Art Creation -- paper-cut and other Beijing, China Local Custom Tips

Papercut is an art form originally created in China. Around the first century A.D., the Chinese invented that most flexible, versatile and adaptable of materials -- paper. The first papercut can be traced date back to the period known as the Northern and Southern Dynasties (A.D. 386-581). In the T'ang Dynasty (A.D. 618-906) papercuts are the subject of a poem by the poet Ts'ui Tao-yung and from other sources of this period they are described as being used to decorate plants and worn by ladies in their hair in form of butterflies and flowers. Here are some sample of Chinese Papercuts.

Today, many Chinese people still do it . It become to an art what is more and more attentive. In northern of Shanxi, Shanxi and Hebei, women who are unschooled can cut paper by superb. They have labor all life and all theme of paper-cut are labor and life. Without any designing or roughdrawing, what they thought is what they cut. This cut skill is going to extinct that society is enhancing protection.

I hope after hundreds years, thousands years, our posterity would see so pretty paper-cut and know how to do it.

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What's game you like most? Baseball? Tennis? In narrow Beijing's old Hutong, you may easily meet a girl or a boy play with itself just using a line and a tundish-like thing. It's called Kongzhu. If you tough requied translation, it maybe mean empty bamboo. The toy is seems simple. I bet, however, you won't control it. It's an kind of high skill game. when the Kongzhu circumgyrate in high speed, it will make a stridulation. Crack player often throw the Kongzhu from line to air, then catch it again by the line. Today, playing Kongzhu still is an important program in acrobatics show.

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Have you found the pattern in the circular Moon looks like a hare? Of course we know it's reasoning circle mountain on the exterior of the moon. In the past, however, Chinese people thought it was a hare in the moon palace who is a supernatural hare. So we call it hare milord in respect. Every Mid-autume Day, people worship with Hare milord and make it to clay figurine as the picture. The clay figurine of Hare milord looks much more like human except the harelip. In addition, it came to a kind of popular toy go round among chirdren rather then a Joss.

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Liulichang is an antique street in Beijing which is famous for curio trade. Today, it is become to culture express typical street in Beijng. You may find most old Beijing's culture activities as chiseling seal. In the past, people espacially intellectual and officer have stone seal called "Zhang" in Chinese. It is different from seals today we use. Chiselling characters on a stone like jade and carnelian is not a easy stuff. Not only chisel without mistake, but also chisel beautiful style. It is definitely is a hard skill. So, if you walk on Liulichang, why not chisel one your own seal.

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Long long ago, there were a couple living in happiness. Husband called Hou Yi and his wife called Chang E. Hou Yi was toxophily hero who annihilated 9 suns and keep back only sun in the sky what saved all people in the earth. One Day, he got a pack of elixir. Eating a half would keep a person long live never die. He was very glad and play share it with her wife. However, Chang E ate all the elixir slinkingly, then she felt her body lighter bit by bit. At last, she fly to the Moon. For punishing her, the Jade Emperor who master the heaven order that stay Chang E in the cold Moon palace forever. Only a rabbit accompany with Chang E who called Jade Hare-the moon. Until today, you still see a rabbit in the Moon. That is.

In China traditional festival -- Mid-autume Day, people immolate to the Jade Hare - the moon. And the story come down generation by generation.

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There is old tree in Dongyue temple called "Shou huai". Shou is mean long life. In the past, most Chinese believe deity by Confucianism. They often go to temple to impetrate long life. They write their desirability on a red cards called blessing cards, then hang it to let immortal know it. Surely most people don't believe it again. However, hang blessing cards come down as a custom activity. Many red cards hang around the old three just express people's wish. They want to life as the red cards, flourishing as red flame

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Dragon and phoenix express the most exalted status. In the past, dragon deputize emperor and phoenix deputize empress. Everything used by empero all have dragon, like cup, quilt, chair and so on. The wall was chiseled typical pattern. In addtion, red is propitious colour in China. Just a square of wall put up antiquated China thoroughly.

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