilin and Yangshuo which the scenery is second to none in guilin. China has rich culture and history.
Luxurious Guilin Hotels, Holiday Villages, folk travel will cater the foreigners many ideal accommodations.
As well as Yangshuo China Travel Guide information: the world fairyland; Chinese culture, with a long history. Yangshuo Attraction, Guilin Attraction guide, China Attraction guide, Chinese history and culture exhibition, all beautiful China hills and water, and Yangshuo China Hotels.
Guilin not only has beautiful scenery and human sites, but also has diversity of folk culture. It will show you rich Yangshuo Tour Packages, furthermore, provide Chinese medicine, kongfu and paintings and other Guilin Tours. For the foreign friends who love the Chinese culture.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Tianlu and Bixie (Guilin Tours, Yangshuo Tours)-Guilin-Yangshuo trip
Tianlu (heavenly emolument) and Bixie (evil dispeller) are two Chinese mythological animals that herald in good fortune and keep evil at bay. Both look like a lion except for their wings--the one with only one horn on his head is tianlu and the one with two horns is Bixie. During the Han Dynasty (206 B.C.-220 A.D.), the images of both animals were for ornamentation purposes. Sculptures of them were placed in front of tombs to suggest the dignity and power and authority the deceased enjoyed in their lifetime. As symbols of bravery and immunity to evil, the two animals are meant for those aspiring to ascend to heaven to ride on.
Images of tianlu and Bixie were inscribed, embroidered or carved on fabrics, army banners, bands and hooks, or the handles of seals and bells in ancient times.
Tianlu and Bixie are cast in a pair of gigantic sculptures that stand along with stone pillars on the holy way that leads to a tomb in the eastern suburbs of Nanjing. Buried in the tomb are the remains of Xiao Hong, the younger brother of Emperor Wudi of the Liang dynasty. The sculpture of Bixie, 3.8 metres tall, 3.8 metres long and 1.55 metres wide, has a plump body and thick and short neck, its chest puffing and its belly protruding, and walking in giant strides with its tongue hanging out of its wide open mouth. This is by far the best-preserved large stone sculpture of Bixie.
China tours website will lead you to discover symbolized Silk Road Tours, unique ice-covered Tibet Tours, magnificent Yangtze River Tours…It will introduce the famous traveling city Guilin and Yangshuo which the scenery is second to none in guilin. China has rich culture and history.
Luxurious Guilin Hotels, Holiday Villages, folk travel will cater the foreigners many ideal accommodations.
As well as Yangshuo China Travel Guide information: the world fairyland; Chinese culture, with a long history. Yangshuo Attraction, Guilin Attraction guide, China Attraction guide, Chinese history and culture exhibition, all beautiful China hills and water, and Yangshuo China Hotels.
Guilin not only has beautiful scenery and human sites, but also has diversity of folk culture. It will show you rich Yangshuo Tour Packages, furthermore, provide Chinese medicine, kongfu and paintings and other Guilin Tours. For the foreign friends who love the Chinese culture.
Images of tianlu and Bixie were inscribed, embroidered or carved on fabrics, army banners, bands and hooks, or the handles of seals and bells in ancient times.
Tianlu and Bixie are cast in a pair of gigantic sculptures that stand along with stone pillars on the holy way that leads to a tomb in the eastern suburbs of Nanjing. Buried in the tomb are the remains of Xiao Hong, the younger brother of Emperor Wudi of the Liang dynasty. The sculpture of Bixie, 3.8 metres tall, 3.8 metres long and 1.55 metres wide, has a plump body and thick and short neck, its chest puffing and its belly protruding, and walking in giant strides with its tongue hanging out of its wide open mouth. This is by far the best-preserved large stone sculpture of Bixie.
China tours website will lead you to discover symbolized Silk Road Tours, unique ice-covered Tibet Tours, magnificent Yangtze River Tours…It will introduce the famous traveling city Guilin and Yangshuo which the scenery is second to none in guilin. China has rich culture and history.
Luxurious Guilin Hotels, Holiday Villages, folk travel will cater the foreigners many ideal accommodations.
As well as Yangshuo China Travel Guide information: the world fairyland; Chinese culture, with a long history. Yangshuo Attraction, Guilin Attraction guide, China Attraction guide, Chinese history and culture exhibition, all beautiful China hills and water, and Yangshuo China Hotels.
Guilin not only has beautiful scenery and human sites, but also has diversity of folk culture. It will show you rich Yangshuo Tour Packages, furthermore, provide Chinese medicine, kongfu and paintings and other Guilin Tours. For the foreign friends who love the Chinese culture.
Monday, July 14, 2008
Yangshuo Guilin-China tour-Tianlu and Bixie
Tianlu (heavenly emolument) and Bixie (evil dispeller) are two Chinese mythological animals that herald in good fortune and keep evil at bay. Both look like a lion except for their wings--the one with only one horn on his head is tianlu and the one with two horns is Bixie. During the Han Dynasty (206 B.C.-220 A.D.), the images of both animals were for ornamentation purposes. Sculptures of them were placed in front of tombs to suggest the dignity and power and authority the deceased enjoyed in their lifetime. As symbols of bravery and immunity to evil, the two animals are meant for those aspiring to ascend to heaven to ride on.
Images of tianlu and Bixie were inscribed, embroidered or carved on fabrics, army banners, bands and hooks, or the handles of seals and bells in ancient times.
Tianlu and Bixie are cast in a pair of gigantic sculptures that stand along with stone pillars on the holy way that leads to a tomb in the eastern suburbs of Nanjing. Buried in the tomb are the remains of Xiao Hong, the younger brother of Emperor Wudi of the Liang dynasty. The sculpture of Bixie, 3.8 metres tall, 3.8 metres long and 1.55 metres wide, has a plump body and thick and short neck, its chest puffing and its belly protruding, and walking in giant strides with its tongue hanging out of its wide open mouth. This is by far the best-preserved large stone sculpture of Bixie.
http://www.yangshuochina.com/HistoryCulture/LuckyThings/2362.html
China tours website will lead you to discover symbolized Silk Road Tours, unique ice-covered Tibet Tours, magnificent Yangtze River Tours…It will introduce the famous traveling city Guilin and Yangshuo which the scenery is second to none in guilin. China has rich culture and history.
Luxurious Guilin Hotels, Holiday Villages, folk travel will cater the foreigners many ideal accommodations.
As well as Yangshuo China Travel Guide information: the world fairyland; Chinese culture, with a long history. Yangshuo Attraction, Guilin Attraction guide, China Attraction guide, Chinese history and culture exhibition, all beautiful China hills and water, and Yangshuo China Hotels.
Guilin not only has beautiful scenery and human sites, but also has diversity of folk culture. It will show you rich Yangshuo Tour Packages, furthermore, provide Chinese medicine, kongfu and paintings and other Guilin Tours. For the foreign friends who love the Chinese culture.
Images of tianlu and Bixie were inscribed, embroidered or carved on fabrics, army banners, bands and hooks, or the handles of seals and bells in ancient times.
Tianlu and Bixie are cast in a pair of gigantic sculptures that stand along with stone pillars on the holy way that leads to a tomb in the eastern suburbs of Nanjing. Buried in the tomb are the remains of Xiao Hong, the younger brother of Emperor Wudi of the Liang dynasty. The sculpture of Bixie, 3.8 metres tall, 3.8 metres long and 1.55 metres wide, has a plump body and thick and short neck, its chest puffing and its belly protruding, and walking in giant strides with its tongue hanging out of its wide open mouth. This is by far the best-preserved large stone sculpture of Bixie.
http://www.yangshuochina.com/HistoryCulture/LuckyThings/2362.html
China tours website will lead you to discover symbolized Silk Road Tours, unique ice-covered Tibet Tours, magnificent Yangtze River Tours…It will introduce the famous traveling city Guilin and Yangshuo which the scenery is second to none in guilin. China has rich culture and history.
Luxurious Guilin Hotels, Holiday Villages, folk travel will cater the foreigners many ideal accommodations.
As well as Yangshuo China Travel Guide information: the world fairyland; Chinese culture, with a long history. Yangshuo Attraction, Guilin Attraction guide, China Attraction guide, Chinese history and culture exhibition, all beautiful China hills and water, and Yangshuo China Hotels.
Guilin not only has beautiful scenery and human sites, but also has diversity of folk culture. It will show you rich Yangshuo Tour Packages, furthermore, provide Chinese medicine, kongfu and paintings and other Guilin Tours. For the foreign friends who love the Chinese culture.
Xiezhi--a Mythological Animal-Guilin-China tour
The Holy Way of the Ming Tombs of Beijing is franked with 12 stone men and 24 stone animals. Among them are four statues of xiezhi, an animal in Chinese mythology credited with the ability to distinguish between right and wrong, and between virtue and evil.
Legend has it that xiezhi is a divine goat which, upon seeing a quarrel or fight, would reach out its horn to touch the side which is wrong. It is so upright that it never compromises its principle even if the wrong side is an emperor. According to the "Records of Court Attire" in the Book of Late Han, "The Hat of Law is made for those enforcing the state law...It is also known as Xiezhi Hat to symbolize justice." The Qing rule of court attire stipulated that the robes worn by royal scribes, surveillance commissioners and law superintendents should be embroidered with the pattern of xiezhi as an emblem of their duties. In his autobiography, Pu Yi, the last Qing emperor, also mentioned xiezhi by saying that the emperor had a statue of the mythological goat in front of his desk to remind himself that he should be fair and strict in handling state and political affairs.
China tours website will lead you to discover symbolized Silk Road Tours, unique ice-covered Tibet Tours, magnificent Yangtze River Tours…It will introduce the famous traveling city Guilin and Yangshuo which the scenery is second to none in guilin. China has rich culture and history.
Luxurious Guilin Hotels, Holiday Villages, folk travel will cater the foreigners many ideal accommodations.
As well as Yangshuo China Travel Guide information: the world fairyland; Chinese culture, with a long history. Yangshuo Attraction, Guilin Attraction guide, China Attraction guide, Chinese history and culture exhibition, all beautiful China hills and water, and Yangshuo China Hotels.
Guilin not only has beautiful scenery and human sites, but also has diversity of folk culture. It will show you rich Yangshuo Tour Packages, furthermore, provide Chinese medicine, kongfu and paintings and other Guilin Tours. For the foreign friends who love the Chinese culture.
Legend has it that xiezhi is a divine goat which, upon seeing a quarrel or fight, would reach out its horn to touch the side which is wrong. It is so upright that it never compromises its principle even if the wrong side is an emperor. According to the "Records of Court Attire" in the Book of Late Han, "The Hat of Law is made for those enforcing the state law...It is also known as Xiezhi Hat to symbolize justice." The Qing rule of court attire stipulated that the robes worn by royal scribes, surveillance commissioners and law superintendents should be embroidered with the pattern of xiezhi as an emblem of their duties. In his autobiography, Pu Yi, the last Qing emperor, also mentioned xiezhi by saying that the emperor had a statue of the mythological goat in front of his desk to remind himself that he should be fair and strict in handling state and political affairs.
China tours website will lead you to discover symbolized Silk Road Tours, unique ice-covered Tibet Tours, magnificent Yangtze River Tours…It will introduce the famous traveling city Guilin and Yangshuo which the scenery is second to none in guilin. China has rich culture and history.
Luxurious Guilin Hotels, Holiday Villages, folk travel will cater the foreigners many ideal accommodations.
As well as Yangshuo China Travel Guide information: the world fairyland; Chinese culture, with a long history. Yangshuo Attraction, Guilin Attraction guide, China Attraction guide, Chinese history and culture exhibition, all beautiful China hills and water, and Yangshuo China Hotels.
Guilin not only has beautiful scenery and human sites, but also has diversity of folk culture. It will show you rich Yangshuo Tour Packages, furthermore, provide Chinese medicine, kongfu and paintings and other Guilin Tours. For the foreign friends who love the Chinese culture.
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Yangshuo-Guilin tour-Gourd
Gourd is the fruit of a kind of liana. When fresh and tender, it could be eaten as vegetable; when dried, it makes an ideal container of water or wine. Northern Chinese farmers have the habit of cutting a gourd in two to be used wine containers or ladles. Our ancestors fashioned the gourd into a wind instrument known as sheng, and the wayfarers loved to carry drugs in a gourd. This gave rise to the old platitude: "I don't know what he has got in his gourd." meaning somebody is wondering what's up somebody else's sleeves.
Because the gourd liana is prolific in fruits and seeds, families have regarded it as a symbol of prosperity since ancient times. Life-like green-glazed ceramic gourds were unearthed along with such burial objects as earthen kettles, ovens and bronze mirrors from a Han tomb dating back to 3,000 years ago. This is a rare case in which gourds were used as burial objects.
In some areas, men and women in love are still observing the Mid-Autumn Festival tradition to steal gourds from the fields with the desire to have as many children as possible after they get married.
China tours website will lead you to discover symbolized Silk Road Tours, unique ice-covered Tibet Tours, magnificent Yangtze River Tours…It will introduce the famous traveling city Guilin and Yangshuo which the scenery is second to none in guilin. China has rich culture and history.
Luxurious Guilin Hotels, Holiday Villages, folk travel will cater the foreigners many ideal accommodations.As well as Yangshuo China Travel Guide information: the world fairyland; Chinese culture, with a long history. Yangshuo Attraction, Guilin Attraction guide, China Attraction guide, Chinese history and culture exhibition, all beautiful China hills and water, and Yangshuo China Hotels.
Guilin not only has beautiful scenery and human sites, but also has diversity of folk culture. It will show you rich Yangshuo Tour Packages, furthermore, provide Chinese medicine, kongfu and paintings and other Guilin Tours. for the foreign friends who love the Chinese culture.
Because the gourd liana is prolific in fruits and seeds, families have regarded it as a symbol of prosperity since ancient times. Life-like green-glazed ceramic gourds were unearthed along with such burial objects as earthen kettles, ovens and bronze mirrors from a Han tomb dating back to 3,000 years ago. This is a rare case in which gourds were used as burial objects.
In some areas, men and women in love are still observing the Mid-Autumn Festival tradition to steal gourds from the fields with the desire to have as many children as possible after they get married.
China tours website will lead you to discover symbolized Silk Road Tours, unique ice-covered Tibet Tours, magnificent Yangtze River Tours…It will introduce the famous traveling city Guilin and Yangshuo which the scenery is second to none in guilin. China has rich culture and history.
Luxurious Guilin Hotels, Holiday Villages, folk travel will cater the foreigners many ideal accommodations.As well as Yangshuo China Travel Guide information: the world fairyland; Chinese culture, with a long history. Yangshuo Attraction, Guilin Attraction guide, China Attraction guide, Chinese history and culture exhibition, all beautiful China hills and water, and Yangshuo China Hotels.
Guilin not only has beautiful scenery and human sites, but also has diversity of folk culture. It will show you rich Yangshuo Tour Packages, furthermore, provide Chinese medicine, kongfu and paintings and other Guilin Tours. for the foreign friends who love the Chinese culture.
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