Cultura China-Chinese Culture

Existen diferentes mitos sobre el origen de la Danza del león, pero ninguno de ellos tiene registros históricos reales. De acuerdo con una de las leyendas, hace mucho tiempo atrás apareció un león en un pueblo y causó grandes destrozos a la población y a los animales domesticos. Un experto peleador de kung-fu supo del león y llegó al pueblo con la intención de matarlo. Él luchó sangrientamente con el león en tres ocasiones pero no consiguió matarlo. Por lo tanto, entrenó a algunos de los aldeanos en Kung-Fu con la intención de matar al león. Unos meses más tarde, subió con los aldeanos entrenados y consiguieron acabar con él. Los aldeanos, con el fin de festejar el triunfo del bien contra el mal o de los hombres contra el león (Yin y yang) crearon este baile popular, la Danza del león. Otra versión del origen de este baile fue que el rey de la Dinastía Qing, había visto un león de baile en uno de sus sueños y le ordenó entonces a los guardias del palacio a bailar de acuerdo con lo que había visto en sus sueños después de que él se despertó. (wiki)

THE ANIMAL The lion is called the king of animals. Although daring and brave, it is not as fierce as we think. Although it looks strong and powerful, it is benevolent and tame. Its heroic outlook instills fear in other animals. For thousand of years, the Chinese people respect and impress these qualities of the lion. Its status is on par with the symbolic dragon, phoenix, and Qi Lin in the Chinese epic.

In fact, there are no real lions found in China. Descriptions of lions came to China from India through the spreading of Buddhism. From the historical record, lion dance was started during the Han Dynasty. His Majesty Han Wu Ti made commercial ties with the West through the Silk Road to China. Cultural interaction by means of functions in the palace in welcoming the guest from the West, like dances and songs were performed. During the performance, the dancers wore the mask of animals so as to entertain the guest. When the guests later discovered that no real lions lived in China, the Silk Road traders from the west began to bring real lions as gift to China. They also brought along their lion trainers. Nowadays, lion shows (similar to those found in Western circuses, with lions jumping through flaming hoops) take place in China as well. (wiki)

Lion dances originated in India along with Buddhist lore and ritual. The popular form of lion dancing today's Chinese culture evolved in China, though several countries throughout the Asian region, including Japan, have developed their own styles of lion dance through the centuries.

The Dragon Dance itself originated during the Han Dynasty and was started by the Chinese who had shown great belief and respect towards the dragon. It is believed to have begun as part of the farming and harvest culture, also with origins as a method of healing and preventing sickness. It was already a popular event during the Song Dynasty where it had become a folk activity and like the lion dance, was most often seen in festive celebrations.

As the dragon gives people a feeling of great respect, it is often called the Sacred Dragon. The emperors of ancient China considered themselves as the dragon. The Dragon is also the emblem of Imperial Authority. It symbolizes supernatural power, goodness, fertility, vigilance and dignity.

In the Qing Dynasty, the Dragon Dance team of the province of Foochow had been invited to perform in Peking and had been greatly praised and admired by the Qing Emperor, which earned great fame for the team. (wiki)

Los orígenes del guzheng se encuentran asociados a dos modelos de cítaras chinas que se punteaban con los dedos, el se y el guqin. El guzheng ha existido desde el periodo de los Reinos Combatientes siendo especialmente popular durante la dinastía Qin. El número de cuerdas del guzheng ha fluctuado, durante la dinastía Tang se usaron modelos con sólo 6 cuerdas y otros de hasta 23 cuerdas. El registro más antiguo del guzheng en Shi Ji se atribuye al historiador Si Maqian en el 91 BCE.

The early types of guzheng emerged during the Warring States period. It was largely influenced by the se, a plucked stringed instrument. It became prominent during the Qin period, and by the Tang Dynasty, the guzheng was arguably the most commonly played instrument in China.

El tofu se originó en China. La leyenda china describe su invención al príncipe Liu An (劉安, 179–122 a.C.). El tofu y su técnica de producción fue introducido a Corea y Japón durante el período Nara. También se difundió a otras partes del Este Asiático. Es muy probable que su difusión coincidiera con la expansión del budismo, ya que es una importante fuente de proteínas en la dieta vegetariana del budismo asiático. Li Shizhen de la dinastía Ming describe un método de hacer tofu en el Bencao Gangmu. (wiki)

Tofu originated in ancient China. Chinese legend ascribes its invention to prince Liu An (Chinese: 劉安 Liú Ān, 179–122 BC). Tofu and its production technique were introduced into Korea and then Japan during the Nara period. It spread into other parts of East Asia as well.^[9] This spread likely coincided with the spread of Buddhism because it is an important source of protein in the vegetarian diet of East Asian Buddhism. Li Shizhen in the Ming Dynasty described a method of making tofu in Bencao Gangmu. (wiki)

El Zongzi se sirve tradicionalmente durante el Festival del barco dragón (Mandarín: Duanwu; Cantonés: Tuen Ng) que cae en el quinto día de la quinta luna del calendario chino (aproximadamente en el intervalo que va desde comienzos hasta mediados de Junio), conmemorando la muerte de Qu Yuan, un famoso poeta chino procedente del reinado de Chu quien vivió durante la época de los Reinos Combatientes. Conocido por su patriotismo, Qu Yuan intentó de forma poco satisfactoria proteger a su rey contra el expansionismo de sus vecinos Qin. Cuando el general Bai Qi de la dinastía Qin tomó Yingdu, la capital Chu, en 278 a. C., Qu Yuan's mandó arrojar al poeta al río Miluo tras el lamento de Ying. De acuerdo con la leyenda el pueblo tiró sus rellenos de arroz para prevenir que los peces devoraran el cuerpo del poeta. Otra versión dice que los rellenos de arroz se virtieron al río para aplacar la furia del dragón que vivía en el río. (wiki)

Zongzi are traditionally eaten during the Dragon Boat Festival (Mandarin: Duānwǔ; Cantonese: Tuen Ng), which falls on the fifth day of the fifth month of the lunar calendar (approximately late-May to mid-June), commemorating the death of Qu Yuan, a famous Chinese poet from the kingdom of Chu who lived during the Warring States period. Known for his patriotism, Qu Yuan tried unsuccessfully to warn his king and countrymen against the expansionism of their Qin neighbors. When the Qin general Bai Qi took Yingdu, the Chu capital, in 278 BC, Qu Yuan's grief was so intense that he drowned himself in the Miluo river after penning the Lament for Ying. According to legend, packets of rice were thrown into the river to prevent the fish from eating the poet's body. (wiki)