Hangzhou art exhibitions paint the wonders of Southern Song Dynasty

Hangzhou, capital city of Zhejiang province, East China, was the political, economic and cultural center more than 800 years ago, when it 【小题1】 (serve)as the capital of the Southern Song Dynasty(1127-1279).

A gathering of outstanding intellectuals, scholars, and artists lifted the city’s culture and art to a new peak, casting 【小题2】 long-standing influence in Chinese history that has lasted to present day.

【小题3】 (mark) this booming scene, five exhibitions opened at the art museum of China Academy of Art in Hangzhou on Saturday. Paintings and calligraphic pieces from different periods of time 【小题4】 (be)now on show to showcase the Song era to audiences, 【小题5】 to help them understand how Chinese cultural traditions have been passed on throughout centuries.

The center exhibition of the five is Embrace the Landscape, 【小题6】 brings together 37 classic paintings—10 of them dated to Song Dynasty (960-1279)—borrowed 【小题7】 major museums across the country. It provides an enactment(呈现)of the landscapes and 【小题8】 (society) and cultural lives led by people in Southern Song, in Hangzhou, then called Lin’an, and neighboring areas in Jiangnan, a term 【小题9】 (refer)to the lower reaches of the Yangtze River.

Through these objects one will also see the cultural lineage that has been passed on since the Tang Dynasty(618-906)and has been further developed by the elite communities in Song, and how their accomplishments continued to guide and inspire artists in the following 【小题10】 (dynasty).

When foreigners come to China, they may be 【小题1】 (surprise) at Chinese’s special fondness and preference for seals. To Chinese, seals are an art of deep cultural roots, 【小题2】 combines the essence of both calligraphy and sculpture and inspires generations to study, to appreciate and to collect.

【小题3】 is believed that seals came out as early 【小题4】 8,000 years ago after our ancestors could make pottery wares and had private property. They tried to make marks on their own possessions to prevent them from being stolen. When the first dynasty 【小题5】 (found) the king began to use seals to empower and to show lordly credits. Only the king’s special seal was then called “Xi”, 【小题6】 (represent) the highest authority. The first emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang, had his “Xi” 【小题7】 (make) out of the invaluable and beautiful jade “Heshi Bi”.

Then the local governments also needed seals for 【小题8】 same function. Meanwhile, private seals were carved in 【小题9】 (vary) of lucky characters and vivid animal patterns. 【小题10】 (gradual), the sphragistics (印章学) came into being.

Acting was, is and always will be the first love of National Peking Opera Company’s new vice-president, Chen Nan reports.

Huguosi Street was one of Beijing’s 【小题1】 (busy) commercial avenues in the olden days. 【小题2】 also housed the residence of Peking Opera master Mei Lanfang (1894-1961). Not far from Mei’s address, the first theater for Peking Opera performances came up in 1954, five years after the founding of the People’s Republic of China.

The neighborhood 【小题3】 (change) over the decades, but the theater still stands tall and is currently managed by the National Peking Opera Company. Tian Lei cherishes the hours he spends there, 【小题4】 (train) and rehearsing(排练). Wearing a costume and 【小题5】 (arm) with a prop spear(矛), the 42-year-old strides(大步走) across the stage, practicing a 【小题6】 (various) of martial art movements, before ending the drill 【小题7】 a liangxiang pose.

Tian has been working with the opera company for 10 years. Its premises(处所) are 【小题8】 10-minute drive from the theater and his colleagues train there. He, however, prefers the hallowed stage. “I come to the theater almost every day 【小题9】 I enjoy the quietness this building offers. Rehearsing here helps me feel closer to Peking Opera 【小题10】 (master) who once graced the stage,” he says.