Have you ever heard of that trivia tidbit where it's like "the Chinese were so impressed by Kung Fu Panda that they held meetings to figure out why they couldn't produce something as good as it with their own culture"? Well, it's true. That did happen. And the answer is probably a combination of a lack of financial and cultural support for artists, government censorship of storytelling, and animation not being taken seriously as an artform. But what did Kung Fu Panda do that was so right? What influences did it take from Chinese culture? I'm gonna try and figure that out. I'll talk about my opinion on whether it matters that this movie was made by white people when Chinese audiences liked it so much. So let's start! Wuxia Jianghu Dream To begin with, these mountains in the opening immediately reminded me of Huangshan, or the Yellow Mountains. It's a pretty famous mountain range in China with a lot of these jagged stony peaks and clouds surrounding them. The Kung Fu Panda artbook confirms that the Valley of Peace is inspired by the Yellow Mountains and the Li River Valley, another place famous for being really, really pretty. And…

In fact, while making this list today I found out there are so many upcoming costumed dramas that I'm waiting for.  This post is dedicated to my favorite upcoming costumed series, from historical to fantasy. Anyways, I hope you all are ready, today we will be going over the Top 14 Most Anticipated Upcoming Chinese Dramas in 2021. 1. Novoland - Pearl Eclipse This is definitely one of my favorite upcoming dramas. Yang Mi & William Chan lead this fantasy drama whose filming was completed last year on September 20, 2020. It's safe to assume that most of the post-production work is completed now and the drama is just waiting for a premiere date. Novoland Pearl Eclipse revolves around the story of a mermaid living together among her people in a small coastal village which gets raided and its inhabitants were slain. Pearl Eclipse referring to the tears of a young mermaid,  which becomes a magical pearl and is sought after by poachers of the time.  Yang Mi plays the part of the mermaid who is saved by the royal court official William Chan. I think the cinematography looks great and the storyline sounds interesting. You can never go wrong…

Made this vest from the last of white striped chiffon.

Everyone probably has a dream of martial arts, mastering the "Wave-like Subtle Steps", bringing the sword alone, and travel around the world. For most, such a situation exists more only in the Wuxia drama. However, in reality, there really is a girl who did. Her name, Yang Liu (杨柳). She is 24 years old this year and has spent 17 years practicing the stunt of crossing the river with a bamboo. On the bamboo, doing various difficult movements, dancing ballet and traditional Chinese dance. Come and listen to her story.   Learn Du Zhu Piao for the first time Yang Liu, born in Zunyi, Guizhou, likes to dance since she was a child, and her dream was to be a dancer. However, she was born with a weak and petite body. In order to keep her fit, her grandmother, who is a member of the local Du Zhu Piao Association, started to take her to practice this skill. Du Zhu Piao (独竹漂, single bamboo rafting) is a folk skill in northern Guizhou. The ancestors who lived on the banks of the Chishui River learned to use bamboo to cross the river in order to overcome the inconvenience of transportation.But as…

Music in Ancient Chinese society Music was always a part of chinese culture. It was used in many things such as dance, ceremonies, banquets, rituals, entertainment, and more. Music along with other things was molded into ancient society. Today, many people still play these instruments and dedicate their lives to study them. 1. Pipa 琵琶 The pipa (琵琶) is one of the most played Chinese instruments today. It is commonly described as a four stringed plucked lute shaped like a pear and played vertically. It is named by how it is played; pi (琵) meaning played forward, and pa (琶) meaning played backward. A lute that looked like the pipa was seen in the Indian Kusana scriptures in the first century ad. That is why it is likely that the pipa may have been introduced to China from India or Central Asia. The pipa has more than 2000 years of history in China. Because of its beauty, the pipa is used in many wuxia dramas and hanfu photo shoots. One of the historical four beauties of China is always drawn with a pipa. The pipa became known in China by the second century ad. Pipa is usually made of rosewood…

Everyone has a martial arts dream in their heart, especially when watching Chinese historical dramas, many people even want to take the place of the main characters in the dramas to go into the world. If you still love martial arts to this day, you can try these martial arts style Hanfu suits (Wuxia clothing), which are very handsome, let them satisfy your martial arts dreams.   The first set consists of a straight collar and lapel jacket with a graduated color pleated skirt, the outermost layer of which can be added to the Hewei (合围). The embroidery is derived from bamboo leaves, garden window frames, and the leather cuffs with buttons emphasize the feminine capable, and easily master the martial arts temperament.   The second set belongs to the Hanfu-inspired clothing, which can be called Wei Jin style, is composed of a large-sleeved shirt with a cross-collar lining, the overall presentation is an elegant style, often seen in martial arts film and dramas such dress. Light green color scheme, no complicated embroidery, wearing such an outfit, gently leaning on the bow, away from worldly strife, converge into a quiet painting.   The third set is a Ming-style round neck robe,…

The Hanfu Movement has lasted for more than 10 years. Today hanfu is becoming popular, we could see more and more young people wearing hanfu clothes on the streets of China. Looking at the last decade, many people have mixed opinions about it. So let's take a look at the latest views on the Hanfu Movement in 2021. What is the Hanfu Movement? First of all, we should know that hanfu is the traditional costume of Chinese Han nationality. Since the Qing dynasty, it has been abolished for more than 300 years. With the development of China in the 21st century, the living conditions of the people have been continuously improved. The Han people realize that their traditional clothes should not be forgotten any more and began to revive the traditional Han clothing, this is the origin of the Hanfu movement. It's also part of the revival of traditional Chinese culture. We interviewed people from different regions and collected many opinions through online and offline, sort out these views listed as pros & cons, and neutral. And we also hope to hear your particular opinion on this topic. One should understand that when we discussing the national costume or clothing…

One of the questions or requests that I get most often lately is to write a video about why The Untamed cast is so popular. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BfKhREVFLkQ The Untamed is a 2019 fantasy Chinese costume drama starring Xiao Zhan and Wang Yibo. It is based on the famous BL novel or Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation. The drama ran from June 27th to August 20th and I believe it's safe to say that it's one of the biggest if not the biggest hit of the year. So I will start by getting into some of the cast and characters and then I'll talk about the synopsis and then why it's so popular. 1. The Untamed Characters Xiao Zhan plays Wei Wuxian, a disciple of the Jiang sect. He wields the Suibian sword and Chenqing flute, and his specialty is demonic cultivation and the invention of new spiritual techniques. Wang Yibo plays Lan Wangji of the Gusu Lan sect. He wields the Bichen sword and the Wangji zither. Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji regard each other as soul mates. Zoey Meng plays Wen Qing, a doctor who belongs to the healing branch of the Wen sect. She is aloof but kind and is…

History of Chinese Religion China has been a multi-regional country since ancient times. In many parts of the world, people always associate the Chinese territory with Confucius. This sage is almost representative of Chinese culture. In fact, Confucianism is a philosophy that was never intended to be a religion, although, eventually, that is how it spread and had a great impact on Chinese culture with its doctrines. In a sense, Chinese life is the product of Confucian culture. Throughout the ages, many religions have entered China and, at present, there are five major faiths: Buddhism, Taoism, Islam, Catholicism, and Protestantism. All religions have added their own stamp to China's cultural history. According to recent research, China has more than 100 million followers of various religions. Chinese law guarantees religious freedom, although its application is relatively recent. Official statistics attribute Buddhism and Taoism as the majority religious influence on the population. On the other hand, there are 17 million Muslims, 4.5 million Protestants, and 3.5 million Catholics. Judaism was introduced in China through the caravans in the 15th century, but after several vicissitudes, it hardly has any presence. Nature Worship and Ancestor Worship Since ancient times. China has been a country…