Awed by thangkas
By Vivian Zhang
Photos by Yao Fan

唐卡是藏传佛教的艺术奇葩. 它具有鲜明的民族特点, 浓郁的宗教色彩和独特的艺术风格. 近日在厦大艺术学院举办的展览中, 人们有幸目睹其风彩.



For the first time, Xiamen locals have the chance of feasting their eyes on thangka, a typical form of Buddhist art from Tibet. From Jan. 17-23, thirty-nine pieces of thangkas were on display at the Art College of Xiamen University. The exhibits were a part of a collection of the Wutunxia Temple, Tibetan Autonomous County, Qinghai Province.

Thangka, a Tibetan term for "scroll painting", is highly prized for its ethical flavor, religious significance and art splendor. The subjects shown on thangkas are wide in variety. They include important events in history, biographies of historical figures, life and customs of the local people, astrology and Tibetan medicine, etc.



Baima, a Tibetan girl and one of the organizers of the show, explained that as religion is an important component in Tibetan life, the thangkas chiefly include subjects on religious figures. Thangkas on display show the Buddhist doctrine to people, and the devotees keep them at home for worship. Hence, people in Tibetan society, high and low, from great monasteries to humble homes, all keep numerous thangkas for worship.

Thangkas are various in type: they can be painted on paper, cloth or silk; and can be painted in water color, or embroidered in silk. Thangkas inlaid with pearls and gold are considered the most precious of all.



Thangkas put great emphasis on the usage of colors since each color stands for a different meaning. For example, white is the symbol of luck, purity, kindness and peace; blue represents anger and atrocious beauty; red for power, and yellow implies great beneficence and knowledgeability, which is suitable for drawings of characters that are mild but a little solemn.

Paints used in thangkas fall into groups of transparent and opaque. They are made from minerals or stems of plants. Making paints is all done by hand and the process is rather slow and complicated. However, the resulting paints are of high purity and stability which ensure thangkas' survival for over a thousand years.



The Tibetan girl told the reporter that throughout history, the art of painting thangkas has been kept strictly confined within family members and can only be handed down to sons. On important thangkas, the painters work for their entire lives. Thangkas vary in size and it is said that the biggest one is 40×32m, which requires a hundred men to carry it.

Vocabulary
astrology 占星术
atrocious 凶恶的
beneficence 善行
opaque 不透明的

 

 

Bryan Adams - 《Nowhere Fast》
By 厦门音乐广播 高翔



听一张新专辑可能会一下子在10分钟之内喜欢上里面的某一首歌, 爱不释手, 反复地听. 但是也有一种情况, 要听很多遍, 甚至是丢到一边好久不听, 之后再拿来听, 然后才会发现其中的妙处.

我就有上述的后面那种情况, 可能是因为每天的工作就是听音乐, 所以有时候不像平时休闲时候一样有全然放松的心境去欣赏, 而是像吃快餐一样, 囫囵吞枣, 走马观花, 所以会错过很多好听的歌曲. 这可能也是做电台DJ的一点小小的悲哀吧.



今天要说的是Bryan Adams的这张新专辑《Room service》(录制期:2002年9月29日-2004年6月4日, 2004年10月19日发行). 一开始的时候快速地听了一遍, 就像是在审听一件什么参赛作品一样, 所以没有留下太多的印象, 只是在节目中推那首专辑同名歌曲《Room service》和《Flying》.

一个月过去之后, 偶然打开这张专辑来听, 久违般地发现, 46岁的Bryan Adams一如他19岁时那样, 在音乐中释放着体内的激情, 与其说是他创作出了这些音乐, 不如说他把自己体内所固有的热情和自己的秉性以音乐的方式映射出来. 推荐我这几天反复在听的这首歌--《Nowhere fast》(《从容》), 平稳的节奏, 朴素的爱情主题, 粗犷的抒情, 从容淡定, 带着听得出来挂在脸上的轻轻的笑容, 很有安全感的一首歌曲.

 

 

Conductor on humanism forum
By Vivian Zhang
Photos by Yao Fan



On Jan. 21, Zheng Xiaoying, the chief conductor of Xiamen Philharmonic Orchestra, delivered an excellent speech at the Xiamen Humanism Forum to hundreds of locals.

"I am a doer rather than a theorist," Zheng stated in her presentation titled "Music and life". Having successfully conducted over 2,000 symphony and opera performances in the country and abroad, Zheng is acclaimed by the western media as "the best female conductor in the world". In her speech, Zheng shared with the audience her early days' story, her experience of developing into a conductor, and her persistent passion for music over many years.

"My life has evolved thanks to the six years with Xiamen Philharmonic Orchestra." Zheng also merrily mentioned her career in Xiamen. "As a musician, I don't mind much of the hardships and difficulties. I know Xiamen people love music and they really need us. The image and level of the city will surely be further promoted by more and more music lovers."

Kinmen trainees



On the morning of Jan. 23, 60 primary and middle school students from Kinmen, Taiwan attended a training session on wind instruments held by the Xiamen Philharmonic Orchestra. Last summer, members from the orchestra went to Kinmen and gave instructions to local students. Kinmen students this time paid a return visit at their own expense. Trainers from the orchestra also delayed their date of going home and devoted themselves to the training enthusiastically.

 

Xiamen Kaiming Movie Complex 厦门天地开明电影城 1月28日起隆重上映《超人总动员》 地址:江头北路69号Ticket line: 5517918