Unusual light in the sky…..

February 14, 2009 by kllrchrd

….was visible at 4pm GMT yesterdat the 13 Feb 2009. Out with dog Smud the beagle at Riverside and the sun which was very bright – due to set say forty minutes – yet so very bright i thought ‘thank goodness i wasn’t out in this all day’.  What was interesting and had me fascinated was another ’sun’ to say twenty degrees to the north with spectral colours ie a mini rainbow at the southern end ie closer to the sun.

 Clever meteorologists please advise.

I haven’t much time to search this out, by chance here is a treatment of high altitude ice – perhaps this was the phenomena I was viewing.

http://milesobrien.wordpress.com/2009/02/13/nothing-super-cool-about-it/

When I’ve time I shall have to have a shufty over Miles Obriens blog, looks a good ‘un. At present I’m enjoying a couple of hours studying Mandarin in the kitchen – that is where the light is good for book work and I can hear the birds in the garden. I’ve also product to assemble and depatch as well as a desire to be out with Smud. Zaijian (see you agn in Mandarin).

see http://kllrchrd.livejournal.com for a more regular regurgitation of my minutae……..

Spring in a Small Town.

December 25, 2008 by kllrchrd

This is a highly regarded film, out of favour during Communist Party fervour and again rated highly. 小城之春 Xiao3 cheng2 zhi1 chun1.

http://www.archive.org/details/spring_in_a_small_town

http://v.youku.com/v_playlist/f1540737o1p0.html

Lastly here is something found quite by chance, a comedy yet engaging:

http://v.youku.com/v_playlist/f1152617o1p1.html

White haired girl.

December 21, 2008 by kllrchrd

This is a very well known Chinese film, not the later ballet and subsequent film. Here is an introductory page;

The White-Haired Girl
 
Director: Wang Bin, Shui Hua (1950)The most outstanding representative film soon after the founding of the People’s Republic of China is The White-Haired Girl, co-directed by Wang Bin and Shui Hua. It is based on the legend of a white-haired female immortal. It tells of Yang Bailao, a tenant farmer who shares his life with his daughter Xi’er. The despotic landlord, Huang Shiren, attempts to forcibly take Xi’er for himself. On the eve of the Chinese Spring Festival, Huang forces Yang to sell his daughter as repayment of the debt Yang owes him. Yang drinks bittern and dies. Xi’er is taken by force to Huang’s house and raped by the landlord.The girl is in love with Dachun, a young farmer in her village, who tries to help her escape but fails. He goes to find the Red Army. Xi’er runs away from Huang’s house and hides herself deep in the mountains. She leads a miserable life, and her hair urns completely white. Two years later, Dachun returns to the village with the army unit he is in. He finds Xi’er and helps her get even with the hated landlord. They marry and lead a happy life after emancipation. The film shows the oppression suffered by millions upon millions of Chinese peasants in the Chinese society before 1949 by describing the fate of the leading character and showing the theme that “the old society turned a person into a ghost and the new society turns the ghost back into a person”.Xi’er was not only the sufferer of the oppression caused by the old society but also a girl who showed the resistant spirit of the laboring people. The film had a distinct national style with its integrated plot and artistic form. It combined analogue with montage and used comparison of the atmosphere and coordination of the plot to achieve a high artistic effect. The White-Haired Girl was an important effort to explore a national style in the China’s films after 1949. In 1951, it won the Special Honorary Prize at the Sixth Karlovy Cary International Film Festival. More than six million people watched the film in the first round of release in China. In the 1950s, it was screened in more than 30 countries and regions. The French cinema historian Georges Sadoul set a great value on the film in his book Annals of the Cinematographic Art.(chinaculture.org January 19, 2004)I am trying to find a youtube or youku for this……In pinyin is  Bai Mao Nu.

……..here it is ……白毛女; pinyin Bai Mao Nu- White Haired Girl – an incredible film of 1950, wonderful atmosphere, excellent .

hint – search using google and capture any chinese characters that appear ie bai mao nu then paste into youku search box – hey presto:

http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XMzE5NTI2MjQ=.html

I’ve waited a lot of years to see this film.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Learning Chinese poetry.

December 21, 2008 by kllrchrd

Here is an excellent selection of poems with good audio, clear characters and lots of replay options. Great for beginners like me. Click on the options to the right of the page. Most useful.

http://www.china.org.cn/learning_chinese/ancient_poems/node_7046034.htm

more chinese cinema….

December 8, 2008 by kllrchrd

…As I only know a couple of hundred mandarin ci, youku is slow work. Here are new gems I’ve unearthed:

http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XNTc2MjkzMTY=.html

http://www.youku.com/playlist_show/id_2222130.html

http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XMTgyNDQyNzY=.html

Some are the same film, get onto the favurites list to explore more.

the new wordpress layout is not working right…..

Chinese cinema

November 10, 2008 by kllrchrd

Here is a link to get a list of a hundred chinese films – each has a thumbnail pic to get an idea of content,  copy the title into google translate to get the (sometimes correctly translated) title. Page 5 on the list has an historical drama (second from left)  the beginning is very good, yet the end seems by a different director.

http://www.youku.com/playlist_show/id_1183453.html

Chinese cinema links.

October 30, 2008 by kllrchrd

I found these a few minutes ago, interesting links with booktitles and other links.

http://chinesecinemagoldenage.blogspot.com/

http://softfilm.blogspot.com/

I’ve just passed up an invite to California, all expenses paid. i don’t like airports, travelling or new places. I detest being a tourist. So passive, as if watching tv. I prefer to explore on youtube, books, learn the language and culture etc. i would only travel if I’ve a personal guide that I know we could get on and enjoy each othes company.

My http://kllrchrd.livejournal.com blog is my usual place yet it is dreadfully slow and shows up poorly in search results. That to me doesn’t matter, its a personal scrapbook. Here on this blog I keep more detailed information on mainly chinese cinema, yet wp is a joy to use as its so much quicker than lj.

Chinese Proverbs……

September 28, 2008 by kllrchrd

….are a real help to learning Mandarin.

So much of my study has been with dictionary, pen and paper that I forget so much that i have covered. Yet a simple proverb (or poem or line froma song) is so much more likely to be remembered than practice sentences.  

An hour ago I discovered:

  http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Chinese_proverbs

Why hadn’t I looked for this before. It is an excellent resource. Tootle around clicking characters and so much unfolds - and quickly! What is particularly useful is the contractions have their meaning explained by the click of the mouse, this is one area that had bugged me. So much is now made clear.

Heres an example courtesy wiki:

(rén)(yào)(liǎn), (shù)(yào)()

  • Literally: a person needs a face; a tree needs bark.

Learning Mandarin ……..

June 22, 2008 by kllrchrd

At four plus years of effort I am settled into a  CCTV textbook which stops me from whizzing around and writing up notes that can soon be forgotten. The CCTV Chinese 400 course was given to me by my penpal Xiao Xia when I knew her in England. Its virtue is that I can work over previous lessons and get the characters, hanzi (pron. ‘hanssurr) burnt into my brain. I am not that clever a person so the rote / repetetive approach is essential, just as in primary school years ago, re-testing myself over old notes.

I have a sheet of A4 with the 300 hanzi so far encountered on the CCTV course that I can sight read at random with another maybe 80 in addition learnt elsewhere. I seem to be merely learning characters, other courses and the indispensable Oxford Starter Dictionary provide me with phrases I’m more likely to remember.  Its just as well I like talking to myself……

Ting talking dictionary gives me good audio for correct pronounciation,   quick and easy.  http://hua.umf.maine.edu/php/search.php?eng=rice&p_input=&c_input=&search_limit=7&search_type=exact

Try to concentrate only on pinyin pronounciaton, however occasionally I work in the Wade Giles system as I have two invaluable dictionaries, a modern technical and a traditional huge tome that has beatifully drawn characters that help to get the ‘feel’ of a character. Also, Wade Giles with its alternative romanisation ie ni zeng shuo from pinyin becomes ni tseng shuo in WadeGiles so its a help in getting a good sound. I have started to learn a few lines of the knockout Rainie Yang song Jue Jiang (Stubbornness).  http://chinat0wn.blogspot.com/2008/04/rainie-yang-stubborness.html   Its useful to work through each character on paper and write down all the relevant dictionary entries.

A problem I have is that I cannot really assimilate / understand a character unless I know its associations and couplings with other characters in themselves as pairs forming new words, its only then that I can get a ‘picture’ of its intended use.

Any CCTV documentary on youtube has excellent voiceovers. Chinese newsreaders are phenomenal at tones. At random http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zm1fGRHXYSA

Lastly, check out CCTV the English section, two good courses on there, tho in my opinion have too many instances of non native speakers occupying instruction time and the native speakers are a bit too fast.  http://www.cctv.com/english/vod/index.shtml The language courses are at the bottom of page, some very interesting documentaries as well. Beats UK tv…..

From experience try to be pen and paper based, and try to stick to a single course of instruction even if its only half of your study time (your ‘core’ course). Twenty minutes early morning and ditto before bed are sufficient to make valuable progress. Try not to get bogged down zipping around youtube.

Conversion chart pinyin to Wade Giles  http://www.heroic-cinema.com/eric/PYWG.html

Traditional names modernised to pinyin http://acc6.its.brooklyn.cuny.edu/~phalsall/texts/chinlng3.html

www.cslpod.com is useful, tho no pinyin for beginners, not really a problem as the dictionary soon solves that.

Yesterday found http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=015uo0nVeuA this man has over a hundred quick lessons, hearing and seeing himself explain the lessons adds to the learning experience. Can be a bad acoustic, tho stick with him, the oudoor locations provide a sense of real China. I appreciate his efforts. Xiexie fushoubing.

Chinese Cinema – Cui Wei.

May 6, 2008 by kllrchrd

红旗谱01

Chinese actor and director Cui Wei really impressed me in the Chinese 1960 film ‘Hong Qi Pu’ (I translate as Hong Qi Story).

 I’ve blogged on this film previously, even tho I cannot follow the spoken Mandarin I really am enthralled by it. Exciting music soundtrack too. Cui Wei looks a really good bloke and has the looks and manner that ‘gets the audience with him’.

See my March 13th 2008 post for url and basic info:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lDmwuwPXMpg

You need to get a few minutes into it, then it really does shine. You don’t need Mandarin to follow it.

Today my e-mail penpal Jia Ying has most kindly scouted around the web in China for me to obtain some good information on this much loved and respected actor/director – Cui Wei. I’ve put all the info thro google machine translation, so Hong Qi Pu turns out as Red Falg Spectrum – I have a hunch it should read as Hong Qi (ie name) Story. Important – notice at the end that Cui Wei suffered during the Cultural Revolution and died soon after, just as another much loved and popular actor did - Zhao Dan.  Remember him in Malu Tianshi with Zhou Xuan? Both actors were persecuted during the Cultural Revolution by Maos evil wife Jiang Qing, a would be actress. They suffered terribly and died of their ill treatment.

Cuiwei

Birth and Death in :1912-1979

Resume:

Shandong Zhucheng County. Young family poverty, child labour has done. 1930-Shandong Provincial Experimental Theatre playwright class learning. In 1932 and joined the left-wing dramatist at the Qingdao UNITA. 1935 to Shanghai, workers engaged in theatrical movement, and “put aside your whip” into the repertoire of street performances, the drama starring his Maiyi law ham, the people of the great impact.

Went to Yan’an in 1938, teaching at the Arts Theatre of the An Lu Yan.

1949, the army southward, was appointed as Secretary for Cultural Affairs Bureau and South Africa, and other staff. He was selected as the third NPC, was the fifth member of the CPPCC National Committee, the recommendation of members of the Chinese Drama Society executive director of the first session, Zhongguoyingxie second and third executive director of the Beijing Film system Studios leadership team members.

1954 Cuiwei first boarded the silver screen, in the history of feature films, “SONG Jing Poems” in a peasant uprising leaders SONG Jing end of the Ching dynasty poetry. Since then, he starred in movie “Soul of the sea”, “new veterans”, “red flag spectrum”, particularly in the “red flag spectrum,” Zhu Laozhong in shaping the image of the most successful,

Cui Wei, director debut is “Song of Youth”, after which he also directed the excellent feature films “Xiaobingzhangga”, “Tianshan the saffron”, outstanding opera film “Fugitive”, “Ye Zhulin,” “Mu Guiying World War Hongzhou. ” He directed the feature films there is a magnificent, thick rough artistic style. He is the director of the opera-opera music with the rhythm, time and space to play the film features, greatly increasing the appeal of the original show.

Major works:

1955: SONG Jing Shi (performance)

1956: L. Ling (performance)

1957: Soul of the sea (performance)

1959: Chuan new veterans (performance), Song of Youth (director, co-operation with CHEN Huai-Ai)

1960: red flag spectrum (shows), Fugitive (traditional opera films, directors, and CHEN Huai-Ai cooperation)

1961: Great Northern Wilderness (director, co-operation with CHEN Huai-Ai)

1962: Ye Zhulin (traditional opera films, directors, and CHEN Huai-Ai cooperation)

1963: World War Hongzhou Mu Guiying (traditional opera films, directors, and CHEN Huai-Ai cooperation), Xiaobingzhangga (director, and Ouyang red cherry cooperation)

1964: the Tianshan safflower (Director)

1974: Plain operations (opera films, directors, and CHEN Huai-Ai cooperation)

1975: Hong Yu (Director)

1976: Shanhua (Director)

1978: stormy Miles (Director)

Winning record or a major contribution to:

1962 because of “red flag spectrum” of the First Hundred Flowers Film Award Best Actor Award.

1962 because of “Fugitive” was the first “public film” Hundred Flowers Award for best opera film.

1980 because of “Xiaobingzhangga” children’s literary and artistic creation of national first prize.

In 1995 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the birth of the film world, the birth of Chinese films in the activities of the 90th anniversary of the China Film Award Actor Award.
February 7, 1979 death of the famous director Cui Wei.
     Cui Wei, the 1912 Health, Shandong Zhucheng people. Participate in the early 1930s left-wing activities. Jin Ying in 1956 when his North
Rapporteur. He played the SONG Jing poem ( “SONG Jing poem”), the river of war ( “veteran New Biography”), Zhu Laozhong ( “Red
Spectrum flag “), the role of China are the most glory to the screen the art of image and the image was first due to Zhu Laozhong
The “Hundred Flowers Awards” Best Actor Award. 1959 from the director, major feature films made by the representative of a “youthful vigor
Song, “” Xiaobingzhangga “,” Tianshan of saffron, “opera film” Fugitive “,” Ye Zhulin. “
 
 
 
 
Chinese film actors, directors. Formerly CUI Jing Wen (1912-1979.2.7), Cengyong Ming-Hui Choi, Choi Chun, a lunatic, later renamed Cuiwei. Zhucheng-chang Wang Bashan urban village. Famous film artist, playwright.
Born in poor peasant family, had done child labour. Mr Bailey secondary school in Qingdao, due to protest against the killing of communists were dismissed.
1930-Experimental Theatre Shandong Provincial learning scriptwriter. The following year returned to Qingdao, gull Jushe organizations, and cooperation with others created the Chiang Kai-shek did not reveal the resistance of the multi-Muju “order! Retreat second line of defense.”
In 1932 to join left-wing dramatist Union, the rotation of persecution because of the Kuomintang fled to Peking, in the National Institute of the Arts Theatre of learning.
1935 to Shanghai, to join the East Jushe, drama clubs and other groups living, created and performed to reflect the lives of workers stage “home workers”, as well as in various places in “lay down your whips,” publicity against Japanese aggression for national salvation.
The end of 1936 to participate in organizations such as Chen Bo son of the Shanghai women and children condolences to the front-line mission. After the outbreak of the Sino-Japanese War in “defending the Lugou Bridge,” created and performed, after joining a team of national salvation Dramas. 1938 to Yan’an, in Lu Xun’s Institute of the Arts drama department to teach. He joined the Communist Party of China. After the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Anti-Japanese Base Area in North China by the Joint University of the Arts School of Drama, FireWire Jushe leadership, created and performed “to participate in the Eighth Route Army”, “Three guerrillas of the story.” During the War of Liberation army to move south.
1949 as the Director of Wuhan Jun Guanhui art.
Established in 1950 and South Africa Institute of Arts.
China and South Africa in 1953 the Culture Secretary, the President of China and South Africa People’s Art Theatre.
1955 feature film starring “SONG Jing Shi.”
In 1956 he was appointed Beijing Film Studio actors and directors. China’s first executive director of drama, Zhongguoyingxie second and third executive director, the third of NPC deputies, the Fifth CPPCC National Committee members.
1962 because of the movie “Red Flag spectrum” of playing the protagonist Zhu Laozhong Hundred Flowers Film Award was the first best actor award. Film director Shi Yubu, “Xiaobingzhangga” in 1980 by the National Children’s literary and artistic creation award; operatic arts film “Fugitive” in 1962, the Hundred Flowers Film Award for best opera film.

Born in poor peasant family, 10-year-old father Tao Huang Qingdao, the Qingdao to 12-year-old child when the tobacco companies. After the support of friends and relatives to school. He loved art, Mr Bailey secondary school in Qingdao, a lot of progress in reading literary books, which inspired the revolutionary ideology and the pursuit of artistic progress, 1927, due to protest against the killing of communists; write Dayou Shi opposition Kuomintang, the “fight tooth – “Sing the KMT” National Anthem “and expulsion. After the turn Qingzhou secondary schools, because to write “A Glimpse of rural life,” the article exposing the collusion between the bandits prey on the village landlord, was deported. 1930 was admitted to the Shandong Provincial Experimental Theatre. The following year returned to Qingdao, 1932 to participate in Leftist Association and the organization of seagulls Jushe and cooperation with others to expose the creation of non-resistance of the Chiang Kai-shek more Muju “order! Retreat second line of defense “because of progress in drama performances by arresting authorities. After the rotation because of persecution of the KMT fled to Peking, 1933 Summer, alias Choi Chun was admitted to Peking University, to continue to engage in drama activities. 1935 to Shanghai, took part in the leadership of the Leftist Association Eastern Jushe, drama and social life of the Shanghai Association of amateur theatre, the organization created and performed by workers stage of life, “the workers home,” “This is the factory of the rules,” “Abortion” and so on, in 1936 and starring adaptation of the famous street theatre “put aside your whip” and performed in various places, the propaganda against Japanese aggression for national salvation. The end of 1936 to participate in organizations such as Chen Bo son of the Shanghai Women and Juveniles front-line condolences to corporations, Suidong to perform front-line condolences, the preparation of the drama “reviewer East Night”, children’s drama “wall.”

     After the outbreak of the Sino-Japanese War, to participate in the leadership of the CPC Shanghai Dramas a team of national salvation, and rushed to the western part, created and performed reflecting the people’s anti-Japanese struggle of the drama “Zhang shop”, “obedient citizens”, “Babaizhuangshi” and “defend the Lugou Bridge” And so on. February 1938, at the invitation of the CPC Central Committee Propaganda Department, to participate in Yan’an Lu Xun Arts Academy the lead, and in the hospital drama department to teach the same year in July to join the Communist Party of China. During participate in the performance of the “human traffickers”, “Liukou captain”, “Blue burden.” 1939 in North China Union University School of the Arts Department of Drama, FireWire Jushe leadership, created and performed “to participate in the Eighth Route Army”, “the story of the three guerrillas”, “miners teams”, “Huang Shulang chicken to Betty,” “light moths In mind. ” 1942 was transferred to the Central Hebei Military Region FireWire Jushe president, participated in the struggle against anti-Jizhong, creating a “combat the production,” “Hero, who”, “anti-Di Wei collusion”, “civil-military cooperation in fighting Laojiang”, “16 guns “Drama, Peking opera adaptation of” Death of Yue Fei “and” cry Temple, “” Suzhou City. ” In 1948 the army to move south. 1949 as the Director of Wuhan Jun Guanhui art. Established in 1950 and South Africa Institute of Arts. China and South Africa in 1953 the Culture Secretary, the President of China and South Africa People’s Art Theatre. During the preparation of the drama “can not really see it is false,” “right” and the Beijing Opera “Tung Ping House” and other operas. 1954 was invited to film “SONG Jing Shi”, succeeded in shaping a peasant uprising leaders SONG Jing Shi heroic image. 1956-Beijing Film Studio as the Artistic Director of the Commission and director, has starred in “Soul of the sea”, “new veterans”, “red flag spectrum” and other films, the director of the “Song of Youth”, “Xiaobingzhangga” “Great Northern Wilderness”, “Tianshan Mountains on the saffron”, “Hong Yu,” “Shanhua” feature films and “Fugitive”, “Ye Zhulin” drama films. He film, in the traditional stylized drama performances, Rongjin the role of the experience factor, the camera angle and movement, to take the Chinese freehand brushwork paintings of the composition, actual situation phase, the sub-cut, is in line with the opera music Rhythm, time and space to play the film features, greatly increasing the appeal of the original drama, full of passion, a strong flavor of life, rough lines, feeling fine, has a unique artistic style, by praise at home and abroad. In his “SONG Jing Shi”, “the soul” and “new veterans”, “red flag spectrum of” playing the role of distinctive character, Aizeng clear, both filled with passion, deep and simple, has a strong artistic influence. In particular, his “red flag spectrum,” Zhu Laozhong in shaping the image of the most remarkable, first won the 1962 Baihua Best Actor Award. With the 1959 Chinese film delegation to the Moscow International Film Festival, starring the “new veterans”, the technology to raise Award. In 1962, “the film community,” the “Hundred Flowers Award”, the best actor award in 1995 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the birth of world films, Chinese films of the 90th anniversary of the birth of Chinese films Century Award: Actor Award. He directed the film there is a magnificent, thick rough artistic style. In playing up the environment, with a strong sense of the times and spirit of life in the portrait figures, both strong performance at the theater movement, and efforts to explore the inner world of characters. “Song of Youth” in this style are the embodiment of integrity. He’s “Xiaobingzhangga” means mature, rich flavor and smooth the screen, children’s literary and artistic creation of national first prize. Cui Wei has also directed the “Fugitive”, “Ye Zhulin,” “Mu Guiying World War Hongzhou” operatic arts films. He directed the opera art film “Fugitive” in 1962, the Hundred Flowers Film Award for best opera film. With his
Director Cuiwei “veteran New Biography” played in the battlefield (the right)

His rich life experience and profound art-made market, will be different roles, different roles and personality of its own bold temperament, complete harmony as the combination of exceptional form, can not seek the case of China and the strong momentum of ethnic style, he Chinese film, theatre a history of the great masters, he painted a Chinese film in the gallery the most glorious history, be proud, proud!

Cui Wei is not only a deep knowledge of the artists, is also excellent literary and artistic revolution activists, for the cause of socialist literature and art have made outstanding contributions. He was selected as the third NPC, was the fifth member of the CPPCC National Committee, the recommendation of members of the Chinese Drama Society executive director of the first session, Zhongguoyingxie second and third executive director of the Beijing Film system Studios leadership team members. In the “Cultural Revolution” suffered cruel persecution, in February 1979 because of the death of liver cancer in Beijing.

End of Chinese machine translated text.

I am touched by this. I shall endeavour to find out more on the Chinese film industry during the Cultural Revolution.