China's traditional arts command a great part of the country's rich heritage.

Since ancient time, Chinese society has cherished excellence in its arts. Over centuries, Chinese arts have developed its own unique styles and forms. Singing, sculpture, calligraphy, painting, carving and others are the timeworn forms of expression in Chinese arts. Chinese Traditional Art List

Chinese Seals Chinese Lanterns Chinese Kites Cloisonne Wax Printing Chinese Knot Acrobatics Paper Cut Paper Umbrella Traditional Painting Chinese Calligraphy Embroidery Chinese Dance Beijing Opera

Chinese Seals
History In China, seal (seal carving), handwriting, painting, and poem are called Chinese four traditional arts. At first, seal, also called official seal, was the symbol of power. In the Qin Dynasty, the first emperor Ying Cheng made strict regulations about seal in order to maintain his prestige: the emperor's personal seal was also the national seal, while the officials seal were called Yin or Zhang. The names could not be confused. Before Ying Cheng unified China, he had robbed Lantian Jade, the famous "He Shi Bi", the national treasure of the Zhao principality, and made the national seal out of the jade. When the Han Dynasty came, the creation of seal became of a kind of artistic production. In addition to the "Six National Seals", the emperor also stipulated that the seal of officials who got more than 2,000-dan (dan, a unit of dry measure for grain equal to 100 litres in ancient China) grains as salary was called Zhang; while the seal of officials who got salary from 200-dan to 1000-dan grains was called Yin. The rest seals were called personal seal. At that time, the official seals were about a cubic inch, while personal seals were smaller. The sealed clod was called lute. The Han Dynasty was the Golden Age of seal. Seal in

the Han Dynasty, together with the Tang poetry, the Song Ci, and Yuan Qu, is the brilliant heritage of ancient people. After the Song Dynasty, people began to use seal when they working on handwritings and paintings. They were accustomed to dedicate their names on paintings after they finished them. So that we can find the seal of many famous calligraphers and painters such as Su Dongpo, Huang Tingjian, and the emperor Hui of the Song Dynasty. Seal is not only a constituent of ancient graphic arts, but also an independent art itself. Use of Seal Chinese seals are in special patterns. After accomplishment, people can stamp their seals after dipping the red ink paste. So we can find that ink paste is inseparable from seals. Ink paste is made of vermilion (a kind of mercury compound). High quality ink paste must have bright colour and will not fade after a long time. And the ink paste containers are supposed to be made of magnetic materials. And we should concoct the ink paste by ivory ink paste chopsticks as often as we can in order that the ink paste will not harden or the ink oil will not overflow. If paid particular attention, the ink paste containers are supposed to put inside wood or silk boxes so as not to be collided or covered with dust. Chinese lanterns Lanterns, the traditional folk craftwork, are still popular all over the country. And the art of lanterns, as the precious traditional culture of Chinese, is also inherited and continues among folks. We can say that lanterns play an important and irreplaceable role in Chinese long history and symbolize the brilliant culture of China. The craftwork of lantern is still widely used in current society which can be seen in some happy days such as the Lantern Festival, wedding and celebration ceremonies. Besides, lanterns have some other functions in daily life. For example, at ancient time, when there was no electricity, lanterns were used as a tool of illumination, which brought great convenience to everyday life. At that time, people of all classes admired the specific culture of lanterns. As verified by historians, Chinese lantern was the earliest invented portable illumination instrument in the world. However, Chinese lantern was not just used to illuminate. It was also historic. The elaborate pattern of lantern was the intelligence gathering of ancient labouring people. Ancient lanterns were on the greatest artistic level. Whats more, the lanterns used in royal families and palaces were the most valuable, which had elaborately engraved decorative design, smooth lines, and plump patterns. All these designs fiercely impact on eyes. Besides, some lanterns not only have elegant lines and engraved designs, but also were decorated with Chinese characters, portraits of historic figures, pictures of the divinities of some legends, and the landscape of China, which

perfectly blend the nature with the humanistic ideas and thus vividly reflect the high level of civilization of the society at that time. Chinese lanterns not only played an important role in Chinese history, but also made great contribution to the development of international civilization. Some western countries got the skills of designing and making Chinese lanterns by means of missionaries and foreign trading, which greatly fasten their social development. While some oriental countries, especially those Asian countries, taking the advantage of the geographical position, learned the traditional culture of Chinese lanterns directly by means of the commercial communication, which means that even their current lantern designs have the trace of Chinese culture. So we can say that the brilliant Chinese culture has greatly impacted the whole world, among which the traditional lantern culture is an important part. Nowadays, people usually use other instruments to illuminate instead of lanterns. However, lanterns still play a special role in certain occasions, especially the festivals and some wedding ceremonies. Whats more, recently great changes have taken place in the skills of making lanterns so that lanterns work better in decoration. Nowadays, lanterns are more and more used in advertisements. At present, people have changed their taste for lanterns. As a result, traditional lanterns become the collections of some lantern lovers. Artists at home and abroad all have great passion for traditional Chinese lanterns owing to their elegant moulding and convincingly exquisite craftsmanship. Chinese Kites

History of Chinese Kites

Chinese Kites were first invented by Chinese about 2,000 years ago. At about the 12th century, kites were introduced to the western countries. Afterwards, with the continuous development, the different specific cultures of kites were gradually formed in both eastern and western countries. During the procedure of kites' development, some special local culture concerning kites formed after combining Chinese traditional culture and the handicraft of making kites and presenting some fairy tales, flowers, birds, animals, and some morals implying lucky on kites. Originally, kites were used in military affairs. When the middle of the Tang Dynasty (618-907 A.D.) came, the society began to develop steadily and prosperously, thus kites were used in the area of entertainment instead of in military affairs. Besides, the material for making kites was silk at first. But, silk was replaced by papers as the fast development of paper. When the Song Dynasty (960-1279 A.D) came, it had become an occupation to make kites. And it was during the period of the Ming Dynasty and the Qing Dynasty that the craftsmanship of kites developed rapidly. At that time, litterateurs made kites

and painted on them by themselves and then flew those kites or presented them to their relatives and friends, and whats more, they considered this to be an artistic activity. Recently, kite undertaking in China has been fully developed and flying kites has widely spread as a popular activity suitable for sports and entertainment as well as building up bodies. Since the Tang Dynasty and the Song Dynasty, Chinese kites have spread to the outside world. First, they were introduced to some countries in Southeast Asia such as Korea, Japan, and Malaysia and so on; and later were introduced to some European and American countries. Afterwards, under the influence of the Industrial Revolution of Europe, Chinese kites, originally as a kind of toy, enlightened some scientists to design aerocrafts. And after the contribution and experiments of Carrie in Britain, Hargreave in Australia, and Lee Lindahl in Germany, it was the Wright brothers from America who finally succeeded in making the first manned plane in human history which could successfully take off. Therefore, in honor of Chinese kites, there hangs a Chinese kite saying "the earliest aircrafts are Chinese kites and fire arrows" on the wall of the hall inside the Astronavigation Museum in Washington, America. Chinese Kite Craftsmanship Chinese kites enjoy a long history and super craftsmanship, which has been wellknown a long time ago. The traditional skills for making Chinese kites can be introduced in four words binding, pasting, painting, and flying, which are called four skills. Superficially, we can simply understand these four words as follows: binding is to bind a frame; pasting is to paste the surface of paper; painting is to paint some beautiful pictures on the paper; flying is to fly the kite when everything is finished. However, it is difficult to closely study the four skills because they have rich and comprehensive connotation and almost contain all the profound details in making Chinese kites. Chinese kites are framed by thin bamboos and then pasted with paper or silk. The four skills of "binding, pasting, painting, and flying" for making kites have strict requirements. To bind a kite should meet the requirement of symmetry, which enables both sides of the kite to support itself balanceablely against the wind. To paste a kite demands the neatness and efficiency of the whole kite. Paintings on a kite should be visible in the distance and vivid at close range. When flying a kite, people should adjust the angle of the thread according to the wind. Kites can be divided into two kinds the one with hard wings and the one with soft wings. Kites with hard wings can support itself in heavy wind and fly higher than others, while kites with soft wings can not fly too high but can fly far away. Besides, there appear many new patterns of kites with characters painted on them in recent years, which are different from those traditional ones with pictures of animals, insects, and fishes. Hence, there form different schools and styles of kites with specific characteristics, among which the most well-

known ones are from Beijing, Tianjin, Weifang in Shandong Province, Sichuan Province, and Guangdong Province. Weifang Kites Weifang kites mainly have three basic moulding: string, hard wings and simple appearance, which can best be presented by a kite of "centipede with dragon head". Besides centipede, Weifang kites in long strings present many other themes. For example, "the 108 heroes from Liang Hill" vividly show the different appearances and figures of those heroes who are standing in a row with swords in hands. When the kite flies in the wind, it seems that those heroes are about to start off responding to the roaring drums and fight against the Song Dynasty. In April, 1984, a huge kite of centipede with dragon head flied above the northern beach in Weifang. The kite, which was 320 meters long with a diameter of 1.2-meter in the middle and a head of 4-meter in height and 4-meter in length, was the biggest one all over the country at that time. Weifang International Kites Festival is held annually from Apr. 20th to 25th at Weifang. Cloisonne Cloisonn is a special craftwork of Beijing. It culminated during Jingtai period in the Ming dynasty. It gains the fame "cloisonn" by the main colour of blue. The technics of cloisonn flourishes during Qianlong period in the Qing dynasty. Cloisonn enjoys good fame home and abroad. It once won the first prize in International Fair in Chicago, USA, and the one in Panama Worlds Fair in 1915. The design of cloisonn is made by pinching fine and oblate brass wires, weld them on the copper body, then fill in colour ceramic glaze and burn it. The products are dazzlingly brilliant resplendent and magnificent, with strong, sober minded, gorgeous and elegant characteristic. They include vases, bowls, plates, wine sets, smoking sets, lamps and lanterns, sugar bowls, spice boxes, trophy cups, birds and beasts, etc. more than 60 kinds. Beijing is the cradle of cloisonn technique. The earliest and existing cloisonn is the product in Yuan dynasty, which we know it has nearly thousand-year history already. There is a great variety of products, such as the traditional vase, jar, bowl, plate, box and ash-tray. A great number of new varieties have also been created. They are brilliant in colours and splendid in design and enjoy a high reputation both at home and abroad. Wax Printing

Wax printing is an ancient and distinguishing manual printing art popular among the minorities. Wax printing is the integration of encaustic and dye. Wax printing, wring printing, bandhnu are called the three printing techniques of ancient China. Zhuang Ethnic Minority Wax Printing Wax printing of the Chuang is mainly in the pattern of white flowers blooming on the blue cloth, which is elegant and in good taste. The craftsmanship is not so difficult, but requires of high techniques. The raw materials used are mainly some local special products, such as the beeswax, white cloth, konjak, straw ash and indigo and so on. The procedures of producing the wax printing are firstly bleach the white cloth using the straw ash; secondly, paste the back of the white cloth; thirdly, rubdown the white cloth on the board after it is dry; fourthly, cut down the needed cloth according to certain size; finally, paint colourful pictures freely on the surface of the cloth using the wax spatula dipped with wax (the wax should first melt in the container using charcoal). After being painted, the waxed cloth will be put into the indigo and dipped for several times and then put into the boiling water in order to remove the beeswax. And a wax printing textile will be finally worked out after the cloth is dry. Miao Ethnic Minority Wax Printing The traditional way to make wax printing textiles of the Miao nationality is to paint various pictures on pieces of white cloth of different sizes using the specific wax spatula dipping the melted beeswax, dye the painted white cloth in the dye vet, then remove the beeswax from the dyed cloth in boiling water, rinse the cloth in clean water and dry it in the sun. After all these procedures, the wax printing cloth will be finally finished. Chinese knot Chinese knot is an ancient knotting art in China. It is made of colourful silk thread and is hung in the room. It seems simple but charming. The natural life taste and the lucky Chinese knot pray the safety and property for the owner and reflect the specific personality and aesthetic standard. Do not look down upon the tiny Chinese knot, it is one of the most fashionable things recently all over the world and has been developed into different kinds of products. Studying carefully, you can find two main varieties: hanging decoration implying luck and knotted clothes. Each variety includes many kinds as well, for example, the hanging decoration implying luck can be subdivided into the large knot hanging on the wall, decoration hanging inside the room, and decoration hanging inside the car; while the knotting clothes includes the rings, eardrops, bracelets, necklace, belts, and classical buttons. Acrobatics

Chinese Acrobatics is a traditional performance of art with a long history. In broad sense, acrobatics is a general designation of various exceeding skills. It used to be called Zaji or Zajiyue. During the period of the comprehensive development of primeval art, acrobatics was closely related with music and dancing, and became the leading artistic form of the then culture. In Han Dynasty (206 BC220 BC) and Tang Dynasty (618 BC907 BC), it was very popular and prosperous together dancing and music. The art of acrobatics in late Ming Dynasty and early Qing Dynasty was introduced abroad and widely favoured by Europeans and Americans. Chinese Acrobatics has by now developed such artistic features as follows. It emphasizes training on waist and legs. Performers of acrobatics must have a solid foundation of physical quality. There is a popular saying which goes like "Acrobatics is the combination of Chinese Opera characterized by singing and acting, and that by acrobatic fighting; the skill of balancing can compete with the flip performance in Peking Opera". It seeks balance in moving and quietness in acting. It pursuits wonder in the common life. The artistic features of acrobatics are fully demonstrated in a performance called Ancient Performances of Acrobatics, during which each performer only wore a long gown and a thin sheet. They looked plain like the average people, but can miraculously turn out all kinds of strange things miraculously and demonstrate the philosophical ideas of the oriental world. It emphasizes both the flexibility and sturdiness of the human body through Qigong and martial arts supplementing each other. In the performance called Bicycle Balancing, the skills are fully displayed to the audience through feet dexterity with Shaoxing wine jars, bell, table, ladder, people, carpets, and colour umbrella. All the props become so cute and elegant during the performance. It combines super power of the body with nimble and deft movements. It has strong adaptability to environment. All these artistic characteristics constitute the unique charm and glamour of Chinese Acrobatics. In recent years, Chinese acrobatic performers have won many prizes in international contests. China has been recognized as "The Country with the Best Performance of Acrobatics". Paper Cut Folk paper-cut is an ancient traditional folk art in China. It has a long history and a special pattern and is loved by people at home and abroad. Chinese papercut art, which can be dated back to 2,000 years ago, is one of the most popular traditional arts in China.

The themes involved in Chinese folk paper-cut art are various and colourful, which vary from the subjects in daily life with which people are familiar to the future life people are dreaming of. From these subjects, we can know the simple and pure feelings of labouring people. Paper-cuts can't be called artistic works until they meet certain requirements. A good paper-cut require great skill in knife work and paper selection. Paper Umbrella Paper umbrella in China is a distinctive folk craftwork. There are a great variety of paper umbrellas, such as the flowery umbrella, the silk cotton paper umbrella, the bluish green boron umbrella, double layers flowery umbrella, serigraphy umbrella and so on. Like other craftworks, paper umbrella demands precise skills. When making the umbrella, every part should be carefully chosen. The rib of the umbrella should be made out of the bamboo of more than 5 years from north Fujian Province, which is pliable, flexible and elastic and can prevent the umbrella from being mouldy, rotten, and from woodworms after the special dealing. The surface of the umbrella is made of the specific refined tissue paper which can stand strong force. Craftsmen will paint the glutinous tung oil on the surface of umbrella and then draw pictures of flowers, birds, characters, and landscape. An umbrella will be finished after more than 80 processes. So the umbrella will not be destroyed, distorted or fade in sunshine, rain and wind. Besides, this kind of paper umbrella can prevent users from the attack of lightning and thunder. The traditional umbrella craftsmanship in Fuzhou consists of fives parts: making the umbrella ribs, the umbrellas, the heads of umbrellas, umbrella handles, and painting patterns. Each of these five parts is a great skill. Nowadays, paper umbrellas have withdrawn from the busy urban life due to its complicated craftsmanship. However, paper umbrellas are still appreciated and collected as a kind of elaborate craftwork. Traditional painting Chinese Painting has developed a unique style. It is painted on rice paper or thin silk with brushes, Chinese ink, and Chinese painting dye. In terms of topics, it involves portrait, landscape, flower, and bird, grass and insect, etc. On painting techniques, one is traditional Chinese realistic painting characterized by fine brushwork and close attention to detail, and the other is freehand brushwork. These two kinds have their own characteristics. Originated from late Zhou Dynasty, portraits gradually formed its own characteristics during Han Dynasty, Wei Dynasty, and the period of Six Dynasties. In Sui and Tang Dynasties, painting dyes were invented in China; the period of Five Dynasties and Song Dynasty witnessed the rise of many genres, and the rapid development of Chinese painting; in Yuan Dynasty, wash drawing was very popular; during Ming and Qing Dynasties as well as the modern times,

Chinese painting mainly followed the regulations or rules prescribed in early dynasties. But each dynasty witnessed the emergence of innovative painters. In the field of fine arts world widely, Chinese painting has its unique national style and characteristics. In terms of image sketching, Chinese painting tends to use lines and black colour to reflect the nature, form, and structure of objects. It combines with many artistic forms such as poem, ditties, odes, and calligraphies, facilitating the vivid delivery of body and sprit. Besides, Chinese painting has another unique characteristic-it is decorated with mounting which serves the expression of charm and glamour of painted images. Tip: The famous tourist city-Guilin and its around areas are the best place in China to see some of China's best landscape paintings. Guilin with its superlative natural scenery has inspired generations of Chinese painters to create their masterpieces. Guilin has been a hub for great painters over centuries and many of China's prominent painters have visited Guilin to express their feelings through their art. Chinese Calligraphy Calligraphy is one of the traditional arts unique to China. It is not only a stool of cultural communication but an artistic treasure with shining and extraordinary splendour. Chinese calligraphy has a long history and lasts about 1000 years. It can be considered as a unique artistic form of the treasury of Chinese culture. It is the representative of Chinese art and is reputed as the most ancient artistic form in the history of oriental world. Calligraphy has exerted wide influence world widely and has even been introduced to many neighbouring countries. Picasso, the world famous master of art, once expressed that "If I once lived in China, I must had become a calligrapher rather than a painter". Chinese traditional calligraphy mainly fall into six categories: Seal Character, Official Script, Formal Script, Running Script, Formal Script, Running Script, Cursive Hand. Seal Character Seal Character is calligraphy of Han Character. It can be divided into Big Seal Character and Small Seal Character. The former appeared in Zhou Dynasty and evolved from oracle-bone inscriptions. The neat structure of oracle-bone inscriptions lays foundation for the form of modern Chinese character. The latter is more simple in form and standardized in structure and than the former. Small Seal Character, known as Qin Seal Character, is collected, compiled and prescribed by Li Si after the unification of China by Qin Empire. Seal Character is very elegant in style and is widely favoured by people today in the creation of calligraphy works. Official Script

Official Script was originated from East Han Dynasty. The rise of Official Script is another reform in Chinese Characters, ushering in a new stage of the development of Chinese Calligraphy. In fact it is a transition period on the history of Chinese Characters development, laying a solid foundation for Formal Script. Official Script features flat, neat, and refined structure. When East Han Dynasty began, left-failing stroke and right-failing stroke bent upwards, other strokes were characterized by variations and beauty of calligraphy. The style of Official Script features diversification and it has high value for appreciation. Formal Script Formal Script, also known as Zhengshu Script or Zhenshu Script, evolved form Seal Character. It is simpler in structure and square in shape. To be specific, it has more standardized horizontal and vertical. The integral feature of Formal Script is neatness and orderliness, for which it is widely used and favoured today. Running Script Running Script is the cursive form of Formal Script. Originated from late Han Dynasty; it is less compact than Formal Script and less cursive than Cursive Hand. Cursive Hand Cursive Hand is written according to certain rules. It has concise structures with borrowed components. Although it looks irregular, Cursive Hand has high artistic value beyond its practical worthiness. Embroidery Su Embroidery Su embroidery has a history of over 2000 years. It was produced on a large scale during the Song Dynasty. In the late Ming Dynasty and early Qing Dynasty, Shen Shou absorbed Japanese and Western fine art sand combined them with traditional Chinese embroidery skills to create the simulated embroidery with ray effects. In the 1930s, the irregular embroidery technique was created in the Zhengze Girl's Vocationa1 School in Danyang. In 1957, the Embroidery Research Institute was established in Suzhou. Su embroidery is known for its delicacy and elegance. The design is usually very simple, high lighting a main theme. Its stitching is smooth, dense, thin, neat, even, delicate and harmonious. The thin thread is divided into up to many strands that are barely visible to the naked eye. Double-sided embroidery has the same pattern on both sides and uses the same embroidering method that does not show the joins in the stitches. The style of Su embroidery has become increasingly famous throughout the world. Xiang embroidery

Xiang embroidery was initiated in the Chu Kingdom of the Warring States Period. It had become the main craft in places around Changsha, capital city of Hunan Province, in the Qing Dynasty Xiang embroidery was developed from Hunan folk embroidery methods, but it also drew on the skills of Su embroidery and Yue embroidery. Xiang embroidery products use loose colourful threads to embroider the pattern and the stitches are not as neat as those of other embroidery styles. The various coloured threads are mixed together, showing a gradual change in colour with a rich and harmonious tone. Designs on Xiang embroidery mostly derive from traditional Chinese paintings of landscapes, human figures, flowers, birds and animals. The most common designs on Xiang embroidery are lions and tigers. The tigers appear strong and bold, revealing their power and menace as a king of animals. Xiang embroidery won the best award in the Torino World Fair in Italy in 1912 and the First Award in the Panama World Fair in 1933. Xiang embroidery is known abroad as the ideal embroidery. Shu embroidery Shu embroidery with age-old history, one of the four famous embroideries in China, enjoys the same reputation and popularity with Su embroidery, Xiang embroidery and Yue embroidery. Because Shu embroidery has developed in Chengdu, the capital city of Sichuan Province, therefore, it has been also named Chuan embroidery. They are made with soft satins and colour threads as the raw materials. The varied stitching methods form their unique local style' Designs on Shu embroidery. The products themselves include quilt covers, pillow covers, back cushions, table cloths, scarves and handkerchiefs. The various coloured threads are mixed together, showing a gradual change in colour with a rich and harmonious tone. Designs on Shu embroidery mostly derive from traditional Chinese paintings of landscapes, human figures, daily articles, flowers, birds and animals, showing a fortunate and merry atmosphere. In the middle and later period of Qing dynasty, Shu embroidery absorbed the essences from Gu embroidery on the basis of regional traditional stitch and needle skills. Yue Embroidery Yue embroidery has a history of over 1000 years and was popular in the Ming and Qing Dynasty. The Imperial Palace has collected Yue embroidery which is representative of its particular style. The designs of Yue embroidery are rich and complicated in content, and bright and attractive in colour, and elaborate and meticulous in needlework, all of which indicate strong decorative effects. Ancient Chinese craftsmen used peacock feathers twisted together as the embroidering thread to stitch the ornamental designs; horsetail was used to stitch the outline to make the work more expressive. Yue embroidery won worldwide acclaim in Panama Exhibition and London competition in 1915 and 1923 respectively. The embroidery is smooth and even. One type, gold and silver cushion embroidery, creates a magnificent three-

dimensional effect Yue embroidery has a wide range of designs, the most common ones being birds worshipping the sun, dragons and phoenixes. In a word, Yue embroidery with its strong local style has gained popularity among compatriots in Hongkong, Macao and international community. Chinese Dance China has 56 nationalities and each nationality has its own unique folk dances. Since different ethnic groups vary from each other in custom and habit, the forms of their dancing demonstrate a scene of magnificence. They reflect local production, stories related to their lives, and feels of happiness, anger, love, and hate. Therefore, folk dance is a favored artistic form familiar to and popular with Chinese people. While the heritage of folk dance inherited by different ethnic nationalities is very rich, the development of each nationality is unbalanced. After the founding of Peoples Republic of China, folk dances of various nationalities are further emphasized and collected. Through classification, Chinese folk dances get rid of the stale and bring forth the fresh. Therefore, a large number of folk dances are presented to audience with new appearances, receiving wide attention all over the world. Chinese Palace Dance Chinese palace dance covers all the dancing forms on fete, rite, paying tribute to emperors, and grand banquets. Palace dance is of high artistic value. It boasts of exquisite skills and professionalism thanks to the improvement and innovation by artists in palace. Palace dancing also features grand lineup, great magnificence, and high value for appreciation. Palace dance reached its zenith during the Tang dynasty. The Tang Dynasty Show in Xian is a recreation of Tang palace music and dance. Lion Dancing The most popular folk dancing in China is Lion Dancing performance. Lion is reputed as the king of all beasts. In Chinese tradition and culture, lion is considered as mascot which can get rid of bad luck and disasters, and bring peace and prosperity. Chinese people like to decorate the props (made of paper and wood) of lion with various colors and dressing-ups. Therefore, they look both mighty and lovely in the performance, hoping that the mascot can bring happiness and good fortune to kind people. Lion Dancing performance has two categories, namely, Lion Dancing in Chinese Opera Characterized by Singing and Acting and that in Chinese Opera Characterized by Acrobatics and Fighting.

The former is mainly for fun. It is good at humorous and satisfactory actions, such as titillation, lapping furs, scratching its head as a manner of anxiety or happiness, rolling about, jumping, and playing with ball, etc. The latter emphasizes techniques. The most prevailing actions include balancing on a rolling ball and seesaw walking. Sometimes they will make martial arts performances, such as stake walking. Through more than 2000 years' development, Lion Dancing performances in different areas have developed their own characteristics. Ethnic minorities also have their styles of Lion Dancing performance. By now the artistic performance is very popular all over China and even introduced to Tibet. After the founding of Peoples Republic of China, many singing and dancing groups and performing organizations of acrobatics have taken Lion Dancing Performance as a traditional performance. Through process and improvement by various lines according to their corresponding advantages, Lion Dancing Performance has become a bright pearl in Chinese dancing and acrobatics. Dragon Dancing Dragon is also a mascot of peace and good luck in the eyes of Chinese people no matter where they live all over the world. During festivals, congratulations on a happy occasion, benediction, exorcise, memorial ceremonies, and temple fairs, there is always the custom of Dragon Dancing performance. There are over 100 kinds of Dragon Dancing performance. Through thousands of years' development and introduction, the artistic performance has developed more forms. Dragon Dancing can be performed by one or two people, or hundreds of people. The most common one is called Fire Dragon, during which tens of lanterns accompanied the dancing dragon. Therefore, the performance is also called Dragon Lantern. In the performance, tens of strong men hold the huge prop of dragon and run happily in light of lanterns. The dragon sometimes runs up and sometimes swoops, demonstrating diversified changes. It speeds across the sky with happy put-puts of firecrackers and skyrockets. Under the dancing dragon is the cluster of enthusiastic crowd, who are happily beating drums and gongs. The scene of Dragon Dancing performance is very spectacular beyond expression. Dragon Dancing performance largely spurs the feeling of both participants and audience, and inspires their patriotism. Therefore, the performance becomes an indispensable component of traditional Chinese civilization, and reflects the bold and generous quality of invincible Chinese people. Beijing Opera Beijing Opera of China is a national treasure with a history of 200 years. In the 55th year of the reign of Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty (1790) , the

four big Huiban opera Troupes entered the capital and combined with Kunqu opera, Yiyang opera, Hanju opera and Luantan in Beijing's theoretical circle of the time. Over a period of more than half a century of combination and integration of various kinds of opera there evolved the present Beijing Opera. Beijing Opera is the most significant of all operas in China, and it has a richness of repertoire, great number of artists and audiences, that give it a profound influence in China and plays a large role in Chinese culture. Beijing Opera is a synthesis of stylized action, singing, dialogue and mime, acrobatic fighting and dancing to represent a story or depict different characters and their feelings of gladness, anger, sorrow, happiness, surprise, fear and sadness. In Beijing Opera there are four main types of roles: Sheng (male) Dan (young female), jingo (painted face, male), and Chou (clown, male or female). The characters may be loyal or treacherous, beautiful or ugly, good or bad, their images being vividly manifested. The repertoire of Beijing Opera is mainly engaged in fairy tales of preceding dynasties, important historical events, emperors, ministers and generals, geniuses and great beauties, from the ancient times to Yao, Shun, Yu, the Spring and Autumn Period, the Warring States Period and the dynasties of Qin, Han, Sui, Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming, Qing. Some of them also were adopted from the literature and classical novels, which are well known among the public but may not be an accurate account of history. Some of the popular Stories during the history are: Orphan of Zhao Family, Fifteen Strings of Coppers, The Ruse of Empty City, Story of the White Snake, The Drunken Concubine, UnicornTrapping Purse. The music of Beijing Opera is that of the "plate and cavity style. Its melody with harmonious rhythms is graceful and pleasing to the ears. The melody may be classified into two groups: "Xipi" and "erhong", guiding pattern, original pattern, slow pattern, quick pattern, desultory pattern being their chief patterns. The performance is accompanied by a tune played on wind instruments, percussion instruments and stringed instruments, the chief musical instruments being jinghu (a two-stringed bowed instrument with a high register), yueqin (a four-stringed plucked instrument with a full-moon-shaped sound box), Sanxian (a three-stringed plucked instrument), Suona horn, flute drum, big-gong, cymbals, small-gong, etc. The costumes in Beijing Opera are graceful, magnificent, elegant and brilliant, and mostly are made in handicraft embroidery. As the traditional Chinese pattern are adopted, the costumes are of a high aesthetic value. The types of facial make-ups in Beijing Opera are rich and various, depicting different characters and remarkable images, therefore they are highly appreciated. Moreover there are numerous fixed editions of facial make-up. Since Mei Lanfang, the grand master of Beijing Opera, visited Japan in 1919, Beijing Opera has become more and more popular with people all over the world,

and it has made an excellent contribution to cultural exchange between China and the West, to friendly association and to improvement of solidarity.

Another major aspect of ancient china is kung fu: Overview of Kung Fu Kung fu, (also known as wushu or martial arts) is one of the most well known examples of traditional Chinese culture. It is probably one of the earliest and longest lasting sports which utilizes both brawn and brain. The theory of Kung Fu is based upon classical Chinese philosophy. Over its long history it has developed as a unique combination of exercise, practical self-defence, self-discipline and art. In sports like track and field, ball sports, weightlifting, and boxing, an athlete typically has to retire from full participation in his 30s. Injuries sustained during years of active sport participation at a young age can that affect our health in later life. In Chinese Kung fu however, a distinction is made between "external" and "internal" kung fu. It is said that "In external kung fu, you exercise your tendons, bones, and skin; in internal kung fu, you train your spirit your qi, and your mind." History of Chinese Kung Fu Chinese Kung Fu is a large system of theory and practice. It combines techniques of selfdefence and health-keeping. It is estimated that Chinese Kung Fu can be dated back to primeval society. At that time people use cudgels to fight against wild beasts. Gradually they accumulated experience of self defence. When Shang Dynasty began, hunting was considered as an important measure of Kung Fu training. During Shang and Zhou Dynasties, martial arts evolved to be a kind of dancing. Usually the dancing of martial arts is utilized to train soldiers and inspire their morale. During Zhou Dynasty, martial-arts dancing was designated as a component of education. The application of wrestling techniques at the battlefield received much attention from various states during the period of Spring and Autumn. The then emperor held twice wrestling contests every year respectively in spring and autumn so as to select excellent people of martial arts. At the same time, the skill and technology of sword forging as well as sword ceremony achieved rapid development. In Qin and Han Dynasties, wrestling, swordplay, and martial arts dancing were very popular. A well known instance was Xiang Zhuangs Sword Dancing in Hongmen Banquet at the same period. His performance was very close to todays martial arts. The application of spear play in Han Dynasty reached its summit along with the appearance of many other techniques of spear usage. It is said the Five-animal-style exercise was another innovation by Hua Tuo on the development of Chinese martial arts. Starting from Tang Dynasty, Kung Fu examination was proposed and implemented. Excellent candidates would receive titles and awards through the examination, largely propelling the development of martial arts. By then martial arts had evolved to be an

artistic form and an independent genre. It was gradually introduced to many countries in Southeast Asia. Today Kung Fu were honoured as the ancestor of kickboxing, karate, aikido, and judo. Song and Yuan Dynasties witnessed the climax of Kung Fu development. Practice of Kung Fu by civil organizations became more and more popular. Some organizations or clubs centered on the use of spear play and cudgel, and they were called Yinglue Organization; while others majored in the practice of arching and therefore called Arching Origination. Besides, there appeared another genre called Luqi People. They made a living as performer of martial arts all over the country. Usually their performance was carried out by a single person or two persons as a pair. Chinese Kung Fu achieved larger development in Ming and Qing Dynasties. In Ming Dynasty, a lot of genres came into being and numerous books on martial arts were published. In Qing Dynasty, the ruling empire banned the practice of martial arts, and the folk had to set up various clubs or societies to pass down feat secretly. Therefore tens of schools of martial arts came into being, such as taiji, xingyi shadowboxing, eight diagram shadowboxing, etc. Qing Dynasty is the times of integration among different martial arts genres. Wrestling techniques were introduced into martial arts, facilitating the improvement and mature of martial arts. This period is the shed between genres for appreciation and those for actual combat. In 1927, Central National Martial Arts Society was established. In August, 1936, Chinese Martial Arts Team went to Berlin to participate Olympics. In 1956, Chinese Martial Arts Association set up Martial Arts Teams. In 1985, International Marital Arts Invitational Tournament was held in Xi'an with the establishment of International Martial Arts League. In 1987, the first Asian Martial Arts Tournament was held in Hengbin. In 1990, martial arts were for the first time listed as a competition event in the 11th Asian Games. In 1999, International Martial Arts League was invited as a member of International Individual Events Federation by International Olympic Committee. That was the sign of Chinese Martial Arts walking global. Shaolin Kung Fu Shaolin Kung Fu are well known at home and abroad. The original purpose of Shaolin shadowboxing is health keeping, treating illness, protecting famous mountains, safeguarding ancient temples, self-defence, and repulsing enemies. It boasts of diversified patterns, plain forms, and rich internal and external work. The general style of Shaolin shadowboxing can be summarized as high value for actual combat with exquisite techniques. It emphasizes both quiet course and feat of strength. It can conserve strength instantly and let it out several times stronger than the original conservation. With such unique features, Shaolin shadowboxing is well known at home and abroad. Shaolin Kung Fu comprise of shadowboxing, armed combat, free combat, hitting vital point, and grappling. Shaolin Temple

Shaolin Temple is also very famous for the Shaolin Kung Fu. Shaolin Temple is located at the foot of Yufeng Peak at Dengfeng County of Henan Province in South China. It was built up in the 19th ruling year of Emperor Xiao Wen in North Wei Dynasty. According to record, Shaolin Temple was originally constructed in the period of Southern and Northern Dynasties. Shaolin shadowboxing became popular in Sui and Tang Dynasties, and soon grew stronger by absorbing the advantages of many other schools. It finally became the largest school of martial arts in China with branches all over the country. Taiji Quan Taiji Quan is a Taoist internal martial art. One account of the history of Taiji Quan credits its development to the Taoist immortal Chang San-feng, who is said to have drawn the inspiration for the art by watching a fight between an snake and an aggressive eagle. Chang San-feng was reportedly a master of Shaolin Kung Fu who reached an extraordinary level of cultivation through Taoist internal practices. Another account of the history of Taiji Quan is that many different Kung Fu masters developed it over a long period of time; as a synthesis of internal meditation and martial technique. Either way, the written history of Taiji Quan goes back about 300 years and it was not until the turn of the 20th century that it was introduced to the general public. Taiji Quan is a very unique and powerful art, for both internal power and longevity. Taiji Quan is a martial art which embodies Taoist philosophy. When Taiji Quan was developed, the martial arts were very aggressive. One's proficiency was measured by the strength and aggression of attack, in terms of the Taoist principle of yin and yang this was a purely "yang" conception of martial arts. What was revolutionary about Taiji Quan was the incorporation of the yin element to fighting. In Taiji Quan one uses a balance of yin techniques with yang techniques, a balance between yielding and attacking. It is for this reason that Taiji Quan is described as "a needle hidden in cotton" or "hardness concealed in softness". Presently Taiji Quan is rapidly growing in popularity for the tremendous health benefits which come through practice. Clinical studies have shown that T'ai Chi practice can lower blood pressure, reduce nervous tension, and benefit the immune, digestive, cardiovascular and respiratory systems. At this time, over one hundred million people practice Taiji Quan on a regular basis. The heart of the Taiji Quan system is the practice of the single Taiji Quan form. The form practice of Taiji Quan is the foundation of the training. Though Taiji Quan is done slowly, the movements are very difficult and strenuous. Regular practice of Taiji Quan greatly improves the functioning of the bodily systems. Chen style taiji quan Chen-style Taiji Quan is an ancient traditional Chinese Kung Fu. It's also the origin of all kinds of Taiji style. It falls into two categories - the old and new frames. The old frame was created by Chen Wangting himself. It had five routines which were also known as the 13-move boxing. Chen Wangting also developed a long-style boxing routine of 108 moves

and a cannon boxing routine. It was then handed down to Chen Changxing and Chen Youben, boxers in the Chenjia Valley who were all proficient at the old frame. The presentday Chen style boxing boasts of the old routine, the cannon routine and the new routine. The Chen style taiji boxing is the oldest form, all the other styles of taiji quan having derived from it either directly or indirectly. Other styles of taiji quan include Yang style taiji quan, Wu style taiji quan, Wu Yuxiang style taiji quan, and Sun style taiji. Qi Gong "Qi Gong" (literally "breath exercise"),is an invaluable component of traditional Chinese medicine that has its origin in ancient times. Its primary stimulus was the search for longevity with the ultimate aim of immortality, which has so entranced the Chinese mind for centuries. The records shows the exercises to help the "qi" (the human body's vital energy) circulating freely and to nourish the internal organs dated to the Shang Dynasty (16th-11th centuries B.C.). The actual practice of "qigong" began in the fourth century A.D. Since then the search by physician and patient for greater health, techniques of religious cultivation and the martial artist's quest for better training methods all contributed greatly to its development and enrichment over the following centuries. The Taoist, Buddhist, Confucian, Medical and Martial schools of practice developed. Unique to China only, Qigong has become an integral part of the Chinese culture. Qigong exercise can produce a myriad of beneficial effects, of which the most common are preventing and curing diseases, strengthening the constitution, avoiding premature aging, and prolonging life. Qigong exercise requires one to relax, to be calm, natural and free from distractions, so that it can remove "stress," and dispel tension. Qigong exercise helps to keep the main and collateral channels in good shape to establish harmony between vital energy and blood, to balance between Yin and Yang, and improve coordination of the nervous system, so that protective inhibition of the cerebral cortex can be enhance. Qigong exercise helps to reduce fundamental metabolism, increase the capacity of storing energy, apply massage to the abdomen and improve appetite and brings good digestion. Qigong exercise helps to tap the body potentialities, stimulate positive factors, and enhance one's self-control. Therefore, it becomes an effective measure to attain health and longevity. Qigong masters and medical practitioners have developed a theory from a wealth of experience and practice of Qigong over many centuries. The modern scientific research and evaluation of qigong exercise has attracted increasing attention from academic and intellectual circles around the world. This may bring the benefits of qigong intellectual to light, but it may leave mechanistic dogmatism to Qigong phenomena.