a. The operas in the Yuan Dynasty

The reasons why the Yuan Zaju became the prosperity of a generation were chances supported by those two apsects that the development of the arts and the social reality. From the artistic development view, the Chinese opera had went through a long-term gestation and had a thick accumulation reaching the its maturity not only in the internal structure but also in the external performance. Just at this moment, the traditional poems and verses were on the way to their decline after their glorious heyday in the Tang and Song Dynasties. In the talented artists’ eyes, the field of the traditional Chinese opera was a new land place which was been waiting for them to cultivate. From the social reality perspective, the rulers of the Yuan Dynasty abolished the Chinese Imperial Examinations Institution, which not only cut off the possibility of intellectuals ascending official career, but also kicked them to a humble status, just higher than beggars and lower than the common people and the prostitutes. So these intellectuals, although were with a higher knowledge, ranked into the bottom of society. Confronting the reality of drifting apart the world of classics and histories, the intellectuals only went to the Gou Lan Wa She( the theatres in that time) to pass time or to earn their living. Hence, the rising Yuan Zaju accidently obtained groups of professional playwrights. They had a professional organization named

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“ Book Group” which the playwright who took part in were called the “ book group’s sir”. These abjection intellectuals both cooperated and completed in the group, worked together to create the golden eras of the Chinese opera. Compared to the poems which were patial to express the subjective state of mind and moods  in the past time, the Yuan Zaju was different in treating the goal of widely reflecting the social reality as self responsibility. Obviously, that was due to the experience that the playwrights had ever lived in the alleys and rural villages and had the profound understanding and feeling of the social reality.

Among the script system of the Yuan Zaju, most scripts were composed of four plots and one wedge. The four plots refered to the four plot paragraphs, which just liked a complete article being particular about the connecting link between the preceding and the following. And the wedge with a short length, always was put before the first plot, a little similar to the prologue in the later time. The Yuan Zaju centered on the singing combining with the speaking performance form. Every plot was composed of a set of tunes, which had a rhyme only and were sung by Zhengmo( the heroe) or Zhengdan( the heroine). These pattern could greatly give full scope to the singing art and model the major character’s image fully and delightfully. The spoken parts in the opera were affected by the traditions of Canjun Drama, so always did the comical actions and spoke the comical dialogues. Unifying the musical structure and the opera structure together to reach the complete state in the system, indicated the artistic maturity and perfection of the Yuan Zaju.

b. The opera in the Ming Dynasty

Because the legends, a kind of opera form, went down to the Qing Dynasty, so were called the Ming and Qing Dynasties’ Legends. It inherited the system of the system of the Nan Song Dynasty in form, moreover more complete. A script, mostly included about 30 scenes, which was divided into two parts, at the same time, the playwright especially focused on the well-knit of the structure and alternation of the comical actions and dialogues. The tunes of legends also took the modality of uniting and alternation of the tunes, but made a progress compared to the opera of the Nan Song Dynasty by limiting just a plot with one tune and how many tunes in a plot were decided by the needs of the story. Another progressive point was that all the roles on the stage could sing.

In the late Ming Dynasty, there began to rage the prevailing custom centering on the Zhezi Xi( highlights from the operas). It was relative independent fragment in a whole drama, but with the splendid scenes and wonderful singing. The popularity of the Zhezi Xi was the result of the powerful development of the performing art of opera, and the selection and obsolete of the time and audience. After the audience were familiar with the plots, then could appreciate the performing art of the Zhezi Xi with abandon. The plots such as You Yuan and Jing Meng in the Mu Dan Ting, the Ta Shan and Bai Yue in the Pai Yue Ting Ji, the Qin Tiao and Zui Zhou in the Yu Zan Ji, all these have become the high-quality plays beloved by the audiences.

c. The operas in the Qing Dynasty

The Chang Sheng Dian derived from the love story of the Emperor Tangming Huang and his imperial concubine Yanggui Fei. From the moment which they both fell in love with each other, the concubine Yang Yuhuan protected the stable relationship between them to be jealous, wrangling, try to do anything to gain the emperor’s favor; and the Tangming Huang was also addicted to the soft and beauty of the Yanggui Fei and forgot the affairs of state. The emperor’s decadence careerist, An Lushan’s insurgency and people’s resentment. Under the pressure of the sergeants’ mutiny, Tangming Huang had no alternative to kill the Yanggui Fei in the Mawei slope. However, the incident in the Mawei slope didn’t mean the end for the play. The playwright, Hong Sheng made the achievement of the love story in the ideal kingdom of heaven—— the hero and the heroine both flied up to heaven and the love finally came true and sublimated in the dreams. Chang Sheng Dian was not just a simple love play, but stated the notorious love story of the Li Longji and Yang Yuhuan under the wide social and political backgrounds. It was the eulogizing of the ideal love, at the same time, the social unrests and the suffering livelihood of the common people with a long and vivid describing and revealing in the play implied Hong Sheng’s feeling about the rising and falling of the nation and political criticism for the emperor’s decadence.

So, the image modeling of the Li Longji and Yang Yuhuan in Chang Sheng Dian, have both praise and criticism at the same time. The love create by the Hong Sheng in his playwrights, included the both opposite sides, the good and bad, it was also the insurmountable contraction for him and his playwrights.

Acupuncture and moxibustion refers to the acupuncture therapy and moxibustion therapy. The acupuncture therapy is to use filiform needles to penetrate into the patients acupuncture points, the by entwisting and some needling techniques to cure the disease. And moxibustion therapy is to use lay the ignited hot moxa over certain points on the skin’s surface according to the acupuncture points to get the treatment effect by hot stimulus. Nowadays, it is used commonly in people’s daily life. The acupuncture and moxibustion is composed of by acupuncture and moxibusiton therapies, being one of important components in the traditional Chinese medicine. It includes the acupuncture and moxibustion theories, acupuncture points, techniques and relative implements. During the formation, applying and development process, it shows the distinct Han national culture and regional features, belonging to Chinese valuable heritages forming basing on the Han national culture and scientific tradition.

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As a Chinese unique treatment means of diseases, acupuncture and moxibustion really is kind of leechcraft which cures the internal diseases by external treatment. It applies the transimission function of main and collateral channels and acupuncture points, as well as certain operation means to cure diseases all over the body. By the clinical diagnosis in accordance with the traditional Chinese medicine methods, the Chinese physicians diagnose what diseases actually, then find out the key and distinguish the nature of them to identify the pathological changes belonging to which main and collateral channels, and viscera, meanwhile, the doctors will distinguish the disease which type they belong to. Then the doctor will proceed the cure using the relative prescriptions. The aim of acupuncture and moxibustion is to reach the treatment by flowing the channels, regulating vital energy in the blood and balancing the internal organ systems’ functions. The acupuncture-moxibustion therapy is one part of Chinese medical heritages, as well as represents a kind of Chinese proper medical. For thousands of years, it has made remarkable contribution to Chinese people’s health and national multiplication, until now, the role it has still play, so accepting the trusts from extensive people.

The features of acupuncture and moxibustion therapy

That the patients just don’t need to take medicine in the treatment is the feature of acupuncture and moxibustion therapy. The Chinese physicians need to prod the needles into the acupuncture points to cause the effect stimulating nerves to react partly, or by the method using the fire tepidity to stimulate parts of skin surface, these two therapies are called by a joint name, acupuncture and moxibustion therapy. Actually, there are numeral characteristics for that therapy:It is suited to a wide range of diseases. It can be used as the treatment for internal or external medicine, gynaecology, paediatrics and various medicines.

a. The treatment effect would be more rapid and obvious, especially for that well kind of physical body functions.

b. The operation and methods are relative easy and convenient.

c. With the economical hospitalization costs.

d. Without or with less side effects, basically, it is a kind of safe and reliable treatment, meanwhile, could cooperate with other treatments as the comprehensive therapy.

As well as, these characteristics are the reasons why acupuncture and moxibustion therapy is popular by the extensive people.

The pain causing by the acupuncture and moxibustion

Whether the acupuncture and moxibustion will cause pain or not depends on the two factors, one is the acupuncturists, the other is the patients.

Generally speaking, when the needles being prodded into the acupuncture points, the patients will feel a sense of distension and numbness, these are the normal reaction and good phenomenons.

That the patients who are relaxed and could cooperate with the acupuncturist on the treatment process will certainly reduce the probability of feeling painful. But for the patients who feel greatly nervous, their painful feelings would happen frequently. Hence, we can think about the pain which is caused by acupuncture and moxibustion absolutely and narrowly, because the good pain could be beneficial to patients’ disease treatment, and for the bad pain, the reason could be that patients are too nervous or the acupuncturists’ techniques are so disappointed. If you can be devoted to relax during the acupuncture and moxibustion treatment process, in addition, a excellent acupuncturist take needling, in that way, you basically will not be beset by the pain. 

The current situation of acupuncture and moxibustion

During the long-term medical practice process, the theory about main and collateral channels and the knowledge about the 361 acupuncture points have been formed, as well as the law that specific human body parts have the particular connection has been discovered. The creation of main and collateral channels theory produces a set of method system for disease treatment. Because of the distinctive preponderances, as early as the Tang Dynasty, the Chinese acupuncture and moxitusiton has spread to Japan, Korea, India, Arabic and other countries or regions, moreover, being learnt and inherited by those countries’ people, even, multiplying some acupuncture and moxibustion medicines with regional features. By now, it has spread to over 140 countries and regions to make huge contribution to guaranteeing the human health and life.

It can be understood like that Chinese acupuncture and moxibustion grew into a scientific knowledge under the specific nature and social environment in Chinese history, with the connotation of national spirit, thoughts and cultural essences, containing a quantity of practical observation, knowledge system, techniques and skills. As cohesion of the powerful Chinese national vitality and creation, acupuncture and moxibustion belongs to national sapiential crystallization.

As early as the 1970s, taking the opportunity of whichChinaannounced the research result of acupuncture anaesthesia towards the world, the international society raised a upsurge expecting to understand the science of acupuncture and moxibustion and applying to disease treatment, which was a cosmopolitan upsurge of acupuncture and moxibusiton. Due to the opportunity to learn acupuncture and moxibustion, the western medical field gradually eliminated the misunderstanding for this science, even some groups of foreigners started to know this science and pay more attention to it, so they became the major promotion power for application, research and promotion of acupuncture and moxibustion. During the process of acupuncture and moxibustion internationalization, the World Health Organization has played a important role in the promotion and guidance. Nowadays, around the world, there have been 140 countries and regions developing acupuncture and moxibustion medical treatment, according to the statistics, the number of persons being engaged in acupuncture and moxibustion field has reached 20-30 thousand.

In the new era of the 21 century, with cognizing that acupuncture and moxibustion has small side effects, hospitalization costs and other advantages by the people around the world, this science needs to confront with and solute some problems which must be solved, such as the legislation affirmance, improving the clinical level and challenging the difficult diseases. Due to the acknowledgement and promotion by numerous countries, they have established and completed the law management. 

China opera is mainly composed of folk dances and songs, rap and the farce, these three different kinds of art forms. It originated in the original dances and songs, and is a kind of synthetical stage craft with a long history. After the developing during the Han, Tang, Song and Jin Dynasties, the China opera just formed a relatively complete traditional Chinese opera. It is synthetically composed of the literature, music, dance, art, martial arts, acrobatics and performing arts, being divided into almost 360 types. Its characteristic is that aggregating multitudinous kinds of artistic forms by a standard, then all these would incarnate their own characters with the common quality. The more famous types of the Chinese opera are Beijing opera, Kunqu opera, Shaoxing opera, Henan opera, Cantonese opera, Sichuan opera, Shanxi opera, Huangmei opera, Hunan Huagu opera and so on.

The Chinese opera, the Greek tragedy and comedy and the Indian Sanskrit-play are equally called the three world’s ancient drama cultures.

The opera is a comprehensive art, the integration of the time art and spatial art. Every country’s opera culture shares this characteristic of integration all over the world, however, for the Chinese opera, the comprehensive character would be especially outstanding.

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The Chinese opera is a kind of opera form which centers on the comprehensive performance of Singing, recitation, acting and acrobatics, with abundant methods of artistic expression, and the close integration between it and the performing art endows the Chinese opera the special charms. The Chinese opera absorbs the beauty of the lyrics, music, art and the acting and binds them perfectly into one, controlling them in a play by the rhythm to reach the harmonious unify, sufficiently expressing the infectivity of all kinds of artistic methods, which forms the China’s distinctive performing art with distinct rhythm.

One most important feature of the Chinese opera is its virtual quality. The stage craft does not just imitate the life simply, but will make options of real life, refine, exaggerate and beautify to draw the audience directly into the artistic world. Another feature of it is the modality quality, such as scene, closing the door, mounting a horse or aboard the boat, all they have a set of fixed modality. The modality would be both normative and flexible, so you would hear that the Chinese opera is also appropriately called the regular free-action.

Comprehensiveness, virtual and modality qualities, are the artistic features of the Chinese opera. They cohere of the aesthetic ideology marrows of the Chinese traditional culture, and constitute a particular opera value, making the Chinese opera showing its unique brightness in the world opera stage.

The development period

a. The sprout period

In the primitive society, the villages where the clans lived in together created the original dance and sing, gradually the original dance and sing also progressed and advanced with the clans’ development. For example, in most ancient rural villages, there are still keeping the dance tradition with a long history, the same to some new song and dance which produced for being suit to the people’s spiritual need. Just the performance of these dance and song, brought up many batches of folk artisans with the adept skills, and going ahead towards the direction of Chinese opera step by step.

b. The prosperity

During the period from the middle 12 century to the early 13 century, there gradually produced the professional art, commercial performing groups and the Yuan Zaju( a Chinese opera in the Yuan Dynasty) and Jin Yuanben, such as the Dou E Yuan written by Guan Hanqin, Han Gong Qiu by Ma Ziyuan and Zhao Si Gu Er Da Fu Chou and so on. So this period was the prosperity of the Chinese opera.

c. The development

In the middle period of 16 century, Kun Qiang was popular in Jiangnan, with appearing such a quiet plays, such as the Shi Wu Guan, Zan Hua Kui and so on. During this period, the plays which were welcomed by the peasants were the Ge Yang Qiang producing in Anhui, Jiangxi, and the Kunqiang was popular by the upper-level people in feudal society.

d. The great prosperity

In the period between the late Ming and early Qing Dynasties, the plays were mostly about the heroes in common peoples’ hearts, such as Mu Guiying, Tao Sanchun, Zhao Kuangying and so on.  At that time, the local operas mainly refered to the Bangzi in the north and the Pihuang in the south. The Beijing opera was produced on the base of the great prosperity of the local operas in the Qing Dynasty. During the rein of the Tong Zi and Guang Xu emperors, ranking in the list of Tong Guang Shi San Jue, the first performing opera artist in Beijing opera and the masters belonging to different opera divisions appeared, marking the maturity and great prosperity of the Beijing opera art. Soon, the Beijing opera developed towards all over China, especially in Shanghai and Tianjin. It had become a opera type with a wide and deep influence, promoting the Chinese opera to make a higher development.

e. The golden period

The opera in the Yuan Dynasty is called the Yuan Za Ju. It is not only a senior mature drama form, but also regarded as a mainstream of literature because of its character abound the times features, and its highly artistic originality. It primarily centered on the Dadu(Beijing ), being popular in the north. After the Nansong Dynasty replaced by the Yuan Dynasty, it developed into a national opera type. In the stage of opera in Yuan Dynasty, there appeared many excellent and bright opera artists and many masterpieces.

Bo Ya Met His Bosom Friend While Playing the Peptachord

Bo Ya, was a musician in the Spring and Autumn warring state period, who once served as a diplomat in Jin state.

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 Bo Ya had ardently loved music from his childhood. His teacher, Cheng Lian took with him to the Penglai mountain in theEast China Sea, enjoying the magnificence and miracles of nature, making him discover the true essence of music. When he played the peptachord, the tweedle was pleasant to the ears just like the high mountains and flowing water. Although many people praised his musical and peptachord ability, he thought that he hadn’t met the persons who could really understand his music. So he had been looking for his own bosom friend.

One year, Bo Ya was sent on a diplomatic mission to theChustate. On the August 15th, when reaching the estuary of theYangtze River, he met the wind and waves, so parked in a small mountain. In the evening, after the wind waves gradually died down, the clouds disappearing and the moon showing, the scenery was greatly attractive. Looking at the bright moon in the air, Bo Ya instantly was inspired to take our the heptachord carrying with to play absorbedly, so he played our the songs one by one just like nothing could affect him. When he was intoxicated by the graceful tweedle, suddenly saw a man standing still on the shore. It surprised Bo Ya, giving a strength to the string, then one string was pizzed to break with a sound “pa”. Bo Ya was wondering what reason this man on the shore came for? Instantly, Bo Ya heard the man say loudly to him: “ Sir, you don’t need to suspect. I am just a woodcutter, going home late. While coming here, I heard your tweedle, and it is wonderful and excellent, so can’t help stopping here to listen to.”

Bo Ya seriously took a look at that man relying on the moonlight—— there was a bunch of dry wood next to him, sure enough, he was a woodcutter. Bo Ya thought that how could he understand my tweedle as a woodcutter? So Bo Ya asked: “ Now that you understand my tweedle, then say it, which tune did I play?Hearing the question, the woodcutter responded with smile: “ Sir, the song you played just now is the music score of that Confucius praised his disciple, Yan Hui. Except that when you just play to the forth sentence, the string is broken.”

The woodcutter’s answer was completely right, so Bo Ya could help being with exultation, hurrying to invite that woodcutter to his boat to talk in detail. When that man saw Bo Ya’s peptachord, saying: “ This is a peptachord, according to legend it was made by Fu X.” Then he said out the origin of the peptachord. While listening to that woodcutter’s statement, Bo Ya could help admiring at heart. In succession, Bo Ya played a few other tunes for the woodcutter, requesting him to recognize the meaning of them. When Bo Ya played the resounding song, the woodcutter said it expressed the magnificent momentum of the mountains; and when the song became fresh and fluent, the woodcutter said this expressed the endless flowing water.

Bo Ya could help being pleasantly surprised, in the past no one could understand when I used the tweedle to express my mind, but now this woodcutter in front, unexpectedly knew it correctly. Never thought it would happen in this wild mountains to meet my bosom friend who I had seek for a long time. So he asked the woodcutter’s name, Zhong Ziqi, then they drank the wine. They found they were congenial and regretted they didn’t meet sooner, so became sworn brothers and promised to meet here again in the next Mid-autumn.

After bid each other farewell with tears in their eyes, a year passed, and Bo Ya came to theYangtze Riveraccording to appointment, but didn’t see Zhong Ziqi’s coming. So he played the peptachord summoned his bosom friend, but it also pass a long time and no one appeared. The next day, Bo Ya inquired about Ziqi from a old man, the old man told him that Zhong Ziqi had unfortunately died of a disease and left the last words that building his tomb on the waterfront in order to listen to Bo Ya’s tweedle in the Mid-autumn’s meet.

Hearing the old man’s words, Bo Ya was extremely sorrowfully. He came to the front of Ziqi’s tomb and wretchedly played the ancient music, High Mountian and Running Water. When he completed the song, he plucked the strings to breake, sighed deeply, and his beloved peptachord was smashed into a thousand pieces on the bluestone by him. He said sadly: “My unique bosom friend has gone, who do I play for?”

The relationship of these two friends moved the later generations, so people built a Heptachord Terrace (Guqin Tai) in the place they met each other.

Moon cakes that are essential food for Mid-Autumn Festival symbolize reunion. It was said that the custom of eating moon cakes on Mid-Autumn Festival was handed town by the end of Yuan Dynasty.
It was said in Yuan Dynasty, the majority of the Central Plains people unwilled to accept the brutal rule of the Mongols. So they rose in revolt against the rule of the Yuan (Mongol) Dynasty. Zhu Yuanzhang(King of Dynasty Ming) joint resistance forces to the uprising. But Yuan soldiers searched narrowly, and it was hard for him to deliver the messages of uprising. Liu Bowen, a right-hand man of Zhu Yuanzhang conjured a scheme to make cakes, and put the scrip which wrote “Rise, on the August 15th!” into the cakes. They sent the cakes to the rebels throughout the country to inform them of the uprising on the August 15th. Thus they overturned Yuan. To commemorate this historic event, people ate moon cakes on the August 15th. That is why moon cakes are eaten on the August 15th.
Regardless of the Dynasty moon cakes come from, on the 15th day of the eighth lunar month people would be sick for hometown and relatives or friends. People would have moon cakes and also pray for a good harvest and bless their relatives and friends on that day.
Some people think that eating moon cakes and sending moon cakes have something to do with Mid-Autumn Festival since ancient time. In fact, it is not the case. In early Tang Dynasty, only the first day of the eighth lunar month is festival, and the 15th day of the eighth lunar month is not the Mid-Autumn Festival. It was said that Tang Minghuang, one of the Tang Dynasty Emperors visited moon palace at night. So people took the 15th day of the eighth lunar month as Mid-Autumn Festival. During the mid-Tang Dynasty, people in the evening enjoyed the bright moonlight. There were no moon cakes at that time. As for moon cakes, they probably first appeared in Southern Song Dynasty. But at that time the moon cakes have nothing to do with Mid-Autumn Festival. The moon cakes at that time were also different from those in the modern time, they just appeared as the steaming food in the market.
Moon cakes really had something to do with the Mid-Autumn Festival in the Ming Dynasty. At that time, there was a moon cake contained fruit in Beijing. People made moon cakes on Mid-Autumn Day for them to eat or as gifts sent to their friends and relatives, thus to express the meaning of reunion. At that time, the size and shape of moon cakes were irregular, and their names were quite special.
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In Chinese table manners, sitting is very important. The guest of honor is always seated to the right of the host; the next in line will sit on his left. Chinese culture is to keep the guests feel relaxed. Through the allocation of seats, you can know who is important to the host.
Chinese table manners summarized as follows:
First, guests should be seated after the host’s invitation. The host stand until the guest of honor is seated. Guests should go to the left side of the chair and sit down. Do not touch the chopsticks and make any sound when you sit down. Don’t walk around, if you have anything you can tell the host.
Second, when the dishes arrive, the meal begins with a toast from the host. And the guests then make a toast in turn in honor of the host. All dishes should be eaten with chopsticks, do not make sound when you have dinner. It is rude to tip soup bowl to mouth and drink out of it. If the soup is too hot, you should drink when it is cold. Do not blow your nose at the dinner table. Do not make sound when you chew food, especially chewing hard brittle food. We should try to prevent this phenomenon.
Third, if you want to pick up food for the guests or the elderly, you preferably use serving chopsticks, or you can also put the far away dishes to their nearest place. According to Chinese traditional customs, dishes are brought one by one. If there are leaders or the elderly, you should invite them to start the dish while the dish arrives, thus to show attention to them.
Fourth, when eating fish heads or fishbone, do not spit out or throw them on the ground. You should bring them slowly to your plate.
Fifth, keep your dinner pace with other, and talk about a few funny words with people around you to reconcile the atmosphere. Do not only pay attention to eating regardless of others, and cram a big meal or nor to drink too much. All the dishes should not be eaten up, which will give the host an impression that the food is insufficient.
Sixth, you’d best not to pick teeth at the dinner table. If you want to, it is necessary to use napkins or hand to block your mouth.
Seventh, you must be grateful to the owner when you leave, or you should invite the host to your home next time, thus show the return of hospitality.
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