Shu embroidery, as the longest-standing embroidery in China, is one of the four famous Chinese embroidery, along with Su embroidery, Xiang embroidery, and Yue embroidery. The hands of Shu embroidery weavers not only hold a precious craft, but also carry thousands of years of reproduction and imagination of flowers, birds, trees, rivers, and nature. Take a look at the history of Shu embroidery and its exquisiteness with Cosmopolitan's interview with Wang Xia, the inheritor of Shu embroidery.   The treasure of Shu embroidery begins at the tip of a needle The art of Shu embroidery, which began with a needlepoint, is a luxury for modern people, it is a craft that has been passed down for over two thousand years. Shu embroidery, with its bright and delicate colors and exquisite needlework, has formed its own unique charm, and its richness ranks first among the four famous embroideries. In fact, the history of Shu embroidery dates back to the Western Han Dynasty. "The industry of female workers, covering the world in clothes," was recorded in the "Book of the Later Han". At that time, the literary writer Yang Xiong described the scene of embroidering silk that could be seen everywhere in…

In 2023, besides mystery dramas "Who Is He", and "The Long Season" regaining their hold on the audience's attention, the tactics and heroic martial arts dramas have also made a comeback with a new style. Recently, "The Ingenious One," led by Chen Xiao and Mao Xiaotong, has rapidly gained popularity. The combination of revenge narrative, martial arts, ingenious reasoning, and commercial warfare has made this costume drama full of suspense and excitement. Many viewers are marveling at the return of the hot-blooded martial arts world that depicts loyalty, heroism, and courage. At the same time, "The Ingenious One" has also made breakthroughs in visual aesthetics, striving to retain the chivalrous charm of traditional martial arts in both appearance and essence. The antique and natural costume and makeup, gorgeous and realistic scenery, delicate and melodious music, and intense martial arts actions have deepened the quality of the drama, allowing viewers to immerse themselves in the joy and revenge of the martial arts world with the protagonist team. This drama has aroused the passion of long-hidden martial arts fans and once again sparked discussions about martial arts dramas. "The Ingenious One" is a high-quality drama that attempts to break the emotional idol…

With the evolution of society, modern individuals have a wide variety of hobbies and interests, and so did ancient Chinese people. We have gathered 8 traditional hobbies from ancient China to explore the interesting activities of the past.   Visiting temples In the agricultural society where the means of production were not yet developed, people of all ages and genders revered mysterious powers and often went to temples to seek peace. For instance, in the early days, people worshipped the Chenghuang Temple, which was believed to protect peace in a particular area. During the Tang and Song dynasties, the entertainment activities in temples gradually increased, attracting many ancient people to visit. There were various performances, including acrobatics, singing, and dancing.   Watching performances During the Tang Dynasty, Canjunxi (参军戏) was very popular. Actors dressed up as Canjun, and another actor performed jokes and funny acts. It was similar to how modern young people like to watch crosstalk and stand-up comedy shows. At that time, people could resolve their troubles by watching a "Canjunxi" show.   Collecting figurines "Mo He Le (磨喝乐)" was a beloved toy of young people in ancient times, mainly in the form of a child. According to…

From historical books and museums artifacts to ancient costume dramas, and being widely worn, the steps of hanfu entering the public eye are traceable. Hanfu culture is traditional, but has also become a trend. Nowadays, there are countless young people around the world who love hanfu culture, this is not a form of nostalgia or pilgrimage, but rather hanfu's enduring vitality is due to it being a living history, a living culture, and an enduring fashion. Despite this, Hanfu is still far from our daily lives for many of us. Some people are intimidated by the complex style and impracticality of Hanfu, while others are concerned with the rigorous and strict form of Hanfu, and are afraid to try it. What are the requirements for wearing hanfu? What are the controversies about the form of hanfu? How far are we from the ultimate goal of everyone wearing hanfu? In the form of a Q&A, Harper's Bazaar and hanfu culture enthusiast and promoter Yu Zhu discuss how hanfu can enter the daily lives of every hanfu lover.   The Threshold of Wearing Hanfu Yu Zhu first became aware of hanfu during her student days, from timid photo shoots in the early…

History of Winter Clothing Festival Winter Clothing Festival (寒衣节,  hányī jié), also known as "十月朝, shí yuè cháo," "祭祖节, jì zǔ jié," "冥阴节, míng yīn jié," "鬼头日, guǐ tóu rì," and "秋祭, qiū jì" is a holiday that occurred on October 1st on the lunar calendar. It emerged in the Zhou Dynasty but does not have any physical written records of it until the Song Dynasty.  Winter Clothing Festival goes along with "Qīngmíng Festival (清明节)" and "Zhōng yuán Festival (中元节)" and get categorized as the top three "Ghost Festivals" in China. The reason is because the three festivals all focused on the living paying their respects and providing their sacrifice offerings to their ancestors on that day. While Winter Clothing Festival Is grouped under the top three Ghost Festival, it is the festival among the others that have the least presence. The other two have a strong focus on people going grave sweeping or doing something unique for this festival, but Winter Clothing Festival it’s more about people expressing the idea of; "The weather is cooling. Winter is approaching soon. We need to start sewing up warm and thick outfits for winter." If you look at China’s cultural belief development,…

Cultivating crops and felling bamboo, crafting clothing, and refining silver, his every movement embodies the simplicity and purity of ancient times, like the ancient Chinese lifestyles. He achieves self-sufficiency in materials and mastery of skills, by reviving traditional crafts and cuisine, completely captivating the modern individual accustomed to advanced technology. "Feel the charm of traditional culture from the perspective of the ancients, and write the words of history as a vivid picture", in this article we'll introduce Lu Lei to you, learn to feel the wisdom of the ancients while experiencing the leisurely idyllic life. Lu Lei seems to have traveled from ancient times, dressed in traditional Hanfu clothing, with long hair and a headband, living in seclusion in a remote village in Fujian. He tends to a few acres of flower fields, keeping company with cats and dogs, living a leisurely and carefree life.   Intangible Cultural Heritage in Ancient Chinese Lifestyles Everlasting Flower Next to the trickling stream, cut down a straight rice-paper plant, remove the branches and leaves, extract the core, and with superb knife skills, peel them into thin sheets of paper. After trimming petals of various sizes, they undergo processes such as moistening, shaping, gluing, and drying,…

The revival of traditional clothing has become increasingly popular in recent years, with more people seeking to explore cultural heritage. Among the many aspects of Chinese culture enjoying renewed interest is the traditional dress known as hanfu. While the Tang and Ming dynasties' hanfu have been the most prevalent, but the hanfu of the Yuan Dynasty is also worth knowing. In this article, Hanfu Shidai will take us through the history of Hanfu during the Yuan Dynasty and examine its distinctive features. Firstly, prior to the Qing dynasty's implementation of the "shave hair and change clothes" policy, the traditional dress system of the Han people had been continuously inherited and developed without interruption. Although the Yuan dynasty was a period of Mongolian rule, the rulers at that time did not forcibly change the mainstream Han culture, and the Han clothing system naturally continued to be inherited. Secondly, the often mentioned "Tang-style", "Song-style", and "Ming-style" are modern-day conveniences adopted to associate with corresponding relics. They are also due to the long duration of these dynasties, which formed typical styles and designs. For example, during the Song dynasty, simplicity was valued, and the simple and elegant long Beizi became popular. In the…

Romance Xianxia drama "Back From the Brink" will officially launch on May 10th as the follow-up drama to "Till The End Of The Moon". With the overall quality and strength of "Back From the Brink", it may become another dark horse in the May period drama lineup with obvious potential for success. The drama "Back From the Brink" is adapted from the novel of the same name by Jiu Lu Fei Xiang. The main plot is as follows: twenty years ago, Tianyao (played by Hou Minghao) was stripped of his bones and sealed in the four directions with the power of the five elements by his beloved Su Ying (played by Yang Rong), the master of Guanghan Sects. Ten years ago, Tianyao's soul escaped from the seal by chance and he sensed that his dragon bones were sealed in a mountain village lake. He attached his soul to the body of a dead boy and waited for the opportunity to retrieve his dragon bones. The appearance of Yanhui (played by Zhou Ye) gave Tianyao hope. Originally, she had dragon blood in her heart, which could help him break the seal. So Tianyao began to use Yanhui to help him find…

On May 1st, "The Ingenious One" starring Chen Xiao and Rachel Momo, with Li Liying as the executive producer, Liang Zhenhua as the chief screenwriter and executive producer, and directed by You Dazhi, was launched as scheduled. Amidst the glimmer of blades and swords, the laughter and discussions of strategies, many spectators' dreams of the rivers and lakes were awakened, and their thirst for martial arts was quenched. Since the start of filming, "The Ingenious One" has been highly anticipated by both the industry and the public. Fans are curious to see the chemistry between Chen Xiao and Rachel Momo in ancient costume dramas, as well as the collective appearance of veteran actors such as Wang Jinsong, Hui Yinghong, and Qin Lan. How will the theme of "martial arts and tactics" be woven into the plot? The drama "The Ingenious One" not only has thrilling fight scenes and tightly woven intellectual battles, but also many other rich flavors, such as the satisfying feeling of fighting against evil, the amusing infiltration of personality, and the hidden modern logic of business warfare. The fusion of many elements makes it difficult to describe "The Ingenious One" as a simple new martial arts drama. However,…

At various Chinese festive events, the beautiful and elegant Chinese knots often appear as important decorations. As a traditional Chinese handicraft, it originated from knotting for record-keeping and has been widely used in daily life since then. To know more about Chinese knots, one must understand Basic Knots, which are the smallest units that can be combined and varied to create complex knot patterns, and they are the basic knotting method used in making Chinese knot art. Complex variations and combinations of these basic knots can be created through the use of these fundamental knots. This article will primarily focus on the forms and meanings of 12 basic Chinese knots.   Flat Knot The flat knot is an ancient and simple knot that can be made by winding one end of a line around the other line, with the later one being the axle. This knot can also be made with only one line by winding around an object to form a knot. Flat knots, while simple in appearance, are flat and easy to undo, which makes them widely used in daily life. They can be used to tie things together or to make bracelets, hanging chains, and other decorations,…

The popular Xianxia drama "Till The End Of The Moon" has adopted a large number of Dunhuang styles in costumes and makeup, which is different from conventional dramas. In addition to receiving a lot of praise, it has also made more people aware of and started to like Dunhuang costumes. As for the modern art form that integrates with the Dunhuang style, there has long been one. "Silk Road Flower Rain" is a famous Chinese ethnic dance drama, which is created based on the Silk Road and Dunhuang murals. Since its birth in 1979, it has been continuously performed, keeping up with the times, and enjoying a great reputation. The dance drama takes Dunhuang as its main theme, and the dance costumes have a strong Dunhuang style. Moreover, the dance "Thousand-Hand Guanyin" at the 2005 China Spring Festival Gala received rave reviews, which is also in Dunhuang style. The artistic expression of Dunhuang themes is very popular among audiences, and there are also many Dunhuang-style dances and costumes in some dance variety shows. Naturally, Dunhuang-style Hanfu has also been very popular among consumers. If you have been paying attention to Hanfu, you must be familiar with Dunhuang costumes, but are…

In the context of the Chinese language, "Ling Luo Chou Duan" usually refers to various exquisite silk fabrics. However, there are many types of ancient Chinese fabrics, and "Ling Luo Chou Duan" cannot cover them all. This article will briefly introduce how to identify various Chinese ancient hanfu fabrics such as "yarn, silk, brocade, velvet", and so on. However, it should be noted that the names of each textile organization in different dynasties are not exactly the same. They have also developed over time, so this is just a general explanation to give everyone a simple impression.   Structure of Ancient Chinese Fabrics The common structures in Chinese fabrics are needed to determine the relationship between each yarn, which is the pattern of overlapping warp and weft yarns in the fabric. There are five common types of structures, which are also known as San Yuan structures. Ping Wen Structure Ping Wen structure (plain weave) is woven with the warp and weft threads alternating over and under each other. Plain weave fabrics are durable and resistant to wear, but have less elasticity and a lower sheen. If you touch it, you will find that the feel is hard, but relatively thin.…

Chinese civilization is one of the oldest and longest-lasting civilizations in the world. As an ancient country with a brilliant civilization, countless legendary people and events have been a part of its long history, forming China's unique historical culture. This article will introduce you to a wonderful documentary series called "China". China - Season 1 Director: Li Dongshen / Zhou Yan / Fu Yongqiang Screenplay: Deng Jianyong Starring: He Jiong / Wang Han / Zhou Tao Release Date: 2020-12-07 "China" is a humanistic and historical documentary series produced by Hunan TV, Mango TV, and Beijing Bojing Culture. It portrays the people and stories of ancient Chinese civilization that have had the most profound impact on today's Chinese society, and is an absolute must-see for history enthusiasts. With a first-class audiovisual experience that surpasses movies, it took five years to produce and boasts a dream team of behind-the-scenes staff. Director Li Dongshen's team has previously produced two highly acclaimed documentary series, "Hexi Corridor" and "Rebirth." This time, he worked with the screenwriter of "The Rise of the Great Powers," Zhou Yan, as co-directors. In addition, stars such as Wang Han, and He Jiong portray historical figures in the series. Photography is…

The traditional colors of China are an indispensable part of Chinese culture. These colors are not just simple visual elements, but also carry rich cultural connotations and historical backgrounds. In traditional Chinese culture, each color has its unique symbolic meaning, and is closely related and complementary to many aspects. From architecture, clothing to painting, calligraphy, and even daily etiquette and festival activities, these traditional colors have been widely used and have become an essential element of Chinese culture. This article will explore the cultural connotations contained in traditional Chinese colors and their expressions in various fields.   01 What are traditional Chinese colors? When it comes to colors, we naturally think of specific colors such as red, yellow, blue, and green, each with a fixed number. But when we look at traditional Chinese colors, we see names such as "Xuan (玄)", "Xun (纁)", "Piao (缥)", "Qing Dai (青黛)", etc. If there is no special color card, I believe that most people will be confused when they see these color names. In fact, this is due to the different color order regulations between the East and the West. Western color culture pays more attention to physical properties and scientific theories, and…

As one of the most celebrated and sought-after ceramics of the Song Dynasty, Ru ware embodies a sense of understated refinement that has captivated collectors and scholars alike for centuries. One of the hallmarks of this delicate porcelain is its unique coloring, which comes from the use of glazes made from carefully selected natural materials. These hues are not only beautiful in their own right but also imbued with symbolic meaning that reflect important cultural values. In this article, we take a look at the ceramics of Zhang Wentao, a master of traditional Chinese arts and crafts, and delve into the delicate world of Ru ware and the fascinating relationship between its traditional colors and Chinese culture. As the pinnacle of Chinese porcelain, the beauty of Song Dynasty Ru ware has been continuously receive attention since its birth and gradually integrated into the lives of literati in various dynasties. Unlike the richness and liveliness of the Tang Dynasty, it removes all decorations and returns to nature. Simple and elegant, crystal clear. "Like jade, not jade, but better than jade", the aesthetic mood of the peaceful East is revealed. Even ancient emperors cannot resist this beauty. In the late Northern Song…

With the revival of Chinese culture, more and more people are paying attention to Hanfu. Recently, the minimalist Song-style Hanfu has received more and more attention due to its lightweight, elegant, and comfortable features. So, how can you wear it to show a rich ancient charm? Below are some key points for matching minimalist Song Dynasty Hanfu. The biggest feature of Hanfu is its ancient charm. No matter what kind of style it is, wearing it will give people a classical and atmospheric feeling. To show this temperament, we need to use styling and color matching. When matching traditional Hanfu, we should choose classical Chinese colors first, which gives a clear and bright feeling that is more in line with Eastern aesthetics. When matching, we can control the number of colors in a single outfit to three or less. This not only reduces the difficulty of matching but also makes it more accommodating to different occasions. Finally, we can match traditional colors according to our own preferences. Among the five color systems of red, blue, yellow, white, and black, red and yellow are warm colors that can brighten the entire outfit and make it look more energetic. Blue is a…

Weddings are important ceremonies across the globe and one of the most fascinating aspects is the attire worn by the bride and groom. China, in particular, boasts a rich history of traditional wedding clothing that has evolved over thousands of years. From the hanfu of the ancient dynasties to the modern qipao, each style holds significant cultural and symbolic meaning. In this article, we will delve into the captivating history of Chinese wedding attire and explore the significance behind some of the most iconic designs.   Black Wedding Attire in Zhou Dynasty The Zhou Dynasty was known for its emphasis on ritual and its marriage system also highlighted this. The wedding ceremony in the Zhou Dynasty was called the "Hun Ceremony". As the name suggests, "Hun" means dusk, and the ceremony was held at dusk, with a solemn and dignified atmosphere. "The Book of Rites - The Ceremony of the Marriage of a Scholar" is the earliest record of Chinese wedding ceremony, and of course, it is not only applicable to the scholar class. According to "The Book of Rites", the wedding attire of the Zhou Dynasty was mainly black with red as a complementary color. In the eyes of…

Fans of Jianghu & martial arts TV show are in for a treat with the highly anticipated series, "The Ingenious One". With an all-star cast and impressive fight choreography, this drama promises to be an exciting and thrilling ride for viewers. After "A Dream of Splendor", Chen Xiao's career reached another peak. Not only did he star in one successful product after another, but his personal achievements and performances also improved. First, he starred in the period drama "Miles to Go", playing the role of Gao Jialin, demonstrating the importance of self-reliance in life. Whether it was the immersion of his character, or the presentation of details, Chen Xiao's interpretation was perfect. Following that, he worked with Chen Jianbin to bring the suspenseful detective drama "Thirteen Years of Dust", once again playing a police officer and effectively conveying the sense of responsibility and belief that comes with the job. His personal performance was outstanding, and combined with the high-quality products and strong performances from the entire cast, received numerous positive reviews and can be considered a top suspense drama of 2023. Just as "Thirteen Years of Dust" has finished airing, Chen Xiao's next project "The Ingenious One" is set to…

"Till the End of the Moon" can be said to be the most popular Xianxia drama in recent. And the topic of Xianxia styling in cdramas seems to have once again been pushed to the forefront. In more and more Xianxia dramas, the characters have different appearances and rich accessories, the styling of Xianxia dramas no longer seems to be identical.   Classic Xianxia Styling At first, the styling photos of "Till the End of the Moon" were praised for creating a magnificent feeling for Xianxia dramas. However, after the broadcast, some audiences felt that the styling was not as stunning as it was advertised. But most netizens think that this is already an excellent enough styling for Xianxia dramas nowadays. Because for many years, the styling designers of Xianxia drama seem to be obsessed with the light and simplicity. Being immaculate and elegant seems to have become the standard for immortals nowadays. In order to create an atmosphere of "not being affected by the mundane world", the styling of immortals is extremely simple. If you cover the actors' heads, it is probably difficult to tell the difference. Uniform cold-toned clothes, plus a bit of gauze texture, seem to be…

Unlock the aesthetics of the Song Dynasty and its people through this selection of elegant and inspiring paintings. "The Song, Painted" is a digital exhibition launched by CGTN, which comprehensively presents the living scenes of ancient people in Song Dynasty paintings. Several artists, scholars, and curators share their professional insights to analyze the historical and cultural elements hidden within the Song Dynasty paintings. In this article, let's follow the Hanfu Shidai and renowned designer Chu Yan into the world of Song Dynasty paintings to appreciate the beauty of Song Dynasty costumes and makeup in detail. Song Dynasty costumes were renowned for their refined and elegant beauty. -- Chu Yan During the Song Dynasty, there was a significant shift in female body aesthetics. While plumpness was considered beautiful in the Tang Dynasty, thinness became the beauty standard in the Song Dynasty. Simple and elegant clothing styles were widely popular during this time. In "Palace Concert Rehearsal," we can see characters dressed in simple and modest Beizi (long-sleeved garments) with straight collars and side slits. The loose fit and narrow skirt worn with a tight chest wrap fully showcased the slender and graceful physique of Song women. The painting "Enjoying the Moon…