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Chinese Calligraphy
Chinese written characters are pictographic symbols of spoken words. Calligraphy is the art of writing characters in an expressive manner employing the use of the brush.
...Chinese written characters are pictographic symbols of spoken words. Calligraphy is the art of writing characters in an expressive manner employing the use of the brush.
The most ancient written characters were written on oracle bones, or were inscriptions on bronze vessels found in the Shang and Zhou dynasties (16th century – 776 B.C.). It was during the late Warring States, Qin, Han, Wei, Jin, Northern and the Southern Dynasties (475 B.C. – A.D.581) that official, cursive, running and regular scripts developed. Thus a multi-script system evolved for Chinese written characters. Different scripts were used for different regions and for different times, and this diversity let newer forms take root and flower.
The aesthetic appeal was already present in the inscriptions on oracle bones and bronzes. During the Han and Wei dynasties, this developed further from a natural style to one of deliberate expression. Numerous calligraphers emerged in the Jin, Sui and Tang dynasties (A.D.265 – 907) and the theoretical study of calligraphy became important. Most notable was the establishment of certain models and rules for cursive and regular script.
The conventions of the Jin and Tang dynasties continued into the Song, Yuan and Ming dynasties (A.D.960 – 1644) with a focus on the expression of personal feeling and incorporation of poetic and artistic genius. The development of these skills and moods in calligraphy inspired new calligraphic schools and styles.
The unique Qing (A.D.1644 -1911) style of calligraphy was centered upon the study of the more ancient styles and inscriptions found on steles. The stone steles of the Northern Wei were particularly popular in the late Qing and when combined with the traditions of “tie” rubbings and the multi-script system, ushered in a bolder, more vigorous calligraphic stlye.
Where to shop in China
China is huge, and if you are visiting, you might want to buy something for yourself, as well as something for those back home.
So where are good places to shop?
...
China is huge, and if you are visiting, you might want to buy something for yourself, as well as something for those back home.
So where are good places to shop?
Let's start by mentioning some bad places to shop:
at the airport (expensive)
on a tour where the guide takes you into every second shop
from street hawkers who pester you
So how about better places:
local markets
handicraft shops, particularly in ethnic minority areas
in art studios and places where you can see the products made.
So what makes good gifts to buy from China?
Chopsticks, silk, ethnic stuff, Tibetan stuff, Mao posters
And how much should you pay?
Some places will have marked prices, other places you have to bargain. Work out how much you want to pay for the item, first, then start bargaining.
Chinese Bronze Ware
Epitomizing China’s ancient civilization and rich cultural heritage, bronze artifacts have been treasured items ever since the time of the Shang and Zhou aristocrats for whom they were made.
...Epitomizing China’s ancient civilization and rich cultural heritage, bronze artifacts have been treasured items ever since the time of the Shang and Zhou aristocrats for whom they were made.
Ritual bronzes served as ceremonial offerings to ancestors, as banquet utensils, and occasionally as formal gifts. Members of China’s nobility possessed sets of bronzes, the sizes and types of which conveyed the social status of their owners.
Bronze Age artisans mastered complex casting techniques and produced vessels with rich decoration. In the period from the fifth to the third century BC, China’s Iron Age began, but the metal industry was still dominated by bronze casting.
Many bronzes have been found in the border areas of China. Characterized by distinctive shapes and local styles these bronzes exhibit the artistic achievements of minority peoples living in the border areas, and they also supply valuable evidence of cultural exchanges among the different nationalities of ancient China.
Around the 21st century BC, China entered the Bronze Age. The earliest Chinese bronze culture so far known is the Erlitou culture of the late Xia dynasty. Bronze containers, musical instruments, weapons, tools, and personal ornaments, as well as foundry remains, have been found at the Erlitou site in western Henan province.
Ritual bronzes of the period were thin-walled and cast by a clay piece-mold technique that was already mature. Their forms began to show decided character. The animal-mask motif appeared at this stage, as did the use of turquoise inlay.
During the early and middle Shang dynasty, bronze casting evolved further. Rituals that mainly involved wine vessels became important, and bronze weapons increased in variety. The animal-mask motif decorated many bronzes, executed with bold, deeply-cut linear elements and becoming ever more complex. The mold-making process became sophisticated, and an ingenious technique was developed for casting a complicated shape in a sequence of separate pours of metal. Many bronzes dating from this time have been unearthed along the middle reaches of the Yellow and Yangtze rivers.
The late Shang and early Western Zhou dynasties witnessed the zenith of Chinese bronze casting. During this period the sets of bronzes used in ritual (originally mainly wine vessel) changed. Although at first the early Western Zhou people followed the Shang ritual system, they gradually developed ceremonies in which food containers played an important role.
Using techniques that produced both high and low relief, artisans designed bronzes entirely covered with elegant patterns. They also further refined the mysterious animal-mask motif. Inscriptions first appeared on late Shang bronzes. The inscriptions on Western Zhou bronzes are often lengthy.
The Chinese bronze tradition enjoyed a second flowering beginning in the middle Spring and Autumn period. As the bronze industries in the feudal states matured, regional styles with unique characteristics arose. Bronzes cast in the northern states of Jin and Qin, the eastern states of Qi and Lu, and the southern state of Chu reflect a mutually beneficial exchange of ideas and materials, and their bronze arts achieved great splendor.
While the ritual functions of the bronze vessels gradually diminished, their use as daily utensils increased, with the result that new and delicate vessel types appeared. Decorative dragon patterns became minute and intricate, and scenes of daily life were used for the first time as bronze decoration. The lost-wax technique and the use of impressed molds enabled artists to obtain rich inlay decoration of unsurpassed delicacy and intricacy.
During the Eastern Zhou, Qin, and Han dynasties bronze casting flourished among the minority peoples inhabiting the border areas of China. The Yue minorities in the south, the Ba-Shu in the west, the Yi in the southwest, and the Xiongnu in the north all developed their own bronze-casting industries. Their bronzes were deeply influenced by the Shang and Zhou traditions of the Central Plains, but they also showed unique features and styles. Exchanges between the border areas and the Central Plains inspired lively and inventive works of bronze art.
Mining, smelting, and casting reached high levels of technology in ancient China. The proportions of copper, tin, and lead in bronze, the first invented alloy became perfected as time passed. Stone, clay, and metal molds were used, with clay piece-molds being highly developed. Great expertise was required in the choice and combination of materials, the making of models and molds, the carving of inscriptions and decoration. The main casting techniques were one piece casting, casting in several pours, and stack-casting. Bimetallic casting showed the skilled use of different alloy formulas. Magnificent surface decoration for bronzes resulted from inlaying and gilding techniques. Lost-wax casting was an important advance in foundry technique. The transparent “mirror of the Western Han with its unique optical properties, might be described as a last afterglow of China’s extraordinary Bronze Age.
Top China Tours
$238 Per Day
Private Hangzhou Day Trip from Shanghai by Bullet Train
Take in the highlights of beautiful Hangzhou on a private full-day tour from Shanghai. After hotel pickup and transfer by high-speed train to Hangzhou, your private guide takes you to see some city attractions, such as Faxi temple. Moreover, enjoy a tasty lunch at a local restaurant before heading to Longjing village. There, learn about the process of farming and producing dragonwell tea, the region’s most famous product. Finally, enjoy a scenic boat cruise on UNESCO World Heritage-listed West Lake before returning to Shanghai.
...Read more
Take in the highlights of beautiful Hangzhou on a private full-day tour from Shanghai. After hotel pickup and transfer by high-speed train to Hangzhou, your private guide takes you to see some city attractions, such as Faxi temple. Moreover, enjoy a tasty lunch at a local restaurant before heading to Longjing village. There, learn about the process of farming and producing dragonwell tea, the region’s most famous product. Finally, enjoy a scenic boat cruise on UNESCO World Heritage-listed West Lake before returning to Shanghai.
This is a private, full-day trip from Shanghai to Hangzhou. After you are picked up in your hotel lobby in the early morning, you will take a bullet train to Hangzhou. This is the fastest way to Hangzhou and you can experience train speeds of up to 300 kilometers per hour. Your tour begins at one of Hangzhou's signature sites, the West Lake. Enjoy a lake cruise to see the top ten West Lake scenic views. You will then be taken to experience the wonderful cuisine of Hangzhou at a local restaurant. After lunch, you will visit Faxi temple, a well-known Temple dating back to the Jin Dynasty. See its famous wooden Buddha. Here, you will see fewer tourists and more locals. Finally, enjoy a cup of green tea when you visit the famous Longjing village to see wild fields of Longjing tea bushes where the locals produce the world famous green tea- Longjing Tea. In the village, all locals are tea farmers and you will see the entire procedure of making the famous tea and will get the chance to taste the best quality emperor tea. Afterwards, you will take the bullet train back to Shanghai and you will be returned to your hotel.
$150 Per Day
Guangzhou
Day 1 Arrive in Guangzhou
Arrive in Guangzhou in the morning, you will be met and transferred to hotel, then visit Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall. The Memorial Hall is a very famous historical scenic spot. It is in memory of Sun Yat-sen, the great revolutionary forerunner. After that proceed to visit the Ancestral Temple of the Chen Family. It is a unique site for offering up sacrifices to worship ancestors of 72 Chen families in Guangdong. This ancestral temple is also the largest, best preserved and best decorated ancient architecture existing in Guangdong province.
...Read moreDay 1 Arrive in Guangzhou
Arrive in Guangzhou in the morning, you will be met and transferred to hotel, then visit Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall. The Memorial Hall is a very famous historical scenic spot. It is in memory of Sun Yat-sen, the great revolutionary forerunner. After that proceed to visit the Ancestral Temple of the Chen Family. It is a unique site for offering up sacrifices to worship ancestors of 72 Chen families in Guangdong. This ancestral temple is also the largest, best preserved and best decorated ancient architecture existing in Guangdong province.
Day 2 Guanzhou Tour
After breakfast, you will go to Yuexiu Park first, the largest and the most famous park in downtown Guangzhou. There are three artificial lakes and seven hills of Yuexiu Mountain. Then you will visit Temple of Six Banyan Trees, which is one of the four best Buddhist temples in Guangzhou and located on the Liurong Road (meaning the Six Banyan Trees Road). The Nanyue King Tomb Museum is a must-see Guangzhou attraction, which dates back to 2,000 years ago, is the earliest large scale painted stone chamber tomb ever found south of the Five Ridges. Buried with the tomb owner in a jade shroud are a gold seal and a lot of exquisite jade adornments. It has become a world famous museum. After the day tour you will be transferred to airport for your next destination.
$53 Per Day
Pingyao Highlights Walking Tour
Pingyao Highlights Walking Day Tour
With our guide to know the Ancient Pingyao better!
Our guide will meet you at your hotel lobby at 08:00 or 08:30, then show you the ticket office to get the ticket for the museums we will visit later.
...Read morePingyao Highlights Walking Day Tour
With our guide to know the Ancient Pingyao better!
Our guide will meet you at your hotel lobby at 08:00 or 08:30, then show you the ticket office to get the ticket for the museums we will visit later.
First we will visit the 700 years old City wall, We will climb up from south gate and have a walk on the wall. We are not sure how many km we can walk, because of the renovating of the wall. Normally we will walk from south gate to the Yunlu Exit.
Then visit the Confucius temple, there is a old building named Dacheng Hall which is over 840 years old. From outside, we can see the big wood joints to lift the big roof around the building which is named Dougong. Due to this design, there are less columns inside the hall for giving the big space for the statues and the prayer. We have chance to see the Confucius statue and learn the philosophy of Confucius. If you like, you can pray for you and your children to get better study.
There is the Paper Cutting master named Wentao nearby the exit of Confucius temple. She is very smart and create the new style paper cutting with much more details and good wishes on it. Her products are made by hanks. It is worth to visit and buy as a souvenir from Pingyao. From the table standing and wall hangings. Please remember, take the red one because of red is the traditional and happy color. But the white one is the best. It is really difficult to choose, because of all of them are really nice.
Then you can have coffee break or tea break if you need at Chummy coffee, after this, visit the City god temple (ChenghuangMiao) which is most beautiful temple inside the wall. Because of the roof is covered by the colorful glazed tiles. There is not only city god and also the three money gods, Now you know why pingyao was the financial center.
Next we will visit the Ancient government building, to see the pingyao politics center in the ancient time. It is the complete building with officials bed room, kitchen and private garden. Follow the guide to look the official’s life from the 250km far away from the hometown.
Have a stroll in the alley to the Rishengchang exchange bank, which is the first bank all of china.You can not miss it.
After lunch, walk to the Ming and Qing street, this is the shopping street full of the stores on the both side of street. You can find alot things here , from post card to lacquered boxes, and wall panels. One more place to see, it is the Armed escort agency also named security and transport service for the business man before the bank founded.
Inlcusions
1.private english speaking tour guide servcie
2.bottle water for the tour