Culture Beat: Foreign artists invited to cycle across Beijing

Promotional material for the cycling event Photo: Courtesy of Beijing Overseas Cultural Exchanges Center

Foreign artists invited to cycle across Beijing   

Over the weekend, more than 40 artists from countries including Slovenia, Romania, Greece, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Pakistan and Nigeria participated in the "Culture Tour of Peking Opera - Beauty of Cycling" event in Beijing. 

The participants were all outstanding artists in music, dance and other artistic fields. The event organizers selected a number of iconic landmarks for the culture tour. 

Organized by the Beijing Overseas Cultural Exchanges Center, the tour featured English commentary throughout, offering a unique cycling experience focusing on Peking Opera landmarks. 

Starting their journey from Ji Xiaolan's Former Residence, the birthplace of Peking Opera, the artists explored the Zhengyi Temple, viewed from a distance the grand Changyin Pavilion within the Palace Museum and delved into the historical Dongjiaominxiang Alley. The event offered a unique experience of Peking Opera culture as well as the unique charms of the capital.

During their stopover at the theater at Zhengyi Temple, the participants were keen to explore this well-preserved wooden structure, which, with more than 300 years of history, stands as China's oldest opera theater. 

They also experienced the place that bore witness to the transformation of Chinese opera from Yabu (Kunqu Opera) to Huabu (folk opera), which encapsulates the entire evolution of Peking Opera, from its inception to growth and the later peak period.


Furniture exhibition to open in Hangzhou

Conversation, an exhibition displaying furniture from the Song (960-1279) and Ming (1368-1644) dynasties, is set to open in Hangzhou, East China's Zhejiang Province, on Friday.

The study, known as wen fang in ancient China, represents the essence of knowledge, culture and life. Here, the exhibition tells the stories of heritage involving exquisite furniture from the two dynasties.

These pieces of furniture carry the wisdom of ancient Chinese craftsmen, blending the elegance of the Song style with the refinement of the Ming style. They are not only practical furniture, but also artistic masterpieces, inheriting the aesthetic ideals of simplicity in the Song and meticulousness in the Ming.

A study is a bond that spans 1,000 years, reflecting not only the techniques of furniture making, but also the aesthetic views of different civilizations. 

The exhibition will also explore the furniture and stationery of the Western study, and explore the dialogue and inspiration between Eastern and Western cultures. 

The Western study in the Middle Ages also has rich and colorful stories. One of the greatest furniture designers of the 20th century, Hans Wegner, designed his legendary work, the China Chair, in 1944. As its name suggests, this chair was inspired by the round-backed armchair of the Ming Dynasty. 

The chair has different versions, such as rosewood, Cuban mahogany, cherry wood or black locust wood, showing different charms depending on the material used. 

After creating the China Chair, Wegner was fascinated by Chinese elements and created several Chinese-style chairs, among which the "Y" Chair and the Round Chair became popular worldwide.