ChinaDaily[970907-8]

[Chinese News]

China Daily

97 / 09 / 07 /

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1. Lushan boasts natural beauty, cultural legacy
2. Historical sites in Hubei lure tourists
3. Tide god's weird waves spawn popular festival
4. What's on (Page 6, Date: 09/06/97)
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Lushan boasts natural beauty, cultural legacy

ON December 7, 1996, Mt Lushan in Jiangxi Province was listed by the
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
(Unesco) on the World Heritage List.

The UN citation read: "With its distinctive style of historical
remains, combined with its remarkable natural beauty, Mt Lushan forms
a highly aesthetic vision that is very close to the spirit of the
Chinese people and their cultural life."

In China, the unique scenery, favourable climate and rich cultural
heritage of Mt Lushan make it a highly popular tourist destination.

In the past 6,000 years, a substantial Lushan Culture has developed
around Mt Lushan, combining grotesque peaks and spectacular streams
with religious, academic and political activities.

Mt Lushan stands on the southern bank of the Yangtze River and the
western shore of Poyang Lake, the largest freshwater lake in China. It
is 36 kilometres from the inland port city of Jiujiang, Jiangxi
Province.

Among the greenery, peculiar-shaped peaks resembling giants, sages or
fairies surge up, waterfalls plunge from on high, and lakes and
roaring streams dot the mountainside.

Although Jiujiang, the stopover point on the route to Lushan has a
reputation as an "oven" with summer temperatures often climbing as
high as 37 or 38 degrees centigrade in July, the particular
geographical conditions of Mt Lushan mean it offers a cool retreat
from the baking temperatures of the Yangtze plain.

The beauty of Mt Lushan varies according to the season. In spring, the
mountain is wreathed in swathes of thick mist; in summer, abundant
rains drench the mountain; the autumn scenery exhilarates tourists,
while in winter, the mountain is covered by a mantle of shimmering
snow.

Some tourists complain about the foggy days, which occur for six
months of the year, but many others enjoy the mysterious and dreamy
scenes.

I was one of the lucky tourists to visit Mt Lushan in early July.
Although this is the season for rainy and foggy days, we were treated
to wonderful sunshine when we arrived at the magnificent Hanbo Gorge.
From there, we obtained a splendid panorama of the blue Poyang Lake
stretching to the horizon and the far-off Yangtze River.

Apart from its wonderful natural beauty, Mt Lushan also boasts a long
list of well-known figures from Chinese history including literary
giants, famous philosophers, poets, painters and calligraphers. Sima
Qian, the father of Chinese history who lived during the Western Han
Dynasty (AD 22-220), climbed Mt Lushan and put down his experiences in
his "Historical Records." Wang Xizhi, the great calligrapher of the
Song Dynasty (960-1279) used to live by a stream in the mountain, and
practised calligraphy while

raising a gaggle of geese. One of his giant calligraphic characters of
"e" meaning goose is still kept in the Lushan Museum.

Tao Yuanming, a great poet and writer of the Eastern Jin Dynasty (AD
317-420) was born on Mt Lushan and lived his whole life there. He
wrote many poems and essays about the mountain. His most popular prose
composition vividly depicts a Utopian village, the model for which is
a valley in the southwest part of the mountain. In the Tang (AD
618-907) and Song (960-1279) dynasties, other famous men of arts and
letters such as Li Bai, Bai Juyi, Su Shi, Lu You and Zhu Xi lived and
worked here as officials. About 1

,500 noted writers, poets and artists throughout history have left a
legacy of 4,000 poems, 900 cliff-carvings and countless paintings,
calligraphic works and writings about Mt Lushan.

In modern times, many famous writers, including American Nobel Prize
winner Pearl Buck and the Chinese author Lin Yutang, wrote some of
their works on the mountain. Lin's popular English work, "My Country
and My People," was written on Mt Lushan.

The late Chairman Mao Zedong, who was also a great poet, wrote two
poems praising the Mt Lushan scenery.

Today, more than 1,000 monks and nuns live in a splendid, huge
Buddhist temple on Mt Lushan -- the Donglin Temple at the northwestern
foot of the mountain. This temple was established by monk Hui Yuan in
the Eastern Jin Dynasty (AD 317-420). He lived there for 36 years and
set up a religious sect -- the Pure Land Sect -- which emphasizes
salvation by faith in Amitabha. The ideas of the sect spread to many
places at home and abroad, especially in Japan, where many people
worship Hui Yuan as the father of thi

s religious sect. Every year, many domestic and foreign visitors come
to visit Donglin Temple.

A famous religious mountain, Lushan has many Buddhist and Taoist
temples, Catholic churches and Islamic mosques built before the
founding of New China. The sound of bells and swirling of incense
smoke pervade the mountain.

Buddhism and Taoism developed vigourously on Mt Lushan. The famous
Song Dynasty Confucian philosopher Zhu Xi, who was also a literary
giant and poet, reconstructed the White Deer Hollow Academy at the
foot of the mountain when he was head official of Nankang County. The
academy, designed to promote the study of Confucian theory, covers 200
hectares with the buildings occupying 3,800 square metres. The
academy, one of the four famous academies in Chinese history, followed
the Chinese style of higher learning

practised in earlier times. Strolling along the winding corridors and
high, spacious rooms, the environment is indeed impressive. And
visitors always admire Zhu Xi's inspired idea of putting his academy
in such a beautiful place.

Guling, "bull hill city," is an attractive small town with 20,000
inhabitants. Since 1885, more than 1,000 Western-style villas have
been built in the town and its environs. At present, more than 600
villas reflecting the architectural styles of 18 countries stand in
green woods, on gentle hills and by trickling streams. The most
remarkable one is Meilu, owned by Chiang Kai-shek before 1949; the
villa has now been converted into a museum open to the public.

Many revolutionaries and political leaders considered Mt Lushan as an
important arena between the 1930s and 1970s.

In 1927, the leaders of the Chinese Communist Party discussed their
plans for the August 1 Nanchang Uprising here. In 1937, the late
Premier Zhou Enlai twice went to the mountain to urge Chiang Kai-shek
to resist the Japanese military invasion. Chiang used Mt Lushan as his
summer resort.

In 1959, 1961 and 1970, the late Chairman Mao Zedong led the Party to
hold three very important congresses on the mountain. These meetings
had a far-reaching influence on the nation.

With its spectacular and beautiful natural scenery and rich cultural
heritage, Mt Lushan is attracting more tourists and researchers from
home and abroad every year.
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_Date: 09/06/97_
_Author: Fu Zhiqiang_

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Historical sites in Hubei lure tourists

ABOUNDING in natural scenery and sites of historical importance, Hubei
Province appears to have grown into one of the most important tourist
destinations in Central and West China.

As the birthplace of the ancient Chu (a state in the Warring States
period 475-221 BC) culture, one of the important components of Chinese
culture, Hubei houses the serial bells in its provincial museum.

A symbol of the Chu culture, the 65 giant bronze bells weighing 2,500
kilograms were unearthed in Suixian County, Hubei, in 1978. They date
back more than 2,400 years.

Played at ancient sacrificial ceremonies and banquets, they are
believed to represent the highest achievements in ancient China's
bronze culture.

Researchers consider the 2,800 ancient Chinese characters inscribed on
them the earliest music textbook.

They found each bell could make two different musical sounds, and the
bells could play any music on the 12 chromatic scale.

They concluded the 12 chromatic scale may have evolved in China,
rather than in ancient Greece as previously believed.

In 1979, Chinese musicians played Beethoven's "Symphony No 9" with the
bells in Beijing's Museum of Chinese History.

Researchers have successfully duplicated some sets of these bells,
which have played music in many parts of the world, said You
Xiansheng, director of Hubei Provincial Tourism Bureau.

In Hubei, many sites of historical importance from the warring Three
Kingdoms period (AD 220-280) are open to tourists.

Almost every Chinese knows the period thanks to the popularity of "The
Romance of the Three Kingdoms," one of China's four best-known ancient
classics.

Seventy of the classic's 120 chapters are set in Hubei.

The residence of Zhuge Liang in Xiangfan where Zhuge, one of the most
important statesmen of the Three Kingdoms period and now the symbol of
wisdom in China, lived as a hermit, is a must for tourists interested
in the period.

Located in western Hubei, Mount Wudang is one of the best-known
mountains in China and China's famous Taoist Kungfu centre. It is on
the World Natural and Cultural Heritage List of the United Nations
Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco).

Rich in rivers and lakes, Hubei is called the "province of 1,000
lakes."

The Yangtze River, China's longest, runs for 1,200 kilometres in
Hubei. The most spectacular scenery in the Yangtze is the Three Gorges
known for their magnificent, tranquil and precipitous landscapes.

The Three Gorges are 201 kilometres long, of which more than 140
kilometres are in Hubei.

Each year, 70 per cent of the tourists coming to Hubei are here to see
the Three Gorges, said You.

Of the country's 17 luxury cruise ships catering to foreign tourists
visiting the Three Gorges, 13 are in Hubei, said You.

Also in western Hubei is the mysterious Shennongjia Nature Reserve, a
State reserve devoted to the protection of primitive forests and
precious wildlife.

Covering 3,250 square kilometres, the reserve was listed in Unesco's
Man and Biosphere in 1990.

Shennongjia, which was cut off from the outside and in a primitive
state, created the ideal environment for the growth of plants and
animals.

Home to more than 2,400 species of plants and more than 500 kinds of
animals, it is often referred to as a natural botanical garden and
zoo.

Since the late Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), a legendary "Bigfoot"
creature has been believed to have lived there.

Known in Chinese folklore as the "Wild Man," the creature is described
by most witnesses as a two-metre-tall animal with ape-like facial
features and a body covered with red hair. It has no tail and usually
leaves large footprints on snow and in the fields.

Although many people claim to have seen "Bigfoot," nobody has ever
caught one despite many efforts made.

Some scientists say the creature may be an unknown primate, while
others argue that what people have seen may actually be bears or
monkeys.

Since 1992, the Hubei provincial government has treated tourism as a
pillar of its economy. The last five years have witnessed the most
rapid development in the province's tourism sector, said You.

In this period, Hubei has received more than 1.38 million foreign
tourists, the number of tourists increasing by an average of more than
8.8 per cent each year.

In these five years, Hubei has earned $351 million from tourism, with
the sum increasing by an average of nearly 30 per cent each year.
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_Date: 09/06/97_
_Author: Huang Zhiling_

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Tide god's weird waves spawn popular festival

THE '97 China International Qianjiang Tide Festival will be held in
Haining of Zhejiang Province from September 17-21.

Haining, 61 kilometres from Hangzhou, is well-known for its rich
historical sites and a wonder of nature: the Qianjiang tide.

The mysterious Qianjiang tide -- an especially swirling, frothy wall
of water -- results from the combined gravities of the moon, the sun,
the centrifugal force of the earth and the special topography of the
Hangzhou Bay.

The truculent currents and weird, wonderful waves can been seen for
more than 120 days of the year, but the 18th day of the eigth lunar
month -- around September 15 -- has traditionally been recognized as
the best time to see it. Local people know the date as the "birthday
of the tide God" and celebrate a traditional festival.

In recent years, the place has enjoyed growing popularity as a hot
tourist destination. During this year's festival, cultural activities
and trade fairs will be held. (CD News)
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_Date: 09/06/97_
_Author: _

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What's on (Page 6, Date: 09/06/97)

CONCERTS

Japan symphony -- The Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra will present
two concerts in Beijing to mark the 25th anniversary of the
normalization of the Sino-Japanese relationship.

The orchestra will play under the baton of director Otaka Tadaaki on
September 26-27 at the Century Theatre. Pianist Yokoyama Yukio will be
featured performers at the concert.

Sponsored by the China Performing Arts Agency, the concert features
Schubert's "Rosamunde," Mendelssohn's "Violin Concertos," Brahms'
"Symphony No 1," Rachmaninov's "Piano Concerto No 2" and
Shostakovich's "Symphony No 5."

Time: 7:30 pm, September 26-27

Place: Beijing Century Theatre, 40 Liangmaqiaolu, Chaoyang District

Tel: 6405-5512, 6407-3532, 6405-5510

Cello Opens the Season -- The China National Symphony Orchestra will
open its 97/98 musical season with two concerts, joined by the
internationally recognized Chinese Wang Jian, on September 12-13 at
the Beijing Concert Hall.

Programmes include Dvorak's "Cello Concerto in B minor, op. 104" and
Berlioz's "Symphonie Fantastique" which will be conducted by the
orchestra's artistic director and conductor Chen Zuohuang.

Wang Jian, known to be a child prodigy, was picked up at age 11 by
violin virtuoso Isaac Stern who granted him an opportunity to study in
the United States.

Time: 7:15pm, September 12-13. Place: Beijing Concert Hall, 1
Beixinhuajie, Dongcheng District, Beijing. Tel: 6605-5812.

Authentic Strauss -- The Vienna Johann Strauss Orchestra will come to
visit China from September 18 to 24 and will give three concerts in
Beijing. The orchestra will perform on September 20 at the Beijing
Concert Hall and 21-22 at the Beijing Beizhan Theatre.

The Vienna Johann Strauss Orchestra was formed in 1966 by the eldest
grandson Edward Strauss of the most famous musician Johann Strauss in
their family tradition. It is an authentic Strauss orchestra with high
reputation. The orchestra travels to different parts of the world
every year, playing the compositions of the Strauss family. They
frequently visit Europe, the United States, Canada and Japan. In 1995,
the orchestra gave its first performance in China, winning large
popularities in Beijing and Shangha

i.

Time: September 20.

Place: Beijing Concert Hall

Time: September 21-22.

Place: Beijing Beizhan Theatre. Tel: 6601-4466 ext. 2303, 6523-2483,
6420-7261 ext. 116 & 121.

British percussionist -- Evelyn Glennie, a world-renowned solo
percussionist from Britain, will present two performances with the
orchestra of the China Central Opera and Ballet Theatre on September
11-12 at Beijing Concert Hall.

Born in Aberdeen, Scotland, Glennie has established herself as a
consummate musician and is recognized as the "First Lady" of solo
percussion.

This is Glennie's first visit to China.

The concert will be directed by En Shao, principal guest conductor of
the Euskadi Orchestra in Spain and music director of the Guildford
Philharmonic.

Time: 7:15 pm, September 5-6

Place: Beijing Concert Hall, 1 Bei Xinhuajie, Xicheng District

Tel: 6605-5812, 6605-7006

Weekend music series -- The Chinese Music Masterpieces Performing
Series will run at the Beijing Theatre from September 12 until the end
of 1999.

Performed by the Central Nationalities Orchestra, the China Opera and
Dance Drama Theatre, the China Song and Dance Ensemble, the Central
Conservatory of Music, the China Conservatory, and several other art
troupes, the programme aims to revitalize national music and advocate
national spirit. Altogether 120 performances will be given.

Time: 7:15 pm, every Friday until December 19

Place: Beijing Theatre, 10 Sanqu, Anhuili, Chaoyang District

Tel: 6491-0516, 6491-1228

EXHIBITIONS

Computerized fine arts -- The Beijing International Exhibition of
Computerized Art and Design '97 will run from September 9-30 at the
Exhibition Hall of the China Central Academy of Fine Arts.

Artists with their 136 contributions from 11 world famous art
institutes in nine countries participate in the show entitled
"Artistic Sphere in the Information Era."

With the help of the unique computer language, the latest works
visualize creative imaginations of the artists and the fresh looks of
the works impose upon the viewers a fresh impression of the fine arts
in the digital age.

A international symposium also will be held at the academy where
specialists in computerized art and design will deliver lectures on
the direction of the newly-emerged art form and its role in art
education.

Time: 9am-4pm, September 9-30. Place: Exhibition Hall of China Central
Academy of Fine Arts, 5 Xiaowei Hutong Dajie, Dongcheng District,
Beijing. Tel: 6525-4731 ext 384.

Prints show -- An exhibition showcasing selected prints by eminent
Chinese artists is running at Han Art Gallery.

Some 40 pieces works of woodcut, stone plate, copper plate, and
silkscreen will be on show. Most of the works have been purchased by
overseas collectors like Peter Ludwig from Germany and art galleries
like the British Museum.

Time: 9 am-5 pm, through September 25. Place: Han Art Gallery, Ritan
Dongyijie, Chaoyang District, Beijing. Tel: 6507-4062.

Japanese art exhibition -- The Rakuga Art Exhibition by a Japanese
artists group of seven artists from Osaka is to be held from September
14-15 at Gallery of the Central Academy of Fine Arts.

In Japanese "Rakuga" means the frontier areas of Japan. The artists
group was founded spontaneously. They have held Rakuga art exhibitions
in Korea and other countries, works including oil paintings,
sculptures and mixed media.

Time: 9am-6pm, September 14-15.

Place: Gallery of the Central Academy of Fine Arts,5 Xiaowei Hutong,
Wangfujing street, Dongcheng District.

Tel:6528-4838

Achievement show --A national exhibition will be held at the Beijing
Exhibition Centre to showcase a vast array of the country's
achievements since the 14th National Congress of the Chinese Communist
Party was held in 1992.

Participating in the event will be 64 departments under the State
Council and all provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities,
making it the largest exhibition since New China was founded in 1949.

The exhibition, to be held from September 7 to October 5, will be
divided into two sections, covering general and regional displays. The
interior exhibition section will cover 14,400 square metres, and the
exterior section 4,000 square metres.

Time: 9 am-5 pm, September 7-October 5

Place: Beijing Exhibition Centre, 135 Xiwai Dajie, Haidian district

Tel: 6832-3551

Ancient science --China's ancient science and technology will be on
display at a relics exhibition at the National Museum of Chinese
History from August 26 until February 26 next year.

The 321 exhibits come in five categories: relics, replicas of relics,
scientific and technological models, books and pictures dealing with
China's ancient history of science and technology.

Some treasures, such as the Copper Carriage cast in the Easter Han
Dynasty (25-220 AD), Buddhist Scriptures printed in Tang Dynasty
(618-907 AD) and Coloured Star Chart drawn in the Southern Song
Dynasty (1127-1279 AD), make their debuts. Some other exhibits have
cast new light on the history of the science of China. The Paper Map
of Western Han Dynasty (206 BC-24 AD) unearthed in the northwestern
Gansu Province, for example, has corrected the fixed standpoint that
paper was invented by the Chinese in the E

astern Han Dynasty.

Scientific and technological models are also worth a look. The models
of the compass carriage and seismograph, whose prototypes were lost
long before, will offer visitors some tangible sense of the
magnificence of the science and technology of ancient China.

Time: 9 am-4 pm, until February 26

Place: east side of Tian'anmen Square

Tel: 6526-6604

Clothing expo --The China International Clothing Exposition will hold
its autumn-winter exhibition on September 11-14 at the China World
Trade Centre.

Sponsored by the China Clothing Research Centre and the China World
Trade Centre, the expo has been acknowledged as one of the 10 major
clothing expositions. In previous years, the expo was held in April or
May and mainly displayed spring and summer clothes. The upcoming expo
will focus on autumn and winter clothes for the first time so as to
keep pace with international clothing expositions.

Time: 9 am-4 pm, September 11-14

Place: China World Trade Centre, 1 Jianguomenwai Dajie, Chaoyang
District

Tel: 6595-7226 or 6507-0463

Sculptures -- An exhibition of contemporary sculpture by Sui Jianguo
and Li Gang is being held at the Red Gate Gallery between August 30
and September 18. The show introduces the abstract works of Sui
Jianguo, the recently appointed head of the Sculpture Department of
the Central Academy of Fine Arts, and Li Gang, a newly appointed
lecturer at the same academy.

Time: 11 am-6 pm, until September 18

Place: Red Gate Gallery, Level 3, China World Hotel

Tel: 6505-2266 ext 6821/5729

Oil paintings from Russia -- The Oil Painting Show of the Russian
Repin Art Academy is being held at the gallery of the Beijing
International Art Palace and will run until September 14.

The exhibition will display more than 50 oil paintings by seven
Russian artists including Mernikov, master of the Russian oil
paintings. Combining modern concepts with the tradition of realism,
the exhibition brings a fresh and exotic taste to Beijing's art
lovers.

The Russian Repin Art Academy has an ancient history and is known to
the world for its teaching in a style of traditional European realism.
In the 1950s, many Chinese artists such as Luo Gongliu, Li Tianxiang,
Xiao Feng, Wu Biduan, Lin Gang, Qian Shaowu, Quan Shanshi and Guo
Shaogang studied here. The aesthetic judgments and teaching principles
of this academy once exerted an important influence upon Chinese art
circles.

Time: 9 am-8 pm, until September 14

Place: Beijing International Art Palace, 48 Wangfujing Dajie,
Dongcheng District

Tel: 6512-5063

BESETO arts festival -- The BESETO (Beijing-Seoul-Tokyo) Arts Festival
will be held on September 23-28 at the China National Art Museum.

The exhibition will display 60-plus paintings done by veteran, young
and middle-aged Chinese artists. Also on display are 120-plus
paintings done by more than 60 excellent painters from Japan and the
Republic of Korea. The paintings embody the common flavour of the
Oriental paintings and at the same time show each country's unique
style.

To promote cultural and art exchanges among China, Japan and the
Republic of Korea, the BESETO Fine Arts Festival was established in
1994. It was then held in Seoul in September 1995 and Tokyo in 1996.

Approved by China's Ministry of Culture, and sponsored by the Oriental
Art Exchange Society and four other departments, the current
exhibition is held marking the fifth anniversary of the establishment
of the diplomatic relations between China and the Republic of Korea,
and the 25th anniversary of the normalization of the diplomatic
relations between China and Japan.

Time: 9 am-4 pm, September 23-28

Place: China National Art Museum, 1 Wusi Dajie, Dongcheng District

Tel: 6401-2252 or 6841-3649

STAGES

Experimental drama -- The protagonist in Director Wu Xiaogang's new
courtroom drama, "Intentional Injury" (Guyi Shanghai), is Gui Yazhi,
the manager of a privately owned book shop. She has accused her deputy
manager, Yu Chen, of beating and robbing her. Yu denies the crime.
It's up to the jury to decide who's telling the truth.

The cast includes Feng Xianzhen, Han Tongsheng and Huang Xiaoli.

Time: 7:15 pm, September 10-24

Place: The Central Experimental Drama Theatre, A-45 Maor Hutong,
Di'anmen, Dongcheng District

Tel: 6403-1099

Japanese Ballet -- The Japan Nagoya Theatre of Ballet and Junior
Ballet, headed by Yoko Tsukamoto, will present first-class
performances on September 19-20 at the Beijing Beizhan Theatre.

Sponsored by the Beijing Venus Performing Company and the Beijing
All-Culture Development Company, the Japanese dancers will perform
pieces from Western classical ballet, Japanese modern ballet and
Chinese modern ballet, including "Don Quixote," "Pirate," "Swan Lake,"
"The Red Detachment of Women" and "The Moment of Angels."

Time: 7:30 pm, September 19-20

Place: Beijing Beizhan Theatre

Tel: 6835-1383 or 6405-7605
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_Date: 09/06/97_
_Author: _

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