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121-637: According to researchers, Françoise Paquienséguy and Miao He, there are almost 30 companies, varying from investment groups to media and film studios, under the Alibaba umbrella. “These include, but are not limited to, such leading companies as Youku Tudou Inc ., Enlight Media , Huayi Brothers , Bona Film Group , Wasu Media , Sina Weibo , XiamiMusic and Guangzhou Evergrande Taobao Football Club . In addition, Ma Yun also occasionally engages in capital operations, such as establishing Yunhuang and Yunxi Capital…” (Paquienséguy, He). In March 2014, Alibaba Group bought

242-575: A paper bag with a candle placed inside, although more complicated lanterns consist of a collapsible bamboo or metal frame of hoops covered with tough paper . Sometimes, other lanterns can be made out of colored silk (usually red) or vinyl. Silk lanterns are also collapsible with a metal expander and are decorated with Chinese characters and/or designs. The vinyl lanterns are more durable; they can resist rain, sunlight, and wind. Paper lanterns do not last very long, they soon break, and silk lanterns last longer. The gold paper on them will soon fade away to

363-680: A poetic flowering, while the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature were written during the Ming and Qing dynasties. Printmaking in the form of movable type was developed during the Song dynasty . Academies of scholars sponsored by the empire were formed to comment on the classics in both printed and handwritten form. Members of royalty frequently participated in these discussions. Chinese philosophers, writers and poets were highly respected and played key roles in preserving and promoting

484-471: A queue as did all Manchu men and dress in Manchu qipao. However, the order for ordinary non-Banner Han civilians to wear Manchu clothing was lifted and only Han who served as officials were required to wear Manchu clothing, with the rest of the civilian Han population dressing however they wanted. Qipao covered most of the woman's body, revealing only the head, hands, and the tips of the toes. The baggy nature of

605-576: A "marbled" effect from the contrasted colours; this technique is called tìxī ( 剔犀 /剃犀) in Chinese. This style continued to be used up to the Ming dynasty , especially on small boxes and jars with covers, though after the Song only red was often used, and the motifs were often carved with wider flat spaces at the bottom level to be exposed. A folding screen ( simplified Chinese : 屏风 ; traditional Chinese : 屏風 )

726-529: A 60% stake in ChinaVision Media for $ 805 million . Alibaba initially registered a film company in the following April with the name Alibaba Films Group before changing it to Alibaba Pictures Group later in the month. Two heads from ChinaVision were listed as directors of Alibaba Pictures. In June 2014, ChinaVision Media was officially renamed to be Alibaba Pictures Group. The following July, Zhang Qiang resigned as vice president of China Film Group to become

847-412: A Neo-Confucian moral critique of late Ming decadence. Plaks explores the textual history of the novels (all published after their author's deaths, usually anonymously) and how the ironic and satiric devices of these novels paved the way for the great novels of the 18th century. Plaks further shows these Ming novels share formal characteristics. China's fashion history covers hundreds of years with some of

968-609: A U.S. release, with the goal of audiences being able to see the film in the States while it was still in theaters in China according to STXfilms chairman Adam Fogelson in Yahoo Finance. “The increasing appreciation for and interest in Chinese culture , the fact that the story of a family dynamic during the holiday, and the entry point of Peppa, which most American audiences are familiar with, creates

1089-433: A darker image. Her 1996 album entitled "Let's Rock" was characterised by a Pop-Rock style and a harder sound compared to her previous works. It was also an important release for her because for first time in her career, all the songs were original. From then on, she started composing her own tracks. In 1997, the singer released "Lonely habits" another studio album with all the songs written by herself. This album discovered

1210-659: A discipline (書法; pinyin : shūfǎ , "the rules of writing Han characters " ). The Zhou dynasty is often regarded as the touchstone of Chinese cultural development. Concepts covered in the Chinese classic texts include poetry , astrology , astronomy , the calendar , and constellations . Some of the most important early texts include the I Ching and the Shujing within the Four Books and Five Classics . Many Chinese concepts such as Yin and Yang , Qi , Four Pillars of Destiny in relation to heaven and earth were theorized in

1331-860: A dynamic where there certainly could be — not on the Marvel level of course — broad interest,” said Fogelson, “…Our first goal was to make sure that Mandarin speakers in the U.S. would have access to the film while the movie was playing in China.” In March 2024, Alibaba Group announced a HK$ 5 billion (USD 640 million) investment over five years to boost Hong Kong's entertainment industry, investing in Hong Kong-made TV dramas, movies, performances and cultivation of young talents. The company also announced Alibaba Pictures will establish its second headquarters in Hong Kong. Zhang Qiang (singer) Zhang Qiang ( Chinese : 张蔷 ; born 1967), also known as Rose Zhang ,

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1452-451: A job as a singer in a café. At first, she wanted to stay there, but finally a little record label from Kunming was the first interested in her voice. Yunnan Audiovisual Press, gave a positive response to Zhang's voice recordings and in 1985, she managed to release her debut album. The chief of that little company, said that Zhang had a very strong voice, and that she had an enormous potential. From then on, she would release 20 studio albums in

1573-446: A long history; ever since the Sui dynasty (581–618 CE), educated candidates prepared for the imperial examinations and exam graduates were drafted into government as scholar-bureaucrats . This led to the creation of a meritocracy , although success was available only to males who could afford test preparation. Imperial examinations required applicants to write essays and demonstrate mastery of

1694-522: A major influence, expounding a realpolitik of wu wei. The Tao Te Ching , a compact book containing teachings attributed to Laozi ( Chinese : 老子 ; pinyin : Lǎozǐ ; Wade–Giles : Lao Tzu ), is widely considered the keystone work of the Taoist tradition, together with the later writings of Zhuangzi . Confucianism, also known as Ruism, was the official philosophy throughout most of Imperial China 's history, and mastery of Confucian texts

1815-408: A new creative face of Zhang because for first time, it included sad songs. Most of the tracks were down tempo songs very different from what she did before, showing her vocal and creative maturity as a singer. She also included a promotional video for the title track of the album. After a short period of silence in 2001, Zhang released her 30th album. She was finally recognised as an important part of

1936-490: A number of New Confucians (not to be confused with Neo-Confucianism) have advocated that democratic ideals and human rights are quite compatible with traditional Confucian "Asian values". Confucianism is described as tradition, a philosophy, a religion, a humanistic or rationalistic religion, a way of governing, or simply a way of life. Confucianism developed from what was later called the Hundred Schools of Thought from

2057-597: A pale white, and the red silk will become a mix between pink and red. Often associated with festivals , paper lanterns are common in China, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, and similarly in Chinatowns with large communities of Overseas Chinese , where they are often hung outside of businesses to attract attention. In Japan the traditional styles include bonbori and chōchin and there is a special style of lettering called chōchin moji used to write on them. Airborne paper lanterns are called sky lanterns , and are often released into

2178-411: A tiny portion survives, and there are notable gaps in the poetic œuvres of even Li Bai and Du Fu, the two most celebrated Tang poets. Ci (辭/辞) are a poetic form, a type of lyric poetry , done in the tradition of Classical Chinese poetry . Ci use a set of poetic meters derived from a base set of certain patterns, in fixed-rhythm, fixed-tone, and variable line-length formal types, or model examples:

2299-539: A tune of that title, with set rhythm, rhyme , and tempo. The Song dynasty was also a period of great scientific literature, and saw the creation of works such as Su Song 's Xin Yixiang Fayao and Shen Kuo 's Dream Pool Essays . There were also enormous works of historiography and large encyclopedias, such as Sima Guang 's Zizhi Tongjian of 1084 or the Four Great Books of Song fully compiled and edited by

2420-432: A wide range of styles including, Pop, Disco , Techno-Pop , Rock and Chinese traditional music. Anyway, she felt more comfortable performing pop and disco tracks. She preferred cheerful "happy" songs and urban love songs. That preference could also be seen in the image of the singer, her visual looks were very modern compared to the image sponsored by the communism. Her hair and her colorful clothes were qualified as vulgar by

2541-465: Is a Chinese singer who started her career in the mid-1980s. She is known as the Chinese Disco Queen because of her covers of western disco songs in her early period. She is also noted for being maybe the first Mainland Chinese pop singer in a time when foreign musical influences were limited, and when the artists from Taiwan and Hong Kong were the most popular in China. Zhang was born in 1967, at

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2662-530: Is a form of writing ( calligraphy ), or, the artistic expression of human language in a tangible form. There are some general standardizations of the various styles of calligraphy in this tradition. Chinese calligraphy and ink and wash painting are closely related: they are accomplished using similar tools and techniques, and have a long history of shared artistry. Distinguishing features of Chinese painting and calligraphy include an emphasis on motion charged with dynamic life. According to Stanley-Baker, "Calligraphy

2783-399: Is a subject of debate and other practices, such as Neo-Confucianism , Buddhism and others, have been introduced. Reincarnation and other rebirth concepts are a reminder of the connection between real-life and the after-life. In Chinese business culture , the concept of guanxi , indicating the primacy of relations over rules, has been well documented. While many deities are part of

2904-433: Is a translation of the Chinese name but they have also been referred to as sky candles or fire balloons . The general design is a thin paper shell, which may be from about 30 cm to a couple of metres across, with an opening at the bottom. The opening is usually about 10 to 30 cm wide (even for the largest shells), and is surrounded by a stiff collar that serves to suspend the flame source and to keep it away from

3025-521: Is a type of Classical Chinese poetry form , consisting of words written in one of a number of certain, set tone patterns , based upon the tunes of various songs. Thus Qu poems are lyrics with lines of varying longer and shorter lengths, set according to the certain and specific, fixed patterns of rhyme and tone of conventional musical pieces upon which they are based and after which these matched variations in lyrics (or individual Qu poems) generally take their name. The fixed-tone type of verse such as

3146-427: Is a type of free-standing furniture . It consists of several frames or panels, which are often connected by hinges or by other means. It can be made in a variety of designs and with different kinds of materials. Folding screens have many practical and decorative uses. It originated from ancient China , eventually spreading to the rest of East Asia, Europe, and other parts of the world. Screens date back to China during

3267-454: Is etymologically derived from a picture of feathers under a roof. A particular status and gender would be associated with a specific type of fan. During the Song dynasty , famous artists were often commissioned to paint fans. The Chinese dancing fan was developed in the 7th century. The Chinese form of the hand fan was a row of feathers mounted in the end of a handle. In the later centuries, Chinese poems and four-word idioms were used to decorate

3388-535: Is historically considered a dominant culture of East Asia. With China being one of the earliest ancient civilizations , Chinese culture exerts profound influence on the philosophy, virtue, etiquette, and traditions of Asia . Chinese characters , ceramics , architecture , music , dance , literature , martial arts , cuisine , arts , philosophy , etiquette, religion , politics , and history have had global influence, while its traditions and festivals are celebrated, instilled, and practiced by people around

3509-522: Is known as guri ( 屈輪 /曲仑) from the Japanese word for the ring-pommel of a sword, where the same motifs were used in metal, and is often called the "Sword-Pommel pattern" in English. This style uses a family of repeated two-branched scrolling shapes cut with a rounded profile at the surface, but below that a "V" section through layers of lacquer in different colours (black, red and yellow, and later green), giving

3630-521: Is one of the world's oldest cultures, originating thousands of years ago. The culture prevails across a large geographical region in East Asia with Sinosphere in whole and is extremely diverse, with customs and traditions varying greatly between counties , provinces , cities , towns . The terms 'China' and the geographical landmass of 'China' have shifted across the centuries, before the name 'China' became commonplace in modernity. Chinese civilization

3751-602: Is only rarely combined with painting in lacquer and other lacquer techniques. Later Chinese writers dated the introduction of carved lacquer to the Tang dynasty (618–906), and many modern writers have pointed to some late Tang pieces of armour found on the Silk Road by Aurel Stein and now in the British Museum . These are red and black lacquer on camel hide, but the lacquer is very thin, "less than one millimeter in thickness", and

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3872-466: Is referred to as Shodō ( 書道/书道 ), literally "the way/principle of writing"; and in Korea as Seoye (서예; 書藝) literally "the skill/criterion of writing". Chinese calligraphy is normally regarded as one of the "arts" (Chinese 藝術/艺术 pinyin : yìshù ) in the countries where it is practised. Chinese calligraphy focuses not only on methods of writing but also on cultivating one's character (人品) and taught as

3993-456: Is represented by tea leaf , bamboo shoot trunk , and hickory nut . Such distinctions give rise to the old Chinese proverb: "十里不同風, 百里不同俗/十里不同風": "praxis vary within ten li , customs vary within a hundred li ". The 31 provincial-level divisions of the People's Republic of China are grouped by its former administrative areas from 1949 to 1980, and are now known as traditional regions. Since

4114-414: Is sheer life experienced through energy in motion that is registered as traces on silk or paper, with time and rhythm in shifting space its main ingredients." Calligraphy has also led to the development of many forms of art in China, including seal carving, ornate paperweights, and inkstones . In China, calligraphy is referred to as Shūfǎ (書法/书法), literally "the way/method/law of writing". In Japan it

4235-483: Is this name that survives in English as the "cheongsam". Most Han civilian men eventually voluntarily adopted Manchu clothing while Han women continued wearing Han clothing. Until 1911, the changpao was required clothing for Chinese men of a certain class, but Han Chinese women continued to wear loose jacket and trousers, with an overskirt for formal occasions. The qipao was a new fashion item for Han Chinese women when they started wearing it around 1925.The original qipao

4356-483: Is typically classified by the succession of ruling dynasties of Chinese emperors , most of which lasted several hundred years. Chinese art has arguably the oldest continuous tradition in the world, and is marked by an unusual degree of continuity within, and consciousness of, that tradition, lacking an equivalent to the Western collapse and gradual recovery of classical styles. The media that have usually been classified in

4477-530: The I Ching or "Book of Changes", dates to around 1000 BC. A flourishing of philosophy during the Warring States period produced such noteworthy works as Confucius's Analects and Laozi 's Tao Te Ching . (See also: Chinese classics ) Dynastic histories were often written, beginning with Sima Qian 's seminal Records of the Grand Historian , written from 109 BC to 91 BC. The Tang dynasty witnessed

4598-683: The Qu and the ci together with the shi and fu forms of poetry comprise the three main forms of Classical Chinese poetry . In Chinese literature , the Qu ( Chinese : 曲 ; pinyin : qǔ ; Wade–Giles : chü ) form of poetry from the Yuan dynasty may be called Yuanqu (元曲 P: Yuánqǔ , W: Yüan-chü ). Qu may be derived from Chinese opera , such as the Zaju (雜劇/杂剧), in which case these Qu may be referred to as sanqu (散曲). The San in Sanqu refers to

4719-598: The Tao ( 道 , literally "Way", also romanized as Dao ). The Tao is a fundamental idea in most Chinese philosophical schools; in Taoism, however, it denotes the principle that is the source, pattern and substance of everything that exists. Taoism differs from Confucianism by not emphasizing rigid rituals and social order. Taoist ethics vary depending on the particular school, but in general tend to emphasize wu wei (effortless action), "naturalness", simplicity, spontaneity, and

4840-510: The Contention of a Hundred Schools of Thought (百家爭鳴/百家争鸣; bǎijiā zhēngmíng ; pai-chia cheng-ming ; "hundred schools contend"). The thoughts and ideas discussed and refined during this period have profoundly influenced lifestyles and social consciousness up to the present day in China and across East Asia. The intellectual society of this era was characterized by itinerant scholars, who were often employed by various state rulers as advisers on

4961-485: The Han dynasty papercutting became a new art form after the invention of paper. Chinese opera would also be introduced and branched regionally in addition to other performance formats such as variety arts . The Chinese paper lantern (紙燈籠, 纸灯笼) is a lantern made of thin, brightly colored paper. Paper lanterns come in various shapes and sizes, as well as various methods of construction. In their simplest form, they are simply

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5082-514: The Imperial guardian lions . Along with the belief in the divine beings, there is belief in evil beings. Practices such as Taoist exorcism fighting mogwai and jiangshi with peachwood swords are just some of the concepts passed down from generations. A few Chinese fortune telling rituals are still in use today after thousands of years of refinement. Taoism, a religious or philosophical tradition of Chinese origin, emphasizes living in harmony with

5203-576: The Song dynasty , and the development of both these and the technique of carving were essentially over by the early Ming. These types were the abstract guri or Sword-Pommel pattern, figures in a landscape, and birds and plants. To these some designs with religious symbols, animals, auspicious characters (right) and imperial dragons can be added. The objects made in the technique are a wide range of small types, but are mostly practical vessels or containers such as boxes, plates and trays. Some screens and pieces of Chinese furniture were made. Carved lacquer

5324-554: The Tang dynasty (618–907). During the Tang dynasty, folding screens were considered ideal ornaments for many painters to display their paintings and calligraphy on. Many artists painted on paper or silk and applied it onto the folding screen. There were two distinct artistic folding screens mentioned in historical literature of the era. One of it was known as the huaping ( simplified Chinese : 画屏 ; traditional Chinese : 畫屏 ; lit. 'painted folding screen') and

5445-462: The Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors period, some form of Chinese monarch has been the main ruler above all. Different periods of history have different names for the various positions within society. Conceptually each imperial or feudal period is similar, with the government and military officials ranking high in the hierarchy , and the rest of the population under regular Chinese law . From

5566-616: The Three Treasures : 慈 "compassion", 儉/俭 "frugality", and 谦 "humility". The roots of Taoism can be traced back to at least the 4th century BCE. Early Taoism drew its cosmological notions from the School of Yinyang (Naturalists), and was deeply influenced by one of China's oldest texts, the Yijing , which expounds a philosophical system of human behavior in accordance with the alternating cycles of nature. The " Legalist " Shen Buhai may also have been

5687-561: The academic scholars who studied under the ancient Chinese philosopher Mozi ( c.  470 BC – c.  391 BC ). The philosophy is embodied in an eponymous book: the Mozi . Another group is the School of the Military (兵家; Bingjia ) that studied warfare and strategy; Sunzi and Sun Bin were influential leaders. The School of Naturalists was a Warring States era philosophy that synthesized

5808-603: The cheongsam (or qipao in Mandarin). The clothing of the era before the Qing dynasty is referred to as Hanfu or traditional Han Chinese clothing . Many symbols such as phoenix have been used for decorative as well as economic purposes. Among them were the Banners ( qí ), mostly Manchu, who as a group were called Banner People ( 旗人 pinyin : qí rén ). Manchu women typically wore a one-piece dress that retrospectively came to be known as

5929-493: The four virtues women must abide by , while scholars such as Zhu Xi and Cheng Yi would expand on this. Chinese marriage and Taoist sexual practices are some of the rituals and customs found in society. With the rise of European economic and military power beginning in the mid-19th century, non-Chinese systems of social and political organization gained adherents in China. Some of these would-be reformers totally rejected China's cultural legacy, while others sought to combine

6050-475: The novel as early as the Song dynasty . The novel as an extended prose narrative which realistically creates a believable world of its own evolved in China and in Europe from the 14th to 18th centuries, though a little earlier in China. Chinese audiences were more interested in history and were more historically minded. They appreciated relative optimism, moral humanism, and relative emphasis on collective behavior and

6171-414: The qípáo ( 旗袍 , Manchu : sijigiyan or banner gown ). The generic term for both the male and the female forms of Manchu dress, essentially similar garments, was chángpáo ( 長袍 /长袍). The qipao fitted loosely and hung straight down the body, or flared slightly in an A-line. Under the dynastic laws after 1636, all Han Chinese in the banner system were forced to adopt the Manchu male hairstyle of wearing

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6292-452: The 11th century. Notable Confucianists , Taoists and scholars of all classes have made significant contributions to and from documenting history to authoring saintly concepts that seem hundreds of years ahead of time. Although the oldest surviving textual examples of surviving ci are from 8th century CE Dunhuang manuscripts , beginning in the poetry of the Liang dynasty , the ci followed

6413-467: The 12th century CE. It is extremely time-consuming to produce, and has always been a luxury product, essentially restricted to China, though imitated in Japanese lacquer in somewhat different styles. The producing process is called Diāoqī ( 雕漆 /彫漆, carving lacquer).Though most surviving examples are from the Ming and Qing dynasties, the main types of subject matter for the carvings were all begun under

6534-533: The 6th century to 221 BC, during the Spring and Autumn period and the Warring States period of ancient China. While this period was fraught with chaos and bloody battles, it was an era of great cultural and intellectual expansion in China. It came to be known as the Golden Age of Chinese philosophy because a broad range of thoughts and ideas were developed and could be freely discussed. This phenomenon has been called

6655-461: The American audience, and we can do co-productions between our company and your company…” Alibaba Pictures partnered with California-based STX , an American entertainment company, to bring “ Peppa Celebrates Chinese New Year ” to American silver screens in 2019. After a substantial show of interest in the film on social media by Mandarin-speaking audiences STX and Alibaba partnered together for

6776-399: The Chinese people and become internalized in the blood and soul of the Chinese nation. During the 361 years of civil war after the Han dynasty (202 BC – 220 AD), there was a partial restoration of feudalism when wealthy and powerful families emerged with large amounts of land and huge numbers of semi-serfs. They dominated important civilian and military positions of the government, making

6897-515: The Confucian classics. Those who passed the highest level of the exam became elite scholar-officials known as jinshi , a highly esteemed socio-economic position. A major mythological structure developed around the topic of the mythology of the imperial exams . Trades and crafts were usually taught by a shifu . The female historian Ban Zhao wrote the Lessons for Women in the Han dynasty and outlined

7018-740: The Eastern Zhou period (771–256 BCE). These were initially one-panel screens in contrast to folding screens. Folding screens were invented during the Han dynasty (206 BCE – 220 CE). Depictions of those folding screens have been found in Han-era tombs, such as one in Zhucheng , Shandong Province. Folding screens were originally made from wooden panels and painted on lacquered surfaces, eventually folding screens made from paper or silk became popular too. Even though folding screens were known to have been used since antiquity , it became rapidly popular during

7139-639: The Mainland Chinese Mandopop movement. In fact, she was invited, for first time, to perform in the CCTV studios. It was the first time Zhang gave a live performance for TV. Creatively, Zhang started experimenting with new styles such as electronic music. She got back to her usual cheerful style and songs that would characterise her following releases. Chinese culture Chinese culture ( simplified Chinese : 中华文化 ; traditional Chinese : 中華文化 ; pinyin : Zhōnghuá wénhuà )

7260-562: The Shang, the Western Zhou dynasty , established a strict hierarchical society that used clothing as a status meridian, and inevitably, the height of one's rank influenced the ornateness of a costume. Such markers included the length of a skirt, the wideness of a sleeve and the degree of ornamentation. In addition to these class-oriented developments, Han Chinese clothing became looser, with the introduction of wide sleeves and jade decorations hung from

7381-434: The Tang capital of Changan was damaged by war in the eighth and ninth centuries, so that while more than 50,000 Tang poems survive (more than any earlier period in Chinese history), this still likely represents only a small portion of the poetry that was actually produced during the period. Many seventh-century poets are reported by the 721 imperial library catalog as having left behind massive volumes of poetry, of which only

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7502-518: The Tang poet Wen Tingyun (812–870) was a great master of the ci , writing it in its distinct and mature form. One of the more notable practitioners and developers of this form was Li Yu of the Southern Tang dynasty during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period . However, the ci form of Classical Chinese poetry is especially associated with the poetry of the Song dynasty , during which it

7623-510: The West , and The Golden Lotus collectively constituted a technical breakthrough reflecting new cultural values and intellectual concerns. Their educated editors, authors, and commentators used the narrative conventions developed from earlier story-tellers , such as the episodic structure, interspersed songs and folk sayings, or speaking directly to the reader, but they fashioned self-consciously ironic narratives whose seeming familiarity camouflaged

7744-528: The West since the Renaissance as the decorative arts are extremely important in Chinese art, and much of the finest work was produced in large workshops or factories by essentially unknown artists, especially in Chinese ceramics . Different forms of art have swayed under the influence of great philosophers, teachers, religious figures and even political figures. Chinese art encompasses all facets of fine art , folk art and performance art . Porcelain pottery

7865-561: The Yuan dynasty era. Both Sanqu and Ci are lyrics written to fit a different melodies, but Sanqu differs from Ci in that it is more colloquial, and is allowed to contain Chenzi (襯字/衬字 "filler words" which are additional words to make a more complete meaning). Sanqu can be further divided into Xiaoling (小令) and Santao (散套), with the latter containing more than one melody. The Four Great Classical or Classic Novels of Chinese literature are

7986-710: The beginning of the Cultural Revolution . Her mother was a violin player for the Chinese Philharmonic Orchestra. She started learning to play the violin and piano from the age of 5. Despite her classic musical influences, she was mainly fascinated by pop and disco music, two music styles that at first, where banned in the PRC, although in the 1980s, thanks to the reform and opening, those styles started entering in China. In these years, Taiwanese and Hong Kong singers such as Teresa Teng were prominent, and fascinated

8107-542: The broader concept of heaven. A large part of Chinese culture is based in the belief in a spiritual world. Countless methods of divination have helped answer questions, even serving as an alternative to medicine. Folklores have helped fill the gap between things that cannot be explained. There is often a blurred line between myth, religion and unexplained phenomenon. Many of the stories have since evolved into traditional Chinese holidays . Other concepts have extended beyond mythology into spiritual symbols such as Door god and

8228-399: The civil service exams, but the art was theoretically available to everyone. This led to a large record of poetry and poets, a partial record of which survives today. Two of the most famous poets of the period were Li Bai and Du Fu . Tang poetry has had an ongoing influence on world literature and modern and quasi-modern poetry. The Quantangshi ("Complete Tang Poems") anthology compiled in

8349-473: The clothing also served to conceal the figure of the wearer regardless of age. With time, though, the qipao were tailored to become more form fitting and revealing. The modern version, which is now recognized popularly in China as the "standard" qipao , was first developed in Shanghai in the 1920s, partly under the influence of Beijing styles. People eagerly sought a more modernized style of dress and transformed

8470-630: The company and will handle marketing, distribution, and merchandising of Amblin Partners films in China in addition to co-financing Amblin and DreamWorks films worldwide. As described by the Financial Times , "Amblin Partners and Alibaba Pictures teamed up to "finance, produce, market and distribute films in China and globally." Alibaba Pictures released the projection in February 2017 that its unaudited 2016 losses could be over US$ 140 million. The company stated

8591-829: The company combined both mainland Chinese and Hong Kong values, reaching both audiences in new ways. The installment also saw “ the ongoing mainlandization of Hong Kong filmmaking practice and the corresponding Hong Kongification of contemporary Chinese popular cinema,” according to Mark Gallagher, author of “Alibaba Goes to the Movies.” Alibaba Pictures’ mid-2010s expansion was not limited only to Hong Kong however. 2015 saw Alibaba Pictures’ first investment in U.S. cinema , with their financial support of Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation . In 2016, Alibaba Group partnered with Steven Spielberg ’s Amblin Partners , an American film production company. The partnership drew international attention, with Hollywood’s highest-grossing director and one of

8712-532: The concepts of yin-yang and the Five Elements ; Zou Yan is considered the founder of this school. His theory attempted to explain the universe in terms of basic forces in nature: the complementary agents of yin (dark, cold, female, negative) and yang (light, hot, male, positive) and the Five Elements or Five Phases (water, fire, wood, metal, and earth). The ancient written standard was Classical Chinese . It

8833-441: The contemporary situations in Chinese culture that relate to social structure, sociocultural change, and the relationship of these factors to the current state of mental health of the Chinese people. The chapter focuses on the issues of mind, body, and behavior. The cultural framework is of central concern to Chinese participants, whether they are social scientists, humanists, or clinical psychiatrists. Chinese culture appears to affect

8954-509: The covers of her albums featured photos of her, and the only information her fans could find, were nothing else than her releases. It is rumored that despite this enormous disadvantage, Zhang outsold Teresa Teng in 1986. From 1988 to 1992, when she gave birth to her first child, when she was 19, she started releasing only one album per year. In 1987, the Mainland Chinese music industry was still underdeveloped. The release of cover albums

9075-531: The creation of a sense of national spirit. Tang poetry refers to poetry written in or around the time of, or in the characteristic style of, China's Tang dynasty (18 June 618 – 4 June 907, including the 690–705 reign of Wu Zetian ) or that follows a certain style, often considered the Golden Age of Chinese poetry . During the Tang dynasty, poetry continued to be an important part of social life at all levels of society. Scholars were required to master poetry for

9196-542: The culture of the empire. Some classical scholars, however, were noted for their daring depictions of the lives of the common people, often to the displeasure of authorities. At the start of the 20th century, most of the population were still illiterate , and the many languages spoken ( Mandarin , Wu , Yue ( Cantonese ), Min Nan (Ban-lam-gu), Jin , Xiang , Hakka , Gan , Hui , Ping etc.) in different regions prevented spoken communication with people from other areas. However,

9317-478: The detached status of the Qu lyrics of this verse form: in other words, rather than being embedded as part of an opera performance the lyrics stand separately on their own. Since the Qu became popular during the late Southern Song dynasty, and reached a special height of popularity in the poetry of the Yuan dynasty, therefore it is often called Yuanqu (元曲), specifying the type of Qu found in Chinese opera typical of

9438-445: The dissemination of Buddhism throughout China. Chinese Buddhism is also marked by the interaction between Indian religions , Chinese folk religion , and Taoism . During the Xia and Shang dynasties, Chinese religion was oriented to worshipping the supreme god Shang Di , with the king and diviners acting as priests and using oracle bones . The Zhou dynasty oriented religion to worshipping

9559-471: The early eighteenth century includes over 48,900 poems written by over 2,200 authors. The Quantangwen (全唐文, "Complete Tang Prose"), despite its name, contains more than 1,500 fu and is another widely consulted source for Tang poetry. Despite their names, these sources are not comprehensive, and the manuscripts discovered at Dunhuang in the twentieth century included many shi and some fu , as well as variant readings of poems that were also included in

9680-462: The effect very different, with simple abstract shapes on a plain field and almost no impression of relief . The style of carving into thick lacquer used later is first seen in the Southern Song (1127–1279), following the development of techniques for making very thick lacquer. There is some evidence from literary sources that it had existed in the late Tang. At first the style of decoration used

9801-488: The fans by using Chinese calligraphy pens. In ancient China, fans came in various shapes and forms (such as in a leaf, oval or a half-moon shape), and were made in different materials such as silk, bamboo, feathers, etc. Carved lacquer or Qīdiāo ( Chinese : 漆雕 ) is a distinctive Chinese form of decorated lacquerware . While lacquer has been used in China for at least 3,000 years, the technique of carving into very thick coatings of it appears to have been developed in

9922-403: The four novels commonly regarded by Chinese literary criticism to be the greatest and most influential of pre-modern Chinese fiction. Dating from the Ming and Qing dynasties, they are well known to most Chinese either directly or through their many adaptations to Chinese opera and other forms of popular culture . They are among the world's longest and oldest novels and are considered to be

10043-469: The head of Alibaba Pictures. Later in the month, Alibaba Pictures entered agreements with filmmakers and film companies, including director Wong Kar Wai and the Hong Kong-based film production company Block 2. The company purchased Yueke and at the end of 2015, Taobao Movie and Yulebao. On October 9, 2016, Amblin Partners struck a deal with Alibaba, in which Alibaba acquired a minority equity stake in

10164-468: The late Ming dynasty and early Qing dynasty was varied, self-conscious, and experimental. In China, however, there was no counterpart to the 19th-century European explosion of novels. The novels of the Ming and early Qing dynasties represented a pinnacle of classic Chinese fiction. The scholar and literary critic Andrew H. Plaks argues that Romance of the Three Kingdoms , Water Margin , Journey to

10285-406: The late Zhou dynasty (1046–256 BCE) onwards, traditional Chinese society was organized into a hierarchic system of socio-economic classes known as the four occupations . However, this system did not cover all social groups and the distinctions between the groups became blurred after the commercialization of Chinese culture in the Song dynasty (960–1279 CE). Ancient Chinese education also has

10406-479: The later anthologies. There are also collections of individual poets' work, which generally can be dated earlier than the Qing anthologies, although few earlier than the eleventh century. Only about a hundred Tang poets have such collected editions extant. Another important source is anthologies of poetry compiled during the Tang dynasty, although only thirteen such anthologies survive in full or in part. Many records of poetry, as well as other writings, were lost when

10527-471: The losses resulted from a promotion known as Tao Piao Piao , where theater tickets are subsidized . In July 2017, Alibaba increased its stake in Tao Piao Piao, an online ticketing platform, from 87.6% to 96.7%, for 1.3 billion yuan. Alibaba Pictures has become a giant in film production and finance. Its success is not limited just to mainland China . Through its first domestic release See You Tomorrow ,

10648-530: The methods of government, war, and diplomacy. This period ended with the rise of the imperial Qin dynasty and the subsequent purge of dissent . A traditional source for this period is the Shiji , or Records of the Grand Historian by Sima Qian . The autobiographical section of the Shiji , the "Taishigong Zixu" (太史公自序), refers to the schools of thought described below. Mohism was an ancient Chinese philosophy of logic , rational thought and science developed by

10769-399: The middle 1990s, the Mainland Chinese entertainment industry was starting to take off. Singers such as Na Ying , Sun Nan , Sun Yue and Yang Yuying were starting to make a name in the entertainment world and some famous singers such as Faye Wong , had returned to the mainland, working with local producers such as Zhang Yadong . Zhang reappeared with a more mature voice, with a new style and

10890-567: The most active Chinese film studios coming together for production, distribution and financing. In 2019, Alibaba Pictures financed 23 films, “ accounting for one-fifth of China's total box office,” according to Alizila , an Alibaba news outlet. At a briefing regarding the partnership in Beijing , Spielberg was quoted by Reuters as saying, “Some of the stories I’m hoping Jack and I can tell in this new partnership between Amblin Partners and Alibaba Pictures will be able to bring Chinese-themed stories to

11011-456: The most colorful and diverse arrangements. Different social classes in different eras boast different fashion trends, the color yellow was usually reserved for the emperor during China's Imperial era. From the beginning of its history, Han clothing (especially in elite circles) was inseparable from silk , supposedly discovered by the Yellow Emperor's consort, Leizu . The dynasty to follow

11132-405: The most conservatives, but considered as fresh by the youth. She followed the trends of the '80s both musically and visually, which helped to make her popular. In the next two-year, Zhang sold more than 20 million copies with her uncountable cover albums. Although, her popularity was widespread, she managed to be famous without the help of marketing. Her face could be seen nowhere in the media, only

11253-457: The next two years. Tokyo Nights, Zhang's first cover album, was released in early 1985. It is calculated that this album sold over a million copies in China. Zhang was initially expected to earn 800 yuan a month. Anyway, due to the high sales of this album, her salary was increased to 1,400 yuan, much more than the salary of her own mother who only got a salary of 70 yuan in her job as a state musician. Zhang covered many famous songs, she covered

11374-423: The night sky for aesthetic effect at lantern festivals . The Chinese sky lantern (天燈, 天灯), also known as Kongming lantern , is a small hot air balloon made of paper, with an opening at the bottom where a small fire is suspended. In Asia and elsewhere around the world, sky lanterns have been traditionally made for centuries, to be launched for play or as part of long-established festivities. The name "sky lantern"

11495-473: The old qipao to suit their tastes. Slender and form fitting with a high cut, it had great differences from the traditional qipao . It was high-class courtesans and celebrities in the city that would make these redesigned tight fitting qipao popular at that time. In Shanghai it was first known as zansae or "long dress" (長衫—Mandarin Chinese: chángshān; Shanghainese : zansae ; Cantonese: chèuhngsāam ), and it

11616-434: The other was known as the shuping ( simplified Chinese : 书屏 ; traditional Chinese : 書屏 ; lit. 'calligraphed folding screen'). It was not uncommon for people to commission folding screens from artists, such as from Tang-era painter Cao Ba or Song-era painter Guo Xi . The landscape paintings on folding screens reached its height during the Song dynasty (960–1279). The lacquer techniques for

11737-405: The pinnacle of China's literary achievement in classic novels, influencing the creation of many stories, plays, movies, games, and other forms of entertainment across other parts of East Asia. Chinese fiction, rooted in narrative classics such as Shishuo Xinyu , Sou Shen Ji , Wenyuan Yinghua , Da Tang Xiyu Ji , Youyang Zazu , Taiping Guangji , and official histories, developed into

11858-542: The population of China, 95% of Taiwan ( Han Taiwanese ), 76% of Singapore , 23% of Malaysia , and about 17% of the global population , making them the world's largest ethnic group , numbering over 1.3 billion people. In modern China, there are 56 officially labelled ethnic groups . Throughout Chinese history, many non-Han foreigners like the Indo-Iranians became Han Chinese through assimilation, other groups retained their distinct ethnic identities, or faded away. At

11979-748: The population of mainland China are related to the recent dramatic socialist revolution and particularly to the 10-year period of the Cultural Revolution. Chinese civilization is the only one that has preserved its historical continuity among the world's “cradles for four ancient civilizations.” In the long process of civilization evolution, the Chinese people, in the spirit of “continuous self-renewal,” “self-discipline and social commitment,” “inclusiveness to diversity,” and “realism and adaptation to changes,” created cultural traditions of abundant contents, sophisticated structures, and various forms. These traditions have since been nourishing, nurturing, and shaping

12100-487: The positions available to members of their own families and clans. The Tang dynasty extended the imperial examination system as an attempt to eradicate this feudalism. Traditional Chinese culture covers large geographical territories, where each region is usually divided into distinct sub-cultures. Each region is often represented by three ancestral items. For example, Guangdong is represented by chenpi , aged ginger and hay . The ancient city of Lin'an ( Hangzhou ),

12221-435: The pre-imperial periods. By the end of the Qing dynasty, Chinese culture had embarked on a new era with written vernacular Chinese for the common citizens. Hu Shih and Lu Xun were considered pioneers in modern literature at that time. After the founding of the People's Republic of China , the study of Chinese modern literature gradually increased. Modern-era literature has influenced modern interpretations of nationhood and

12342-463: The rhythmic and tonal pattern of the ci are based upon certain, definitive musical song tunes. They are also known as Changduanju (長短句/长短句, "lines of irregular lengths") and Shiyu (詩餘/诗馀, "that which is beside poetry").Typically the number of characters in each line and the arrangement of tones were determined by one of around 800 set patterns, each associated with a particular title, called cípái 詞牌/词牌. Originally they were written to be sung to

12463-485: The rudiments of Chinese clothing; it consisted of a yi , a narrow-cuffed, knee-length tunic tied with a sash, and a narrow, ankle-length skirt, called chang , worn with a bixi , a length of fabric that reached the knees. Vivid primary colors and green were used, due to the degree of technology at the time. During the Qing dynasty , China's last imperial dynasty, a dramatic shift of clothing occurred, examples of which include

12584-481: The same time, the Han Chinese majority has maintained distinct linguistic and regional cultural traditions throughout the ages. The term Zhonghua minzu ( simplified Chinese : 中华民族 ; traditional Chinese : 中華民族 ) has been used to describe the notion of Chinese nationalism in general. Much of the traditional identity within the community has to do with distinguishing the family name . The chapter discusses

12705-465: The sash which served to keep the yi closed. The yi was essentially wrapped over, in a style known as jiaoling youren , or wrapping the right side over before the left, because of the initially greater challenge to the right-handed wearer (people of Zhongyuan discouraged left-handedness like many other historical cultures, considering it unnatural, barbarian, uncivilized, and unfortunate). The Shang dynasty ( c.  1600 BC – 1046 BC), developed

12826-463: The state of body and health, parent–child interaction, social relationships, individual and group aspirations, models of health care services, and the patterns of disorders and methods of coping under the impact of migration, industrialization, and urbanization. The chapter focuses on the importance of the impact of cultural tradition upon perception, behavioral orientation, pathology, coping, and help-seeking. The mental health concerns that are relevant to

12947-415: The strengths of Chinese and European cultures. In essence, the history of 20th-century China is one of experimentation with new systems of social, political, and economic organization that would allow for the reintegration of the nation in the wake of dynastic collapse. Most spiritual practices are derived from Chinese Buddhism , Taoism and Confucianism . The relative influence of each school of practice

13068-516: The teachings of the Chinese philosopher Confucius (551–479 BCE), who considered himself a retransmitter of the values of the Zhou dynasty golden age of several centuries before. In the Han dynasty (206 BCE – 220 CE), Confucian approaches edged out the "proto-Taoist" Huang-Lao , as the official ideology, while the emperors mixed both with the realist techniques of Legalism. The Hundred Schools of Thought were philosophies and schools that flourished from

13189-530: The tradition of the Shi Jing and the yuefu : they were lyrics which developed from anonymous popular songs into a sophisticated literary genre; although in the case of the ci form some of its fixed-rhythm patterns have an origin in Central Asia . The form was further developed in the Tang dynasty . Although the contributions of Li Bo (also known as Li Po, 701 – 762) are fraught with historical doubt, certainly

13310-454: The tradition, some of the most recognized holy figures include Guan Yin , the Jade Emperor and Buddha . Chinese Buddhism has shaped some Chinese art , literature and philosophy . The translation of a large body of foreign Buddhist scriptures into Chinese and the inclusion of these translations, together with works composed in China, into a printed canon had far-reaching implications for

13431-420: The walls. When lit, the flame heats the air inside the lantern, thus lowering its density and causing the lantern to rise into the air. The sky lantern is only airborne for as long as the flame stays alight, after which the lantern sinks back to the ground. The oldest existing Chinese fans are a pair of woven bamboo , wood or paper side-mounted fans from the 2nd century BCE. The Chinese character for "fan" (扇)

13552-415: The welfare of the society. The rise of a money economy and urbanization beginning in the Song era led to a professionalization of entertainment which was further encouraged by the spread of printing, the rise of literacy, and education. In both China and Western Europe, the novel gradually became more autobiographical and serious in exploration of social, moral, and philosophical problems. Chinese fiction of

13673-647: The world. As early as the Zhou dynasty, the Chinese government divided Chinese people into four classes : gentry , farmer , craftsman , and merchant . Gentry and farmers constituted the two major classes, while merchant and craftsmen were collected into the two minor. Theoretically, except for the position of the Emperor, nothing was hereditary. China's majority ethnic group, the Han Chinese , are an East Asian ethnic group and nation . They constitute approximately 92% of

13794-559: The written language made communication possible, such as passing on official orders and documents throughout the entire region of China. Reformers set out to establish a national language, settling on the Beijing-based Mandarin as the spoken form. After the May 4th Movement , Classical Chinese was quickly replaced by written vernacular Chinese , modeled after the vocabulary and grammar of the standard spoken language. Chinese calligraphy

13915-567: The young people. When Zhang was a student, she usually sang with a portable recorder when she returned from the school, then, she managed to find a South Korean radio station which played also western music. That is how she discovered artists such as The Beatles and Michael Jackson of whom she did not know before, and that would turn into her main influence. When she was 18, she left the school and started singing professionally. Although her mother did not like her career choice. She left Beijing and moved temporarily to Guangzhou , where she found

14036-477: Was indeed a popular poetic form. A revival of the ci poetry form occurred during the end of the Ming dynasty and the beginning of the Qing dynasty which was characterized by an exploration of the emotions connected with romantic love together with its valorization, often in a context of a brief poetic story narrative within a ci poem or a linked group of ci poems in an application of the chuanqi form of short story tales to poetry. The Qu form of poetry

14157-568: Was one of the first forms of art in the Palaeolithic period. Early Chinese music and poetry was influenced by the Book of Songs , and the Chinese poet and statesman Qu Yuan . Chinese painting became a highly appreciated art in court circles encompassing a wide variety of Shan shui with specialized styles such as Ming dynasty painting . Early Chinese music was based on percussion instruments, which later gave away to stringed and reed instruments. By

14278-763: Was the only way available for the Mainland Chinese new singers to perform music. In this year, Zhang started feeling that she could not cover more songs because she already had covered too many. Despite the high amount of money she earned thanks to her albums, Zhang felt tired, and wanting to do something new. She started thinking about composing original songs, but the publishers were not interested in that. Apart from that, in 1987, she went to Australia to study and from 1988 to 1992, she only recorded one album per year. After that, she decided to retire. During that retirement, Zhang, took care of her family and in 1992, she got married in Hong Kong. She stayed in silence from then, to 1996. In 1996 after divorcing, Zhang returned to music. In

14399-422: Was the primary criterion for entry into the imperial bureaucracy . A number of more authoritarian strains of thought have also been influential, such as Legalism .There was often conflict between the philosophies, e.g. the Song dynasty Neo-Confucians believed Legalism departed from the original spirit of Confucianism. Examinations and a culture of merit remain greatly valued in China today. In recent years,

14520-405: Was used for thousands of years, but was mostly used by scholars and intellectuals in the upper class society called "shi da fu (士大夫)". It was difficult, but possible, for ordinary people to enter this class by passing written exams. Calligraphy later became commercialized, and works by famous artists became prized possessions. Chinese literature has a long past; the earliest classic work in Chinese,

14641-670: Was wide and loose. As hosiery in turn declined in later decades, cheongsams nowadays have come to be most commonly worn with bare legs. Chinese art is visual art that, whether ancient or modern, originated in or is practiced in China or by Chinese artists. The Chinese art in the Republic of China (Taiwan) and that of overseas Chinese can also be considered part of Chinese art where it is based in or draws on Chinese heritage and Chinese culture. Early " Stone Age art" dates back to 10,000 BC, mostly consisting of simple pottery and sculptures. After this early period Chinese art, like Chinese history,

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