6 TUESDAY DECEMBER 22, 2009 SPECIAL DAILY 7

Grand veneration ceremony in city of province to mark the birthday of Emperor Huangdi.

Martial arts and mysticism: Ancient grandeur, birth of a culture

By Cui Wei ue of the emperor, the Huangdi impressive — wood and brick halls covering 100,000 sq m. latest theatrical export to Museum, the Huangdi Cultural carvings, elegant roof and Among its 11 main buildings, North America. the allure of Zhengzhou Corridor and a wall with 3,000 mural designs and an abun- the most famous and splendid An old tale told in contem- As one of the nation’s largest family names. dance of phoenix and dragon is Junji Hall that covers 920 sq porary style, “Shaolin in the provinces and a birthplace of Every year, thousands of sculptures. m at a height of 20 m. Wind” is a love tragedy. By Tianyang which still hangs on the Shan- lege has two of the oldest cypress Cultural tour Chinese culture, Henan offers a visitors including overseas Its wooden lattice windows The story tells how men Gate to this day. trees in China, dating back over As Zhengzhou has such a museum of nature and history Chinese come to Xinzheng to are particularly characteris-  Shang Dynasty ruins Tianyuan and his sweetheart For most people, the Shaolin 4,000 years. proliferation of cultural relics, to tourists: attend a veneration ceremony tic, making it a bit easier to Located in downtown - Sushui are separated during As one of the ancient capital cities Temple is better known for its Kangbaiwan’s Mansions the local government has been to mark his birthday on the imagine the temple in all its zhou, the Shang Dynasty (16th- an invasion. Tianyuan is badly of China, Zhengzhou has a vast association with Chinese martial Kangbaiwan’s (Kang is the working hard to establish them Birthplace of Emperor third day of the third lunar old glory. The highlight of the 11th century BC) city ruins injured and nursed back to historical and cultural heritage. arts or kung fu, rather than for family name and “baiwan” as ideal attractions for contem- Huangdi month, which often falls in site is a of the City God cover 25 sq km. health by the monks of the With more than 2,000 historic its link to Chan . Yet means millionaire) Mansions porary tourists. The following Emperor Huangdi is consid- spring. Chenghuang in the main hall Remnants of a 7-km-long Shaolin Temple. sites spread across the city, the the two are frequently combined. are located in , 82 km are some of the projects that ered the ancestor of Chinese Archaeologists say Huangdi dressed in judicial costume. rampart from the ancient city Unbearable yearning for capital of the central province Practicing kung fu is a way of from Zhengzhou. The whole should be high on any visitor’s people. A large number of his- worship dates to the Spring and A Cultural Temple Fair has wall still visible today have his sweetheart, who is in the ChenghuangChenghuang TTempleemple of Henan has proved a hugely practicing Chan, many believe, manor house area consists of “must-see” list. torical accounts and unearthed Autumn Period (770-476 BC). been held in the temple every yielded a number of relics, hands of the enemy, compels alluring destination for both saying: ”Kung fu is the materi- 19 buildings, covering a total Huangdi’s Home Place relics demonstrate he was born The ceremony has nine Chinese Lunar New Year to including two rare square him work furiously to learn domestic and overseas tourists. alization of Chan, while Chan is space of 64,300 sq m. It is a Huangdi, also known as in Xinzheng city of Henan steps — observing silence, provide visitors and locals a copper pots used by the impe- martial arts. Years later, the the spirit of kung fu”. typical example of the feudalism the “”, was province, where he eventually fi ring guns, lighting incense chance to experience the folk rial court. lovers are reunited, but Sushui Martial Arts Many tourists are drawn to the stronghold architecture, common born in Zhengzhou. Huangdi established an empire. sticks, paying a courtesy to culture of central China. In 1955, archaeologists sacrifi ces herself in order to The most famous tourism at- temple by its great infl uence on on the Loess plateau in northern and another tribal ruler, Five thousand years ago the the ancestor, reading eulogies, found ruins of house founda- save Tianyuan from an enemy traction in Zhengzhou is its Shao- Buddhism and the martial arts, China, during the 17th and 18th Yandi, are believed to be the man who would become known lighting a sacred fi re, singing  Zhongyue Temple tions, cellars, wells, ditches, weapon. lin Temple. It is a including visits from a number centuries. Its stone, wood and co-founders of the Chinese as Emperor Huang, whose odes, dancing and celebrating Located at the foot of Huang- and graves. Ornaments and Overcome with grief, Tianyu- built on the Songshan Mountain of celebrities, ranging from the brick carvings throughout the nation and civilization. The name was Xuanyuan, united the harmony between heaven, gai Peak in the Songshan tools made of bronze, stone, an leads the Shaolin monks in in , 70 km away from NBA star, Shaquille O’Neal, to mansion are of particular artis- local government has built a MonksMonks ppracticeractice kkungfuungfu aatt tthehe rrenownedenowned SShaolinhaolin TTemple.emple. his kingdom with Yandi and earth and human beings. Mountains, Zhongyue Temple bone, shell and jade have also expelling the enemy. He then downtown Zhengzhou. The Shao- the former president of Russia, tic value. scenic shrine in Huangdi’s established Xinzheng as the The ceremony was listed as is one of the best-preserved an- been unearthed, as well as pot- dedicates himself to Buddhism lin temple was founded in 495 AD Vladimir Putin. ’s Home Place hometown, allowing Chinese capital of the empire. part of China’s intangible cul- cient sites at the fi ve most-im- tery and primitive porcelain. and the martial arts. by an emperor of the Northern The famous visitors to worship their His reign saw the creation tural heritage in 2008. portant mountains in China. The drama was inspired by Wei Dynasty (386–534) and was Historic spots poet, Du Fu, was born in Gongyi, ancestor. The shrine includes of Chinese characters, devel- Initially built in the Han  ‘Shaolin in the Wind’ traditional Henan folk dances, intended to accommodate the In- In addition to the Shaolin an area under the direct jurisdic- five separate areas: Chinese opment of cloth weaving and  Chenghuang Temple Dynasty (206BC-25AD) and A combination of martial folk songs and operas. dian dhyana master, Batuo, who Temple, Zhengzhou also has tion of Zhengzhou. The ancestral Surname Square, the ancestral boat making, and the inven- Chenghuang Temple, or rebuilt during the reign of arts, folk music and dance Visitors who want to take had traveled to China to teach many other historic sites, each hall of Du Fu was located here. hall of Huangdi, the birthplace tion of the compass. The Chi- the Temple of the City God, Emperor Qianlong (1736-1796) performed by monks from the in the sights of Henan will be Buddhism. representing different aspects Its actual date of construction is of Huangdi – Xuanyuan Mound, nese lunar calendar was also in downtown Zhengzhou of , the temple Shaolin Temple, birthplace of pleased with the province’s In 527 AD, the 28th patriarch of different times and cultural unknown and the hall has been an art exhibition zone and the used for the fi rst time, and the was built to consecrate gods has the same design and archi- kungfu, and the cream of the relatively mild climate. Its hot- of Buddhism occurrences. The most highly restored many times since the treasure tripod zone. Neijing, the fi rst book about believed to be protecting the tectural style of the Forbidden Zhengzhou Song and Dance test month July has an average Shang Dynasty ruins arrived at the temple and intro- recommended are: days of the Qing Dynasty. Wen Temple traditional Chinese medicine, urban area and its people. City in . It has 400 Troupe, the play is China’s temperature of about 27 C. duced , which The Stellar Observatory Grotto Temple The Wen Temple, also known was written. Built during the Ming Dy- later became the dominant sect The stellar observatory is The Gongyi Grotto Temple as the Confucian Temple, was The advancements laid the nasty (1368-1644 AD), the in . located in Dengfeng. About 700 was first established in the first built during the time of foundation for the prosperity of temple was a structure of During its history of more years ago, during the early days Northern Wei Dynasty. It the Eastern . It Chinese civilization. Through imposing beauty with many than 1,500 years, the temple of the Yuan Dynasty (1271–1368), now comprises five caves, was originally a place where the following centuries, halls and grand gates. has been destroyed and rebuilt the famous astronomer and one shrine, 255 small alcoves, students studied the Confu- descendents have held com- The temple today has lost several times. Most of the cur- mathematician, Guo Shoujing, three large cliff-face Buddha cian classics. During the Ming memorative activities every much of its religious function rent buildings were constructed built the observatory. It is the , 7,743 Buddhist statues Dynasty, its name was changed year on his birthday to mark and become a place for exhibi- during the Ming and Qing oldest observatory in China and and more than 200 stone to Wen (Literacy) Temple. The his contributions. tions of art and culture. A mu- dynasties. The main buildings one of the earliest astronomical inscriptions. The adornments major shrine of the Wen Temple In downtown Xinzheng, Xu- ral along three of the walls in include the Gate, the observatories still in existence on both sides of the cave gate features a Xieshan-style roof, anyuan Road has been built to the temple’s main hall depicts Bodhidharma Pavilion, as well anywhere in the world. In are very rare in terms of their with nine ridges. highlight China’s inception. the morals of the socialist as the Baiyi, Dizang and Qianfo 1280, Guo formulated the most compact design, lifelike shapes Scenic Area The road has sections for the revolution, clearly showing Palace Halls. advanced calendar of the time and sleek lines, making them The Yellow River scenic area worship of Emperor Huangdi, changes have come to the for- According to legend, Hui Ke, a – the Shoushili Calendar. highly distinctive relics. is a national AAAA scenic spot, his ancestral temple and a mer religious site. student of Bodhidharma and the Songyang College Song Mausoleum covering 17 sq km. In 1987, the square containing Chinese The buildings, although second patriarch of the Chinese Songyang College was built in The Song Mausoleum is lo- local government began work Monument marking Du Fu’s birthplace Stellar Observatory family names. renovated, still retain a typical Chan Buddhism sect, once stood 484 AD at the southern foot of cated in Gongyi. It is the largest on two statues of Yangdi and Along the road is a huge stat- Ming style, while the decor is Songshan Mountain geopark in front of the pavilion to wait for Songshan Mountain. It is among group of royal tombs in central Huangdi by the river. The two his teacher whilst the heavy snow the four most prestigious ancient China. The Song Mausoleum has statues, which were only com- piled to his knees. Chinese colleges and is well over 200 tombs. It is 15 km long pleted in 2007, both now stand Inside the temple, there are known for its Neo-Confucianism from north to south and 10 km 106 meters high. more than 400 stone inscrip- practices. Several masters of wide from east to west. The stone The Shaolin Music Show tions, written by Tang Dynasty Neo-Confucianism in the North- sculptures of people and animals This outdoor performance con- Henan’s ‘Happy Star’ TV show a huge hit with kids literary figures and their suc- ern Song Dynasty (960-1127) in the Song Tomb are the only sists of fi ve segments – music of cessors. Kangxi, the second Qing lectured there, including Chen existing group of Song Dynasty water, wood, wind, light and stone. emperor, wrote the calligraphic Hao, Chen Yi, Sima Guang, Fan statues in China, making them This impressive show combines By Fang Xiaowei an oversupply of TV shows for Foreign Language Teaching inscription: “Shaolin Temple”, Zhongyan and Zhu Xi. The col- valuable relics. martial arts with the modern There is an oversupply adults, but those for children are and Research Press, with the lighting and audio techniques, of TV shows for in serious shortage. sales once exceeding the Harry as well as the choral singing of A Henan-made TV series has won To “promote healthy growth Potter books to become the No Shaolin monks. A number of ce- the hearts of children across the adults, but those for of minors and create happiness 2 bestselling children’s books in lebrities, including the president nation and become the province’s children are in serious for Chinese children”, the Henan the nation. of the International Olympics top original brand. Chaofan Film Production Co took First published in 2005, Committee, Jacques Rogge, and “Happy Star”, the fi rst Chinese shortage. the lead in the country to create “Happy Planet” cartoon books the president of Singapore, S.R. science fi ction TV series for chil- ZHONG CHENGXIANG children’s television programs had sales of about 2 million cop- Nathan, have visited the show dren, was produced by the Henan Vice-chairman of China Federation of and movies. ies over 18 months. and subsequently spoken very Chaofan Film Production Co and Literary and Art Circles Its three seasons of the “Happy Audio-visual products with highly of it. began airing on CCTV channels in Star” series have been the broad- the same name produced by the The Ancient Buildings of the the second half of 2004. cast on the CCTV Children’s Guangdong Foshan Tianyi Audio Songshan Mountain The TV series became a hit with Channel as well as CCTV 1, 3, 8, Co sold well and are been listed The group of ancient buildings children and won many awards, toys and even food. 12 channels and dozens of local as national key audio-visual prod- on Songshan Mountain is including for outstanding literary TV production in China has TV stations in prime time. ucts in the 11th Five-Year Plan the subject of a UN World work, during the 10th national progressed rapidly in recent “Happy Star” had the highest period (2006-10). Cultural Heritage application. campaign promoting cultural years. Roughly 10,000 TV dra- audience rating — 1.9 percent Happy Star Child These buildings bore witness and ideological progress. mas hit the screen annually, — for CCTV Channel 8 and its Nutrition Noodles to a number of now extinct Spin-offs of the “Happy Star” but few have been produced for offi cial website happystar.com.cn produced by Henan traditions, including sacrifi cial brand have also been a success. children. has about 10,000 visits daily. Jiahe Food Co have ceremonies. They were also The brand now not only includes Zhong Chengxiang, vice-chair- In 2004, a “Happy Star” se- also been listed as home to educational facilities in Scene from the popular ‘Happy Star’ series with its young the TV show, but also books, au- man of China Federation of Liter- ries of novels and comic books one of children’s Li Rui plays the leading role as Ding Yellow River scenic area former times. SongSong DDynastyynasty mmausoleumausoleum cast. It is China’s fi rst science fi ction show for children. dio-visual products, and children’s ary and Art Circles, said there is was published by the Beijing favorite foods. Kaile in ‘Happy Star’.