本科毕业论文-三国演义中关羽的艺术形象分析.doc

安阳师范学院成人教育 本 科毕业论文（设计）题目： 三国演义中关羽的艺术形象分析 专 业 汉语语言文学 年 级_三_ 姓 名 学 号 学习站点 指导教师_完成时间：2015年 3 月 10 日安阳师范学院目 录摘要、关键词第1页正 文第1页一、人物形象第2页（一）勇武超群、人品出众第2页（二）刚毅果敢、深通谋略第2页（三）忠贞冠绝、义薄云天第3页（四）骄傲自满、刚愎自用第4页二、悲剧命运第5页参 考 文 献 第7页三国演义中关羽的艺术形象分析【内容摘要】关羽，演绎了千年不变的精魂，演绎了荡气回肠的凝重 。其性格中最重要的两个方面就是勇武、忠义。是我国古典小说中塑造得相当成功的一个艺术典型。其浓厚的悲剧色彩才给后人留下深深的敬重和惋惜，令后人在深深崇敬的同时无不为其悲剧结局而深深叹息。艺术形象：勇武超群 、人品出众； 刚毅果敢、深通谋略；忠贞冠绝 、义薄云天；却又骄傲自满，刚愎自用。悲剧命运：关羽的悲剧形象，有明显的社会和时代烙印，高傲自负，缺乏战略眼光，导致孙曹联合使自己陷入两面受敌的困境，是蜀汉政权的巨大损失。关羽这一有着明显性格缺点的失败英雄，作者在悲剧的结局中使他的人格进一步升华。【关键词】关羽 艺术形象 悲剧命运三国演义是一本家喻户晓、妇孺皆知的古典名著。该书将天下奇才诸葛亮，一代枭雄曹操，勇者张飞、许褚，庸主献帝、刘禅等人物，描写得淋漓尽致，无不各极其态。而给我印象最深的是“美髯公”关羽，他的忠、义、勇、气，很令我钦佩。关羽，字云长，河北解良人，身长九尺，髯长二尺，人称“美髯公”。书中描写为：丹凤眼，卧蚕眉，面如重枣，唇若涂脂，手提青龙偃月刀，胯下千里追风赤兔马。可谓气宇轩昂，威风凛凛。关羽文武双全：他读过很多书，知春秋，明大义；他武功盖世，斩大将颜良、文丑，三战吕布等等。关羽，演绎了千年不变的精魂，演绎了荡气回肠的凝重 。关羽武艺超群，智勇双全，上报国家，下报黎庶，其性格中最重要的两个方面就是勇武、忠义。在古今历史英雄画廊中，关羽是极为后人称道的艺术形象，人们用“武圣人”与孔子的“文圣人”并称于世。应该说，关羽是我国古典小说中塑造得相当成功的一个艺术典型。罗贯中笔下塑造的关羽是一位悲剧英雄形象，他所处的诸侯纷争,三国争霸的乱世社会环境,以及自身骄傲自矜、目中无人、缺乏战略眼光等性格弱点共同酿就了其败走麦城的悲惨结局。但正因为其浓厚的悲剧色彩才给后人留下深深的敬重和惋惜，令后人在深深崇敬的同时无不为其悲剧结局而深深叹息。-1-人物形象（一）勇武超群 、人品出众在三国演义中我们知道关羽是个读书识礼，武艺超群，有胆有识的人。关羽的勇和吕布、张飞之流的勇不同，关羽的勇在于勇中有智，智中有义。孔子云: “君子有勇无义为乱”。（论语阳货）就是说君子有勇不可无义,只一味的匹夫之勇难称得上真正的君子。关羽是真正的君子，是罗贯中笔下的兼高超武艺和义重如山与一体的义勇形象，其一生戎马生涯，为我们留下无数可歌可泣的英雄故事，如：“温酒斩华雄”“斩颜良诛文丑”“刮骨疗毒”“单刀赴会”“水淹七军”。笔者将这些故事归纳为三点来分析关羽的勇武。 拳家认为:胆乃技击之主帅。在技击中强调要有“必胜之心”。在三国演义第五回关羽“温酒斩华雄”这段,可以看出关羽过人的胆量。华雄是董卓帐下的一员大将,他身材高大,体格健壮,而且武艺超群,勇不可当。你看他连斩鲍忠、祖茂、俞涉、潘风四将,令十八路诸候“众皆失色”。而当时的关羽只是刘备手下的一个“马弓手”,很多人不了解他、看不起他。但他不惧外强内疑,毅然提刀出帐,飞身上马迎战华雄。面对如此强敌,关羽却有“必胜之心”。曹操在他临行前“热酒一杯,与关公饮了上马”,关羽说:“酒且斟下,某去便来。”于是便有了“酒尚温时斩华雄”的千古美谈。试看“某去便来”说得多么轻松!试想,没有必胜的信心,没有视敌如草芥的胆量,怎么能如此洒脱?在白马,曹操指着河北大将颜良在山下排的“旗帜鲜明,枪刀森布,严整有威”的阵势对关公说:“河北人马,如此雄壮!”关公却说:“以吾观之,如土鸡瓦犬耳!”真是豪气冲天。 过五关,斩六将,千里走单骑,英雄孤胆,无所畏惧。单刀赴东吴,更是他无畏胆略的极致表现。当然,关羽的无所畏惧并不是蛮勇、肓勇。绝伦超群的武功是他藐视一切敌手的实力,“一身忠义”的浩然正气更是他超人胆量的源泉。 （二）刚毅果敢、深通谋略 关羽的刚毅，常为世人称道。就连蜀汉的对立面孙权、曹操，以及他们手下的部将也是公认的。周瑜说他是“熊虎之将”，陆逊说他是“当世雄杰”，张昭说他是“为人强梁”。正是如此，刘备才放心让关羽留守荆州，独当一面。成大事者必定具有超于常人的胆量，关羽就可以称得上是一位胆识过人、不畏艰难痛苦的英雄。 历史上的“刮骨疗毒”足能显示其坚强的毅力和超强的胆量。三国志.蜀书.关羽传：“羽尝为流矢中，贯其左臂，后创虽愈至阴雨,骨常疼痛。医曰：镞有毒，毒入于骨,当-2-破臂作创,刮骨去毒,然后此患乃除耳。羽便伸臂令医劈之。时羽适请诸将饮食相对，臂血流离,盈于盘器，而羽割炙引酒,言笑自若。”罗贯中在三国演义中对关公这一壮举的描述更是绘声绘色，艺术上，作者善于层层蓄势，使本来并不复杂的情节显得起伏跌宕，并且运用衬托和对比的艺术手法来刻画人物，用众将士的“皆掩面失色”来衬托关羽的“全无痛苦之色，举棋自若”。使得关羽坚忍性格更加生色。华佗本是一代奇才，他那刮骨疗毒的方法也很奇特，而遇上关羽这样的奇人，三奇相结合，相映成趣，共同演义了一场小说史上的佳话（在此我们姑且不讨论此故事的真实性，单就本书而言）。关羽的智勇双全足智多谋在他镇守荆州时发动的襄樊战役中得到了充分体现。首先，关羽选择了十分有利的战机：（一）刘备刚得到汉中，又攻占了上庸等地，蜀汉士气正盛；（二）前不久孙权在东方进攻合肥，关羽可与孙权遥相呼应；（三）七八月间正是雨季，便于发挥关羽水军的优势。其次，关羽在进攻襄樊时，对孙权可能从后方偷袭，是有准备的，在后方留有相当多的军队，以备不测。第三，他指挥得当，机智勇猛。襄阳、襄樊两地隔汉江水相对，互为犄角，是曹军抗拒南方军的战略要地。曹操派他的族弟镇南将军曹仁重兵驻守，并派平寇将军徐晃屯兵宛城，随时支援。后曹操又派于禁领兵助守，曹仁命令于禁和庞德在襄樊城北屯驻。可见曹军的部署已经相当完备。但关羽并不畏惧敌人的严密防守，利用自己水军的优势，趁着暴雨，漳河水涨溢，樊城被洪水包围的形势发动进攻。当时，城北的曹军已被淹没，于禁只得率领众将士逃避到高阜之处。关羽早就抓到于禁平地扎营的弱点，趁大水安排好一批大小船只，率领水军向魏军猛攻。于禁支撑不住，只能投降。庞德率领一部分魏军继续顽抗，关羽集中力量围歼这部分魏军。从早晨一直战到中午，庞德率领的魏军箭尽失竭，于是双方短兵相接，魏军大败，庞德突围企图乘小船向樊城逃去，关羽紧追不放，最终擒获了他。这就是历史上赫赫有名的关云长水淹七军。在这场战役里，关羽的勇猛、机智、锐利的眼光、卓绝的军事领导才能一并发挥的淋漓尽致，让人拍案叫绝。（三）忠贞冠绝 、义薄云天 “忠”与“义”是中国传统文化思想中的重要的两个方面,在历代文人作品中,表现这两方面主题的内容比比皆是。如宋江的忠义，岳飞的忠义等。“忠”原指为人诚恳厚道、尽心尽力，本义指忠诚，尽心竭力，后有忠于他人、忠于君主及国家等多种含义。如“君使臣以礼，臣事君以忠”。有时特指臣民对君主和国家应尽的道德义务。以后引申特指忠于君主，主要指君臣关系、主仆关系，是下属对上司的义务。“义”本作“宜” 、“谊”,“谊”从宜,故礼记中庸说:“义者宜也。”宜即适宜,不上不下,不左不右,一切做法,-3-正合其“度”，即有一定的尺寸,故做得恰如其分,就是义,否则,即是不义。因此,就有君臣之义,老幼之义,贤愚之义,尊卑之义。所以“义”主要指比较平等的朋友关系，兄弟关系，从真挚的情感出发，丝毫不带有利诱和强制的性质。 关羽的忠，惊天地，泣鬼神。“身在曹营心在汉”流芳千古。曹操为了收买其心，三日一大宴五日一小宴，上马一提金下马一提银，虽如此，仍未能收得关羽之心。后有人以诗叹曰：“奸相枉将虚礼待，岂知关羽不降曹。” 关羽的义，惊天动地。“华容道，捉放曹”众所周知。关羽为了报答曹操礼待之恩和放行之情，不惜违背军令状，以身家性命当代价，在华容道捉又放曹操。当初若不是这样，可能就不会有后来的晋朝了。（四）骄傲自满，刚愎自用罗贯中笔下的关羽另一个性格特点是骄傲自负，目中无人，这是造成其败走麦城，惨遭杀害的悲剧命运的根本原因。关羽是刘备政权中一名重要成员，五虎上将之首，他历尽坎坷，身经百战，为蜀汉王朝立下汗马功劳。他对刘备尽忠尽义，可谓一代忠臣良将。然而关羽自身“刚而自矜，目中无人”的性格弱点却断送了蜀国大好河山。如同在蜀汉这局棋中，关羽这一子走错，兵败麦城，便落得个满盘皆输的结局。分析关羽骄傲自满，刚愎自用性格的成因我们可以概括为两个方面：第一，自身原因：创业时身经百战未尝做过别人的手下败将，唯一的一次失败还不是由于自己的武艺不如别人，还博得曹操的折节招降曲意相待，这何尝不是自己骄傲的资本？赤壁之战后，天下三分之势已定，刘备等人也有了荆州这块安身立命的地方，后来蜀汉版图节节扩张，刘备在成都建立蜀汉国，将荆州的防守大任交给关羽。关羽如此的受重用，于是他的骄傲，自负，目中无人，骄傲轻敌的性格弱点便慢慢滋生开来。第二，外在因素：刘备定益州时，马超从汉中来降，关羽写信给诸葛亮，欲与马超比武，诸葛亮知关羽好胜，故回信说：“梦起（马超字）兼资文武，雄烈过人，一世之杰，琼，彭之徒，当于翼德并驾争先，犹未及髯公之绝伦逸群。”关羽得书后很高兴，像个孩子得家长夸奖般将信遍传给宾客们观看。诸葛亮的这个举措固然平息了事端，但无形中也进一步滋长了关羽的骄傲情绪。关羽高傲自负，还表现在唯我是大，目中无人。无论对友，还是对敌都是如此。刘备攻取益州，汉中称王后，封关羽为前将军，张飞为右将军，马超为左将军黄忠为后将军。当刘备派费诗将封关羽的敕令送至樊城前线时，关羽竟看不起黄忠，大怒说：“大丈夫终-4-不与老兵同烈！”不肯接受印绥。最后经费诗百般劝说后方肯接受。这样的目中无人怎不让黄老将军乃至手下的诸将心寒和气愤呢？我们且看费诗的说辞：“今汉中王虽有五虎将之封，而与将军又兄弟之义，视同一体。将军即汉中王，汉中王即将军也。岂与诸人等哉？”有这样美妙的誉词，试想有谁还不飘起来呢？高傲自负自然容易麻痹轻敌，孙权大将吕蒙正是利用关羽的这一性格弱点设下圈套。先是让孙权将他调回，另换一个在当时名不见经传的小将陆逊接替他的位置。陆逊此人非同小可，后来的八百里火烧蜀军连营就是出于其手，可以说是据蜀汉第一功臣，当然这都是后话了。他刚到任时，便修书一封恭维关羽，关羽得到书信后，觉得陆逊还是个年轻的后生，不足为道，收到陆逊的“名马、异锦、酒礼等物”，听到来使谦卑的说辞，“关公览毕，仰面大笑”。将后方的军队调出一半增援襄樊，如此，荆州的防守便不足，给了吕蒙可趁之机，于是便有了后来的白衣渡江、劝降士仁、糜芳、瓦解蜀军士气，并最终夺取了荆州。关羽见此势，只得带领残兵败卒向西退守麦城，后在麦城突围后，依然一意孤行，不听谋士的劝谏，走小路最终被生擒，惨遭杀害，落得个凄凉的下场。悲剧命运 关羽是一个悲剧人物，他是本书中难得的有性格形成过程的人物，我们可以分析他的性格形成过程来看她最终悲剧的原因。任何悲剧人物的产生离不开社会环境以及自身性格特征，汉末诸侯纷争、三分天下的社会环境，是形成关羽悲剧命运的外部原因，而关羽缺乏战略眼光、骄傲自矜的性格缺点，又是导致其命运悲剧，乃致孙刘联合破裂、葬送蜀国大好河山的内因。 罗贯中笔下的关羽性格的悲剧性，首先在于他带有明显的社会和时代烙印。关羽自幼熟读兵书，识书知理，且武艺超群。忠心的希望能够作一个上报国家、下报黎庶的人，然而朝廷腐败，社会动荡，却使他被迫杀了仗势欺人的权贵，“逃亡江湖五六载”郁郁不得志。后遇上刘备张飞二人，桃园结义后，虽然情同手足，同食共寝，但是在诸侯割据、群雄角逐中由于刘备没有地盘，只好寄人篱下，看着别人的眼色过日。关羽出身卑微，不得朝廷重用，尽受豪门士族的白眼，受尽侮辱。“温酒斩华雄”是常为后人称赞不已的情节，透过“小将愿往斩华雄首级，献于帐下”的疾呼，透过袁术“量一笑弓夫，安敢乱言，与我打出”的无理呵斥，透过“如不胜，请斩某头”的斩钉截铁、掷地有声的豪言壮语，和“銮铃响处，马到中军，云长提华雄头，掷于地下，其酒尚温”这一系列的情节描述，与其说是表现了关羽过人的武艺和勇敢，不如说是表现了其不愿甘于人下的性格和久寄人篱-5-下的悲剧处境。可以说，关羽前期一直随刘备过着沉于下僚，奔波劳碌的生活。后来频繁的战争，又造成三兄弟几度失散，关羽在刘备投奔袁绍后，死守下邳，保护刘备妻小，但不幸中敌人调虎离山计，被夏侯惇、徐晃围困在土山，不得已，投降曹操，对于一个叱诧风云的英雄来说，这不能不说是一种悲剧性行为。这种悲剧色彩在入曹营之后，仍然明显地表现着。虽然曹操待他甚厚，三日一小宴，五日一大宴，上马一提金，下马一提银，又是封爵，又是送马，赠袍。但这一切优厚的物质待遇都无法掩饰其内心的痛苦，关羽醉后自绰其髯说道：“生不能报国家而背其兄，徒为人也。”酒后吐真言，这也彻底表明了他心在曹营心在汉，不愿久居于曹下的心境。关羽杀死颜良文丑后，刘备写信指责他“中途相违，割恩断义，欲取功名，图富贵”。关羽忍辱负重，无奈遭此谴责，难怪他会看完书信后放声大哭。在三国演义中，刘备是以哭闻名，以哭得天下的，而提到关羽哭的地方，全书只有两次，这是第一次（另一次是败守麦城时）。“男儿有泪不轻弹”，关羽的此次放声痛哭，其中包含了多少辛酸泪，多少悲凉之气。而后关羽在遇到失散多日的弟弟张飞时，却被张飞不容分说地拒之门外，要和他拼个你死我活。关羽有口难辨只得杀死蔡阳来替自己伸冤。蔡阳迅速成为刀下鬼，这与其说是关羽高超的武艺使然，不如说是他受尽委屈，急于辩解的心情所致。关羽这种被二位兄弟误解，内在性格压抑性，使得他的许多英雄行为呈现出一种悲剧色彩。 另一方面，关羽武艺超群，胆识过人，然只能称其为勇将、儒将，相比军事家、政治家而言，关羽缺乏的乃是战略眼光，不能从长远上看问题。孔明入川前，将镇守荆州的重任委托给关羽时，给他留下“北拒曹操，东和孙权”的战略方针。但是由于他的骄傲自大，没有意识到联合孙权对蜀汉政权的重要性，竟然以“吾虎女安肯嫁犬子”的骄横态度，侮辱性地拒绝了孙权的求和之意，即导致孙刘联盟的破裂。后来关羽又以极端骄傲自信的态度，拒绝了司马王甫的建议，用糜芳、傅士仁、潘睿镇守隘口，主管粮草的供应，也为后来留下隐患。正是糜芳、傅士仁这两个平时就嫌弃关羽轻视他们的人，在粮草供应前线不力后，关羽指责他俩办事不尽力，战后算账，使得他们在陆逊的招降下动摇军心，弃蜀投吴。这下关羽不但没有了粮草供应，还丢失南郡，江陵二郡。由此可见，由于关羽高傲自负，缺乏战略眼光，不能良好执行诸葛亮嘱咐的联吴抗曹的政策，导致孙曹联合使自己陷入两面受敌的困境。同时，由于他高傲自大，不能很好地团结部将共同抗敌，致使吕蒙的离间之计得逞，自己也妄送了性命。荆州失守，是蜀汉政权的巨大损失，因为它失去的不仅是一个战略要地，而且使诸葛亮隆中对中提出的一旦时机成熟，分兵两路北伐曹操并最后实现一统天下的战略部署化作乌有。可以说，蜀汉-6-失荆州便失去了天下，作为荆州守将，关羽自然罪不可赦。综上所述，对于关羽这一有着明显性格缺点的失败英雄，作者毫不掩饰地描述了他对蜀汉集团灭亡的不可推卸的责任，但并没有因此而否定了他武艺超群，勇武忠义，忠肝义胆的正面形象，反而在悲剧的结局中使英雄人物的人格进一步升华，从而让亿万读者为之潸然泪下，产生无比同情和崇敬之情。关羽是当时时代下的悲剧英雄，是历史的必然产物，他的死之所以震撼我们的心灵，是因为在他的悲剧结局中，被否定的只是他性格的片面性，而他的义贯古今，英雄豪杰之气，永远会在历史英雄人物画廊之中熠熠发光。参考文献：1、贯中 三国演义 巴蜀书社 1998年版2、与中国文化 1991 巴蜀书社.3、三国演义学刊 1986年第二期4、陈寿 三国志中华书局 1959版5、毛宗岗 三国志读法 呼和浩特 内蒙古人民出版社 1981年6、思源 周思源品赏三国人物 中华书局 2006年版7、寿 三国志 北京 中华书局 1959年版 8、陈寿 三国志关羽传 北京 中华书局 1959年版-7-为你提供优秀的毕业论文参考资料，请您删除以下内容，O(_)O谢谢！2 Many people have the same mixed feelings when planning a trip during Golden Week. With heaps of time, the seven-day Chinese为你提供优秀的毕业论文设计参考资料，请您删除一下内容，O(_)O谢谢！National Day holiday could be the best occasion to enjoy a destination. However, it can also be the easiest way to ruin how you feel about a place and you may become more fatigued after the holiday, due to battling the large crowds. During peak season, a dream about a place can turn to nightmare without careful planning, especially if you travel with children and older people. As most Chinese people will take the holiday to visit domestic tourist destinations, crowds and busy traffic are inevitable at most places. Also to be expected are increasing transport and accommodation prices, with the possibility that there will be no rooms available. It is also common that youllwait in the line for one hour to get a ticket, and another two hours at the site, to only see a tiny bit of the place due to the crowds. Last year, 428 million tourists traveled in China over the week-long holiday in October. Traveling during this period is a matter that needs thorough preparation. If you are short on time to plan the upcoming Golden Week it may not be a bad idea to avoid some of the most crowded places for now. There is always a place so fascinating that everyone yearns for. Arxan is a place like this. The beauty of Arxan is everlasting regardless of the changing of four seasons. Bestowed by nature, its spectacular seasonal landscape and mountains are just beyond word. Arxan is a crucial destination for the recommended travelling route, China Inner Mongolia Arxan Hailar Manzhouli. It is also the joint of the four prairies across the Sino-Mongolian border, where people gravitate towards the exotic atmosphere mixed with Chinese, Russian, and Mongolia elements. As a historic site for the Yitian Battle, Arxan still embodies the spirit of Genghis Khan. Walking into Arxan, you will be amazed by a kaleidoscope of gorgeous colors all the year round - the Spring azaleas blooming red in the snow, the Summer sea wavering blue in the breeze, the Autumn leaves painted in yellow covering volcanic traces, and the Winter woods shining white on the vast alpine snowscape. Hinggan League Arxan city is situated in the far eastern area of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. Its full name Haren Arxan means hot holy water in the Mongolian language. Arxan is a tourism city in the northern frontier with a blend of large forest, grand prairies, vast snowfield, heaven lake cluster, thermium, as well as volcanic cluster. It is a rare and unique ecotourism base filled with healthy sunshine, clean air and unspoiled green. Nestled close to the countrys largest virgin forest, and known for its spring and ecological environment, Arxan is marveled at by many tourists as the purest land on earth. You cannot miss out the Autumn of Arxan. It is definitely the best with brightly-colored scenery full of emotions. Autumn in the northern part of the country comes earlier than the South. A September rain followed by the footprints of Autumn brings more colors to the once emerald green mountain and blooming grassland. Shutterbugs flock to see for themselves the marvel of splendid colors around the mountains and waters, many of whom have travel a long distance and even camp here only to capture a moment of the nature wonder. The silver birch turns golden, while the larch is still proudly green. You will find yourself drowned in the intoxicating red of the wild fruits as well as the glamour of flowers in full blown. And your heart will be lingering on the woods as its time for the wild fruits to ripe. The picturesque Arxan in Autumn is indeed a fairyland only exists in a dream that satisfies all your fantasies. If itrains heavily on Saturday night, some elderly Chinese will say it is because Zhinu, or the Weaving Maid, is crying on the day she met her husband Niulang, or the Cowherd, on the Milky Way. Most Chinese remember being told this romantic tragedy when they were children on Qixi, or the Seventh Night Festival, which falls on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month, which is usually in early August. This year it falls on Saturday, August 2. Folklore Story As the story goes, once there was a cowherd, Niulang, who lived with his elder brother and sister-in-law. But she disliked and abused him, and the boy was forced to leave home with only an old cow for company. The cow, however, was a former god who had violated imperial rules and was sent to earth in bovine form. One day the cow led Niulang to a lake where fairies took a bath on earth. Among them was Zhinu, the most beautiful fairy and a skilled seamstress. The two fell in love at first sight and were soon married. They had a son and daughter and their happy life was held up as an example for hundreds of years in China. Yet in the eyes of the Jade Emperor, the Supreme Deity in Taoism, marriage between a mortal and fairy was strictly forbidden. He ordered the heaven troop to catch Zhinu back. Niulang grew desperate when he discovered Zhinu had been taken back to heaven. Driven by Niulangs misery, the cow told him to turn its hide into a pair of shoes after it died. The magic shoes whisked Niulang, who carried his two children in baskets strung from a shoulder pole, off on a chase after the empress. The pursuit enraged the empress, who took her hairpin and slashed it across the sky creating the Milky Way which separated husband from wife. But all was not lost as magpies, moved by their love and devotion, formed a bridge across the Milky Way to reunite the family. Even the Jade Emperor was touched, and allowed Niulang and Zhinu to meet once a year on the seventh night of the seventh month. This is how Qixi came to be. The festival can be traced back to the Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 220). Traditionally, people would look up at the sky and find a bright star in the constellation Aquila as well as the star Vega, which are identified as Niulang and Zhinu. The two stars shine on opposite sides of the Milky Way. Customs In bygone days, Qixi was not only a special day for lovers, but also for girls. It is also known as the Begging for Skills Festival or Daughters Festival. In this day, girls will throw a sewing needle into a bowl full of water on the night of Qixi as a test of embroidery skills. If the needle floats on top of the water instead of sinking, it proves the girl is a skilled embroiders. Single women also pray for finding a good husband in the future. And the newly married women pray to become pregnant quickly. Tradition transformed The love story of Niulang and Zhinu, and the Qixi Festival have been handed down for generations. Yet these ancient traditions and customs are slowly dying out. Many modern Chinese, particularly youngsters, seem to know more about St Valentines Day on February 14, characterized by bouquets of roses, chocolates and romantic candlelight dinners, than they do about their home-grown day for lovers. Even Qixi is nowadays referred to as the Chinese Valentines Day. More and more young Chinese people begin to celebrate this day in a very similar way as that in western countries. Fewer people than ever will gaze at the heavens on Saturday to pick out the two stars shining bright on either side of the Milky Way, that is, if people even know on which day Qixi falls. There are ready reminders dotted about, in the form of big ads saying Sales on Chinese Valentines Day! in shops, hotels and restaurants. But few young women will mark the festival with their boyfriends, or take part in traditional activities to pray for cleverness. A large-scale of exhibition on the Silk Road opened to the public in the National Museum on Thursday. The exhibition displays more than 400 treasures from Shaanxi province, Gansu province and 14 other regions. It is largest scale exhibition that shows the history of the Silk Road in recent years. AsAPECis going on in Beijing, the exhibit aims to show the world this brilliant section of history. The Silk Road is a series of trade and cultural transmission routes that were central to cultural interaction through regions of the Asian continent. It connected the West and East by linking traders, merchants, pilgrims, monks, soldiers, nomads, and urban dwellers from China and India to the Mediterranean Sea during various periods of time. I met my dear hubby in 2009 the second year I was in my school and it was the first year when he came here. We became colleagues. And there was nothing special happening during that year. He was just a kind and humble brother graduated from the same college as me. But we did not know each other till he became my colleague and his office desk was just in front of me. There was only a glass between us. So actually we could see each other when we both look up. But it is not the main reason that really draws us close. How we become close to each other was something seems quite natural. We went out to play badminton with other colleagues and we sometimes chatted for a while. He is a man of few words but somehow sometimes will say something really humorous. Then one day, to my great surprise, I found a pot of beautiful flower on my desk. It was just the flower I had talked about with my colleague the other day, and I thought it was her who put the flower there. But the truth is not. It was the humble guy sitting in front of me. He just simply said ,”well, I caught sight of this flower and thought that its beautiful and you may like it”. I wonder why I was moved because of these simple words and present. Maybe it is the sincerity and the true self that impress me. I thanked him and some colleagues walked past my desk would appreciate the beautiful flower and they noticed that something romance happened there. Then later on, there were some little surprises once in a while. Once, there was something wrong with my drawer and I had complained about it unconsciously. And he fixed it for me. Then the other day, he placed several pink diamond roses beside the flower with a piece of paper saying” I love you more than I can say! Diamond stands for marriage, rose stand for love. I hope you are mine, become my wife. You are the only girl who I really want to spend the rest of my life to stand by.” Although there were some grammar errors but I got what he meant. He meant so clear and so direct. And actually, I accepted him some days earlier. I was just waiting for him to break the ice. So finally, the common interests and the common understanding brought us together. Some people say the relationship and the feeling w