Creativity Sensing of Anhui (ah) Δ 12th of January 2014 Ω 7:24 PM

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~ Mt. Huangshan ~ Yangtze River ~ Huangling Temple	~ Anhui Arts Festival ~ Anhui ~ Huangmei Opera	~ Fengyang Flower Drum ~ Hui Opera ~ Lu Opera
~ Huizhou Carvings ~ sense for Ξ ~ sense for Ξ	~ sense for Ξ ~ sense for Ξ ~ sense for Ξ	~ sense for Ξ ~ sense for Ξ ~ sense for Ξ
~ sense for Ξ ~ sense for Ξ ~ sense for Ξ	~ sense for Ξ ~ sense for Ξ ~ sense for Ξ	~ sense for Ξ ~ sense for Ξ ~ sense for Ξ
~ sense for Ξ ~ sense for Ξ ~ sense for Ξ	~ sense for Ξ ~ sense for Ξ ~ sense for Ξ	ξ »Anhui Province Map ξ ξ
«Creativity Sensing of China	Θ	Θ
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~ Mt. Huangshan

»Mt. Huangshan

Jade Screen Scenic Area
ξ along the road you will find Peng Lai Three Islands, 100-step Scaling Ladder, the Thread of the Sky and the New Thread of the Sky
ξ The Heavenly Capital Peak is the steepest of the three main peaks with an elevation of 1,830 meters (6,003feet)
ξ an ancient poet has it that even travelers that have visited wu yue will be amazed by this peak
ξ The Lotus Peak is the highest peak of Mt. Huangshan
ξ This 1,864-meter (6,115-foot)-high peak looks like a blooming lotus, hence the name

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~ Yangtze River

»Yangtze River
ξ over 6,300 kilometers long
ξ is the largest and longest river in China
ξ the third-longest in the world, next only to the Nile in northeast Africa and the Amazon in South America
ξ the source of the Yangtze River lies to the west of Geladandong Mountain,
ξ the principal peak of the Tanggula Mountain chain in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, southwest of China
ξ flows from west to east through provinces of Qinghai, Tibet, Sichuan, Yunnan, Sichuan, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangxi, Anhui and Jiangsu as well as the city of Shanghai
ξ finally emptying into the East China Sea
ξ with plenty of rainfall all year round, the Yangtze River is named the golden watercourse.
ξ the most impressive section of the river is the three Yangtze River gorges:
ξ Qutang Gorge,
ξ Wuxia Gorge and
ξ Xiling Gorge,
ξ collectively known as Sanxia, or the Three Gorges

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~ Huangling Temple

»Huangling Temple
ξ the oldest and largest historical building in the Three Gorges region
ξ on the southern bank of the Yellow Ox Gorge, and therefore was called the Yellow Ox Temple, within the larger Xiling Gorge
ξ legends tell us that this was where Yu, the Great, led people fighting against floods
ξ with the mountains blocking the path of the floods, there was no outlet for the floods during the first eight years
ξ then the Yellow Ox, the incarnation of God on Earth assisted Yu by goring the mountains apart, and ploughed the gorge, now named after its creator.

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~ Anhui Arts Festival

Anhui Arts Festival

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~ Anhui

Anhui

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~ Huangmei Opera

Huangmei Opera
ξ Huangmei Opera, once called "Caicha Opera"
ξ is a local opera genre in Anhui Province
ξ is basically derived from the folk dancing and singing of Huangmei county known as Caicha
ξ At first it was noted for two- and three-role dramas, but then under the influence of Qingyang and Hui styles
ξ it gradually became a theatrical form to present full-length works
ξ Its tunes still keep the true flavor of folk songs, and singing while dancing also is a feature of its acting.
ξ Huangmei Opera was derived from "Caicha Tune",
ξ the folk ditties people sang while picking tea
ξ It is a combination of local folk songs, dances and some widespread ancient operas.
ξ Bordering on Anhui Province, Huangmei County in Hubei Province is famous for its tea and tea-picking songs;
ξ it is also where Huangmei Opera got its original name -- "Caicha Opera" ("tea-picking opera").

ξ Before 1949, rivers and lakes in Anhui Province were often flooded and the displaced victims had to seek refuge in neighboring provinces.
ξ As a result, Huangmei Opera of Hubei Province was brought to Anhui by victims of flood and famine.

ξ The performers of Huangmei Opera infuse simple humor into all of the 72 short plays and 36 full-length dramas
ξ about the privileged life for a down-to-earth element.

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~ Fengyang Flower Drum

Fengyang Flower Drum
ξ Fengyang Flower Drum is also called Double-struck Drum.
ξ It was originally performed by two sisters-in-law.
ξ One beat the drum; the other beat the gong and sang.
ξ The songs were about people's sad life in the past.
ξ Since the open and reform of China, the form and contents of this art have got a great development.
ξ It mainly serves for enjoyment.
ξ In the past, there were only two persons acting antiphonal singing.
ξ However, song, dance and opera have been developed combined together later on.
ξ In nowadays, there are two people acting singing and dancing,
ξ people leading singing and dancing and a group of people singing and dancing together.
ξ The singing is more popular both in urban areas and countryside.
ξ Fengyang people often perform this art enthusiastically to celebrate their happy events or to welcome their guests.
ξ Modern skills have been absorbed into the art.

ξ With its local flavor and more varieties,
ξ Fengyang Flower-drum is becoming more and more popular.
ξ In recent years, the troupes have performed both at home and abroad and won many prizes.

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~ Hui Opera

Hui Opera
ξ As the name indicates, Huizhou Opera originated from Huichi Tune in Huizhou and the surrounding areas of Taiping, Qingyang and Shitai in the Ming Dynasty.
ξ It enjoyed a full development during Qianlong's reign and spread all over China during Daoguang's reign in the Qing Dynasty.
ξ Huichi Tune was a combination of Huizhou Lilts and Qingyang Lilts.
ξ In the 55th year of Qianlong's reign (1790), Gao Langting, a well-known local actor led his Sanqing Huizhou Opera Troupe to Bei-jing,
ξ the capital in the Qing Dynasty, successively followed by other troupes such as Sixi, Chuntai and Hechun.
ξ They became the famous Four Huizhou Opera Troupes entering Beijing as often mentioned.
ξ The troupes aroused a sensation in the capital.
ξ Their performances were so widely loved by the townspeople of the capital
ξ that in every theatre Huizhou Opera was put on, and in every performance a Huizhou Troupe took a major part.
ξ After that, Cheng Changgeng, a native of Anqing and a descendant of Gao Langting,
ξ helped develop Huizhou Opera into Peking Opera by combining it with Han, Kun and other operas.
ξ So Huizhou Opera in a sense is an ancestor of Peking Opera.

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~ Lu Opera

Lu Opera
ξ Lu Opera originated in Anhui 200 years ago, along with the more famous Beijing Opera.
ξ It is popular in the region of Changjiang River and Huaihe River around Hefei.
ξ Lu Opera was developed from the popular folk songs that used to pass by word of mouth around its region and
ξ it focuses more on the story and characters' emotion.
ξ Then, it has got a series of improvement on performance, dance, art, music and etc.
ξ Despite slight changes in the style and art of the performances, its original opera form can still be seen nowadays.

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~ Huizhou Carvings

Huizhou Carvings
ξ The three most famous caving styles in Huizhuo are, brick, stone, and wood carving.
ξ The three carvings originated in Song Dynasty and
ξ reached their peak in Ming and Qing Dynasty.
ξ The carvings are mainly used as decorations for civil residences, ancestral temples, arches and
ξ handicrafts like furniture, shelters, pencil vases and etc.

Brick carving
ξ done in fine gray bricks of varying shapes and sizes
ξ mainly decorated brick frames and eaves above the gates
ξ The process had two steps:
ξ the first step was composing and chiseling an outline in the brick,
ξ usually done by a veteran artisan who was familiar with many traditional themes and composition;
ξ the second step was carving the relief into the outline, usually done by the apprentices.
ξ With the gray brick being more brittle than ivory, animal bone or wood,
ξ but easier to process than the stone, the art of brick carving has a unique style.
ξ The exaggeration and distortion of images required by the limited frame they were cut within,
ξ and the neat high relief determined by the texture of bricks, help to strengthen the ornamental effect of the work.

Historical carvings
ξ The first kind includes scenes from myths, legends, opera stories, folk customs and so on.
ξ Dignitaries in a procession, woodcutters or farmers at work, and shepherd boys on the back of buffaloes are constant images.
ξ There are also scenes of people feeding farm animals and fowl, pushing carts, carrying water, and poling boats,
ξ as well as scenes of entertainment and performances.

Animals, birds and flowers
ξ Temples were usually decorated with images of dragons and phoenixes.
ξ The southern Anhui artisans were most skilled at carving lions.
ξ Following traditional images, they portrayed the lions in various imaginary poses playing with balls and dancing.
ξ Each lion was given a personality -- some fierce, some naive, some naughty.
ξ More than two lions appearing in one scene are carefully arranged and portrayed
ξ so that their poses together form a coherent whole.
ξ Other animals like elephants, tigers, dogs, rabbits and monkeys were also common images in brick carving.

ξ Plum blossom, orchid, bamboo, chrysanthemum, pomegranate, orange, tangerine, loquat and lichi
ξ were other popular objects for brick carvers
ξ There is a carving of an egret standing beside blossoming and budding lotus flowers
ξ -- with images vivid and true to life, the composition discards the traditional symmetry and distortion.
ξ This makes the whole work resemble a beautiful painting.
ξ These carvings are always framed by symmetrical ancient vessel patterns, eight-treasure patterns and cloud patterns.

ξ Brick carving in the Ming Dynasty was simple and plain, like Han-dynasty stone carvings in tombs.
ξ The sculptured main figures and the background in low relief combine without proper perspective.
ξ The simple themes, stereotyped figures and symmetric composition make the carving highly decorative.
ξ During the last years of the Ming Dynasty and the first years of the Qing Dynasty,
ξ brick carving started to show certain influences from the rising of the Xin'an painting school in southern Anhui and
ξ the spread of elegant, colorful Anhui-style woodcuts.

ξ During the Qing Dynasty, when the merchants were wealthier, brick carving became more exquisite and complex
ξ to suit their magnificent houses
ξ A carving in a brick with a surface less than 0.1 square meter would show several gradations of perspective,
ξ with a composition like that of a Chinese painting.
ξ Wood carvings were often found on beams, pillars and their above brackets, upturned eaves, railings, doors, windows and
ξ such furniture as cupboards and tables
ξ The application of tung oil instead of colorful paint exposed the natural texture of wood
ξ while at the same time protecting the carvings from corrosion.
ξ Stones were used to build the house foundations, memorial archways or bridges, and
ξ stone carvings are often seen on roof-beam plates, eaves and socles
ξ The range patterns include Hindu swastika, diamond, plum blossom, bamboo, and dragon.

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