Heaven’s Daily

On this May, The Oprah Winfrey Show “The World’s Got Talent” presented the world’s talents, one of them was China’s chart topper Liangying Zhang (张靓颖), also Jane Zhang.

 

 

Growing up in Chengdu, China, Jane Zhang set her sights on becoming a singer. After her father passed away, the 15-year-old took a job singing at a local pub to help support her mother, and quickly developed her own local fan base.

2005: Super Girl competition

In 2005, Jane was one of 120,000 hopefuls who auditioned for Super Girl (now it changed name to Happy Girl) talent show. Super Girl was the Chinese equivalent to the popular Idol franchise where only female contestants were allowed to participate. Jane auditioned in Chengdu, and after progressing through the preliminary rounds, she entered the national competition.

Zhang demonstrated her ability to sing in foreign languages, with performances of “I Still Believe,” “What’s Up,” “Beautiful,” and “Don’t Cry for Me Argentina.” As such, she was recognized by judges, critics and musicians to be the most talented singer in this competition. Some critics even regarded her as one of China’s best artists. Nevertheless, she was not the most popular contestant among young supporters.

Her final number of votes by text messaging was 1.3 million. Consequently, she placed third behind Li Yuchun and Zhou Bichang. Her loss did not come as a shock because Li and Zhou had garnered more popularity during the competition. After singing Mariah Carey’s “Hero,” she was instantly chosen to compete for the title of the next Super Voice Girl. Four hundred million viewers tuned in to see who would take home the title, and although Jane didn’t win the competition, she became the show’s breakout star.

The Impression of West Lake Rain (Click to listen the song by Jane Zhang)

Lyric:
 
告诉我啊 我的爱人在何方
Tell me, where’s my lover
一把绢伞 遗落断桥旁
A silk umbrella, lost on the broken bridge
告诉我啊 我的爱人在何方
Tell me, where’s my lover
雾里水里 荷花暗香
In the mist, in the water, the smell of lotus
雨 雨啊
Rain, rain
雨 雨啊 你告诉我
Rain, rain, you tell me
一千年前 失散的爱人啊
A thousand years ago,  lost lovers
坠入轻烟 飘在湖上
Drop in the mist, flow on the lake
我要再寻他 一千年啊
I will look for him again, a thousand years
我的爱人 你可等着
My love, wait for me

da dalala
wu dalala
Aha aha

雨啊
Rain
告诉我啊 我的爱人在何方
Tell me, where’s my lover
满天红霞 绿树苍苍
The red glow full of sky, the green trees
告诉我啊 我的爱人在何方
Tell me, where’s my lover
长啸一声 化蝶成双
A cry into the air, becoming butterfly lovers
雨淋湿湖水 淋湿清风
Rain soaking the lake, soaking the breeze
淋湿季节 淋湿传说
Soaking the seasons, soaking the legend
我要再寻找 一千年啊
I will look for you agian, a thousand years
我的爱人 你可等着
My love, wait for me

 

Painting Heart - the Theme Song of Movie “Painted Skin” (Click to listen the song by Jane Zhang)

Lyric:

看不穿 是你失落的 魂魄
i can never tell, like the soul you have lost
猜不透 是你瞳孔的颜色
i can never guess, like the color of your eyes
一阵风 一场梦
as if it was a breeze or a dream
爱如生命般莫测
that made my love unpredictable as life itself
你的心 到底被什么 蛊惑
what is confusing your heart
你的轮廓 在黑夜之中淹没
make your shape be drawn in the dark
看桃花 开出怎样的结果
i will wait and see, how the blossom ends
看着你抱着我 目光似月色寂寞
held in your arms, but your eyes let the loneliness slip
就让你 在别人怀里 快乐
i would rather to have you happy, even not with me
爱着你 像心跳 难触摸
loving you is unpreditable as the heartbeat
画着你 画不出你的 骨骼
painting you but the way in i can never capture
记着你 的脸色 是我等你的执着
remembering you is the persist of my life
你是我 一首唱不完 的歌
you are the song i will never finish
看不穿 是你失落的 魂魄
i can never tell, like the soul you have lost
猜不透 是你瞳孔的颜色
i can never guess, like the color of your eyes
一阵风 一场梦
as if it was a breeze or a dream
爱如生命般莫测
that made my love unpreditable as life itself
你的心 到底被什么 蛊惑
what is confusing your heart
你的轮廓 在黑夜之中淹没
make your shape be drawn in the dark
看桃花 开出怎样的结果
i will wait and see, how the blossom ends
看着你抱着我 目光似月色寂寞
held in your arms, but your eyes let the loneliness slip
就让你 在别人怀里 快乐
i would rather to have you happy, even not with me
爱着你 像心跳 难触摸
loving you is unpreditable as the heartbeat
画着你 画不出你的 骨骼
looking at you but i can not tell your inner
记着你 的脸色 是我等你的执着
remembering you is the persist of my life
你是我 一首唱不完 的歌
you are the song i will never finish

 

Luyu Chen (陈鲁豫), the “Eastern Oprah” also took part in the Oprah Winfrey Talk Show “Travel to Beijing with Chen Lu Yu” ealier this month and she is the first Asian host who is invited by Winfrey. Luyu is the talk show host of Date With Luyu (鲁豫有约). The show is a popular Chinese television talk show that airs on Phoenix Television. Because the show emulates the success and format of The Oprah Winfrey Show, its host and creator, Chen Luyu, has been called “China’s Oprah”. The show includes a studio audience of about 300, and tackles issues that traditionally have been censored by Chinese media officials; its guests have included people who are HIV-positive, lesbians, and transsexuals. Despite discussing taboo subjects, the show has yet to run afoul of Chinese censors, according to Luyu.

 

 

 

It is noted that some interviews are in English (with subtitles) with non-Chinese people such as actor Wentworth Miller, which most audience members are required to understand English because Lu Yu has warned about having interviews being entirely in a single language.

Tibet - Holy Realm in Western China
http://history.cultural-china.com/features/tibet/

 

The Tibet Autonomous Region, perched on the southwest Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, is a southwestern frontier region in china. At an average altitude of 4,000 metres, Tibet is the world’s largest and highest plateau known as the ‘Roof of the World’. The world’s largest canyon the Yalung Zangbo Canyou, is in Tibet. In the mid-7th century, Songtsan Gambo established the unified Tubo dynasty and befriended the Tang Dynasty by marrying Princess Wencheng in 641 AD. In the mid-13th century, Tibet was incorporated as an administrative region of the Yuan Dynasty. Peaceful liberation came in 1951, and serfdom was abolished during the Democratic Reform of 1959. The Tibet Autonomous Region was officially established in 1965.

 

 

Breathtaking is hardly an adequate word for Tibet’s landscape, which consists of snow-capped mountains of astonishing heights,primitive forests, vast steppes, mighty rivers, the world’s highest lakes, and exotic wildlife and plants. Tibetans, who make up upwards of 90 percent of the local population, are born singers and dancers with a splendid civilization. Buddhist art thrives, and among the region’s 2,700 temples are such famous ones as the Potala Palace, the Norbulinka Palace, the Jokhong Temple, and the Tashilhunpo Monastery.

Rongbuk Monastery
http://scenery.cultural-china.com/en/128Scenery616.html

 

 

Located at the foot of Mount Qomolangma in Tibet, Rongbuk Monastery is 5,800 above sea level. Towing in the severely cold climate, it is the highest altitude monastery on the planet, also a vantage point for watching Mount Qomolangma.  

 

 

The construction of Rongbuk Monastery at the foot of the mountain was headed by a lama named Ngawang Tenzin Norbu of the Red Sect of Tibetan Buddhism in 1899 over 100 years ago. Buddhist images of Sakyamuni and Padmasambhava are enshrined in the main hall of the monastery.

Rongbuk Monastery is a base camp for climbing Mount Qomolangma from the northern slope. Looking southward from here, you can see Mount Qomolangma is like a gigantic pyramid, towering in the mountains. On bright days, a lump of milk-white cloud can be seen on top of the mountain, just like a white flag waving above Mount Qomolangma. Called “the highest banner in the world”, the cloud is regarded as a marvelous wonder on earth. 

 

Wenchuan - Eternal be the Spirit of the Nation; Perpetual be the Quintessence of Chinese Culture
http://arts.cultural-china.com/features/damaged_cultural/

 

 

Wenchuan County is located on the northwest border of Sichuan Basin, in the southeast of Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture, about 146 km to the capital city – Chengdu. It is rich in mineral resources as well as animal and plant species; the tourism resources are even more of its distinctive style, which boast natural scenic spots such as the Wolong Nature Reserve, Three-River (the West River, the Middle River, and the Heishi River) Ecological Tourism Zone etc and cultural attractions like Yu culture, Qiang culture, and the cultural site of the Three Kingdoms, and so on. Wenchuan County is not only the hometown of Chinese Ethnic Group Folk Arts – Qiang-style embroidery, but also the hometown of the living fossil of animals – the giant panda. Wolong Giant Panada Research Center, the world’s number one of its kind, is situated in the southwest of the county.

I Chang (Yijing or Zhouyi, the Book of Changes)
http://history.cultural-china.com/en/173History595.html

 

 

As one of the most important classics in ancient China, the Book of Changes is revered as “father of all classics and source of a hundred schools of thought”. Completed approximately over 3000 years ago in China’s Zhou dynasty, it is said to be authored by Emperor Wen of the Zhou Dynasty, but actually it could not have been accomplished in a short period by a single person. Such a book must have been attributed to many people with generations of efforts.

 

People loves to use old Chinese sayings, poems or proverbs in there speech to show their wise and inter-cultural understanding, especially for US presidents.

Shanghai visitor Obama is giving a fifteen minutes speech in Tongji university surrounded by thousands of enthusiastic Shanghai youngster. What poems or proverbs would he quote in his speech, let’s wait and see.. Mr President, please give us something new!

 

 

 

 
Famous quotatation by US presidents:

When written in Chinese, the word “crisis” is composed of two characters. One represents danger and the other represents opportunity.
在中文里crisis这个词是由两个字组成，一个是“危（险）”，另一个是“机”（会）。
- President Kennedy

 

 

So many deeds cry out to be done, and always urgently; the world rolls on, time presses. Ten thousand years are too long; seize the day, seize the hour!
This is the hour. This is the day for our two people.
“多少事，从来急；天地转，光阴迫。一万年太久，只争朝夕！”（《满江红•和郭沫若同志》）
- President Nixon

 

 

Many centuries ago, Wang Po, a famous Chinese poet-philosopher, wrote,”Although we reside in far corners of the world, having a good friend is akin to having a good neighbor.” let us be of the same mind. And as a saying from “The Book of Changes” goes,” If two people are of the same mind, their sharpness can cut through metal.”
在许多世纪之前，一位名叫王勃的中国哲学家和诗人写过：“海内存知己、天涯若比邻” 让我们同心同德，正如《易经》中一句话说的那样“二人同心，其利断金”。
- President Reagan

 

 

There’s a Chinese proverb that says:” One generation plants a tree; the next sits in its shade.”
有一个中国谚语这样说：前人栽树，后人乘凉
- President Bush

 

 

Let us give new meaning to the words written in the ancient Book of Rites, what you call the Li Shi: When the great way is followed, all under heaven will be equal.
让我们给《礼记》这本历史古书的文字赋予新的意义：当大家走伟大的道路时，世界所有的人都将是平等的。

A good citizen in one community will befriend the other citizens of the community; good citizens of the world will befriend of the other citizens of the world.
“一乡之善士斯友一乡之善士，天下之善士斯友天下之善士”

- President Cliton

 

 

Thousands of years before Thomas Jefferson or Abraham Lincoln, a Chinese poet wrote that, “the people should be cherished, the people are the root of a country; the root firm, the country is tranquil”
在托马斯杰斐逊或亚伯拉罕林肯诞生的几千年前，就有一位中国诗人写道：“人民应该被珍视，人民是国家的根基。根基牢固，国家就安宁。”
- President George W Bush

 

 

Thousands of years ago, the great philosopher Mencius said:” A trail through the mountains, if used, becomes a path in a short time, but, if unused, becomes blocked by grass in an equally short time.” 
山径之蹊间，介然用之而成路；为间不用，则茅塞之矣。今茅塞子之心矣  —《孟子•尽心下》。
- President Obama

 

 

Update!!!

The proverb he quoted in his Shanghai speech turned out to be:

Consider the past you shall know the future
温故而知新
- Lunyu 论语 English: Analects

These photos were acturally scanned from series of old postcards. Today’s HongKong is nothing like the old time, however, these are the only visal records we have from one hundred years ago.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Compare with this colorful photo of HongKong we take today, can you imaging that how many things have been changed in this one hundred years, the people, the city, the country, and the whole wide world…

 

As an editor who can only recognize characters, there’s no way i could appreciate any nice paintings correctly or at least as much as the artist was expected. Yes, as the editor of History Column, i have no pretends to understand those so-called modern arts. There are far beyond my territory.. Sorry..

 

But, (there always buts right?), below are some nice pictures I found and I like. Probably for it is easy to understand… and, an impressive thing is, they are from a quite young artist, Tang Peijun (I do not know the sex..), who is only 24 or 25, and he or she has held several times of exhibitions domestically and internationally. Check it out..

 

It will be great fun to make your own paper lanterns, there are several ways to make them, so I’ve included easy and intermediate versions of the craft, as well as creative ways to spice your lanterns up.

Remember, red is traditionally thought to bring good luck in China and is the dominating color during festivals. Gold is usually used as an accent and Chinese calligraphy is usually done in black ink. However, this is your choice, just do what looks good to you and have fun.

Easy Chinese Paper Lanterns

You Will Need:
Construction paper or thin poster board
Tissue paper
Pipe cleaners or ribbon

What To Do:
Cut the construction paper into rectangles. The height of your paper Chinese lantern will be the same as the width of your paper. (Note: this is the shorter side of your rectangle.) Using a knife or one side of your scissors, cut several long lines into the construction paper. Leave an inch between each one and at the top and bottom of the paper.

Now, roll the rectangle into a cylinder and tape or staple along the seam. Gently, squish the top and bottom of the cylinder a little bit to make your lantern’s “light-holes” open up a bit. Now, take gold, yellow or orange tissue paper and make a wad to resemble fire. Put this in the top of your lantern and push into the center. Add a ribbon or pipe cleaner for a handle. You will be able to the lantern’s “fire” through the slits. These add a lot of color and are super cheap and super easy to make.

 
You Will Need:
Floral wire (or wire you can mold and bend easily)
Tissue paper in large sheets

What To Do:
Use the wire to mold a shape for your lantern. Large spheres, eggs and cylinders are the most common shapes for Chinese paper lanterns. If you are doing a sphere, for example, make two small wire circles the size you want your lanterns openings to be. Now make a series of concentric wire circles each slightly larger than your openings. Make your largest circle the size you want the widest point of your lantern’s body. Connect them in your sphere shape using wire strips. The brace will be delicate, but should be sturdy enough to hold its shape when sitting gently on the floor.

When you are pleased with your lantern’s shape, you can add the tissue paper to the outside. It is best to use one solid color and then paint or add calligraphy. If you use glue on the entire brace you will see the lines melt through, so I do not recommend this. Instead, fold the top edge of a large square or tissue down around the top opening of your lantern. Glue or tape the seam here and then pull the tissue tightly down around the brace. Do the same thing on the bottom opening. If you are careful, cut your tissue large enough and pull it tightly around your brace, you will only have to glue the top and bottom seams and one seam along the side.

When the glue has dried, use a calligraphy brush to paint good luck characters on your Chinese paper lantern. Or use watercolors to paint a traditional scene - flowering cherry trees, ducks, or dragons.

Instead of using colored tissue paper to recreate fire, consider using real lights in your lanterns. Most craft stores have extension cords with light bulbs on one end. These work best in the larger, shaped lanterns. Or get a string of large white Christmas light and make small Easy Paper Lanterns for each individual bulb. Just remember, with all paper lanterns, never leave them unattended due to fire hazards.

Hello Kung Fu lovers!

The Shaolin masters are back in Shanghai later this month, presenting: 

Soul of Shaolin - Hui Guang’s Story

A destiny of a child.
A sentimental story of love between mother and son.
A truly amazing performance…

An epic story told with the art of Wushu Kung Fu.

 

 

 

Soul of Shaolin was a theatrical event presented on Broadway by Nederlander Worldwide Entertainment to coincide with the celebration of the Lunar New Year in January 2009. The first production from China ever to appear on Broadway, its story is told through a display of Chinese martial arts, particularly Shaolin Kung Fu, handed down through generations in the Shaolin Monastery, a Chan Buddhist temple at Song Shan near Dengfeng in China.

The primary focus is on Hui Guang, who as an infant was separated from his mother when she hid him, together with a broken piece of jade identifying his origin, during a period of civil conflict. Discovered by Na Luo, the baby is brought to the temple and raised by the monks who live there. His education includes instruction in the ways of Shaolin Kung Fu and the daily practice of Kung Fu skills. In later years, Hui Guang encounters his mother, now begging on the streets to support herself, being molested by a gang of men. In the ensuing struggle to rescue her, he drops the piece of jade, which she recognizes and pockets. Hoping to find her son, she sneaks into the forest on the temple grounds, where she is captured by Hui Guang. Following an interrogation, it becomes clear who she is. Her request to take her son with her is denied by the abbot, who declares if Hui Gang wants to leave the temple, he must fight his way out, according to the rules require. He does so, and mother and son finally are reunited.

Venue:
Shanghai Theatre Academy
630 Huashan Lu,
near Wulumuqi Lu

Date:
Thu, Oct 29 - Sat, Oct 31

 

 

 

 

 

In the past week, one of the headline stories on TV news has been the rehearsal of an extraordinary parade expected for this coming National Day holiday (国庆节) on October 1st, to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the People’s Republic of China.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

According to Xinhua news on People’s Daily Online,  it is shaping up to be a much bigger show than the Beijing Olympics Opening Ceremony in terms of the number of people involved.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is going to be something fun to watch if you are not going out during the 8-day public holiday.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I guess most of us still remember that NBC made the Beijing Olypics Openning look better than CCTV.  No wonder!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Travel agents have gotten notice that Beijing is not open for tours during the first few days of the October 1-7 holiday. However, we’re not sure about tours from overseas. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There has been a lot of recent buzz around social networking sites (SNS) in China, and for good reasons. With the world’s largest netizen population at 320 million and growing, the potential for volume is huge. Although China is currently dominated by large domestic players such as QQ and Xiaonei, foreign players have been eying the market with less success. The primary reason is simple: instead of properly localizing their websites, foreign SNS have essentially been translating their domestic sites into Chinese without making the fundamental changes they need to compete in a new market.

The fact is that Chinese users approach online social networking differently than Western users. In order to stand a chance against local competitors, foreign social networking companies should take the time to understand these differences and adapt their sites appropriately. Here at BloggerInsight, we tapped the knowledge of our expert network and identified four key characteristics that distinguish Chinese SNS users.

(1) It’s all about entertainment – Chinese users rely on online social networking sites as their primary source of cheap, quick, and accessible entertainment throughout the week. As a result, online social networks are used less for practical communication and more for killing time and amusement—whether it’s playing a quick game at work or chatting with other users after school. Take ‘Parking Wars‘ for example – one of today’s hottest games on Chinese social networking sites, especially among white-collar workers. Users earn virtual cash for parking on their friend’s lots and for ticketing their friends when they park “illegally”. After earning enough money, users can buy more expensive cars. Millions of white collar professionals are hooked; many check their Xiaonei or 51.com profiles several times each day to update their parking status. And why? For fun, of course. After all, that is the primary motivation of Chinese netizens when logging onto a SNS.

(2) Higher tolerance for intrusiveness – While Western users are often sensitive to “clutter” around their social networking profiles (remember the initial backlash against Facebook’s flurry of new applications?), Chinese users dig the extras that come with social networking platforms. Viral games, contests, forum discussions, and other add-ons drive traffic because young Chinese netizens don’t hesitate to send message after message to friends, inviting them to get involved on social networking platforms. For instance, on a site called QQ Show, developed by China’s SNS giant Tencent, users dress up their avatars and compete in virtual fashion shows. Teens will IM their friends fervently, asking for votes on QQ Show. And while some of us are tempted to label this as “spam,” it’s just another way for Chinese SNS users to engage and interact with each other. As you can imagine, these SNS applications are huge in creating user stickiness and encouraging users to repeatedly visit the site.

(3) SNS as a public space – Many Western users see social networking sites as an extension of their real-life relationships, and their online social circles often reflect this perspective. Chinese users, on the other hand, are more likely to add strangers via the Internet and generally accept most friend invitations. And instead of keeping online conversations within their own networks, Chinese netizens gravitate toward bulletin board systems (BBS) to express themselves and participate in completely public discussions. As one of our bloggers notes, “privacy is not as important as interesting conversation.”

(4) Building an online identity – Young Chinese netizens view their SNS profiles as representations of themselves to the world, establishments of self territory outside of their parents’ and schools’ oversight. For them, social networking is about standing out and building a reputation in an online world. Local social networking sites do a great job of catering to this need for self-expression. For instance, on QQ – China’s largest social networking portal in terms of user base – users make micro-payments of 1-5 rmb to customize their profiles by purchasing virtual goods, such as accessories, clothing, and new hairstyles. In fact, this handy feature generated a large portion of QQ’s revenue last year.

So despite foreign efforts to “figure out” the much-discussed Chinese market, local social networking sites are simply cooler and more entertaining to the country’s netizens. Companies need to realize that the cut, translate, and paste strategy will never work for a unique market with its own preferences and idiosyncrasies. New features need to be added, and entire websites need to be tailored and adapted to suit Chinese netizens.

Some additional questions to consider (and we would love to hear your thoughts):

1. Are there any foreign social networking sites that are on the right track to tapping the Chinese market?
2. What will it take for foreign SNS to snag and keep users from QQ, Xiaonei, and other domestic giants?

1. Buy train tickets: Unless you buy the tickets at train station ticket boots, there is always a small sub-charge on buying a train ticket from agents. The best way is to go official ticket vendors/offices and it will cost you only 5 RMB/ticket. If you call a travel agent, the max. amount could be 30 RMB even in non-national holiday period.

2. Go to railway station: There are two major train stations in Shanghai: Shanghai Railway Station (上海火车站) and Shanghai South Railway Station (上海火车南站). Both of the stations are connected to Metro Line 1 and Line 3. South station is a very new and modern architecture and was open on July 1, 2006. A lot of trains to southern provinces (Zhejiang Province, Hunan Province and Jiangxi Province) are departed here, so was the high-speed train we took was departed here as well. Make sure you know which station you want to depart from and arrive at. The taxi fee from South Railway Station to Jing’an Temple is around 30 RMB in daytime non-rush hour.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3. Take the train: I have the experience of spending 24 hours in the train when traveling from Shanghai to Beijing around 10 years’ ago. But it only took me 12 hours last year. So the train travel experience becomes more and more enjoyable (except of Chinese New Year period) in China. But I have to say the toilet condition is still a big challenge for most western travellers in a long distance trip.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4. Buy return tickets：The only benefit of buying return ticket at your destination is to SAVE the transaction fee since you are at the train station!