18 | Thursday, June 24, 2021 HONG KONG EDITION | DAILY LIFE Foreign diplomats watch play marking victory

By Chen nan [email protected]

Diplomats from 55 countries, including Russia, Australia and Germany, stationed in were invited to view a Chinese play The Night at the Fragrant Hills, at the Beijing People’s Art Theater on Tuesday. The 114 diplomats watched as the play, with English subtitles, relayed events of the night right after the People’s Liberation Army occupied Nanjing, declar- ing the collapse of reactionary Kuomintang rule, in April 1949. The liberation of Nanjing is a highly symbolic event in the his- tory of the Party, the military and the nation. Professor Wang Qijun of the Beijing-based Central Academy of Fine Arts works in his studio. Three dictionaries he compiled about Chinese Directed by Ren Ming, presi- and Western architecture have been republished. photos by huang leran / for china daily dent of Beijing People’s Art Thea- ter and written by scriptwriter Li Baoqun, the 90-minute play fea- tures two actors, Wang Ban play- ing the role of and Fang Xu playing the role of Chi- ang Kai-shek, who enter a “dia- logue” across time and space. Dictionaries offer final In March 1949, the Communist Party of China Central Committee made the Fragrant Hills its head- quarters for half a year, as the Par- ty led the War of Liberation (1946- word on buildings 49) to nationwide victory.

Three volumes examine Chinese and Western architecture in detail, Huang Zhiling reports. Since art bridges cultures and is a eijing hosts a number of Chinese architectural style is more than 70 times and sold more mutual language, architectural styles from unique, and has radiated its influ- than 100,000 copies, according to we hope the event soaring skyscrapers to ence on countries in East Asia and Southern People Weekly. ancient buildings. It has South Asia. Since their republishing, the dic- will help the foreign Bmarried the modern with the tradi- Traditional Chinese architecture tionaries have been popular with diplomats to better tional. Visitors to the Forbidden has many complex components those who are interested in archi- City in the city center can sample and stunning visual images. tecture, according to Wei Bing, an understand China and appreciate the delights of mas- How can people understand the architect in Chengdu, Sichuan and the CPC.” ter craftsmen with their ancient intricacies of ancient Chinese archi- province. skills on show amid the rumble of tecture? Do they have to learn about “The three dictionaries will be Wu Xu, director general, Overseas Promotion Bureau, traffic. it in a school of architecture or in an placed at an easy-to-spot position State Council Information Likewise, visitors to the Summer institution of higher learning? on my bookcase. If they are not Office Palace in the capital’s western sub- Help is at hand, literally. Com- there, they must have been taken urbs are also in for a treat, not least piled by Wang Qijun, a professor of out for reading when I travel,” he In the play, Mao was sleepless in its winding gardens. the Beijing-based Central Academy says. in his bedroom in Shuangqing The , which was of Fine Arts, An Illustrated Diction- Each of the dictionaries is only 13 Villa amid the Fragrant Hills in included on the UNESCO World ary of Chinese Architecture, An centimeters wide, and is easy for the western part of Beijing, Cultural Heritage list in 1987, was Illustrated Dictionary of Chinese adults to hold in one hand. The because he was excited about the the imperial palace of the Ming and Gardens and An Illustrated Diction- length of each dictionary is 22 cm, victory. Meanwhile, Chiang, who Qing dynasties (1368-1911). Its con- ary of Western Architecture have and a small handbag can hold it. also couldn’t fall asleep that night, struction started in 1406 and was been republished by China It is convenient to take one of the returned to his hometown, Xikou, completed in 1420. Machine Press. The three dictionaries Wang Qijun compiled — An dictionaries to the subway or a bus Zhejiang province, before he fled Together with Versailles Palace The three dictionaries act like a Illustrated Dictionary of Chinese Architecture, An and during travel, Wei says. to Taiwan. With monologue and in France, Buckingham Palace in mysterious pair of glasses through Illustrated Dictionary of Chinese Gardens and An According to Zhao Rong, pub- dialogue, they look back upon Britain, the White House in the which readers can not only under- Illustrated Dictionary of Western Architecture. lisher of the three dictionaries, they their lives and the wars they went United States, and the Kremlin in stand ancient Chinese architecture have been published in Chinese through. Premiered in March, the Russia, it is referred to as one of the and gardens, but also expand their and Korean. They will also be pub- play was produced to mark the major historic buildings in the international perspective, and have Temples and Basilica di San Marco Opening the dictionaries, one can lished in Vietnamese, Japanese and 100th birthday of the Communist world. a glimpse of global architectural in Venice can be clearly restored by find the illustrations are like flow- Russian. Party of China. Built between 1886-94, the Sum- culture, critics say. the hand-painted color illustra- ers. Children who like to draw can Born in Xuzhou, Jiangsu prov- “I have read history about Chi- mer Palace is China’s best pre- What is striking about the three tions, and even their internal struc- also use these illustrations as an ince, in 1954, Wang is hailed as one na but this play tells Chinese served royal garden. In 1998, dictionaries is that they have tures that the camera cannot shoot ideal way to learn painting. With a of the 60 most influential Chinese contemporary history through UNESCO included the palace on its more than 3,000 hand-painted have been reproduced. doctor’s degree in architecture at painters after the founding of the the two important figures’ con- World Cultural Heritage list, hail- color illustrations which give a To the northeast of the Mountain Tsinghua University, Wang began to People’s Republic of China in 1949 in versations, which is very inter- ing it as “a masterpiece of Chinese comprehensive picture of relevant Resort of Chengde in Hebei prov- draw the illustrations in the early a 60-volume Chinese art documen- esting. I’m impressed by the landscape garden design”. It added buildings. ince, lies the Eight Outer Temples, 1990s. After decades of accumula- tary, Classics and Immortality, actors’ performances,” said Sri that “the natural landscape of hills For example, the shape and the emperor’s summer residence tion, the hand-painted illustrations sponsored by the Publicity Depart- Lanka’s Ambassador to China and open water is combined with details of the Forbidden City, Sum- during the (1644- have found their way into the three ment of the Communist Party of Palitha Kohona after watching artificial features such as pavilions, mer Palace, gardens in Jiangnan (a 1911). Together with the Mountain dictionaries. China Central Committee in 2010. the play. “I am very interested in halls, palaces, temples and bridges name that describes the areas south Resort of Chengde, the temples Since the dictionaries were pub- the messages told through the to form a harmonious ensemble of of the Yangtze River which is known were included on the UNESCO lished by China Machine Press in Contact the writer at play. The Chinese people are the outstanding aesthetic value”. for beautiful scenery), Eight Outer World Cultural Heritage list in 1994. 2006, they have been reprinted for [email protected] core to the CPC’s victory.” Besides watching the play, diplomats also visited the thea- ter’s museum, which, founded in 1952, is one of the most famous Mesmerizing Mogao Caves highlight of recent excursion in China. The theater, which will celebrate its 70th birthday next year, has put on more than 300 I decided to celebrate my 41st to the Dunhuang Museum. The Xinjiang pizza — mutton, potatoes accosted by curious onlookers who nese woman whose English name is plays and toured worldwide. birthday recently by taking a trip to museum does a great job telling the and onions with herbs and season- wanted to take pictures with me. I Anna. Since I was the only English- “Since art bridges cultures Gansu province. story about the city’s critical role as ing, served atop a circular flat laughed and indulged them. speaking foreigner there, I had her and is a mutual language, we For part of that trip, I put Dunhu- a major hub on the Silk Road, a bread. It was quite good, but it was I returned for the afternoon ses- all to myself. hope the event will help the for- ang, a county-level city, on my list of vital trade route between China too much food for me. I wound up sion on time and a bit more Anna took me to cave after cave eign diplomats to better under- places to go. Dunhuang is home to and the Western world dating to not being able to finish it. refreshed. Upon showing my ticket and taught me a great deal about stand China and the CPC,” said the Mogao Caves, a around 2 BC. There are plenty of The next morning, I set out for and entering the visitor center, I the artwork inside. I was very Wu Xu, director general of the UNESCO World Her- artifacts on display there — pot- Mogao Caves. I had discovered that was herded along with dozens of impressed with how well preserved Overseas Promotion Bureau, the itage site that boasts tery, old tools, scraps of silk and as a foreigner, it wasn’t possible for other tourists into movie theaters everything was; most of the art I State Council Information an ancient collection various relics can be viewed me to reserve my ticket in advance, to watch two separate films about saw was created during the Tang Office, organizer of the event. of Buddhist art. I love throughout. so I had to go to the Mogao Caves the history of the city and the Dynasty (618-907), which means visiting historical Also on display was — me. At visitor center to buy it in person. caves. The caves were first dug out everything inside was more than places, so a trip to least for some of the visitors who Unfortunately, all the morning by a traveling Buddhist monk in 1,000 years old! My only regret is Jamal Mogao was perfect saw me, especially children who tickets were already sold out, so I the year 366 AD. Over time, other that no photography was allowed in Branford for me. happened to be on a school trip had to come back for the afternoon people would come and carve out the caves, with or without flashes. I Second My very early flight there that day. I drew a lot of atten- session at 2:30 pm. I bought that other caves, creating a system of really wish I could’ve taken pic- Thoughts from Beijing to Dun- tion (something I’m still becoming ticket, 258 yuan ($40) for a tour of Buddhist temples with various tures. huang took a bit accustomed to in China), and sev- eight caves with an English-speak- statues and murals that remained I highly recommend Dunhuang more than three hours. I stepped eral people asked to take pictures ing guide, and then I decided I fairly well preserved over the cen- and the Mogao Caves to anyone, outside of the airport and into a city with me. would go back to my hotel to get a turies. foreigner or Chinese citizen, yearn- that is basically an oasis in a vast That evening, I went to a restau- bit more rest (I was already pretty After the films, we boarded buses ing for a taste of rich history. Diplomats visit the museum desert. Giant sand dunes surround rant in the Shazhou night market tired because I hadn’t been sleep- to go to the site of the caves. I had to of Beijing People’s Art the area as far as the eye can see. area. I wound up ordering what ing well). As I waited for a taxi to wait a while for my guide, but she Contact the writer at Theater on June 22. On the first day of my visit, I went turned out to be something like a take me back, I was yet again eventually appeared — a young Chi- [email protected] zou hong / china daily