River HongBao - The colourful festival that heralds the Chinese New Year

Article by Pushpitha Wijesinghe

Summary:The River Hongbao is a vibrant festival that falls in line with the arrival of Chinese New Year and is a collection of traditional Chinese items and cultural displays together with music and dance items and fireworks that can entertain a wide range of audience.

A colourful extravaganza of music, colour and performances are the order of the day at the annual Singapore River Hongbao. In accordance with the Chinese calendar, the festival takes place 15 days before the Lunar year and is an event that revives the Chinese culture and traditions, their performing arts. It also brings to the limelight their ever famous handicrafts.

The Hongbao meaning the 'Red packet' stands for a monetary gift that is used in the New Year. In every sense, the event is a harbinger of good fortune as it brings to light the talents of the local youth and the expertise of an older generation with their handicrafts etc. The show however is not restricted to ancient Chinese arts, but instead incorporates the more modern concepts like the pop culture with popular international artists performing. Indeed it provides a platform for many artists from countries such as China, Malaysia and Indonesia whose cultural performances add a reliving contrast to the line up of events.

From spectacular fireworks to heart wrenching movie performances to mouth watering food items, the event has something special for everyone. Often there are displays of the famous characters in Chinese history and culture such as the animals of the Chinese zodiac as well as the God of fortune. The event that is held in Marina floating bay on most years also features other popular Chinese entertainment like calligraphy as well as riddle solving. There is also a food fair for anyone who wants to nibble on some snacks. The Chinese lanterns are a common sight at the festival and they can be seen designed from various novel concepts as well as unique raw material.

While in Singapore for the festival, one can avail themselves the ! supreme comfort of a luxury hotel Singapore. The renowned Raffles hospitality can be experienced right here in Singapore at the Raffles Hotel, Singapore. From its colonial architecture to its landscaped gardens to it array of restaurants, everything is immersed in timeless elegance and has their own story to tell. With a fabulous array of residential options and a great location close to the city's major attractions, this Singapore hotel combines supreme comforts with the convenience factor to ensure a fulfilling stay for all its guests.

Sugar Painting - Chinese Dragon

A very traditional Chinese folk art which is really rarely seen nowadays.

Video Rating: 4 / 5


The Art of Chinese Brush Painting (Artist's Library Series)

Chinese brush painting is an ancient art form associated with grace, simplicity, and precision. With this wonderful addition to the Artist's Library Series, you too can learn the secrets to painting in this classic, fluid style. Inside, accomplished Chinese brush artist Lucy Wang covers the fundamentals of this medium, such as handling the brush and creating elegant strokes, as well as information on the history of the art form. Then she guides you step by step through a series of painting lessons, from flowers and animals to a landscape and a traditional figure.

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Chinese Classical Furniture (Images of Asia)

Chinese hardwood furniture of the Ming dynasty is known the world over for its classical beauty and ingenious design. This beautifully illustrated introduction to Ming furniture opens with a short history of Chinese furniture styles; goes on to discuss the many varieties of chairs, tables, beds, cabinets, and stands included among Ming pieces; and uses woodblock prints of the time to explore how the pieces were arranged and used.

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The Rough Guide to China 5 (Rough Guide Travel Guides)

The Rough Guide to China is the definitive guidebook to one of the world's most fascinating and rapidly changing travel destinations. The full-colour introduction gives an inspiring insight into many of China's highlights, from the awesome scenery down the Yangzi River to the incredible Great Buddha at Leshan and the lavish Confucius Temple. Read expert background on everything from the treasures of the Forbidden City to the Buddhist art of the Mogao Caves as well as comprehensive information on China''s history, politics, cultures and peoples. This fully- updated fifth edition includes an extended chapter on Shanghai and new colour inserts throughout allowing you to chose where to go and what to see, inspired by over 150 photos. Rely on our selection of the best places to stay and eat, for every budget with place names, accommodation and restaurants invaluably translated into Chinese script. Featuring over 140 detailed maps plus vital Chinese characters, this indispensable guide takes you from cutting-edge clubs in Shanghai to holy mountains in Tibet and from ancient temples to gleaming new skyscrapers.

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The Chinese Army Today: Tradition and Transformation for the 21st Century (Asian Security Studies)

The Chinese Army Today is a comprehensive study of the Chinese military, examining its ground forces in a level of detail not found in any other contemporary works. This new, revised edition has been fully updated to take account of recent changes in the institution.

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Art in China (Oxford History of Art)

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China boasts a history of art spanning 5,000 years and embracing a wide diversity of images and objects--from jade tablets, painted silk handscrolls and fans to ink and lacquer painting, porcelain-ware, sculpture, and calligraphy. But this rich tradition has not, until now, been fully appreciated in the West where scholars have focused their attention on sculpture, while largely ignoring those art forms most highly prized by the Chinese themselves, such as calligraphy. Now, in Art in China, Craig Clunas marks a breakt! hrough i n the study of the subject. Taking into account all the arts practiced in China, and drawing on recent innovative scholarship, this rich text examines the production and consumption of art in its appropriate contexts. From art found in tombs to the state-controlled art of the Mao Zedong era, Art in China offers a novel look and comprehensive examination of all aspects of Chinese art.

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Peranakan Chinese Porcelain: Vibrant Festive Ware of the Straits Chinese (No)

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Peranakan Chinese Porcelain is illustrated with over 800 full-color photographs of these distinctive porcelain types. Supported by text and photographs on many related aspects of the characteristic Straits Chinese culture, such as architecture, dress and cuisine, Peranakan Chinese Porcelain is a wonderful contribution to the history of the Straits Chinese.

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Total Modernity and the Avant-Garde in Twentieth-Century Chinese Art

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Chinese Calligraphy (The Culture & Civilization of China)

Chinese calligraphy, with its artistic as well as utilitarian values, has been treasured for its formal beauty for more than three millennia. This lavishly illustrated book brings to English language readers for the first time a full account of calligraphy in China, including its history, theory, and importance in Chinese culture. Representing an unprecedented collaboration among leading Chinese and Western specialists, the book provides a definitive and up-to-date overview of the visual art form most revered in China.

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(20081221)

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In the Realm of the Flower Phoenix

The Flower Phoenix is an ancient handscroll which has been created through generations of women artists. The original page of the handscroll was created by China's Tang Dynasty poet Li Bai. The Tang Dynasty is considered by many to be the height of Chinese artistic culture, and Li Bai is China's most renowned ancient poet. Li Bai was inspired by the beauty of Yang Mei. Yang Mei inspires the master painter Wu Daozi. Wu Daozi creates the second page of the Flower Phoenix handscroll. Legends say that Wu Daozi was a mystical painter, who at the end of his life painted a doorway in the side of a mountain, opened the door and disappeared forever.
Each generation creates panels in the book. By telling the story, the storyteller creates a portal into the Realm of the Flower Phoenix. The "storybearer" reads the story and summons the power of the energy of all the generations.
The story opens with Mable "Peach Blossom" Yang's one hundredth birthday celebration. She is going to pass the book on to the next generation. Mable is the most potent storybearer in the family line.
Hand scroll paintings were rolled from one side to the other and as each painted section was revealed, the story of the imagery was viewed and discussed. The book unfolds over many generations and the lives of the long line of women artists who created the Flower Phoenix are brought to life by the telling.The Flower Phoenix is an ancient handscroll which has been created through generations of women artists. The original page of the handscroll was created by China's Tang Dynasty poet Li Bai. The Tang Dynasty is considered by many to be the height of Chinese artistic culture, and Li Bai is China's most renowned ancient poet. Li Bai was inspired by the beauty of Yang Mei. Yang Mei inspires the master painter Wu Daozi. Wu Daozi creates the second page of the Flower Phoenix handscroll. Legends say that Wu Daozi was a mystical painter, who at the end of his life painted a doorway in the side of a mountain, opened the door and disappe! ared for ever.
Each generation creates panels in the book. By telling the story, the storyteller creates a portal into the Realm of the Flower Phoenix. The "storybearer" reads the story and summons the power of the energy of all the generations.
The story opens with Mable "Peach Blossom" Yang's one hundredth birthday celebration. She is going to pass the book on to the next generation. Mable is the most potent storybearer in the family line.
Hand scroll paintings were rolled from one side to the other and as each painted section was revealed, the story of the imagery was viewed and discussed. The book unfolds over many generations and the lives of the long line of women artists who created the Flower Phoenix are brought to life by the telling.

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BK0271Y-Chinese Painted Fancy Basket , Vintage, China, Wood (Mu), Antique Asian Decor: Chinese Paint

  • Vintage
  • China
  • Red / Gold
  • 13" wide x 13" deep x 16.5" high
Chinese painted fancy food basket with carved images of bats of happiness and deer on lid and other Chinese symbols on the bottom rim. Reed handles and red lacquered finish.

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Chinese calligraphy writing and brush painting / sumi set

  • Great starter set
  • 5 brushes, ink well / stone, ink stick, signing ink, stone chop, brush rest, & water well
  • Nicely presented in chinese brocade gift box
  • Size: 8.5" x 6"
  • Made in China
Chinese character writing is a highly evolved discipline that relies as much on artistic craftsmanship, as it does on literary composition. Our basic writing set comes with two brushes, a black ink stick, ink stone and red ink for the "chop" or signature stamp. The ink is made by gently rubbing the ink stick in a small pool of water in the ink stone. This ancient method allows for very little waste. The same bushes and inks may be used both for writing and painting, as the two art forms are so closely linked. Our writing set comes from Shanghai, the literary capital of China. Also available on Amazon from REORIENT, is the traditional rice paper used for painting and writing.

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