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China Daily

97 / 11 / 26 /

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1. Yuan Dynasty plays recounted in new book
2. Series studies employee relations
3. Culture Notes (Page 9, Date: 11/25/97)
4. Silk Road provides canvas
5. What's on (Page 10, Date: 11/25/97)
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Yuan Dynasty plays recounted in new book
"OVER the Wall: Tales from Ancient Chinese Plays," adapted by Chen
Meilin and published in English by the Foreign Languages Press.
280 pages. 29.80 yuan ($3.6).
raditional Chinese plays, like Greek tragedies and comedies and
the Sanskrit dramas of ancient India, represent the earliest
achievements of brilliant world drama.
The origins of Chinese plays can be traced to early antiquity, and
their formative period encompasses hundreds of years in which
elements from ancient poetry, story telling, dance, music,
painting, sculpture and architecture were incorporated.
By the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368), drama had become a full-fledged
art form portraying the full range of social life and capable of
developing plot and presenting conflicts by means of the words and
gestures incorporated into the dramatic roles.
The Yuan Dynasty, which lasted for less than 100 years, witnessed
the flourishing of Chinese drama and produced many talented
playwrights. Most of these writers were men of humble origins,
either Confucian scholars from impoverished families or physicians
and magicians living by their wits and craft. Of the 700 titles of
Yuan plays, only 200 have survived as complete texts.
Apart from their often ingenious plots, the extant Yuan plays
cover a wide range of themes. There are, for instance, the trial
plays, which often expose the atrocities committed by the
privileged class and sometimes end with an unjust verdict.
Romantic themes are also popular, many related to the lives of
courtesans. Some plays depict historical or legendary heroes, of
which the most popular concern a group of noble outlaws. There are
also the mythical plays which sometimes have a strong note of
morality.
For 80 years after they took control of China, the Mongols
discontinued the civil service recruitment examination to block
the Han people from officialdom. Even after the examination was
restored, discrimination against the Han people persisted. This
explains why a great many scholars steeped in classic learning
chose to write plays aimed at the underclass.
The Yuan plays drew extensively from traditional entertainment
genres such as song and dance performances and the
talking-and-singing shows, in which story telling was intermixed
with singing to the accompaniment of musical instruments. On the
other hand, classic and folk literature also offered a source of
inspiration for playwrights, who could base their plots on short
stories and oral tales from the Tang (618-960) and Song dynasties,
or enhance their work by adapting lines from classic poetry.
Another factor contributing to the flourishing of drama was the
preference for song and dance performances by the Mongols and
other nomadic peoples from the north. The Yuan plays, rich in song
and dance, were thus able to secure a creditable position in
society.
It is not unusual for great dramatic works to be adapted into
story form. Charles and Mary Lamb's "Tales from Shakes-peare" is
considered a masterpiece in its own right. A well-adapted story
can be a literary creation affording great delight to the reader,
just as the original play is to an audience.
The Yuan plays lend themselves particularly well to literary
adaptation because they have good story lines and interesting,
true-to-life characters, the key elements in creating a good read.
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_Date: 11/26/97_
_Author: Wu Ming_
_Copyright© by China Daily_

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Series studies employee relations
THE publication of the "personnel science series" is considered a
significant event in current research of social sciences.
With Zhao Wenlu as the chief editor, the series includes "Choosing
and Appointing Talent in Ancient China," "Pleasure of Personnel
Utilization," "Art of Leadership," "Self-Cultivation of the
Leading Cadres" and five other books.
"Competition in the next century will focus on the personnel
issue," said Zhao Wenlu, professor and president of the Shandong
Weifang Academy of Social Sciences. "So we must cherish the talent
and bring their initiative into full play."
With vivid, convincing examples and in a scientific way, the
"personnel science series" expounds the definition, basic
principles and methods of personnel science. As a borderline
science, personnel science is based on social science, science of
nature, and the science of thinking. It will benefit the reforms
of existing personnel system.
The success of China's modernization drive lies in many factors,
Zhao says, but the most important factor is the improvement in the
quality of leaders at various levels. They must be good at
recognizing and choosing talent instead of boot-lickers.
In ancient China, there were two methods of employing talents. One
was to appoint people by favouritism, and the other was to appoint
them on the basis of merit. A clash between these two lines exists
even today.
Following the principle of "making the past serve the present,"
the series sums up 20 methods of employing talent adopted by the
wise emperors and upright officials in feudal China. In spite of
historical limitations, the methods will offer some inspiration to
today's policy-makers, managers and general readers.
The series also discusses the art of leadership in the
contemporary period. For example, how to handle relations between
the top leader and other members of the leading body. Top leaders
must trust their "helpers" and let them work independently and
boldly.
For years, Zhao has studied personnel science and has achieved
pleasing results in this sphere. His books have won national and
regional prizes in the past few years. In July 1995, he was
invited to attend the 22nd International Academic Exchange
Conference of World-Famous Scholars in Australia. His paper on the
personnel science aroused the keen interest of the 130
participants from different countries and regions.
_____________________________________________________________

_Date: 11/26/97_
_Author: Dong Bei_
_Copyright© by China Daily_

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Culture Notes (Page 9, Date: 11/25/97)
Unforbidden tales
"TALES of the Forbidden City," edited by Cheng Qinhua and
published in English by the Foreign Language Press (Beijing),
reveals a mysterious picture of the Forbidden City.
The Forbidden City was the imperial palace of the Ming (1368-1644)
and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties, from where 24 emperors ruled China
for 500 years. It is the largest group of ancient palace buildings
in the world and is in an excellent state of preservation.
The Forbidden City (today known as the Palace Museum) was
traditionally forbidden to ordinary people, but now is open to
visitors from all over the world. This book, written in an
easy-to-read style, gives not only a vivid description of the
emperors' coronation and wedding ceremonies, and of the luxurious
and extravagant court life, along with some inside stories, it is
also a detailed guide to the places of interest and precious
antiques preserved in the palace.
Hand therapy
"HAND Therapy: Traditional Chinese Remedies," compiled by Wang
Sheng and Wang Weidong, has been published in English by the
Foreign Languages Press (Beijing).
In traditional Chinese medicine, the hand can be used to diagnose
diseases because pathological information is reflected in the
hand. This method can also be used to prevent and treat diseases,
improve the quality of life and maintain health by applying
various types of stimulation to specific areas of the hand.
This is not a fantasy. The hand as a part of the body lies in a
common environment with other structures and has a close
relationship with the body's internal organs. Hand therapy is
simple and easy to practice, and safe and reliable for obtaining
good therapeutic effects for a wide variety of diseases.
Compiled by experienced traditional medicine specialists, this
book discusses the origins, development, characteristics and
indications of hand therapy as well as common methods of hand
massage, hand acupuncture, hand bath and hand qigong used to treat
various medical, surgical, gynecological and pediatric diseases.
It is concise, practical, written with ease and grace, and
includes 50 illustrations. This book is meant to satisfy the needs
of medical workers and average readers alike to understand, learn
and practice this unique hand therapy, created and developed over
many years in China.
Treating cancer
"TREATMENT of Cancer the Chinese Way," published in English by the
New World Press (Beijing), will serve as an indispensable
reference for people who are engaged in the research of cancer
treatment, those who are suffering from the disease and those who
are close to the victims.
At present cancer is still considered to be a fatal disease
worldwide. Traditional Chinese medicine has unleashed new hope for
cancer patients and doctors treating the disease.
This book was written by Xie Weiwei, a physician with 30 years of
clinical experience. Xie was motivated to seek new ways to cure
cancer by using Chinese medical therapy when his only son died
from cancer several years ago. He has achieved considerable
success in this field.
The author lists 100 successful case examples in this book. Along
with each example the author makes a penetrating analysis and
provides remarks about the administered herbs and formulae.
Simultaneously, he illustrates the mechanism of traditional
Chinese medicine in curing cancer, a concept which may still seem
mysterious to many Westerners. (CD News)
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_Date: 11/26/97_
_Author: _
_Copyright© by China Daily_

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Silk Road provides canvas
ON a freezing day in late November 1989, customs staff workers at
the border of China and Pakistan were about to close Kunjirap Pass
on the 5,000-metre high Pamir Plateau. The temperature was -40
degrees centigrade. No one would be able to go through the pass in
such cold. They had to leave or risk being buried by the snow.
As they were ready to go, they heard the roar of a motor and saw a
jeep with two passengers struggling to get through the icy pass.
They rushed to the jeep, pushed it back and shouted, "Don't be
foolish. You'll be dead!"
The passengers -- Zhao Yixiong, then 55, and his wife Geng Yukun,
54 -- are professional artists from the Beijing Art Academy. This
was their 15th time painting and travelling along the Silk Road.
The Silk Road, opened by the Han Dynasty (206 BC - 220AD) in 139
BC, is regarded as a bridge between East and West. It starts at
Chang'an (now Xi'an) and ends at Istanbul.
From 1975 to 1995, Zhao and Geng travelled the Silk Road 16 times
and created more than 5,000 paintings.
They have held a series of exhibitions at home and abroad focusing
exclusively on the Silk Road. Zhao is an expert oil painter; Geng
is well known for her traditional Chinese painting. They graduated
in 1960 from the Central Academy of Fine Arts, where their
friendship blossomed into love.
"They are black horses breaking a new path on the overlapping
parts of history and art," said Song Jiange, a historian.
Zhao began his first Silk Road journey in the autumn of 1975 when
he was asked by the Museum of Chinese History to paint Tianshan
Mountains which stretches from west to east over the Xinjiang
Uygur Autonomous Region in Northwest China.
Tianshan Mountains was the first painting Zhao worked on after he
was sent to work in a Beijing factory to receive "re-education"
during the "cultural revolution" (1966-76).
In the factory, he began his dream of travelling along and
painting the Silk Road, which had never been systematically
recorded and reproduced in pictures.
Like many who use a paintbrush to express emotion, Zhao insists he
is not a man of words but of actions. Although they are in their
60s, Zhao and his wife still regularly go out painting.
In 1987, the couple started their tour of the southern and middle
passages along the Silk Road in Xinjiang. To gain material, they
decided to circle the Taklimakan Desert, which ranks second to
only the Sahara in size.
In the Uygur language, "Taklimakan" means "no one returns alive."
Like the historic sites they painted that are no more to be seen,
they, too, were nearly buried in sand.
In November 1989, on their way to Urumqi, the capital of Xinjiang,
the couple drove their jeep at a crawl over a path that collapsed.
The path is on one side of the river. The floods emptied the earth
beneath the path.
When they realized and braked suddenly, they found their jeep
trembling on the path.
People have described the couple as the "modern Xuan Zang," the
eminent monk of the Tang Dynasty (618-960) in 632 who spent 17
years on a journey to India seeking Buddhist scriptures. The
couple went through the Silk Road as Xuan Zang did 1,400 years
ago, collecting and copying thousands of ancient frescoes.
Few people like to copy frescoes for it requires time and money,
and is unprofitable.
"We try to save the precious legacy," Zhao said. "We have only one
regret: We started too late."
They were called "two fools" by the late master of traditional
Chinese painting, Ye Qianyu. But in 1985, after seeing their
fresco copies, he added, "We badly need those fools."
Wang Luobin, the "king of the Western songs," was moved by Zhao
and Geng's working spirits and composed a song for the couple. It
says, "Two swans are flying high in the sky, along the Silk Road,
crossing Pamir Plateau; they painted the spring, the flowers and
the aspiration of peace in peoples around the world..."
Since they have no children, the couple depend on each other. In
her late 20s, Geng suffered from a uterine tumour and had a
hysterectomy.
In their 12-square-metre bedroom in Beijing Art Academy, the paint
on the wall has peeled off while the paint in the oil paintings
which lean against the wall glitters. A 9-inch black-and-white
television stands on an old desk. Next to it is a secondhand
refrigerator and washing machine.
In 1994, when Zhao retired from Beijing Art Academy (Geng had
retired four years before), they lost their studio at the academy.
Where could they store their more than 5,000 paintings including
3,000 oil paintings? They had to empty their savings and buy a
house in Mentougou District, a two-hour ride from downtown
Beijing.
Under the heavy debt caused by the house, they live on their
pensions. In their two-storey house, there is almost nothing but
thousands of paintings. They seldom buy fruits and vegetables,
instead, they eat edible wild herbs which can be found on the
hills around their house.
Their neighbours call them "beggars who carry gold bowls." Why
don't they sell their paintings?
"We don't like to sell our paintings as landscapes," Zhao says.
"We'd like them on display as a complete history and art material
on the Silk Road, which can be used by more people."
In talking about his art, Zhao says he is mainly a realist painter
but adds, "I'm by no means limited by realism because basically,
art should please the eyes."
Zhao believes content should determine form. In his paintings, the
figures are usually portrayed roughly, but the landscapes are
either full of power and grandeur, or they contain elements of
culture and history.
"In his paintings, I see the feelings, aspirations, understanding
and thoughts of a man in practice," says Wu Guanzhong, a master
painter and professor at the China Central Academy of Fine Arts.
"His creations are full of the aroma of earthiness."
Forty of the couple's paintings have been collected by the China
National Art Museum. More than 10 have been collected by the
Chinese Buddhist Assn and the Museum of Chinese History.
Their published works include "Zhao Yixiong's Oil Paintings on
Uygur Region," "Images of the Silk Road," "Copies of Rediscovered
Turpan Frescoes" and a series of picture books named "Silk Road
Travel."
"Even now some painters try to meet the buyers' tastes," Zhao
said. "Good art is not driven by businessmen. I can say a lot of
paintings on the market have more to do with paint than with
life."
To that, Geng adds, "But we have our own choice. We are ready to
face loneliness."
In 1989, they drove their jeep for the first time along the Silk
Road to Pakistan, Iraq, Iran and Turkey.
The road is far from easy. As Pakistani Ambassador Anemul Heue,
said at their farewell ceremony, "The Silk Road is not a road
paved with glittering silk, as children think, but a road full of
dangers and hardships."
The couple well know it but are not deterred.
"My career path has been littered with a lot of big rocks, and I
think I can remove these hurdles one by one," Zhao said.
Their 20 years of travel along the Silk Road and the 250,000
kilometres they have covered proves they can do it.
"Even for a 63-year-old, there is a first time for everything,"
Zhao says.
Just as he started to learn to drive at age 52, he has now begun
to raise money for their 17th Silk Road journey. This time, the
couple plan to travel the Silk Road route in the north of Russia,
also called the Grasslands Roads.
_____________________________________________________________

_Date: 11/26/97_
_Author: Wang Ying_
_Copyright© by China Daily_

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What's on (Page 10, Date: 11/25/97)
STAGE
Russia ballet -- The Kremlin Ballet from Russia will perform two
immortal classical ballets -- "Swan Lake" and "The Nutcracker" --
at the Beijing Beizhan Theatre.
Set up in 1990, the theatre boasts a number of first-class ballet
dancers. Most of their performances are classical.
Time: 7:15 pm, December 5 and 6 ("Swan Lake"); 7:15 pm, December 7
( "Nutcracker").
Place: Beizhan Theatre, Xiwai Dajie, Xicheng District, Beijing.
Tel:6500-3388 ext 530.
Novel ballet -- The Guangzhou Ballet will present to Beijing
theatre-goers "La Dame aux Camelias," a ballet based on the novel
by Alexandre Dumas (1824-95), a French novelist.
Andre Pugovsky, the choreographer of the ballet, enjoys an
outstanding reputation in the world. In 1995, he helped the
Guangzhou Ballet rehearse "Anna Karenina," a ballet based on the
novel by Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy (1828-1910). He favours the
themes of tragic women in classical novels. This month, he will
once again co-operate with the Guangzhou Ballet in rehearsing "La
Dame aux Camelias."
The cast includes Tong Shusheng, Zhang Dandan, Guo Fei, Zou Gang,
Zhao Yuemeng and Su Hong. The conductor is Bian Zushan.
Time: 7:15 pm, December 21 and 22.
Place: Beizhan Theatre, Xiwai Dajie, Xicheng District.
Tel: 6403-6065.
Dunhuang dance -- "Black Phoenix," a ballet drama based on the
Dunhuang mural, will be presented at the Beijing Beizhan Theatre
as an event of the '97 China International Opera and Dance Drama
Year.
Performed by the Guangzhou Ballet, the drama tells a beautiful and
tragic legend about the "nine-colour deer." On the basis of
classical ballet, the drama has borrowed some techniques from
China's ancient dances and folk dances. Critics have praised it as
a "ballet with strong national flavour."
Time: 7:15 pm, December 18-19.
Place: Beizhan Theatre, Xiwai Dajie, Xicheng District.
Tel: 6403-6065.
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_Date: 11/26/97_
_Author: _
_Copyright© by China Daily_

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Updated on September 24, 1997

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_[1]The 15th Party Congress_

_[2]Sep. 12 - Sep.18, 1997_

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[3][LINK] _[4]General Secretary Jiang Zemin's
Report to the 15th Party Congress_
[5][LINK] _[6]New Party Leadership elected,
Top Leaders' Profiles_
[7][LINK] _[8]Communique of 15th CPC Central
Committee's First Plenum_

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Feedback: [9]cd...@chinadaily.net

_Copyright by CBnet ®, China Daily Information_

References

1. http://www.chinadaily.net/cndy/history/15/engtg124.html
2. http://www.chinadaily.net/cndy/history/15/engtg124.html
3. http://www.chinadaily.net/cndy/history/15/report.html
4. http://www.chinadaily.net/cndy/history/15/report.html
5. http://www.chinadaily.net/cndy/history/15/engtgb46.html
6. http://www.chinadaily.net/cndy/history/15/engtgb46.html
7. http://www.chinadaily.net/cndy/history/15/engtgb09.html
8. http://www.chinadaily.net/cndy/history/15/engtgb09.html
9. mailto:cd...@chinadaily.net

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[1][LINK]

[2][LINK]

[3][LINK]

[4][LINK]

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_Chinese, U.S. Presidents Hold Press Conference _

WASHINGTON, October 30 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Jiang
Zemin and U.S. President Bill Clinton have agreed that China
and the United States should strengthen cooperation in
building a strategic partnership oriented toward the 21st
century, with a view to promoting world peace and
development.
This was stated by Jiang during a joint press conference by
the two presidents Wednesday.
The two presidents also shared the view of holding regular
visits between the two countries' heads of state,
facilitating a Washington-Beijing presidential communications
link, triggering the mechanism of a regular exchange of
visits by foreign ministers and other cabinet officials, as
well as strengthening cooperation in economic, scientific and
technological, cultural, educational fields and in law
enforcement.
Jiang described his talks with Clinton as "constructive and
fruitful," and believed that his ongoing visit could attain
the goal of enhancing mutual understanding, broadening common
ground, developing cooperation and building the future.
The two presidents also agreed to handle bilateral relations
and differences in line with the principles of mutual
respect, non-interference in each other's internal affairs,
equality and mutual benefit, and seeking common ground while
putting aside differences.
Clinton said that Jiang's visit to the United States gave
them the opportunity and the responsibility to build a future
that is more secure, more peaceful, more prosperous for both
peoples.
The two countries share a profound interest in a stable,
prosperous and open Asia, and a strong interest in stopping
the spread of weapons of mass destruction and other
sophisticated weaponry, Clinton said.
He said he agreed to move ahead with the U.S.-China agreement
for cooperation concerning the peaceful use of nuclear
energy.
In both China and the United States, trade has been a
critical catalyst for growth, and China is the fastest
growing market in the world for America's goods and services,
Clinton said. He also said the United States would "do
everything possible to bring China into the World Trade
Organization."
Referring to the Taiwan issue, Jiang said that China wishes
to effect the peaceful reunification of the motherland by
means of implementing Deng Xiaoping's concept of "one
country, two systems."
But China is not committed to giving up the use of force in
this regard, he said, adding that this does not target the
Taiwan compatriots, but direct against the foreign force
interfering in Taiwan affairs and against the scheme that
would attempt to separate Taiwan from China.
On the human rights issue, Jiang said the current world is a
rich and diverse one, and concepts on democracy and human
rights and on freedoms are relative and specific ones.
Therefore, they should be determined by the specific national
situation of different countries.

References

1. http://www.chinadaily.net/cndy/history/visit/report.htm
2. http://www.chinadaily.net/cndy/history/visit/d1-jiang_j15.htm
3. http://www.chinadaily.net/cndy/history/visit/comment.htm
4. http://www.chinadaily.net/cndy/history/visit/backgrnd.htm

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