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Artistic takes on Year of the Sheep
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TO celebrate the forthcoming Year of the Sheep, the Shanghai Mass Art Center is staging an exhibition of Spring Festival customs, food culture and folk arts.
The exhibition, in its 9th year, has become a tradition at the center during the Chinese Lunar New Year.
Artistic and historical items are on display to explain many customs of the festival — such as eating dumplings, glutinous rice balls and Chinese lucky money given in red envelopes.
Young visitors also have a chance to learn about more detailed Chinese etiquette and table manners of family reunion dinners during the festival.
The exhibition features shadow play, bronze sculptures of sheep, clay figures, ancient tableware and toys of yesteryear.
Folk artists also give demonstrations of their work, including straw weaving, dough modeling and paper cutting.
Among these artists is 72-year-old Xu Jialin, who has produced glass and porcelain plates for more than two decades. He will be bringing his latest work, a red porcelain plate with peonies and the Chinese character “fu” (福) meaning fortune and good luck.
“It usually takes three to four days to complete a work like this,” says Xu.
He also expressed his concerns about the preservation of traditional arts and crafts. He says that while in the past he had several apprentices, few of them stuck with the traditional craft.
On February 14, 20 and 21, the exhibition will offer a free family portrait service — an old Spring Festival tradition.
This year, visitors can have a video portrait, which organizers promise will be lively and fun.
Date: Through March 8, 9am-5pm
Venue: Shanghai Mass Art Center, 125 Guyi Rd
Tel: 5424-4152
Lunar New Year celebrations in other regions
Beijing
As one of the six ancient cities in China, the capital is steeped in this traditional festival. In many parks there will be temple fairs offering an opportunity to experience local customs and imperial culture, as well as a chance to sample local snacks.
Attractions include folk performances and processions feature figures on stilts, floats, lion dancers and musicians with gongs and drums.
You can also buy folk handicrafts, such as clay and dough figurines and paper-cuts, which epitomise local culture and Beijing charm. And if you’re lucky, you may also find genuine Chinese antiques at reasonable prices at bric-a-brac stalls.
Guangdong Province
On the Xijiang River in the northwest of Guangdong Province, there are still many “floating families” living in boats that have been their family homes for generations.
During the Spring Festival, they will paste auspicious Chinese characters or couplets meaning “Everything will go smoothly” or “All the best” on their boat.
In the bow, they will set off firecrackers and make offerings to the ancestors, while ashore they will worship the gods. Offerings including bean curd sticks (meaning happiness and longevity), celery (diligence), green onions (intelligence), lettuce (fortune), oranges (good luck), apples (peace and safety) and water chestnuts (reproduction).
Shandong Province
Confucius Temples are a key place for festive celebrations, especially on New Year’s Eve.
One of the biggest events is zheng zhuang, during which people will steam all kinds of buns, dumplings and cakes.
After midnight, everyone gathers in the courtyard to worship the gods. A Heaven and Earth Tower made of mats is set up in the center, and there will be tables around it in the directions of east, west, south, north, northeast, southwest and northwest — each with a god’s shrine on it.
Next to the tower is a pole and sky lanterns are lit for the following 15 days. In the city of Laoshan, all the villages and towns will perform yangge, a traditional folk dance, the dragon lantern dance and walking on stilts during the festival.
Hunan Province
In the west of Hunan, the Tujia ethnic group begins Lunar New Year celebrations a day earlier than elsewhere. They call it “gan nian” — or “drive the year.”
The most exciting event is a grand fair that starts on the third day and lasts for days. Villagers perform a hand-waving dance in which all the dancers form a circle with the “wizard” leading at the front. They dance with their arms swinging freely and their legs following intricate patterns to the sound of drums and gongs.
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