英语畅谈中国文化50主题9.doc

9. Chinese fans中国扇子A: Fans seem to have special meanings in Chinese culture. I have received a number of them as gifts from my Chinese friends. The fans are very pretty, So, I assume, they are not meant to be used. Also, they are too cute for a man, like me, to use.B: Fans used to be a favorite item for women in China. You may have noticed that nearly all female figures in traditional Chinese paintings carry a silk fan. In the movies of the 1930s, and 1940s, fans are a very visible article for Shanghai women on the Bund. Usually, the structure of the fans is made of sandalwood, and the faces are made of silk, or paper. Because the fans are always scented, women who use them appear, even more, attractive. Fans are, probably, one of the most appropriate expressions of female elegance. Men also use fans but, these fans are, usually, much bigger. Mens fans often use valuable materials for that structure but, the faces are always painted with plants, landscapes, or calligraphy, to express the owners status and aspirations.A: But none of the fans I have look the same as what you just told me. The paintings are also different. Mine are painted with either Peking Opera masks, or Chinese dragons. B: As a result of the open-door policy, fans have become popular again, not for people to use at home but, as gifts for foreigners. However, unlike fans of the old days, the ones people use as gifts nowadays do not take a lot of craftsmanship to make. Neither are the materials unique. In some of the popular tourist markets around Beijing, you can buy traditional Zhejiang fans made of blue printed cloth. Instead of sandalwood, various Scented, substitute materials are used for the structures. Because fans are small, inexpensive and , typically Chinese, many people like to use them as gifts from their overseas trips. I hope Westerners appreciate these gifts. A: My Mexican friend told me that Chinese fans are “all over the place ”in Mexico. The same is, probably, true in Chinatowns throughout the United States. B: That reminds me of an article by a Chinese writer. He wrote that two former Soviet Union experts paid a special visit to a fan factory in Suzhou during the 1960s. They wanted to buy some fans to take home. The workers were very excited about that visit. The factory held a meeting of its 200 workers to discuss the production plan. They were determined to make the best fans they could for their Soviet friends. Now, although fans are still a very good gift for foreigners, we seem to be using them excessively. Someone needs to alert the fans factory, and people who go on overseas trips, about the over-supply of fans.Background Reading背景阅读Colored Lanterns 花灯 The 15th day of the first lunar month is the Lantern Festival in ChinaIt is the custom to hang red lanterns on the doorChildren play with colored lanterns，and people go to squares and streets to view and admire decorative lanterns It is recorded that lanterns adorned the Lantern Festival at least 3，000 years ago, when they were used in memorial ceremonies for the Heavenly EmperorBy the Tang Dynasty，the court had connected lanterns with Buddhism, and made the lighting of lanterns at the Lantern Festival a part of official protocol Colored lanterns in different regions have their own specific featureFarmers in northern Shaanxi province make lanterns out of pumpkins, with materials like cotton or in the shape of the head of a goat. In Beijing, which had long been a dynastic capital, the colored lanterns are mainly in the style of imperial palace lanterns The shapes of the lanterns hung up at festivals have auspicious implicationsLotusand fish-shaped lanterns symbolize wealth; watermelon lanterns and pomegranate lanterns symbolize many offspring; chicken lanterns and sheep lanterns symbolize luck； and elephant lanterns symbolize the refreshment of everythingRiddles are often inscribed on the lanterns at lantern fairs The riddles are composed in elegant language and have ingenious structures Guessing the answer to a lantern riddle is supposed to be a good omen 农历正月十五是中国的元宵节，人们习惯在门外悬挂大红灯笼，孩子们提彩色灯笼玩，大人们则上街观赏各式各样的灯笼。据记载，灯笼早在约3 000年前就出现在元宵节上，用于祭祀天子。到了唐代，朝廷将灯笼与佛教联系起来，从此点灯笼就成了元宵节官方礼仪的一部分。 不同地区的彩灯风格迥异，陕北的农民用南瓜做灯笼，用棉花等材料做成羊头形状。而北京因为是帝王之都，灯笼一般都做成宫廷灯笼的样子。 灯节上所悬挂灯笼的形状有其各自的寓意，莲花和鲤鱼代表富贵，西瓜和石榴代表子孙满堂，鸡和羊代表好运，而大象则代表万象更新。灯节期间，灯笼上都写有灯谜，这些灯谜的文字优雅工整，猜到谜底往往被认为是好的兆头。cute 小巧玲珑的，非常可爱的 favorite 心爱的，受宠的 The Bund 上海外滩aspirations 愿望，追求 craftsmanship 工艺，手艺 instead of 除了hold a meeting 开会 excessively 过度的，极端的 alert 提醒，告诉9. Chinese fans中国扇子A: Fans seem to have special meanings in Chinese culture. I have received a number of them as gifts from my Chinese friends. The fans are very pretty, so, I assume, they are not meant to(打算；有意要) be used. Also（并且；另外）, they are too cute（可爱的，女性化的）for a man, like me, to use.B: Fans used to be a favorite（最喜爱的）item for women in China. You may have noticed that nearly all female figures（女性人物，仕女）in traditional Chinese paintings carry a silk fan. In the movies of the 1930s, and 1940s, fans are a very visible(看得见的)article(物品)for Shanghai women on the Bund(上海滩). Usually, the structure of the fans（扇骨）is made of sandalwood(檀香，檀香木), and the faces（扇面）are made of silk, or paper. Because the fans are always scented(有香味的；洒了香水的), women who use them appear（显得）, even more, attractive（吸引人的；有魅力的）. Fans are, probably, one of the most appropriate（适当的）expressions of female elegance（优雅，优美，风情）. Men also use fans but, these fans are, usually, much bigger. Mens fans often use valuable（贵重的；有价值的；上好的）materials for that structure but, the faces are always painted with plants, landscapes, or calligraphy, to express the owners status（地位；重要身分）and aspirations（愿望，志向，抱负）.A: But none of the fans I have look the same as what you just told me. The paintings are also different. Mine are painted with either Peking Opera masks, or Chinese dragons. B: As a result of the open-door policy（对外开放政策）, fans have become popular again, not for people to use at home but, as gifts for foreigners. However, unlike fans of the old days, the ones people use as gifts nowadays do not take a lot of craftsmanship（工艺）to make. Neither are the materials unique（独特的，稀罕的）.In some of the popular tourist markets around Beijing, you can buy traditional Zhejiang fans made of blue printed cloth（蓝印花布）.Instead of（代替,不是）sandalwood, various（不同的,各种各样的）Scented, substitute（替代）materials,are used for the structures. Because fans are small, inexpensive and, typically Chinese（有中国特色的）, many people like to use them as gifts from their overseas trips（海外旅行）. I hope Westerners appreciate these gifts. A: My Mexican（墨西哥）friend told me that Chinese fans are “all over the place（到处都是，臭了街）”in Mexico. The same is, probably, true(同样如此)in Chinatowns（唐人街，中国城）throughout the United States. B: That reminds me of an article（文章）by a Chinese writer. He wrote that two former Soviet Union（前苏联）experts（专家）paid a special visit to（访问；参观）a fan factory in Suzhou during the 1960s. They wanted to buy some fans to take home（带回家）. The workers were very excited about that visit. The factory held a meeting（开会；举行会议）of its 200 workers to discuss the production plan. They were determined to make the best fans they could for their Soviet friends. Now, although fans are still a very good gift for foreigners, we seem to be using them excessively（过分地）. Someone needs to alert（使警觉，使意识到；警告）the fans factory, and people who go on（进行，发生）overseas trips, about the over-supply（供过于求）of fans.Background Reading背景阅读合适尺寸实际尺寸Colored Lanterns（ lntn 灯笼；提灯） 花灯 The 15th day of the first lunar（阴历的）month is the Lantern Festival（元宵节，灯节，上元节）in ChinaIt is the custom to（是一种习俗）hang（悬挂）red lanterns on the doorChildren play with colored lanterns，and people go to squares（广场）and streets to view and admire（观赏）decorative（装饰的）lanterns It is recorded that lanterns adorned（装饰，打扮）the Lantern Festival at least 3，000 years ago, when they were used in memorial（纪念，祭祀）ceremonies（典礼；仪式）for the Heavenly Emperor（天帝）By the Tang Dynasty，the court had connected lanterns with（连接；与联系）Buddhism（佛教）, and made the lighting（点燃）of lanterns at the Lantern Festival a part of official protocol（礼仪） Colored lanterns in different regions（地区）have their own specific（特殊的）feature（特色，特征）Farmers in northern Shaanxi province（陕北）make lanterns out of（用（材料）pumpkins（南瓜）, with materials like cotton（棉花）or in the shape of（呈的形状）the head of a goat（山羊）.In Beijing, which had long been a dynastic（王朝的）capital, the colored lanterns are mainly in the style of imperial palace lanterns The shapes of the lanterns hung up at festivals have auspicious（ :spis 吉祥的；吉利的；幸运的）implications（含义）Lotus（莲花；荷花）and fish（鲤鱼）-shaped lanterns symbolize wealth; watermelon（西瓜）lanterns and pomegranate（ pmrnit 石榴）lanterns symbolize many offspring（后代，子孙）; chicken lanterns and sheep lanterns symbolize luck； and elep