Китайська музика – перші ліки

Китайська музика – одне з скарбів древньої культури Піднебесної. Як і сама країна Китай, національна китайська музика має історію в 5 тисяч років.

Китайський ієрогліф «Музика» складається з двох частин: дерев’яна основа (внизу) і натягнуті на неї струни (вгорі). Джерело: ntdtv.ru

Легенда свідчить, що 5 тисяч років тому, під час правління «Жовтого імператора» Хуанді (одного із засновників Китаю), відбулася велика битва. Імператор скликав війська з усіх старокитайських племен і зайняв територію Центральної рівнини (основна частина території стародавнього Китаю).

Однак у північного князя Чи Ю, який очолював 9 варварських племен, за легендою, голова його з бронзи, а лоб – зі сталі. Оскільки він до того ж ще володів магічними здібностями, Чи Ю вважав, що саме він повинен бути господарем Центральної рівнини. Відчуваючи заздрість і ненависть до Хуанді, він підійшов зі своїми воїнами до кордонів стародавнього Китаю, щоб битися з китайцями.

Згідно з легендою, Чи Ю мав здатність викликати густий туман і затьмарювати сонце. При наступі варварів через туман, який напускав Чи Ю, військо імператора в безладді розбігалося. Так тривало багато днів, поки Хуанді, нарешті, не придумав вихід з положення. Він велів спорудити велику колісницю, яка вказує на південь. За допомогою цього пристосування він вже міг виводити армію з напущеного туману. Але, володіючи чарівними здібностями, Чи Ю почав викликати сильний штормовий вітер, знову змусивши імператора в розпачі відступати з великими втратами.

Обдумуючи ситуацію, що склалася, Хуанді був дуже схвильований і стурбований. Не знаючи, що ще можна придумати для подолання ворога, одного разу уві сні Хуанді побачив Владику небес. Той сказав імператорові: «Потрібно зробити барабани з бичачої шкури. Звуки цих барабанів зможуть приборкати бесчиння північного князя ».

Хуанді – Жовтий імператор. Джерело: soundofhope.org

 

Прокинувшись вранці Хуанді наказав ремісникам виготовити 80 величезних барабанів з бичачої шкури. Через кілька днів дві армії знову вишикувалися один перед одним, щоб вступити в криваву битву. І ось послухайте, що сталося:

Чи Ю на імператора Хуанді пішов війною.
Але міг він знати, що Хуанді в Китаї влада дарована долею?
Підвладні варвару стихії: вітер і туман,
Але хіба знав він, який сильний китайський барабан!
Гуркіт великих барабанів, як грім, пролунав.
Синхронний бій страх варварським військам вселяв,
Чи Ю в сум’яття вкинувши, варвари – в заціпенінні,
Удар за ударом, удар за ударом, – і варвари здали бій.

Хуанді використовував китайські барабани, щоб здолати свого ворога Чи Ю. Джерело: ntdtv.ru

 

Непереможна досі армія Чи Ю разом зі своїм ватажком впали на землю, скорчившись від страшного головного болю і катаючись по землі. Багато впало, втративши свідомість, багато хто – загинув.

Хуанді, спостерігаючи за цією картиною, був дуже задоволений, але коли він повернув голову, що ж він побачив? Його військо, точно так само, лежить без свідомості, перебуваючи на краю загибелі. Тоді він швидко викликав музиканта, сподіваючись, що він зможе повернути воїнів до життя. Той сів у благородній позі, поклав на коліна стародавній музичний інструмент, який представляв собою обтесане дерев’яне поліно з натягнутими струнами поверх, і заграв чудову мелодію китайської музики. Композиція була така прекрасна, що здавалося, ніби птахи перестали щебетати, дерева перестали шелестіти листям, вітер стих і хмари зупинилися, щоб послухати небесні звуки. Сталося диво! Воїни Хуанді один за одним приходили до тями, здивовано дивлячись один на одного.

Коли люди виявили, що не тільки музика, а й лікарські трави можуть лікувати хвороби, до ієрогліфу «Музика» у верхній частині додалася «трава» і утворився ієрогліф «Ліки». Джерело: ntdtv.ru. Колаж: Євген Довбуш

 

У той час на битві був присутній Цан Цзе, знаменитий історик Хуанді, який, за легендою, створив китайські ієрогліфи. Спостерігаючи цю сцену, він винайшов ієрогліф «музика», що складається з дерев’яної основи (нижня частина ієрогліфа) і струн, натягнутих на неї (верхня частина), що нагадує музичний інструмент.

Вважалося, що китайська музика має цілющий ефект. У стародавньому Китаї її використовували, щоб вилікувати хворобу, очистити свідомість і заспокоїтися, нормалізувати біоритми тіла людини. Саме тому стародавня китайська музика, на відміну від сучасної, повинна була виконуватися розмірено і повільно. Пізніше було виявлено, що багато трави також можуть зцілювати людей від хвороб, і тоді ієрогліф «музика» був доповнений верхньою частиною – «травою», і ця нова картинка – «музика» + «трава» – стала позначати новий ієрогліф – «ліки» .

Китайську музику, таким чином, можна вважати прародителькою ліків. У стародавньому Китаї майстри музики дбали, в першу чергу, про чистоту своїх думок і досягнення спокою і лише завдяки цьому вони могли до глибини душі зворушити слухачів, заспокоїти їх, надихнути або вилікувати їх хвороби.

http://www.epochtimes.com.ua/china/culture/kytajska-muzyka-pershi-liky-98326.html

 

Gorbachev: Chinese Are ‘Nearing’ Political Change

Integrating the Artistic and the Academic

A school in San Francisco looks to ancient traditions for success

ENGAGEMENT: Fei Tian Academy of the Arts students and some teachers participated in a community event in front of San Francisco’s City Hall, giving a taste of what classical Chinese dance is about. (Courtesy of Fei Tian Academy of the Arts California)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SAN FRANCISCO—The Fei Tian Academy of the Arts in San Francisco has a lot to be proud of: In a little more than a year since its establishment in March 2010, the San Francisco branch of the New York-based institution for training in Chinese traditional arts has shown itself to be a formidable school of both academic and artistic strength.

We have a unique Chinese classical dance environment that is very hard to find anywhere in America.

— Lawrence Zheng, Fei Tian dance teacher

This past June, Fei Tian students scored in the top 10 percentile of the nation on the ACT Explore and Plan tests (assessment exams for 9th and 10th graders in English, math, reading, and science), with roughly a third of the student body scoring at or above the top one percentile.

One month prior, students from Fei Tian won the top three prizes in the short story category of the city’s 25-year-old literature competition “Young At Art.”

Fei Tian provides a middle- and high-school curriculum for students from grades 6 to 12. Aside from its comprehensive academic program, Fei Tian provides extensive education in classical Chinese arts—first with dance, while music and fine arts will be added to the curriculum this fall.

In its report about Fei Tian Academy, the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, one of the six regional associations that accredits public and private educational institutions in the country, noted that Fei Tian provides a unique and much needed educational option for both students in California and from abroad.

Rooted in Tradition

MOTIVATION: Writing Chinese characters in the traditional way by using brushes can be a new experience, especially for beginners like American-born Chinese who grew up without learning how to write Chinese. (Courtesy of Fei Tian Academy of the Arts California)

The academy’s website states: “The 5,000 years of Chinese culture are full of stories, legends, and values such as honesty, tolerance, respect and benevolence. Studying traditional arts not only helps build up students’ character but also their capabilities in learning academic subjects as they become more focused and self-disciplined.”

Cao Fengxuan, the principal of Fei Tian California, said that the students’ academic success is due largely to their training in the traditional arts. It helps students improve their concentration and develop their character.

“A person who possesses great concentration is more efficient, because he or she is able to focus time, effort, and intelligence on the task at hand,” she said in an interview with The Epoch Times. “It’s natural that Fei Tian students received high ACT scores this year.”

Cao said that the students at Fei Tian have also matured greatly in the arts within a short period of time. Within a year since the school’s establishment, they have already been invited to participate in two large-scale community performances.

Every day, students participate in three hours of training in their chosen arts major. High school freshman Angeline said that although dance practice can be tiring at times, it refreshes her mentally and helps to relieve stress, thus allowing her mind to focus better when studying.

Caring Environment

DEDICATION: Full-time dance students at the Fei Tian Academy of the Arts California obtain three hours of dance training per day, which gives them a solid foundation in classical Chinese dance in addition to benefiting their academic studies. (Courtesy of Fei Tian Academy of the Arts California)

Lona Lou, director of academic programs at Fei Tian California, sees other contributing factors to the students’ excellent test results besides the school’s focus on traditional arts. “We have small class sizes so each student gets full attention from teachers,” Lou wrote in an email interview. “Our environment is very positive, and students are self-motivated.”

Student Angeline said that her teachers at Fei Tian care deeply about their students. Most importantly, the teachers are patient and help the students to establish good learning foundations.

Lou sees her role as academic director as a way to support students’ efforts: “My role is a service provider for students’ learning. For example, one of our students was weak at math. Then, we arranged a tutor for her every Friday. After one year, she [could] catch up and got good scores in this ACT test.”

When asked about the reasons why Fei Tian students excelled in the academics, Lawrence Zheng, dance teacher, said about the teachers in the academic department: “The main thing for the teacher to do is to use all approaches to make the student understand what you are trying to teach. That’s the main thing. It is not just throwing knowledge at the student.”

Principal Cao also expressed that exposure to a friendly and encouraging learning environment helps to cultivate curious, bright minds.

Angeline noted that her Fei Tian teachers prohibited students from practicing bad habits like swearing, in stark contrast to the teachers at her former school, who didn’t make the effort to discipline the students’ moral behavior.

Next…Developing Self-Discipline

Developing Self-Discipline

CONCENTRATION: A student (R) follows the movements and expression of his dance teacher (L). Classical Chinese dance focuses on training the mind as well as the body. (Courtesy of Fei Tian Academy of the Arts California)

While external factors like traditional training, individualized attention, and a positive environment can contribute to the students’ achievements, the most critical factor is still the students’ own attitude and dedication.

School counselor Lee Randazzo, who also teaches English and social studies, said that the artistic training provided by Fei Tian will enable students to develop a habit of constant self-improvement. When faced with dilemmas in the workplace or in daily life, people tend to seek help externally. Fei Tian students, however, know to look within themselves and learn from past mistakes, which can inform their current decisions.

“It’s a development of self-discipline and motivation,” Randazzo said. “When you train in a traditional art, it helps you in academic pursuits. If you become a master in one art, you become a master in many.”

What Fei Tian Teachers Say About Their School

I think that the arts tend to help students develop different ways of thinking that allows them to do better in academics. You know, growing up, I always heard about … [how] students who study music will be able to think in ways that allow them to excel academically. And I think that’s true of all the artistic disciplines, whether they are in fine arts, in music, [or] in dance.

— Beth Lambert, English and ESL (English as a Second Language) teacher

Students are welcome to come visit our school. The proof of the pudding is in the eating.

— Lee Randazzo, English and social studies teacher

Math in Chinese is not just the computation. It is part of the understanding of the universe … that inspires every kid and—myself.

— Ray Chen, math teacher

With additional reporting by Matthew Robertson.

Related Articles

• California Fei Tian Academy of the Arts Opens Its Doors

For more information, visit: www.FeiTian-California.org.

Read the original Chinese article.

chinareports@epochtimes.com

Blankets on China Southern Airlines seldom washed, never disinfected

Posted on 17 August 2011 by Jing Gao | Comments 评论 (1)

From NetEase

If you think the fragrance of the blanket handed to you by a flight attendant comes from laundry detergent, you may be on a wrong scent. A cleaner attending to blankets and seat covers for Chinese airlines will tell you in private that the smell is probably left by a previous passenger’s perfume, because the blanket has not been washed.

Yingtailong Airline Linen Services Co., Ltd based in Beijing claims to offer professional cleaning and disinfection for China Southern Airlines, the country’s biggest airline in terms of passengers carried. However, investigation done by reporters has found Yingtailong has been goldbricking. Among thousands of blankets, seat covers and handkerchiefs delivered to the company, about 80 percent skip all processes and are sent back after being examined by employees with the naked eye for making sure there is no visible stain.

“Different items have different methods of cleaning. Some have to be cleaned. Others can be put aside.” Workers are not required to wear masks or gloves. Among a dozen workers on site, only one female was wearing her own gloves, “The company did not give us any. I prepared these myself.”

“The job is very simple: pick out those unsanitary blankets and throw it into the designated area on the ground.” “How can I tell if it is sanitary?” The reporter asked. “Just pick out those with visible stains. There is no machine (to do it). Gotta depend on your eyes,” a worker said, “Don’t worry, passengers will never know it.”

“To put it in a simple way, if I say it is dirty, it is dirty; if I say it is clean, it has to be clean. We have the final say-so,” another worker said.

A blanket is fluffed, scanned, folded and stacked in less than 10 seconds. Within half an hour, the desktop in the workshop has been taken up by piles of blankets.

Workers admitted that if a blanket does not have any spot on its surface, it will be used and reused by many without being cleaned even once. “You have seen the cleaning process yourself. Don’t use it next time you fly,” said a worker.

Only 500 out of 2,400 blankets carted into the workshop were washed. “This is about the normal proportion.” Besides, pillow fillers are never cleaned either. Workers simply strip off pillowcases for cleaning. However, the detergent they use contains no disinfectant. Asked if the laundry would be disinfected, a worker answered, “Washing it would be disinfecting it.”

“I heard airlines would come to carry out spot checks. But I have been working here for months and never seen it,” an insider said.

http://www.ministryoftofu.com/2011/08/blankets-on-china-southern-airlines-seldom-washed-never-disinfected/

Golf course in China’s desert strains drinking water supply

Posted on 17 August 2011 by Jing Gao | Comments 评论 (4)

Even before the golf course went into use, the region of Yulin had been thirsty and constantly threatened with drought. Some villagers can afford to take only three baths in their entire lives: once at birth, once before the wedding, and once at death. However, the grass next to their village is watered three times a day. The golf course in this sandy area swills 3,000 to 5,000 tons of water daily when people’s lips keep drying out all year round.

Construction of golf courses has been prohibited since 2004 by the Chinese government owing to its high consumption of water, occupation of land and destruction of natural habitat.

In 2006, the state slapped another restriction, forbidding golf course construction projects from getting land approval. Despite the legal barriers, over 400 technically illegal golf courses have sprung up in the past seven years all over the country fueled by the rapid economic growth and the burgeoning middle class’ increasing demand for recreation.

The region of Yulin in Shaanxi province in northwestern China borders a desert and is therefore extremely brittle and susceptible to desertification. Small shrubs had been the major vegetation to slow the process and protect the landscape. However, a golf course built in 2009 has posed a great danger to the region’s flora and is now draining it of any life.

The golf course in Yulin, Shaanxi, takes up over 330 acres of land. The investment amounted to 300 million yuan, or US$43 million. It is the biggest golf course in Shaanxi province. The annual fee for an individual is 188,000 yuan (roughly US$28,000), whereas a company needed to pay 398,000 yuan (roughly US$60,000) to enroll. Nevertheless, a membership is highly sought despite a recent fee hike. The salesperson said only two spots are left for companies. Some professional golfers have showered praises on the course, saying the terrain is very challenging and entertaining.

However, irrigation of the golf course located between the Ordos desert and the Loess Plateau has led water level to fall drastically, killing plants that provid a windbreak and sand fixation and furthur damaging the environment. In a village that neighbors the golf course, life of villagers has been greatly affected. A hand-dug water well 7-meter deep in the village has been deserted. Now a well has to go over 100 meter deep into the ground in order to get water.

http://www.ministryoftofu.com/2011/08/golf-course-in-chinese-desert-strains-drinking-water-supply/

San Francisco Mayoral Race Deeply Corrupted, Says Former Legislator

Chinese regime implicated

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Related articles: United States > West

A view of San Francisco City Hall at night, in this 2007 file photo. The current race for the mayor’s office in San Francisco was tainted and compromised before it had even officially begun, according to a former top city legislator. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

The current race for the mayor’s office in San Francisco was tainted and compromised before it had even officially begun, according to a former top city legislator.

Aaron Peskin, former president of the Board of Supervisors, speaking with The Epoch Times and its partner media New Tang Dynasty Television on Aug. 10 and 11, described a formidable array of problems, scandals, and signposts to corruption in the city over the last year.

And he called out special concern for one individual who would prefer to remain in the shadows: Chinese community powerbroker Rose Pak.

But concern about the corruption of the election doesn’t stop at Pak, Peskin said. “There are … individuals, but behind those individuals are actually entities that are more powerful than those individuals,” he said on Aug. 11.

“It is really about political influence and how political influence works—and that even includes working with and representing the interest of an outside government in San Francisco,” he continued.

“I am happy to name those names. They include the People’s Republic of China.”

Peskin laid out the allegations of campaign misconduct in a 37-page letter to the city’s Ethics Commission on July 28.

The tendrils that link a mayor’s race in San Francisco to the communist regime in China are complicated; the story goes something like this:

Rose Pak, as de facto head of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce, has over the years assiduously cultivated a network of allies in the San Francisco municipal administration. She has “been able to work with people to get undue influence in gaining city contracts, [and] in gaining land use approvals to build new buildings in San Francisco,” said Peskin.

And she has come out as a strong supporter of the incumbent mayor, Ed Lee, who is also in the mayoral race. Edwin M. Lee, however, was never supposed to be in the mayoral race.

He made that promise to the public before he was appointed interim mayor near the beginning of the year. He was stepping in for the remainder of the previous mayor’s term, and Rose Pak was instrumental in shoehorning him into the role.

She was also instrumental in having him renege on his promise not to run this time, Peskin said in the interviews. She did so through an illegal funding body calling itself “Progress for All,” Peskin said.

Aaron Peskin, former president of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. (Wu Jianguo/The Epoch Times)

Peskin laid out the allegations of campaign misconduct in a 37-page letter to the city’s Ethics Commission on July 28.

Progress for All, using a loophole in campaign finance laws, plowed thousands of dollars into pro-Lee advertising from a series of special interest donors before Lee was officially a candidate. Pak was the unofficial backer of the organization.

Some of those donors would benefit materially from Lee’s continued time at the helm, Peskin says—not least of them, Pak.

“It is troubling because it is very apparent from the day he was appointed, to this day, that he is controlled by other people.”

Peskin says he has known Lee for years. “Ed Lee is a decent man, but as the candidate for mayor, Ed Lee is not his own man,” Peskin said. “He is somebody who is doing the work for the real leader of San Francisco, first and foremost, that is, Rose Pak.”

The reason Pak is so intent on installing Lee? “I think they are very concerned that the way they have controlled power for many years,” Peskin said, referring to Pak and her confidants. “Rose Pak needs somebody whom she can control, and Ed Lee is, despite the fact that he is a good and decent man, somebody she controls.”

He spoke of evidence of Lee’s ties with Pak: for example, Lee’s daughter thanked “Auntie Rose” in the San Francisco Chronicle, and Lee himself said, “Rose, we did it,” when he was first installed. It is reported in the local press that the two dine together regularly.

Lee has told San Francisco media that he does not believe he’s done anything wrong, and that he changed his mind to run for mayor based on his experience in City Hall over the last year. Calls to his office were not returned by press time.

Rose Pak is a short, rotund woman often pictured dragging on a cigarette. According to Peskin, “She is very abusive, she is very nasty, and that intimidates some people and makes some people scared.” She is a powerful figure in San Francisco, however, and exercises effective control over the Chinese community. The Chinese Chamber of Commerce did not return calls.

“I believe that what we are witnessing is that Ed Lee is a puppet who is controlled by Ms. Pak and Mr. Brown [a former, two-term mayor of San Francisco] and the money influences that they represent,” Peskin stated in the Aug. 10 interview. “This flies in the face of those fundamental American, democratic values.

“The connections are deep: Look at the number of trips that Mr. Lee has taken to the People’s Republic of China with Ms. Pak—many over the years,” Peskin said.

Related Articles

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“The evidence is all there for people to see, if we want to look at it.”

With reporting by Wu Jianguo of The Epoch Times, and by Su Nan of New Tang Dynasty Television

http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-states/san-francisco-mayoral-race-deeply-corrupted-says-former-legislator-60506.html