China Institute (New York, NY) Offering Weiqi (Chinese "Go") Lessons

Hola everybody!  Hope you are recovered from any New Year's Eve excesses :)

Here's the info on the Weiqi classes being offered by the China Institute in New York city:

New! Chinese Go 围棋  5-Session Course Friday Class: 10:00am-12:30pm (1/12, 1/19, 1/26, 2/2, 2/9)  Saturday Class: 10:00am-12:30pm (1/13, 1/20, 1/27, 2/3, 2/10)

Go is an international game of the mind, processing very simple rules: players take turns to place black or white stones on a board, trying to capture the opponent's stones or surround empty space to make points of territory. It is also a game of profound complexity, requiring a unique integration and working of analytic (left brain) and artistic (right brain) mental abilities at the same time.   Originated in China more than four thousand years ago, Go (围棋Wéiqí), together with Zither playing, Calligraphy, and Painting, is one of the four supreme artistic genres in Chinese culture. It is believed that a strong Go skill is an indication of great wisdom. As the oldest game still played in its original form, Go today is popular among men and women internationally at all ages.

Further information. 

The China Institute Presents a New Gallery Show/Program: Dreams of the Kings

WOW! I would love to see this.  Hmmm....

Discover China Through Art (DCTA)
Program in conjunction with the exhibition
Dreams of the Kings: A Jade Suit for Eternity, Treasures of the Han Dynasty from Xuzhou

May 30 – November 12, 2017

Discover China Through Art (DCTA), China Institute Gallery’s innovative art education program for groups, will introduce participants to our new exhibition Dreams of the Kings: A Jade Suit for Eternity, Treasures of the Han Dynasty from Xuzhou. Each group visit consists of a three-part program featuring an introductory video presentation, a docent-led gallery tour, and a hands-on art workshop, all of which can be adapted for different age groups and interests.

By exploring great collections from the Xuzhou museum at close range in the Gallery, participants will see a rare jade burial suit, terracotta performers, and carved stone animal sculptures. These objects are extraordinary testimony to customs and beliefs surrounding life and death during the Western Han Dynasty (206 BCE – 8 CE).
Two workshops are offered:
I. Color and Decorating Workshop (K – 3rd grade)
II. Pattern Making Workshop (3rd grade – adult)

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Schedule: Available for booking weekday
Mornings 10:30 AM-12:00 PM & Afternoons 1:30 PM-3:00 PM
Please reserve a tour at least two weeks in advance of the requested date.
Please contact us for evenings and weekends programs.

Speaker Name
Gallery Docents

Fee: Weekdays: $120 per group
Evenings & weekends: $160 per group
Up to 30 participants per group; we can accommodate 2 groups at one time

Contact: Yue Ma 212-744-8181 x 147 or by email at yma@chinainstitute.org

About Discover China Through Art (DCTA)

Discover China Through Art (DCTA) is an innovative art education program that China Institute Gallery offers to schools and the general public. Created in 1992, DCTA introduces audiences to Chinese art and culture through a three-part interactive program that complements the Gallery’s exhibitions. The participants experiment with Chinese art through an introductory video presentation, a docent-led gallery discussion, and a hands-on art workshop. It is in these popular workshops that our participants experience Chinese art up close and have the opportunity to learn and apply fundamental techniques.

The program also offers special Chinese art and culture workshops in between of exhibitions, which consist of an interactive video presentation and an experimental hands-on workshop.

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Discover China Through Art is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature.

China Institute Gallery Open House!

I will forever be grateful for the two trips I was able to take to New York City (2005, 2009) with Mr. Don, Georgia and Michelle Albert. During the 2009 stay in NYC, one of the places we visited was the China Institute:

Mr. Don and I were in the lobby of the Institute, photographed by Georgia (Isis).  This exhibit we saw, the Tombs of Mawangdui, including some artifacts from the tomb of the Countess Dai and a replica of the silk banner that had been, somehow, preserved in her tomb, AWESOME!

It may be relatively small in space, but when it comes to putting on blockbuster exhibits, the China Institute ranks with the best!  The 2009 Noble Tombs of Mawangdui was just one of many incredible exhibits, bringing to the United States things we would otherwise only see online (maybe).  So I'm very happy to publish this announcement:

Asia Week New York 2014 Gallery Open House Tuesday, March 18, 2014 ~ 6:00-8:00pm China Institute, 125 East 65th Street, New York, NY 10065 In conjunction with Asia Week New York 2014, join us for an intimate evening of dialogue with curators and artists, exploring our current exhibition, Inspired by Dunhuang: Re-creation in Contemporary Chinese Art. Light refreshments will be served. This event is free of charge and open to the public. To register for this event, please contact Jennifer Lima at jlima@chinainstitute.org or 212-744-8181, ext. 146. Like the old masters before them, modern and contemporary luminaries, such as Zhang Daqian, Zhang Hongtu, Liu Jude, Liu Dan, and Yu Hong, have sought inspiration from Dunhuang's ancient sculptures and murals. Inspired by Dunhuang presents the breathtaking results of their painstaking and creative efforts, which capture the experience of Dunhuang in ways that are powerfully transformative. With its carefully curated group of paintings, calligraphy, sculptures, photographs, and mixed media installations that encompass a variety of themes and forms, this exhibition is a pioneering exploration of the historical, literary, artistic, and conceptual nature of the inspiration and influence exerted by Dunhuang's thousand-year-old tradition on contemporary artistic creation. Organized by China Institute Gallery, this exhibition is curated by Willow Weilan Hai, Director of China Institute Gallery, and Jerome Silbergeld, the P.Y. and Kinmay W. Tang Professor of Chinese Art History, the Chair of the Department of Art & Archaeology at Princeton University, and the Director of Princeton's Tang Center for East Asian Art. For more information, please visit www.chinainstitute.org/gallery/exhibitions/current-exhibition/ This exhibition is made possible, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council and by the generous support of the W.L.S. Spencer Foundation and China Institute Friends of the Gallery.

Sounds sooo fricking cool -- right there, being able to talk face to face with the curators and the artists!  If you are in the New York city area, or are planning on being in NYC on March 18th, please check into it further.  By the way, the area surrounding the China Institute is built for walkers, loaded with shops, delis, sidewalk cafes, restaurants, and bars (taverns? -- not sure what they call them in NYC, here in Milwaukee we just call 'em bars), not to mention wonderful architecture and you know those beautiful well-dressed women you see at Advanced Style - well, I'm just saying you see them all over the place in this neighborhood!  Even better than walking up Fifth Avenue toward the Met.

Learn More About Dunhuang

The China Institute is presenting a fabulous series of programs over the next - year!  Yes, you read it right :)  A series of programs on the fabulous city of Dunhuang, which was a gateway city at the eastern edge of the Taklamakan Desert into the Chinese Empire, one of the important points upon the ancient Silk Road (northern route).  Website. 




EXHIBITIONS

Dunhuang: Buddhist Art at the Gateway of the Silk Road

April 19 – July 21, 2013

This exhibition will feature work found in the caves of Dunhuang, including sutras (Buddhist scriptures on paper scrolls), high-relief clay figures, wooden sculpture, silk banners, and molded bricks from the golden eras of the Northern dynasties (420-589) and Tang dynasty (618-907). To re-create the magnificent cave settings, a replica cave from the 8th century that contains the beautiful Bodhisattva of the Mogao Caves and a central pillar from the 6th century will also be on view.

You will have the opportunity to explore each of the Dunhuang exhibitions from your own computer or mobile device with our virtual tours. (The virtual tours will become available after the exhibitions open.)

 

Inspired by Dunhuang: Re-Creation in Contemporary Chinese Art

September 19 – December 8, 2013

Highlighting paintings and sculptures by a dozen modern and contemporary artists, this exhibition will explore Dunhuang’s profound influence on generations of artists beginning with master painter Zhang Daqian. Other artists to be featured in the exhibition include contemporary art luminaries such as Zhang Hongtu, Liu Jude, Liu Dan and Yu Hong.

You will have the opportunity to explore each of the Dunhuang exhibitions from your own computer or mobile device with our virtual tours. (The virtual tours will become available after the exhibitions open.)

A fully illustrated catalogue will accompany each exhibition. They are available for sale here.

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GALLERY TOURS

Discover China Through Art Group Tours
Discover China Through Art (DCTA) offers art education through an innovative three-part program for all age and interest groups that complements the current exhibition. The program generally features a docent-led gallery tour, a video presentation, and a hands-on art workshop. Participants will be given an introduction to the culture of Dunhuang’s Buddhist Art by taking an in-depth look at the artworks, guided by a knowledgeable docent. The program concludes with an interactive painting workshop of a mural scene that has been chosen from the exhibition.

There's much more!  Lectures!  Classes and courses!  Gallery tours!  And you can take full advantage for free of online resources :)  Please check things out. 

Upcoming Events at The China Institute

Love The China Institute -- someday I'll get back there again.  I wish I could afford to live in Manhattan.  Sigh.  These events sound absolutely fascinating:

Member's Event: An afternoon of Chinese Art at Christie's

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Date: Saturday, September 8, 2012
Start Time: 2:00 pm End Time: 5:30 pm
(Time Zone: US/Eastern)

Location: Christie's (map)

Category: Members
Description

An afternoon of Chinese Art at Christie’s

Chinese Art Tour
Chinese Calligraphy: Brushstrokes and Beyond

Saturday, September 8, 2012
2:00 pm -5:30 pm

Christie’s
20 Rockefeller Plaza, 49th Street (between 5th and 6th Aves)

Join fellow China Institute members for an afternoon of Chinese Art at Christie’s, the renowned auction house. Our afternoon will start with a lecture series on Chinese Calligraphy: Brushstrokes and Beyond, hosted by Elizabeth Hammer, Vice President and Specialist, Chinese Paintings at Christie’s. After the calligraphy lectures, members will have a special tour of the upcoming auction of Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art.

The Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art auction (on September 13th and 14th) comprises over 500 works across several categories and periods, including ceramics, jades, archaic bronzes, sculpture, furniture and paintings. Highlighting the sale is a superb green jade brush pot, Bitong, from the Qianlong Period (1736 – 1795), which is exceptional for the intensity of its color, its delicate and detailed carving and distinguished provenance.

Schedule of events:
2:00 pm Variations on Dots and Lines: Calligraphy and Painting in Chinese Art
(Speaker, Dora C. Y. Ching, Associate Director, P.Y. and Kinmay W. Tang Center for East Asian Art, Princeton University)

2:30 pm The Greatest Chinese Calligrapher and the Ideal Calligraphy Model
(Speaker, Wang Mansheng, Calligrapher and Artist, New York)

3:00 pm The Life and Politics of Kang Youwei (1858-1927) as Revealed in His Calligraphy
(Speaker, Elizabeth Hammer, Vice President and Specialist, Chinese Paintings, Christie’s)

3:30 pm From Tradition to Innovation: The Collection and Calligraphy of Sha Huaishi
(Speaker, Sha Huashi, Calligrapher and Collector, New York)

4:30 pm Special tour for China Institute members of the upcoming auction: The Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art


Ticket Prices:
FREE member / member’s guest $20 per person
Space is limited. Advance registration required.

To RSVP, please go to http://www.chinainstitute.org/support-us/membership/membership-events.
For more information, please call Jenny Liao at 212-744-8181 x137 or email jliao@chinainstitute.org.

Contact: Jenny Liao
Email: jliao@chinainstitute.org
Phone: 212.744.8181, x137

Location Details

Christie's
20 Rockefeller Plaza
New York NY 10020 US

Special Lecture on Chinese Medicine

China Institute is honored to host a special lecture by the renowned Dr. Jeffrey C. Yuen, DMS. He is the 88th Generation Daoist Master of Yu Ching Huang Lao Pai (Jade Purity School), Yellow Emperor/Lao Tzu Sect, ordained by 87th Generation Daoist Master Yu Wen, Dr. Yuen’s adoptive grandfather. Having been immersed in the practice and study of Daoism and the classics of Chinese medicine since early childhood, Dr. Yuen offers unparalleled knowledge of the rich, oral traditions that fully integrate physical, psychological, and spiritual facets of the medicine. He is an esteemed faculty member of the American University of Complementary Medicine and other schools, and lectures internationally.

Tuesday, September 18 ~ 6:30 – 8 PM
$15 member / $20 non-member

 

Author Talk and Book Signing

Three Tough Chinamen

Nineteenth century Chinese immigrants to America, the Moy brothers — Jin Kee, Jin Mun, and Jin Fuey, crossed lines and broke barriers. Tough men whose lives were hemmed in by prejudice and restrictive laws, they were scrappy and ambitious. In an era when the Chinese were excluded from America’s shores and most already in the U.S. kept their heads down, they stood up and fought for their countrymen, using all means available to get ahead, up to and including committing petty crimes and, in the case of one brother, heinous ones. This is a collection of their stories about outwitting laws that mandated that Chinese accept third-class status if they desired even a small share in the American dream.

 

Scott D. Seligman is a writer, historian, genealogist, retired corporate executive, and career “China hand.” Seligman is the author of Chinese Business Etiquette (Grand Central Publishing, 1999) and Dealing With the Chinese (Warner Books, 1989) and co-author of the best-selling Cultural Revolution Cookbook (Earnshaw Books, 2011) as well as Now You’re Talking Mandarin Chinese (Barron’s Educational Series, 2006) and Chinese at a Glance (Barron’s, 1985 and 2001). He has published articles in the Asian Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, the China Business Review, the Jewish Daily Forward, China Heritage Quarterly, and Traces, the Journal of the Indiana Historical Society. He has also created several websites on historical and genealogical topics. He lives in Washington, DC.

Tuesday, October 16 ~ 6:30 – 8 PM
$10 member / $15 non-member

Special Travelling Exhibition Upcoming at China Institute

Looks fabulous!  List of Travelling Exhibitions. 

Dunhuang:
Buddhist Art at the Gateway of the Silk Road

China Institute Gallery February 7—June 9, 2013

Seated Buddha
Tang dynasty (618–907)
Clay
25 ⅕ x 11 ⅖ x 7 ⅞ inches (64 × 29 × 20 cm)
Dunhuang Academy

Situated at a major crossroads of the ancient Silk Road, Dunhuang is one of the world’s most esteemed cultural heritage sites. Dunhuang: Buddhist Art at the Gateway of the Silk Road brings into vivid focus the customs and practices of local Buddhists and illuminates the significance of the city as a crucial point of cultural exchange between East and West. Featuring sculpture, painted clay reliefs, calligraphy, Buddhist scriptures, and modeled bricks from the caves, this exhibition introduces the art and ritual practices from the golden eras of the Northern Wei and Tang dynasties. The diverse cultural history at Dunhuang is reflected in the evolution of the motifs and styles at work in these paintings and sculptures, and the crucial intersections of secular and religious, national and international, and East and West are revealed in these exceptional artifacts.
This exhibition is organized by China Institute Gallery and the Dunhuang Academy. It is curated by Fan Jinshi, Director of the Dunhuang Academy.

China Institute Awesome Program on Terra Cotta Warriors

Terracotta Warriors Defenders of China's First Emperor

The Exhibition

Discovery Times Square and China Institute present an evening of special lectures featuring prominent scholars from China discussing one of the world's greatest archaeological discoveries, China's Terracotta Warriors.

The evening's presentations will include:

Tian Jing (田静：秦兵马俑的艺术特色)

Deputy Director, Museum of Emperor Qin Shi's Mausoleum

Artistic Features of the Qin Terracotta Warriors

Zhao Jing (赵静：秦汉帝国交通建设遗产现状)

Deputy Director, Xi'an Centre of Conservation and Restoration

A Study of the Transportation Infrastructures from the Qin and Han Dynasties as Remains of Cultural Heritage

Zhang Zhongli (张仲立：铜车马与秦始皇帝陵陪葬)

Deputy Director, Shaanxi Provincial Institute of Archaeology

The Bronze Chariots from Emperor Qin Shi's Tomb Complex

Please join us on this very special evening.

Monday, June 18 at 7:30PM

at Discovery Times Square

226 West 44th Street

This event is FREE to the public. To purchase tickets to the exhibition prior to event, please click here. Presentations will be conducted in Mandarin with English translations displayed. The New York premiere of this exhibition features a collection of over 200 artifacts dating back to 221 BCE, and an up-close look at the authentic, life-sized Terracotta Warriors.

China Institute 125 East 65th Street New York, New York 10065 212-744-8181 www.chinainstitute.org

Would You Like to Learn Mandarin?

The China Institute in America in New York City is offering an intensive six-week course in Mandarin where you will learn to speak, read and write basic Mandarin.  It's not inexpensive - tuition is $2,700.00 - oops!  Sorry, I missed posting this prior to the early registration cut-off date of May 1st, so the tuition is now $2,800.00.  But if you've got the time (will be meeting a minimum of four hours every day, it appears, not sure if this includes Saturdays and Sundays, eek!) and the desire to learn the language and some of the basic written ideograms, this is the course for you!

Note the "guarantee" languate I highlighted from the website, below: You WILL be able to conduct conversations, and read and write short passages.  Wow! 

Summer Intensive Mandarin

This six-week intensive course covers the basic sounds and tones, fundamental sentence patterns and structures of the Chinese language, and a vocabulary of at least 500 written characters. Cultural activities to augment the primary language instruction in the past have included a museum trip, a contemporary Chinese film, a live traditional musical performance, and a final banquet. Each day begins with two hours of language drills, followed by two hours of smaller group instruction. Upon completion, students will be able to conduct conversations about everyday life and read and write short passages. The course is equivalent to a two-semester university language program. Prospective students should be prepared for an intensive learning environment and daily homework.
Enrollment is limited.
June 28 – August 9

Registration is now open!

Monday–Friday, 12:30 PM–4:30 PM (daily)
$2,700 registration before May 1
$2,800 registration after May 1
Plus $20 non-refundable registration fee

For more information on classes at China Institute, please email hhung@chinainstitute.org, or call (212) 744-8181, ext.116.

China Institute Lecture Series

In conjunction with a new exhibition:

The Afterlife, Architecture, and Drama: Jin-Yuan Tombs in Southern Shanxi Renowned scholar and leading architectural historian Nancy Steinhardt is Professor of East Asian Art in the Department of East Asian Languages and Civilizations and Curator of Chinese Art at the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology. She is author of Chinese Traditional Architecture (1984), Chinese Imperial City Planning (1990), and Liao Architecture (1997); editor and adaptor of A History of Chinese Architecture (2002), co-editor of Hawaii Reader in Traditional Chinese Culture (2005), and has written more than 60 scholarly articles and more than 30 book reviews. She has given more than 120 public lectures and conference talks. Steinhardt has received fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation, National Endowment for the Humanities, American Council of Learned Societies, American Philosophical Society, Graham Foundation for Advanced Study in the Fine Arts, Social Science Research Foundation, and Chiang Ching-kuo Foundation. Thursday, February 9 ~ 6:30 - 8 PM $10 member / $15 non-member To register, please visit http://www.chinainstitute.org/art-culture/exhibition-related-programs or call 212-744-8181, ext. 111.

China Institute 125 East 65th Street New York, New York 10065 212-744-8181 www.chinainstitute.org

China Institute: Special Documentary Showing



At the China Institute May, 2009, to see the incredible artifacts from the tomb of the Empress Di, et al.

This sounds fascinating - a contemporary documentary about an intense battle over whether to build a school in a small Chinese village.  It reminds me of the undeclared war going on right now between the Progressives versus mainstream Republicans who want to privatize K,1-12 education in the United States under the guise of "vouchers" and "school choice." The principles are the same:  keep profits rolling into the pockets of corporations and keep the people as ignorant as possible by giving no education or a poor quality substitute for formerly excellent public schools - in the days when they were adequately funded.  Shame, shame on the destroyers of public education.

Screening and Director’s Talk

Tuesdsay, September 27, 2011

THE HIDDEN BATTLEFIELD
(Harrison Schaaf, 2010)
6:30-8:45PM

The Hidden Battlefield is a feature length documentary film directed, produced, edited, and scored by young filmmaker Harrison Schaaf. The film tells the story of two warring clans in a small Chinese village: one wants to build a school, the other does not, and it all comes down to a violent and politically tumultuous seven year conflict as the unequivocally good act of building a school in rural China is brought into question. The screening will be followed by a talk with the director.

Harrison Schaaf received his B.A. in East Asian Studies from Wesleyan and is currently an assistant producer on a feature length film in China starring Zhang Ziyi.

ADMISSION: Tuesday, September 27 ~ 6:30 – 8 PM
$10 member / $15 non-member

Seating is limited, pre-registration required.
Reservations are on a first-come, first-served basis.

For further information, please contact sinomatheque@chinainstitute.org, or 212-744-8181 x111
125 East 65th Street, New York, NY 10065

Upcoming China Institute Programs - Lecture Series

Oh, these programs sound so good!

Ancient Bronzes in Hunan: A Survey
The middle bank of the Yangzi River is one of the most significant cradles of Chinese civilization and a historical area for the study of China’s Bronze Age. Several important excavations in the past few decades have enabled us to examine the little known aspects of this culture through exquisite bronze vessels. Guest co-curator, Dr. Jay Xu, will speak about the fascinating story of this regional culture in three ways: the development and characteristics of Hunan bronzes, their function and patronage, and their cultural connection to central China.
Along the Yangzi River: Regional Culture of the Bronze Age from Hunan is an original exhibition organized by China Institute Gallery in collaboration with the Hunan Provincial Museum.
Dr. Jay Xu is a widely published scholar, particularly on ancient Chinese bronzes and archaeology—his area of expertise. His prolific writings or translations cover diverse areas, including ancient Chinese jades, Chinese ceramics, Chinese calligraphy, and museum practice. The book Art of the Houma Foundry (Princeton University Press, 1996), to which he contributed, was awarded the prestigious Shimada Prize of 1997 for the Outstanding Publication on the History of Eastern Asian art. His publications have appeared in books and in such journals as Orientations, Natural History, Artibus Asiae, and Journal of East Asian Archaeology. He is much in demand as a speaker on topics related to Chinese art or museum practice, circumnavigating the globe from numerous cities across the United States to mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Korea.
Monday, February 28 ~ 6:30–8 PM
$10 member / $15 non-member
To register, please click here

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The Axial Age — How Philosophy and Medicine Began
Dr. Geoffrey Redmond, M.D., Center for Health Research, will introduce the ancient text Yijing (Book of Changes) and manuscripts from the Yangzi River region that formed the basis of Chiense thought and medicine. The audience is invited to participate in an educational demo of the Yijing.
Tuesday, March 8 ~ 6:30-8 PM
$10 member / $15 non-member
To register, please click here

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There are two more lectures devoted to ancient bronzes in North and South China, as well as other topics.  More information.  I wish I lived in Manhattan.  Should have married that rich guy 40 years ago.  Oh well. 

Great Exhibit at the China Institute in New York

Gallery
Exhibition: Along the Yangzi River: Regional Culture of the Bronze Age from Hunan
January 27– June 12, 2011

Here's our little friend, the elephant, showing up as a Hunan cast bronze from the - you guessed it - Bronze Age! 
And in the Exhibit too.  So much for one theory that Xiang Qi (Chinese Chess) had to have been imported from India
(at a much later date) because China did not "know" about elephants.  After all, so the argument goes,
 the game was named after an elephant. Next theory, please...

The middle bank of the Yangzi River is one of the most significant cradles of Chinese civilization and a historical area for study of Chinese bronze culture. Several important excavations in the past few decades have enabled us to examine the little known aspects of this culture through exquisite bronze vessels. This exhibition will reveal the fascinating story of this regional culture in three ways: the development and characteristics of Hunan bronzes, their function and patronage, and their cultural connection to central China.

This is an original exhibition organized by China Institute Gallery in collaboration with the Hunan Provincial Museum. The exhibition is directed by Willow Hai Chang, Director of China Institute Gallery, and co-curated by Chen Jianming, Director of the Hunan Provincial Museum, Jay Xu, Director of the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco, and Fu Juliang, Curator of the Bronze Collection at the Hunan Provincial Museum. A scholarly bilingual catalogue will be published by China Institute Gallery.

VISITOR INFORMATION
Location:
125 East 65th St, between Lexington and Park Avenues
Gallery Hours:
Monday – Sunday               10am – 5pm
Tuesday and Thursday     10am – 8pm           Free admission from 6pm-8pm
Closed in between exhibitions and on major holidays.

Admission:
Adults $7 Students and seniors (with valid ID) $4Free Children under 12    Free Members of China Institute, Asia Society, and Channel Thirteen

New Course at The China Institute, New York

Chinese elephant figurine.  Could it be a game piece?
Chinese chess is called "Xiang Qi" which can be translated as "elephant game."

The chance to take a class like this is only one reason why I wish I lived in New York.  Oh well. Maybe in my next life, when I come back as a Rockefeller heiress. 

Chinese Art and Archaeology

Resident Scholar and Consulting Archaeologist to UNESCEO World Heritage Centre and Discovery Channel’s Ancient Manmade Marvels series, Dr. Hsin-Mei Agnes Hsu, will teach a five-week long course introducing Chinese art and archaeology from the Neolithic period to the Bronze Age. This the first in a series of short courses on Chinese art and archaeology to be offered in the next few years in conjunction with our exhibitions.

Dr. Hsu was on the faculty of Brown University (2004-2007) and a research scholar at Stanford University (2008). In 2002, she was the first American graduate student to receive a Mellon Foundation fellowship to conduct research at the Needham Institute at Cambridge University for her work on ancient cartographic science. Dr. Hsu’s publications include “Structured Perceptions of Real and Imagined Landscapes in Early China” in Geography, Ethnography, and Perceptions of the World from Antiquity to the Renaissance (2010), “An Emic Perspective on the Mapmaker’s Art in Western Han China” in Journal of the Royal Society of Asiatic Studies (2007), and The Exceptional Universal Value of the Road Systems in Ancient Empires: A Comparative Study of the Chinese Oasis Route of the Early Silk Road and the Qhapag Ñan, UNESCO (2006).

Tuesdays, January 11, 18, February 1, 8, and 15 ~ 6:30-8:30 PM
$200 member / $250 non-member (5 sessions)
$45 member / $55 non-member (per session)

To register, please click here.

Information on more upcoming courses provided in the August, 2010 China Institute newsletter.

CONFUCIUS: His Life and Legacy in Art

Information from the China Institute in New York (a wonderful place, BTW):

FINAL WEEK

CONFUCIUS:

His Life and Legacy in Art

ends June 13, 2010

During this final week, a fully illustrated scholarly catalogue of CONFUCIUS will be sold at half its original price.

CONFUCIUS: His Life and Legacy in Art
by Lu Wensheng and Julia K. Murray

Exhibition catalogue, 2010. Paperback; xvii, 117 pages: ill.
NOW $16.50 (50 % OFF the regular price of $33.00)

Please check our China Institute Store at http://www.chinainstitute.org/about/store. GET DISCOUNT SHIPPING PRICES FOR ONLINE ORDERS.

Although the arts of Buddhism and Daoism are well known, the study of art forms related to Confucianism is only just beginning. Confucianism, a philosophy based on the teachings of Confucius (551 BCE - 479 BCE), pervades the customs of many Asian cultures from ancient times to the present day, but we are left to wonder, who is Confucius? In this ground-breaking exhibition, intriguing aspects of Confucius and Confucianism are explored through material and visual culture, explaining his teachings and ritual practices. Selected from the Shandong Provincial Museum and the Confucius Museum in Qufu, Shandong, the hometown of Confucius, this group of artworks, including paintings, bronzes, jades, books, costumes, stone carvings, and enamel vessels represent the first exhibition organized in the United States that illuminates Confucius as an historical figure and how he has been venerated for the past 2,000 years.

Gallery Hours:
Monday - Sunday 10am - 5pm
Tuesday and Thursday 10am - 8pm FREE admission from 6pm-8pm
Closed in between exhibitions and on major holidays.

Adults $7/ Students and seniors (with valid ID) $4/ Children under 12 FREE
Members of China Institute, Asia Society, and Channel Thirteen FREE

Experience the exhibition online at www.chinainstitute.org/featuredresources
and www.china360online.org/featuredresources

Discover China Through Art (DCTA)

Our art education program combines an introductory video and hands-on workshop with a gallery tour for a complete experience of Chinese art and culture for groups of up to 30 people. To make reservations, please call 212-744-8181 x 147 or email yma@chinainstitute.org.

This exhibition is supported, in part, by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts and by public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts and the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the City Council.

China Institute

125 East 65th Street

New York, New York 10065

China Institute Film Series: Sinomatheque

We had the pleasure of visiting the China Institute when we were in New York in May. The Institute does a fantastic job of bringing exclusive and leading-edge cultural exhibits to the United States direct from the People's Republic of China.

Super, Girls!, with director JIAN Yi Saturday, October 24, 2009 An open discussion with director, JIAN Yi, will follow the screening. SUPER, GIRLS! (73 min., JIAN Yi, 2007, Mandarin w/English subtitles), 4:30 - 6:00 PM
 

'Mainstream' life is fairly underrepresented in independent Chinese documentaries as filmmakers tend to focus more on the society's underprivileged groups. Yet 'mainstream' life in fast changing societies like China's can be as different as Red Guards in 1960s, poets in 1980s, businessmen in 1990s and the 'Super-girls' in 2000s. What are the values of the family's-only-child generation?  How do they release their tremendous extra energy and money and embrace a globalized culture?

 

China should not be just the playground for banks and corporations. China's new generation of independent filmmakers look into the present-day mainstream culture and document and scrutinize this crazy and confusing time of the nation's history." -Jian Yi JIAN Yi (Chinese: 简艺; pinyin: jiǎn yì) is a Chinese independent filmmaker, visual artist, and writer.

 

He received an MA in International Peace Studies from University of Notre Dame in 1998 and an MA in International Journalism from Beijing Broadcasting Institute in 1999. He is the founder & director of ARTiSIMPLE Studio which was founded in January 2005 and has pioneered the art of collaborative community and citizen projects.  He launched the IFCHINA pilot project in Ji'an of Jiangxi, China in 2008-09 with Douglas Xiao and Eva Song.

 

Jian Yi is a Starr Foundation Fellowship grantee ('07-'08) under the New York-based Asian Cultural Council, a Fellow ('08-'10) of the India-China Fellowship at the New School in New York City and a Visiting Fellow ('07) at CRASSH of Cambridge University. Jian Yi is one of the Yale World Fellows appointed by Yale University in the year 2009. He is one of the three Chinese national finalists selected by the British Council for its 2007 International Young Film Entrepreneur of the Year award. He has worked as a filmmaker and senior art consultant for a number of European Union projects in China. In 2005-06, he partnered with premier documentary filmmaker

 

Wu Wenguang to launch the China Villager Documentary Project. Jian's photos on China's village governance toured the nation's seven provinces as well as the headquarters of the European Commission in Brussels and the European Parliament in Strasburg.

 

ADMISSION: $8 for non-members and $5 for members. Popcorn and refreshments will be served.

 

Seating is LIMITED. Reservations are on a first-come, first-served basis.

 

Please visit www.chinainstitute.org/edu/sinomatheque for tickets.

 

For further information, please contact sinomatheque@chinainstitute.org, or 212-744-8181 x150.

 

China Institute advances a deeper understanding of China through programs in education, culture, business and art in the belief that cross-cultural understanding strengthens our global community. dGenerate Films is committed to bringing visionary cinema and uncensored content from China's truly independent filmmakers to the U.S. For more information, please visit www.dgeneratefilms.com.

China Institute 125 East 65th Street New York, New York 10065

Lady Dai!

I may have written about this already, but I'm too tired to go back and check, so if I already have, you can skip this post. Photos by Michelle. On Mr. Don's and my last full day in New York, Mr. Don, Michelle, Isis and I trekked to the China Institute to see the special exhibit of artifacts excavated at Mawangdui. We weren't allowed to take photographs of any of the artifacts, which were exhibited in two climate controlled rooms on either side of the reception area. The exhibit was not large, per se, but there were more than enough artifacts over which to ooh and ahh! Only tonight did I pull out the exhibition catalog and start to look through it. I didn't get very far and will save it for another weekend when I'm less tired. You can find some of the artifacts online, Archaeology Magazine's article.

New York: Some Fav Photos

This photo was taken by Mr. Don at Battery Park on Friday May 15th - Michelle is holding her charcoal portrait taken earlier that day. From right to left: Isis, Michelle, me. Okay, Mr. Don, did you pose us on purpose in front of a phallic symbol? I love how our outfits just happened to be color-coordinated that day (it wasn't planned!): Isis in black hat, blue top and black jeans; Michelle in black tankini top and grey jeans; me in a black/grey/blue floral print top and black jeans. When did Michelle get so tall? Michelle snapped this obviously posed photo of me, Mr. Don and Isis at the base of the Statue of Liberty during our tour on Saturday May 16th. I wasn't really strangling Mr. Don. Notice how Mr. Don has his umbrella raised like Pharaoh with his war club in the classic ancient Egyptian pose. Isis, as always, looks beautiful and mysterious. Me, I just look manic. Oh well. Geez, I've got to buy some better-fitting jeans - fast! Hmmmm, was Mr. Don planning on beaning me with that war club, er, umbrella? A few days later Mr. Don had the absolute gall to tell me oh by the way, the Scorpion Goddess of ancient Egypt used to be called The Strangler because of the way her victims died... Gee, thanks for telling me that, Love of My Life. My response was suitably muted, as you can imagine. I love this photo of Isis and Michelle taken in Central Park on Sunday May 17th. The Albert ladies are lovely, as per usual. A great shot not only of the ladies, but also of mid-town Manhattan in the background, behind the "lake." Mr. Don and I headed toward Brooklyn that day - via subway (an adventure that I have yet to write about, ahem) - to visit the Brooklyn Museum, and Isis and Michelle toured the Museum of Natural History and then headed toward Central Park. We all got together much later that evening and had a festive late supper at Applejack Diner where I was served the largest half-roasted chicken I've ever seen in my life. It must have weighed five pounds! Michelle was a good sport the morning of Monday May 18th, the last day in town for Mr. Don and I. The China Institute was holding a special exhibit of some of the artifacts uncovered from the excavations of the tombs of the Marquis of Dai, his wife (Lady Dai) and their son. She humoured us (the old folks) who oohed and aahed our way through the two small rooms of exhibits and then snapped this photo of me and Mr. Don on the way out the door. It was also Michelle who pointed out the two free catalogs available on the bookshelf next to the front desk - one on 17th century export porcelain and one on ancient basket-weaving techniques. Fascinating stuff to yours truly! Thanks for the tip-offs, M.