Antikythera Mechanism: 2,000 Year Old Computer Used by Ancient Greeks
5 June, 2013 at 06:46 | Posted in Culture, Funny things :-), Science, Technology | Leave a commentTags: archaeology, Chinese culture, funny things, Science, technology
By Benjamin Chasteen
Epoch Times
In the early 1900s, divers looking for sponges in the Antikythera area between Crete and Greece came upon one of the most mysterious discoveries the world has ever seen—the Antikythera Mechanism.
The device was being carried on a Roman ship that was wrecked between 80 and 60 B.C. The ship was believed to have been sailing to the Anatolian Peninsula (also called Asia Minor) to what is now Turkey and was carrying some of the finest works of art of its day. The divers found over 200 amphorae, or ceramic jars, which were still intact on the sea floor.
After the device was found, it wasn’t until 50 years later that an Australian archaeologist using X-rays began to discover that there was a lot more to the mystery piece than was originally thought. However, due to limited technology at the time, the actual function of the Antikythera Mechanism wasn’t known until decades later.
In 2005, using sophisticated software and technology, it was finally discovered that the Antikythera Mechanism was an astronomical device, and by using it, one could navigate one’s position at sea by charting the stars in the skies.
It was also an astrological device. By setting it to a particular day, such as a person’s birth date, one could see how the stars and planets would line up for that person. Using it as a timeline, one could then tell that person’s future by looking at the planets’ alignment for decades to come.
The device could also predict lunar phases, lunar eclipses, and the positions of the sun and moon for years to follow. Later it was also found that the device could predict the motion of the planets, and cast horoscopes for planning future festivals and events in the ancient world.
Mathias Buttet, director of Research and Development at the Swiss watchmaking company Hublot, said, “It includes ingenious features which are not found in modern watchmaking.” Buttet has managed to recreate a smaller version of the device the size of an average wrist watch.
Altogether, the Antikythera Mechanism used about 30 gear wheels, with very sophisticated and intricate parts that all interconnect. Researchers are still not sure who created the device or what its true purpose ultimately was.
The Antikythera Mechanism, along with other artifacts found at the shipwreck, can be viewed at the exhibition “The Antikythera Shipwreck: the Ship, the Treasures, the Mechanism,” which will continue to run at the National Archaeological Museum in Athens, Greece, from now through Aug. 31, 2013.
via Antikythera Mechanism: 2,000 Year Old Computer Used by Ancient Greeks
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Noah’s Ark and the Great Flood: Did it Really Happen?
30 May, 2013 at 16:04 | Posted in Culture, Science, Society, Spirituality | Leave a commentTags: Chinese culture, Science, Society, Spirituality
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By Leonardo Vintini
Epoch Times
“In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened. And the rain was upon the earth forty days and forty nights.” —Genesis 7:11-12
Approximately 9,000 to 5,000 years ago in the northern Turkish province of Sinop, an event of spectacular historic magnitude took place. So spectacular, in fact, that some believe it represents proof that the “Great Flood” recounted in the Bible may have been an actual (though somewhat exaggerated) representation of real events.
In September of 2004, an expedition in the Black Sea by a team of scientists from various institutions (including the National Geographic Society) determined that the sea in question was not always as we know it today.
They concluded that it had originated from an immense lake of black water that at one point in history began to widen in an unusually rapid way. The change was so great, in fact, that inhabitants of the surrounding area were immediately obliged to search for more secure land, hastily leaving behind housing, tools, and other traces of their former lives.
This led the underwater expedition headed by oceanographer Robert Ballad to declare that there once existed human settlements that now reside more than 300 feet underwater. This startling Black Sea discovery not only contributed to a thoroughly enriched historical understanding of the serious alterations in water level suffered in the ancient Middle East, but also raised questions about what caused the alteration in the first place.
Since then, scientists and reporters continue to probe the unresolved issue; it is a key to understanding the historical development of human civilization and the different climatic stages that Earth has experienced. Furthermore, it is an important theme intertwined not only with the Judeo-Christian tradition but with many legends from different cultures around the world—the Great Flood.
The Black Sea: Proof of the Flood?
Contemporary hypotheses suggesting that the rapid growth of the Black Sea was a consequence of an incredible rainfall of planetary proportions has never received great sale. Based on a large framework of scientific laws, predominantly geological, which have been established on the basis of empirical observation over the years, makes this a rather improbable scenario.
In the first place, skeptical geologists propose that for such a flood to have occurred, we would find a similar stratum throughout the world covered with pebbles, sludge, boulders, and other elements. It is curious that this layer cannot be found, even more so when the flood narrated by the Bible had taken place in a time as recent as 3000 B.C.
Neither can be found the strata of fossils, with different animal and vegetable species occupying specific soil layers. According to flood logic, the animal remains of all species before the big flood (including the extinct dinosaurs) should be found today in only one stratum, without any distinction. But paleontology completely contradicts these suppositions.
Yet these examples appear to be only the tip of the iceberg comprising the arguments that refute a global flood. Even so, much of such reasoning is refuted with equal grace by the “pro-flood” scientists. In fact, descriptions like “all the sources of the great abyss were broken” or “the waterfalls of the heavens were opened” recounted in Genesis are backed up by hypotheses that, although incredible, are impossible to rule out as being incompatible with reality.
One of the more dramatic hypotheses proposed that the planet could have been covered with water up to its highest points, contrary to the calculations indicating that all the water suspended in the atmosphere would only be enough to reach a modest 1.2 inches over the total surface of Earth.
These “flood supporters” calculate that if the geography of Earth went through a leveling out in its surface—the mountains being lowered, the sea troughs being elevated—then the entire Earth would be covered by thousands of feet of water.
According to the water-covers-the-earth theory, in the times of Noah the upper layers of the atmosphere contained a substantial amount of water that today makes up the oceans. This atmospheric water was what covered the whole planet, and which later returned to the ocean troughs by violent vertical tectonic movements. Researchers in support of this idea believe it makes suitable reference to the “waterfalls of the heavens” that could condense themselves thanks to dust generated by several simultaneous volcanic eruptions.
With respect to non-Biblical myths about a purifying flood, these can be found in the Hindu, Sumerian, Greek, Acadia, Chinese, Mapuche, Mayan, Aztec, and Pascuanese (Easter Island) cultures, among others. Several of these stories appear to possess surprisingly similar common factors. Among the most repeated themes are those of celestial announcements ignored by the people, the great flood itself, the construction of an ark to preserve life from the flood, and the later restoration of life on the planet.
A clear example of this similarity is provided by pre-Biblical Mesopotamian history of the flood in which the god “Ea” warned Uta-na-pistim, king of Shuruppak, about the punishment that awaits humanity for its serious moral degeneration. Uta-na-pistim received instructions from the god to construct a craft in the form of a cube with eight floors, and said that it should include in it a pair of each species of animal, plant seeds, as well as his own family. Thus, Uta-na-pistim survived the several-day-long deluge, released a bird to verify the proximity of dry land, and made an animal sacrifice to the gods.
In Search of the Lost Ark
One separate point that adds weight to the Bible controversy is the body of photographic and physical evidence of a large object encrusted in Mount Ararat, where, according to the Christian text narrations, finally rested the ark of Noah.
In the beginning of 2006, University of Richmond professor Porcher Taylor declared that according to an extensive study made over years of satellite photography there is a foreign object encrusted in the area northeast of the mountain, the length of which coincides perfectly with that of the ark recounted in the Bible.
Such satellite images from above Ararat have inspired the curiosity of a great number of scientists since this declaration was made in 1974. Several expeditions of investigators also managed to rescue remains of petrified wood, as well as 13 strong anchors of rock in the area surrounding the supposed location of the possible archeological treasure. Ultrasonic tests have also been made, revealing a very odd structure embedded in the rock.
In spite of the multiplicity of texts from diverse cultures which tell the story of a great ancient flood, the magnitude and duration of such an event seems to be a point of argument, even among those who believe that such an event actually occurred. Thus, while a small number of researchers suggests that this flood covered the entire Earth in vast amounts of water, most geologists agree that such a scenario is an impossibility.
While not everyone believes ancient accounts that describe the re-creation of humanity from the salvation of a handful of people, it would seem that a climatic catastrophe actually did take place across the entire planet several millennia ago. We can also safely assume that an indefinite number of human beings in elevated locations had the capacity to continue civilization, and to transmit the story of the occurrence to later generations.
Up until the time when evidence is revealed to definitively tip the scales toward one of these particular theories, the story of a time when a great flood purged the sins of man will be taken as a myth for some and a statement of historical fact for others. Either way, this great ancient flood remains forever a part of the story of humankind.
via Noah’s Ark and the Great Flood: Did it Really Happen?
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Bollywood Actress After Seeing Shen Yun: ‘I shall remember this forever’
4 May, 2013 at 07:47 | Posted in Chinese culture, Shen Yun | Leave a commentTags: Chinese culture, classical Chinese dance, Shen Yun
By Epoch Times
NEW YORK—Bollywood actress and film producer Kalpana Pandit said Shen Yun Performing Arts was unreal.
“I would say it’s one of the best, musical, spiritual, precision dance pieces I’ve seen in the world,” she said after the performance at Lincoln Center on April 28. “I shall remember this forever.”
Ms. Pandit, an emergency physician-turned-actress, was the leading actress in Panithuli and starred in Janleva 555, as well as appearing in a range of other films, music videos, and television commercials. She was in New York to judge a Bollywood dance competition and ended up experiencing Shen Yun.
Shen Yun is a New York-based performance company that aims to revive the divinely-inspired, 5,000 years of traditional Chinese culture.
Ms. Pandit said the “depth of this beautiful culture” has very deep meaning, especially in today’s world.
“I feel that lack of spirituality is causing a lot of today’s problems with the youth,” she said. “There’s no grounding, because they have no concept of what to hang onto in order to satisfy the soul.”
“I think the deep spirituality which you see in shows like this, it awakens something, and I hope that these kind of shows will help people to explore what it is,” Ms. Pandit added.
Shen Yun presents in some of its dance pieces realms of paradise and the heavens, transporting the audience through the colors of the costumes, the divine nature of the dancing, and the digital backdrops that utilize patented technology.
The performance evoked contemplation from Ms. Pandit.
“There is something that pulls you deep inside, it gives you that sense of belonging to the earth,” she said. “That’s what I felt, especially when they showed all the heavens and the earth, the connection.”
“I aspire that this show touches every corner of the world so that everybody sees it,” she said. “I would love for it to go to India one day and for the people for India to see. This is gorgeous; it is perfect. I aspire that other shows can come up to this level.”
Spiritual Depth of Chinese Culture and Shen Yun
The long Chinese history formed on the three main faiths of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism.
“Under the influence of these faiths, Chinese culture has spawned a rich and profound system of values,” explains Shen Yun’s website. “The concepts of ‘man and nature must be in balance,’ ‘respect the heavens to know one’s destiny,’ and the five cardinal virtues of benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and faithfulness (ren yi li zhi xin) are all products of these three religions’ teachings.”
Classical Chinese dance is at the heart of a Shen Yun performance, accentuated by handmade costumes, digital backdrops, and an orchestra that melds both classical Western and Chinese instruments.
Yet there is much more to Shen Yun than what’s on the surface.
“Digging deeper, one discovers a sea of traditional Chinese culture. Mortals and divine beings merge on stage as one,” says the Shen Yun website. Furthermore, the range of principles and virtues from Chinese culture “come to life” through the performance, “washing over the audience.”
Ms. Pandit said: “I’m going to recommend this to all my friends, because it’s something that is obviously thousands and thousands of years old. That traditional culture comes through because of that ancient art form.”
Reporting by NTD Television, Ivan Pentchoukov, and Zachary Stieber
New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts has three touring companies that perform simultaneously around the world. The next performances in the northeastern United States are in Philadelphia May 3-5. For more information, visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org
The Epoch Times considers Shen Yun Performing Arts the significant cultural event of our time. We have proudly covered audience reactions since Shen Yun’s inception in 2006.
via Bollywood Actress After Seeing Shen Yun: ‘I shall remember this forever’ » The Epoch Times
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Chinese Consular Officials Demand Japanese Forsake Shen Yun
26 April, 2013 at 18:55 | Posted in China, Chinese culture, human rights, persecution, Shen Yun, Society | Leave a commentTags: CCP, censorship, China, Chinese culture, classical Chinese dance, Shen Yun, Society
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Letters sent to businesses and government officials ask for withdrawal of support
By Matthew Robertson
Epoch Times
TOKYO—Chinese consulates in Japan have recently sent letters to businesses, newspapers, and government officials in cities and prefectures across the country, demanding that they withdraw their support for Shen Yun Performing Arts, a Chinese classical dance company that tours the world. Good relations with the People’s Republic of China PRC are said to be at issue.
Shen Yun’s tour in Japan runs from April 19 until May 1. It will perform 11 shows in five cities, and is currently playing in Tokyo.
Last year, and the year before, Chinese consular officials also sent similar letters.
One of the letters, reviewed by The Epoch Times, asks a businessman to cancel his sponsorship of Shen Yun’s local promoters in Fukuoka, where the company is scheduled to perform on May 1. He was additionally asked to withdraw all public relations activities, “involvement,” or other support.
Local government officials have also received such letters, like that sent to the mayor of a city in the Fukuoka Prefecture, by Li Tianran, an official at a PRC consular office in Fukuoka.
Officials in prefectural governments in Tokyo, Kanagawa, Osaka, and Aichi, at least, have also received the letters, according to the local promoters in those areas, who were contacted by confused officials after receiving the abusive notes.
So have theaters, television broadcasters, magazines, and three of Japan’s largest newspapers.
The letters frame their demands as being “for the sake of Sino-Japanese relations,” according to the text in the letter seen by The Epoch Times. The Epoch Times devotes a segment of its website to feedback from audiences that have seen Shen Yun.
The Chinese authorities have long attempted to shut down Shen Yun’s performances around the world. The company is frequently sponsored by the Falun Dafa Associations where it performs; Falun Dafa, a spiritual practice, is persecuted ferociously by the Communist Party in China.
A focus of the round of letters in Japan was to slander the host Falun Dafa Association, using the Communist Party’s propaganda against the practice.
In addition, analysts say that the Chinese regime fears the attractiveness to Chinese audiences of the traditional Chinese culture Shen Yun presents. The Chinese Communist Party has sought over the past 60 years to stamp out China’s traditional culture.
The demanding letters were sent in the context of ongoing maritime disputes between Japan and the PRC, where many Japanese feel that the PRC is acting like a bully.
This round of letters targeting Shen Yun is unlikely to reassure the Japanese that China is a generally benign presence, indicated Koyu Nishimura, a Japanese critic and journalist, who read the letter sent to government officials.
“We have the freedom to think, freedom to speak, and freedom to believe. This is what the Communist Party is most frightened of,” he said in an interview with The Epoch Times. “The world is awakening to the real nature of the Communist Party.”
Nishimura continued: “If this has been happening each time the performers come to Japan, we should not keep silent. We must take action.” He added: “We shouldn’t forgive these actions.”
As a result of the letter-writing campaign, some of the sponsors of the hosting organization withdrew their support, and newspapers have been reluctant to run advertising for Shen Yun.
In the history of Shen Yun’s performances this response is unusual. Letters of this kind are regularly sent to sponsors and politicians who support the hosting organizations in countries around the world, and are often ignored or dismissed. Sometimes they are roundly rebuffed.
In early 2011 one such letter reached Dr. Cathy Casey, a member of the city council of Auckland, New Zealand. “I was quite outraged by it,” she said in an interview at the time. “I’m really upset that the consulate should think it can influence elected members in a host country, where they’re our guest. … How dare they!”
After seeing Shen Yun on April 20, Hirosato Nakatsugawa, a member of Japan’s House of Representatives, said: “I deplore the Chinese Communist Party sabotaging the performing arts. It is just pure artistic performance. People want this emotional experience.”
Updates: The article was updated to reflect the widespread nature of the letter-writing campaign, the content of the letters sent, and the impact they had in Japan.
Translation by Yukari Werrell. Written in English by Matthew Robertson.
Read the original article in Japanese.
via Chinese Consular Officials Demand Japanese Forsake Shen Yun » The Epoch Times
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Chinese Characters for Music: Yīn Yuè 音樂
19 April, 2013 at 07:02 | Posted in Chinese culture, Music | Leave a commentTags: chinese characters, Chinese culture
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Conveying the special significance of music,
literally ‘the sound of happiness’
The Chinese characters 音樂 (yīn yuè) stand for music. 音 is the character for sound, while 樂 refers to music itself as well as the concepts of happiness, pleasure, and enjoyment. The two characters combined literally mean “the sound of happiness.”
The ancient Chinese regarded music as a tool to contact the gods, and music was not only for enjoyment and entertainment but also part of sacred ceremony to reunite humankind with Heaven.
In addition, music is the ancestor of medicine and its primary purpose in ancient China was to heal illness. The character for medicine, 藥 (yào), is derived from the character for music.
藥 comprises two parts: 樂 at the bottom and the radical 艹 at the top, which refers to grass, herbs, and other grass-related plants. Following discovery of the healing effects of herbs, 艹 and 樂 were combined to form 藥.
via Chinese Characters: Yīn Yuè 音樂 | Culture | China | Epoch Times
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Buried Mayan Village Yields New Insights Into Ancient Agriculture
17 April, 2013 at 07:40 | Posted in Culture, Science, Society | Leave a commentTags: archaeology, Chinese culture, Science, Society
By Sally Appert
An ancient Mayan village buried in volcanic ash for centuries has revealed unusually well-preserved houses, crops, and gardens.
U.S. archaeologists excavated the village of Cerén, discovered in the 1970s in El Salvador. A volcano destroyed the village over 1,400 years ago, and the volcanic ash preserved the plants effectively in that tropical area.
“What this meant for me, is this site had all these plant remains lying on the ground,” study lead author David Lentz, professor at the University of Cincinnati, said in a press release.
“Not only do we find these plant remains well preserved, but we find them where the people left them more than a thousand years ago, and that is really extraordinary.”
The scientists got their first glimpse of a Mayan kitchen, which included an intensively planted garden.
“We could tell what was planted around the houses,” said Lentz. “This is fabulous because people have long debated how the Maya did all this. Now we have a real example.”
Another new discovery was malanga, a root crop related to taro, which scientists didn’t know the Maya cultivated. The team also found grasses that don’t exist in that area anymore and a house containing over 70 ceramic pots.
In addition, they found a paved road called a “sacbe,” which Lentz plans to follow in the future to see if it leads to other interesting discoveries.
“It was tricky because we kept encountering things we’d never encountered before at a Maya site,” said Lentz. “They were just invisible because of the lack of preservation.”
“Cerén is regarded internationally as one of the treasures of the world,” he added.
“What’s been found there gives you a real idea of what things were like in the past and how humans have modified things. I think what we’re learning there is revolutionizing our concept of the ancient past in Mesoamerica.”
The findings are helping scientists understand the Mayas’ agriculture and how they lived with such a dense population. The research will be presented at the annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology in Honolulu on April 3-7.
via Buried Mayan Village Yields New Insights Into Ancient Agriculture » The Epoch Times
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‘It was my greatest pleasure’ to Attend Shen Yun, Says Pianist
14 April, 2013 at 09:45 | Posted in Chinese culture, Shen Yun | Leave a commentTags: Chinese culture, classical Chinese dance, Shen Yun
FRANKFURT—Mr. Andreas Seipp is a pianist who performs at various venues, a chamber musician, an accompanist at the Cologne Opera, and a music teacher at a Cologne, Germany, high school. He attended the Saturday night New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts New York Company show at the Frankfurt Jahrhunderthalle.
Mr. Seipp bought a ticket to the Shen Yun show after having read up about the group on the Shen Yun website: “A Shen Yun performance features the world’s foremost classically trained dancers, a unique orchestra blending East and West, and dazzling animated backdrops—together creating one spectacular performance.”
“I’m impressed with this wonderful show, the unique orchestra, and the fantastic choreography,” said Mr. Seipp. “The musical arrangements can be counted among the top class—especially the mixture of Chinese and European instruments that work in such unison and present such a harmony of sounds.”
“Tenors, sopranos and other award-winning vocalists perform piano-accompanied solos, along with a regular favorite—the stirring melodies of the two-stringed erhu, also known as the Chinese violin,” states Shen Yun.
“It was my greatest pleasure to be at that show,” Mr. Seipp added.
Shen Yun’s animated backdrops present audience members with the lyrics of all the songs, as well as project landscapes, deep forests, celestial paradises, and Mongolian prairies to enhance the performance on stage.
“I not so much listened to the soprano singer, but had my eyes and ears open for the pianist that accompanied the singer,” said Mr. Seipp. “This was a marvelous piano debut. The musician listens very carefully when the instrument of his expertise is being played.”
Each year, Shen Yun presents a completely new set of dances, songs, and musical scores.
“Coming back to the orchestra, I must repeat that they emanated great harmony,” he said. “And then one finds out that these were all new compositions—impressive.”
“In a collection of short pieces, audiences travel from the Himalayas to tropical lake-filled regions; from the legends of the culture’s creation over 5,000 years ago through to the story of Falun Dafa in China today; from the highest heavens down to the dusty plateaus of the Middle Kingdom,” states Shen Yun.
“I came alone tonight and will tell everyone in glowing tones what I have experienced tonight,” concluded Mr. Seipp. “I will touch on the different scenes, the colors, and the folk dances, and make them wish that they would have come along to tonight’s show.”
With reporting by NTD Television
New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts has three touring companies that perform simultaneously around the world. For more information, visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org
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A Man of Insight Must Be Moral and Resolute
8 April, 2013 at 07:43 | Posted in Chinese culture | Leave a commentTags: Chinese culture
These days, schools are teaching more technical knowledge but less morality. However, it is believed that a person who does not have a strong will and a high standard of morality will be unable to reach a higher attainment, no matter how intelligent he is.
People who are broad-minded and self-disciplined are more likely to bear the heavy responsibilities that benefit the whole society.
The Importance of Morality
Zeng Zi was a sage in ancient China. He once remarked that a man of insight must be equipped with a high level of morality. Such a person must be compassionate, have lofty goals, and be resolute and steadfast in order to undertake major social responsibilities.
Without obtaining a high level of morality, it is impossible for him to fulfill these responsibilities. He would likely withdraw half-way and might give up his obligations when encountering hardship.
Zeng Zi’s famous remark later manifested another idiom: Every man has a responsibility for his nation’s rise or fall (天下興亡，匹夫有責。tiān xià xīng wáng, pǐ fū yǒu zé)
In Chinese culture, it means that one must cultivate his virtue and maintain the well-being of society when he is poor and lowly, while one must look after and contribute to the society when he is wealthy and in the upper class.
The idiom later became a moral principle that has greatly influenced the Chinese people throughout history.
Hardship Before Comfort
During ancient times in China, many sages followed this principle no matter if they were rich and highly-educated or poor and lowly. They always placed the matters of their nation as paramount over their personal concerns. These sages were always the first ones to bear the hardships and the last ones to enjoy the comforts.
In Chinese history, there are many stories about how sages were more concerned for the welfare of the nation, even when some of them were still living in hardship. Many sages selflessly made the greatest contributions toward the prosperity of society.
Thus, a nation can become developed and be saved from any disasters.
Read the original Chinese article.
via A Man of Insight Must Be Moral and Resolute | Culture | China | Epoch Times
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Mozi: The Great Chinese Thinker on Peace and Love
4 April, 2013 at 07:20 | Posted in Chinese culture | Leave a commentTags: ancient chinese legends, Chinese culture
Mozi about 470-391 B.C. was born after Laozi and Confucius 571–479 B.C., and lived during the Spring and Autumn 770–476 B.C. and the Warring States periods 476–221 B.C.. This was an era of turmoil and great cruelty.
At this moment of chaos, everyone, including kings, was eager to find capable people who could provide appropriate methods for managing a state well. Against this background many philosophical doctrines were taught in order to tackle all the social problems, including how to discipline people’s behavior and morality.
Mozi’s real name was Mo Di. He was an enthusiastic humanist and the founder of Mohism. This theory taught “universal love and no fighting.” He is known as one of the great thinkers in China.
From Mozi’s point of view, human selfishness and the desire for benefits were the main reasons that the world descended into turmoil. These desires prevent people from being more compassionate and loving each other.
If everyone could love others as they love themselves, treat others as their own relatives, treasure other states as much as their own states and let go completely of any selfish thoughts, the world would then no longer be at war and the true peace would be achieved.
Introducing the theory of “no fighting,” Mozi believed that the war was unjust and tragic for humanity. Every war destroyed countless properties, lives, and families. Therefore Mozi was against wars and urged they be stopped.
In addition to the theory of “universal love and no fighting,” Mozi introduced also his ideas of government by meritocracy. Sage and capable people should be selected to take official posts and work for the state, regardless of their family background and social status. Any corrupt officials should be dismissed as soon as possible.
Mozi was against munificent funerals and opposed treating music as a leisure activity. He thought these were a waste of either material or time. These ideas contradicted Confucius and were difficult for Chinese people to accept.
Mozi’s industrious spirit dedicated to world peace was magnificent. His idea of “universal love and no fighting” from about 350 B.C. is still valid today.
via Mozi: The Great Chinese Thinker on Peace and Love | Culture | China | Epoch Times
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Ancient Chinese Yin-Yang Fish Bowl Remains a Mystery
27 March, 2013 at 07:23 | Posted in Chinese culture, Funny things :-), Science, Technology | Leave a commentTags: archaeology, Chinese culture, funny things, Science, technology
By Xin Guo
Epoch Times Staff
Ancient Chinese science and technology were very advanced. The Ancient Chinese knew more about science and technology than any other culture. For instance, the yin-yang fish bowl that is part of the collection of the Hangzhou Museum in China’s Zhejiang Province cannot be explained by modern science nor replicated by modern technology. It remains a mystery to the world.
Among the collections of the Hangzhou Museum, there is a bronze spouting bowl named the “Yin-Yang Fish Bowl.” The bowl, which is about the size of a washbasin, has two handles and a decoration of four fish at the bottom. There are four clear parabolas drawn between the fish, just as those described in the Yi Jing (The Book of Changes). If you fill the bowl half-full of water and rub the handles with your palms, instantly the water in the bowl will tumble and the vibration will cause water to spout four two-foot-tall fountains from the mouth of each fish on the wall of the bowl. Moreover, the bowl will make the same sound as chanting the ancient divination words in the Yi Jing.
Bowl Cannot be Replicated by Any Modern Technology
Physicists from the U.S. and Japan have used all kinds of modern scientific instruments to examine and investigate the bowl trying to find out its construction principles of heat conductivity, sensoring, self-propelling, and spraying and making sound, but have not succeeded.
In October 1986, a replica bronze spouting bowl was made in the U.S. It looked identical to the yin-yang fish bowl but was a failure, as it could not function properly: It could not spout water, and the sound it made was very dull.
Modern science can only lament its insignificance before the miracles created by ancient Chinese technology and treat it as an unsolved mystery.
What were the principles upon which ancient people made the bronze fish bowl? As developed as it is today, why can’t modern science and technology make a replica of a bronze ware bowl made by people in ancient times?
According to experts’ analysis, modern science is analytical science. Characterized by high accuracy and strict quantification, it has reached the level of micro quantum technology. The so-called “Nami Technology” may very well represent the achievements of today’s high-tech. Yet modern science has a fatal weakness: linearism. Linear science still dominates today’s modern science and continues to apply a simplified approach to natural phenomena as always.
The real world and Mother Nature do not conform to linear principles, but in most cases non-linear theory instead. Modern science and technology are nothing but man-made simplification against the truth of Mother Nature.
Fountains of water that are similar to those in the bronze spouting fish bowl are called “solitary wave” or soliton phenomena. Different from ordinary waves, solitary waves do not disperse when occurring, and therefore can last a long time. The existence of solitary waves is a non-linear phenomenon.
Thus the construction principles of the yin-yang fish bowl are far beyond the scope of modern science, and it is therefore impossible for modern technology to replicate.
via Epoch Times | Ancient Chinese Yin-Yang Fish Bowl Remains a Mystery
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Conductor: Shen Yun Orchestra ‘The best I’ve ever heard’
26 March, 2013 at 17:05 | Posted in Chinese culture, Shen Yun | Leave a commentTags: Chinese culture, classical Chinese dance, Shen Yun
DENVER—Conductor Rick Crompton was thrilled to experience a new style of orchestral music on Sunday by Shen Yun Performing Arts.
Mr. Crompton and his wife Jeannine, who also own a real estate brokerage firm, attended the Feb. 24 performance at the Buell Theater. Mr. Crompton said Shen Yun’s orchestra, which combines traditional Chinese and Western instruments, was the best he’s ever heard.
“The conductor is fabulous, the orchestra was fabulous—so, so wonderful,” he said, adding it was his first time to hear traditional Chinese instruments in an orchestra. “And the composers, the people that did some of the work to bring this music together, mixed with the [dance] perfectly.”
Mr. Crompton has studied music and conducted orchestras and choirs for nearly three decades, a career that saw him take choirs to Rome to perform for the Pope.
He was impressed with all the elements that came together in Shen Yun—the orchestra, the many dancers, digital backdrops, costumes, and props.
“The costuming was fabulous, the music, the conductor is the best I’ve ever heard. The whole thing was magical,” he said.
“I enjoyed the whole thing, basically, because it all [came] together.”
New York-based Shen Yun is a world-renowned classical Chinese dance and music company. Formed in 2006 by artists from around the world, the mission of the company is to revive 5,000 years of traditional Chinese culture.
Mr. Crompton enjoyed Shen Yun’s digital backdrops, which are timed precisely to create the illusion that the dancers can jump in and out of the screen.
“The animated backdrop, when they would come in and appear on stage, that was brilliant,” he said. “That was great choreography.”
One of the most memorable moments for Mr. Crompton was a dance entitled Phoenix Fairies, which features graceful female dancers with colorful shimmering skirts, dancing amidst the clouds in a celestial paradise.
“It was magic; the beautiful costumes,” he said. “The brilliant color just grabbed me.”
He also enjoyed the dance Sewing the Flowers of Heaven, which features graceful dancers scattering flowers as blessings for all of humankind. In Chinese mythology, celestial maidens appear as heralds of great tidings, bestowing blessings on humans.
“They looked like flowers; they had a beautiful impression because the costumes were so delicate, when they laid down they looked like petals,” said Mr. Crompton. “I did enjoy that.”
Reporting by Gary Wang and Justina Wheale.
New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts has three touring companies that perform simultaneously around the world. For more information, visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org
Related Articles: Shen Yun Conductor Honored with Proclamation in Colorado
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Countess: ‘An absolute joy’ to See Shen Yun
23 March, 2013 at 07:17 | Posted in Chinese culture, Shen Yun | Leave a commentTags: Chinese culture, classical Chinese dance, Shen Yun
LONDON—Countess Pillet-Will and Mr. Thomas Matthew found Shen Yun Performing Arts to be an uplifting and spiritual experience on Thursday night.
They came to see the performance in the Barbican Centre, London—the second destination for the Shen Yun Performing Arts New York Company during its European tour.
The Countess, who has worked for many years in theatre, fashion, and design, previously worked with theatre director Pierre Jourdan of the Théâtre Impérial de Compiègne in France.
“If he had been here tonight he would have been absolutely thrilled by every detail of the show,” she said.
According to the Shen Yun website, the essence of traditional Chinese culture includes values like benevolence and justice, propriety, and wisdom that stem from teachings such as Buddhism and Daoism; however, almost all such values were lost in recent decades in China under communist rule.
The mission of Shen Yun is to revive this 5,000-year-old divinely inspired culture of China.
Both the Countess and her friend, Mr. Matthews, were deeply impressed by the performance’s spiritual core.
“To see something with such a strong spiritual message was an absolute joy in this age of decadence,” said the Countess.
Mr. Matthews, who works as a consultant in the communications and law industry, felt that Shen Yun was something very positive and “something which lifts the heart”.
He was also highly impressed by every aspect of the production, including Shen Yun’s state-of-the art digital backdrops.
“It was most enjoyable, beautiful, excellent! The performers were second to none, the artists, the colours, were spectacular, and the mix between them and the film on the screen was the best I’ve ever seen,” he said.
Reporting by Chin Liang and Jane Gray.
New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts has three touring companies that perform simultaneously around the world. Shen Yun Performing Arts New York Company will be performing in Barbican Theatre through March 9. For more information, visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org
via Countess: ‘An absolute joy’ to See Shen Yun | Special Section | Shen Yun On Tour | Epoch Times
Related Articles: Business Director: Shen Yun Exceeds International Standard
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Chinese Character for Intelligence and Cleverness: Cōng 聰
22 March, 2013 at 06:59 | Posted in Chinese culture | Leave a commentTags: Chinese culture
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To thoroughly understand a matter, first listen, then observe well and think carefully
The Chinese character 聰 cōng stands for intelligence or cleverness. It also refers to the faculty of hearing.
It comprises three parts: 耳 (ěr), the character for ear, on the left; a pictograph symbolizing two eyes on the top right; and 心 (xīn), the character for heart, on the bottom right.
聰 (cōng) conveys the rich meaning of what constitutes intelligence. One must first listen, then look attentively with one’s eyes, and then use the mind and heart to think carefully in order to clearly understand the truth of a matter.
Some common terms using 聰 include 聰明 (cōng míng) and 聰慧 (cōng huì), meaning smart, clever, bright, or intelligent, and 失聰 (shī cōng), referring to deafness.
耳聰目明 (ěr cōng mù míng) states that one must both listen and see well to thoroughly grasp a situation
冰雪聰明 (bīng xuě cōng míng) describes extreme intelligence, as sharp and penetrating as the cold of ice and snow.
聰明聽話 (cōng míng ting huà) is an expression of praise for a clever and obedient child.
聰明正直 (cōng míng zhèng zhí) refers to someone who is both wise and upright.
via Chinese Character for Intelligence and Cleverness: Cōng 聰 | Culture | China | Epoch Times
Related Articles: Chinese Character for Harmony: Hé 和
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$3 Bowl for $2.22 Million: 1,000-Year-Old Chinese Bowl Sold
21 March, 2013 at 07:53 | Posted in Chinese culture, Funny things :-) | Leave a commentTags: archaeology, Chinese culture, funny things
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$3 bowl for $2.22 million: A Chinese bowl bought for $3 was sold for $2.22 million at an auction. The bowl was described as “rare and important.”
A Chinese bowl that that was bought at a tag sale for $3 turned out to be 1,000 years old.
At a New York City Sotheby’s auction on Tuesday, the bowl sold for $2.22 million. Sotheby’s said that it was sold to a dealer in London, and it far exceeded the pre-sale value of between $200,000 and $300,000.
The rare bowl, around 5 inches in diameter, was made during the Northern Song Dynasty. The person who initially purchased the item bought it at a tag sale in 2007 and had it displayed in their living room for a few years before it was examined, reported The Associated Press.
Sotheby’s described the white “ding” bowl as “rare and important,” according to its website.
The Northern Song Dynasty lasted between 960 and 1127.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, on its website, said that the “early Northern Song dynasty witnessed the flowering of one of the supreme artistic expressions of Chinese civilization: monumental landscape painting.”
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Shen Yun Has Beautiful Inner Meaning, Says UK’s Bollywood Ambassador
12 March, 2013 at 12:34 | Posted in Chinese culture, Shen Yun | Leave a commentTags: Chinese culture, classical Chinese dance, Shen Yun
Shen Yun Performing Arts delighted renowned Bollywood dancer and choreographer Honey Kalaria so much last year that she booked tickets for this year’s first London performance on Tuesday, March 5.
“I couldn’t get enough, so I’m back again!” she said. “It’s been absolutely wonderful as always; lots of energy, gracefulness, beautiful choreography as always.”
Shen Yun each year produces an all-new performance, something not lost on Honey who said she loved seeing new themes, new ideas, new costumes, colours, and new projections on the digital backdrop that accompany each performance.
At the heart of a Shen Yun performance lies classical Chinese dance, a comprehensive system of dance, passed down and enriched through China’s 5,000 years of civilization.
As a dancer, Honey said she was highly impressed with the standard of the dancers, their professionalism, and how well polished their performances were.
“As a dancer personally, I would recommend the show to not just dancers, performers, creative people, but to audiences from all cultural backgrounds.”
In addition to the mainstay of dance display, Shen Yun also includes two or three world-class Chinese Bel Canto style singers.
Honey said that she loved the singers, and particularly enjoyed the inclusion of a translation of the lyrics on the screen behind. She said that this was characteristic of the care that went into the performance to ensure that people can really understand what is happening on stage.
She said her family, having seen the performance last year, were all hoping to catch Shen Yun this week. She says that Shen Yun performances really get people hooked on classical Chinese dance and performing arts.
Honey praised the performance for not just entertaining, but also educating the audience.
“The real essence of Chinese culture brought to audiences in a very, very entertaining manner which educates people. I’m going to go back to learn about Chinese culture.”
Honey says that dancing in general is about much more than the physical aspects and physical movements. “It’s about mind, body and soul,” she says. With Shen Yun, that inner meaning of the dance movements comes across very strongly to the audience, she said.
“You see this wonderful spiritual aspect that comes through the dance, there’s a beautiful meaning behind it. There are fantastic themes that are brought to the audiences, which I think is beautiful for people to go back with.”
“I’ll be back again here next year to watch Shen Yun the third time round!”
Reporting by NTD Television and Simon Veazey.
New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts has three touring companies that perform simultaneously around the world. Shen Yun Performing Arts New York Company will be performing in Barbican Theatre through March 9. For more information, visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org
Related Articles:
- Opera Singer of Shen Yun: ‘What an important mission’
- Director of Culture and Arts Troupe: Shen Yun Highlights the Truth and the Utmost Kindness
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Welcome!
Life is important and our choices are important.
On this website I will in different ways express what I think gives meaning to life and also what might be a challenge.
It may include the need for sustainable development for our planet, or various questions about our health and mental well-being.
To be truthful, to be good, to have patience and compassion, are spiritual qualities that are a part of my cultivation of self through Falun Gong /Falun Dafa, the way of insights. To refine and improve myself to a better, more compassionate human being gives my life great meaning.
I also bring up more difficult issues , like the persecution of Falun Gong and others in China and explain more about the mentality of the Chinese regime. We can never forget about the Human Rights!
What's important is also everything that makes life beautiful; as good thoughts, beautiful music, healthy food, beautiful art and beautiful scenery. And loving relationships.
I hope you will find something that might interest you in this blog and perhaps brighten up your day or give you a new understanding.
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