美術(shù)山水畫外文翻譯--作為社會與宇宙秩序觀念的中國山水畫

1、<p><b>　　外文翻譯之一</b></p><p>　　CHINESE PAINTING AS VISION OF SOCIAL AND COSMIC ORDER</p><p>　　作者：ESTHER JACOBSON-LEONG</p><p>　　國籍：United States</p><p>　

2、　出處：The Structurist</p><p><b>　　原文正文：</b></p><p>　　ESTHER JACOBSON-LEONG is Associate Professor of Art History at the University of Oregon at Eugene. Her research interests center th

3、e Chinese perception of landscape, as revealed through their art. and on Eurasian nomadic art.</p><p>　　In the history of Chinese landscape painting. The T’ang dynasty (630-906) and the Northern Sung dynasty

4、(960-1127) have a particular significance: it was during the T'ang that there first emerged the indications of a maturing consciousness of landscape; and it was during the Northern Sung that these indications reached

5、 full flowering. The vision of nature in this early period of Chinese landscape painting was that of a world in harmony. In the context of mountains, rivers, trees and mist, the inh</p><p>　　Now painting is

6、a thing which perfects the civilizing teachings [of the Sages] and helps [to maintain] the social relationships. It penetrates completely the divine permutations [of Nature] and fathoms recondite and subtle things...It p

7、roceeds from Nature itself and not from [human] invention.</p><p>　　With these assertions Chang Yen-yuan, art critic and connoisseur, began his Record of the Famous Painters of All the Dynasties (Li tai ming

8、 hua chi), completed in 847 A.D. We cannot be certain that Chang was speaking for his age in making the above statements. But, to our knowledge, no major critic contemporary with or later that Chang ever directly took ex

9、ception to his introductory comments. We may therefore take Chang's essay as our window onto painting of the T'ang dynasty (630-906) and its </p><p>　　According to Chang, painting was a gift from Nat

10、ure, in order that men might reveal both good and evil. Through the revelations of painting men could learn the shape of negative influences, the appearance of right conduct and the positive power of virtue. By giving fo

11、rm to lessons of history, paintings ware "the great treasures symbolizing Empire...the strand and leading ropes which can regulate disorders.’ For men of the T'ang, such as Chang, reality included not only human

12、s and the material hu</p><p>　　Reading Chang's essay, one is struck by the extent to which he was concerned with the individual concrete object rather that with a unified pictorial context out of which o

13、bjects could emerge. For example, of the T'ang painter Wei Wu-t'ien. Chang noted that Wu" excelled at saddle horses, likenesses of falcons and pictures of eagles,” only in speaking of landscape painters did

14、Chang consider objects embedded in a larger context. Of the T'ang painter, Li Ssu-hsun, he wrote:</p><p>　　In his paintings of mountains and waters. Trees and rocks, his brush-character was firm and stro

15、ng. Rushing rapids dash, in torrents. Clouds and mist are here thick, there thin so that at times one sees the doings of the gods and immortals, mysterious among the recesses of the cliffs and summits.</p><p&g

16、t;　　The scanty remains of T’ang painting indicate that artists, also, saw the world in terms of individual, strongly defined objects, sometimes placed against a plain background or sometimes arranged into prop-like setti

17、ngs for human activity. In a Sung dynasty copy of a T’ang painting associated with Li Ssu-hsun, for example, space is divided into three parts horizontally and vertically; within that space, objects stand out with a clar

18、ity and strength of brushstroke which denies atmospheric perspec</p><p>　　Despite his assumption that the force of painting lay in its representation of moral lessons, Chang appears to have believed that as

19、long as a painting did not glorify evil, one subject was no better than another. All objects may not be of equal didactic value, but each has value as a concrete thing. In one part of his essay, however, Chang offered so

20、me clues about his own preferences for subjects worthy of painting;</p><p>　　With regard to terraces and pavilions, trees and rocks, carriages and palanquins, and utensils and objects in general, there is no

21、thing about them which life-movement could seek to embody, and nothing which spirit-resonance might strive to equal [Such subjects] only require [proper] placing and alignment and that is enough. As Ku K’aichih once said

22、, “Man is the most difficult subject to paint, then landscapes and then dogs and horses. As for terraces and pavilions, they are nothing but fixed obj</p><p>　　Despite his initial statement regarding trees a

23、nd rocks, Chang proceeded to suggest through his quotation of Ku that landscapes have a kind of vitality which distinguishes them from “fixed objects”. Since nowhere else did Chang clarify this apparent confusion, we mig

24、ht conclude that, for Chang, the individual objects of nature, being incapable of recording the deeds of history or revealing influences both good and evil, were less significant subjects for painting than humans, gods a

25、nd some anima</p><p>　　About two hundred years after Chang Yen-yuan completed his Record, a Northern Sung dynasty scholar, Kuo Jo-hsu (late eleventh century), compiled the lessons, of his father, the great p

26、ainter Kuo Hsi, into one of the most important Chinese treatises on painting, the Essay on Landscape Painting (Lin ch’uan kao chih), The opening words of Kuo His’s Essay establish the tone of the treatise, indicating the

27、 maturation of Chinese painting since the age of Chang Yen-yuan, while reaffirming the connectio</p><p>　　Why does a virtuous man take delight in landscapes? It is for these reasons: that amid the carefree p

28、lay of streams and rocks, he may take delight; that he may constantly meet in the country fishermen, woodcutters, and hermits and see the soaring of the cranes, and hear the crying of the monkeys. The din of the dusty wo

29、rld and the locked-in-ness of human habitations are what human nature habitually abhors; while, on the contrary, haze, mist, and the haunting sprits of the mountains are what huma</p><p>　　Kuo Hsi's essa

30、y begins with a focus on the man of virtue and sensitivity: educated enough to serve his government. Confucian enough to feel that his abilities and the needs of his emperor constrain him to live in the "dusty world

31、." To such a person, landscape paintings grant respite to the spirit while nourishing virtue, But while Chang Yen-yuan asserted that aesthetic appreciation springs from a perception of the morality of a thing or act

32、ion, Kuo Hsi emphasized the experience of pure pleasure.</p><p>　　Implicit in Kuo Hsi's essay is the belief that the under-lying power of painting is Nature itself. Painting,through the artist's visi

33、on, is the means by which the order and loveliness of the natural world is revealed. While implicitly agreeing with Chang Yen-yuan that the root of painting is the natural world, Kuo Hsi discussed painting only in terms

34、of landscape, This distinction between the approaches of the two critics reflects the tact that by the Northern Sung, landscape painting had become</p><p>　　Most of Kuo Hsi's essay is concerned with the

35、problems and techniques of painting landscape, but his comments throughout are informed by two convictions: that the artist must “identify himself with the landscape and watch it until its significance is revealed to him

36、"; and that the accurate rendition of an individual object reveals the multi-dimensional beauty of an extended realm:</p><p>　　The mountains in the north-western part of the country are rich and massive

37、, not because heaven and earth are partial to them, but because the land in that section is very high. The river wind and swell among hills and banks, digging into the earth; the soil is thick and the water deep. The mou

38、ntains piled with rolling, squatting mounds stretch forth thousands of miles in unbroken lines…</p><p>　　The artist recreates on silk a natural world of infinite variation. But this variety is ordered: artis

39、t selects detail not on the bass of personal whim but through a respect for the integrity of an object in its spatial and temporal setting:</p><p>　　Spring an summer views of the mountains have certain aspec

40、ts; autumn and winter views have other. The morning view of the mountain has its won appearance; the evening view its own. The views of a single mountain combine in themselves the changes and significances of several tho

41、usand mountains. Should we not study them thoroughly?</p><p>　　According to Kuo Hsi, the artist's selection of objects and the tones and textures with which he evokes them create that generalized atmosph

42、ere which lends both vitality and integration to the whole scene. When the artist is concerned with the evocation of a general atmosphere, small delta become capable of catalyzing in the viewer the same unconscious sense

43、 of continuity and integration that the natural scene would inspire:</p><p>　　A man on the mountain gives a clue to a path; a pavilion on the mountain gives a clue to an excellent view; the woods of the moun

44、tain with their light and shade indicate the far and the near; … ferries and bridges indicate human activities; fishing boats and tackles indicate the purposes of man.</p><p>　　The assumption that nature was

45、 orderly and harmonious and that painting should not but reflect that harmony is also revealed in Kuo Hsi's discussion of appropriate landscape themes. In his list of possible subjects from the seasons and the times

46、of day. And from the cat6gories of trees, clouds, mist, and so forth, we are reminded that this man not only looked at nature for details lodged in a coherent wt ole, but saw nature in its extraordinary variety. Yet. des

47、pite that fact and the fact that t</p><p>　　作為社會與宇宙秩序觀念的中國山水畫</p><p>　　作者：伊思·雅各布森-鴻</p><p><b>　　國籍：美國</b></p><p><b>　　出處：結(jié)構(gòu)</b></p>

48、<p><b>　　中文譯文：</b></p><p>　　伊思·雅各布森-鴻是尤金俄勒岡大學(xué)藝術(shù)史系的助理教授。她致力于通過對中國畫家作品的揭示來挖掘中國山水畫的觀念。</p><p>　　在中國的山水畫歷史上，唐朝（630-906）和北宋王朝（960-1127）具有特別重要的意義：在唐朝時，中國的景觀意識有了初步發(fā)展的跡象，在北宋期間，各種跡象

49、顯示中國的景觀意識已經(jīng)達到全面發(fā)展的程度。在早期的中國山水畫中，“和諧”的是畫的主要追求目標(biāo)。這些存在于畫中的山川、河流、樹木和霧氣等元素，有規(guī)律地排布于一幅畫中，共同構(gòu)成了一個和諧的背景，這種整體的和諧感，是大部分唐宋山水畫的一致追求。但是在早期的中國觀念中，自然和人在宇宙中的關(guān)系其實更為復(fù)雜且更為深刻。通過中國早期兩大繪畫理論家張彥遠和郭熙的著作，可以幫助我們更好地理解這一觀念。</p><p>　　“對現(xiàn)在

50、來說，畫畫能完善文明教導(dǎo)和幫助[維護]社會關(guān)系，它包涵自然規(guī)律和各種深刻微妙的東西，它通過自然而不是人為方式而來。”</p><p>　　著名藝術(shù)評論家和鑒賞家張彥遠在公元前847年完成了他的著作《歷代名畫記》，我們不能確切地知道他在完成這個作品時的具體年齡，但據(jù)我們所知，在他的這部作品發(fā)表后，當(dāng)代和后代的人在做同類型研究時都必不可少地談?wù)摰剿难哉?。根?jù)張彥遠的言論，繪畫是天賜的財富，得到這個天賦的人就能通過繪

51、畫辨別善惡。通過學(xué)習(xí)繪畫，人們可以正確認識到負面力量的影響，得到關(guān)于正確的行為和美德的正面力量的啟示。通過對歷史經(jīng)驗教訓(xùn)的總結(jié)，繪畫被認為是</p><p>　　“象征帝國的偉大寶藏……調(diào)節(jié)社會行為的繩與墨”。</p><p>　　對于像張彥遠一樣的唐朝人來說，現(xiàn)實中不僅包括人類和人類現(xiàn)實世界，也包括龍，精靈，烈酒和善惡。藝術(shù)想象的作用在于不依賴人的視覺，給有形和無形的東西以真實的外觀。這

52、就是繪畫的實際用處：它能通過直觀展示使觀賞者得到切實的感受，從而增進觀賞者的知識和鑒賞能力。但繪畫最重要的功能是說教：藝術(shù)家的責(zé)任不是與觀賞者分享他本人的眼淚、希望、歡笑和悲傷，而是傳播在儒家觀念背景下的社會基礎(chǔ)的道德觀，層次結(jié)構(gòu)和秩序。張彥遠甚至沒有認識到這種可能性，而是重新肯定了時代的智慧和道德。根據(jù)以上的論述，不難發(fā)現(xiàn)張彥遠堅持認為只有受過教育的出生于好家庭有“崇高的頭腦的人”才有可能精于繪畫。</p><p&

53、gt;　　根據(jù)張的文章，在某些范圍來說，他所關(guān)注的是個人可能出現(xiàn)的具體對象而不是一個統(tǒng)一的背景圖案。例如，對同時代的畫家魏武庭和韋偃，張彥遠就注意到魏武庭擅長畫馬、獵鷹的肖像，他覺得魏應(yīng)該在一個更大的范圍關(guān)注物體。關(guān)于唐代畫家李思訓(xùn)他寫到：</p><p>　　“在他畫的山、水樹木和巖石之間，透露出他堅毅強大的筆鋒。激流在山間沖刺，云和霧若隱若現(xiàn)，讓人體驗到一種神仙幻境的感覺，仿佛所有的秘密都隱藏在峭壁和山洞之中

54、，讓人忍不住想一探究竟。（李思訓(xùn)……其畫山水樹石，筆格遒勁，湍瀨潺湲，云霞縹緲，時睹神仙之事，窅然巖嶺之幽。）”</p><p>　　唐代繪畫遺跡表明，藝術(shù)家同時看到了組成世界的各個的對象，這些對象有時放在一個相對簡單的背景獨立出現(xiàn)，有時是人類活動必不可少的道具。張發(fā)現(xiàn)，在與李思訓(xùn)的畫有關(guān)的宋代刻本中，畫的空間被分為三個各自水平和垂直的空間，在這個空間中，作者用強勁的筆觸使物體在空間呈現(xiàn)地異常清晰。</p&

55、gt;<p>　　盡管張彥遠假設(shè)繪畫的力量不應(yīng)該集中于道德傳教，但他同時也相信一幅畫如果沒有明顯的善惡之分，也不比那種只強調(diào)于傳教的畫好多少。不可能所有對象都用于說教，但每個對象都是具體有價值的，應(yīng)用得當(dāng)，都是可以成為繪畫的線索，這種理論在他的文章中也曾提到過很多次。</p><p>　　對于一般的露臺、亭臺樓閣、樹木、巖石、馬車、轎子，器皿等物體，沒有什么體現(xiàn)他們活動特征的必要，但如果僅僅只是把他

56、們當(dāng)做死物，沒有主題地放在正確的位置，這就不能引起觀賞者的共鳴，其實也是不對的。</p><p>　　拋開他最初對景觀和樹木的說法，張彥遠希望通過暗示表明山水區(qū)別于一般固態(tài)物體，有一種別樣的生命活力。沒有證據(jù)顯示關(guān)于張彥遠明顯前后矛盾的話出自何意，但我們可以做這樣的推測：對于張來說，大自然的各個事物，直接反映大自然的存在，這種反映的影響有好有壞，對比起對神仙和動物的歌頌，凸顯人的存在則更為重要。</p>

57、;<p>　　大概在張彥遠完成他著作200年后，一個北宋學(xué)者，郭思（晚十一世紀），編寫了他的父親，偉大的畫家郭熙對他繪畫上的教誨，這部編寫的作品成為中國繪畫史上最重要的理論著作之一。郭在山水畫創(chuàng)作的隨筆的開頭語就表達了他論述的基調(diào)，同時重申美德和審美體驗之間的連接，這表明自張彥遠時代起中國畫的成熟：</p><p>　　為什么一個感性的人會把快樂建立在風(fēng)景之上？正是由于以下這些原因：他可以盡情地將自

58、己沉浸到那湍急的溪流和無憂無慮的巖石的中去；他可以拋卻自己現(xiàn)實的身份，無論他自己漁民還是伐木工，當(dāng)看到瀑布飛流而下，聽到兩岸猿聲，飄飄然間，自己成為隱士的欲望已經(jīng)得到滿足。塵土飛揚的世界的喧囂和人類居住的嘈雜令人的本能地產(chǎn)生厭惡；而同時，與此現(xiàn)實社會相反，霾，霧和山等令人難忘的風(fēng)景則很少能找到，這樣的山水景觀成了別樣的人性追求……</p><p>　　郭熙的文章一開始就富有美感和節(jié)奏感：他的學(xué)習(xí)經(jīng)歷難以滿足他的政

59、治訴求，他的儒學(xué)背景足以讓人感覺到他的能力，而他在社會現(xiàn)實的需求卻被這“塵土飛揚的世界”而限制。身為這樣一個人，山水畫給予了他喘息的精神，同時滋養(yǎng)了他的美德。所以，當(dāng)張彥遠斷言審美源自感知的事物或行為的道德，郭熙則強調(diào)純粹的愉悅體驗，并不斷提醒世人山水畫不能綁定特定的道德原則。</p><p>　　隱含在郭熙的文章下的是對繪畫的“自然”的追求。在郭熙看來，繪畫是通過藝術(shù)家的視野將自然界的秩序和魅力顯露出來的手段。

60、雖然這想法在一定程度上與張彥遠的繪畫思路不謀而合，但郭熙只進行了景觀方面的討論。兩個理論方法之間的區(qū)別反映了山水畫已經(jīng)成為北宋重要的畫種，和花鳥畫與仕人畫一起成為一個主流，而不是在唐朝時作為一幅畫中一個相對簡單的背景。</p><p>　　郭熙的大多數(shù)文章都涉及到畫山水技巧的問題，他的言論由兩個信念貫穿始終：認為藝術(shù)家必須“自己認山水，看著它，直到它的意義顯露”；以及單個對象的準(zhǔn)確再現(xiàn)揭示的廣闊真理：</p

61、><p>　　在我國西北部的部分山區(qū)有大規(guī)模豐富的山脈，這不是因為天地偏愛他們，而是因為這部分土地是非常高的。在江風(fēng)與膨脹之間的丘陵中水深深挖入厚重的土地。山上越過著滾滾江水，來回伸展千里江景...</p><p>　　在絲綢上藝術(shù)家再現(xiàn)無限變化的自然世界。但是，這個再現(xiàn)是有限的：藝術(shù)家不能僅僅依靠個人心血來潮來選擇表達的景物，還要通考慮其空間和時間設(shè)置對象的完整性：</p>&

62、lt;p>　　春夏秋冬景色各有其特點，一座山在早上和晚上的變化也各有不同。如何以山色的變化反應(yīng)并表達我們自己的情感和觀點，難道不是我們應(yīng)該研究透徹的地方嗎？</p><p>　　郭熙認為，藝術(shù)家在感受圖像生命力和整合整個場景的基礎(chǔ)創(chuàng)作上，對象和色調(diào)和紋理能喚起他們創(chuàng)造的氛圍。當(dāng)藝術(shù)家感受到這一般氣氛的召喚，意識會無意識得被連續(xù)性和一體化的自然風(fēng)光所激發(fā)：</p><p>　　在山上，

63、一個人走的路就是一個線索；山上的涼亭給人一個良好的視野；山與樹林的光影表示所處位置的遠及近；輪渡和橋梁表明人類活動；漁船和工具表明人的目的……</p><p>　　郭熙反對臆造和諧有序的畫，但認同為了反映和諧的景觀主題進行一定的藝術(shù)加工。他從各個季節(jié)和一天中的時間列出了部分可能可以反映主題的內(nèi)容，如樹木，云，霧等等。他提醒我們，在看待自然事物的時候要保持一個欣賞的連貫性，不能僅僅看到一個時期、一個部分。然而，不能

64、否認的是，中國景觀有從遠古時代被自然和人為災(zāi)害毀壞的事實。他提到的主題能激起歡樂，莊嚴或內(nèi)省反應(yīng)，但從來沒有恐怖，毀滅或厭惡。這些理念完全是郭熙按照儒家的理想塑造的，其他的社會和宇宙秩序等概念的畫作可能會無法體現(xiàn)他的理念。因此，在一定程度上郭熙對山水畫的態(tài)度的現(xiàn)象是類似于張彥遠的，但郭熙是更為關(guān)注分析比張：對景觀的預(yù)設(shè)使比張的世界變得更加有條理，鑒別和整合的態(tài)度也更為客觀。</p><p><b>　　

65、外文翻譯之二</b></p><p>　　Memory in New Year Pictures :Exhibition of Selected Collection of New Year Pictures by National Library of China</p><p>　　作者：Jin Jing

66、</p><p><b>　　國籍：China</b></p><p>　　出處：China & the World Cultural Exchange</p><p><b>　　原文正文：</b></p><p>　　Memory in the New Year Pictures: NL

67、C New Year Pictures Exhibition & National Intangible Cultural Heritage New Year Pictures Project Representative Inheritors’ Works Exhibition was open around the Spring Festival of China in Beijing. The NLC selected 1

68、20 New Year pictures from a collection of more than 4,000 New Year pictures for the exhibition, and it is the rest time for them to be publicly exhibited. NLC also launched a thematic website for the sake of China’s cult

69、ural memory. During the exhib</p><p>　　The New Year Picture is a traditional Chinese folk art form. Closely related to people’s lives, it has enjoyed a long history and a wide ranging reputation. In differen

70、t historical periods and different regions, New Year pictures of different topics and various forms emerged with rich cultural and artistic value.</p><p>　　The making of New Year pictures is based on wood pa

71、nel overprint and usually needs to go through the following procedures: </p><p>　　Sketching: the painter draws a picture first, covers the picture with a thin cotton paper, and sketches the picture in tradi

72、tional ink and brush style to get a setting.</p><p>　　Engraving: the engraver clues the setting onto a at wood panel, retains the ink lines of the setting and removes the rest. That is the so-called “ink lin

73、e setting”. Based on the “ink line setting”, the engraver prints a picture on which the painter paints colors. The engraver will carve several printings, each color being different from another. </p><p>　　Pr

74、inting: the printer fixes hundreds of pieces of paper on the table and puts the printings on the left side of the paper. His left hand lifts up a piece of paper on the printing and right hand brushes ink on the paper. Af

75、ter that, he will turn to another </p><p>　　paper and brush with color ink. The color ink is often brushed as follows: ink, yellow, blue, purple, orange and red. Sometimes silver will be overprinted.</p&g

76、t;<p>　　Drawing: the painter ills with colors inside the outline. </p><p>　　There are various types of New Year picture. Common ones include:</p><p>　　Door pictures: there are single as w

77、ell as double ones. The most commonly seen are Door God, Door O cer and Bellboys. There are also pictures telling stories such as Dragon and Phoenix Bringing Prosperity and Kylin Bringing a Baby Boy which are often used

78、in weddings, funerals, and childbirths.</p><p>　　Fortune and Long Life Screen: used in opening ceremonies of businesses or birthdays of seniors. They are usually large size scrolls hanging in the air or post

79、ing on the walls. The Chinese character (meaning fortune), Eight Gods and Goddess Celebrating Birthday, and Heavenly Officials Sending Blessings are commonly seen.</p><p>　　God Picture: such as Guan Di (God

80、of War), Tu Di (God of Land), God of Fortune, God of Kitchen, and so on.</p><p>　　Window Picture: it is like paper-cut. Four paper-cuts as a group are posted on the window. They often take Chinese opera stor

81、ies as the theme, and there are also paper-cuts about fruits and flowers. </p><p>　　Fan Pictures: they are main goods sold by venders in slack seasons of New Year pictures. Chinese opera stories, landscapes,

82、 the twelve zodiacs and ancient Chinese poems are the common topics. </p><p>　　Lantern Screen Pictures: used on the Lantern Festival (the 15th day of the rest lunar month). It is often in small size. Beside

83、opera stories, common topics also include riddles. </p><p>　　The exhibited pictures are in different themes:</p><p>　　I. Door God and God Statues</p><p>　　Every Spring Festival, alm

84、ost every household will put up Door God pictures as a protection against bad spirits. Back in the Tang Dynasty, two characters – Qin Qiong holding mace and Yu Chi Jingde holding whip appeared and the Door God image was

85、gradually personal. From the two pairs of Door God New Year pictures exhibited, we can see that the four Gods are all warriors with arms.</p><p>　　Besides, there are also civil officials of Door God wearing

86、court dress and military officers wearing armor in New Year pictures. Blessing Door Gods represented by luck, salary and long life are also common.</p><p>　　II. Festive and Auspicious Pictures</p><

87、;p>　　Festive and auspicious New Year pictures are necessary for festivals. Such pictures often express good wishes and hopes with chiming of sound.</p><p>　　For example, there are two pictures named “Gran

88、ting Vassal and Hanging Seal”, in one of the two, there is a military o cer who holds a horse in one hand and a whip in the other, his bodyguard standing on side of him with shoe-shaped gold ingot in his hands, a little

89、boy standing on the side of the officer with a monkey on his head while the monkey (pronounced as “hou” in Chinese, same as the pronunciation of “vassal”) is hanging a seal to the maple tree (maple pronounced as “feng” i

90、n Chinese, sa</p><p>　　III. Folk Life </p><p>　　Many New Year pictures draw materials from folk’s life such as harvest of crops, celebrating the Lantern Festival, beautiful women ying kites, dr

91、agon boats races, enjoying the full moon on Mid-autumn Festival, climbing mountains on Double Ninth Festival, winning the first place in the Imperial Examination, giving birth to a boy, and getting promotions.</p>

92、<p>　　Celebrating the Lantern Festival is a representative work of folk’s life in Yangliuqing Town of Tianjin. The picture depicts a household celebrating the Lantern Festival: the living room is spacious and decor

93、ated in an old-fashioned way which shows the family is rich. On the table there is a white jade ruyi (means “as you wish”). On the front door there hangs a lotus and crab lantern which chimes with harmony. Three children

94、 are playing happily beside the door. One is riding a wooden horse, anot</p><p>　　Another New Year picture is from Yangjiabu Town in Shandong Province which depicts several sisters and sisters-in-laws gather

95、ing to play cards: they are sitting on the Kang, some cross-legged, some on their knees, but everyone is excited.</p><p>　　IV. Stories</p><p>　　Opera stories pictures have rich contents. Usually

96、, the painters are invited into the opera theatre to record the opera with sketch pictures. For example, the Wancheng War from Wuqiang County of Hebei Province: Dian Wei and Xia Hou Dun, two generals of Cao Cao led the a

97、rmy to intrude Wancheng County and won the ght. Zhang Wei, the county minister surrendered. After the war, Cao Cao abandoned the restraints and involved with Zhang Xiu’s aunt-in-law. Zhang Xiu felt humiliated and took t

98、he advisor</p><p>　　Legends are also New Year pictures’ common topics. Take the New Year picture of the Cowherd and the Weaving Maid Meeting on Double Seventh for example. The Silver River is surrounded by s

99、tars. Thousands of magpies form a bridge which occupies half of the picture. On the one side are the cowherd with his daughter and son, and on the other is the weaving maid waiting for them. </p><p>　　V. Hum