1.中国书法(Chinese calligraphy)汉字从图画和符号演变而来,中国书法艺术自然而然衍生于这一特殊的书写体系,因此中国书法也被称作线条艺术。
尽管中国书法以汉字为表达工具,但要欣赏中国书法之美,不一定非要懂得汉语。
书法的目的在于保持(retain)自然之美,突显(illuminate)人类精神之美。
书写的文字能够彰显书法家(calligrapher)对生活和艺术的理解。
书法作为一门中国传统艺术,很早便为邻国所青睐。
Chinese characters evolved from pictures and signs, and the Chinese art of calligraphy developed naturally from this special writing system, so Chinese calligraphy is also called the art of lines. Although Chinese calligraphy uses Chinese words as its vehicle of expression, one does not have to know the language to appreciate its beauty. The purpose of calligraphy is to retain the beauty of nature and illuminate man’s spiritual beauty. The written characters revea l the calligrapher’s understanding of life and arts. Being a Chinese traditional art, Chinese calligraphy also found favor in the neighboring countries from the early times.2. 婚俗中国是一个有56个民族的大国。
不同的民族有不同的婚俗。
但无论是哪个民族,结婚仪式都很复杂。
传统的中国婚礼仪式包括6个步骤:说媒、定亲、聘礼(betrothal presents)、迎娶、拜堂(three bows)、喝交杯酒(wedlock wine)。
在一对新人订婚后,接下来就是挑选吉日成亲。
有一些人会请算命先生挑选结婚的吉日(通常是双日子),这样就是双喜临门了。
婚礼庆典很隆重,最后是很奢华的婚宴。
China is a large country with 56 nationalities. Different nationalities have different marriage customs, but whatever the nationality is, the wedding ceremony is usually very complicated. The traditional Chinese marriage usually involves six procedures, namely: match-making, engagement, betrothal presents, meeting the bride, three bows, and drink wedlock wine. When a new couple is engaged, what followed is a choice of the date of their marriage. Some people would ask a fortune-teller for a lucky date (usually an even number) so that their marriage would have “Double Happiness”. The wedding ceremony is usually presided warmly, and the wedding ceremony very often ends with a very extravagant banquet.3. 鼓浪屿鼓浪屿是位于厦门西南隅的一个小岛,面积仅1.78平方公里,素以“海上花园”的美称享誉中外,是国家级重点风景名胜区。
它四面环海,绿色葱茏。
环境优美,风光秀丽。
它还是全国独一无二的“步行岛”,岛上空气清新,没有车马的喧嚣,却时闻琴声悠扬。
岛上居民多喜爱钢琴和小提琴,很多中国著名的音乐家都出生于此,故又有“琴岛”和“音乐之岛”的雅称。
Gulangyu Island, a small island in southwestern Xiamen, covers an area of 1.78 square kilometers, and is known, home and abroad, as the Garden on the Sea. It is surrounded by the sea, and has beautiful landscape. In 1988, it was listed as one of the state-level scenic spots. It is the only “on-foot” island with fresh air because there are no vehicles. Many residents on the island are music fans and play musical instruments such as piano and violin, and many Chinese-famous musicians were born here; hence its name the Island of Music.4. 少林寺少林功夫(Shaolin Kungfu)是河南登封市少林寺信奉佛教文化的和尚们练习的一种武术(martial arts)。
少林寺,建于北魏太和期(Taihe Period)十九年,是少林功夫发展的文化空间。
少林功夫最初是佛教僧侣练习的,他们的职责是保护寺庙。
现在经过1500多年的发展,少林功夫已逐步发展成为一种完美技术和丰富含义相融合的艺术,在全世界享有声誉。
Shaolin Kungfu is a kind of martial arts practiced by monks under the special Buddhist culture of the Shaolin Temple in Dengfeng City, Henan Province. The S haolin Temple, built in the Nineteenth year of Taihe Period during the Northern W ei Dynasty, is a cultural space for the development of the Shaolin Kungfu. The Sh aolin Kungfii, which is originally practiced by the Buddhist monks whose duties were to protect the temple, has been gradually developed into an art of perfect tec hnology, abundant meanings and high reputation in the whole world after more th an 1500 years of development.5. 中国城市化中国城市化(urbanization)将会充分释放潜在内需(domestic demand)。
一些经济学家指出,在中国几乎所有的发展中城市都面临着城市化的进程。
这使得许多人的生活水平有所提高,也为人们提供更多的就业机会。
随着越来越多的人向城市迁徙,住房及城市基础设施建设(infrastructure),包括水源等能源的供应将会成为城市发展的焦点问题。
商品的快速自由流通是城市化社会的一项基本特征。
China's urbanization will release the full potential of domestic demand. Some economists point out that urbanization is a process that is occurring in nearly every developing city in the country. It will lead to a better quality of life for many people, and provide individuals with more job opportunities. The construction of housing and city infrastructure, including water and energy supplies, will be a focal point of urban development as more people migrate to cities. The fast, free flow of goods is a basic trait of an urbanized society.6. 中国的传统节日中国的传统节日颇为不少,如春节、元宵节、端午节、中秋节、重阳节等等,还有许多少数民族的民俗节日。
随着时间的推移,这些节日逐渐成为中华民族的传统节日。
近年来,随着民族文化的复兴和发展,人们越发珍视传统节日。
对于普通百姓来说,这些传统节日就是与家人团圆的宝贵时间。
许多传统的节日食品,如春节的年糕、中秋的月饼,也成为了人们传递问候和祝愿的最佳选择。
China has many traditional festivals, such as Spring Festival, Lantern Festival, Mid-autumn Day, Dragon Boat Festival, the Double Ninth Festival, etc. along with some particular festivals celebrated by ethnic minorities. As time passed, these gradually developed into traditional festivals for the Chinese nation. In recent years, with the rehabilitation and development of traditional culture,people began to attach more value to these native festivals. For ordinary people, these traditional festivals are precious time for reunion with their family members. Many traditional festival foods, such as Niangao for Spring Festival, mooncakes for Mid-autumn Day, have become best choices for people to send their greetings and wishes to their relatives and friends.7. 假日经济假日经济的现象表明:中国消费者的消费观正在发生巨大变化。