1.Program General Introduction
Experience Chinese Culture Tour is a cultural promotion program created by our company in cooperation with various social and government organizations. This program aims to introduce the people, culture and economic development of various regions of China to foreigners with us in our tour.
Our cultural tour offers glimpses of the beautiful scenery and rich cultural heritage of China, as well as the ever-changing lifestyle of the Chinese people as we embark into the 21st century.
2. Unique Chinese Culture
(1) Brief Introduction to Cheongsam
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鈥檚 Guangdong Province (Cantonese). In other parts of the country including Beijing, however, it is known as Qi Pao, 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 (qi ren), which then became loosely the name of all Manchus. The Manchu women wore normally a one-piece dress which, like-wise, came to be called qi pao or banner 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, depending 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 formal occasions. In either case, it creates an impression of simple and quiet charm, elegance and neatness. No wonder it is so much liked by women not only of China but of foreign countries as well.
(2) Dragon Dance
The dragon dance, also known as the dragon lantern dance, is a unique folk dance in China. The performers wave props shaped like a dragon to the accompaniment of drums and gongs, displaying a powerful and majestic momentum.
The image of the dragon appeared in prehistoric times. Each clan adopted the image of an animal as its emblem and this became the clan鈥檚 totem.
The Yellow Emperor, the legendary ancestor of the Chinese nation, adopted the dragon as the totem of his tribe.
The dragon could be long or short, big or small. In spring, the dragon rose high into the air and in autumn, it hid at the bottom of the water. People in ancient China believed that rain was under the control of the dragon. About 3,000 years ago, the dragon dance was performed when people offered sacrifices to Heaven.
In the remote past the dragon dance was performed to pray for rain. In China, agriculture was the base on which to build up the nation. The time and amount of rainfall were very important for harvests. Today we can still see the earliest form of the dragon dance. One family offered a wooden bench. Benches from many families were linked together to form a dragon for performance. Naturally the dragon lantern was the most wonderful.
The dragon lantern was an improved prop of the dragon dance performed when sacrifices were offered to Heaven. About 2,000 years ago, the series of movements used in the dragon dance were established in China. During the Song Dynasty, founded in the 10th century, the dragon was combined with lanterns to form a kind of visual art. The dragon lantern dance became a major item of entertainment during festivals, especially the Lantern Festival on the 15th day of the first lunar month.
The head and body of the dragon are made of bamboo, wood, paper and cloth and painted with pigments. The number of segments of the dragon depends on the number of performers. Usually it is a dozen or even dozens of meters long. When the dragon lantern dance is performed, the dragon head follows the movement of somebody waving a pearl-shaped ball while the dragon body moves forward or backward and turns up and down, displaying various postures of the legendary dragon.
A dozen or even dozens of people perform a dragon dance. Working together to produce the movements is very important. When a huge dragon is dancing vigorously, it is an artistic treat for spectators. The dragon is an emblem of the Chinese nation. It is also an emblem of good harvest, national prosperity and people鈥檚 happiness. So the dragon dance is indispensable for festivities in Chinese communities all over the world.
The dragon dance, a unique folk dance in China, has been popular for centuries. The most important reason is that the dragon represents the spirit of the Chinese nation making unremitting efforts to become ever stronger.
(3)Jiao Zi (Chinese Dumplings)
Jiaozi is a favorite food of Chinese people. It is usually a semicircular wheaten food with stuffing. In most areas of China, jiaozi is made when people celebrate the Spring Festival or other festivals and entertain relatives and friends.
Jiaozi dates back many centuries. It originated in the Yellow River valley where wheat was grown. During the Spring and Autumn Period, about 2,500 years ago, people already knew how to grind wheat into flour, make wheaten food with stuffing and steam it in bronze pots.
The earliest jiaozi known was made more than 1,300 years ago and was found in a tomb of the Tang Dynasty unearthed in Turpan, Xinjiang in the 1970s. The semicircular jiaozi was about five centimeters long. The wrappers were made of flour and the stuffing was made of vegetables. It was almost the same as the jiaozi of today.
The Chinese love jiaozi not only because it has a great variety of tastes. The main reason is that over the centuries it has become a kind of food implying the auspicious.
The jiaozi wrapper is 鈥測uan鈥 (circular). The Chinese hope for 鈥渢uan yuan鈥 (reunion) and 鈥測uan man鈥 (perfection). Jiaozi is oblate, similar in design to a shoe-shaped gold or silver ingot in ancient times. When a family gets together to bid farewell to the old year and usher in the new,they enjoy reunion and eat jiaozi to imply that they will acquire more wealth and have a better life in the new year.Jiaozi are filled with stuffing to contain various auspicious messages.When a couple get married, the jiaozi are filled with peanuts and chestnuts to express the hope that they will soon have a baby.
The little jiaozi carries with it so many auspicious messages so it has close ties with traditional Chinese customs. Since ancient times, people have followed the traditional custom of eating jiaozi on the eve of the Spring Festival, on the fifth day of the first lunar month and on the day of the Winter Solstice.
In present-day society, great progress has been made in the making of jiaozi. People have more options ranging from quick-frozen jiaozi to a rich variety of jiaozi feasts. As it is a kind of food with uniquely Chinese characteristics, jiaozi is also enjoyed by people from other countries.
As a carrier of culture, jiaozi is typical of traditional Chinese cuisine culture. It is different from Western food. A hamburger is sandwiched with beef or an egg. It can be seen clearly from the outside. But jiaozi is quite different. You can鈥檛 know its stuffing from the outside. You can only find out when you eat it. It is identical to the spirit of traditional Chinese culture, especially the reserved and moderate character fostered by Confucianism.
Jiaozi is probably not the representative of delicious Chinese food, but the psychological enjoyment is just as important, if not more so. This aspect cannot be displaced by any other food. Jiaozi has been with the Chinese people over so many auspicious occasions and it has become the most representative example of Chinese cuisine.
(4) Gaomi Paper-cuts
The folk art of paper锛峜uts has a long history in China. In Gaomi, Shandong Province, old people or school children, and women in particular, are immensely interested in paper锛峜uts.
鈥淭here is a custom in the area. After a bride goes over to the bridegroom鈥檚 house, before the bridal veil is taken off, the neighbours first look at her dowry. They want to see her handwork, mainly paper锛峜uts or embroidery. If her handwork is fine, she must be a good bride. If her handwork is awful, the bride is not okay,鈥 said Lu Hong鈥檈n, folk handicraft expert.
Gaomi Paper锛峜uts date back to the Ming Dynasty. In the first year of the Hongwu period, a great many people from Shanxi, Jiangxi, Henan and Hebei moved to Gaomi. Among them were many paper锛峜ut artists. They took in advantages of various styles and created the present style of Gaomi Paper锛峜uts. The great scholar Guo Moruo admired the paper锛峜uts with these lines: 鈥淚 saw paper锛峜uts for window decorations in northern China. Their flavour is simple and vigorous. Today I see paper锛峜uts from southern China. Their charm is matchless. The art of scissor锛峜ut is magic. Its beauty lies among the people eternally.鈥
Gaomi Paper锛峜uts cover a wide range of motifs, such as daily life and historical stories. They depict the outward appearances of characters as well the innermost feelings of individuals.
Artists of Gaomi Paper锛峜uts seek the artistry of the unity of opposites. Blocks and lines form the three essentials of black, white and grey colours. The simple and lovely paper锛峜uts are characterized by sharp contrast, elegant charm and exquisite craftsmanship. They are imbued with local colour.
In real life, people catch long锛峢orned grasshoppers and keep them in cages. A paper锛峜ut artist has adopted an original approach, keeping long锛峢orned grasshoppers outside the cage. The two insects are holding on to the delicate cage with their hind legs, stretching out their feelers and keeping their eyes round. The long锛峢orned grasshoppers and the cage form an integral whole.
鈥淕aomi Paper锛峜uts artists stress the clever use of scissors. It is something like the expression of hardness and strength in painting. So the paper锛峜uts have strong artistic appeal. They are both rustic and delicate. As a plane art, paper锛峜uts are impromptu works by girls, young married women and old ladies. Through these things, folk artists express their hopes for the future and their desire for beauty,鈥 said Lu Hong鈥檈n.
With the progress of the times, modern articles for daily use have entered homes in rural areas. But Gaomi Paper锛峜uts are still loved by farmer families. The paper锛峜uts herald the approach of spring year after year.
