History and culture:

Zhejiang is blessed with a rich cultural heritage. Seven thousand years ago, Hemudu Culture is one of the cradles of the Chinese civilization. Hemudu was the world¡¯s origin of paddy rice cultivation. Liangzhu Culture of 4,200-5,300 years ago, situated near the Taihu Lake and the Qiantang River, was another major peak of proto-Chinese civilization. The invention of silk and jade carving were Liangzhu man¡¯s most important contributions to mankind. In remote antiquity the legendary King Yu braved wind and rain and tamed the flooding rivers. After his death, his remains were buried in Shaoxing. Since Qing Dynasty, the mausoleum and temple of King Yu have become a popular sanctuary for people to worship the legendary hero. In terms of Buddhism, Zhejiang also enjoys a good reputation. During the fourth century, Dafo Temple in Xinchang, Asoka Temple and Tiantong Temple in Ningbo, Guoqing Temple in Tiantai, and Lingyin Temple in Hangzhou were very famous. Guoqing Temple later became the cradle of the Tendai Sect, and Tiangtong Temple the cradle of the Soto-shu Sect of Japanese Buddhism. More than one millennium later today, they remain outstanding representatives of Buddhism culture.

China is the native place of chinaware. Zhejiang is the origin of celadon (chinaware having a translucent, pale green glaze). During the 11th and 12th centuries, among five major porcelain-making kilns, two¡ªthe Longquan Kiln and Hangzhou Official Kiln¡ªwere in Zhejiang. It is these famous kilns that propelled the Chinese porcelain-making industry to its pinnacle, enabling porcelain to become both practical utensils and works of art, and a major hallmark of ancient Chinese civilization.

Silk, tea, and paper-making, too, were so well developed that they endowed the land of Zhejiang with a unique oriental aesthetic aura. With sparkling waters and graceful hills, great men of past times have filled Zhejiang¡¯s history with their deeds, and its land with their renown. The province has always been in the front ranks in education, science and technology, and culture and art. Zhejiang exerts a major influence on Chinese literature, theatre, painting, calligraphy, and arts and crafts. There are five famous historical and cultural cities at national level in Zhejiang, which are Hangzhou, Ningbo, Shaoxing, Quzhou and Linhai. Hangzhou, the capital city, is one of the seven ancient capital cities in China, and also a famous tourist city.

Thanks to her long lasting history, splendid culture, unique natural environment, Zhejiang is worthy of the compliments such as ¡°Land of Fish and Rice¡±, ¡±Home of Silk¡±, ¡°Place of Cultural Heritage¡± and ¡°Paradise for Tourists ¡±, which have been lavished since ancient times.

Culture and Arts

As one of the major forms of operas in China, the Yue opera came into being in Shengxian County (now Shengzhou City) in the early 20th century. It is characterized by beautiful singing and lyrical plot. Popular plays include Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai (known as Chinese Romeo and Juliet), Dream of the Red Mansion, Aunt Xianglin, Romance of the Western Chamber, Five Daughters Offer Birthday Felicitations, Love between Poet Lu You and His Cousin Tang Wan, and Mistake Made Through a Red Silk Braid. With a fine tradition of dramas, Zhejiang is also the birthplace of the ancient South Opera. In addition, there are many other kinds of local operas such as Wu opera, Shaoxing opera, Ou opera, Yong opera, Yao opera and Huzhou opera.

In Zhejiang, different schools of painting and calligraphy with varied styles and features hold a significant position in the history of Chinese painting and calligraphy. In the 12th century, Zhejiang was the center of fine arts in the country. Since the 19th century schools of painting in Zhejiang have made splendid achievements and exercised a great influence over the development of Chinese painting and calligraphy. In history, distinguished painters and calligraphers in Zhejiang included Wang Xizhi (321-379 or 303-361), Yu Shinan (558-638), Chu Suiliang (596-658 or 659), Wu Zhen (1280-1354), Zhao Mengfu (1254-1322), Zhao Zhiqian (1829-1884), Ren Bonian (1840-1896) and Wu Changshuo (1844-1927). Contemporary and modern times have seen famous painters and calligraphers like Huang Binhong (1865-1955), Pan Tianshou (1897-1971), Ma Yifu (1883-1967), Zhang Zongxiang (1882-1962), Lu Weizhao (1899-1980), Sha Menghai (1900-1993) and Zhu Lesan (1902-1984).
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A province rich in local artistic traditions, Zhejiang has cultivated varied and colorful folk culture and arts. Folk leisure activities are flourishing throughout the province, including the dragon dance, lion dance, hobby-horse dance, walking on stilts, and various lantern shows. Folk songs can be heard in the fields, in the mountains, and on the rivers and lakes. Moreover, Zhejiang has varied folk musical instruments. Famous all over the world are ¡°Three Kinds of Carvings and One Kind of Sculpture¡±, namely, Dongyang wood carving, Qingtian stone carving, Wenzhou boxwood carving, and Ou sculpture. Dongyang wood carving was most prosperous in the last two feudal dynasties, i.e., the Ming (1368-1644) and the Qing (1644-1911). In techniques, Dongyang wood carving features high relief, multi-layers, rich composition of pictures, presenting a third dimension, full yet in neat order. Boxwood carving in Yueqing, Wenzhou is a sort of circular carving art, so named because it is carved out of boxwood. Qingtian stone carving is made of pyrophyllite with which this area is blessed. This kind of stone is colorful and artists design their works based on the specific stone¡¯s natural color, texture and shape so that the works are a harmony of nature and art. Wenzhou Ou sculpture has a history of more than 1,000 years. It is also known as ¡°oil sludge sculpture¡±. Folk artists use oil sludge to present scenes by carving human figures or objects on the board or walls, looking both like oil paintings and relief. Besides, Zhejiang is also known for other folk arts such as paper-cutting, embroidery, dyeing, weaving and colored lanterns. The farmers¡¯ paintings from Xiuzhou in Jiaxing, Cixi in Ningbo and fishermen¡¯s paintings from Zhoushan are well known throughout the country. Folk dance, music, instrumental music, opera and various other forms of folk art including ballad singing, story telling, comic dialogues, clapper talk and cross talk present themselves with unique features and styles and draw wide attention. The province is famous for its flourishing folk culture in the country. As a result, a number of ¡°Nationally Advanced Cultural Counties¡±, ¡°National Model Cultural Areas¡±, ¡°Home of Folk Paintings in China¡± and ¡°Home of Folk Art in China¡± have emerged throughout the province.

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