Please help
introduce Chinese literature to your community and donate a book to your
local school or library. These books are also very good gifts for the book
lovers.
|
 The
other shore: by GAO XingJian. The Chinese University Press. $24.50 Paper back. This
collection contains five of this Nobel prize laureate play writer's
most recent works: The Other Shore (1986), Between Life and Death (1991),
Dialogue and Rebuttal (1992), Nocturnal Wanderer (1993), and Weekend
Quartet (1995). You will find poetry, comedy as well as tragedy in the
plays, which are graced by beautiful language and original imagery.
Combining Zen philosophy and a modern worldview, they serve to illuminate
the gritty realities of life, death, sex, loneliness, and exile. In
addition to all the greatest things about the author, his book is
extremely easy to read. Both the length of the play and individual
sentence are perfect for colleague student weekend reading, class
production or advanced reading for high school seniors.
|
 Please
don't call me Human by WANG Shuo is absolutely hilarious!
$19.16, hard cover.
I had to wrestle with myself if I should recommend such a book in
the culture campaign. According to many Chinese pundits from China and the
west, it is not 'cultural'. The book is too easy to read, the humor is too
dark and its a story about low-life slacker. What positive impact can come
out of a disgusting book like this? The flip side of the argument is that
Chinese does not have to be so serious. Chinese culture should not merely
be represented by intellectuals elites and their view of life. Maybe its time for
us to take a look of people on the bottom of the society and understand how they
feel. Majority of us do not merge in profound thoughts everyday, no matter
what culture back ground you are from! I decide to recommend it
because it is fun to read for anyone.
|
 The
republic of wine by MO Yan gives a real profound look of Chinese
culture and human character in an entertaining and humors way. $
21.56 Hard cover
Mo Yan, literally means 'do not talk', has been a very popular writer in
China for years. His jokes really make you think. This absurd story in the
republic of wine does not happen in real life. However, we might have seen
one or two character of those in our neighborhood. We might even be
attempted to think or do things like that. This dark humor tells a
tall tale in the fictional "liquor land", when one official come to
investigate the allegation of cannibal feasts featuring children as the
delectable main course.......
|
 In
the Pond
by year 2000 PEN/Faulkner Award and 1999 National book award winner HA
Jin is a small book about big issues. $9.90 paper back.
It is a story about a small self-taught artist live in a small room,
working for a small fertilizer plant in China. The story about his
struggle to have a larger apartment for his small family evolves into a
saga about power, vanity, art, injustice, and of course politics. It opens
a window to the true life of small people in China up till few years ago.
Maybe it is still very true in some part of China today. The story has a
good ending. It is a comedy--naughty, lusty, raucously
entertaining.
Note: Ha Jin wins his awards for the tragic
story waiting. |
Post your opinion or question in our forum
Or you may search this website to look for your answers.
Glossary:
A:
Antidote: or Fengshui cure, it is
generally used to bring back the balance when needed, such as mirrors, wind
chimes, crystals, fountains, candle etc.
Arrow: it is important to have a 'smooth' environment. The sharp pointing
objects are considered as pointing arrows. It can bring disharmony. To smooth corners in
the house is important for holidays.
Astrology: Fengshui is NOT Chinese astrology. However, these two subjects are
closely related and intertwined. A person's Chinese Zodiac animal can be calculated base on the year
of birth.
B:
Bagua:
Ba Gua is the principle on which FengShui practice is based. read more about it
in the theory section in our FAQ.
Balance: The most important principle of Feng Shui. Balance yin-yang and
five elements is the main task of FengShui practice.
Beam: It needs to be avoid. Fengshui consider overhead beams are inauspicious to
the residence. It is most inauspicious if it is above the office desk or
bed.
Bonsai: It is popular in Asia and getting more and more popular in the west.
However, many Bonsai are made with unnatural limitation of the tree. Those are
not good for the FengShui.
Book of Change: I-Ching, the great book of Change. Document the most ancient
idea on which Feng Shui is developed. See it in our FAQ and history sections.
C:
Cactus: It is not recommended to be
placed in the home, office or in front of the house. It can cause
disharmony.
Chi: it is often called the dragon's breath in many areas. It is the flow of
energy. Although we mostly talk about the flow of positive Chi, the negative Chi
do exits.
Chi Gong: A form of martial arts and meditation technique. It is generally recommended
for mature adults' exercise.
Compass school of FengShui: a practice of Feng Shui that base on the Bagua and
its interaction of individual's birth date and gender to determine the
directions. See basic theory in our FAQ for more details.
Corner: or sections. Divide the house or room into nine equal sections and
arrange them base on Bagua functions.
Crystals: Natural clear crystal is frequently used Fengshui technique to enhance
the earth element. However, artificially manufactured crystals are not
necessarily pure earth element.
D:
Double happiness: The traditional
symbol used to celebrate and bless marriage. It is popularly used in Feng Shui
to bring happiness into marriage. It can be used with all five elements.
Dragon: The most important symbol in Chinese culture. In most cases, it has
strong Yang character in Fengshui.
E:
Earth element: one of five elements.
See more in theory section of our FAQ.
East window: A window open to the east allows the sun light to come into the
house earliest in the morning. It is Great Fengshui practice.
Eight Gua: or Ba Gua. Ba is the pronunciation of eight in mandarin
Chinese. Ba Gua is the principle on which FengShui practice is based. read
more about it in the theory section in our FAQ.
F:
Feng Shui: wind and water. Read more
about it in the theory section of our FAQ.
Fire: One of five elements. See more in theory section of our FAQ.
Five elements: basic elements that used in FengShui to describe the characters
of objects under study. Any object, including time, usually contains more than
one elements.
Flying start Feng Shui; a method use to determine the character of a house
during its life time.
Form school of Feng Shui: a method uses the shape of the house and its environment
to determine its character and to optimize the house as a good living environment
for its residence. See more in Form school of Feng Shui in our FAQ.
Four Pillars: The theory of calculating a person's life's fortune base on Year,
month, date and time of individual's birth. Certain practitioners also use it to
direct people in Balancing the Chi.
FuXi: Pronounced as /ph-She/, According to Chinese ledged, FuXi is the first
person who documented Bagua. The gender of FuXi is still in debate. It was
traditionally believed that FuXi was a man. In recent years, some historians argue
that the time period FuXi lived was more likely to be a matriarchy society.
Therefore, the head of the tribe, FuXi, should be a woman. Some even believe
that FuXi actually was a goop of women that forms a counsel to the tribe or tribes.
FuXi Bagua: Also refers to as "natural" Bagua or the "Original
Bagua".
Five elements and Zodiac animals: strictly speaking, the Chinese Zodiac animals
are not part of FengShui. However, it is custom to refer to the 12 earthly
branches using Zodiac animals. Detail.
G:
H:
I:
I-Ching: the book of Change. It document
the most ancient idea on which Feng Shui is developed. See it in our FAQ and
history sections.
J:
K:
L:
Landscape FengShui: A practice of
landscaping base on the form school of FengShui.
Lotus: Lotus is one of the frequently used method to reduce the negative energy.
See use of lotus cup in our FAQ and tip of week archives.
Lo Pan. A Feng Shui practitioner's compass. It contains multiple rings on the
side of a regular compass that associates with short cut calculations of Bagua.
M:
Metal: One of five elements. See
more in theory section of our FAQ.
Mirror: A frequently used Feng Shui antidote to help balance the Chi and five
elements. It is also important to use it to visually correct the missing corners
of a room.
N:
O:
P:
Pillars: four pillars are base on an
individual's birth year, month, date and time to predicts the raise and fall of
luck in a person's life. In a period that five elements are not balanced,
significant misfortune could occur.
Q:
R:
Red: The most auspicious color in
Chinese tradition. The color itself has the character of fire element.
S:
T:
U:
V:
W:
Water: one of five elements. See
more in theory section of our FAQ.
Wood: One of five elements. See more in theory section of our FAQ.
Y:
Yang: Represented by a continuous hyphen
like line. It is one of the separated,
opposition and
co-existing characters. Such relationship is the basic ideal of Yin-Yang philosophy, upon
which FengShui is based.
Yin: Represented by two short
little hyphens with gap in between. It is one of the separated, opposition and co-existing characters.
Such relationship is the basic ideal of Yin-Yang philosophy, upon
which FengShui is based.
Z:
Zodiac animals: The twelve zodiac
animals used in Chinese astrology. It is based on the year of an individual's
birth. Read more in Chinese Zodiac animals section in our FAQ.
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