Chinese Culture and Art

This is our Fortune In China page on Chinese culture and art. We wanted to import from China baby gifts, baby artwork and celebrity diaper bags. We ended up creating a top site called blissliving.com and getting involved with Storksak, Mia Bossi, and OiOi.

We knew that in order to be successful at doing business in China you must understand Chinese culture and art. China's 5,000 year history has produced a society with a wide variety of traditions. The best way is go to China and see and experience it first hand. We have traveled to China multiple times and learned about Chinese demographics and experienced Chinese entertainment while learning how to import from China and export to China at the same time. We had a difficult time with Chinese Visas. So we created a China Visa FAQ, China Visa Form Downloads, and Information on Types of China Visas for you to read.

The traditional notion is that Chinese culture is very conservative in both its values and ways of life. While this is true of the older generation, there is a new-age phenomenon happening with the younger generation right now. After conducting a survey, we found that most young adults (35 years or less) and teenagers are 50% more likely to try new things. Western music devices, and other techno-gadgets are sweeping the country as we speak. More and more culture is being conveyed online. There are projected to be 5 million new internet subscribers each year.

Traditional Chinese Opera
Traditional Chinese opera dates back to over 800 years in history. It is an art form that integrates singing, music, dialogue, acting and acrobatics. There are more than 300 different operatic forms performed in China. Among the local operatic forms staged nationwide are Beijing Opera, Pingju Opera, Shaoxing Opera and Henan Opera. The best-known is Beijing Opera, which has a history of more than 200 years. It originated in Beijing, then capital of Qing Dynasty. There is also puppet opera.

There are different schools, styles and forms of singing in Beijing Opera. In acting and acrobatic fighting, different roles follow different patterns, and their movements and gestures are stylized, suggestive and symbolic. For instance, the actions of opening a door, going up the stairs , rowing a boat or climbing a bill, are done purely through the dance-like movements of the actors with the help of props. String and percussion instruments also provide a distinct characteristic of Beijing Opera.

Modern Chinese drama has developed under the influence of foreign dramatic literature and conventions . In the 1910's, drama groups were formed in the country. The most popular plays staged in the 1930's and 1940's are Thunderstorm, Sunrise, Qu Yuan and Twin Flowers.

Music and Dance
As early as the 2,100 years ago (100 B.C.), more than 80 different kinds of musical instruments were already in use in ancient China history. One of the oldest set of instruments found were in Hubei province in 1978 which is a musical stand of 64 bronze bells. The bells have considerable variation in pitch, and they were made over 2,400 years ago. They can produce a range of five octaves, and that itself is ample proof of the extraordinary knowledge of music in ancient China.

Modern China is plush with a plethora of song and dance troupes, opera companies, symphony orchestras, choirs and traditional instruments orchestras. Chinese musicians are trained mainly in the  eight conservatories of music, which have their own primary and secondary schools, in Beijing, Shanghai, Shenyang, Chengdu, Tianjing, Xi'an and Guangzhou. These institutions and their schools provide music education at different levels from the very basic to the advanced. This comprehensive system has been working well. When a graduate from the secondary music school enters a conservatory, he or she may choose courses offered by various departments such as composition, folk music, vocal music, orchestral music and the piano. The Central Conservatory of Music and Shanghai Conservatory of Music also have departments on conducting, musicology, and modern opera. Most of the young musicians who have achieved outstanding results in national and international competitions have been trained by these schools.

Below are useful links on finding more information on China Art, Chinese Culture, and Chinese Life:

Chinese Historical & Cultural Project - Non-profit organization based in Santa Clara, CA to promote Chinese culture and chinese art.

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