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Chinatown

by: Charlie Karpowsky

China has a long and rich history of exploration and migration around the world. In fact, according to the Overseas Chinese Affairs Commission, at the end of 2003, there were 36,116,521 Chinese people living in countries around the world and 35,485,946 at the end of 2004 (measured by the first 20 ranked locations).

A Chinatown is an urban region containing a large population of Chinese people within a non-Chinese society. The word "Chinatown" in Chinese means "The Street of the Tang People", with Tang referring to the Tang Dynasty, a period of Chinese history regarded by many people as the pinnacle in the Chinese civilization.

For many Chinese people, the original Chinatowns around the world were not started out of choice, but because of racial segregation, and oppression. In other places, they were created to bring a sense of home and community to strangers in a new land.

The early Chinese immigrants created small Chinatowns in which they opened their own stores and restaurants, set up temples, and formed different community support groups.

Whatever their origins, you can find a Chinatown in almost every major city in the world. They vary in size -- from a couple of streets to large, thriving cities within a city.

Visit any Chinatown in the world and you'll be treated to a banquet for your senses -- vibrant, shimmering silks that are sensuously soft against your skin, exotic spices and culinary delights to tempt your tongue along with a kaleidoscope of sounds, fireworks and music. Wander along the crowded streets and you'll find large pagoda-style arches, paper lanterns, Chinese dragons, beautiful temples, ethnic Chinese and other Asian restaurants and small businesses.

Here is a list of some of the best Chinatowns in the world:

San Francisco, California: The largest Chinatown on the West Coast, Chinatown is one of San Francisco's biggest tourist attractions. It is world-renowned for its exotic ambience. The history of this Chinatown dates back to the gold rush days of the mid 1800s. Although they were not allowed in the mines, Chinese immigrants built laundries and restaurants to serve the growing city. Today, the area is about eight blocks long, and the best time to visit is usually mid-day. Don't miss the small exotic shops that you'll find on the narrow streets, to look for the best bargains. Here are some attractions of SF Chinatown : Bank of Canton, Cameron House, Canton Flower Shop, Chinatown Gateway, Churches, Great Star Theater, Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Factory, Hotels, Library, Museums, Nam Kue Chinese School, Parking, Parks, Portsmouth Square, Restaurants, Streets, SW Hotel, YWCA.

New York City, New York: Found in lower Manhattan, Chinatown in New York takes up two square miles. It is the largest Chinatown in the U.S. Founded by Chinese sailors and traders in the mid 18th century; the population was small and transient. It wasn't until the Californian Gold Rush that large numbers of Chinese immigrants came to the U.S. After racial tension created problems in the West, immigrants moved back east for safety and employment. Today it's overcrowded and narrow streets are both a tourist attractions and home to the largest population of Chinese New Yorkers.

NY Chinatown has hundreds of restaurants (especially on Mott, Pell and Doyers streets), booming fruit and fish markets, and shops for knick-knacks and sweets on winding, crowded streets.

Singapore: In a city already predominated by Chinese people, an area named "Chinatown" may seem rather redundant. But Chinatown here is one of the most active and vibrant in the entire world. Here you'll enjoy a feast for your palate as well as your eyes. A common architectural feature you will find around Chinatown is the shophouse, which is done in a style peculiar to this region of the world and known as Chinese baroque. Enjoy exotic dining, brightly painted buildings, nightly cultural activities and shopping.

Melbourne, Australia: Chinatown Melbourne also dates back to the mid-19th century gold rush. It combines the best of Chinese, Japanese, Thai and Korean cultures in a busy, bustling environment full of history. The best time to visit Chinatown Melbourne is at night, when the decorative streetlights are ablaze, lanterns are lit in restaurant windows, and wind chimes and neon lights are dazzling. Another attraction of Chinatown is the Chinese Museum (Cohen Place), which has artifacts on display documenting Chinese history in Australia from the Gold Rush days. Your biggest problem will be deciding where to go first!

Toronto, Canada: Sam Ching's Chinese laundry, downtown, launched the oldest of the six Chinatowns in the metro area of Toronto. Begun in the 1870's, Chinatown Toronto is famous for over 500 Chinese restaurants, glazed porcelain tea sets, jade necklaces, pearls, and the latest in electronic gadgets. If you watch closely, you'll even see abacuses being used to figure totals and change. Packed tightly into a maze of narrow and busy streets are bins brimming with exotic foods and one-of-a-kind boutiques in Chinatown and nearby Kensington Market.

The Chinese Festivals occur throughout the Lunar New Year. As our calendar year and the Lunar year is different, the festivals fall on different dates each year.

Chinese festivals are celebrated in every Chinatown, and if you happen to find yourself in one of the world's Chinatowns during one, you can consider yourself lucky. Celebrations include lion dances, fireworks, parades, music and laughter. You'll enjoy seeing the true spirit of the Chinese people as they come together to celebrate and honor their history and culture.

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Chinatown

by: Charlie Karpowsky

The early Chinese immigrants created small Chinatowns in which they opened their own stores and restaurants, set up temples, and formed different community support groups.

Whatever their origins, you can find a Chinatown in almost every major city in the world. They vary in size -- from a couple of streets to large, thriving cities within a city.

Here is a list of some of the best Chinatowns in the world:

NY Chinatown has hundreds of restaurants (especially on Mott, Pell and Doyers streets), booming fruit and fish markets, and shops for knick-knacks and sweets on winding, crowded streets.

The Chinese Festivals occur throughout the Lunar New Year. As our calendar year and the Lunar year is different, the festivals fall on different dates each year.

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The Art of Chinese Architecture中國建築

Chinese Culture/Chinese Architecture

The basic feature of Chinese architecture is rectangular-shaped units of space joined together into a whole. Temples in ancient Greece also employed rectangular spaces, but the overall effect tended to austerity. The Chinese style, by contrast, combines rectangular shapes varying in size and position according to importance into an organic whole, with each level and component clearly distinguished. As a result, traditional Chinese style buildings have an imposing yet dynamic and intriguing exterior.

The combination of units of space in traditional Chinese architecture abides by the principles of balance and symmetry. The main structure is the axis, and the secondary structures are positioned as two wings on either side to form the main rooms and yard. Residences, official buildings, temples, and palaces all follow these same basic principles. The distribution of interior space reflects Chinese social and ethical values. In traditional residential buildings, for example, members of a family are assigned living quarters based on the family hierarchy. The master of the house occupies the main room, the elder members of the master's family live in the compound in back, and the younger members of the family live in the wings to the left and right; those with seniority on the left, and the others on the right.

Another characteristic of Chinese architecture is its use of a wooden structural frame with pillars and beams, and earthen walls surrounding the building on three sides. The main door and windows are in front. Chinese have used wood as a main construction material for thousands of years; wood to the Chinese represents life, and "life" is the main thing Chinese culture in its various forms endeavors to communicate. This feature has been preserved up to the present.

Traditional rectangular Chinese buildings are divided into several rooms, based on the structure of the wooden beams and pillars. In order to top the structure with a deep and over hanging roof, the Chinese invented their own particular type of support brackets, called tou-kung, which rise up level by level from each pillar. These brackets both support the structure and are also a distinctive and attractive ornamentation. This architectural style was later adopted by such countries as Korea and Japan.

Some special architectural features resulted from the use of wood. The first is that the depth and breadth of interior space is determined by the wooden structural frame. The second is the development of the technique of applying color lacquers to the structure to preserve the wood. These lacquers were made in brilliant, bold colors, and became one of the key identifying features of traditional Chinese architecture. Third is the technique of building a structure on a platform, to prevent damage from moisture. The height of the platform corresponds to the importance of the building. A high platform adds strength, sophistication, and stateliness to large buildings.

The highly varied color murals found on a traditional Chinese building have both symbolic and aesthetic significance, and may range from outlines of dragons and phoenixes and depictions of myths to paintings of landscapes, flowers, and birds. One notable architectural development in southern China, particularly in Taiwan, is fine wood sculpture. Such sculptures, together with the murals, give the structure an elegant and pleasing ornamental effect.

Most traditional architecture in Taiwan today traces its origins to southern Fukien and eastern Kwangtung provinces. There are many different types of traditional style residences in Taiwan, but most are variations and expansions on the central theme of the san-ho-yuan ("three-section com-pound," a central building with two wings attached perpendicular to either side) and the szu-ho-yuan ("four-section compound," a san-ho-yuan with a wall added in front to connect the two wings). Two examples of relatively large and well-known residences of these types are the Lin Family Compound in Panchiao, a suburb of Taipei, and the Lin Family Compound in Wufeng, near Taichung. In the past, relatively wealthy Chinese people would often set up a garden in the back or to the sides of the compound. Such gardens are to be found in the two Lin residences in Panchiao and Wufeng. They are larger in scale even than the Soochow Gardens in the Yangtze River Valley area.

A broad variety of architectural styles are employed in Chinese temples. The religions of the temples vary from Buddhist to Taoist to ancestral and folk religion, but all share the same basic temple structure. With Taiwan's rich folk religious tradition, temples are to be seen everywhere; they are one of the island's unique cultural features. A conservative estimate numbers Taiwan's temples at over 5,000, many of which have particular architectural significance. Some of the more famous and important examples of traditional Chinese temple architecture in Taiwan include the Lungshan Temple and Tienhou Temple in Lukang, the Lungshan Temple in Taipei, and the Chaotien Temple in Peikang. The Lungshan Temple in Lukang is particularly noted for its long history and sophisticated artistry.

The ornamentation on traditional buildings in Taiwan is especially exquisite; it is like a comprehensive Chinese folk art exhibit. Its main elements include color painting; calligraphy; wood, stone, and clay sculpture; ceramics; and cut-and-paste art. Thus an acquaintance with Chinese traditional architecture in Taiwan can at the same time be a gateway to understanding China's rich folk culture

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Chinese Culture/Chinese Society, Traditions
Chinese Calligraphy

Chinese calligraphy is like a rare, exotic flower in the history of civilization, and is a unique gem of Oriental culture. Graphically, it is comparable to painting in its ability to evoke emotion through a rich variety of form and design. As abstract art, it displays the rhythmic and harmonious flow of music. And from a practical point of view, it is written language.

Click here to view Chinese Calligraphy Video

Writing is a tangible representation of spoken language. The composition of Chinese characters can be divided into six basic categories:(1)hsiang hsing, i.e. direct pictorial representation; (2)chih shih, symbolic renderings of abstract ideas; (3)hui yi, a combination of concrete pictorial elements with symbolic renderings of abstract ideas; (4)hsing sheng, a combination of phonetic and pictorial elements; (5)chia chieh, a character borrowed purely for its phonetic value to represent an unrelated homophone or near-homophone; and (6)chuan chu, a character which has taken on a new meaning, and an alternate or modified written form has been assigned to the original meaning. These methods of composition of Chinese characters are referred to as the Liu Shu, or "Six Writing Methods."

With the "four treasures of the study" (wen fang szu pao), namely, brush pens, ink sticks, paper, and ink slabs as tools, and through the medium of lines, China's calligraphers have over the centuries developed uncounted different calligraphic styles. This plethora of diverse styles can, however, be grouped into five basic categories : Chuan Shu, Seal Script; Li Shu, Official Script; K'ai Shu, Regular Script; Hsing Shu, Running Script; and Ts'ao Shu, which literally means "Grass" Script, but is usually referred to as Cursive Script.

Chinese calligraphy is not only a practical tool of everyday living; it comprises, along with traditional Chinese painting, the mainstream of China's art history. All kinds of people, from emperors to peasants, have avidly collected works of fine calligraphy. And calligraphic works are not only for making into scrolls or framing and hanging in a room or study; they are to be found everywhere you look : on shop and government office building signs, on monuments, and in stone inscriptions. All of these examples of Chinese calligraphy have supreme artistic value. Today, as in the past, calligraphers are often literati as well as artists. Their calligraphic works may include renderings of their own poems, lyrics, couplets, or letters; or those of famous masters.

Chinese calligraphy can bring physical and spiritual benefits to the practitioner, and can train one in discipline, patience, and persistence. As a result, many of China's calligraphers over history have lived long and rich lives. Practicing calligraphy can even refine one's personality and change one's outlook on life.

It is for these reasons that Chinese scholars have traditionally placed great importance onChinese calligraphy. In the Taiwan, calligraphy is a major subject from elementary to high school, and even in post secondary schools. Calligraphy clubs and associations are popular all over the country, and calligraphy receives strong support from various foundations. Calligraphy competitions with cash prizes are a further incentive to keeping the art vital. In this technological information age, it is encouraging and satisfying to note the enthusiastic public interest that Chinese calligraphy continues to generate.

Over the millennia, the benefits of personality tempering and intellectual expression afforded by the art of Chinese calligraphy have not been restricted to China's borders alone. The neighboring countries of Japan and Korea and several nations of Southeast Asia have all made Chinese calligraphy part of their own respective cultures, and developed their own schools and styles. Since World War ll, Western countries have also been influenced by Chinese calligraphy. Representative of the significant position occupied by Chinese calligraphy in international art was a "Cobra" painting exhibition held in Scandinavia in 1948. The works displayed at this exhibition were by a painter who drew inspiration from Chinese calligraphy as practiced in Japan.

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Chinese Culture/Chinese Art/Wang Xizhi

Wang Xizhi is a famous Chinese Calligraphy (303-361AD). His Chinese name is 王羲之. Wang was born in Linqin County in Shandong province. Wang Xizhi is said be the exemplar of the high art of Chinese calligraphy, a master of every form but particularly of the semi-cursive script. His most famous work is the "Preface to the Poems Composed at the Orchid Pavilion" the preface of a collection of poems written by a number of poets. Below are pictures of his calligraphy writings.

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Chinese Culture/Chinese Art

Emperor Huizong: Chinese Calligrapher

Emperor Huizong (November 2, 1082 – June 4, 1135) was the eighth and one of the most famous emperors of the Song Dynasty of China, with a personal life spent amidst luxury, sophistication and art but ending in tragedy.

A true artist, Huizong neglected the army, and Song China became increasingly weak and at the mercy of foreign enemies. When the Jurchen of Manchuria founded the Jin Dynasty and attacked the Liao kingdom to the north of the Song empire, the Song court allied with the Jin and attacked the Liao from the south. This succeeded in destroying the Liao kingdom, a long time enemy of the Song. However, an enemy even more formidable, the Jin, was now on the northern border. Not content with the annexation of the Liao kingdom, and measuring rightly the weakness of the Song empire, the Jin soon declared war on their former ally, and by the beginning of 1126 they crossed the Yellow River and came in sight of Kaifeng, the capital of the Song empire. Stricken with panic, Huizong abdicated on January 18, 1126 in favor of his son who became Emperor Qinzong (欽宗).

Overcoming the walls of Kaifeng was a difficult undertaking for the Jin cavalry, and this, conjugated with fierce resistance from some Chinese officials who had not totally lost their temper like Huizong, resulted in the Jin raising the siege of Kaifeng and returning north. The Song empire, however, had to sign a humiliating treaty with the Jin, agreeing to pay a colossal war indemnity and to give a tribute to Jin every year.

But even such humiliating terms could not save the hopeless Song empire. Within a matter of months, the Jin were back south again, and this time they were determined to overcome the walls of Kaifeng. After a bitter siege, the Jin eventually entered Kaifeng on January 9, 1127, and many days of looting, rapes, and massacre followed. Huizong, his son Emperor Qinzong, as well as the entire imperial court and harem were captured by the Jin in the Jingkang Incident. One of the sons of Huizong managed to escape to Southern China where after many years of struggle he would establish the Southern Song Dynasty, of whom he was the first emperor, Emperor Gaozong (高宗).

Huizong and Qinzong were demoted to the rank of commoners by the Jin on March 20, 1127. Then on May 10, 1127, Huizong was deported to Northern Manchuria, where he spent the last 8 years of his life as a captive. The man who once had been the most powerful ruler on earth and had lived in opulence and art died a broken man in far-away Northern Manchuria in June 1135 at the age of 52.

Huizong was a great painter, poet, and calligrapher. He was also a player of the guqin (as exemplified by his famous painting 聽琴圖 Listening to the Qin); he also had a Wanqin Tang 『萬琴堂』 ("10,000 Qin Hall") in his palace. He invented the "Slender Gold" (瘦金體) style of calligraphy. The name "Slender Gold" came from the fact that Huizong's writing resembled gold filament, twisted and turned. His era name of Xuanhe is also used to describe a style of mounting paintings in scroll format. In this style, black borders are added between some of the silk planes.

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Gu Kaizhi Introduction

Chinese painting came a long way during the 300-year period that saw the rise and fall of the Three Kingdoms (220-280), Jin Dynasty (265-420) and Northern and Southern Dynasties (420-581). Apart from the chaos of war and dynastic changes during this period, active intellectual life of different schools also provided a great impetus for artistic development. Well-known grotto murals, tomb paintings, stone carvings, brick carvings and lacquered paintings were produced at the time, and a number of virtuosos emerged in Chinese calligraphy and painting. Certain painting theories, such as the Graphic Theory and the Six-Rule Theory that form the theoretical basis for present-day Chinese painting, were also put forward. Gu Kaizhi, known as the founder of traditional Chinese painting, and his scroll paintings, represented the painting style of the period.

Gu was born into an official family in Wuxi, Jiangsu Province and served as a government officer at a young age. Having toured many beautiful places, Gu was proficient in writing poetry and essays; Chinese art history abounds in anecdotes about him.

When the construction of a temple was planned for Jiankang (Nanjing) and the monks and abbot could not collect enough money to build it, a young man offered to donate a large sum of money. He suggested he would draw a picture of the Buddha on the wall and, in the process, collect donations from curious passersby. For three consecutive days, thousands of people flocked to see the young man at work. By adding the final touches to the picture, the Buddha seemed to come alive, and the viewers cheered and applauded the young man's artistry. Hence, the money needed for the consummate construction of the temple was obtained.

The young man who paid great attention to the details that revealed the characteristics of his subjects was none other than Gu Kaizhi. Gu was once was asked to paint Pei Kai's portrait, a man with three, long, fine hairs on his face that had been ignored by other painters. Gu laid great emphasis on the three hairs, and Pei was very satisfied. Another time, Gu painted a man named Xie Kun standing in the midst of mountains and rocks. When asked the reason for the setting, Gu explained that Xie loved to travel and see beautiful mountains and rivers. Such stories demonstrate Gu's skill of creating atmospheres that enhanced the characteristics of his subjects.

The theme of the Luoshen Appraisal Painting (luo shen fu) was drawn from the article, Luoshen Appraisal, written by Cao Zhi, son of the Wei Emperor Cao Cao. The painting depicts the meeting between Cao Zhi and the Goddess Luoshen at Luoshui River, vividly capturing the mood of their first meeting and eventual separation. Gu emphasized his subjects' expressions, with the stones, mountains and trees having an ornamental purpose. Gu's paintings, which greatly influenced later traditional Chinese paintings, are similar in style to the Dunhuang murals.

Gu Kaizhi also made great advances in summarizing painting theories. His theoretical works included Painting Thesis and Notes on Painting Yuntai Mountain. Gu paid considerable attention to the vivid expressions of his subjects to expose their spirit. His Graphic Theory later became a basic theory for traditional Chinese painting. According to historical records, Gu created more than 70 paintings based on historical stories, Buddha, human figures, birds, animals, mountains and rivers. His three existing scroll paintings include the Nvshi Zhen Painting, Luoshen Appraisal Painting and Lienv Renzhi Painting -- the earliest examples of scroll paintings.

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Zhang Daqian, Chinese Painter, 1899-1983

Chang Dai-chien [Zhang Daqian] (1899-1983) was a native of Nei-chiang, Szechwan. His original given name Chuan was later changed to Yuan, while his childhood name Chi was later incorporated into his studio name Chi-yuan. He took the religious name Dai-chien upon becoming a Buddhist monk, and after returning to the laity he called himself Dai-chien chu-shih or "Lay believer Dai-chien."

At the age of 21 he studied under Tseng Hsi and Li Jui-ching. Taking Shih Tao and Pa-ta Shan-jen as his starting point, he sought out as many paintings by famous artists of past centuries as he could to copy. Beginning with an impressionistic style and progressing to meticulous brushwork, he developed the ability to move between these techniques with complete master. In 1941 he traveled to DunHuang where he spent two years and seven months copying wall paintings. Here he studied traditional coloration and line drawing methods, being particularly moved by the grand scale and complex layout of the high Tang style. The sumptuous splendor of high Tang art inspired him with the desire to create great art.

Besides copying from old masters Chang Dai-chien was also expert at painting from life.

Chang Dai-chien traveled widely in Europe and America, where he came into contact with the contemporary art movement in the West. This spurred a sea change in his methods of painting, and he created unique splashed-ink and splashed-color styles, expanding the potential of plane surfaces and coloration. In his later years, he combined splashed ink and splashed color with the masterly texture strokes and liberation of his early years to form a new synthesis. Hovering between concrete and abstract, reveling in freedom and unpredictability, Chang Dai-chien's work created a whole new style of modern Chinese painting. -- By Chen Kang-Shun

Considered by many to be the "Picasso of the East"

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Qí Báishí (齊白石, also Ch'i Pai-shih) (January 1, 1864 - September 16, 1957) was a Chinese painter.

Born to a peasant from Xiangtan, Hunan, Qi became a carpenter at 14, and learned to paint by himself. After he turned 40, he travelled, visiting famous scenic spots in China. After 1917 he settled in Beijing. In his later years, he continued to make "later-year innovations."

He is perhaps the most noted contemporary Chinese painter for the whimsical, often playful style of his watercolor works.

His pseudonyms include Qí Huáng (齊璜) and Qí Wèiqīng (齐渭清). The subjects of his paintings include almost everything, commonly animals, scenery, figures, toys, vegetables, and so on. He theorized that "paintings must be something between likeness and unlikeness, much like today's vulgarians, but not like to cheat popular people". In his later years, many of his works depict mice, shrimp, or birds.

He was also good at seal carving and called himself "the fortune of three hundred stone seals".

In 1953 he was elected to the president of the Association of Chinese Artists. He died in Beijing in 1957.

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Welcome to Huang Binhong Art Gallery

Huang Binhong was born in Zhejiang Province, the grandson of the well regarded artist Huang Fengliu. He studied painting and then spent many years editing literary and art journals in Shanghai and teaching at fine arts colleges in Shanghai and Beijng. In 1948, he moved to Hangzhou and taught at the West Lake Art College.

Huang Binhong was a master of freehand landscape painting who was well versed in the works of the great masters of the past and followed many of their techniques. Huang experimented with traditional techniques for the use of ink, including shading and layering. For example, he achieved a simple yet profound effect in his landscapes by the use of thick dark ink over which he applied light or heavy coloring. His work was also known for its powerful brushwork and its fresh approach to composition.

In 1953 on his 90th birthday, Huang was awarded the title of “Outstanding Painter of the Chinese People.” After his death in 1955, a Huang Binhong Museum was established in his home in Hangzhou.

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Chinese Writing Characteristics

By: R Wang

Over the years, Chinese were evolved and developed in the following different ways:

Pictographs

The original written format were found on the markings scratched onto tortoise shells and animal bones, the so-called "oracle bones". These ancient writings were pictures or Pictographs.

Many people tend to think that Chinese characters are all pictographs. Actually, pictographic characters are only one kind of Chinese character, there are only about 600 pictograph characters.

Pictographic Chinese characters are pictures of concrete objects, they are the basic units for forming other Chinese characters.

These are a few examples showing the pictographic characters:

山 Mountain ; 羊 sheep ; 月 moon

Ideographs

As time went on and people needed to express more complex ideas or concepts, pictographs were extended or combined to form ideographs. Ideographs are graphical representations of abstract ideas.

For example:

a sun 日 and a moon 月 together means 'bright' 明

a woman 女 and with a child 子 beside means 'good' 好

The single character ? stands for a tree, two trees together ? refers to a group of trees-grove the character made up of three trees ? means a place full of trees - a forest Phonetic-Semantic Compounds

Over 90% of current Chinese characters are semantic-phonetic compounds.

There are many objects, abstract and ideas that are difficult to express through Pictographs or Ideographs.

For example, 鸟 is the general term for birds, but there are thousands of types of birds in the world, and it is impossible to differentiate each of them by way of pictography or ideography. But this is easily achieved in phonetic-semantic compounds by adding different phonetics to the radical 鸟, e.g. 鸽 ( pigeon ), 鹊 ( crane ), 鸡 ( chicken ) or 鹅 ( goose ).

A phonetic compound consists of a semantic radical and a phonetic radical, the semantic radical indicates its semantic field and the phonetic radical its pronunciation.

The meaning component of the semantic-phonetic compound Chinese character is also called the 'radical'. For example, ' 足 ' is a popular Chinese radical that means 'foot'. The meanings of those characters that contain this radical are related to 'foot' in a certain way.

The phonetic component indicates at least part of the sound. Characters that contain the same phonetic component tend to have similar sounds.

For example, for the character ' 跳' ( jump ), the right part ' 兆' indicates the sound. They share the same vowel.

Phonetic Loans

The phonetic loan is another way of using existing characters. It is an internal borrowing on the basis of pronunciation: a character is used in a new meaning which is expressed by a similar sound in the spoken form. In this way an existing character has acquired a new meaning, but no new character is created.

For example, the character自in the Oracle-Bone Inscriptions was originally pictograph and referred to the nose, but it is now used in the sense of "self" as a result of phonetic loan. The character 来 in the Oracle-Bone Inscriptions was also a pictograph, referring to the wheat, but is now used in the sense of "come" as a phonetic loan.

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What Sets Chinese Painting Apart From Western Painting
Chinese Culture/Chinese Painting

by: Ernesto Apomayta

Because of different instruments, materials and cultural background, Chinese paintings have their own image and content in comparison to other types of paintings like Western paintings. Unique appearance of Chinese Painting owes much to the use of the Chinese writing brush and the Chinese paper (rice and silk). There are four essential elements used in the creation of Chinese Painting, the brush, ink, paper, and the ink stone. Lacking any of them the job cannot be done.

The most important factors for Chinese Painting are the special pedagogy, the close relationship with the painter’s personality and the unique Chinese philosophy. They are trained not only to convey the objects but also express the mood and the spirit of the subject. The Chinese also believe that the painting is the expression of the painter’s knowledge and temperament. In this way, Chinese Painting becomes something much more than art.

The most essential philosophy of China is the unity of Heaven, Earth and Human Beings. What the Chinese Painters are trying to express is not what meets the eye, but their attitude to the Great Nature. The Chinese painter has a profound love and admiration for nature. It is part of their culture, religious practices and their need to depend on nature to survive.

In relationship to human and animal figures, the Chinese painter utilizes the forms he finds in nature, such as ovals, circles, and geometric lines which are found also found in Chinese calligraphy. Thus, all Chinese paintings whether they are landscapes or the human figure are painted with the same movement, rhythm, and harmony that is used when drawing the forms of calligraphy. Calligraphy is a form of art, even more revered and honored than all other painting.

In the same theme they may spend hours contemplating and drawing inspiration from the figures of nature such as humming birds with their fragile wings, the robust legs of the cricket, and the fascinating form of the praying mantis. From the minor or simple creatures that are chosen as subjects of art work, we can see how they enjoy the nature and the love they devote to the most humble things.

The Chinese painter finds it offensive to contemplate and draw the human figure by itself. Human beings are part of the surrounding heavens and earth. They are all together. That is why Chinese paintings are simple in composition and full of harmony, overall balance and peace with all of creation. They are interested in the mood and spirit.

About The Author

Ernesto Apomayta

Born and raised in Puno, Peru, Ernesto Apomayta was identified as an artistic prodigy at the tender age of five. As a boy, Apomayta was first influenced and inspired by the natural marvels surrounding the humble home he shared with his family. In close proximity to shimmering Lake Titicaca, the striking beauty of the Andes and the awe-inspiring Incan ruins of his ancestors, Apomayta was spiritually compelled to express his wonder visually through his paintbrush. A direct ancestor of the legendary photographer, Martin Chambi, Apomayta derived inspiration from the same native influences and his legacy that encouraged Apomayta to fulfill his own artistic destiny.

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Ancient Chinese Jewelry
Chinese Culture/Ancient Chinese Jewelry

Variety of forms and designs is an identifying feature of ancient Chinese jewelry. The major types of adornments that existed during the given time period are distinguished by principles of wearing, resulting from ritual and socio-cultural peculiarities of the given type of article. Thus, classification of ancient Chinese jewelry depends on direct connections with the conventions of social etiquette and the aesthetic forms of everyday behavior, hence we distinguish: head, temple, ear, neck, chest, hand, and foot adornments, as well as sew-on pieces, and finally votive plates and small articles. Let us consider the most frequently found types and forms of jewelry.

Head adornments: diadems, crowns, fillets jewelry

In the ancient Chinese jewelry world, headdresses determined the social status of the wearer. This aspect is made clear by gold votive plates with depictions of donors from the Treasure of Oxus. Beginning with the Hellenistic epoch the headdress served solely as a socio-ideological sign could have been used as an adornment for a headdress. Symmetry of the design is achieved by the alternation of a pair of birds and by a dividing line of salient dots. The composition can be completed by repetition of this pattern, thus allowing restoring missing adornment parts. The top edge of the plate is jagged, similar to the headdresses of the donors on votives, as well as the men (of royal origin) found on finger rings.

A diadem from the IVth burial consists of two combined elements: the lower part -a fillet with rosetts, the top part a tree with birds (Sarianidi, Bactrian gold, p. 254-259). Analogies to this diadem exist in Korean and Chinese art (Gluhareva O. Iskusstvo Korei, M. 1982).

In the early middle ages a different type of headdress, resembling a nomadic abode (a yurta) became wide spread. In separate details (a rim with cylindrical ringing pendants) it is similar to the diadems described above, thus confirming the existence of cultural relations and exchange of traditions.

Head and forehead adornments and jewelry are also known through wall paintings, sculpture, relief and pottery. For example, a picture of a woman with a forehead fillet adorned with “precious” stones in its center, is as found on a jug that dates to the Kushan period. The head of a goddess from a wall-painting in Dilberdjin is crowned with a diadem that is slightly dilated in its central part and gradually narrows on both sides, like a pediment, it’s painted in yellow ocher- the color of gold. The next stage of coloring consisted of the placement of an ornament of circles and stretched rectangles with the use of dark brown color. Head fillets of the I-II centuries found on sculptures from Dalverzin (“the hall of tsars”) (Pugachenkova G. Dalverzin-tepe, Tashkent, 1978, p. 207) can be identified as Greek, due to their form : one of the fillets is richly decorated with oval semi-precious stones, while the other has a multi-petaled rosette, with traces of gilding in the center. An analogous type of forehead adornments can be found on relieves from Airtam.

It should be noted that constructive peculiarities in jewelry art relate it to architecture. Hence, it may not be mere chance that the bottom of a crown was treated as an element of architectural decoration, where décor was based on the rules of free composition with repetition of elements or group elements. Thus, head adornments not only served as elements of distinction and indication of social strata, but also played a major role in artistic completeness of an image; a man –like an architectural form, gained the significance of a closed aesthetic system.

Temple pendants

Often, head fillets and diadems were supplemented by temple –pendants. In a manner similar to porticos in architecture, they carry the construction of the diadem; subject compositions could be placed within the pendants (Tillya-tepe). Most temple-pendants are of a rectangular or a square shape. Such types of adornments are absent from the Treasure of Oxus.

Apparently, this type of temple pendants became widespread on the verge of the new era, for similar temple pendants are known to us through the findings of Tillya-tepe.

Scenes, that fill the space on temple-pendants changed in the early middle ages. The “new’ pendants have the following characteristic features: fractionality, strict vertical lines and one multipartite (Pamyatniki kul’turi I iskusstva Kirgizii, p. 46).

Hair adornments and jewelry- pins, bronze pivots crowned by disks with miniature flowers, relate to the same article group. It is the most ancient type of head adornments, common not only to Central Asia, but in a later time also in China (Hermitage collections)

Earrings

Earrings are one of the most popular types of ancient Chinese jewelry of all times. The variety of form and design that exist in their representation are sticking. On the relieves from Persepolis, among tributaries, a Bactrian is portrayed with a drop-shaped earring in one ear confirming the assumption that earrings were worn by men (Schmidt. E. Persepolis, Chicago, vol. 1, 1953; vol. 2, 1957, vol. 31969). An analogous type of earrings can be found among articles of the Treasure of Oxus. This type of earrings is wide spread even in our time.

It may be concluded that in contrast to women, men wore only one earring. Supporting evidence for this conclusion can be found in ethnography. The diversity of material used to make earrings suggest that earrings were a popular adornment in all levels of society, therefore archaeologists are able to uncover not only gold and silver earrings, but also bronze, brass, iron and copper.

For example, in Tulkhar burial earrings that resemble a bird in their shape were found alongside an earring with an amphora shaped pendant. The handles of the amphora are shaped as bent stylized dolphins. This once again notes the diversity of images used in adornments, especially earrings. The appearance of amphora and dolphins indicate the presence of Greek influence that spread on to the territory of Central Asia during II BC-I AD. These motifs became widely used in the first centuries AD. In a Ksirov’s burial (II BC), for example we’ll see the cockerel-shaped earrings with moonlike pendants were discovered, the other ones were “pepper”-shaped with pendant and gold disk.

Neck adornment

Let us now turn to the neck adornments. This category includes necklaces, beads, torques, pectorals, etc. Some articles served only as adornments, while others carried magic or utilitarian functions. For example, torques held cloaks and protected from arrows in a battle. In Central Asia and Persia, the torque was a sign of army rank.

M. Gorelik states that a hammer notch can be seen on a torque from the Tolstaya burial; its common use is confirmed also by the restorations done in ancient times. The spiral-shaped, bracelets from the Treasure of Oxus could have been torques, twisted into spirals. Having zoomorphic ends, the torques composed an ensemble with the bracelets. Lion head ends are very common. In Siberian collection, we find a Scythian torque with lion head ends; a torque found next to Archangelsk is also decorated with lion heads.

An enormous diversity of torques is found on relieves from Airtam. These torqueses are more massive when compared to earlier examples. A torque with bracelets from Dalversin has heavily flared ends.

Pectorals are another type of a neck adornment shaped like a chain with a cameo in the center. Pectorals were probably meant to convey social status, for such adornments were worn by members of the upper class or by representations of gods (Pugachenkova G. 1979i, p. 189). A pectoral from the IVth (male) burial (Tillya-tepe) consists of a wide chain with eight loops and a center cameo. Analogies exist in Parthian art: a silver plaque (I century BC) (Pugachenkova G. 1979) portrays a Parthian king wearing a diadem and a pectoral with a center cameo. Pectorals from Dalversin also date to the I century BC. (Pugachenkova G, 1978, ill. 76). One of these consists of two concentric halves joined by their ends, in its center - an intaglio with a representation of Heracles.

The gemma was probably added to the pectoral much later, since the representation is horizontal. Figures from the Airtam relieve wear similar pectorals (Trever C., 1940, table 45-46). Analogous pectorals can be also found in relieves from Palmyra -female representations- (Shlumberje D, 1985, ill. 82). A pectoral also decorates the statue of a “general” from Shami ( (Pugachenkova G. 1979, p. 148). R. V. Kinjalov notes the similarity between the portrayal of the Parthian king on the silver plaque and the sculpture of the “general” from Shami (Kinjalov R. Serebryannaya plastina s izobrajeniem parfaynskogo zarya, Sovetskaya Arheologiya, 1959, #2, p. 197-205). In the form of a pectoral is another necklace from Dalversin. It consists of five cords, weaved into a braid of eight strings that are fastened to the openings of two hollow, bent cylinders with precious stones; the centerpiece has been lost. G. A. Puganchenkova claims that such necklaces were often a part of Gandharan representations of the upper class, in particular as attributes of the prince Siddhartha Gautama (subsequently known as the Buddha) and the bodhisattva Maitreya (Buddha of the Future). This is the first life-size finding of such an adornment. (Pugachenkova G. 1978, p. 96)

Truly unique is the beautiful necklace from the Vth burial at Tillya-Tepe. Its form is closely related to Greek examples, but in specific details (pendants), it is closer to nomad and Bactrian art, an amalgam (Sarianidi V. 1985, p. 252, #3; ill. 64, 65). The form of the necklace echoes ancient torques from the famous Tolstaya burial. Here all the details and elements of decor in the form of hollow balls are in continuous metamorphosis: ball to circle, to teardrop, finally becoming a flat disk.

The disks may have been in imitation of coins or vice versa, in later adornments disks are interchanged for coins. Throughout the XVIII-XX centuries in Central Asia and Kazakhstan various types of coins were used as pendants for necklaces. The Tajiks termed such adornments “tanga” (coin), the Kazakhs - “alka”. The III and VI burials from Tellya-Tepe contained necklaces made of beads: some with incrustations made of porcelain and turquoise, some of turquoise only; the protrusions and indentations of the edges are so delicate that they give the beads the appearance of paper lanterns. Twisting torques with and without a cord can be seen decorating the necks of party guests from Balalik-tepe paintings. (fig. 7, 13, 18, 21, Albaum A. 1960, p. 173). Thus, we see that torques, pectorals, and girdles are characteristic adornments of the upper class, serving as distinguishing marks and carrying specific meaning.

Bracelets

Review of the literature and jewelry finds from Central Asia allows concluding that bracelets were the most popular adornment in the ancient world. They were generally executed in semi-triangular, omega-like or coiled forms (bracelets from the Amu-Darya treasure). The bracelets could be massive (cast) or delicate, sometimes having zoomorphic ends. The hoops were either smooth or ruffled and were usually cast separately from the ends that were added later.

The masters with the use of insertions and incrustation conveyed mystical and decorative intents. It is known that bracelets were worn by the members of both sexes, alone or in pairs, and were subdivided into closed-ended and open-ended bracelets. Indian women wore bracelets in marriage; in Rome, the most popular form of the bracelet consisted of coiled rings with snakehead ends, symbolic of the youthful forces of life. (Solov’ev K. Istoria Hudojestvennoi obrabotki metallov drevnego mira, Moscow, 1963, p. 91).

It is possible that the female bracelet evolved from male warrior rings, related not only to the protection of the hand. There also exist bracelets for the legs - anklets. Sometimes the size and weight of the bracelet allow determining whether it belonged to a man or a woman. Men (see omega-shaped bracelets with gryphon from the Amu-Darya treasure) could have worn massive, cast bracelets, while the delicate ones were probably worn by, women (see bracelet with duck heads from the Amu-Darya treasure).

Bracelets from the Amu-Darya treasure include both the closed and open-ended types. Those of the former type are more common - 12. The two types of bracelets are unified by the appearance of indentations meant for insets, although the insets themselves are no longer present. Only on bracelet (Amu-Darya treasure), a lapis-lazuli inset survived, and on bracelet, (same treasure), some of the indentations have turquoise insets and come in a variety of shapes: rectangular, circular, triangular, and drop-like. The bracelets from the Amu-Darya treasure are similar not only in form, but also in the method of execution, implying a unity of traditions and the presence of a defined canon. The fact that many examples and distinct decorative elements were found in the treasure suggests that these were acceptable sacrificial offerings, and that a workshop was adjunct to the temple, as for example at Ai-Hanum. (Rapin C. La tresorerie hellenistique d’ai Khanum, Rev. Arch. 1, 1987, p. 42-70)

Bracelets, dating to the II c. BCE - II c. AD, have many common features with those from the Amu-Darya treasure. They also include some new types and shapes, as for example bracelets from the II and VI burial at Tillya-Tepe. The bracelets are open-ended with zoomorphic terminals and incrustation. Some have ends in the shape of antelopes a particularly popular type of bracelets in the Tillya-Tepe collection were bracelets with heavily flared ends or “shepherd’s horn”

In a female burial (I) same bracelets having a soft round features, in a male (IV) they have ribbed edges and in the end are a rectangular. Some of them are cast, another are forged. Similar elements can be found in foot bracelets and torques (Sarianidi V, 1985, p. 238, ill. 16, 17; p. 235, ill. 33;p. 249, ill. 21) In additional bracelet, type closed with spiral wires around similar to a Dalverzin’s articles (Pugachenkova G. 1978, ill. 74) (see the bracelet from the Vth burial of Tillya-tepe). A wide range of forms and decoration can be found in the bracelets on Airtam relieves (Trever C., 1940, table45-46) .

On the murals of Balalik-tepe (Albaum L. 1960) and on sculpture of Adjina-tepe, (Litvinskii B. Zeimal T. 1971, p. 106) we can find shoulder bracelets, which in their shape appear to recall forehead adornments with decorations in the center in the form of a rosette, triangle or rectangle . Sogdian bracelets of VIII century are very simple in shape with heavier and wide ends, those types of bracelets were wide popular. (Raspopova V. 1980) Bracelets from a wall painting in Penjikent, (Belenizkii A. Monumental’nya jivopis’Pendjikenta, Moscow, 1975), Afrosiab (according their representation) were with with color stones and look similar to bracelets from Balalik-tepe and Adjina-tepe. Thus it appears, that bracelets just like earrings were a popular type of jewelry and affordable by the masses.

Finger-rings

A large number of seal-rings, in a variety of shapes and configurations, can be found among the adornments from the Treasure of Oxus. Such seal-rings are easily classified on the basis of images that appear on the seal, as well as based on their technique of execution (flat, circular, oval or triangular setting). The images on the seal are of two main types: anthropomorphic and zoomorphic. On one of the rings it is even possible to distinguish two human figures (a male and a female). However, on the majority of the seal-rings, images of animals predominate and include bulls, gryphon, deer, lions and panthers. Particularly attractive is a seal-ring with the image of a panther (Zeimal E. 1979 p. 62 #111), executed in lacework cutting, with concave settings, and the positioning of the legs of the animal to straddle the ring.

All of the seal-rings can be subdivided into 4 types based on the execution of the band: ribbed, smooth, covered in spheres, and ridged (see table). Thorough research of the burials allows to conclude that the rings were worn on the left hand, usually on the index or middle finger, and the majority were found in female burials (Litvinsky B. 1973, p. 29). Seal-rings of later periods differ little from those of the ancient period and were worn not only by the members of the nobility but also by ordinary citizens. The large quantity of rings and variety of materials used for their making, suggest that seal-rings were a very popular adornment.

Seal-rings can also be subdivided into the following categories: real seal-rings, seal-rings with a flat setting, seal-rings with concave settings, and seal-rings woven from wires. “Almost all of the figures on the Balalik-tepe wall-paintings wear a decorated seal-ring on little fingers of both hands.

A gold decorated oval band, which was probably incrustated with a gemma-seal, is attached to the top of the ring” (Al’baum L., 1960, p. 174). Thus, we see that during the medieval period gold and inlayed seal-rings were worn by nobility. A similar ring-type (with a moving clasp) is known from the finds at Adjina-tepe (Litvinsky B, Zeimal T, 1971 p. 11). Seal-rings from Sogd also depicted images of animals including the ram, Bactrian camel, birds, goats (Raspopova V. 1980, p. 114). The rings are executed using traditional methods, characteristic of this ring type.

A two-line inscription in cursive Sogdian appears on one of the seals, a common decorative element of the medieval period. Some of the Sogdian seal-rings are also adorned with simple ornaments. “The widespread use the seal-rings is probably indicative of flourishing commerce during that period, when all legal agreements (e.g. rent, buy-sell, and marriage contracts) were ‘signed’ with a seal” (Raspopova V. 1960. p116). While the shape of the rings remains relatively constant, the depictions change to portray the historic-cultural and political social processes.

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The Four Treasures of the Study
Chinese Culture/Chinese Study

The four stationery items indispensable to any traditional Chinese scholar are a brush pen, an inkstick, paper, and an inkstone. They are the main tools with which he carries out his scholarly work, and for this reason they came to be called the "four treasures of the study" (wen fang szu pao).

The distinctive and elegant arts of Chinese calligraphy and painting have in recent years taken a prominent place in the international art world, and are the focus of much interest and discussion. Any person involved in the traditional Chinese arts of painting and calligraphy must rely heavily on the brush pen, ink, paper, and the inkstone, for it is only through these tools that the beauty of Chinese art receives concrete expression. As a result, much importance has been attached the "four treasures of the study."

"To do a good job, one must first sharpen one's tools," a Chinese aphorism goes. An artist naturally takes selection of his tools very seriously. In dynasties of literary prominence, such as the T'ang (618-907 A.D.) and Sung (960-1279 A.D.), the art of the "four treasures of the study" reached heights of exquisiteness and excellence. Examples are the T'ang dynasty Chu Ke brush pen and Tuan Hsi inkstone, and the Li T'ing-Kuei inkstick and Ch'eng Hsin T'ang paper of the Five Dynasties period (907-960 A.D.). High quality "treasures of the study" made a direct contribution to the development of Chinese painting and calligraphy. The popularization of printing and mass production of paper and ink in the Sung dynasty permitted the works of the many outstanding calligraphers and painters who emerged at that time to be widely distributed. Many books published in these early times are still extant today; the fact that the paper remained intact and the ink did not fade away after more than one thousand years is proof of the high quality of workmanship employed.

Much is being done in the Taiwan to not only preserve traditional Chinese culture, but also continually introduce innovations and improvements. While retaining the merits and strengths of the traditional "four treasures of the study," modern technology and materials are being applied to make these "treasures" even more practical and suited to the needs of the user. The dependence of the Chinese arts of calligraphy and painting on this set of traditional "treasures of the study" to express the thoughts, writing system, life experience, and feelings of the Chinese people has brought forth an eternal, unfading cultural institution.

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The Art of Chinese Furniture
Chinese Culture/Chinese Furniture

On display in the National Palace Museum in Taipei is a 33-piece suite of 20 different kinds of carved red sandalwood furniture, which was formerly used in the residence of a royal relative during the Ch'ing Dynasty (1644-1911 A.D.). Modern people accustomed to using Western style furniture are inevitably overcome with a longing for past grandeur when they discover the quality of materials used, excellence of workmanship, and the fine ornamental carving of traditional Chinese furniture, as represented in this exhibit.

The development of traditional Chinese furniture went from the simple to the intricate, and was closely inked to the Chinese lifestyle and cultural and economic changes in China. In early antiquity, the Chinese sat mostly on straw mats on the floor. After the Warring States period (475-221 B.C.), beds and couches began to come into widespread use as seating. During the Wei-Chin (220-420 A.D.) and the Northern and Southern dynasties (420-589 A.D.) period, Western-style chairs, folding stools, and other seating gradually entered China. From this point on, Chinese everyday living began to be conducted from chairs rather than sitting cross-legged on the floor. Straw mats came to be used as coverings for beds and couches.

Beginning in the late Ch'ing Dynasty, foreign living styles began to be adopted in China, with the result that originally predominant Chinese-style furnishings gradually became collector's items. Not only chairs, but also Chinese tables, cabinets, bookcases, and decorative screens reached the summit of their development during the Ming (1368-1644 A.D.) and Ch'ing dynasties.

Ming furniture features simple, smooth, and flowing lines, and plain and elegant ornamentation, fully bringing out the special qualities of frame-structure furniture. Influenced by China's burgeoning foreign trade and advanced craftsmanship techniques, furniture of the Ch'ing Dynasty period turned to rich and intricate ornamentation, along with coordinated engraved designs. Because of the high level of development of Chinese furniture in the Ming and Ch'ing dynasties, most Chinese furniture design today follows in the tradition of pieces from these two periods. In the Taiwan on Taiwan, traditional Chinese furniture has been preserved in excellent condition in the Lin residence in Wufeng, Taichung; in the Cheng residence in Hsinchu, which used to belong to Taiwan's first scholar to pass the Chinese civil service examination; and in the Folk Art Museum of Lukang.

As in traditional Chinese architecture, wood is the major material used in the manufacture of furniture. This was in response both to needs arising from Chinese lifestyles, and to China's rich forest resources. The two main types are lacquered furniture and hardwood furniture. Lacquered furniture was commonly used in palaces, temples, and in the homes of the wealthy. It includes the t'i-hung , or carved lacquer style; t'ien-ch'i in which lacquer is used to fill in an engraved design, and then rubbed flat; miao-ch'i , or outlined lacquer style; and luo-tien, or furniture inlaid with mother-of-pearl. Two or more methods might also be combined in the same piece. Hardwood furniture was frequently found in the homes of the wealthy, but was even more common in the homes of nobles and officials. Woods employed include red sandalwood, pearwood, padauk, ebony, and nanmu. Of these, red sandalwood is the most highly valued material for use in furniture making; it is dense, hard, and resistant to decay.

Bamboo and rattan furniture also have a long history. Bamboo is a product unique to Asia, and is an especially developed industry in hot and sunny Taiwan. Simple and ingenious techniques are used to make clever and useful products that can be "knocked down," and modular pieces that can be used together or separately. Bamboo may be used in combination with other materials, such as wood, rattan, metal, and ceramic tile, in endless variation. Much bamboo and rattan furniture is exported to Europe and the United States, where it enjoys great popularity.

Chinese are fond of furniture with inlaid and carved work. In addition to shells and enamel chips, brilliant, colorful, and artistically grained jade, stones, ivory (and other animal teeth), horn, agate, and amber are used for inlaid designs. Marble, for example, is a stone often used for inlaid work; colorful ceramic plates are also a popular material for ornamentation. Another elegant technique used since ancient times is the inlaying of different kinds and colors of woods in a single piece. The methods of carving include relief carving, negative engraving, and free-style carving. Common subjects for furniture carving are flowers; dragons and phoenixes; the ch'ilin, a Chinese mythical beast; and stylized cloud and leaf patterns.

Traditional Chinese furniture is generally arranged in symmetrical suites or sets. These are, however, supplemented with other more flexible arrangements to prevent the room from having too staid an atmosphere. For example, paintings or examples of calligraphy might be hung on the wall; ceramic, enamel or other knick-knacks might be placed in an antique display cabinet; or flower arrangements made of jade or stone might top a square occasional table. Any or all of these can add splashes of color and elegant form to the room. These delicate additions set off the heavy furniture to give a rich composite effect.

With Taiwan's increasing economic prosperity, just about everybody now places great importance on interior design and room arrangement, and is very particular when choosing furniture. And because of a corresponding enhancement in spiritual life, traditional Chinese style furniture now enjoys especial vogue. Many like to collect and use traditional Chinese furniture in all sorts of ways in their homes; it has become part of the modern lifestyle.

Traditional style furniture not only lives and thrives in the Taiwan ; furniture aficionados of other countries who buy a piece of Chinese style furniture will usually display it with pride in a prominent place in their house. Exports of traditional Chinese furniture not only bring monetary wealth, but also enable more and more people of countries all over the world to enjoy and acclaim the beauty of the art of traditional Chinese furniture.