There is such a Chinese original animation, which has only been updated for 6 episodes since its broadcast in 2017, but has collected 30 million views. It is Choir of Chinese Poems (中国唱诗班), the first Chinese short animation production, with classic ancient poetry as the main theme of the story and the historical allusions of the scholars as the outline. The animation is entirely original and hand-drawn by a team of Chinese youths, and each episode is less than 25 minutes. The images are beautiful and moody, with strong Chinese colours and a moving storyline that brings to life traditional Chinese ancient poetry.   1 Love Seeds Released on 23 December, 2016. The most popular of all Choir of Chinese Poems episodes is "Love Seeds", about a red bean and a tragic love affair. The young scholar Wang Chutong has been secretly in love with Liuniang since childhood. Hearing that red beans could express love, he sneaked up to the door of the Liuniang and presented a red bean. "This is the red bean from Wang Wei's poems 'Xiang Si'." Liuniang knew exactly what the Wang Chutong was thinking but did not say anything. But after joking, she cooked a…

Huaxia dresses brilliantly for thousands of years. How rich is the Chinese traditional wear? Follow the INSTITUTE FOR PLANETS to enjoy a journey through a thousand years of Chinese costumes.   Huaxia Dresses - Prehistory to Shang & Zhou Period Looking back tens of thousands of years ago, human beings learned to sewn clothes with Guzhen (骨针, bone needle). Perhaps inspired by making ropes and bamboo baskets, around 7,000 B.C., Chinese ancestors began to weave fabrics with plant fibers. In order to improve the weaving efficiency, the Fanglun (纺轮, spinning wheel) was created that used pottery sheets to rotate inertial for twisted threads. There is also the Yaoji (腰机, waist machine) that is used to bind lines and make them tight and easy to knit. In that era of extremely backward productivity, it was not easy to get fabric, so the shape of clothes was relatively simple. Two narrow pieces of cloth were directly combined and then tie a straw rope, which may be the daily dress. With the continuous development of society, the function of clothing has long been more than just covering up and keeping warm, it has also been endowed with a lot of aesthetic concepts, which is…

Which emperor paid the most attention to clothing in ancient Chinese history? Then Zhu Yuanzhang, the emperor of the Ming Dynasty, must be on the list. After the founding of the state, Zhu Yuanzhang issued an edict on the restoration of the ancient clothes and crowns, which is about the restoration of the clothes and crowns in the Tang system and the old Chinese. And he personally participated in the improvement of the clothing system. During Zhu Yuanzhang's 31 years in office, the clothing system has been revised and supplemented many times. The clothing system is detailed in terms of fabric, style, size and color. And it regulates the clothing of people of various statuses and identities throughout the country. What's more, its implementation was guaranteed by state coercion. To be arrested for wearing the wrong clothes? This is not a joke at the beginning of the Ming Dynasty. The top-down imperial ban cannot prohibit the awakening of the people's own consciousness and the pursuit of beauty. After the middle of the Ming Dynasty, clothing became more and more luxurious, the official clothing ban was useless, and the art of clothing has shown a prosperous scene of promoting personality and…

With oriental mythology as the base to interpret the magnificent three realms, the traditional cultural core to build a solid humanistic heritage, the traditional Chinese intangible cultural heritage elements perfectly mixed into the scene creation, the oriental fantasy romance cdrama "Love Between Fairy and Devil" through the new world view, the audience can totally experience what is the immersive oriental cultural imagination. "Love Between Fairy and Devil (苍兰诀)" is a costume fantasy cdrama starring Yu Shu Xin and Dylan Wang, with Xu Hai Qiao and Cristy Guo in special roles. The drama is adapted from the novel of the same name by Jiu Lu Fei Xiang, which tells the story of a sweet and sadistic love story between the fairy Xiao Lan Hua and the Moon Goddess Dong Fang Qing Cang, who accidentally swap bodies. The drama aired on August 7, 2022. The Xi Lan family was exterminated, the goddess of Xishan, Xiao Lan Hua, was protected by the clan and was reborn as a low-level fairy in the heavens after ten thousand years, and she accidentally resurrected the Moon Goddess Dong Fang Qing Cang who was trapped in the Haotian Tower. To gain freedom, Dong Fang Qing Cang has…

Kesi (缂丝), the most traditional type of silk weaving in the Chinese silk industry, which is highly appreciated for its decorative qualities. Kesi is a kind of pattern with warp and weft, forming a pattern border, with the effect as if was carved, and rich two-sided three-dimensional sense of silk crafts. The knitting technique of Kesi is different from the embroidery and brocade. Suzhou Kesi painting is also known as the "Four Great Weavers" of China, along with Hangzhou silk painting, Yongchun paper painting and Sichuan bamboo curtain painting. The Kesi technique has appeared many times in the collection of ancient costume dramas, such as the delicate Kesi fans in the hands of the concubines of “Story of Yanxi Palace”, adding endless style to them. The another drama “Marvelous Women” which take the Qing Dynasty as the background, has restored the weaving scene of the Kesi.   The Uniqueness of Kesi Different from the weaving method of Song brocade, Shu brocade, cloud brocade which are woven through the warp and weft. Kesi with raw silk as the warp, a variety of colorful cooked silk threads for the weft, which are dug and woven by the method of passing through the…

Earlier, Liu Yifei's new costume drama "A Dream of Splendor" was aired, and after 16 years Liu Yifei's acting in a costume drama has gained extraordinary popularity and attention. Liu Yifei has always been called the goddess of costume drama, in "A Dream of Splendor", she acted as Zhao Pan'er, seemingly soft and unsupported, but actually intelligent and powerful, with independent and beautiful femininity. Despite Liu Yifei's appearance has not changed, but her temperament is more introspective and tough, beautiful with power, and Zhao Paner's persona also fits better. In addition to Liu Yifei, we will introduce you to several other costume drama goddesses in this article, who are known to the audience for their high-quality costume drama roles.   Liu Yifei (Crystal Liu) Liu Yifei's costume drama masterpieces: A Dream of Splendor (2022) Return of the Condor Heroes (2006) Chinese Paladin (2005) Demi Gods & Semi Devils (2003) Liu Yifei's first costume drama is the Demi Gods & Semi Devils in 19 years ago, she starred in the role of Wang Yuyan. This is undoubtedly a successful role, and even the original author Jin Yong has written a message for her: "Miss Liu, with you as Wang Yuyan, readers will…

Much of Chinese culture involves Chinese myths. To understand the many festivals and holidays of China, here are 3 popular Chinese myths that you might find interesting:     The New Year Legend The Chinese New Year legend begans in a small village thousands of years ago. Every winter, a monster with the body of a bull and a head of a lion would enter this village and attack the villagers. The monster is called a “Nian.” The villagers were scared and didn’t know what to do. Until a wise old man came up with an idea! The next time the Nian appeared to attack their village, the people would use fireworks and drums to scare of the monster! The plan worked perfectly and the monster fled into the hills. From today onwards, every year on the day they scared off the monster, they would light fireworks and celebrate their victory. This day was the start of the Chinese New Year and the Spring Festival.   Houyi and Chang’e - The Mid-Autumn Festival Houyi and Chang’e is an immortal couple living in heaven, according to the legends. One day, the ruler of all heavens, the Jade Emperor, orders Houyi for…

With the popularity of "A Dream of Splendor", the Chinese traditional folk life of the Song Dynasty shown in the drama has set off a retro craze in reality. The audience's focus on ancient costume dramas is no longer limited to makeup and costumes, but seeks to examine and explore deeper content. In recent years, it is common that ancient costume dramas based on historical research and restoration of ancient life, but most of them are still embodied in costumes and etiquette, do not fully restore the life of ancient China. So, what is traditional Chinese folk life like? STUDIO SHENLOUZHI (蜃楼志), as if they had traveled from ancient China, recreates the traditional Chinese folk life for the audience with their almost perfect short films. On June 10, 2019, their first work, "VAGUELY DREAM IN HOKCHEW - Short Film of Traditional Life in Late Ming Dynasty" suddenly becomes popular on the Internet, with more than 700,000 views. The creative team members are all post-90s traditional culture enthusiasts, who had no experience in film production or acting in any drama before. The short film shows the folk life in Hokchew City (Fuzhou) during the Chongzhen period of the late Ming Dynasty…

The latest immortal drama "Immortal Samsara (沉香如屑)" is on air on July 20. Yang Zi, Cheng Yi, Zhang Rui and Meng Ziyi are leading the cast. Unlike previous immortal dramas, Immortal Samsara tells the story of Ying Yuan, the emperor of the six realms who guards the boundaries and protects the world, and Yan Dan, the fairy who is kind-hearted and loves righteousness, as they fight against the forces of evil and guard the righteousness of the world together. The drama strives to break away from the creative shackles of romance and build a more ambitious and meticulous story structure behind the fantastical and magnificent imagery.   World structure of Immortal Samsara Main characters of Immortal Samsara Immortal Samsara constructs a vast group of immortal characters, the main characters include: Yan Dan (played by Yang Zi), the four-leaf lotus fairy. Intelligent and has a powerful gift for learning. However, she is naughty and lively, resting on her laurels, and is happy with her status as a fairy attendant. She is kind, sincere, and truly devoted to everyone. Ying Yuan (played by Cheng Yi), the leader of the four emperors in the heavenly realm and the first model of the heavenly.…

The mythical creature from "Classic of Mountains and Seas" are brought to life again! These ancient records from 2,000 years ago come to vivid reality in this girl's restoration. Xiang Liu (相柳): 《山海经·海外北经》：“共工之臣曰相柳氏，九首，以食于九山。相柳之所抵，厥为泽溪。……相柳者，九首人面，蛇身而青……” Shan Hai Jing - Hai Wai Bei Jing: "Gong Gong had a minister named Xiang Liu, who had nine heads and fetched food on each of the nine mountains. Everywhere the Xiang Liu touched, it would turn into swamps and streams. ....... Xiang Liu, with nine heads, had a human-like face, a snake-like body, and a greenish body." Ling Yu (陵鱼): 《山海经·海内北经》：“陵鱼人面、手足、鱼身，在海中。” Shan Hai Jing - Hai Nei Bei Jing: "There is a kind of Ling Yu, with a human-like face, arms and legs, and a fish-like body, living in the sea." Qiong Qi (穷奇) & Luo Yu (蠃鱼): 《山海经·西山经》：“又西二百六十里，曰邽山，其上有兽焉，其状如牛，猬毛，名曰穷奇，音如獆狗，是食人。濛水出焉，南流注于洋水，其中多黄贝、蠃鱼，鱼身而鸟翼，音如鸳鸯，见则其邑大水。” Shan Hai Jing - Xi Shan Jing: "Two hundred and sixty miles to the west, there is a mountain called Gui Shan. A beast on the mountain, shaped like a cow, with hair like the thorns of a hedgehog, is called the Qiong Qi, which makes a sound like a barking dog and can eat humans. Meng River originates from this mountain and flows southward into the…

According to legend, in the Tang Dynasty, during spring, Emperor Li Xian would order his servants to take out "colored flowers" from the inner palace and give them to the concubines of the harem to welcome the new spring, and these "colored flowers" referred to the Rong Hua (绒花, velvet flower). Today, Rong Hua is often worn with traditional hanfu and has become one of the most popular accessories in Chinese traditional costumes. The flower hairpin was always one of the most popular decorative styles of the ancients. In the painting "Court Ladies Adorning Their Hair With Flowers" by the famous Tang Dynasty painter Zhou Fang, the woman is wearing a high bun and wearing a flower as a hairpin, which is as elegant and beautiful as a fairy in a fantasy world. But flowers are limited by the season and easily withered, and the petals often wither. So the ancient noble ladies wished to have flowers that would last forever as accessories, and that's when the handmade Rong Hua came into being. The Chinese word for velvet flower is similar to the pronunciation of "Rong Hua (荣华, prosperity)" and has been given a meaning of good luck and blessing. The…

Have you ever noticed the motifs on a hanfu? They are diverse and can even be considered the finishing touch to a hanfu. Maybe it is some kind of animal from ancient times or different kinds of plants to match. Most of them have a special meaning, and some fantastical motifs even contain mythological stories.   Animal Motifs Qilin Motifs Although the production environment of the ancients was much less than the modern society, the ancients never skimped on their imagination when it came to creating sacred animals. For example, the Qilin (麒麟). With a dragon head, deer antlers, cow hooves, and lion's tail, the Qilin changed several times before the Tang Dynasty and had no fixed appearance. In the Song Dynasty, the body became a common lion-shaped scaly body, basically into the current form. In "Fantastic Beasts 3: The Mystery of Dumbledore", the Qilin appears as a new fantastic beast. This is the second Chinese mythical creature launched in the "Fantastic Beasts" series, Zouwu from the "Shan Hai Jing" appeared in "Fantastic Beasts 2: The Crimes of Grindelwald". Qilin is a symbol of auspiciousness and has a very high status in ancient times, and has been assigned with simple…

Unlike modern clothing, which is updated so frequently, the development of antique Chinese clothing was not only accompanied by the change of dynasties, but also combined with the level of fabrics of the time. However, there is no doubt that different periods in ancient China had distinctive fashion items.   01 Shenyi in Han Dynasty In 1972, when the three-month archaeological excavation ended, the archaeologists of Tomb No. 1 of the Mawangdui Han Tomb in Changsha were still excited. During the subsequent work, they discovered a dozen pieces of well-preserved Western Han costumes, thus opening a window for later generations to peek into the aesthetics of the dress worn by ancient Chinese 2000 years ago. The relics of the tomb that the archaeologists cleaned were from the tomb of Xin Zhui, the wife of Li Cang, the prime minister of Changsha in the early Western Han Dynasty. Based on archaeological and textual records, we know that there were two main types of clothing for the ancient Chinese during the Qin and Han dynasties. Type Yichang (衣裳), in which the clothing of the upper body and the lower body were not connected; Type Shenyi (深衣) in which the upper garment and…

China has a long history of tea drinking, which emerged in the Tang Dynasty and became prosperous in the Song Dynasty. It is in this context that the story of A Dream of Splendor takes place. In the drama, Liu Yifei as Zhao Pan'er, together with two girlfriends, opened a tea store in Bian Jing, the capital of the Song Dynasty. With Zhao Pan'er's excellent marketing skills, Sun San Niang's delicious pastries, Song Yin Zhang's wonderful Pipa performance, and most importantly, Pan'er's extensive experience in Dian Cha, as well as Cha Bai Xi, their tea store has achieved initial success. Dian Cha (点茶, whisking tea), as an important part of Chinese tea culture, is the main tea drinking method in the Song Dynasty, and also an important way of leisure and entertainment for the literati and ordinary people. Cha Bai Xi (茶百戏, tea painting art), also known as: Fen Cha (分茶), Shui Dan Qin (水丹青). Firstly, the finely ground tea powder is injected into the tea bowl with boiling water, while stirring with a tea whisk, the tea froth floats up and forms a suspension. Then use the teaspoon and water to draw words and patterns on the surface. Cha Bai…

When was the traditional Chinese fan born and what did it first look like? These are no longer available in kind. According to the speculation of Mr. Shen Congwen, the traditional Chinese fan was used at least not later than after the appearance of pottery in the Neolithic period.   Pre Qin Dynasty In ancient times, human beings picked a leaf of a plant or a feather of a bird in the hot summer, and simply processed it to fan the wind and take shade from the sun, which is the prototype of the original fan. In the initial era, the fan was called "箑(shà)" or "萐(shà)", and also "翣(shà)”", and only in the later development was it unified and called "扇(shàn)". The above-mentioned different fan of the ancient name, but also reflects the material of the fan at that time are bulrush, feathers, bamboo, and so on. The oldest fan excavation artifact at present is a short-handled bamboo fan, also known as Bian Mian (便面), unearthed from an ancient tomb of the Eastern Zhou Dynasty in Jing'an County, Jiangxi. As the earliest image of a fan, it appears on a bronze pot unearthed in Chengdu, which belongs to the…

The tiger hat (虎头帽, tiger head hat) is a typical child's hat style in Chinese folk costumes with the image of a tiger. Tiger hats, tiger shoes, tiger bibs, tiger dudou, etc. as an important part of Chinese children's clothing, with distinctive characteristics. The tiger is considered a kind of auspicious beast in Chinese traditional culture, and is an important object of totem worship for the Chinese nation. The tiger hat as a folk handed down to this day a kind of children's hat ornament, with the tiger as the image, hat shape, the pattern is also more tiger head model, so-called the tiger hat.   Origin and Development Origin 1: Ancient China was a traditional agrarian society that experienced a lot of hardships in claiming nature's materials, and various symbols and forms of divine power to help ward off disasters emerged. The tiger, as a positive symbolism, was recognized as a sheltering god that could block disasters, and the tiger totem has been passed down to this day in the worship of many evil suppresses. People gradually infiltrated this worship as a belief into the people's daily life, and developed unique handicraft clothing such as tiger hats. Origin 2: Chinese tiger…

Chinese clothing is the epitome of Chinese civilization. Traditional clothing colors are influenced by the "Theory of the Five Elements" and are divided into five colors: green, red, black, white, and yellow. The different colors revered by different dynasties reflect the characteristics of their dynasties. In this article, the most representative six dynasties of ancient China are selected: Han, Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing, and their popular colors are analyzed.   Chinese Colours in Han Dynasty Characteristics: Simple and natural Popular colors: Xuan (玄, smoky black), Chi (赤, upsdell red), White (白), Green (绿) In 206 B.C., the Han Dynasty was founded. Influenced by the Taoist art of Huanglao and Confucianism, Han Dynasty costumes pursued the essential beauty. The color of Han Dynasty clothing was mainly monochromatic, and it was a respect for the dark and light colors, which made it look dignified, simple and natural. Carried the idea of "ritual rule and Taoism", and fabric dyeing of Han Dynasty clothing followed the beliefs of the five elements of yin and yang, with dark colors representing dignity. Color Xuan in Han Dynasty clothing After the Han Dynasty destroyed the Qin Dynasty, water virtue was revered according to the doctrine…

The exciting spy war plot, combined with the Three Kingdoms period, what kind of exciting plot will be presented? "The Wind Blows From Longxi" takes intelligence warfare as the basic, and launches a unique game of chance. The drama tells the story of Chen Gong (陈恭, Chen Kun) and Xun Xu (荀诩, Bai Yu), two minor characters. In that era when the country was divided into three and war was raging, they played an important role in the thrilling spy war and wrote a heroic legend outside the history books.   A new image of the spy drama With tension, excitement, and life hanging in the balance, "The Wind Blows From Longxi" maintains a tight plot from the first episode. In Zhuge Liang's first Northern Expedition, Jieting is lost. Si Wen Cao (司闻曹), the agency responsible for military intelligence in Shu state (蜀汉), discovered that during the battle, the Shu spy "Bai Di (白帝=Chen Gong)", who was lurking in the Wei state (曹魏), sent a secret report of the Wei army's battle plan, but it was a false intelligence, which misled the Shu army's decision and directly led to the defeat of the Northern Expedition. Subsequently, the You Xiao (游枭)…

Chinese Palace drama (宫斗剧, Gongdou, harem drama, or palace scheming dramas) refers to a drama set in ancient China's feudal dynasties. Female characters, such as concubines or female officials, are the main subjects of the story. The main plotline is the emotional entanglement of the characters or political power struggle. Palace dramas focus on entertainment and dramatization, and are somewhat different from historical dramas. The first hit palace drama was "War and Beauty" in 2004, then "Schemes of a Beauty" in 2010, and "Empresses in the Palace" in 2011 generated outstanding ratings and brought widespread attention to palace dramas. Almost all of the stories in the palace dramas occur in the isolated harem, where the "scheming" is the core plot and narrative focus. A group of originally delicate aristocratic women, fighting on this battlefield of deceit, with only one goal in mind: the emperor's favor. All the characters in the harem drama have no distinction between right and wrong, good and evil, but only the success or failure of their tactics and schemes, and the consequent differences in their fates. Therefore, the women in the situation have a strong sense of crisis and high sensitivity to their difficult situation. All…

Historical political dramas, focus on power and strategy. In Chinese historical political dramas, the protagonists are usually in changing dynasties, with tense plots and complex character conflicts that portray the dark rivalry between different forces and keep the audience engrossed in the drama. If you ask what is the attraction of historical political dramas? Probably it can meet the aesthetic experience and expectations of the audience in many ways. The overall story is set in ancient times, and most of the settings are related to the imperial court, which satisfies the public's desire to pry into the royal family. The storyline, full of logical reasoning and details, also makes the audience constantly look forward to the direction of the plot. There are three kinds of themes in Chinese historical dramas that show the means of power and strategies. The first is imperial dramas, in which the plot focuses on the struggle for power among emperors, ministers, and heirs, mainly highlighting the politics of strategists, such as "Kang Xi Dynasty" and "Ming Dynasty in 1566", etc, basically takes history as the main vein and is rated by netizens as the peak of the power and strategies drama. The second kind is…