The mythological narrative in current Chinese animation is not simply a repetition of classic mythological stories, but a new form of creation. Whether it is a contemporary revision of a specific mythological story, or a new narrative after mixing, collaging, grafting, and transforming various non-homologous mythological stories, contemporary concepts are injected while retaining the typical visual symbols of mythology, and drawing heavily from traditional Chinese art styles, providing a new way of thinking for the development of Chinese animation. Mythology has an open interpretation space and interdisciplinary nature. Over the years, based on disciplines such as anthropology, history, religion, folklore, literature, psychology, etc., different research methods and schools of thought have gradually formed around issues such as origin, function, characteristics, and structure. For example, the natural mythology school believes that mythology originated from the worship of natural phenomena such as wind, rain, thunder, and lightning by early humans. From a structuralist perspective, understanding mythology is key to grasping its deep structure: although mythological narratives from different ethnic groups and regions are not exactly the same, they have universal structures and rules within them. From a psychological perspective, myths are often seen as the product of common psychological projections of various ethnic…

Cultural variety shows and historical dramas have opened up a new trend of Chinese celebrities' traditional costume styling. Starting with "National Treasure" in 2017, celebrities frequently time travel to various dynasties to experience the life of ancient people. Yang Zi acted in many Xianxia dramas (such as Ashes of Love, and Immortal Samsara), but in "National Treasure", she had the opportunity to talk with Princess Wencheng across time and space. The appropriate gold ornaments, together with the flower inlay between her eyebrows, highlight her dignified and luxurious side. Zhang Zifeng, transformed into a Qing Dynasty astronomer, Wang Zhen Yi. With her plain attire and calm and quiet temperament, you seem to be able to see the majestic universe in her heart. The 2019 suspense drama "The Longest Day In Chang'an", the thrilling investigation process, with a rich display of Tang Dynasty styling, adds a lot of features to this drama. In the show "Meet the temple of heaven" 2019, has a number of actresses changing into Qing Dynasty attire, which combined with the scenery of the Temple of Heaven, really gives a feeling of history shining into reality. Compared to Xianxia and Wuxia dramas, cultural shows and historical dramas usually…

In the three years since the Chinese short-length dramas went from rough to sophisticated, the romance genre has been riding high in terms of volume, with the ancient costume category leading the market in terms of subdivision. Like long-length dramas, costume romance short-length dramas are created by imitating the ancient style of China, with intricate and exquisite hanfu costumes, spectacular scenes, and special worldview settings to construct poignant or sweet love stories. To a certain extent, the ancient costume short-length dramas can recreate the scenes of ancient life and satisfy the curiosity of the audience. At the same time, this ancient landscape has always had a notable appeal with its unique beauty. Earlier, the word aesthetics was not much associated with short-length cdrama. However, after the accelerated development of the industry, more and more high-quality short-length dramas have joined the competition, and the aesthetics of the episodes has become the most basic pursuit. In terms of the ancient romance theme, especially after the great popularity of last year's batch of works such as "The Killer is also Romantic", "My Princess" and "A Familiar Stranger", the ancient aesthetics of the short-length drama field has gained more voices of recognition. Recently, another ancient…

The intense summer drama showdown has begun. Youku has set the stage good start with "The Double," and now they’re back with a surprise hit - "The Princess Royal." Upon its release, this drama swiftly climbed to the top of Youku's hottest premieres of 2024. Within the first three episodes, "The Princess Royal" manages to tell a story with the pace and charm that would take other dramas a dozen episodes to cover. The plot advances at lightning speed, from the protagonists' deaths to their reunion in a new life, leaving no room for unnecessary filler. For those recovering from the addictive "The Double," "The Princess Royal" is the perfect follow-up. This drama blends intense romance and sweet moments seamlessly. With Youku consistently delivering high-quality dramas, audience expectations have risen. While innovating in the historical romance genre is challenging, "The Princess Royal" manages to surprise. It combines a strong male and female lead dynamic with multi-layered relationships, where the leads are adversaries, allies, and lovers all at once. This creates a sweet yet complex narrative that keeps viewers hooked. In recent years, sweet dramas have faced criticism for being formulaic and artificial. However, "The Princess Royal" offers fresh and grounded…

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

China has many historical ancient cities that are suitable for tourism: Beijing, Nanjing, Suzhou, and Hangzhou. However, the popular attractions in these popular tourist cities were already depicted by ancient artists. Let's take a journey into these ancient paintings together.   Beijing Tiananmen was first built in the 15th year of the Ming Dynasty's Yongle reign. At that time, it was called "Chengtian Men," which symbolized "receiving the mandate of heaven and initiating an auspicious era." The name "Tiananmen" was given by Emperor Shizu of the Qing Dynasty when he ordered its reconstruction, meaning "receiving the mandate of heaven and ensuring peace and prosperity." As the main gate of the Beijing Imperial Palace during the Ming and Qing dynasties, Tiananmen, along with the Huabiao and stone lions beside the Jinshui bridge, has witnessed over six hundred years of historical changes. Centuries ago, there were already crowds of foreign envoys coming to pay tribute. After visiting Tiananmen Gate, the next stop must be the Yuanmingyuan Park. The Yuanmingyuan park was built during the Kangxi era and is a royal garden that represents the rise and fall of the Qing Dynasty. In the park, there are not only replicas of famous gardens…

The caves with undulating heights and depths are truly spectacular; the exquisitely crafted statues are vivid and lifelike; the colorful and dazzling murals. For a thousand years, time has silently passed over this desert, proclaiming to the world the former prosperity and bustle of this place. Among them, murals are the most widespread and deeply ingrained art in Dunhuang. Dunhuang, known as the "Great Gallery in the Desert," has 735 caves, more than 2,400 colored sculptures, and over 45,000 square meters of murals. These precious works of human civilization include portraits of Buddha, stories of Buddha's life, myths and legends, Buddhist historical events, and Buddhist scriptures. Despite enduring wind and frost, these brightly colored murals still radiate their brilliance. To appreciate the beauty of Dunhuang, one must learn to understand the rich world within the murals. The following introductory guide to Dunhuang murals from "Art Culture China" will present the most beautiful side of Dunhuang to you.   In the Dunhuang murals, there is a group of people who believe in Buddhism and funded the excavation of the caves. They not only funded the painting of Buddhist themes but also depicted their own popular ideas and life portraits in the…

01 The cheongsam loved by women Eileen Chang once said, "Clothes are a language", and every heroine in her novels would use the style of cheongsam to interpret the sorrow and happiness of love, and the prosperity of silk to lament the impermanence of fate. And Eileen Chang's love for cheongsam can be described as close to crazy. Cheongsam is not only an important prop in her novels, but also an indispensable costume in her life, and it is an expression of her views on life, aesthetics and women. The cheongsam maker who made her cheongsam recalled that he couldn't remember how many pieces of cheongsam he made for Eileen Chang, but he remembered that each piece of cheongsam was made "according to the drawing", and the design came from Eileen Chang herself. Not only Eileen Chang, but also Chinese women in the 1930s and 1940s seemed to be very fond of cheongsams. Soong Mei-ling was no less fond of cheongsams than Eileen Chang, and she had hundreds of cheongsams in her closet. Film and television stars such as Hu Die, Ruan Lingyu, and Zhou Xuan are also fans of cheongsam, they not only wear cheongsam out of their own…

One-third of life is spent on sleeping, and beds play an important role in people's lives. So, what did the bed look like in ancient China? Ancient humans often lived in caves. In order to keep warm, weeds, leaves, and animal skins were spread on the ground, which was roughly the earliest bed. During the Banpo cultural period of the matrilineal society, the prototype of the bed appeared, that is, the Tutai (土台), which is similar to today's kang bed-stove. In "Guangbo Wuzhi", there is such a record: "Shennong invented the bed, and Shaohao made the Kui (篑), and Lu Wang made the Ta (榻)." During the Shang and Zhou dynasties, the prototype of the bed was slowly determined. Compared with our modern beds, the ancient traditional beds had many functions. At night, the ancients slept on the bed, but during the day, they also needed to sit or lie down to rest, so the "Ta (榻, couch)" was invented. The earliest prototype of the couch is the mat. In other words, putting a mat on the ground can sit and lie down. In ancient times, people in northern China generally used grass to make mats, while southerners generally used…

Armor was an important war material in the cold weapon era, and its quality and quantity were crucial to the combat power of ancient armies and the rule of feudal dynasties. The Chinese emperors paid attention to improving the ability and quality of armor manufacturing, but also strictly controlled the private possession of armor by strict penalties and laws. During the Song and Yuan dynasties, this restriction was even stricter, and those who hid the whole set of armor privately would be regarded as having conspiracy to commit rebellion to be executed. The armor could only be handed out during the war and collected into the national treasury after the war. These military treasures were eventually destroyed and lost during the war between the dynasties, so except for a few surviving artifacts from the late Qing Dynasty that have been preserved as cultural relics, the rest of the dynasties have rarely survived to this day. However, after the death of the royal family and the senior military class, armor could be buried in the burial chamber as burial goods. For example, the Qin Dynasty, the images of armor portrayed on the terracotta warriors and the stone armor excavated from the…

The Wuxia drama "Mysterious Lotus Casebook" has attracted a large number of viewers since its premiere with its innovative martial arts format. The seemingly outdated elements of the martial arts world such as martial heroes, inns, and sects have broken through the traditional boundaries in the drama. However, when it comes to martial arts, one cannot ignore the concept of the Jianghu (江湖, rivers and lakes) in Chinese culture. What exactly is the Jianghu?   How can we define the Jianghu culture? The term Jianghu seems to be a vague concept. People admire and yearn for the Jianghu, but it always seems difficult to define and is not considered highbrow. The earliest appearance of the term Jianghu can be found in the book "Zhuangzi": “相濡以沫，不如相忘于江湖。(Rather than leave them to moisten each other with their damp and spittle, it would be far better to let them forget themselves in their native rivers and lakes)” This phrase evokes a sense of imagination, encompassing the vast territories of the Central Plains, the four corners of the world, the rivers and lakes that crisscross the land. Gradually, the Jianghu has evolved into a metaphor for the world. The beauty brought forth by nature, the…

Some people once said that putting on a cheongsam seems to be revisiting the thousands-of-years-old traditional virtues of Chinese women. And when Zhang Man Yu wears a cheongsam, it is precisely to interpret this virtue to the fullest: dignified and intellectual, gentle and generous, implicit and moderate. Every expression and gesture reveals the unique charm and quietness of women. As a representative of traditional Chinese women's clothing, with its unique design and elegant charm, the cheongsam showcases the traditional virtues of Chinese women for thousands of years. However, for the same wearing of a cheongsam, some people can be out of the ordinary, while some are plain and unremarkable, and the key lies in the temperament and self-cultivation of the wearer. The appeal of the cheongsam lies in its peculiar oriental charm, and the perfect presentation of this charm requires inner cultivation and bearing. Zhang Man Yu is a good example. Her unique oriental feminine charm allows her to interpret it to the fullest when wearing a cheongsam. Her eyes are graceful, and her steps are elegant, and every expression and gesture reveals the unique charm and quietness of women. Compared with Zhang Man Yu, some young female stars had…

Gods, ghosts, demons. These are terms we’ve all heard before, of course. When it comes to gods, you might think of the eclectic pantheons of Greek, Norse, or Egyptian tradition, or the capital “G” God of many huge, organized religions; for ghosts, you might think of translucent, ethereal, figures; for demons, horned and fork-tailed monsters. Chinese mythological traditions have these supernatural beings too—but in China, these beings are assigned very different traits and come from very different cultural roots. The problem stems from the fact that the Chinese names of these beings are often translated using English counterparts that already have pre-established, similar meanings (yet terms that are also just different enough that they can cause confusion and misunderstandings). So to those unfamiliar with Chinese mythology or Chinese folkloric tradition, here is a compiled list of the main supernatural beings of Chinese mythology, as well as there etymological roots, their interrelationships, their similarities, and their differences. I hope this will help you prevent accidental conflation of terms and mythologies, and I hope you have fun learning something from the guide below!   Gods（神） Let’s start at the very top: Gods, or 神/shen. Chinese folkloric tradition is home to innumerable thousands…

As we all know, the Tang Dynasty had unprecedented national power, strong economic strength, people lived in peace and happiness, and the people's pursuit of fashion is also increasing. Today for you to introduce the women fashion items in the Tang Dynasty, let's take a look at Chinese historical fashion together.   The Essential Diexie Belt (蹀躞带) for Tang Dynasty Women The movie "The Assassin" released in 2015, in which the female protagonist Nie Yinniang is dressed in a black robe, wearing a very fashionable belt at the waist, which is a popular "Diexie belt" in the Tang Dynasty. Diexie belt was originally a kind of waist belt of the Hu people, since the Wei and Jin Dynasty, introduced into the Central Plains, to the Tang Dynasty was once set as civil and military officials must wear something. An antique Tang dynasty Diexie belt, now in the Shaanxi Provincial Institute of Archaeology. It is 1.5 meters long and 1.2 centimeters thick and is made of white jade, some of which is light green. The jade belt is made of using traditional decorative techniques, inlaid gold in Hetian white jade, and the quality of the jade is warm, luxurious, and beautiful.…

Let’s talk about Han purple and Han blue, distant relatives of Han Solo. Or perhaps not.  What are they then? As you may have guessed, these are artificial pigments, synthetic colors, created by the Chinese over 2,500 years ago. They were widely used in ancient artworks - such as wall paintings, for decorating ceramics, metalware, jewelry, clothes, and even the famed Terracotta warriors are painted blue... or purple. Han purple and Han blue are actually misnamed, as both colors have been found well before the Han dynasty in China, perhaps as early as the Western Zhou dynasty (1045-771 BCE). Therefore, they are often called Chinese purple and Chinese blue instead. Another misnomer is that Han purple, in its pure form, is actually a dark blue, so perhaps Han indigo would be more accurate. But let's go back in time to ancient China. Colors were obtained through what people could find in nature. Fun fact: Pigments are made from inorganic materials such as powdered minerals, and are far more durable than dyes. Dyes, on the other hand, are organic compounds traditionally made from plants or animals and are shorter-lasting. So here they were, using dyes and the same old pigments -…

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

Ancient China attaches great importance to silk production. Shang Dynasty, silk weaving, and utilization has been quite popular, and has a certain scale of production, mastering a higher degree of weaving technology. By the Qin and Han dynasties, silk weaving handicraft production flourished, and the industry has reached a more mature scale, the Tang and Song dynasties are more prosperous. As for the Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties, the ancient silk weaving technology reached the highest level, it is not difficult to imagine the prevailing situation. Today, let's learn about the whole process of Chinese silk production through the Qing dynasty Jiao Bingzhen's paintings: "Geng Zhi Tu Ce (耕织图册)". Hanfu and Chinese silk you may like: