Educational Programs Contents Page Program Overview 1 Public Programs Exhibit Activities 4 • Chinese Zodiac Bookmarks 5 • Make and Play Jianzi 9 • Chinese Hand Drums 11 • Chinese Paper Lanterns 13 • Paper Cutting 15 Performances and Workshops 23 • Suggested Programs 24 • Community Resources 28 • BCM Program Calendar 30 Large Scale Public Programs 32 • Holiday and Festival Dates 33 • Additional Activities o Nianhua Block Prints 34 o Dragon Boat Puppets 36 • Sample Programs 38 o Dragon Boat Festival o Autumn Moon Festival o Chinese New Year 2008 School Programs 41 • Children’s Life in China 42 • Arts of China 57 Resources 65 • Notes on Chinese Language and Pronunciation 66 • Glossary 69 • Books 72 • Online Sources 77 • Additional Resources 79
80
Embed
Educational Programs Contents Page · zodiac. Do they know about the Chinese zodiac and how it is different? Tell them the story of how the Chinese zodiac came to be. (See the background
This document is posted to help you gain knowledge. Please leave a comment to let me know what you think about it! Share it to your friends and learn new things together.
Transcript
Educational Programs Contents Page Program Overview 1 Public Programs
Exhibit Activities 4
• Chinese Zodiac Bookmarks 5
• Make and Play Jianzi 9 • Chinese Hand Drums 11
• Chinese Paper Lanterns 13
• Paper Cutting 15
Performances and Workshops 23
• Suggested Programs 24
• Community Resources 28
• BCM Program Calendar 30
Large Scale Public Programs 32
• Holiday and Festival Dates 33
• Additional Activities o Nianhua Block Prints 34 o Dragon Boat Puppets 36
• Sample Programs 38 o Dragon Boat Festival o Autumn Moon Festival o Chinese New Year 2008
The School Programs for Children of Hangzhou allow for in-depth (one-hour) focus on the lives of
contemporary Chinese children at school, at home, and beyond. These programs utilize materials—
objects, photographs, tools—that are otherwise not necessarily available in the exhibit. The Arts of
China program also provides an opportunity to expand on traditional Chinese culture by incorporating
lessons on Chinese opera and brush painting. School programs should be taught by knowledgeable
Museum educators. Sufficient training and preparation ahead of time is essential. Pre- and Post-Visit
Information sent to classroom teachers who have made a reservation for a school program provide
excellent suggestions for preparing the students before they come and following-up with their class
after their museum visit.
Included in the Education Manual are: BCM’s school program brochure, Pre- and Post-Visit Information
to be sent to classroom teachers in advance of their visit, and the program teaching instructions:
In-exhibit program: Children’s Life in China (Grade K-7)
Come experience children’s life in contemporary China. Through stories of real children, students learn aspects of life in China in depth and through comparison relate what they learn to their own lives in the United States. The program provides a general introduction and small group activity. This program begins with an introduction to Chinese spoken and written language. Students will learn to say a few words in Chinese. Next, using the maps in the exhibit, students will engage in a brief look at Chinese geography (as appropriate to grade level). Issues to be discussed will include: locating China on a world map; locating China in Asia; examining the diversity of land forms in China and discussing implications; comparing the size of China with other countries; looking at population density and distribution; and discussing the implications of density. Groups of students will then “meet” a particular Hangzhou youth, and learn a particular activity with him/her, which will be shared with the rest of the class at the end of the program.
Museum classroom program: Arts of China (Grade 2-7)
Through immersion in a life-like environment of contemporary China, introduce students to the
background and the rich experiences of the arts. In this two-part program, explore the art of Chinese
painting, calligraphy, and Chinese opera.
Staff will guide students in using traditional materials (brushes, ink, rice paper) in writing and painting as
well as helping the class to try out different aspects of Chinese opera, learning key movements, trying
on costumes, trying out musical instruments, and recreating a scene from the classic folk tale “White
• Tie a piece of string to the two holes and attach the stick to carry the lantern.
• Add a tassel at the bottom or side of the lantern for more decoration. (Optional)
• For a different effect, make a longer cylinder and tape several smaller red shades to it, one
above the other. (Optional)
Keywords:
• decoration
• festival
• celebration
• craft
• Lantern Festival
• Mid-Autumn Festival
• Ghost Festival
Background Information:
Throughout the history of China, lanterns have been symbols of hope, rejuvenation, and celebration. Originally, people hung colored lanterns in front of their doors to drive away evil spirits. But today, with society's development, the colored lantern has largely become a symbol of traditional Chinese culture, playing an even more important role in celebrations and ceremonies, such as burials and weddings, and adding to the celebratory atmosphere of many traditional holidays and festivals. As a cultural symbol, the lantern represents joyfulness, the return of spring, and a renewal of the earth. Chinese lanterns come in a variety of shapes, sizes, colors, and materials. They can be round, square, long, or thin. They also come in many forms including human figures, animals, or flowers. Lanterns can be made of many materials too, from expensive silk panels and fragrant wood, to more simple paper and bamboo.
One of the most important holidays in China is the Lantern Festival, or Yuanxiao Jie 元宵节. This
festival is celebrated on the fifteenth day of the first month in the lunar year. The day is celebrated because it is the first full moon of the new year. The bright light and warmth of the lanterns was a reminder that the cold winter would soon end. In many cities in China and in other countries, elaborate lanterns are made to help celebrate the Lantern Festival.
Lanterns are also commonly used to celebrate Mid-Autumn Festival, or Zhongqiu Jie 中秋节. This
holiday falls on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month of the Chinese calendar (usually around mid- or late-September), a date that parallels the Autumn Equinox of the solar calendar. This is the ideal time, when the moon is at its fullest and brightest, to celebrate the abundance of the summer’s harvest. The lanterns are a reminder of the moon’s glow.
A third holiday where lanterns play an important role is the Ghost Festival, or Gui Jie 鬼节. Celebrated
in midsummer on the 15th day of the 7th lunar month in the Chinese calendar, this date is a memorial to the ancestors. As part of the festivities lighted lanterns are often released on water, which signifies giving directions to the lost ghosts and spirits of the ancestors and other deities.
Alternative Suggestions:
• Connect the lanterns to other paper related arts and crafts that are done in the museum.
• Explore other Chinese folk crafts such as paper folding or paper cutting.
Templates Make photocopies of the attached templates on colored paper. Red is a lucky color in China and yellow is also popular. Avoid using white paper as this color is traditionally reserved for funerals. Chinese Papercut Template 1
Chun 春 is the Chinese character for “spring.” It is a common Chinese New Year decoration, as
Chinese New Year is called the “Spring Festival” in Chinese. It is often placed on windows, doors and other places to welcome in the spring.
Xi or shuang xi 喜喜 is the Chinese character for “double happiness.” It is a common Chinese
decoration, particularly at weddings as a wish for happiness. It is also occasionally used during Chinese New Year for its implication of much happiness for the year ahead.
Chinese Papercut Template 3 The image of the rooster is very common in Chinese folk art. For thousands of years Chinese people relied on roosters to tell time in the morning. It is also a symbol of hard work and one of the twelve animals in the Chinese zodiac.
Commonly known as Chinese New Year, Chun Jie is the most important holiday in the Chinese calendar. When literally translated it means “Spring Festival” and marks the coming of spring.
• January 26, 2009
• February 14, 2010
• February 3, 2011
• January 23, 2012
Qing Ming Jie 清明节清明节清明节清明节 / Clear and Bright
Remembering the lives of ancestors is an important part of Chinese culture. Qing ming, which means “clear and bright,” is a celebration to honor the dead. It is often known as Tomb Sweeping Day and is a joyous occasion. Food offerings are made, incense is lit, and paper money is burned.
• April 4, 2009
• April 5, 2010
• April 5, 2011
• April 4, 2012
Duanwu Jie 端午节端午节端午节端午节 / Dragon Boat Festival
The Dragon Boat Festival, or “double fifth,” marks the beginning of summer. Boat races are held and special rice dumplings called zongzi are eaten to commemorate the life of poet Qu Yuan.
• May 28, 2009
• June 16, 2010
• June 6, 2011
• June 23, 2012
Qixi 七夕七夕七夕七夕 / Seventh Night
Qixi falls on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month and is often called Chinese Valentine’s Day. This holiday commemorate the love story of the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl who are separated by the Milky Way and are united for one night only.
• August 26, 2009
• August 16, 2010
• August 6, 2011
• August 23, 2012
Zhongyuan Jie 中元节中元节中元节中元节 / Gui Jie 鬼节鬼节鬼节鬼节 / Ghost Festival
The Ghost Festival is held during the seventh month of the lunar calendar. Throughout the month, spirits roam the earth visiting their families. Paper lanterns are often lit and set afloat on rivers to guide the spirits of the dead.
• September 3, 2009
• August 24, 2010
• August 14, 2011
• August 31, 2012
Zhongqiu Jie 中秋节中秋节中秋节中秋节 / Mid Autumn Festival
Mid Autumn Festival, or Zhongqiu Jie, marks the arrival of fall. It is a celebration of the harvest moon, when the moon appears at its brightest. People light lanterns, eat special moon cakes, and tell folk tales about the moon.
• lunar calendar • Duanwu Jie 端午节 (Chinese name for
the holiday)
Background Information:
Duanwu Jie, known as Dragon Boat Festival in English, is a traditional Chinese holiday. Occurring on the fifth day of the fifth month in the Chinese lunar calendar, the holiday is also known as “double fifth.” The principle event of this annual celebration is the Dragon Boat Race. For more than 2000 years, dragon boats have been raced on the waterways of China, and today Dragon Boat Festivals are celebrated the world over. Dragon Boats are long narrow boats powered by a group of paddlers. A traditional Hong Kong dragon boat is a sleek 39-foot long solid teak racer decorated with a vividly colored dragon’s head at the prow and tail at the stern. A standard team of paddlers includes approximately 22 people—20 paddlers, 1 drummer who sets the pace for the crew, and 1 steersperson who navigates the course. Depending on the size of the boat, there could be as few as 10 paddlers to as many as 50. Paddlers must work in unison to get full power from their swift strokes.
The Story of Qu Yuan Traditionally, the Dragon Boat Festival commemorates the life and death of the ancient poet-patriot, Qu Yuan (340-278 BCE). Qu Yuan was a minister who advocated social reforms in his home state of Chu. When the king decided to ally with the increasingly powerful state of Qin, Qu Yuan was banished for opposing the alliance. In exile, Qu Yuan wrote poetry expressing his concern for his country and people. Twenty eight years later, the state of Qin conquered the Chu capital. In despair, Qu Yuan committed suicide by drowning himself in the Mi Lo River on the fifth day of the fifth month. The people of Chu rushed to the river to rescue Qu Yuan. Alas, it was too late. The people of Chu sprinkled rice in the water to feed the fish and the river dragon so that they would not eat Qu Yuan’s body and spirit. Many years later, Qu Yuan’s ghost appeared complaining that he was hungry because the river dragon was eating the rice that was meant for him. Fearful of the trouble a hungry ghost can cause, the people were eager to satisfy Qu Yuan’s ghost. They wrapped and tied the rice in bamboo leaves before throwing it in the river. This is the origin of zongzi, steamed rice dumplings wrapped in bamboo and filled with sweet or savory fillings. Eating zongzi is now as much a part of the Dragon Boat Festival as the boat races.
Dragon Boat Festival (Duanwu Jie 端午节端午节端午节端午节): June 8, 2008
The Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival in Boston is an annual community event held on the Charles River in
Cambridge each spring. Boston Children’s Museum has been instrumental in organizing this event since its
inception in 1979; 2009 will mark the 30th anniversary of this celebration. The museum collaborates with
many local organizations to promote Asian culture in the New England area.
On the Charles River 9:00-5:00 Hong Kong Dragon Boat Race Finals
Along Memorial Drive 12:00-5:00 Asian Foods
In the Arts and Crafts Tent 12:00-5:00 Chinese Arts and Crafts Activities provided by Greater Boston Chinese
Culture Association and Boston Children’s Museum
Boston side (12:00-12:30) 12:00-12:10 Eye-dotting Ceremony
12:10-12:20 Dragon Dance by Wah Lum Kung Fu
12:20-12:30 Dragon Dance Parade over Bridge with Sponsors
Cambridge side in Performance Tent (12:30-5:00) 12:30–12:40 Dragon Dance by Wah Lum Kung Fu
12:40–1:00 Opening Ceremony
1:00-1:30 Chinese Music Ensemble, Chinese Yoyo, and traditional Chinese dance by GBCCA (Greater Boston Chinese Cultural Association)
1:30–1:45 Korean Poongmul Drum/Dance Family Troupe 1:45-2:15 Hula and Tahitian Dance performance by Polynesian Dance Arts 2:15-2:45 Japanese Taiko Drumming by Odaiko New England
2:45-3:15 Chinese Martial Arts and dragon/lion dance by Wah Lum Kung Fu
3:15-3:45 Chinese folk dance and music (drum and hulusi) by CCCC (Cambridge Center for Chinese Culture)
3:45-4:00 Korean Poongmul Drum/Dance Family Troupe
4:00-4:30 Hula and Tahitian Dance performance by Polynesian Dance Arts
4:30–5:00 Japanese Taiko Drumming by Odaiko New England
The program Children’s Life in China aims at teaching Chinese culture to children through experiencing life, a matter that children can relate to and are familiar with. According to conclusions drawn by Selinda Research,4 in cultural exhibitions young children learn most effectively by relating to their own life through the respective developmental stage for their age group. This program will enable students to get to know the four children whose stories are represented in the Children of Hangzhou exhibition. Each student will participate in presenting the life and activities of one of the four Chinese students. Through various activities before and after the visit to the exhibit as well as during the visit, students will learn to appreciate the lives of children in China. Through the reflections, we hope American children will also learn to appreciate their own life here in the United States.
Big Ideas • Learn about children’s life in contemporary China • Gain awareness of the fact that children’s life in China today mixes aspects of modern and
traditional life • Compare and contrast children’s life in America and in China
Goals
• Experience Chinese cultural activities in the exhibit • Activate background knowledge • Learn to make inferences, and to compare and contrast • Collaborate with peers • Give an oral presentation
4 Selinda Research Associates, Inc., provides evaluation, research, and consultation services for museums and
other informal learning environments. http://www.selindaresearch.com
Pre Visit Activities This segment prepares students for the visit to the Children of Hangzhou exhibition and helps students build their background knowledge for learning about another country and culture. Some of these suggested activities serve to connect the learning before the visit to that after. Other activities help students reflect on their own life by anticipating learning about the lives of other children and some activities are simply fun. 1. Activity One: Locate China in the world Show the class a world map or a globe, and find China on that map. Compare the sizes of the following countries: China United States, (including Alaska and Hawaii) Canada Print the map of China attached in this packet. Help students fill in the following:
• Major cities: Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Hangzhou, Xi'an, and Lhasa. • Major rivers: the Yangtze River (Chang Jiang) and the Yellow River (Huang He) • The Great Wall • Surrounding countries – specify a few – Japan, Korea, Afghanistan, Myanmar, India, Vietnam,
etc. • Major landforms—Himalayan Mountains, Taklamakan Desert, Gobi Desert, Tibetan Highlands,
etc. (suggested for grade 5 and above) 2. Activity Two: Story “White Snake Lady”
Borrow a copy of “White Snake Lady” (other title variations include “Madame White Snake” and “Lady White Snake”) from the local library or use the attached version. Read the story with the class. The class can retell and/or draw illustrations for the story individually or as groups. Introducing students to this story before they visit the exhibit will help to familiarize them with a Chinese folk tale. The story is featured in the exhibit through the life of Guo Qianyun, one of the four children, who performs the story as a form of Chinese opera. This also reinforces the continued importance that traditional stories and art forms have in contemporary society. 3. Activity Three: KWL chart Start a KWL (What do you know? What do you want to learn? What have you learned?) chart in the class. Hold a class discussion, and fill in the K and W columns regarding what students know and what students want to know about China and children’s life in China. As part of the post-visit activities, discuss what students have learned about China and Chinese children's lives and fill in the last column of the chart with the class. 4. Activity Four: Compare life of Chinese and American children Start a list of routines of school and home life of the students in the class chronicling the daily activities, all in one column. A parallel column is saved for info on activities and routines of Chinese kids after the museum visit.
School Visit to Children of Hangzhou: Connecting with China Staff needed: One museum educator plus four chaperones Materials needed
• Globe or world map • assignment sheets for the four groups • clipboards and worksheets for note taking and presentation • jianzi (Chinese shuttlecock) • Chinese abacus • 1 set of wuziqi (a Chinese board game) • 1 biandan (carrying pole) for the country • 1 opera costume • photos of each child in the exhibit
Procedure
I. Intro (10 min.) 1. Meet class at Bus Stop area in exhibit 2. Say to the class “Welcome to Hangzhou China” in Chinese and English 3. With help of students find China and Hangzhou on the maps and then the globe 4. Ask students about the longest trips they have taken, and what it felt like, including the
length of the traveling and the means of transportation. Establish the distance from your city/town to Hangzhou.
5. Ask students to imagine what it would be like to be in a new country, eg. not being able to understand the language; not knowing where things are (restaurants, stores, etc); wanting to learn about the culture through a friend, etc.
6. Tell the class they will be divided into four groups and will learn about aspects of life in China with one of the four children as their host.
II. Small group activity (20 min.)
1. Ask the students to stand with their respective chaperones. If there are more than four chaperones/groups, divide the students evenly into four groups.
2. Assign one chaperone to each group, and pass him or her the assignment sheet 3. Tell students that they will meet their host in a section of the exhibition. They should learn
everything about that host and share with the whole class at the end of the program. 4. When arriving at the destination of each group, the group should watch the video of the
Chinese child first. At the end of the viewing, the chaperone should check comprehension quickly. (See the attached worksheets for sample questions.)
5. Specific activities are listed on the worksheet for each group. See attached sheets.
Group One: Farm/Village area Meet Doudou and learn about life on a farm (Doudou is pronounced dough-dough.)
Find the intro panel text for Doudou and read it as a group. Then locate the countryside area of the exhibit.
Gather the whole group in front of the window on the house facade and watch Doudou's video.
Check comprehension after viewing by asking some of the following questions: (For grade three and below, chaperones should take notes for reference during the presentation later. For grade three and above, ask a student to take notes to prepare for the presentation.)
What is the name of your host? ____________ _ _
How old is she? What grade is she in? ____________ _ _
Where does she live? ____________ _ _
Who is she visiting? Why? ____________ _ _
What kinds of things does she like to do there? ___________ _ _ _
What are some of her hobbies? ________________ ______ ______
What does she like most about the countryside? ____________ _ _ Is there anything else you learned about Doudou? Let each member in the group explore the farm area for 5 minutes. Everyone should practice using the bamboo carrying pole to lift the baskets (add objects to give them some weight). Other activities to try include rice planting and building the bamboo chair.
When 5 minutes are up, gather the group and go over the presentation:
Designate each student to do one of the following:
• announce the host's name and age
• say one thing about Doudou's life
• say another thing about Doudou's life
• describe Doudou's hobbies
• describe rice planting
• demonstrate carrying two baskets with a bamboo pole
Meet the rest of the class and get ready for the presentation to the whole group.
Meet Qianyun and learn about life for a young opera student (Qianyun is pronounced Chien-yoon)
Find the intro panel text for Qianyun and read it as a group. Then locate the theater area of the exhibit.
Gather the group in front of the Opera poster (near the pavilion) and watch Qianyun's video.
Check comprehension after viewing by asking some of the following questions: (For grade three and below, chaperones should take notes for reference during the presentation later. For grade three and above, ask a student to take notes to prepare for the presentations.)
What is the name of your host? ____________ _ _
How old is she? What grade is she in? ____________ _ _
Where does she live? ____________ _ _
What is she studying? _________ ___ _ _
What kind of school does she go to? ___________ _ _ _
What role does she play in the opera? ____ ____________ _ ____
What does she like to do when she is not at school? ____________ _ Is there anything else you learned about Qianyun?
Let each member in the group explore the theater area for 5 minutes. Everyone should practice the “throwing water sleeve” technique as shown in the demonstration video by Qianyun. Other activities include trying on the different costumes and acting out the play on the stage.
When 5 minutes are up, gather the group and go over the presentation:
Designate each student to do one of the following:
• announce the host's name and age
• say one thing about Qianyun's life
• say another thing about Qianyun's life
• describe Qianyun's hobbies
• describe Yueju opera
• demonstrate the “throwing water sleeve” technique
Meet the rest of the class and get ready for the presentation to the whole group.
Meet Weicheng and learn about life at home (Weicheng is pronounced Way-cheng)
Find the intro panel text for Weicheng and read it as a group. Then locate the apartment area of the exhibit.
Gather the group in front of the family TV and watch Weicheng's video.
Check comprehension after viewing by asking some of the following questions: (For grade three and below, chaperones should take notes for reference during the presentation later. For grade three and above, ask a student to take notes to prepare for the presentations.)
What is the name of your host? ____________ _ _
How old is he? What grade is he in? ____________ _ _
Where does he live? ____________ _ _
Who does he live with? _________ ___ _ _
What event are they celebrating? ___________ _ _ _
What does he learn to cook? ____ ________ ____ _ ____
What are some of his hobbies? ____________ _ Is there anything else you learned about Weicheng?
Let each member in the group explore the apartment area for 5 minutes. Everyone should practice playing wuziqi, a child’s version of the ancient Chinese game weiqi, or go. Other activities include looking through the kitchen drawers and refrigerator and finding your Chinese zodiac sign.
When 5 minutes are up, gather the group and go over the presentation:
Designate each student to do one of the following:
• announce the host's name and age
• say one thing about Weicheng's life
• say another thing about Weicheng's life
• describe Weicheng's hobbies
• describe grandma’s birthday celebration
• demonstrate playing wuziqi, “five in a row”
Meet the rest of the class and get ready for the presentation to the whole group.
Meet Gangzheng and learn about life at school (Gangzheng is pronounced Gahng-jung)
Find the intro panel text for Gangzheng and read it as a group. Then locate the classroom area of the exhibit.
Gather the group in front of the blackboard and watch Gangzheng's video and the teacher's video.
Check comprehension after viewing by asking some of the following questions: (For grade three and below, chaperones should take notes for reference during the presentation later. For grade three and above, ask a student to take notes to prepare for the presentations.)
What is the name of your host? ____________ _ _
How old is he? What grade is he in? ____________ _ _
Where does go during the day? School? Library? Home? __________ __
What is the class learning? _________ ___ _ _
What is different about his school? ___________ _ _ _
What is the same about his school? ____ ________ ___ _ ____
What are some of his hobbies? ____________ _ Is there anything else you learned about Gangzheng?
Let each member in the group explore the classroom area for 5 minutes. Everyone should practice playing with the jianzi, or Chinese shuttlecock. Other activities include reading the inventions bulletin board and practicing counting on the abacus.
When 5 minutes are up, gather the group and go over the presentation:
Designate each student to do one of the following:
• announce the host's name and age
• say one thing about Gangzheng's life
• say another thing about Gangzheng's life
• describe Gangzheng's hobbies
• describe the school exercises in the Chinese school
• demonstrate playing with the jianzi
Meet the rest of the class and get ready for the presentation to the whole group
Post Visit Activities Activity One: Complete the KWL chart As a group, complete the chart by filling in what have you have learned about China and Chinese children's lives. Activity Two: Compare life between children in the US and China Add information about children's life in China in the vacant column next to the one with info on American kids' life started in the pre-visit activity. Compare and contrast the two. Activity Three: Learn Chinese calligraphy (See attached) Activity Four: Connect with children in China Ask students to write letters to the four children in China. Choose the child they connected with the most:
• Qianyun
• Doudou
• Weicheng
• Gangzheng They can write what they have learned in the exhibit from their stories and ask questions if they still have something they want to learn.
Writing Chinese Calligraphy 1. The four treasures of a Chinese scholar’s study and artist’s studio: Paper (zhi � ) Paper was invented in China in the year 104 AD by Cai Lun ��, a Chinese court official in the Han Dynasty. The first paper was made of hemp, mulberry tree bark, silk, and old fishing nets, but now a variety of plant fibers are used to make different kinds of paper. The most desirable paper for Chinese ink painting is xuan paper. It gets its name from its birthplace, Xuan Cheng in Anhui Province. Its main ingredients are rice straw and green sandalwood pulp. Ink stick (mo � ) Ink sticks are hardened blocks of soot mixed with animal gum. Chinese calligraphy uses mostly black ink, while colored ink sticks are for Chinese paintings. Many artists also use watercolors for Chinese paintings. Brush (bi � ) There is a wide selection of Chinese brushes, of different sizes and made from different materials. Bamboo is most commonly used for the brush handle. The hairs, or bristles, can be made of goat hair, rabbit hair, horsehair, or other animal hairs. Ink stone (yan � ) Ink stones are for grinding the ink stick with water to make liquid ink. Good quality ink stones are appreciated as both collectable art pieces as well as for the practical function of making ink. Nowadays, liquid ink that comes pre-made in containers is also available to school students for convenience. Serious artists still prefer making ink the hard way, by grinding water with the ink stick in the ink stone! 2. Practice holding the brush: A Chinese calligraphy brush is held differently from the way a paintbrush or pen or pencil is held. You must hold the brush vertically. Practice so that your hand is not tense. Your wrist can rest on the table if you are using a small brush on small paper. (Experienced calligraphers very often stand to write large-sized characters by moving their whole arm.)
3. Learn the basic calligraphy strokes: Everybody learning to write in Chinese must first master these basic strokes.
Basic rules about writing Chinese calligraphy: 1. Start each horizontal stroke from its left and move towards the right. 2. Start each vertical stroke from its top and move towards the bottom. 3. Start each character (which is a combination of strokes) from its left side and top. 4. Traditional Chinese writing is read from top to bottom, starting from the right side.
Make an Accordion Book The accordion book is one of the ancient forms of Chinese bookbinding. Make an accordion book. Use it as an album for your Chinese characters! Steps to make an accordion book:
• Cut along the dotted line to divide the 11” x 17” paper into two long strips. Measure the paper so the two strips are the same size.
• Fold each strip of paper at the lines indicated. Leave a ¼ inch extra on one edge.
• Glue the ¼ extra of each strip together, and glue the two side panels on the two pieces of cardboard paper. The cardboard pieces will be the front and back covers.
• Cut out the title and glue it to the cover.
Tie a ribbon or string around the book for a finished look.
• You can write one Chinese character on each page, or you can cut out the words from the calligraphy practice packet. Glue one onto each page. This is your Chinese calligraphy collection!
Chinese arts are among the oldest and richest in the world. The exhibition Children of Hangzhou: Connecting with China showcases aspects of traditional Chinese arts, including visual and performing art. The exhibit uses original landscape paintings portraying scenes of Hangzhou, both rural and urban, by the Hangzhou-based artist Ms. Lin Sumei. The story of Qianyun, a promising young Chinese opera student in the exhibit demonstrates Chinese performing arts. Through this program, students will gain authentic experience in Chinese visual art and performing arts. The immersive environment of Chinese art and aesthetics makes the experience special and memorable. This lesson requires a minimum of second grade reading level.
Big Ideas
• The arts of China are rich and colorful.
• Children in contemporary China learn traditional art forms.
• Chinese opera is one way to learn legends and stories.
• Chinese opera is different from Western opera.
• Visual and performing arts require discipline and training. Objectives
• Learn about Chinese painting and calligraphy
• Experience traditional Chinese art materials: bamboo brushes, xuanzhi paper, ink
• Exercise fine motor skills by assembling scrolls with a range of materials
• Learn about Chinese opera, including some basic movements
• Understand that learning Chinese art requires special training
Pre Visit Activities for Arts of China This segment prepares students for their visit to the Children of Hangzhou exhibition and helps students build their background knowledge for learning about another country and culture. 1. Activity One: Locate China in the world Show the class a world map or a globe, and find China on that map. Compare the sizes of the following countries: China United States, (including Alaska and Hawaii) Canada Print the map of China attached in this packet. Help students fill in the following:
• Major cities: Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Hangzhou, Xi'an, and Lhasa. • Major rivers: the Yangtze River (Chang Jiang) and the Yellow River (Huang He) • The Great Wall • Surrounding countries – specify a few – Japan, Korea, Afghanistan, Myanmar, India, Vietnam,
etc. • Major landforms—Himalayan Mountains, Taklamakan Desert, Gobi Desert, Tibetan Highlands,
etc. (suggested for grade 5 and above) 2. Activity Two: Chinese Stories Borrow the following books from the school or a local library. Read the stories with the class. The class can retell and/or draw illustrations for the story individually or as groups. Introducing these stories before the museum visit will help familiarize students with Chinese folk tales and prepare them for the activities they will do when they visit the China exhibit.
“White Snake Lady”5 This story is featured in the exhibit through the life of Guo Qianyun who performs the tale at school as a Chinese opera. The popularity of the story as a folk tale and opera also reinforces the continued importance that traditional stories and art forms have in contemporary society. “Liang and the Magic Paintbrush”6 Chinese brush painting has a long historical and cultural tradition in China. The story of Liang and his magic paintbrush helps introduce students to this important art form.
5 Aaron Shepard & Song Nan Zhang, Pan Asian Publications, 2001
School Visit for Arts of China Staff needed Two museum education staff Materials needed
• globe or world map • “White Snake Lady” story • opera costumes • 1 Chinese painting scroll • white paper for practicing ink
painting strokes • xuanzhi paper cut into 6 x 4” pieces • 15 brushes for Chinese painting • liquid ink • 8 small cups for ink dishes
• old newspaper to protect table or work surface
• paper towels for any ink spilled • construction paper pre-cut to 8 x 22”
pieces in assorted colors • dark color string precut to 1 ½’
(enough for all kids) • glue • clear scotch tape
Procedure
I. Intro (5 min.) 1. Meet class at Bus Stop area in exhibit 2. Say to the class “Welcome to Hangzhou China” in Chinese and English 3. With help of students find China and Hangzhou on the maps and then the globe 4. Tell students that they will be in China and will try some Chinese art activities. One is an
opera piece and the other is Chinese painting and calligraphy.
II. Small group activity (20+20 min.) Divide the class into two halves, each with 10-15 students. Each group will do one activity for 20 minutes and switch to the 2nd activity for 20 minutes.
Painting activity One museum educator will lead one group to a nearby open area for the painting activity:
• Three to four folding tables are set in a row, with 4-5 chairs around each table.
• The tables are prepared with felt mats (1 1/2’ x 1’ in size, one for each student), 2 small cups on each table with ink in each, and one brush per student.
• An easel with paper is needed for the educator to demonstrate painting strokes.
• The educator will explain the tools used in Chinese ink painting and calligraphy: xuanzhi paper, bamboo brush, ink stick and ink stone. Although liquid ink is used for convenience sake, an ink stick and stone will be included in the kit to show students.
• Show students how to hold the brush correctly, and how to dip the brush in ink and prepare the tip for painting.
• Demonstrate on the paper on the easel how to start painting a panda (see instructions attached).
• Students will practice painting on regular paper. After completing one copy, students will be given xuanzhi paper to paint a final copy.
• If time permits, glue the painting on the pre-cut construction paper scroll. Fold the top and bottom of the scroll and attach a string on top for hanging
Opera activity One museum educator will lead half of the class into the theater area in the exhibition.
• The group will watch Qianyun's video and short demo video. Afterwards the group will spend 2 minutes in the area for exploration:
• Look at and listen to or try to play the various musical instruments
• Look at the costumes and curtains on the stage
• Read the theatre poster
• Gather the group together in the theater stage area, and review the story of “White Snake Lady,” with the help of the paintings on the backdrops
• Have students form groups of three, and find an area in the theater setting to try a mini drama excerpt from “White Snake Lady: the Broken Bridge.” The segment is in part captured in Qianyun's video. A worksheet is attached to help each group to plan their performance.
• Costumes will be distributed to each student once they have chosen their roles. The groups will switch and repeat the 20 minute programs for the 2nd half of the class.
III. Q&A with whole class (5 min.)
IV. Free exploration in the exhibition (10 min.) After learning about Chinese art, look for some other examples of art in the exhibit:
• an example of Chinese calligraphy
• examples of Chinese brush painting
• the Great Wall of China After learning about Qianyun’s life, learn something about the other children in the exhibit:
Attachment #1 (Arts of China) Instructions for painting a panda step 1. Correct way to hold the brush: 2. Lead the class step by step to complete a panda painting:
3. Add bamboo leaves and stems as necessary. Remember to remind kids to put their names down on the painting. Optional: Have students design their own name seal with red pen and include in the painting.
Attachment #2 (Arts of China) Theater activity worksheet
White Snake Lady Yueju Production
Scene: Broken Bridge at the West Lake Characters:
1. Lady in White: white snake spirit, Scholar Xu’s wife 2. Scholar Xu: scholar, husband of Lady in White 3. Maid in Green: green snake spirit, Lady in White's maid and loyal friend
On Dragon Boat Festival, Lady in White drinks an herbal drink, which lifts her magic. She is unable to keep her human form and she reveals her true self—a white snake spirit. Her husband, Scholar Xu, is terrified and runs away. Lady in White and Maid in Green try to look for him. Lady in White still loves Scholar Xu and wants to find him, but Maid in Green wants to punish him for running away his wife. The three of them meet at the famous Broken Bridge at the Beautiful West Lake in Hangzhou. The worksheet helps each group write down the words for each character and plan the performance of this short scene. Scholar Xu: (scared and running) _____________________________________________ Maid in Green: (angry, holding a sword, running after Xu) _________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ Scholar Xu: (caught up by Maid Green) _________________________________________ Xu is trying to escape Maid Green Lady in White: (comes and tries to stop Maid in Green) _____________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ The three talk together for a little while, and decide to forgive each other and make up. They go home together.
Post Visit Activities for Arts of China Activity One: Have an art exhibit in the school!
Collect all the brush paintings done while visiting Boston Children’s Museum and hold an exhibit for the school.
Activity Two: Paper Cutting
Chinese people invented paper more than 2000 years ago. Paper cutting artworks are the most popular and most accessible art form for the Chinese people. Copy the templates onto colored paper and cut around the black outlines. (For templates, refer to the Exhibit Activities under Public Programs. For older students, have them create their own papercut designs.)
Activity Three: Chinese Fine and Folk Art
Rent the museum teaching kit “Chinese Fine and Folk Art” and try other art activities from China. Activity Four: Visit an Art Museum
Go to an art museum that has a Chinese art collection. Appreciate the paintings and other art objects from China.
"White Snake Lady" is one of the most popular folk tales in China. It is the love story between the loyal heroine Lady in White, who is a snake spirit in human form, and her human husband, Scholar Xu (pronounced “shoe”). One day, Lady in White and Maid in Green, both snake spirits, decided to take the form of human women and enjoy the beautiful scenery of West Lake in Hangzhou. There they met Scholar Xu, a young student, who was also enjoying the scenery. When Lady in White and Scholar Xu met, they both fell in love with one another and got married soon after. In late spring, on the day of Dragon Boat Festival, Scholar Xu and Lady in White celebrated the holiday. To celebrate, Scholar Xu offered Lady in White a traditional herbal drink. Unfortunately, the herbs in the drink were very strong and Lady in White revealed her true self—a white snake spirit. The appearance of a snake shocked Scholar Xu to death! To bring him back to life, Lady in White obtained a magic herb from Magic Mountain. With this herb she brought her husband back to life. Scholar Xu then went to the Jinshan Temple and met monk Fa Hai. Fa Hai told him that the snake he had seen on the Dragon Boat Festival was actually his wife. Scholar Xu was frightened by this news and was persuaded to stay in the temple. Lady in White went to beg Fa Hai to return her husband to her, but Fa Hai showed no mercy on her. Desperately, Lady in White fought with Fa Hai. Unfortunately, she lost the battle and escaped to the Broken Bridge on West Lake. Scholar Xu had also gone to the Broken Bridge. He was struggling between love and fear for his wife. Eventually he was overcome by love for Lady in White. Although heart-broken, Lady in White was also still in love with Scholar Xu. Meanwhile, Maid in Green, Lady in White’s best friend, was very angry with Scholar Xu for running away from his wife. She wanted to punish him. However, Lady in White stopped her friend, showing Maid in Green that Scholar Xu was still in love. They all made up and remained friends. Later, Lady in White gave birth to a baby boy. Despite her happiness, monk Fa Hai still did not trust her kind spirit and captured her. He mercilessly imprisoned her under a pagoda by West Lake. Years later, Lady in White was rescued by Maid in Green and reunited with her family.
7 Adapted from the book Lady White Snake: A Tale from Chinese Opera, retold by Aaron Shepard, illustrated by
Song Nan Zhang, Pan Asian Publications, 2001. This adapted text for “White Snake Lady” is best suited to older students, 4
th grade and above. Invite students to
read the story on their own and then create their own illustrations. If you have younger students, borrow a copy of the story from your school or local library and read it to them.
There are a number of excellent resources available about China. We have put together this guide in
order to help navigate through the online and print sources available to educators. These lists are not
exhaustive but are merely intended as a starting point for those who want to learn more about Chinese
culture, language, or history.
Because many Chinese terms are used throughout this manual, the resource section begins with notes
on Chinese language and pronunciation. This is followed by a glossary of the Chinese words that
appear in the manual. It is important that educators who will be guiding school programs or exhibit
activities are familiar and comfortable with these terms.8
A bibliography of books about China is also included to further supplement the information provided
here. This book list is categorized by subject to help guide your search. Subject headings include
history and culture, anthropology, arts and literature, folk stories, and festivals.
Due to the wealth of online resources available, we have provided listings for several renowned East
Asian Outreach Centers within the United States that provide educational materials and up to date
information about China online.
8 To listen to an accurate pronunciation guide for Mandarin Chinese, visit
http://chinesepod.com/resources/pronunciation. Choose the sound that you would like to practice and then listen. You can also use the glossary section to look up English and Chinese terms and then listen to how they are used in a sentence: http://chinesepod.com/resources/glossary.
The standardized form of spoken Chinese is Standard Mandarin (Putonghua 普通话/Guoyu 国语),
based on the Beijing dialect. Standard Mandarin is the official language of the People's Republic of China and of Taiwan, as well as one of four official languages of Singapore. However, there are a number of linguistic subdivisions ("languages" or "dialect groups") within China itself. There are between six and twelve main regional groups of Chinese (depending on classification scheme), of which the most populous is Mandarin (widely spoken across northern and south western China), followed by Wu (widely spoken in south eastern China including Zhejiang, Jiangsu and Anhui provinces and Shanghai), Min (widely spoken in the south eastern provinces of Fujian and Guangdong), and Cantonese (widely spoken in southern China, including Hong Kong). Most of these groups are mutually unintelligible, though some may share common terms and some degree of intelligibility. Today the most common Romanization standard for Standard Mandarin is Hanyu Pinyin, often known simply as pinyin, introduced in 1956 by the People's Republic of China. Pinyin is almost universally employed now for teaching standard spoken Chinese in schools and universities across America, Australia and Europe. It is also the Romanization system used throughout this manual. Tones: One of the biggest differences between Chinese and Western languages is the tones used to pronounce words. In English, tones denote whether something is a question, a command, or a general statement. In Mandarin, however, each word has a tone. If you do not use the right tone with a word it can change the meaning of the word. Mandarin Chinese has four distinct tones and a fifth neutral tone. • First tone is pronounced with a high level tone, it starts high and stays high (as if “singing” the
word): mā 妈 (mother)
• Second tone is pronounced with a tone that rises to the top, it starts medium and rises (as if
asking a question “what?”: má 麻 (hemp)
• Third tone is pronounced with a tone that starts medium, dips to low, and then rises high: mă 马
(horse) • Fourth tone is pronounced with a tone that starts at the top and then falls sharply to low (as if
giving a command “stop!”: mà 骂(curse or scold)
As you can see from this guide, pronouncing a word with an incorrect tone can change the meaning of
your sentence. You certainly would not want to call you mother a horse!
Asia Society is the leading global organization working to strengthen relationships and promote
understanding among the people, leaders, and institutions of Asia and the United States. We seek
to enhance dialogue, encourage creative expression, and generate new ideas across the fields of
policy, business, education, arts, and culture.
Founded in 1956, Asia Society is a nonpartisan, nonprofit educational institution with offices in
Hong Kong, Houston, Korea, Los Angeles, Manila, Melbourne, Mumbai, New York, San Francisco,
Shanghai, and Washington, DC.
• Association for Asian Studies www.aasianst.org
1021 East Huron Street
Ann Arbor, MI 48104
(734) 665-2490
The Association for Asian Studies (AAS) is a scholarly, non-political, non-profit professional
association, open to all persons interested in Asia. It seeks through publications, meetings, and
seminars to facilitate contact and an exchange of information among scholars to increase their
understanding of East, South, and Southeast Asia. It counts among its members: scholars,
business people, diplomats, journalists, and interested lay persons.
The AAS was founded in 1941, originally as publisher of the Far Eastern Quarterly (now the Journal
of Asian Studies). It has gone through a series of reorganizations to serve better the broadening
disciplinary and geographical interests of its membership.
• Five College Center for East Asian Studies www.smith.edu/fcceas
Florence Gilman Pavilion
Smith College
69 Paradise Road
Northhampton, MA 01063
(413) 585-3751
The Five College Center for East Asian Studies is one of many programs administered by Five Colleges, Incorporated. The member institutions of the consortium are: Amherst, Hampshire, Mount Holyoke, and Smith Colleges, and the University of Massachusetts Amherst. We aim to support, encourage, and improve the teaching of East Asian cultures in elementary, middle, and secondary
schools, and two- and four-year colleges in the Northeast. We work to improve the quality, quantity, and distribution of resources for teaching about East Asia at the college and pre-college levels, and to offer opportunities for pre-college educators to experience East Asian cultures firsthand. The Center maintains a Resource Library, publishes a newsletter three times a year, and conducts seminars, institutes, conferences, and workshops for college and pre-college educators.
• National Consortium for Teaching About Asia (NCTA) http://www.nctasia.org