ChinaDaily[980227-8]

[Chinese News]

China Daily

98 / 02 / 27 /

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1. Chinese lion has its own roar
2. What's on (Page 9, Date: 02/27/98)
3. Go east and find an ideal place to invest
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Chinese lion has its own roar
THE lion features predominantly in traditional Chinese sculpture.
It is, however, interesting to note that the lion lives in Africa
and West Asia, but has never been native to China.
The lion first came to China in 138 BC, according to the
"Historical Records," compiled by the renowned Han Dynasty
historian Sima Qian (145?-90? BC). Emperor Wudi of the Han Dynasty
sent his envoy Zhang Qian to Central Asia to open relations with
Central Asian nations and promote trade with them. As a result,
the famous Silk Road was opened, and envoys of Central Asian
countries brought lions with them to present as tribute gifts to
the Chinese emperor.
By the Eastern Han Dynasty (AD 25-220), a number of lions had been
brought to China but very few people in the country had actually
seen one.
The majority of the artists engaged in lion sculpture, therefore,
had to rely upon their imagination and written and oral
descriptions of the lion.
Judging from surviving Eastern Han examples, these lion sculptures
were used to guard the tombs of emperors, princes and other
members of the nobility. The stone lions guarding the Ancestral
Shrine of the Wu Family in Jiaxiang County of Shandong Province
and those in front of the Yang Jun Tomb in Lushan County of
Sichuan Province are typical examples.
Because they were used to exorcise evil spirits and fend off
disaster, these sculptures emphasized the lion's strength,
ferocity and predatory nature.
The source of physical features for these lion sculptures was the
tiger, which was fairly common in China, so the Chinese lion is
essentially a tiger dressed in lion's clothing, with features such
as the lion's mane added and often exaggerated for the sake of
effect. The result is that the Chinese lion presents an imposing
rather than a realistic image.
The sculptural language is simple, terse and hyperbolic. The
majority of the sculptured lions are in standing poses and only a
very few are in squatting postures.
The lion sculptures in the Southern Dynasties (AD 420-589) were
also used to guard the tombs. They generally stand 2 metres to 3
metres tall and 3 metres to 4 metres in length. They are sculpted
from solid rock, each of them weighing about 15 tons. These lions
seem to strut, their heads thrown back proudly. The smooth curves
bring out a sense of movement.
Linear carving and three-dimensional carving are combined in the
process of sculpting these lions. Their bodies and general
features are three-dimensional, but details such as the mane and
facial features are brought out by delicate lines in intaglio,
adding a sense of ornateness to the sculpture as a whole.
The lion sculptures of the Northern Dynasties (386-581) are mostly
found in Buddhist grottoes, a result of the influence of Buddhism.
They are generally carved in relief. They are smaller in size than
the lions of the Southern Dynasties and do not look as powerful
and militant as the southern ones. Instead, they are like faithful
Buddhists safeguarding the Buddhist principles and doctrines. Some
seem even mild and meek.
The Tang (AD 618-907) lions largely assumed the duty of guarding
imperial mausoleums and are in squatting postures. Their
pyramid-like bodies are muscular and powerful, exuding an air of
gravity. They symbolized the prosperity and stability of Tang
society.
This tallies with the aesthetic standards of that time, which
emphasized plump and strong images of human figures and animals in
painting. The only difference was that sculpture was capable of a
more dramatic expression of power.
The lion's mane by Tang times was covered with small spiral curls
of hair, which eventually became one of the most important
physical attributes of Chinese lion sculptures.
In addition, stone lions during this period began to be used to
carry sculpted Buddhist sages. This tradition lasted until the
Yuan Dynasty (1279-1368).
Lion sculpture reached its peak in the Tang Dynasty and many
conventions established during that period were to influence lion
sculpture in China over the following centuries.
In the Song Dynasty (960-1279), changes took place in the shape of
lion sculptures. The lions, in various postures, were lovely as
well as dignified. Figures of frolicking lionesses with cubs began
to appear, which symbolized happiness and good luck.
At the same time, paired images of lions holding decorative balls
and lionesses stroking their cubs began to appear, which was to
become a standard image.
In addition, lions adorned with necklaces with bells began to
appear. This suggests that the sculptured lion was losing its
ferocity. Some scholars suggest that such changes reflected
political and military weakness and impotence.
In the Yuan Dynasty (1279-1368), which was founded by the Mongols,
the stone lions were no longer used to guard tombs. But the lion
as an architectural decorative piece was widely employed in
palaces, mansions, residences and houses.
The rather realistic lion sculptures had pleasing musculature but
were milder in temperament. During the Five-Dynasties (AD
907-960), the casting of lions in iron began to flourish. As a
result, iron lions became an important aspect of lion sculpture in
the Yuan Dynasty.
In the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), lion sculptures were very common
decorative pieces in front of the houses of ordinary people as
well as before the mansions of officials and the nobility.
Lion images began to be widely used to decorate roof ridges,
bridge railings and archways as well.
Many of the lions in this period are in upright postures. They
support their bodies with their forelimbs, which are in turn
supported by decorative objects such as balls or lion cubs.
The Ming lions, which are often in frolicking groups are more
pet-like, in a variety of gentle postures.
The northern and southern schools of lion sculpture took shape in
this period. The influences of the northern school covered Shanxi,
Shandong, Hebei, Henan and Shaanxi provinces. Its influences also
extended to Liaoning, Gansu, Hubei and Anhui provinces. The lions
made by artists of this school have muscular limbs, small
swept-back ears, and curly manes.
The influences of the southern school covered Fujian and Guangdong
and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, and extended to Taiwan,
Hainan and other regions. The lions made by artists of this school
have big heads, cylinder-shaped torsos, big and drooping ears and
large tails.
In the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), lion sculptures were widely used
to decorate tombs, palaces, gardens, official mansions, temples
and residences of ordinary people.
The lions took on more human emotions and feelings, with vivid
postures, endearing manners and so on. The dignified air that
typified earlier lion sculptures was now gone.
In addition, the pedestal on which the lion was perched became
more and more elaborately ornate, with various kinds of meticulous
patterns and decorative additions.
Early in the 20th century, many young Chinese artists went abroad
to learn foreign arts. When they came back, they brought with them
ideas and methods of Western art creation and education. A new
style of lion sculpture combining traditional Chinese and
contemporary Western styles began to emerge.
A number of lion sculptures that retain Chinese characteristics
and yet reflect a modern spirit have been created since the
founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949. They include
the piece "Roar! The Lion" in front of the Anti-Japanese War
Museum at Lugouqiao in Beijing and the piece "Nine Lions" in
Hefei, capital of Anhui Province.
Lion sculpture has a 2,000-year history in China. Over the last
millennia, the Chinese version of the lion image has become so
deeply rooted in the minds of the ordinary Chinese people and
artists that images of real lions have been quite unable to
vanquish the traditional conceptual images. The Chinese lion has a
life of its own, and has become an integral part of traditional
Chinese culture and the Chinese spirit.
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_Date: 02/27/98_
_Author: Zhu Guorong_
_Copyright© by China Daily_

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What's on (Page 9, Date: 02/27/98)
EXHIBITIONS
Acrylics & installations -- Artist Guan Wei has returned to
Beijing from Australia to hold a solo exhibition, the first of the
new season's shows at Red Gate Gallery.
Guan's exhibition includes acrylics on canvases from the "Little
Toy" series of 1990-91 which are reminiscent of Guan Wei's style
before he went to Australia, a form that Beijingers will be
familiar with. These works are combined with his new
three-dimensional installation works from which the exhibition
draws its title of Internal Circulation.
Both series of works are characteristic of Guan Wei's humour and
wit, enticing the viewer to explore, discover and appreciate his
idiosyncratic view of the world.
Guan was educated at the Beijing Teacher's College and
subsequently worked as an artist in residence at many art
institutions across Australia. Recently Guan was among those
chosen to design and produce art for the 2,000 Sydney Olympics.
Time: 11 am-6 pm, February 27-March 11
Place: Red Gate Gallery, Level 3, China World Hotel, China World
Trade Centre, 1 Jianguomen Wai
Tel: 6505-2266 ext 6821/5729
Pillow patterns show -- The exhibition of Manchurian embroidered
pillowcases is being held at the Central Academy of Fine Arts
Gallery.
The design of pillow adornments has a long history in China.
During the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), ordinary Manchurian people
used cube-shaped cloth pillowcases featuring different embroidered
patterns and designs on both ends of the pillowcase.
About 200 Manchurian pillowcase ends can be seen in the display.
The embroidered designs feature images of landscapes, pavilions,
human figures, flowers, fish, insects, animals and calligraphy.
The colour of the designs are bright, while the patterns are
simple but true to life.
Time: 10 am-5 pm, through March 1
Place: Central Academy of Fine Arts Gallery, 5 Shuaifuyuan Hutong,
Wangfujing Street
Tel: 6528-4838
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_Date: 02/27/98_
_Author: _
_Copyright© by China Daily_

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Go east and find an ideal place to invest
SEVEN hundred years ago, Marco Polo, a Venetian merchant, stepped
into China and found a whole new world, affluent and magnificent.
The message: "Go east and visit China," echoed down through the
ages.
Twenty years ago, Deng Xiaoping, the late senior Chinese leader
and architect of the ongoing reform, opened China towards the
world. The new message: "Go east and develop China," sounded a
clarion call heard by the world.
So began China's opening up. In two decades, China, the giant in
the East, has established more than 30 economic and technological
development zones. Among these, Shenyang Economic and
Technological Development Zone (SYDZ), with its distinct features,
has caught more and more attention around the world.
The people of Shenyang are confident of greeting the 21st century
with tremendous achievements made by SYDZ since it was approved by
the State Council in April 1993. As the biggest political,
economic and cultural centre of Northeast China, Shenyang will
grasp the historic opportunity provided at the beginning of the
21st century by the booming economic development in China and
Asia.
Shenyang enjoys great advantages in geographic location, economic
potential, market exploitation capabilities, science and
technologies, and human and natural resources. It has long been
the capital city of Liaoning Province and a heavy industry base.
Shenyang possesses abundant technological resources and
comprehensive industrial sectors. It has formed a sound industrial
system with more than 140 categories of industry. More than 5,000
industrial enterprises and 800 science institutions employ a total
work force of 1.5 million and about 400,000 engineers and
technicians.
Shenyang boasts a well-developed urban infrastructure and a
convenient transport network. It is an important communication hub
in Northeast Asia, serving as the intersection of five
national-level road lines, six railway lines and more than 70 air
routes serving cities at home and abroad.
Of special note is the recently built expressway network radiating
from Shenyang, a centuries-old distribution centre, to various
regions, turning it once more into the bustling commercial and
trade centre of Northeast Asia.
Quite a few large industrial cities, namely Anshan, Fushun, Benxi,
Liaoyang, Fuxin and Tieling, are located within a radius of about
150 kilometres from Shenyang. These cities represent a population
of 27 million, abundant resources and great market potential.
Ever since SYDZ was established, it has become a focal point for
foreign investment, mainly because of its advantageous investment
environment, whose specializations include:
1) SYDZ, separated with Shenyang urban district by one arterial
highway, is only 12 kilometres away from downtown Shenyang. With
the expressway running through the area, SYDZ offers convenient
transportation conditions, including a large railway marshalling
station just 7.5 kilometres away, the Shenyang Taoxian Airport
just 23 kilometres away, and the Yingkou Seaport, only 250
kilometres away.
2) SYDZ enjoys flexible government policies, including a whole set
of preferential measures introduced in the zone. Enterprises are
charged 15 per cent tax on their income and enjoy a five-year
exemption from local income tax. SYDZ lowered the land-use-right
fee and provides certain subsidies for imported equipment that has
already paid customs duties and value-added tax. Shenyang has
currently lifted the ban on the purchase or lease of State-owned
enterprises by foreign investors.
3)The approach of restructuring of industrial enterprises in
Shenyang will enable a large number of workers to move into new
trades and enterprises. Consequently, plentiful human resources,
plus the historical regional income gap, puts labour costs in
Shenyang and SYDZ much lower than that of coastal regions.
4)The Shenyang municipal government has always provided
top-quality management and service in the field of customs,
commodity inspection, clean and high-efficient service.
In SYDZ, many foreign joint ventures and proprietary corporations
are world-famous, including Coca Cola and ITT (USA), Michelin
(France), and Mitsubishi and Matsushita (Japan). Most enterprises
are operating well, with their products playing important roles in
the electrical, mechanical, automobile manufacturing,
pharmaceutical, chemical engineering, textile and food industries.
Based on the belief that SYDZ enjoys a promising future, more and
more foreign investors have made supplementary investments -- some
as much as US$120 million -- in the zone, to expand production and
continue to exploit markets in China, Asia and even the whole
world.
SYDZ marks the 10th year of its founding in 1998. In this special
time, the development zone welcomes friends at home and abroad to
visit, sightsee, invest and do business here.
In March and April, SYDZ will also dispatch five groups to
Australia, Thailand, the United Kingdom, France, Japan and the
United States to further promote the mutual understanding between
our friends afar and SYDZ. As a new starting point, SYDZ is sure
to embrace a promising future, and to sound a new clarion call:
"Go east, you will find a whole new world -- SYDZ."
The Administrative Committee of Shenyang Economic and
Technological Development Zone (SYDZ) welcomes friends from home
and abroad to visit and invest in the zone and thrive together
with SYDZ.
Add: Huahai Road, Shenyang Economic and Technological Development
Zone
Tel: 0086-24-5814796
0086-24-5812921
Fax: 0086-24-5812921
E-mail: sy...@sydz.gov.cn
Internet site: www.sydz.gov.cn
Projects looking for foreign investment
1. Project: Shenyang paraffin-wax chemical engineering
Chinese initiator: Shenyang Chemical (Group) Corp
Total investment: US$1.36 billion
Co-operative form: joint venture or compensation trade
2. Project: super-thin copper strip material
Chinese initiator: Shenyang Non-ferrous Metal Rolling Factory
Total investment: US$20 million
Co-operative form: joint venture or co-operation
3. Project: enlargement construction of phosphate sodium
production line
Chinese initiator: Northeast Pharmaceutical Factory
Total investment: 194.83 million yuan (US$23.5 million)
Co-operative form: joint venture
4. Project: aluminum foil production line
Chinese initiator: Shenyang Aluminum Material Plant
Total investment: 530 million yuan (US$63.9 million)
Co-operative form: joint venture
5. Project: expansion and transformation of tubular bar sections
production line
Chinese initiator: Shenyang Aluminum Material Plant
Total investment: 120 million yuan (US$14.5 million)
Co-operative form: joint venture or co-operation
6. Project: preparatory construction of Shenyang Aluminum
Processing Base
Chinese initiator: Shenyang Aluminum Material Plant
Total investment: 1.01 billion yuan (US$121.6 million)
Co-operative form: joint venture or co-operation
7. Project: bidirection-drawn polyester film
Chinese initiator: Northeast Machinery Manufacture General Plant
Total investment: 198 million yuan (US$23.9 million)
Co-operative form: all forms are available
8. Project: tin plate two-piece easy open cans
Chinese initiator: Northeast Machinery Manufacture General Plant
Tin Producing Factory
Total investment: 198.35 million yuan (US$23.9 million)
Co-operative form: joint venture or co-operation
9. Project: cell transport car
Chinese initiator: Shenyang Electric Engineering Machinery Co Ltd
Total investment: US$3.35 million
Co-operative form: joint venture
10. Project: winding machine; sheet cutting line
Chinese initiator: Shenyang Electric Engineering Machinery Co Ltd
Total investment: US$6 million
Co-operative form: joint venture
11. Project: 100,000 tons/year forge pieces and steel casting
Chinese initiator: Shenyang Heavy Machinery Group Co Ltd
Total investment: 140 million yuan (US$16.9 million)
Co-operative form: joint venture
12. Project: pump products; alloy-steel casting
Chinese initiator: Shenyang Pump Manufactory
Total investment: US$12 million
Co-operative form: joint venture
13. Project: Liaoning International Fair Centre
Chinese initiator: Shenyang International Science and Technology
Industry Park
Total investment: 249.8 million yuan (US$30.1 million)
Co-operative form: joint venture or co-operation
14. Project: Imperial Club
Chinese initiator: Shenyang International Science and Technology
Industry Park
Total investment: 100.49 million yuan (US$12.1 million)
Co-operative form: joint venture or co-operation
15. Project: a school in Shenyang Economic and Technological
Development Zone
Chinese initiator: Shenyang Economic and Technological Development
Zone (Group) Corp
Total investment: 46.53 million yuan (US$5.61 million)
Co-operative form: solely funded by a domestic or foreign investor
16. Project: special-type feed for livestock, poultry and other
animals
Chinese initiator: Shenyang Development Zone Special-Type Feed
Factory
Total investment: 18 million yuan (US$2.17 million)
Co-operative form: joint venture or co-operation
17. Project: complete sets of electric control equipment
Chinese initiator: Shenyang 213 Machine Tool Electric Appliances
Factory
Total investment: US$5.42 million
Co-operative form: joint venture
18. Project: laser welded diamond saw web
Chinese initiator: Shenyang Hengchang Sawing Industry Co Ltd
Total investment: 15 million yuan (US$1.8 million)
Co-operative form: joint venture
19. Project: co-development of new medicine
Chinese initiator: Shenyang Medicine Co Ltd
Total investment: 11 million yuan (US$1.3 million)
Co-operative form: joint venture
20. Project: microcrystalline glass tubes
Chinese initiator: Shenyang Nepheline Microcrystalline Material Co
Ltd
Total investment: 16.5 million yuan (US$1.99 million)
Co-operative form: joint venture or co-operation
21. Project: high-tech bio-chemical medicines
Chinese initiator: Shenyang Guangda Pharmaceutical Works
Total investment: US$5 million
Co-operative form: joint venture
22. Project: Shenyang International Club (Star Hotel)
Chinese initiator: Shenyang Yinglong Housing Property Development
Corp
Total investment: US$3.5 million
Co-operative form: sale or co-operation
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_Date: 02/27/98_
_Author: _
_Copyright© by China Daily_

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