A long time ago a monarch missed his deceased concubine so much,he got sick.

很久以前，一位君主非常想念他已故的妃子，因此生病了。

His ministers reproduced the image of the concubine with cloth and put it behind a screen.

他的大臣们用布复制了妃子的形象，并把它放在一个屏风后面。

The monarch could see the shadow of his concubine on the screen.

国王可以在屏幕上看到他妃子的影子。

This was the origin of the shadow puppet (piying).

这就是皮影的起源。

Pi ying represents interesting stories with lively songs and shadows produced by lights.

皮影用欢快的歌声和光影演绎着有趣的故事。

It is the earliest animated technique in the world.

它是世界上最早的动画技术。

The images are always made of patterned donkey leather sewn with thread.

这些图案都是用线缝制的有图案的驴皮制成的。

The bodily movements and facial expressions of the puppets are created by bamboo sticks.

木偶的身体动作和面部表情都是用竹子制作的。

Pi ying tells stories with traditional methods and is popular all over the world.

皮影用传统的方式讲故事，在世界各地都很受欢迎。

It features not only interesting stories but also Chinese folk art.

它不仅有有趣的故事，而且是中国民间艺术… Read the rest

Legends say that the inspiration for kites was a wooden bird flying all day.

传说风筝的灵感来源于一只整天飞翔的木鸟。

Most likely,people were inspired by a hat blown off by the wind and invented feng zheng.

最有可能的是，人们受到一顶被风吹掉的帽子的启发，发明了“风筝”。

Legends also say that a general bound bamboo whistles on a huge feng zheng made of ox hide.

传说还说，一个将军绑竹笛在一个巨大的风筝用牛皮做的。

The kite made horrible sounds to ward off enemies.

风筝发出可怕的声音来驱赶敌人。

Other versions say he wrote important messages on feng zheng and sent them to his troops.

另一种说法是，他在风筝的身上写下了重要的信息，并把它们送到了他的部队。

The military sue of kites was just folklore.

这些都只是风筝的民间传说。

After all,feng zheng are toys.

毕竟，风筝是玩具。

Classic kites use bamboo,rattan or some other strong,but flexible,wood for the spars;paper or light fabrics such as silk for the sails; and are flown on string or twine.

传统的风筝用竹子、藤条或其他一些结实但有弹性的木材来做碎片纸，或用丝绸之类的轻织物来做帆;用绳子或飞行。

People often make exquisite decorations on feng zheng.

人们经常在风筝身上做精美的装饰。

Feng zheng have become real works of art.

风筝已经成为真正的艺术品。

They seem like beautiful paintings flying in the blue sky.

它们就像美丽的画在蓝天中飞翔。… Read the rest

The lantern,denglong,is the traditional lighting tool of China which also represents merit and joy.

灯笼是中国传统的照明工具，它也代表着美德和欢乐。

The traditional denglong is covered by rice paper with candle burning inside.

传统的灯笼是用宣纸包着，里面燃着蜡烛。

Lights shine through the gossamer rice paper.

灯光透过薄纱宣纸照耀。

Denglongs have diverse patterns.

灯笼有不同的形式。

People like to decorate denglongs and paint beautiful and auspicious designs on them.

人们喜欢装饰灯笼，在上面画上美丽和吉祥的图案。

We light several denglongs which symbolize happiness and good luck during the Chinese New Year and enjoy denglong shows with family during the Lantern Festival.

在中国新年期间，我们会点燃几盏象征着幸福和好运的灯盏，在元宵节期间，我们会和家人一起欣赏灯盏表演。

Now denglongs are still used in all kinds of celebrations. Denglongs light the night of festivals.

现在灯龙仍然用于各种庆祝活动，灯龙点亮夜晚的节日。

Merit and joy spread into different families by these different lanterns.

这些不同的灯笼将美德和欢乐传播到不同的家庭。… Read the rest

Chinese used shells as money,qian,5,000 years ago.

五千年前，中国人用贝壳当钱。

With the developments of metallurgy,metallic currency started to circulate.

随着冶金技术的发展，金属货币开始流通。

These copper coins originated from Chinese people’s daily life and production.

这些铜币起源于中国人的日常生活和生产。

Spade-shaped coins came from farming tools and knife-shaped coins came from fishing gear and knives.

铲子形的硬币来自农具，刀形的硬币来自渔具和刀具。

The Tong Bao coin symbolizing the titles of emperor’s reigns were circulated for the longest time in the history of China.

在中国历史上，象征皇帝在位头衔的东贝币流通时间最长。

Gold,silver,food and textiles were once used as qian in China.

在中国，金、银、食品和纺织品曾被用作钱。

The earliest paper money,named jiaozi,came out in China more than 1,000 years ago.

1000 多年前，中国出现了最早的纸币，名为饺子。

Now the banknotes circulating in China is the 5th edition of renminbi.

现在在中国流通的纸币是第五版人民币。

The appearance and printing techniques have been improved over the years.

这些年来，人民币的外观和印刷技术都有所改进。… Read the rest

It is difficult to acquire beautiful jade.

漂亮的玉很难买到。

Only through the delicate procedure of cutting,polishing and carving a piece of unshaped stone can shine.

一块未成形的石头，只有经过切割、打磨、雕刻的精细工序，才能闪闪发光。

Yu has played an important role in people’s lives in China for the last 8,000 years.

在过去的 8000 年里，玉在中国人的生活中扮演着重要的角色。

Seals of emperors were made of yu.

皇帝的印章都是用玉做的。

Yu is also a popular material for amulets,and expensive artwork.

玉也是一种受欢迎的护身符材料，也是昂贵的艺术品。

Yu was featured in the medals of Beijing Olympic Games.

玉在北京奥运会上作为了奖牌。

Yu represents dignity,holiness and purity.

玉代表尊严、圣洁和纯洁。

Chinese believe that yu is more valuable than gold.

中国人认为玉比金子更有价值。… Read the rest

 

When processed correctly,a pile of soil can be turned into an exquisite artwork.

如果处理得当，一堆泥土也可以变成一件精美的艺术品。

Chinaware,ci qi,is a part of daily life in China.

瓷器是中国人日常生活的一部分。

The surfaces are decorated with various exquisite patterns.

表面装饰着各种精美的图案。

Some are as thin as paper; some are as white as jade; some are as course as pottery; and some are as black as lacquer.

有些像纸一样薄;有的像玉一样白;有些像陶器一样自然;有些像漆一样黑。

This is an extraordinary piece of blue and white porcelain made in the 14th century.

这是一件非同寻常的青花瓷，制造于 14 世纪。

It was auctioned at more than 20 million pounds. It is the pride of ci qi.

它以超过两千万英镑的价格被拍卖，这是瓷器的骄傲。

Ci qi is still called China in English.

瓷器在英语中仍然被称为 China。… Read the rest

A kind of insect called a silkworm produces white,raw silk threads.

中国丝绸及其古老之美 一种叫做蚕的昆虫能吐出白色的生丝。

Chinese people collect these raw threads,create yarn and weave them.

中国人收集这些原始的线，创造纱线并编织它们。

The silk fabrics are soft,smooth and light. It is the best material used in making dresses.

丝绸面料柔软、光滑、轻盈。它是做衣服最好的材料。

A si chou dress 2.000 years old was unearthed in a tomb and can be put into a matchbox.

在一座古墓中出土了一件距今有 2000 年历史的泗水连衣裙，可以放进火柴盒里。

Westerners cherish Chinese si chou.

西方人珍爱中国的“丝绸”。

It was introduced to Rome around 100 BC by merchants.

大约在公元前 100 年由商人引入罗马。

The route they traveled is called the Silk Road.

他们所走的路线叫做丝绸之路。

Compared with other material,si chou is more delicate and light.

与其他材料相比，丝绸更加精致、轻盈。

The clothes made of si chou are the most comfortable.

丝绸做的衣服是最舒服的。

Now si chou clothes are prominent in modern fashions.

如今，丝绸服装在现代时装中占有重要地位。

Chinese si chou has been world famous for its high quality for thousands of years.

几千年来，中国的丝绸一直以其高质量而闻名于世。… Read the rest

Long,long ago there was a poor scholar who wrote the character ‘fu’ or ‘happiness’ on paper and his wife tore the character out.

很久很久以前，有个穷书生把“福”字写在纸上，被他的妻子剪下来了。

This is the origin of papercutting ( jian zhi).

这就是剪纸的由来。

The jian zhi craft is considered to be one of the standards to identify a smart woman.

剪纸工艺被认为是判断一个聪明女人的标准之一。

People think a woman who is good at making delicate jian zhi is a smart.

人们认为善于制作精致剪纸的女人是聪明的。

Jian zhi patterns come from daily life.

剪纸模式来源于日常生活。

Clipping and engraving are two skills used to make jian zhi.

剪纸和雕刻是制作剪纸的两种技艺。

Intricate centers are important for jian zhi designs.

复杂的中心对于剪纸的设计很重要。

Jian zhi is a popular folk art.

剪纸是一种流行的民间艺术。

Jian zhi expresses Chinese people’s wishes for happiness and good luck.

剪纸表达了中国人对幸福、好运的祝愿… Read the rest