Taichi

I practiced the Taichi since I graduate from the high school, which is little more than 10 years ago, even I stop it right now use busy work as excuse, well, I know that is unforgivable. Anyway, The following is some brief introduction of Taichi, that is I cited from the internet source, of course I would add some my feeling and experience too. Hope you, who read it will like it.

Tai chi chuan is an internal Chinese martial art often practiced with the aim of promoting health and longevity. Tai chi chuan's training forms are well known as the slow motion routines that groups of people practice together every morning in parks around the world, particularly in China. Some medical studies support its effectiveness as an alternative exercise and a form of martial arts therapy. Tai chi chuan is considered a soft style martial art — an art applied with internal power — to distinguish its theory and application from that of the hard martial art styles. There are many different styles of tai chi chuan, but most modern schools can trace their development to the system originally taught by the Chen family to the Yang family starting in 1820。

The Mandarin term "tai chi chuan" literally translates as "supreme ultimate boxing" or "boundless fist," but may better translate to "great extremes boxing," with an emphasis on finding balance between two great extremes. The concept of the "supreme ultimate" is the symbol of the Taijitu meant to show the principles of Yin and Yang duality of Taoist philosophy. Thus, tai chi theory and practice evolved in agreement with many of the principles of Chinese philosophy and Taoism in particular. Tai chi training first and foremost involves learning solo routines, known as forms. While the image of tai chi chuan in popular culture is typified by exceedingly slow movement, many tai chi styles (including the three most popular, Yang, Wu and Chen) have secondary forms of a faster pace. The other half of traditional tai chi training (though many modern schools disregard it entirely) consists of partner exercises known as pushing hands, and martial applications of the postures of the form.

Traditional Chinese Shoes

Shaolin Wushu

Shaolin Wushu (Shaolin Martial Art) is one of the most influential genres of Chinese martial art, and it's named after the Shaolin Temple located in Dengfeng County, Henan Province. The monks in the Shaolin Temple began to study martial art during the Southern and Northern Dynasties and this tradition prevailed during the Sui and the Tang dynasties (581-907).

Shaolin Wushu is famous both at home and abroad as a highly effective method of self-defense and health-building. Combining both external and internal, and "hard" and "soft" exercises, Shaolin Wushu involves various methods of fighting techniques, consisting of barehanded boxing and weaponry combat. The Shaolin boxing has compactly designed routines. Its movements are quick, powerful and flexible; both practical for defense and attack.

The most outstanding characteristic of Shaolin boxing is that the practitioner works on one straight line. It means that his movements of advancing, retreating, turning around, sideways, or jumping are restrained on one line. His arms are kept slightly bent so that he can stretch out to attack or withdraw freely for self defense. Another characteristic of Shaolin Wushu is to maintain the body in perfect balance, as stable as a mountain. The practitioners should keep a tranquil mind but strike with great force and speed. He should be good at "borrowing" force from the opponent. That is, he should not meet the opponent's strikes head-on, but take advantage of the striker's force and go along with it to bring him to ward off a force of a thousand weights. The practitioner should know how to make feigned strikes and when striking, hit the vital parts of the opponent. The movements should be as dextrous as a cat, the shaking as a tiger, the moving as a dragon, the advancing as lightning and the yelling as thunder.

Shaolin Wushu is a very convenient sport, for the practice does not need a large space and is not affected by weather or the kind of weapons used.

There are many routines. External exercises include Minor Hong Boxing, Greater Hong Boxing, Old Hong Boxing, Chaoyang Boxing, Chang Boxing, Plum Blossom Boxing, Cannon Boxing, Luohan Buddha Boxing, Tongbei Boxing, Seven-star Boxing, Dragon-out-of-the-sea Boxing and Shooting-star Boxing; for internal exercises there are Xingyi Boxing and Juji Boxing. Shaolin boxing can be practiced singly or in pairs. The dual routines include: Banshou Liuhe Boxing, Yaoshou Liuhe Boxing and Kick and Strike Liuhe Boxing.

Chinese Martial Art

Wushu, or Martial Art, is an important component of the cultural heritage of China, with a rich content over the centuries. Literally, "Wu" means military, and "Shu" means art. Wushu therefore means the art of fighting, or martial arts. Martial training includes Ti (kicking), Da (punching), Shuai (throwing), Na (controlling), Ji (hitting), Ci (thrusting), etc. Related to each style are basic forms, or sequences, which may involve defense strategies, offense, retreat, mobility and immobility, speed and slowness, hard or soft postures, emptiness and fullness, with or without weapons.

Wushu was born and has steadily grown and attained perfection as an integral part of Chinese culture. As such it is bound to be influenced and conditioned by other forms of culture, first and foremost by philosophy, art and literature, and religion. Wushu reigns as one of the most traditional and popular national sport in China, practiced by the young and old alike.

Wushu was originally a military training method, bearing a close relationship with ancient combats. Practical skills, such as strength training, fencing, staff sparring, spear training, etc., are still used now by policemen and soldiers. Today Wushu has been organized and systematized into a formal branch of study in the performance arts and has become an athletic and aesthetic performance and competitive sport. Every movement must exhibit sensible combat application and aestheticism.

Chinese Wushu is classified into various styles according to different regions, different schools and families, as well as different fighting techniques. Routines are performed solo, paired or in groups, either barehanded or armed with traditional Chinese weaponry. Wushu can be viewed in terms of two categories, including Taolu (Forms with or without weapons) and Sanshou (Free Sparring).

Taolu is a performance of set offensive and defensive Wushu movements based on Chinese Wushu principles. It includes the following four main categories: Bare-Handed Forms, Weapon Forms, Duilian, and Group Forms.

Duilian form consists of sets of offensive and defensive movements for two or more practitioners in mock combat routines. They usually include three groups -- Bare-handed vs. Bare-handed, Weapon(s) vs. Weapon(s), and Bare-handed vs. Weapon(s). Group Forms are usually for demonstrations only and performed with or without weapons by a group of six or more persons.

Wushu's emphasis has shifted from combat to performance, and it is practiced for its method of achieving health, self-defense skills, mental discipline, recreational pursuit and competition. In 1990, Wushu was adopted as an official medal event in the Asian Games, and since then World Championships have been held with 56 nations participating. Now Wushu is vying for the Olympic Games in the 21st century.

The Art of Tea Drinking

The Chinese people are without a doubt the ones who best understand the nature of tea. Tea has a long history over 2,000 years old, and is a common thread running through our culture. Tea drinking has become a form of artistic and intellectual expression in Chinese culture, and is rich in tradition. Many relationship with tea, though of superficial origins, grew more and more profound over time. The significance of tea began to assert itself in the Tang and Song Dynasties. It was during this time that the art of tea was born. The Tea Classics, written by Lu Yu during the Tang Dynasty, helped to elevate tea drinking to a high status throughout China.
It was somewhere between the Tang and Song Dynasties that the custom of tea drinking was brought to Japan, which readily adopted the Chinese custom. But there were, and still are, differences between the Japanese and Chinese interpretations of the art of tea drinking.
Chinese people tend to view tea drinking as a natural form of enjoyment, unlike the Japanese, who approach the concept in a very strict and ritualistic fashion. In spite of its popularity throughout the ages, the Chinese have never elevated tea to the god-like status it enjoys in Japan. Rather, tea is something one drinks after a meal; it is merely a part of one's life. For a Chinese to say anything more of tea than this would be to misunderstand its purpose, which can be anything but to be worshipped. The attitude Chinese take toward tea drinking is in many ways symbolic of their relatively balanced position towards different attitudes and behaviors. One could say that in the Chinese interpretation of the art of tea, one can find the source their open mindedness.
But it wasn't until the Song Dynasty that tea drinking really became in vogue. Even the Emperor indulged in this new and wonderful custom, which subsequently drew tea-growers to the capital every spring to pay tribute to the Son of Heaven. The Emperor gave tea as a gift to those worthy of the honor, which not only helped increase the drink's popularity, but also helped spread elevate its value. Books, poems, and paintings about tea became increasingly popular.
With the passing of the Yuan, and the start of the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the technology of tea production was constantly being improved; not only in an effort to enhance its flavor, but also to further simplify its production. By this time, tea houses were popping up all over the country. Tea-drinking establishments could be found at any public gathering place or point of interest; temples, palaces, even famous mountains had their respective tea vendors.
Li Ri Hua, a Ming Dynasty scholar, once said: "One should clean out a room in one's home and place only a tea table and a chair in the room with some boiled water and fragrant tea. Afterwards, sit salutarily and allow one's spirit to become ranquil, light, and natural." Li Ri Hua used tea drinking to calm his spirit and clear his mind. He practiced the art of living naturally, avoiding outside influences.
During the same period, a man by the name of Luo likened the drinking of tea to a spiritual release, unique to every individual. It was people like Luo who cultivated the artistic conception of tea, which represents the Chinese way of turning the mundane things in life into ones of higher meaning.
Though its history is indeed lengthy, the art of tea drinking is not without competition. The introduction of coffee by the West, along with its own culture, is believed by some to be destroying the virtues of tea drinking in the modern age with slick advertising that promotes outside values and life-stles. Now, coffee houses in Taiwan outnumber their tea-peddling counterparts, driving them slowly out of business. Even though the quality of Taiwanese tea has improved over the years, tea drinking simply cannot compete any longer.
Over the last few years, through the efforts of people who care deeply for the culture and history of tea, various tea associations have been founded. This, along with the publication of many books and articles on the subject, has begun a tea revival of sorts. But we must be careful not to let the art of tea drinking become some complex concept that is difficult to appreciate or to understand. Only by returning to the old principles of simplicity and universality can we hope to see the art of tea regain its popularity or old.

The Art Of Drinking Tea

Yum cha, or "tea lunch," is a treat for the entire family. Many Chinese families reserve Sunday mornings for this outing. It is not only an opportunity to savor the delights of dim sum, but to visit with friends as well.
The Chinese call the little delicacies served at tea lunch dim sum, which translates as "touching your heart." And that indeed is what these small morsels do. The advantage of sampling them at a teahouse is the great variety available. It may take you several visits to determine your favorites. There are steamed shrimp and pork dumplings, deep-fried egg rolls and taro-root dumplings, green peppers with shrimp filling, and on and on.
Dim sum is based on Cantonese dim sum, it is all good at color, fragrance, taste and shape, its characteristic is that the ingredients used are of best quality and plentiful, variety is numerous, style is novel, tastes are various, it suits the needs of every eater and four seasons.
The first step in yum cha is the selection of your tea. The waiter will ask you for your choice, and you might take this opportunity to try a variety you haven’t tasted before, such as loong jaing (dragon’s well), po nay, jasmine and so on.
There is no need to ask for a menu. The food will come to you on carts or on trays. Some items are on plates, some in metal or bamboo steamers; each serving contains 2 to 6 pieces, depending on the item. There are four main groups of food from which to choose. The first is made up of steamed dishes like shrimp or pork dumplings and pork buns. The second group is the variety group, such as parchment chicken, pickled mustard greens and duck or chicken feet. The third classification covers deep-fried items: egg rolls, rice rolls, pork triangles and others. The fourth group is comprised of sweet items like sponge cake, coconut jelly, and delightful custard tarts.

What is all About Chinese Tea?

Chinese Tea? What is all About?

Thirst quenching! Right.

But is Chinese tea drinking are really that simple?
The answer? Sure not that easy!

Chinese tea is healthy
Chinese tea is healthy in a lot of ways. It lowers blood pressure, protects the heart, helps to prevent obesity, prevents tooth decay and increases immunity, etc. Sounds like a TV commercial but it has been working on more than billions of Chinese people over thousands of years.

It's announced in November, 2001 that research has found scientific evidence that Chinese tea can actually help to prevent cancer. It's more than just empty talk now. It's psychological

As a fellow Chinese tea drinker puts it "when I am home after a busy day, I make myself a cup of tea while sitting slanted on the sofa. A sip of hot tea down the throat, the whole world loosens up. The feeling is soooo ... you know... ". Yes, as a Chinese tea drinker, I know, you know, we all know. Chinese tea's impact on one's psychological health is immediate.
Chinese tea is a way of life
A cup of tea in the morning sets the pace of the day. Sitting and chatting with a few good friends over a couple rounds of tea makes life worth living. Brewing Chinese tea calms me down.

Chinese tea is more than just something to drink. It has in fact become a way of life for many. It's philosophical

Good Chinese teas have the flavor of nature. In the process of searching for the right combination to bring out that flavor, we think, we fail, we reflect, and hopefully, we succeed. When we take a sip of the hard-earned tea, we realize that the process itself is what tastes the best.

A lifetime's Searching
Of course there is much, much more to the way of tea. Chinese tea enlightens individual tea drinkers in different ways. I have seen tea drinkers change their attitude of life after adapting tea as a way of life, some start looking deep into Chinese culture to search for more inspiration.
Keep in mind that Chinese tea is not just a beverage. You will be surprised that through the way of tea, you will find something in yourself.

The Art of Tea

"When a guest comes to my home from afar on a cold night, I light bamboo to boil tea to offer him." — Ancient Chinese poem.

China is the home country of tea. Before the Tang Dynasty, Chinese tea was exported by land and sea, first to Japan and Korea, then to India and Central Asia and, in the Ming and Qing dynasties, to the Arabian Peninsula. In the early period of the 17th century, Chinese tea was exported to Europe, where the upper class adopted the fashion of drinking tea. Chinese tea—like Chinese silk and china—has become synonymous worldwide with refined culture. At the heart of the art of tea—the study and practice of tea in all its aspects—is the simple gesture of offering a cup of tea to a guest that for Chinese people today is a fundamental social custom, as it has been for centuries. China traces the development of tea as an art form to Lu Yu, known as "the Saint of Tea" in Chinese history, who lived during the Tang Dynasty and who wrote The Book of Tea, the first ever treatise on tea and tea culture. The spirit of tea permeates Chinese culture, and throughout the country there are many kinds of teas, teahouses, tea legends, tea artifacts and tea customs. Better-known places to enjoy a good cup of tea in China include Beijing noted for its variety of teahouses; Fujian and Guangdong provinces and other places in the southeast of China that serve gongfu tea, a formal serving of tea in tiny cups; the West Lake in Hangzhou, also the home of the Tea Connoisseurs Association, noted for its excellent green tea; and provinces in southwest China like Yunnan where the ethnic groups less affected by foreign cultures retain tea ceremonies and customs in original tea-growing areas.

Chinese Chess

Chinese Chess, or xiangqi, is perhaps the most popular board game in the world, played by millions of people in China, other parts of Asia, and wherever Chinese have settled. In recent years it has started to become better known among non-Chinese. Westernized sets of boards and pieces sometimes show up in specialty games shops, and there have been several computer versions. But this wonderful game is still not as well known as it deserves to be.

All forms of chess are thought to have a common ancestor, but the dating and placing of the prototypical game are contentious. Following the lead of the chess historian H.J.R. Murray (whose scholarship may have been wider than it was deep), it has frequently been asserted that chess originated in India as chaturanga around the middle of the first millenium CE. Others, citing the lack of direct literary or archaeological evidence for chess in India at that time, point to Persia or some part of central Asia. The only thing known for certain is that an early form of the game was known in Persia by the seventh century. Called shatranj, it was played on a board identical to that used in modern Western chess, and with the same configuration of pieces, although some of the moves were more limited.

Peking Opera

With its fascinating and artistic accompanying music, singing and costumes, the Peking Opera is China's national opera. Full of Chinese cultural facts, the opera presents the audience with an encyclopedia of Chinese culture, as well as unfolding stories, beautiful paintings, exquisite costumes, graceful gestures and martial arts. Since Peking Opera enjoys a higher reputation than other local operas, almost every province in China has more than one Peking Opera troupes. Opera is so popular among Chinese people, especially seniors, that even "Peking Opera Month" has been declared.
Peking Opera has a 200-year-long history. Its main melodies originated from Xipi and Erhuang in Anhui and Hubei respectively and, over time, techniques from many other local operas were incorporated.
It is believed that Peking Opera gradually came into being after 1790 when the famous four Anhui opera troupes came to Beijing. Peking Opera underwent fast development during the reign of Emperor Qianlong and the notorious Empress Dowager Cixi under the imperial patron, eventually becoming more accessible to the common people.
In ancient times, Peking Opera was performed mostly on stage in the open air, teahouses or temple courtyards. Since the orchestra played loudly, the performers developed a piercing style of song that could be heard by everyone. The costumes were a garish collection of sharply contrasting colors to stand out on the dim stage illuminated only by oil lamps. Peking Opera is a harmonious combination of the Grand Opera, ballet and acrobatics, consisting of dance, dialogue, monologues, martial arts and mime.
The Peking Opera band mainly consists of an orchestra and percussion band. The former frequently accompanies peaceful scenes while the latter provides the right atmosphere for battle scenes. The commonly used percussion instruments include castanets, drums, bells and cymbals. One person usually plays the castanets and drum simultaneously, which conduct the entire band. The orchestral instruments include the Erhu, Huqin, Yueqin, Sheng (reed pipe), Pipa (lute) and other instruments. The band usually sits on the left side of the stage.

Facial Painting
It is said that this special art derived from Chinese opera has different origins. But no matter what its origin, facial painting is worth appreciating for its artistic value. The paintings are representations of the characters' roles. For example, a red face usually depicts heroic bravery, uprightness and loyalty; a white face symbolizes a sinister, treacherous and guile character and a green face connotes surly stubbornness, impetuosity and lack of self-restraint. In addition, facial painting patterns reveal information about a character, as well. Essentially, the unique makeup allows characters on stage to reveal them voicelessly.


Changing Faces

Peking Opera performers mainly have two types of facial decorations: masks and facial painting. The frequent on-stage changing of masks or facial makeup (without the audience noticing) is a special technique known as changing faces.

Changing faces is a difficult technique in operatic performance. It is considered to be a stunt that can only be mastered after extensive training. Face changing is also a special technique used to exaggerate inner feelings of characters, portray their dispositions, set off the atmosphere and improve effects. Facial changes expressing sudden changes in a character's feelings are done in four ways:

Blowing dust: The actor blows black dust hidden in his palm or close to his eyes, nose or beard, so that it blows back into his face.

Manipulating beard: Beard colors can be changed while the beard is being manipulated -- from black to gray and finally to white -- expressing anger or excitement.

Pulling-down masks: The actor can pull down a mask that has previously been hidden on top of his head, leaving his face red, green, blue or black to communicate happiness, hate, anger or sadness respectively.

Mop: The actor mops out the greasepaint hidden in his sideburns or eyebrows, around his eyes and nose, to change his facial appearance.

Xingtou

Peking Opera costumes are called Xingtou or, more popularly, Xifu in Chinese. The origins of Peking Opera costumes can be traced back to the mid-14th century when operatic precursors first began to experiment with large, ornate articles of clothing.

Since each dynasty in Chinese history had its own unique operatic costume, the number of costumes was too great for performers to master. Hence, artists and costume designers worked together to create costumes that would be unwieldy on stage and acceptable no matter when or where the action was supposed to take place. The stage image of some well-known historical figures, such as Guan Yu, Zhang Fei and Zhang Liang, were already fixed in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644).


Lavish costumes include:
1. Toukui, or opera headdress: crown, helmet, hat and scarf
2. Costume (about 20 kinds): the ceremonial robe, or Mang; the informal robe, or Pei; and the armor, or Kao, for soldiers
3. Opera shoes and boots, or Xue in Chinese
Audiences can distinguish a character's sex and status at the first glance by the type of headdress, robes, shoes and baldrics associated with the role.
Main Roles in Peking Opera
Roles fall into four categories: Sheng, Dan, Jing and Chou. The roles have the natural features of age and sex, as well as social status, and are artificially exaggerated by makeup, costume and gestures.
1. Male Role (Sheng): civil, military; Lao Sheng (old man with a beard: dignified, polished, official, scholar); Xiao Sheng (young man, shrill voice, young warrior, young man of society, stature, elaborate dress), Wu Sheng (acrobatic male, extremely agile and physically skilled).
2. Female Role (Dan): Qing Yi (modest, virtuous), Hua Dan (flirtatious, playful), Gui Men Dan (young, married girl), Dao Ma Dan (strong woman, female general), Wu Dan (female acrobat), Lao Dan (old woman).
3. Painted Face Male (Jing): Spectators are usually startled by the appearance of the Jing. His facial colors symbolize the type of character: red = good, white = treacherous, etc.
4. Comedy Actor or Clown (Chou): dim-witted, amusing, rascal, occasionally slightly wicked.

Chinese Shubi

Manufacture of Shubi
The manufacture of combs and fined-toothed combs is a complex and exquisite folk craft. Materials must be of the best quality, and the manufacturing process is also very complicated. The main materials for making combs are bamboo, wood and animal bones. The bamboo material is mainly selected from Yinshan grown, high-quality bamboo in South Jiangsu and West Zhejiang. Bamboo from these places is not only rigid and flexible but also durable. The wood material is mainly selected from such rare woods as rosewood, jujube wood, heath and boxwood. The comb and fined-toothed combs are made of boxwood and have fine wood character and clear grain, and also have functions of relieving headaches and itching, so they are particularly rare and welcomed. From preparing materials to the end product, a piece of wood comb needs 28 processes, and a single piece of fine-toothed comb needs 72 and a half processes. The delicate processes such as carving, drawing, scalding, engraving and grinding can only be finished by traditiFirst, the business of such combs and comb-making and selling enjoys a kind of extremely special right in ancient and modern Chinese industry.
Second, combs are a symbol of a happy life, and are an essential dowry in ancient China and some countries in the north part of modern China..However, combs in some nations are a kind of taboo. For example, for Tibetans, a comb must be hidden in a private place.

Chinese Shubi

Chinese Shubi
Shubi is also named as Zhi, including "Shu" (comb) and "Bi"(fine-toothed comb) and was one of eight hair-styles in ancient China. It has a history of more than 1,500 years since it became popular in Wei Jin and North-south dynasties.
Legends of Shubi
It was said that after the death of the Yan Emperor (a legendary emperor in the early days of Chinese history who is said to be the inventor of agriculture and herbal medication), Chi You raised troops for revenge. Like many other people, Hao Lian, a craftsman, was forced to fight. In the Zhulu War, Xuan Yuan Emperor defeated Chi You, while Hao Lian was captured and placed in prison and condemned to death. A warder, Huang Fu, learned that Hao Lian could make combs, and advised him to make a comb overnight as a way to escape death . It was presented to Luo Zu Queen. It was also said that from then on on February 18 and September 28 of each lunar calendar year, a memorial ceremony for the comb and fined-toothed comb trade would be held for the founders, and practitioners could pray for flourishing future business.

Art of Chinese Fans

There were many kinds of fans in ancient China, though only the Zheshan (folding fan) and Tuanshan (round fan) have grown to receive true appreciation from art collectors
The folding fan is also known as the "head-gathering" style of fan because its ends meet together when folded. Such fans were first manufactured in the Song Dynasty and became popular in the Ming Dynasty.
The birth of the round fan was much earlier than those of the folding variety. Its shape, like a full moon, signifies the auspicious meaning of a union and happiness. The round fan has many elegant names, like " Wan Shan", " Luo Shan", "Bing Mian" " Bian Mian" and "Zhang Mian."
Such fans were very popular in the Han Dynasty. The birth of the round fan was much earlier than those of the folding variety. Its shape, like a full moon, signifies the auspicious meaning of a union and happiness. The round fan has many elegant names, like " Wan Shan", " Luo Shan", "Bing Mian" " Bian Mian" and "Zhang Mian."
Such fans were very popular in the Han Dynasty. The best ones had a surface covered by white silk from East China's Shandong Provincewhile the handles were crafted out of bamboo from Central China's Hunan Province . Fans sometimes were decorated on both sides with paintings, poems or calligraphy . Those that held a famous artist's paintings or calligraphy were highly prized possessions.he famous calligrapher Wang Xizhi of the Jin Dynastyonce met an old woman selling folding fans in the street. He wrote five characters on each fan. This made the woman angry because she thought all her fans had been ruined. But when people discovered the artist's words on the otherwise ordinary fans, they sold like hot cakes - and at high prices. Fans are not only tools for cooling oneself, but also artworks symbols for status and taste. Scholars would wave their fans to show off their grace as they composed poetry or sat deep in thought. When not in use, fans were sometimes concealed inside sleeves or hung from the waist. For aristocratic young women, fans made from silk or other precious cloth -- especially flat round ones -- were a kind of prop to show off grace and beauty. Whenever they met a strange man, they would use their fans to hide their faces. So women's fans also have another name: "Zhang mian," which means, "Hiding face."
Fans gradually came to have attachments, such as fan bags, fan pendants and fan boxes. Fans also spread to other countries in the world, especially to Europe, becoming "emissaries" for Chinese culture.