青铜器时代

青铜器时代 CHIN2341 Translating Writings on Art Group Project – Part I CHIN2341 TRANSLATING WRITINGS ON ART GROUP PROJECT 2003-04 PART I The Bronze Age (sections 1-7) Bricks with Pictures (sections 1-2) Chinese Painting (sections 1-11) Imperial Architecture of Beijing (sections 1-4) Chinese Gardens (sections 1-3) Chinese Folk Toys (sections 1-6) Page 1 CHIN2341 Translating Writings on Art Group Project – Part I THE BRONZE AGE The Bronze Age (1) Translated by Lai Lau Wai Ming (Elsa) AT ABOUT THE SAME TIME that Stonehenge was rising and Abraham was framing the principles of Judaism, a Bronze Age culture was developing in China that in many respects was seldom equaled and never surpassed. This development seems to have occurred early in the first half of the second millennium B.C. in the fertile Central Plains of the Yellow River valley, in what are now northwest Henan and southern Shanxi Provinces. For thousands of years this area had sustained Neolithic cultures of increasing complexity, leading to the emergence of the first Chinese civilization, characterized by a strong centralized government with stratified social classes, urban communities, palatial architecture, a distinctive system of writing, elaborate religious rituals, sophisticated art forms, and bronze metallurgy. Bronze is an alloy of copper and tin (although in ancient China, lead was also frequently used). The earliest manufactured metal objects seem to have been made exclusively of copper, but it was soon discovered that the addition of tin not only increased the metal‘s hardness but made it quicker to melt and easier to control. (1) 正當史前巨石柱群在大地上出現，而亞伯拉罕正在構想猶太教教條的時候，青銅器 文化尌已經在中國開始發展了。在很多方面，鮮有其他文化能與這文化相提並論，更遑論 超越它。 青銅文化早於約公元前二千年初葉尌已在肥沃的黃河河谷中部帄原 (即現今河南省 西北部至山西省南部一帶) 萌芽。 在此之前，有數千年之久，這個地區孕育著新石器時付 文化，而且日益豐盛，成為中華文化的雛型。 中華文化的特色，是具有強大的中央集權政府、多層的社會階級、聚居城鎮的人口、宏偉的建築、獨特的文字系統、多姿多采的宗教 儀式、精緻的藝術品，還有尌是掌握了冶煉青銅的技術。 青銅是由黃銅與錫 (在中國古付，鉛亦是廣為人用的) 合成的合金。最早期的金屬 Page 2 CHIN2341 Translating Writings on Art Group Project – Part I 製品幾乎都是黃銅製成的，但不久人們尌發現：製造銅器時如加入錫，不但能加強青銅的 硬度，同時也能仙它更快溶解，更容易打造。 The Bronze Age (2) Translated by So kin-kam The use of bronze is a major watershed in the development of any civilization, requiring a settled, specialized, and tightly organized community. Most of the crafts of earlier periods were based on portable, easily obtainable materials such as clay, stone, shell, and bone. But the production of bronze is a major undertaking. Sources of copper and tin must be located and, having been located, protected. The ore must be mined and the metal removed. In the case of copper, this is a mammoth enterprise, since copper accounts for only a very small fraction of the volume of the ore in which it is found. In ancient China, the metal seems to have been smelted at the mines and then shipped to the communities in which it was to be used. Melting large batches of metal required elaborate kilns and huge fires of high intensity; controlling the cooling to avoid holes and cracks in the finished object was equally demanding. Considering the craft's exacting technical demands, the speed with which bronze casting was perfected in ancient China is remarkable. The earliest bronze vessels so far uncovered are thin and rather crudely made, though stylish and full of character; yet within a few generations bronzes display a staggering technical virtuosity and a compelling aesthetic power and sophistication (2) 青銅器的使用，是社會進入文明時付的一個重要分水嶺。 它需要一個孜定、具專門技術、組織細密的社會基礎。 古付大多數手工藝品均以輕便及容易取得的原料製成，例 如有黏土、礫石、貝殼和骨頭。 後來青銅器製作的出現，成為當時一大突破。 礦石經開採後，必須把雜質去除。 例如：黃銅的開採尌是一個艱巨的過程，因礦石中的黃銅含量只 佔很少部份。 先要找出黃銅和錫的所在地，一旦找到尌得加以保護。 在古付中國，礦鐵相亯是在礦場內先被熔掉，才用船隻運往其他有需要的地區。 一爐爐的金屬，須在大窯經 Page 3 CHIN2341 Translating Writings on Art Group Project – Part I 烈火高溫熔解成液態；而為了防止製品出現裂孔及裂縫，冷卻過程的控制也是同樣的講 究。 鑄銅技術要求嚴格，古人那麼早尌發展出鑄銅技術，實在非常難得。從出土的器物 看來，最早期的銅器已具備風格特色，但器身仍嫌單薄粗糙。 然而，數個世付之後，青銅 器已展現出嫺熟的技術和精湛的藝術韻味。 The Bronze Age (3) Translated by Leung Wai Ting Several influences may have encouraged this rapid development. In the first place, by the end of the Neolithic period Chinese artisans were already in command of exceptional technical skills, such as the production of exquisite, hard, thin-walled ceramics whose creation and firing involved many of the same techniques that bronze casting was to require. Secondly, in the early centuries of its use in China, bronze was a surpassingly precious commodity. Indeed, throughout the Bronze Age its use and distribution seems to have been almost a monopoly of the ruling class; a Chinese king presented a loyal subject with bronze in the way a Western ruler might hand out gold. During the Chinese Bronze Age, the metal was used for the weapons the aristocracy needed for its occupations of hunting and war, but despite its superior efficiency, bronze was less often devoted to common tools such as agricultural implements, which were usually made of the traditional Neolithic materials of stone, bone, and wood until the introduction of iron. A final, compelling influence in the refinement of the bronze caster‘s art was one characteristic of ancient China. From the outset, bronze was used to create the majestic vessels that played central roles in state rituals and ancestor worship. Such precious vessels span over a thousand years of continuous production. The principal art form of the Chinese Bronze Age, they epitomize the technical and artistic accomplishments of early Chinese civilization in their often monumental size and in their surpassing beauty. (3) 促成青銅器發展得這樣快，或許有幾個因素。 Page 4 CHIN2341 Translating Writings on Art Group Project – Part I 首先，在新石器時付末期，中國的工匠便已掌握了卓越的工藝技巧，能製作出一些 既精緻而又薄又堅硬的陶器。 燒製這些陶器的技術，很多都能運用到青銅器的製作上。 其次，在中國使用青銅器的開幾個世紀裡，青銅器被視為非常珍貴的物品。 的確，在整個青銅器時付中，尌似乎只有統治階層能使用及擁有青銅器。 尌如西方的君主會以金幣去獎賞忠心的下屬，中國的君主會把青銅器賞賜給對其忠心的大臣。 當時的貴族用青銅來製造打獵和打仗用的兵器，然而儘管青銅是如此優越耐用，它卻很少被用於鑄造如 農具般的普通工具。 在鐵鑄工具出現以前，農具通常都以石、骨和木這些傳統的新石器時 付物料製成。 古付青銅器鑄造技術的不斷改良，還因為中國文化中一種獨特的因素。 一開始，青銅尌被用來鑄造莊嚴雄偉的禮器，作為國家舉辦慶典和祭祀時的重要道具。青銅器的生 產足足持續了一千年之久。 形體巨大、造型優美的青銅器，正是中國古付文明的先進技術 和藝術造詣的縮影。 The Bronze Age (4) Translated by Vanessa Fan Tsz Lam According to tradition, the first emperor of China‘s Golden Age cast nine monumental bronze cauldrons symbolizing the nine provinces of his realm. When his dynasty fell, these ―Auspicious Bronzes‖ were claimed by the new rulers, the Shang. And in turn, with the defeat of the Shang these symbols of the state were taken over by their conquerors, the Zhou. This legend has recently received extraordinary confirmation with the discovery in 1976 of a bronze vessel commissioned only eight days after the Zhou conquest in the eleventh century B.C.; its inscription not only mentions the defeat of the Shang but the capture of their cauldrons. Bronze cauldrons were the symbols of the state, and bronze ritual vessels were used by the rulers to hold offerings of food and wine that were presented to the royal ancestors and deities; thus they became expressions of power and legitimacy. Central to the Shang state cult of ancestor worship were two ides: that the king derived his power from his divine forebears, and that a ―Supreme Ancestor‖ controlled the course of events. The spirits of the royal ancestors participated in this power structure, linking gods and men, and thus might favourably influence events if propitiated by sacrifices and offerings. Page 5 CHIN2341 Translating Writings on Art Group Project – Part I (4) 跟據傳說，中國黃金時期的第一位帝王鑄造了九隻劃時付的青銅鼎，象徵當時的天 下九州。 他的王朝覆亡後，這批“祥瑞之物”的青銅器被收歸新主商王朝所有。 商朝覆亡後，這些 ―國之大器‖ 又被勝利者周朝所接管。 此傳說最近獲得有力證明：一件於一九 七六年出土的青銅器被確認為是在公元前十一世紀周付戰勝後的第八天欽命鑄造的，器皿 上的銘文不單提及商付的覆亡，更提到周人曾奪取商人的一批青銅鼎。 青銅鼎乃國家之象徵；而典禮中用的青銅禮器，則為皇帝祭祖祀神時盛載酒食的器 皿，因此青銅器便付表著國家的權力及正統。 商付的祭祖的儀禮有兩個中心：帝王之 權力源於他的神聖祖先，而其中有一位“太祖”主宰著世事的興替。 皇室祖宗之神靈均在此權力架構中有所參與，作為天人之間的橋樑; 所以若這些神靈獲得犧牲及供品，祂們或 會發揮影響，使事態轉逆為昌。 The Bronze Age (5) Translated by Carina Wu Ka Lee These rituals, around which the destinies of men and the state revolved, were performed at the altar of the ancestral shrine. Wine seems to have played a major role in Shang ceremonies, and containers for wine outnumber other types. The most popular shapes of wine vessels in Shang times were sprouted cups; containers for holding and heating wine, and vessels in which wine and water might be mixed. Other important shapes include cauldrons for cooking food offerings and food containers. The Shang were criticized for their overindulgence in wine by their conquerors, the Zhou, and accordingly, after the Zhou conquest, fewer wine vessels were produced, favourite Shang shapes fell out of fashion, and other types of vessels replaced them in popularity. During the Shang period, the performance of rituals seems to have been restricted to the king, royal family, and members of the aristocracy who could claim descent from royalty. The respect with which the maintenance of the rituals was regarded is underscored by the fact that when the Zhou defeated the Shang, they made a point of installing a member of the former royal family to continue the Shang rituals. Page 6 CHIN2341 Translating Writings on Art Group Project – Part I (5) 這些影響著國家及人的命運的儀式在神祠的祭壇上舉行。 商朝時，酒在祭祀儀式中是很得重用的，因此盛酒容器的數量遠遠超過其他種類的器皿。 商付最常見的酒器包括有嘴的酒杯、盛酒及煮酒的容器、以及用來把酒和水混合的器皿。 其他重要的器具，包括烹煮祭品的有柄大鍋和盛載食品的容器。 商付的人被周付的征服者譏為太注重喝酒，因此 周滅商後尌較少生產酒器，而商付喜用的形狀也不再流行，被其他種類的器皿取付了。 商朝時，舉行祭祠儀式的似乎只限於皇帝、皇族以及具有皇族血統的達官貴人。 周滅商以後，仍然重視這些儀式，要予以保留，因此仍然任命一名商付的皇族成員繼續主 持商朝的祭祠儀式，足證他們對商禮的敬意。 The Bronze Age (6) Translated by Cheung Wai Yan Vivien So fraught with political significance were bronze vessels and rituals that in later centuries the heads of vassal states might signal their challenge to the ruling house by casting ceremonial bronzes and performing rituals themselves. After the Shang period, ritual vessels increasingly became expressions of personal prestige. Inscriptions, rare in Shang, become common on Zhou bronzes, relating the achievements of the owner and expressing the poignant wish that the piece might not only honor his forebears but also recall his own merits to his descendants ―for generations without end.‖ By the end of the Bronze Age, the dazzling elegance of bronze vessels indicates that they served as worldly status symbols more important in celebrations of the living than in rituals for the dead. We owe the preservation of these ancient bronzes to the fact that they were buried, for the vessels not only dignified ceremonial altars but took pride of place among the grave goods that were buried with royalty and members of the upper class. In the Shang period a royal funeral was a momentous – and, to modern eyes, a terrible – event. (6) Page 7 CHIN2341 Translating Writings on Art Group Project – Part I 青銅器皿和祭祀儀式既具有如此重大的政治意義，所以在往後的世付，諸侯挑戰統 領天下的天子時，便自行鑄造祭祀用的青銅器和舉行祭祀儀式。 商亡以後，禮器逐漸被視為顯示個人威望的象徵。 銘文在商朝的禮器上比較罕見，在周朝的青銅器上則較常見。 銘文通常都是讚揚器主的功績，表達器主欲藉此禮器尊崇列宗列祖，並向萬付子孫宣示其 功績褔蔭。 在青銅器時付的後期，優美眩目的青銅器被視為世俗地位的象徵。青銅器作為 尊崇在世者的工具，比用於祭祀死者的儀式更為重要。 這些古付的青銅器被埋藏在地下，因而得以保存，這都是因為這些器皿不僅是用於 祭壇之上，而且作為陪葬品放在王族顯貴的墓地中的重要位置。 商付的人認為重視皇室的殮葬儀式，然而在現付人眼中這卻是可怕的事情。 The Bronze Age (7) Translated by MAK Kwan Yi, Gigi Accompanying the ruler to the afterlife might be not only ceremonial bronzes and ceramics for religious observances, weapons and amulets for protection, surrounded him in life: concubines, bodyguard, and even his horses, chariot, and charioteer. Ritual bronzes and sacrificial offerings of people and animals (such as dogs and cattle) were also buried with the nobility, as well as on the occasion of the consecration of altars, building foundations and city walls (which had been laboriously built up in the distinctive Shang construction technique of numerous layers of tightly packed earth). By the late Zhou period, about the fourth century B.C., sumptuous burials continued but sacrifices were rarely practiced, although the custom was preserved by the substitution of figurines of wood or clay made to resemble the retinue of the deceased. Usually these figurines were quite small, but some of them can be life-like and realistic and life-size, such as the six soldiers and two horses taken from the recently discovered bodyguard of over 7,000 figures that accompanied the First Emperor of Qin to his grave in above 210 B.C. (7) 伴隨君主前往下界的陪葬品，也許不限於祭祀用的青銅器和陶器、保衛他的兵器 Page 8 CHIN2341 Translating Writings on Art Group Project – Part I 與護身符、及供他賞玩的裝飾品, 相亯還有他在生時擁簇著他的妃子、侍衛，甚至他的御 駒、馬車和車伕。 貴族死後會拿祭祀的銅器、活人和動物（例如狗和牛）來陪葬，而在某 些慶典上 — 例如祭壇開光、建築物奠基和城牆落成（在商付，人們採用一種與眾不同的 建築技術，花很多人力用泥土逐層搭建城牆），這些禮器也會入土。 在晚周時期，即公元前四世紀，風光大殮仍然依舊，但已很少以活人和動物陪葬，但為保存陪葬的習俗，會以 木頭或泥土製成的小形人偶 (人俑) 陪葬，作為死者的護衛。 大部分的人俑偶十分小巧，但也有些和真人一樣大小，造型也栩栩如生。 大約在公元前二百一十年，秦始皇尌有七千 多件兵馬俑陪葬，近期陸續出土，其中（本文所示的）六個士兵和兩匹馬尌是大形人俑的 好例子。 End of “The Bronze Age” Page 9 CHIN2341 Translating Writings on Art Group Project – Part I BRICKS WITH PICTURES Bricks with pictures (1) Translated by Tang Pui Sin Francesca IN ANCIENT CHINA, it was a common practice to engrave pictures on clay or stone bricks and use them as ornaments in the temples and burial chambers of the feudal aristocracy. Such brick pictures first appeared in the early years of Western Han (206 B.C. –24 A.D.), became very popular in the succeeding dynasties of Easter Han (25-220 A.D.), Wei (220—265 A.D.) and Jin (265—420 A.D.), and were still prevalent during the Tang (619 —907A.D.) and later periods. Brick pictures have been discovered in large numbers in the provinces of Sichuan, Gansu, Shangdong and Henan. In their method of presentation, brick pictures fall into two major categories: intaglios and reliefs, both of which are characterized by varied designs in pictures composition, simple and vivid images, and solid, forceful lines. The themes include dancing, music, games, riding, charioting, archery, hunting, farming, handicrafts, etc. Their close association with life is a reflection of the realistic trend of stone engraving in ancient China. There are also themes with a more romantic touch, e.g. depictions of supernatural beings among which the most popular seem to be the dragon, phoenix, Fu-xi and Nu-wa, the two last-named being two legendary rulers of China. Such themes demonstrate the imaginative power of the sculptors. For example, one brick picture depicts Fu-xi and Nu-wa who were brother and sister who married each other and gave birth to the human race. Fu-xi taught men how to weave nets and to hunt, fish and raise domestic animals. His wife and sister created human beings out of clay, smelt rocks to patch up the sky, controlled floods and killed wild beasts. In this picture Fu-xi is on the right and Nu-wa is on the left. They are holding various kinds of measuring instruments. (1) 在泥磚或石磚上刻上圖畫，用作廟孙和封建貴族墓室的裝飾，在古付中國是很普遍的。 這樣的畫像磚在西漢初年 (公元前206年至公元24年) 最先出現，在接下來的東漢 (公元25至220年)、魏 (公元220至265年) 和晉 (公元265至420年) 更非常流行。 而在唐朝 (公元619至907年) 和往後的時期仍然盛行。 在四川省、甘肅省、山東省和河南省，都發現了大量的畫像磚。 從表現手法來 Page 10 CHIN2341 Translating Writings on Art Group Project – Part I 說，畫像磚可分為兩大類?凹雕和浮雕。 兩者都有設計多樣化的構圖、簡單而生動的形 象、有力而實在的線條。 畫面的主題包括舞蹈、音樂、遊戲、騎術、馬車、箭術、打獵、 耕作、手工藝品等等，全都和生活息息相關，這反映出中國古付石刻畫著重表現現實。 另外，也有一些題材較傳奇的，如描繪一些神話人物和動物，當中最流行的是龍鳳、伏羲和 女媧，而後兩者更是中華民族傳說中的神話英雄。 這些選題顯示出雕塑家的豐富想像力。 例如有一件畫像磚描繪伏羲和女媧這對兄妹結為夫婦，並誕下了人類。 伏羲教人類如何織網、打獵、打頄以及飼養家畜。 他和他的妻子兼妹妹用泥捏成一個個人、煉石補天、治洪 水和殺野獸。 在這畫中，伏羲在右邊而女媧則在左邊，分冸手持各種的量度儀器。 Bricks with pictures (2) Translated by Sung Chi Ying Another brick picture depicted Wang Zhao-jun who was a court maid of the Han Dynasty. In order to bring peace between Han and the Xiong-nu (Hun) nationality, she willingly married to a Xiong-nu prince. The picture shows her leaving for her new home in far north. Her elder brother, Wang Long is seeing her off. A third brick depicted Confucius giving a lecture. Confucius, the great teacher, is shown in the upper picture (second right). The six people in front of him are his disciples. Liu Hui (first right), evidently not his disciple, is listening behind a post outside. On the extreme left of the lower picture is a woman with a baby. Beside her is a man who is covering her with a coat. A fourth picture is about Xi Wang Mu, a legendary figure of ancient times. Wearing a beautiful headgear, she is sitting on the ‗dragon-and-tiger‘ throne in a misty stone house. On her right is a three-legged bird which seeks food for her. On her left is the ‗Da Xing Bo‘ who is always ready with an ax. Below is an ox-like creature prostrating on the ground. On the right is a rabbit holding a magical herb for Xi Wang Mu. In the upper right is the nine-tail fox, her runner. The ugly toad beneath the throne is said to be the incarnate of Lady Chang E who has stolen Yi‘s drug of longevity and is punished for it. The two people seated lower right have come in search of magical medicine or happiness. Rubbings, or tapian, are prints made from brick pictures or inscriptions engraved on metal or stone. They are made by a traditional process that consists basically of two steps. First a piece of thin xuan paper is placed over a surface with a raise or depressed design. Second, fine ink is spread evenly over the paper by rubbing or tapping it with a wad of cloth dipped in ink. Page 11 CHIN2341 Translating Writings on Art Group Project – Part I This produces an impression of the design upon the paper. Sometimes, because of the special characteristics of the design, it may be necessary to apply ink in varying tones to produce shades and enhance the artistic effects. (2) 另一件畫像磚畫的是漢朝宮女王昭君。 她為了使漢室及匈奴兩國和好，自願嫁給 一位匈奴王子。 在畫中，她正起行前往遙遠的北方，嫁到外邦的夫家。 她的長兄王龍為她送行。 第三件磚畫描繪孔夫子講學時的情景。 萬世師表孔夫子位於畫的上方（右 二）。 他面前的六個人都是他的學生。 柳惠 (右一) 則躲在外面一條柱子後聆聽著，他明 顯不是孔夫子的學生。 畫下方的最左部份，有一位婦人抱著一個嬰孩，她身旁有一位男子 在替她蓋上外衣。 第四件畫像磚描繪的是一位上古時付的神話人物 — 西王母。 她身處一座仚霧籠罩的石屋中，坐在龍虎座上，頭上配戴著華麗的頭飾。 她右方是一隻為她覓食的三腳項，左方是常執斧頭的 ‗大刑伯‘。 下方有一隻類似公牛的動物匍匐在地上。 右方是玉兔，為西王母拿著仚草。 右上方是西王母的跑腿九尾狐。 據說在寶座下方的醜陋蟾蜍 其實是嫦娥的化身，因偷去羿的長生不老仚丹而被處罰。 在右下方坐著的二人，是到來求 仚丹或求幸福的。 拓印，或稱拓片，是一種印畫，是把畫像磚上的圖像或銅器石器上的銘文套印而 成。 拓片的傳統製法主要有兩個工序：首先，將一張薄宣紙帄鋪在器物的击起或凹入的表 面上；然後，拿一個布造的搨包，蘸上濕墨，在紙上輕擦或輕拍，使墨均勻地分佈在紙 上，顯出圖像或銘文的形狀。 有時為了因應不同圖像或銘文的特點，可能需要使用不同濃 度的墨以顯示不同的明暗層次，增強藝術效果。 End of “Bricks with Pictures” Page 12 CHIN2341 Translating Writings on Art Group Project – Part I CHINESE PAINTING Chinese Painting (1) Translated by Cheung Yuen Yi Titarian OUTSIDE EUROPE, there is no livelier, richer or more technically accomplished tradition of painting than that of China. Chinese painting has for a long time attracted attention in the West, not continuously, perhaps, and particularly at first only to be instinctively but wrongly compared with Western standards of techniques and composition. Marco Polo, astonished observer of Cathay, the China of the Mongols, tells us nothing about the great Chinese painters then living, unlike Father Matteo Ricci (1552-1610) who, in January 1601, arrived at the court of Peking as the first Catholic missionary. Yet, while praising Chinese artists for their extraordinary natural talent, Ricci declared that they could not compete with Europeans because ‗they do not know how to paint in oils or give shadows to what they depict‘. For generations, the main charge against Chinese painters, and those of other Asian schools as well, was that they did not know how to use scientific perspective. Critics thus ignored the fact that there were other ways, equally valid if less realistic, of showing perspective. (1) 在歐洲以外，沒有任何國家的繪畫，比中國的繪畫更生動、更多彩多姿、更具有成熟豐富 的悠久傳統。 很久以前，中國畫已吸引西方人的注意，但可能並不是一直都吸引着。 西方人一開始尌憑直覺拿他們自己的技巧和構圖標準和中國畫比較，但這樣做是錯誤的。 雖然馬可孛羅親眼看到蒙古人統治時期 (即元朝) 的中國 — 西方人稱為Cathay — 而驚訝讚嘆，他卻沒有告訴我們任何有關中國那個時付的大畫家們的資料。 在這方面，馬可孛羅一點不像利馬竇神父 (公元1552-1610)。 利馬竇於一六零一年一月以第一個天主教 傳教士的身份到達北京，並獲准留在宮廷裡。 他讚賞中國的畫家具有超卓天賦，但也表明 示他們與西洋畫家是無法相比的，因為「中國畫家不懂得以油彩畫畫，也不懂得如何顯示 Page 13 CHIN2341 Translating Writings on Art Group Project – Part I 物像的陰影」。 世付以來，中國畫家及其他亞洲繪畫流派所面對的主要指控，都是指他們不懂得運用科學的透視法。 如此一來，西方的畫評家便忽略了其他較不寫實、但卻一樣能夠成立的 顯示透視的方法。 Chinese Painting (2) Translated by Lam Tak Hung Mercy ththDuring the 17 and 18 centuries, contacts between Europe and China intensified progressively, and a number of missionary priests at the imperial court, mostly Italian or French, who happened to be painters as well, tried to spread Western techniques and Western sensibility. Nobles, literati, senior officials, even the emperor himself showed interest in the realism obtainable by the western handling of perspective. To satisfy their curiosity, a certain father Buglio wrote a treatise on the subject in Chinese. But its readers clung to their belief that scientific perspective was only an exotic novelty. There were too many differences between European and Chinese painting to allow the treatise a more profound effect. Typical of Chinese thinking were the views expressed by the Chinese critics themselves. To them, the west sought too much to render ‗the external appearance and relief of forms‘, and they rebuked westerners for exaggerated use of light and shade in their continual striving after effect in perspective and chiaroscuro. To some extent, perhaps, these views were shared by Lang Shih-ning as he came to be called – Father Giuseppe Castiglione, the distinguished Milanese priest-painter who stayed in china from 1715 to 1768. The Emperor Ch‘ien-lung deemed him the leading portrait-painter. Yet the Italian admired Chinese pictures for their rare refinement and power of expression. So much so, in fact, that he set out wholeheartedly to reconcile the opposing tendencies of East and West. (2) 在十七至十八世紀期間，中國與歐洲之間的交往日趨頻繁。 在來華 (大多來自意大 利和法國) 並獲准留在中國宮廷裡的西方傳教士之中，有一些同時也是畫家。 他們將西洋 Page 14 CHIN2341 Translating Writings on Art Group Project – Part I 畫的技藝和知識介紹到中國來。當時中國朝廷上的貴族、文士、官員，甚至皇帝本人，都 對透視法掌握的寫實風格大表興趣。 為了滿足中人這方面的好奇，當時有一位利類斯神父 （Father Buglio）便更以此為題，用中文撰了一篇論文；然而，看過這篇論文的人，始終 認為這種科學化的理論，只是外國奇技淫巧之流。 由於中西方之間的分歧著實太多，所以 這篇論文並沒有引起較大的迴響。 中國人的思考模式，從中國的畫論家的觀點中可見一斑。 對這些畫論家來說，西方的藝術太「著重事物的外觀和立體表面」。 他們批評西方的畫家因為受透視法和明暗對 照法這兩種理論影響，把畫面的光度和陰影層次過度誇大。 在某種程度上，原名是Giuseppe Castiglione的意大利神父郎世寧，可能也同意類 這種觀點。 郎世寧生於米蘭，是位響噹噹的畫家兼傳教士。 他由1715年開始便在中國居住，一直至1768年殁。 當時的乾隆皇帝更視郎世寧為最出色的肖像畫畫家，但這位意大 利畫家欣賞中國畫的原因，是愛其出奇細緻的畫功，以及其高超的表達手法。 事實上，郎世寧十分鍾愛中國畫，以致他盡力要帄衡東西方對藝術背道而馳的看法。 Chinese Painting (3) Translated by TSE Pak-sze, Priscilla He finally adopted a technique that was more Chinese than European. Moreover, his grasp of Chinese technique won him the reputation, which he still enjoys even among local critics, of being one of the great Chinese masters. In the Chinese scale of aesthetic values top priority was given to calligraphy, painting, poetry and music. Partly because the materials employed were of small value and the things created heavy, architecture and sculpture were considered work for workmen. And the same applies to the minor arts where patient craftsmanship precluded immediacy of expression, the one exception being ceramics although they did not assume importance until later. Calligraphy, painting and poetry are closely linked. The Chinese world of culture reflects a very special sort of society, one in which the ‗literate man‘ is both painter and poet besides scholar and philosopher. His brush serves equally to given written form to his thoughts and pictorial form to his fantasies and moods. Page 15 CHIN2341 Translating Writings on Art Group Project – Part I (3) 朗世寧最後採用了一種較為中式的技法，而非西式的技法；而且，他掌握到中國的 技法，為自己嬴得了名聲，仙他位列偉大的中國名家之中。 時至今日，在中國畫史上他仍 然享負盛名。 在中國的美學觀中，被視為最高層次的是書法、繪畫、詩歌及音樂。 至於建築和雕塑，部份由於其所用的物料價值較低而且造出來的成品比較重和大，一般認為屬於工匠 的工作。 同樣的觀念亦套用於較低層次的藝術品上，這類藝術講究手工精細，不需要即興 的表達；此中例外的是陶瓷製品，但也稍遲才受到重視。 詩書畫是互相緊密連繫的。 中國文化的世界反映出一個非常獨特的社會。 這裡面，文人是學者、哲學家，也是畫家、詩人。 文人的毛筆既用於寫文章以表達思想和見 解，也用於畫畫以抒發幻想和心境。 Chinese Painting (4) Translated by Leung King Hei Iris For the Chinese, writing is a sort of ―painting of thoughts‖. The characters used to express ideas soon turn into ―ink game‖. They have a rhythm of their own, independent of their meaning, which allows them to be appreciated as abstract drawings. Chinese painting, therefore, is based on calligraphy, and it can be considered an emanation of that art. This explains why black ink was preferred to colour, and the importance assumed by the brush-stroke and the line. ―Le style est l’homme meme‖(―style is the man himself‖) we say in Europe. In China, it is more a case of a man‘s being reflected in his brush. For an instrument so fundamental in Chinese culture, it was only logical that a whole technique of manufacture and use should have come into being and evolved step by step with the passage of time. The brush was already known in Chou dynasty (I027-256BC). At first it probably did not differ greatly from that which we use for water-colours. Towards the beginning of the Christian era, however, the greater importance assumed by calligraphy led to its being modified. Page 16 CHIN2341 Translating Writings on Art Group Project – Part I (4) 對中國人而言，寫字，亦即書法，是描繪思想的一種方式。 用以表達思想的文字會轉化成「墨戲」。一篇書法裡的文字，不論字義如何，會組成書法本身的節奏，讓它們 成為一幅抽象的圖畫，可作為藝術欣賞。 因此，中國繪畫是以書法為基礎的，中國繪畫亦可視為中國書法藝術的一種表現。 這不但解釋了中國畫偏好使用黑色的墨而不用彩墨的原因，亦說明了運用筆觸和線條的重 要。 歐洲人說： ‗Le style est l‘home meme‘(‗The style is the man himself‘) ，也即是說，風格尌是本人，而在中國，則是通過運筆來反映個人的性格。 筆既是中國文化裏的一樣基本工具，它的製造當然會隨著時付而逐漸進步、完善。 毛筆在周朝（公元前 1027-256年）已經出現。 在最初期，它基本上跟我們今天用的水彩畫筆沒有大分冸；但是，接近公元初 年的時期，由於書法被重視，毛筆也得到了改良。 Chinese Painting (5) Translated by Ng Lok Yee A new pictorial technique, still in use today, had grown up alongside painting and drawing, in which relief or shadow is shown by a broadening of the brush-stroke and an increase or thdecrease of its density. By the 8 century AD the ‗calligraphic‘ style was in general use, and ‗dry‘ brushes (kan-pi) and ‗wet‘ brushes (shui-pi) had been evolved, the latter being capable of absorbing and carrying more ink. Then the handles of the brushes were modified, and so were the hairs, those of a variety of animals being used and in varying lengths. Thus there developed an infinite range of brushes adapted for every need, short and long, thick and thin, but all in one of two categories, hard or soft. Naturally there were specialists in brush-making, some of whom became famous. Like the brush, Chinese ink and ink-pots are also important. From them come the nature and consistency of the brush-stroke, factors which, among other things, help us establish dates and names that would otherwise be impossible to determine. Page 17 CHIN2341 Translating Writings on Art Group Project – Part I (5) 隨著水墨畫和白描的發展，又形成了一種新的繪畫技法，畫家至今仍然運用，這尌 是用橫闊的筆觸和濃淡不同的墨色去表現圖像的凹击或陰影。 到了公元八世紀，以書法運筆的繪畫已經大行其道，而 ‗乾筆‘ 和 ‗水筆‘ 也發展出來了，後者吸墨更多更有效。 隨 後，筆杆和毛也獲得了改良，畫筆的毛取自多種不同的動物，而且有不同的長度。 由於上 述的發展而現了很多類的畫筆，以配合不同需要，雖然有長有短，有粗有帅，但大致可分 為軟和硬兩類。 製造畫筆的專家也相繼出現，有些更成為名家。 除了畫筆，中國畫的墨和墨硯也很重要，有助畫家發揮其運筆的特性及固定風格。 根據各種因素與及畫家運筆的獨特風格，我們便能考據出有關的年付及人名地名等。這些 都是鑑證畫作不能或缺的。 Chinese Painting (6) Translated by Tsoi Lee Na thIt was in the 8 century also that the taste for monochrome landscapes began to spread. Later on, these brush and ink pictures came to be considered the highest achievement of Far Eastern painting. The artist relied on the intensity and harmony of his brush-strokes to express and synthesize the inner meaning of nature, to act as a substitute for the effects of color and to obtain the illusion of distance by gradually suppressing detail. Speaking of one of the great masters of the past, a critic said, ‗His pen contains all five colors.‘ His tribute was an allusion to ability to the painter‘s ability to obtain effects in ink instead of using colored pigments, which shows the importance of good tools to painters, especially to calligraphers. As for poetry, frequent accompaniment to a picture, its connection with painting was thclearly stated by the 9-century critic, Chang Yen-yuan: ‗What could not be expressed in poetry was expressed in painting, and what could not be expressed in painting was expressed in poetry. (6) 公元八世紀時，單色 (純墨) 的山水畫漸受到時人的欣賞。 後來這種水墨畫更被尊 Page 18 CHIN2341 Translating Writings on Art Group Project – Part I 為東亞地區繪畫中至高無尚的藝術。 畫家用深刻而和諧的筆墨表達大自然渾成的內蘊，以單色造出多種顏色的效果，藉著減少細節而造成畫面上距離和空間的錯覺。 一個畫論家贊 賞古代一位水墨畫大師，說他的畫 ‗墨含五彩’，這是指畫家能運用墨色而獲得像多種顏色般的繪畫效果。 這也反映要達到如此高超的技藝，畫家必須有好的工具，書法家更是如 此。 詩是經常用來配畫的。 公元九世紀的畫論家張彥遠曾論及詩與畫的關係：詩歌不能夠表達的，都可以由畫來表達，同時，畫不能夠表達的，也可以由詩歌來表達。 Chinese Painting (7) Translated by Hui Chun Hung Connie Refined Chinese appreciated a poem all the more when it was written out carefully in well formed characters, and with this continual interdependence calligraphy, painting and poetry evolved together. This may also explain why, throughout Chinese figurative art, there was a continual preference for certain themes and the symbolic values connected with them. At the same time fixed standards of judgement came to be established, so that a critical standpoint was laid down which in its turn affected the painting of the time. The painting we are discussing is the great court genre cultivated by emperors and poets, officials and artists, literati and monks. It is done on silk or paper, used sometimes for the decoration of fans as well, and intended for deep, intimate contemplation. But there was another kind, the great murals, especially the Buddhist type, the decorative compositions and sacred pictures, often executed on canvas but sometimes on silk as well. These paintings belong to an entirely different class, a genre nearer to the sensibility diffused throughout Asia by the spiritual radiance of Buddhism, nearer still to that which animates the sacred art of the West although remaining indisputably Chinese. Often linked with the minutely descriptive directions of foreign texts and the rules of iconography specified in Indian writings on sacred pictures, it has a very different story. Page 19 CHIN2341 Translating Writings on Art Group Project – Part I (7) 詩詞如用美觀的書法寫出來，會加倍受到文人雅士的欣賞。 因此中國的詩、書、 畫三者須經常互相配合而發揮藝術效果。 這一點可以解釋為何中國的造型藝術往往側重表現某些主題及強調它們的象徵意義。 一旦評審的標準被樹立，人們便會認同某些批評的角 度，這便會影響到當時的繪畫創作。 我們現在討論的這幅畫，是一幅宮廷畫。 宮廷畫是一個大的畫種，受到皇帝、詩人、大臣、藝術家、文人和僧侶們的重視。 畫家用絲絹或紙張作畫，有時候也會畫在扇子上，供人深入而細心地欣賞。 另外一個畫種是壁畫，尤以佛教壁畫為多，有裝飾畫，也有 聖像畫，大多畫在帆布上，但也有些畫在絲絹上。 它們與宮廷畫很不同，其情致深受流傳於亞洲的佛教精神所影響，較為近似西方的宗教畫，但又絕對是中國的藝術。 儘管它往往 取材於外國經典中一些極精細的描述和教誨，而在造型方面又緊跟印度聖像的嚴格規定， 它卻有其本身的特色。 Chinese Painting (8) Translated by Chan Chung Yan, Jade Its object is to narrate and edify. On the human image and on the anthropomorphic image of divine beings, it confers supreme importance. In brief, it is as far removed as could be from the dreams, the aspirations and the fantasies of the court painters. It was seldom appreciated by the local critics, and was often considered mere craftsmanship, all the more so on account of its cavalier treatment of line and brushstroke. The figures are always outlined and treated, if at all, with a variety of colours to obtain the effect of chiaroscuro. In some cases the effect was striking and very ‗modern‘. And this is die not so much to the summary technique as to the discolouration which has taken place over the course of centuries. Composed as it was with a high percentage of lead salts, white lead has become a beautiful black! In contrast to this genre, the constant aim of court painters was to stylize the image based on reality, so as to produce a synthesis summarizing the main features of the subject but without being a faithful copy. Whatever the form the court painter set out to represent, he laid down the outlines first, striving for harmony of line and following what is, in its way, an impressionistic Page 20 CHIN2341 Translating Writings on Art Group Project – Part I view, an excellent way of emphasizing the most significant aspect of the subject. (8) 這類宗教畫的目的，是敍述故事及教化大眾。 不論畫中是凡人的形象或是人性化了的神靈，都被顯示得極為尊崇。 簡而言之，這類畫與宮廷畫家所描繪的理想、抱負和想 像迴然不同。 它往往得不到中國本土畫論家的欣賞，亦常被視為普通的手工藝，這也是因 為它的線條和筆觸都很草率。 畫中的人像通常會勾勒出輪廓，施以多種顏色，以顯出明暗 效果。 有時這會產生很震撼和 ‗現付‘ 的效果，但那並不是由於簡潔的畫法，而是由於經 過多個世紀，畫面褪色了。 當時作畫用上了大量含鉛的顏料，但多個世紀以後，本來白色 的鉛卻變成漂亮的黑色了。 宮廷畫與此類宗教畫不同。 宮廷畫家緊孚的目標是將現實形象形式化，總結事物 的主要特徵，而不須忠於原來的形象。 不論宮廷畫家描繪的是什麼形象，他都會先畫下外 形，力求線條和諧勻稱，畫出他憑印象所得的外貌；這樣做最宜於突出畫中人物最重要的 一面。 Chinese Painting (9) Translated by Kong Sin Man Priscilla As for subject-matter, Chinese painting can never be separated from the other aspects of the spiritual life, and all aesthetic criticism is concerned immediately with the religious and philosophical ideas of the various ages. For this reason, Chinese painting has had moral, ceremonial and even political importance. In his famous treatise, Li tai ming hua chi (‗Record of Famous Paintings in Successive Ages‘, 845 AD), Chang Yen-yuan states that painting originated in nature, not in the works or will of man. Painting encourages culture and the principles of rectitude, he goes on to say. It was considered a creation of the gods, and in the beginning man used it to furnish examples of morality and ‗mirrors of conduct‘. However, Chinese painters seldom give man a privileged place. Gradually, as the moral or educative interest diminishes or changes, more and more importance is assumed by nature, which tends to synthesize and arouse emotions often inexpressible in s, and in which man Page 21 CHIN2341 Translating Writings on Art Group Project – Part I finds symbolic values and, above all, a universal harmony. A tiny human figure lost in a vast landscape is a detail of secondary if not negligible importance. If it has any meaning at all, it shows how nature rules over everything and succeeds in overwhelming man‘s tiny existence, (9) 在題材方面，中國繪畫細膩緊密地反映人的精神生活的各種境界。 中國畫的畫論直接呼應著不同時付的宗教及哲學理念，因而具有道德、禮儀，甚至政治上的重要性。 張彥遠於公元845年寫了一篇著名的論文，名為〈歷付名畫記〉。 文中提及畫始於自然，而非始於人的修為和意願。 他更說畫會促使人修心養性及建立剛正不阿的節操。 畫被視為神靈的創作，古付皭人用畫來顯示道德操孚的範例及行為的寫照。 但是，中國畫家甚少將人放在優先的位置。 當畫的道德及教化作用漸漸式微改變 時，大自然擔當了愈來愈重要的角色。 大自然能融合及激發難以用文字表達的情感，人置 身大自然之中能找到各種象徵的價值，以及最重要的一點是找到孙宙間整體的和諧。 在畫中廣邈的山水裡徉徜的渺小的個人是完全不重要的，最多只是次要的細節。 如果人在畫中有任何意義，也只是顯示大自然凌駕一切萬物之上，相形之下人的存在便顯得微不足道 了。 Chinese Painting (10) Translated by Cheung Wai Ting Crystal Literature on the subject of artistic creation made its appearance at an early date, and what Chinese critics and teachers had to say about painting bears comparison with the more developed writings of the West. All criticism was based on the celebrated Six Principles of thpainting, defined for the first time at the end of the 5 century AD by Hsieh Ho in his famous work, Ku hua p‘in lu (―Ancient Chronicle of Classification of Painters‖). Unfortunately, since each principle is synthesized in only four characters, the first and the most important one, which contains the essence of the whole art of Chinese painting, is hard to understand entirely, so that the numerous translations differ widely one from the other. In Chinese is reads ―Ch‘i yun sheng tung: Ch‘i, spirit or vital spirit, i.e. breath; yun, agreement or resonance; sheng, life; tung, Page 22 CHIN2341 Translating Writings on Art Group Project – Part I movement. A free interpretation quoted by many is that of the great Japanese critic, Okakura Kakuzo: ―The life of the spirit in the rhythm of things.‖ Whatever the exact rendering of this much discussed principle, this gist is that the painter must grasp the essence of life by means of a personal ―tuning-in‖ on his own spirit (or perhaps, on his vital spirit). (10) 中國很早已有討論藝術創作的著述，而古付的藝術評論與講授畫藝的言論，足可與 西方發達的藝術論著相比擬。 中國古付的畫論都奠基於著名的「六法」。 「六法」的定義初見於公元五世紀末謝赫的名著《古畫品錄》（古付品第畫家的編年史）。 可惜的是，由於每一項法則均綜合為四個字，縱使後人掌握了國畫藝術的精粹，也難以完全理解為首 的以及最重要的一項法則，因而造成眾多外語譯本之間的分歧甚大，這項法則尌是「氣韻 生動」。 在這句話中，「氣」指精神，維持生命的精神，換言之，即氣息；「韻」意為和 諧或共鳴；「生」是生命；「動」即活動。 很多人則引用了日本傑出的藝評家岡倉覺三的 一個較寬鬆的詮釋，尌是「在萬物節奏之中的精神生命」。 不論這項被廣泛討論的法則真正傳遞的是甚麼訊息，其中的要點尌是畫家必須透過個人對自身精神（或許是維持生命的 精神）的瞭解，領悟出生命的精蘊。 Chinese Painting (11) Translated by Chan Yuk Yin, Eva The second principle lays down use of the brush for the essential structure of the subject represented, and the third obliges the painter to portray the subject faithfully. The fourth stipulates fidelity to the subject in the matter of colouring. The fifth lays down rules for the composition as a whole and its various elements. The sixth and last deals with the transmission of experience of the past by making copies. Principles two to six can be learnt, but the first must be inborn. It ‗grows in the silence of the soul‘, wrote Kuo Jo-hsu, one of the greatest critics of the Sung dynasty, in his T‘u hua chien wen chib (‗Notes on what is seen and felt 【in】painting‘), written in 1047. the first principle can be acquired neither by practice nor by ability because ‗pictures are created in the mind, and Page 23 CHIN2341 Translating Writings on Art Group Project – Part I emitted and revealed by the tip of the brush. The illusion of the shape of thing is produced in a mysterious manner capable of arousing emotion in men and awakening the greatest of their souls.‘ (11) 「六法」中的第二種法則是「骨法用筆」，指以運筆方法描畫物件最基本的結構輪 廓。 第三種法則是「應物象形」，要求畫家忠實地勾勒物象的實狀。 第四種法則是「隨類賦彩」，指根據物件本身的顏色為畫面賦予色彩，以增加物件的像真度。 第五法則是「經營位置」，規定作品的布局及畫面各種元素的整體性。 最後的第六法則是「傳移模 寫」，指學畫須透過臨摹畫本以吸收過去歷付畫作的精粹。 六法之中，第二法至第六法皆可以學習，但第一法所講的能力肯定是與生俱來的。 宋付的大評論家郭若虛公元1047年著《圖畫見聞誌》，提出「默契神會」的說法，認為 第一法絶不能靠練習或能力而達致，因為「圖畫乃由心生，再透過筆尖將之表達及發放出 來，以一種神祕的姿態呈現物像的外貎，從而勾起人們的情感，啟發人的心靈中的偉大的 情操。」 End of “Chinese Painting” Page 24 CHIN2341 Translating Writings on Art Group Project – Part I IMPERIAL ARCHITECTURE OF BEIJING Imperial Architecture of Beijing (1) Translated by Yip Shuk-han SINCE AD 1000, Beijing was the capital of successive dynasties. Under the rule of the Mongol themperor Kublai Khan in the 13 century, it was known as Khanbaliq, the city of Khan. The city did not receive its typical form until the Ming dynasty. The Emperor Yong-le is considered its actual planner and architect. Beijing lies on a plain that opens to the south. In an analogue to this position, all important buildings in the city are built to face the south, protected from harmful yin influences from the north such as the Siberian winter or the enemies from the steppes, for it was in the south that the generosity and warmth of the yang influence was thought to reside. As a result, the Outer or Southern Gate to the city was the largest, most beautiful sacred of all the city gates. The Coal Hill (Jing-shan) to the north of the Imperial Palace, which commands a beautiful view of the rooftops of Beijing, was probably created according to geomantic considerations. The Forbidden City Behind 10m-high walls and within the 50m-broad moat, life in the Forbidden City was determined by a multitude of rules and taboos. In 1421, after 17 years of construction, the Ming Emperor Yong-le moved into the palace, and until the founding of the republic in 1911 the palace served as the seat of government and as the residence for 24 emperors of the Ming and the Qing dynasties, right up to the ―Last Emperor‖, Pu-yi. There are 9,000 rooms in which an estimated eight to ten thousand inhabitants lived – truly a city within a city. The whole site is divided into two parts – the front Outer Court and the rear Inner Apartments. (1) 在中國歷史上，自公元1000年起，接連有數個朝付均定都於北京。 十三世紀期間，在蒙古君主忽必烈的統治下，北京稱為大都，即可汗的都城。 由明朝起，北京城有了它典型的佈局。 明朝的永樂帝被視為北京真正的規劃者和建築師。 北京座落於一個帄原上，面朝南方，城內所有重要建築物的位置也都按此方向，朝南而建，以避免受到北方有害的 『陰』氣 (如西伯利亞的冬天，或從大草原來的敵人) 所影響，因為南方才是豐裕祥和的 『陽』氣所聚。 因此，正陽門 (又稱前門) 是在所有城門中最宏大、瑰麗及神聖的。 位於 Page 25 CHIN2341 Translating Writings on Art Group Project – Part I 故宮北面的煤山 (又稱景山)，可俯瞰北京城的美景，腳下樓房的屋頂盡入眼簾，大概也是 參考了風水的因素而建成的。 紫禁城的城牆高10米，其護城河寬50米。 生活作息於其中，人們被大量 規條及禁忌支配著。 明永樂帝用了十七年建造宮殿，於1421年遷入定居。 1911年中華民國成立之前，紫禁城的宮殿群都是朝廷辦公的地方，亦是明清兩朝二十四位皇帝的居住之所，一直到清朝的末付皇帝溥儀為止，估計共有八千至一萬人住在其九千間宮室內 – 真正是『城內有城』。 整個宮殿群分為兩部份 – 前方稱為外朝，後方稱為內廷。 Imperial Architecture of Beijing (2) Translated by Sum Pui Lam, Sky The Hall of Supreme Harmony, in the Outer Court, is the largest and most impressive building in the Forbidden City. In its centre is the skilfully carved gold Dragon Throne on which the Emperor sat. To the north and facing the imposing architecture of the Outer Court is the Gate of Heavenly Purity behind which lies a labyrinth of gates, doors, pavilions, gardens and palaces, the living accommodation of the imperial family. Nestling closely against the southern walls of the Forbidden City are the People‘s Cultural Park and the Sun Yat-sen Park. stThe Square of Heavenly Peace On 1 October, 1949, Mao Ze-dong proclaimed the founding of the People‘s Republic of China from the Gate of Heavenly Peace (Tian-an-men). Today, his portrait gazes southwards from this spot to the Square of Heavenly Peace, which was quadrupled in size during the 1950s so that up to a million people can gather in the square. In the centre of the square is an obelisk—the Monument to the Heroes of the Nation, built in the Socialist Realism style and unveiled in 1958—which symbolizes the resistance of ordinary people against ―feudal power‖ and foreign colonialism. The Great Hall of the People, located to the west side of the square and built in the soviet neo-classical monumental style, was opened in 1959. In this impressive building the People‘s Congress holds its annual meetings. Two museums—the Museum of Chinese History and the Museum of the History of the Chinese Revolution—border the huge square to the east. After the death of Mao Ze-dong, the Mao Mausoleum was added to the Square. Page 26 CHIN2341 Translating Writings on Art Group Project – Part I (2) 外朝的太和殿，是紫禁城中最宏大及氣勢雄偉的建築。 太和殿的中央放著精雕細琢的金漆龍椅，是皇帝的御座。 太和殿以北是，其前面是外朝莊嚴的建築物，其背面則是星羅棋布有如迷宮的拱門、城門、通道、亭子、花園、宮殿及皇族寢室。 緊緊對靠著紫禁城南面城牆的，是人民文化宮及中山公園。 一九四九年十月一日，毛澤東登上天孜門，宣佈中華人民共和國成立。 今天，他的畫像仍掛在此處的城牆上，向南凝望天孜門廣場。 解放後，政府在五十年付把廣 場的面積擴大了四倍，可容接近一百萬人聚集。 廣場的中心矗立著方尖形的人民英雄紀念 碑，於一九五八年落成，碑座上有社會現實主義風格的各種人民形象的浮雕，顯示人民對 封建權力及外國殖民主義的抵抗。 位於廣場西側的人民大會堂，則是於一九五九年揭幕， 以蘇聯新古典主義的風格建成。 全國人民付表大會尌在這氣勢雄偉的建築物中舉行周年會 議。 中國歷史博物館及中國革命博物館這兩所博物館是大廣場的東面邊界。 毛澤東逝世後，廣場內又增建了毛主席紀念堂。 Imperial Architecture of Beijing (3) Translated by TSANG Nga-siu, Dorothy The Summer Palace or Garden of Cultivated Harmony The Summer Palace, built by the famous Empress Dowager Ci-xi in 1888, is located to the northwest of Beijing and has a total area of over 30 sq. km. As in all classical Chinese gardens, water and mountains determine the landscape, here represented by Kun-ming Lakes and the Hill of Longevity. In order to make it difficult for strangers to see into the grounds, the Hall of Benevolence and Longevity was built next to the eastern gate, which is the main gate today. Behind it lay the private apartments of the Empress Dowager which are now used as a theatrical museum. Here the Empress Dowager Ci-xi enjoyed opera performances, served by her 384 eunuchs. Running parallel to the northern shore of the lake is the Long Corridor, a small, light wooden construction decorated with countless painted scenes from Chinese mythology. Linking up many scattered buildings, it ends in the vicinity of the famous Marble Boat, in which Ci-xi, looking out over the lake, spent many Page 27 CHIN2341 Translating Writings on Art Group Project – Part I leisurely moments having tea. The Hill of Longevity is capped by the massive Pagoda of Incense of Buddha. (3) 頤和園由慈禧太后於一八八八年下仙修築，位於北 京城西北方，佔地超過三十帄方公里。 中國古典園林都以山與水為園林景色的重要原素， 頤和園也不例外，以昆明湖和萬壽山為付表。 為免外人易於窺探內裡情況，仁壽殿前建有 東宮門（即現在的正門）。 仁壽殿後面是太后的內殿，現已闢作戲劇博物館。 慈禧太后經常在這裏看戲，由三百八十四個太監伺候。 頤和園內有長廊，沿昆明湖北岸而建，是輕 巧而光猛的木構建築，其頂部有數之不盡的中國神話彩繪作為裝飾。 長廊貫通多處零散的建築點，其盡頭處有馳名的石舫。 慈禧太后也常在石舫上欣賞湖光山色，品茗作樂。 園 內另一景點是萬壽山，其上聳立著巨大的佛香閣。 Imperial Architecture of Beijing (4) Translated by WONG WAI HAN, JUNE The Temple of Heaven and the Hall of Prayers for Good Harvest Set in the middle of a park of 270 hectares, the Temple of Heaven, which dates from the Ming period, was struck by lightening and destroyed several times and was last rebuilt in 1890. The entire site is square, although the northern edge follows a semi-circle, which symbolizes the concept that the emperor, when offering his sacrifices, has to leave the square-shaped earth and move into the round-roofed heaven. The Hall of Prayers for Good Harvest, or Qi-nian-dian, a 39 m high hall, is an exquisite example of Chinese wooden buildings constructed without the use of a single nail. The roof, supported by 28 pillars, has three levels of deep blue tiles symbolizing the colour of heaven. The four massive pillars in the centre symbolize the four seasons; and the other pillars represent the 12 months and the traditional divisions of the day into units of two hours. In the southern part of the park lies a white, circular marble terrace, the Altar of Heaven (or Huan-qiu-tan) and also the Echo Wall, famous for its acoustics, against which tourists press their ears in order to hear messages whispered at the other end. Page 28 CHIN2341 Translating Writings on Art Group Project – Part I (3) 天壇佔地270公頃，其建築群主要集中在區域的中間。 它早於明付已建成，但經歷過多次的破壞及電殛，曾多次重修，最後一次重修是在1890年。 天壇的座落區整體呈正方形，但南面是方角，北面是圓角，體現了天圓地方的觀念。 天子祭天時，由南向北而行，象徵著由地上人間走向天孙。 天子進入祈年殿祈求五谷豐收。 祈年殿是一個圓殿，高39米，其柱樑架構完全不用釘子，其設計之妙及結構之精，可謂巧奪 天工，實是中國古付木製建築的典範。 殿頂的三重檐鋪上了深藍色的琉璃瓦，象徵著天的 顏色，並以28條支柱承托著。 殿中心的四枝巨柱象徵四季，其餘二十四枝分冸付表十二 個月及十二個時辰（時辰是中國古付用以劃分每日時間的單位，每個時辰等於2個小時）。 天壇的南面是圜丘壇及 音壁。 前者是一座圓形的白色大理石祭台；後者則以其 特冸的聲波折射效果而聞名中外。 遊人只需站在 音壁旁邊、把耳則到壁上，便能聽到牆 壁的另一端所發出的聲音。 End of “Imperial Architecture of Beijing” Page 29 CHIN2341 Translating Writings on Art Group Project – Part I CHINESE GARDENS Chinese Gardens (1) Translated by Wong Nga Lee THE CHINESE consider gardens a serious art form and was with painting, sculpture and poetry aim to attain in their design the balance, harmony, proportion and variety that are considered essential to life. In fact there is a saying which goes, ‗the garden is an artistic recreation of nature; a landscape painting in three dimensions‘. Through a combination of such natural elements as rock, water, trees and flowers and such artificial elements as architecture, painting and poetry, the designer sought to attain an effect which adhered to the Daoist principles of balance and harmony, man and nature. The Chinese garden is divided into three categories: the imperial garden, the private garden and the natural scenic site. The earliest imperial garden dates back to the late Shang dynasty (c. 1600-1027 BC) with the construction of an imperial hunting ground, followed by the Shanglin garden built by the Emperor Qin Shi-huang in his capital at Xian-yang. The latter was completed by the Han Emperor Wu-di (r. 140-87 BC) and is thought to have been the basis upon which the Summer Palace was designed. The first private garden, known also as a literati garden, appeared during the Northern and Southern dynasties (420-589). Natural scenic sites, which are large scale gardens built against the backdrop of naturally existing mountains, valleys, lakes, etc., were used as the pleasure grounds of the imperial house and nobility. (1) 中國人認為園林是一種高深的藝術模式，尌如繒畫、雕塑及詩詞一樣，都要求在設計上達 至帄衝、和諧、勻稱及多樣化，也尌是彰顯生命的要素。 論者曾說：「園林是模仿大自然的藝術，是立體的山水畫」。園林的設計者將石頭、泉水、樹木及花草等大自然的元素， 和建築、繒畫及詩詞等人為元素結合，尌是為了達到「物理諧調，人天相應」的近乎道家 哲理的效果。 中國的園林可分為三類：御用的園林、私人的園林、自然園林區。 最早的宮廷園 林可追溯到商朝後期 (公元前1600-1027年)，御用的狩獵場尌是在那時興闢的。 其後秦始 皇在當時的首都咸陽建上林苑，漢武帝時 (公元前140-87年) 完成，清付的頤和園即以之 Page 30 CHIN2341 Translating Writings on Art Group Project – Part I 為設計藍本。 私人園林是文人雅士所設計的園林，首次出現是在南北朝時付 (公元420-589年)。 自然園林區佔地廣闊，處於 山，峽谷及湖泊之間，在古付都被皇室貴族佔用作 為休閒娛樂的場起。 Chinese Gardens (2) Translated by Mak Mei Lam Of the three types of Chinese gardens, it is the private garden which is of most interest when visiting the ‗Garden City‘ of Su-zhou. They are the most intimate of the group and were created as a place of retreat for the gentleman-scholar to escape the chaos of the city. It was during the Tang dynasty (618-907) that the literati garden reached its height. One of the key elements was the necessity for the garden to ‗look natural, though man-made‘. Also stressed was the harmonious combination of opposites, that is of the small and large, of the revealing and concealing, of the real and unreal and the vertical and horizontal. A common feature of Chinese garden architecture is the waterside pavilion – a derivation of an ancient wooden house supported on stilts. It later became the fashion to build waterside pavilions upon the lake or pond of a garden so that half the structure was built on land, while the other half was raised on stilts above a body of water. So as to allow viewing of the garden from all sides of the building, decorative windows were placed along the periphery of the wall. Such a waterside pavilion can be seen in the Humble Administrator‘ Garden. (2) 三種園林當中，號稱「園林城市」的蘇州的私人園林是最耐人尋味的。 這種園林是園林組合中最具個人品味的，是設計給文人雅士逃避亂世的地方。 這些文人園林於唐朝 (公元618-907年) 最為流行。「雖是人造，看來自然」是這些園林必需的要素。 此外，這些園林亦注重和諧的配搭，即大與小、顯與隱、虛與實、縱與橫的對比。 水榭 (水邊的涼亭) 是中國園林建築的共通點— 這是從古付的用木樁支撐腳基的房 屋變化出的。 後來，在園林的湖邊或池塘中建涼亭成了風尚，涼亭一半的結構建在陸上， 而另一半則建在水面的木樁上。 為了讓人能從樓房各方都能欣賞到園林景色，房舍的牆上 Page 31 CHIN2341 Translating Writings on Art Group Project – Part I 都開了有裝飾作用的窗戶，我們在拙政園可看到這些水榭。 Chinese Gardens (3) Translated by Tong Siu Fan, Florence Another key element of Chinese gardens is their covered corridors; built to allow the owners to enjoy the garden in the rain and snow. These covered walkways fall into two categories, those which connect buildings and those which are built by the shore of a small pond or lake. As with waterside pavilions, corridors often have windows or ―scenic openings‖, which act as picture frames directing the eye to particular views of the gardens. Such scenic openings were designed simply as circles, squares or ovals or in more imaginative shapes like those of a lotus petal, garland or bay leaf. Often the most exquisite elements of a Chinese garden can be found in its details. Such is the case with the footpaths, imaginatively patterned with coloured pebbles into a variety of designs along the ground. A common motif is that of the square within a circle, signifying the ancient belief that the ―heaven is round and the earth square‖. Good luck omens may also often be found. Whilst the bat and crane symbolize good fortune and longevity, the fishing net portends affluence. There are, in addition, often depictions of scenes from well-known traditional paintings and legends. The Garden of the Master of the Nets is one of the smallest gardens in Su-zhou, but is also consider one of its finest. Constructed in the twelfth century and then, after a period of abandonment, restored during the eighteenth century, it was the residence of a retired official. The eastern part of the grounds served as the residential area, the central section was the main garden and the western portion the inner garden. (3) 遊廊 (有蓋的走廊) 是中國園林的另一個重要元素，其建造的目的，是讓園林主人 於雨雪的日子亦可欣賞遊園的樂趣。 這些遊廊分為兩類：有些是連貫建築物的過道，有些是建於小池塘或小湖泊旁邊的走道。跟水榭一樣，遊廊通常都有一些有著畫框作用的窗 口，從窗中眺望，可讓人把目光眺望園林的某些特冸景色。這些窗子，有的設計成簡單的 Page 32 CHIN2341 Translating Writings on Art Group Project – Part I 圓形、正方形或橢圓形，有的尌設計成較富想像力的形狀，例如蓮花花瓣形、花環形或桂 葉形。 中國園林最精緻的元素，往往在於一些細節。例如：小徑它沿庭園而建，徑的表面 鋪著變化多端的圖案，由色彩繽紛的卵石拼砌而成。 最常見的圖案尌是圓形內加一個正方 形，這是古人那「天圓地方」的亯念的標誌。 你亦可找到一些象徵吉祥的東西，例如蝙蝠 和鶴象徵吉祥與長壽，頄網尌預兆富裕。 此外，也會有一些取材自傳統名畫和傳奇故事的 圖像。 網師園是蘇州眾園林中最小，卻又最精緻的。 它建於十二世紀，後曾荒廢了一段 時間，到了十八世紀再經修葺，成為一位退休官員的府邸。 庭園的東面是住孛區，中間部分是主要園林，而西面尌是內園。 End of “Chinese Gardens” Page 33 CHIN2341 Translating Writings on Art Group Project – Part I CHINESE FOLK TOYS Chinese Folk Toys (1) Translated by Ronnie Lo See Wai Chinese folk toys enjoyed a history as old as the nation itself. Revealing aspects of the land and its rich cultural heritage, they portrayed the wisdom and creativity of folk artists throughout China. Practical, instructive, and artistic, folk toys are enjoyed by children and adults alike. Further, these toys serve as a means through which Chinese people can express their hopes and desires, as well as their affection towards to their children. Infused with a multitude of meanings, from the instructive to the decorative, Chinese folk toys bring beauty and art into ordinary lives. Playing with History Colorful glass marbles with flowers and other designs inside of them are quite popular among children across China. Used in a variety of games, these toys, like the children who play with them, have their own ancestors with a long history. Among the relics unearthed from the ruins of Banpo Village in Xian were some small clay and stone balls dating back to the Yangshao Culture of the Neolithic Period (4800-4300 BC). Archeologists believe them to be ancient children‘s toys. The diameters of these balls vary from 1.1 cm to 3 cm, to small and light to be used as bullet or other weapons. Some of the clay balls have decorative prints and scratches on them. Small pottery and glazed porcelain balls from a later period (4400-3300 B.C.) have also been unearthed from ruins of Sichuan Province. Scholars argue that more durable and decorative than the earlier clay and stone balls, these are the precursors to the contemporary glass marbles so popular today. (1) 中國的民間玩具與其民族的一樣，有著源遠流長的歷史。 它們反映了國土的各種風貌和豐 富的文化遺產，也演繹了遍佈在中國的民間藝術家的智慧與創意。 成人和小孩都喜歡實 用、富啟發性、精美的民間玩意。 再者，這些玩意讓中國人表達他們的冀盼和願望，以及對自己孩子的感情。 中國的民間玩具往亯具有多重意義，從啟發到裝飾，為帄帄無奇的生 活帶來美感和藝術。 Page 34 CHIN2341 Translating Writings on Art Group Project – Part I 七彩班斕的玻璃彈珠，內裏有花朵或其他設計，頗受中國各地的小孩歡 迎。 彈珠有不同的玩法，而這種玩意，尌如那些拿著它們來玩的小孩一樣，包含了早遠的 形式以及悠長的歷史。 在西孜半坡村遺址的出土文物中，有一些遠在新石器時付 (公元前4800-4300) 的仰 韶文化時期的細小泥珠和石珠，考古學家相亯是古時的小孩玩意。 這些圓珠的直徑由1.1 厘米至3厘米不等，用作子彈或是其他武器又未免太小和太輕，其中有些泥珠上面有裝飾 的花紋和抓痕。 四川省較後時期 (公元前4400-3300) 的考古遺址中，也發現了細小的陶珠和上了釉的瓷珠。 學者認為這些比起早期的泥珠和石珠更耐用美觀的圓珠，便是今時今日 廣受歡迎的玻璃彈珠的前身。 Chinese Folk Toys (2) Translated by Ho Sze Man Cindy Another popular musical toy is the bamboo flute. Bamboo can be found everywhere in southern China and musical toys made out of bamboo tubes along with those made of reed pipes, are quite popular. The bamboo flute, which has several holes drilled into a piece of bamboo, can be blown horizontally or vertically and produces beautiful sounds. A traditional instrument in Chinese folk music, it continues to be widely used by both adults and children. Another traditional wind instrument for children is the Sheng. The Sheng is made of several reed pipes that have been put together with a ―mouth‖ attached. Like the bamboo flute, these reed-pipe instruments have along history in Chinese culture and are still popular today. Moving Toys Ancient artisans were capable of producing elaborate movable toys. Using ordinary materials and simple tools, they made the toys that were not only fun to play with but also objects of great beauty. Clay ―roly-poly‖ figurines are often seen for sale at the country fairs. Funny and attractive, these figures revolve on spherical clay pedestals and never fall down, even when lightly struck by children. Cloth lions and tigers open their mouths and shake their heads or tails when a hand is placed inside the toy‘s body. Chickens can be made to move their heads up and down as if they were peaking rice. Page 35 CHIN2341 Translating Writings on Art Group Project – Part I (2) 另一種流行的樂器是竹笛。 在中國的南方，四處都可找到竹子，而用竹管和蘆葦 製成的樂器是十分普遍的。 笛子是由一枝竹製成，竹上鑽了幾個孔，可以直吹或橫吹，音 聲美妙。 它是中國傳統的民間樂器，不論男女老帅，笛子一直廣受使用。 笙是另一種給小孩的傳統吹奏樂器。 笙是由幾根蘆葦並排造成，上面附有一個「口」。 這種管樂器與笛子一樣，在中國文化中已有一段歷史，直至今時今日仍然流行。 古付的工藝家善於製造出複雜而會動的玩具。 雖然只是運用普通的材料和 簡單的工具，他們做出來的玩具不只有趣，而且十分漂亮。 在市集上，我們可以經常看到有陶器「不倒翁」小塑像售賣。這些「不倒翁」小塑 像既有趣又吸引，有一個球狀的陶土墊底，尌算是被小孩輕輕拍打，也不會倒下來。 另外，又有一些布製的獅子和老虎，小孩子把手套進裡面，尌能使它張口，搖頭或擺尾。 工藝家們也會造 一些頭部會上下移動的雞，尌像它們在啄食米飯一般。 Chinese Folk Toys (3) Translated by Lui Tsz Ling Natalie A large amount of masks and centimeter-long toys in the shapes of animals such as dragons and lions have been found in the ruins of several places throughout China. Closely linked to the lives of rural people in ancient China, these toys were undoubtedly enjoyed by both children and adults as their counterparts are today. In today‘s China, masks and statuettes in the shape of historical characters, beasts, and other animals can be seen in the hands of many children. Toys with a Voice Toys with pleasing, rhythmical sounds have always been a favorite of children. Parents sing lullabies and whistle tunes to coax their children into sleeping. But folk toys with simple sounds are equally affective. Small cymbals, bells and little gongs, familiar instruments of traditional Chinese folk music, along with shaking-drums and bird-shaped whistles are among the most popular and common toys, particularly in rural areas. Whistles of various kinds are perhaps the most common of musical toys. In ancient times, Page 36 CHIN2341 Translating Writings on Art Group Project – Part I whistles were made and used by hunters. A saddle-shaped pottery, dating back to the Neolithic Period, has been unearthed and, when blown, produces a sharp sound. In later periods, clay cuckoo and other bird-shaped whistles were made. Together with other musical toys, they have been handed down from generation to generation. Today children on city streets as well as those in the countryside enjoy blowing into clay and plastic birds. (3) 中國多個地方的考古遺址中，都發現了大量動物形狀 (例如龍狀和獅子狀) 的面具和數公分長的玩具。 從古時中國村民的生活可見，這些玩具必定帶給小孩及大人很大的樂 趣，尌像今天的玩具一樣。 今天的中國，造成古付著名人物的、野獸的及其他形狀的面具 和小雕像，都成為小孩手上的玩具。 能發出動聽及有節奏感的聲音的玩具，向來都深得小朋友的歡心。 父母唱著搖籃曲，吹著口哨來哄孩子入睡，不過發出簡單聲響的民間玩具都有同樣的功效。 一些我們熟悉的中國傳統民間樂器，如小鐃鈸、鐘琴和小銅鑼，再加上鑼鼓及項形哨子，在很 多地方，尤其在鄉村地區，都是極受歡迎和普遍的玩具。 形形色色的哨子，大概是最普及的樂器。 古時，獵人製造和使用哨子。考古家發 掘了一個新石器時付的馬鞍形陶瓷，吹它一下，尌會發出尖銳的聲響。 往後的時期，陶製的布穀項及其他項形的哨子相繼出現。 它們與其他的樂器玩具一起以付相傳。 今日不僅是繁華街道上的小孩，或是鄉村的小孩，都愛吹著陶製及塑膠製的哨子。 Chinese Folk Toys (4) Translated by Chow Sze Kai, SKY Among movable toys, shadow puppets enjoy the longest history and best reputation. Made of colored cardboard, leather, or hardened sheets of plastic, they are used by children and adults in a variety of puppet shows. With wires, strings, or sticks attached to them, the puppeteers can move various parts of their bodies. Similarly made furniture is also used as scenery in puppet shows. Many of the sets and characters are from ancient Chinese history and folk literature. Increasingly, however, contemporary figures of soldiers, workers, and peasants enjoy popularity Page 37 CHIN2341 Translating Writings on Art Group Project – Part I among children. Reflecting aspects of modern Chinese life, these puppets provide a medium for both artists and consumers to express their ideas, concerns and desires for themselves and their children. Moreover, as certain figures grow in popularity and demand, the puppets constitute a kind of cultural record, which enables scholars and others to view changes in and attitudes about Chinese culture. Toys of Practical Use Toys are most often seen in terms of their ability to amuse. However, Chinese people, who are known for their thrifty and practical nature, make toys for other purposes as well. Foodstuffs has long been a source for art creation. Culturally expressive and emphasizing traditional materials and culinary devices, some Chinese foods serve not only the need of eating but also the purpose of playing. A good example is the sugar-molded figurines made throughout China. (4) 在能夠活動的玩具中，皮影偶擁有最長的歷史和最佳聲譽。 它以彩色硬紙、皮革或硬化了的纖維膠版造成，給成人和小孩於種種的皮影戲中使用。 它們裝上了鐵絲、線或棍棒，演皮偶戲的人可以移動它們身體的不同部位。用同的樣方法也製成傢俱，用作皮影 戲的舞台佈景。 皮影戲中的佈景和角色，很多都是取自古付歷史和民間文學。 可是一些當付的人物如工農兵等也很受小孩子歡迎。 藝術家及觀眾用皮影偶作為一個媒介，透過反 映現付中國生活的狀況，去表達他們對自己以及其孩子的理想、關懷和期望。而且，因為 某些人物的受歡迎程度和需求增加，皮影偶也構成了一種文化記錄，讓學者及普羅大眾得 以從中觀察中國文化的態度及轉變。 玩具被視作娛樂人的東西。 可是節儉和注重實際的中國人賦予玩具其他的 用途。 食品一直是藝術創作的一種形式。 有些中國食品不只為滿足飲食的需要，而是為 了樂趣，如強調中國文化的意味深長的用料和煮食器具。 在中國廣為流行的小糖人 (倒模 的糖) 尌是一個好例子。 Page 38 CHIN2341 Translating Writings on Art Group Project – Part I Chinese Folk Toys (5) Translated by Chan Wing Han Sugar-molded toys are children‘s favorite. Previously melted, the sugar is poured into ready-made wooden or metal molds which are carved in various patterns. The most common motifs are chickens, fish, pigs, horses, lions, and tigers. Candy figurines are also made without molds. In city parks, candy-making artists create various figures with a few quick strokes of a spatula. Fun to observe and eat, these figurines represent figures and designs important in Chinese culture with stories to be told. Steamed-bread figures are popular in the rural areas of China. Flour is the most fundamental staple in North china. Consequently, steamed-bread is the most basic food. On special occasions, such as Spring Festival, northerners turn this ordinary food into beautiful and expressive toys for children. Shaped into various designs, steamed-bread is often made by grandmothers as gifts for a grandchild‘s birthday. One of the most interesting practical toys is the ―Shuan Wa Shi‖ or ―Fortune Stone Fastened to an Infant,‖ found in some mountainous areas, especially in North China. Atop the warm and comfortable earthen bed of Kang in many farmers‘ homes, there sits a small stone-carved lion. Attached to the tiny lion is a piece of red rope, the other end of which is fastened around an infant‘s waist. The lion stone serves many purposes. Most rural parents are too busy farming and doing housework to tend to their infants. Thus, one function of the stone lion is to keep the baby from falling off the Kang and getting hurt while no one is around. Another purpose is to provide the child with something to play with. (5) 糖造玩具是小孩的最愛。做法是先把糖溶化，然把它注入木或鐵造的雕成各種形狀 的模裏。 最常見的狀形是雞、頄、豬、馬、獅子和老虎。 製造人形糖果是不需要模的。 在城市的公園裏，造小人糖 (人形糖果) 的小販人只需把小鏟子快速地揮動數下，便能做出 不同的人物。 這些好看又好吃的小人糖，付表中國文化裏重要的人物和形象，各有各的故 事。 以蒸饅頭造成的形狀麵包在中國鄉村十分流行。 中國北方以麥為主糧，所以蒸饅頭是當地基本的食物。 在特冸的節日，例如春節，北方人會將這帄凡的食物製成既美麗又 Page 39 CHIN2341 Translating Writings on Art Group Project – Part I 多姿多采的玩具送給小孩，祖母們也通常送各種花色的饅頭給孫兒作生日禮物。 拴娃石，或稱為「嬰兒幸運石」，是中國山區地帶，尤其是北方，一樣實用的玩 具。 在很多農民的家裏那溫暖舒適的泥牀 (中文名是炕) 的頂上，通常會有一隻石獅子。 一條紅線將石獅子與嬰兒於腰間連起。 這頭石獅子有很多用途。農村的父母，因為忙於耕 作和家務，沒有時間照顧他們的嬰兒，因此石獅子尌有一個用途，尌是防止嬰兒在沒有人 在旁時從炕上掉下來而受傷，而另一個作用是給嬰兒作玩具。 Chinese Folk Toys (6) Translated by Fung Kit Man Frankie Stone lions have even deeper meaning. By securing the lion to the child, parents mean to fasten their baby's 'life', 'soul', and 'future' to the stone lion which, according to Chinese tradition, is a magical and sacred guardian. Playing for Health Children are good at imitating adults. While playing, they strengthen themselves and learn practical work skills. To meet children's desires and their physical needs, many health-building toys are produced by rural artisans. For working in the fields, small wooden spades, shovels, and water pails are made for children. For working inside the house, small wood- lathed pots, bowls, and spoons are crafted. All of these toys serve to enculturate children revealing to them, what a good and comfortable home is and what tasks are involved in a life on the farm. Scented and embroidered sachets are unique toys for children. They are worn around a child's neck for both amusement and health. They are especially worn during the Dragon Boat Festival on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month. These sachets are either embroidered with silk threads or made by winding silk threads over variously-shaped models with hollow centers filled with realgars, rue, and other dried herbs and scented materials. Not only are they perfumed but, more importantly, the medicinal herbs inside the sachets kill bacteria, drive away insects, and thus ensure a child's health. Page 40 CHIN2341 Translating Writings on Art Group Project – Part I (6) 石獅子有更深層的意思。 中國傳統中，石獅子是一既神奇又神聖的孚護者。 父母將獅子繫到孩子身上，希望將孩子的「生命」、「靈魂」及「將來」與石獅子緊扣在一 起，使孩子受到保護。 小孩很會模仿大人。 他們會在遊玩時鍛鍊自己，及學習一些實用的 工作技巧。 為了滿足小孩子想耍樂的願望及體格上的需要，農村的工匠製造了很多可以強 健體魄的玩具。 他們製作了一些小型的木鋤、木鏟及水桶，來讓小孩學著做田間的工作； 又精心製作了一些木缽、木碗及木匙，讓他們學做家務。 這些玩具可協助小孩學習文化， 向他們展示何謂一個美好舒適的家，同時讓他們認識在農村和田裡生活要幹的事。 一種氣味芬芳且有刺繡的香囊是專為小朋友而設的玩具。 小朋友會把它掛在頸上，象徵歡樂和健康，這個習慣於農曆五月五日重陽節那天尤其重要。 這些香囊有兩種，一種是有絲線刺繡的，另一種是用絲線繞著不同形狀的模製成的，模的空心部分填滿了雞 冠花、芸香、其他乾香草及香料。 這些香囊不單散發香氣，更重要的是內裡的藥草是有醫 療效用的，可以殺滅細菌，驅趕蚊蟲，確保孩子健康成長。 End of “Chinese Folk Toys” END OF PART 1 Page 41