Chinese Characters: alien (a creature from outer space) 外星人
Monday, June 30th, 2008alien (a creature from outer space):
Chinese Pinyin: wai4 xing1 ren2
(Source: about.com)
Archive for June, 2008
China Travel - Yonghe Lamasery
Monday, June 30th, 2008The Yonghe Lamasery lies on the east side of the Yonghe Street in Dongcheng District, Beijing.
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The Yonghe Lamasery is the largest one among the lamaseries in Beijing. It was formerly the office of the eunuchs in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). In the 33rd year (1694) of Emperor Kangxi’s reign in the Qing Dynasty, the residence of Prince Yinzheng was built on the site, and since then it became a group of buildings in comparative large scale. After Prince Yinzheng ascended the throne, who was known as Emperor Yongzheng, the residence was also renamed Yonghe Lamasery, where in fact was the office of secret agents and also the center for Emperor Yongzhen to carry out secret activities. When Emperor Yongzhen passed away in the 13th year (1735) of the Yongzheng reign, the coffin was placed in the lamasery, and therefore in order to show respect, all the buildings were covered with yellow glazed tiles. Since then the Yonghe Lamasery became a place where the emperors of the Qing Dynasty enshrined and worshiped their ancestors, and therefore there were always large numbers of lamas chanting the sutras for the deceased all year round. In the 9th year (1744) of Emperor Qianlong’s reign, it was formally converted into a lamasery.
The lamasery has five rows of courtyards and the main structures are the Screen Wall, the Memorial Arch, and the Gate of the Lamasery, the Heavenly King Hall, the Main Hall, and the Hall of Everlasting Protection, the Hall of Law Wheel, the Pavilion of Eternal Happiness and so on. The structure of the front of the lamasery is quite different from that of the back. The front looks open and clear, while the back looks compact and orderly. With interlaced halls and pavilions, crisscross upturned eaves and connecting house ridges, the lamasery also enjoys the combination of the different structure styles of Han, Mongolian, Manchu, and Tibetan ethnic groups.
The Hall of Law Wheel is famous for its unique models. There are five little pavilions standing upright on the gable and hip roof. On top of each is a small lama tower. It is a combination of the traditional lamasery structure of Han people and the religious structure of Tibet. The hall enshrines a bronze statue of Tsongkhapa with a height of 15 meters. Behind the hall, there is a mountain of Arhats carved out of sandalwood. The five hundred Arhats are all made of gold, silver, bronze, iron and tin.
The Pavilion of Eternal Happiness is the most magnificent structure in the lamasery, with three storeys. The famous statue of Laughing Buddha, carved out of one square meter of sandalwood, is 26 meters high and stands in the pavilion. It is one of the big wood-carved statues of Buddha extant in China. The pavilion is connected on both sides with the Yongkang Pavilion and the Yansui Pavilion by suspense plank roads. Thus these three are connected in to a magnificent and magnified group of structures.
The mountain of five hundred Arhats, big statue of Buddha carved out of sandalwood and shrines made of Nanmu with golden filigree are called the Three Rarest Things in the Yonghe Lamasery. In addition, the Yonghe Lamasery is well known for its rich collection of precious religious relics, where important activities of Lamaism are held in Beijing.
(Source: chinaculture.org)
Learn Chinese Podcast - Happy China 190
Monday, June 30th, 2008
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旁白： 惠安素有“石雕之乡”的美誉。
Huian has long been known
as home to stone carving.
这里的石雕一直以悠久的历史
Huian stone carving has a
long history
和精湛的工艺而闻名。
and is celebrated for its
fine craftsmanship.
成为当地的一大特色。
It has become a big attraction
of Huian.
走进惠安，
In Huian,
仿佛走进了一座石雕艺术大观园。
you’ll feel as if you were walking through
a big gallery of stone carvings.
就连街道两旁也立着很多石刻雕像，
The streets are lined with many
stone statues,
成为了一道独特的风景。
which is a unique sight
of its own.
韩佳： 快乐学汉语！
Learn Chinese the fun way!
王渊源：万里海疆行！
And enjoy a happy journey
across China!
韩佳： 大家好，我是快乐的韩佳。
Hello, I’m Merry Han Jia.
王渊源：我是快乐的渊源。
And I’m Happy Yuanyuan.
没想到，竟然能在海边
To my surprise, I could see
看到这么多的石雕啊。
so many stone carvings at
the seaside here.
韩佳： 这个石雕园里有五百多尊雕像。
There are more than 500 stone statues
here in this stone sculpture park.
从《水浒传》的一百零八条好汉，
These figures range from the 108
heroes of Outlaws of the Marsh
到《红楼梦》里的众多人物。
to many of the characters in
A Dream of Red Mansions.
每一尊雕像都栩栩如生。
Each statue looks lifelike
and vivid.
王渊源：我还听说，
I also heard that
现在中国很多有名的碑林，
many of China’s famous steles
还有大型的雕塑纪念塔
and huge sculptured monuments
都是出自惠安。
were made by Huian sculptors.
韩佳： 对啊，
Yes,
像北京人民大会堂的石柱、
such as the marble balustrades and pillars
of the Great Hall of the People and
人民英雄纪念碑，
the Monument to the People’s
Heroes in Beijing
还有南京的中山陵等等，
and the Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum
in Nanjing
都是惠安石雕艺人的杰作。
are all masterpieces by
Huian artisans.
王渊源：“杰作”就是指超出一般水平的好作品。
“Jiezuo” means masterpiece.
韩佳： “杰作”就是指超出一般水平的好作品。
“Jiezuo” means masterpiece.
王渊源：比如，《红楼梦》是一部文学杰作。
For example, A Dream of Red Mansions
is a literary masterpiece.
Zhè xiē shídiāo dōu shi huìān rén de jiézuò
这 些 石雕 都 是 惠安 人 的 杰作。
These stone carvings are masterpieces
made by people from Huian.
旁白： 惠安的石雕源于黄河流域。
Stone carving in Huian originated
from the Yellow River area.
最早可以追溯到
It can be traced back to
as early
一千六百多年前的晋朝。
as the Jin Dynasty 1600
years ago.
后来，它又融汇了
Later it incorporated
闽越文化、海洋文化，
the culture of Fujian and Zhejiang,
the oceanic culture
以及一些外来文化的精华，
and some fine elements of
foreign cultures
渐渐地才形成了
before gradually forming
自己独具特色的风格。
a unique style of its own.
韩佳： 其实，我们可以用一句话
Actually, we can summarize
in one sentence
来概括惠安石雕
the history of the development of
一千多年的发展史。
Huian stone carving in the course
of over 1,000 years.
王渊源：是什么话呀？
What is this sentence?
韩佳： 它发源于晋朝，
It originated in the Jin Dynasty,
发展于唐宋，
developed in the Tang and
Song dynasties,
成熟于元明，
matured in the Yuan and
Ming dynasties,
鼎盛于清末，
had its heyday in the late
Qing Dynasty
创新于现代。
and has made innovations
in modern times.
王渊源：总结得倒是很精炼。
It’s a terse summarization.
韩佳： 那当然了。
That’s for sure.
这惠安石雕的发展
The development of Huian
stone carving
大致可以分成四个阶段。
can be divided into four stages.
每个阶段都有它自己的特点。
And each stage had its
own characteristics.
王渊源：那都有哪四个阶段呢？
What are the four stages?
韩佳： 第一个阶段主要以
Stone carving in the first stage
雕刻石人石兽为主，
mainly took the form of stone
figures and stone animals,
样子比较简单。
the images being plain
and simple.
那第二阶段呢，
In the second stage,
进入了明末清初，
in the late Ming and early
Qing dynasties,
那时候人们比较注重
artisans paid more attention to
石雕的线条结构和形态。
the linear structure and shape
of the subject.
石雕作品比以前更加精细了。
The craftsmanship was more refined.
王渊源：“精细”指精密、细致。
“Jingxi” means meticulous or fine.
韩佳： “精细”是个形容词，
“Jingxi” is an adjective,
指精密、细致。
which means meticulous or fine.
王渊源：之后呢应该就是第三阶段吧。
Then it should be the third stage.
韩佳： 对啊。这第三阶段，
Yes. In the third stage,
人们创造了“圆雕镂空”的技术，
the technique of 3-D and hollow
carving was developed,
使石雕作品注入了艺术的灵气和生命。
giving heart and soul stone carving.
那现在的石雕作品就更不用说了。
It is needless to say about modern
stone carvings.
您瞧瞧，
Look,
比以往雕刻得都更加精细，
they are carved more exquisitely,
而且更富有现代感了。
giving more sense of modernity.
旁白： 丰富的文化内涵、
Due to its rich cultural connotations,
独特的艺术风格，
unique artistic style
以及浓郁的地方色彩，
and salient local flavor,
使现代惠安石雕
modern Huian stone carving
成为了石雕艺术的杰出代表。
has become an outstanding representative
of Chinese stone carving.
如今在惠安，
In Huian today,
有很多制作石雕的企业
there are many stone carving companies,
都以其精湛的工艺闻名，
that are known for their
excellent craftsmanship
成为当地的一大特色。
and have become a distinct
feature of the locality.
韩佳： 听说这些企业
I heard that these companies
生产出来的石雕工艺品
produce a variety of fine-quality
品质好、种类也丰富，
stone carvings,
已经远销到海内外
which are sold not only
in China,
很多国家和地区了。
but also to many countries
and regions in the world.
王渊源：我还发现，
I also found
这些石雕工艺品的雕刻手法
the carving techniques of
these works
也都各有特点。
are all different.
韩佳： 按照不同的雕刻手法，
Based on the carving techniques,
惠安石雕可以分为
Huian carving can be divided into
nearly 1,000 types such as
浮雕、沉雕、线雕、圆雕、
relief carving, intaglio carving,
linear carving,
影雕、镂雕等等上千个品种。
3-D carving, photographic carving
and hollow carving.
惠安石雕按照用途来分
Based on their functions,
Huian stone carvings
可以分为环境园林雕塑、
can be further divided into
environmental stone carvings,
建筑构件、实用器皿等等几个方面。
architectural ornaments and
daily-use objects.
在惠安石雕中，
The most distinctive type
of Huian stone carving
最有特色的就要数影雕了。
is photographic carving.
它的雕刻艺术形象逼真。
Such carvings are vivid and lifelike.
很像摄影，
As it is like a photograph,
所以被称为“影雕”。
it is called photographic carving.
现在又被誉为“中华一绝”。
It is also billed as a Chinese
tour de force.
王渊源：“逼真”形容很像真的？
“Bizhen” means lifelike, or
true to life, right?
韩佳： 没错儿。“逼真”是个形容词。
Right. “Bizhen” is an adjective.
形容很像真的。
It means lifelike or vivid.
比如我们刚才说的，
Just as we said,
Zhè xie yǐngdiāo zuòpin fēicháng bīzhēn
这 些 影雕 作品 非常 逼真。
These Yingdiao are very true to life.
王渊源：全部都要靠一个个点来表现出来。
The image is depicted through
various dots.
真是非常有特色呀！
They are really unique!
韩佳： 是啊。
Yes indeed.
你看，那边那些影雕工艺师们
Look, those photographic carving artists
正在现场制作呢。
are at work.
我们过去看看。
Let’s go over to have a look.
你看，二位师傅制作得多认真啊！
Look, how earnestly these two
artisans are working!
王渊源：是啊。
Yes indeed.
韩佳： 我听说，这影雕
I heard that photographic carving
对制作工艺的要求非常高。
requires very high production skills.
在制作的过程当中
It does not allow a single error
是不允许出一点点差错的。
in production.
那据我所知，
To my knowledge,
现在人们已经在原有黑白影雕的基础上，
on the basis of the former black
and white carving,
还开发出了彩色影雕，
they have developed the color
carving technique,
这使得影雕作品更加逼真了。
which makes the carvings
more lifelike.
王渊源：我觉得这影雕
I find photographic carving
不仅能够准确地表达出原作的意境，
can not only depict the image
more accurately,
而且还充分显示了
but also display more fully
石雕独特的艺术风格。
the unique artistic style of
stone carving.
韩佳： 好了，我们今天说了那么多。
Well, that’s all we have to
say for today.
不如这样吧，观众朋友们，
I suggest that our audience should
您在我们接下来的赏心悦目中
take a look at the following
Feast for the Eyes
去亲身感受一下惠安石雕的魅力吧。
to get a feel for the charm of
Huian stone carving.
赏心悦目：
惠安的石文化历史悠长
The stone culture in Huian has a
long history.
巧夺天工的石雕珍品
There are various types of
种类繁多 技艺精湛
exquisitely crafted stone carvings here.
造型优美 意趣盎然
They are beautiful in shape and full
of charm and interest.
尤以影雕被誉为“中华一绝”
Photographic carving is one of the genres.
具有独特的艺术风格
It is billed as one of China’s tours de force.
石雕艺人用智慧赋予石头以生命
Huian artisans give life to stone with
their wisdom,
成为中华工艺美术中的一朵奇葩
making the art a gem of Chinese handicrafts.
韩佳： 好。感受完了
Good. After you got a feel
for the charm
惠安石雕独特的艺术魅力之后，
of the unique art of Huian
stone carving,
我们又要来检验大家的学习成果了。
now we have to check what you
have learned.
王渊源：您听好。
Listen carefully.
今天的有奖问答题是这样的。
Here’s today’s award-winning question.
（问题部分略）
节目的最后，
At the end of the program,
还是要提醒您，
we’d still want to remind you
别忘了明天同一时间，
not to forget to continue to be with
us tomorrow at the same time
继续和我们一起“万里海疆快乐行”。
for the Happy Journey across China.
韩佳： 当然了，也别忘了我们的口号。
Of course, don’t forget our slogan.
合： 学说中国话，朋友遍天下！
Learn Chinese and make friends everywhere!
(Source: cctv.com)