Videos about Han, China

HanFu traditional clothing

In recent years the traditional costumes and fashion of the majority Han ethnic group are making something of a comeback; a confidence in cultural heritage in the modern world.

There are 56 ethnic groups in China, all of which have their own traditional clothing, each with its own style and charm. Most ethnic groups wear their traditional clothing on special festivals and events. HanFu is a traditional clothing of the ethnic Han people, but it hasn't been a tradition to wear this as other ethnic groups do until recent years.

It is one way for younger Chinese to begin rediscovering their cultural roots, arts and history ...

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Waiting for my love – beautiful Han dynasty music …

‘Your Collar’, a haunting, romantic song from the imperial music of the Han Dynasty ...

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Plus, bonus music films ...

'I'm right here, where are you', sung by Alu Azhou and the Mountain Wind Group 阿鲁阿卓, 山风组合 生如夏花.

Inspired by Stray Birds by famous Indian poet Rabindranath Tagore, 1916 (生如夏花之绚烂,死如秋叶之静美 --飞鸟集, 泰戈尔, 1916). Lyrics and Music by PU Shu (朴树).

"In this life, we can not stay so long ..."

Plus Song of the Surging Water - title song of the 2015 movie Wolf Totem 汪峰 沧浪之歌(《狼图腾》主题曲). Sung by Wang Feng.

Lyrics by WANG Feng (汪峰); music by Adam HUANG (HUANG Yong, 黄勇); with Alianuul (Morin Khuur solo) and NING FangLiang (violin solo).

"I am broken, but I love flying ..."

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The ancient city of PingYao 平遥 in Ultra HD (4K)

PingYao (平遥) is a county in ShanXi province, central China.

PingYao is located approximately 700 kilometres (400 miles) southwest of Beijing and 80 kilometres (50 miles) from the provincial capital TaiYuan.

PingYao is an exceptionally well-preserved example of a traditional Han Chinese city, founded in the 14th century. This ancient city, which is renowned for its well-preserved city walls and outlying temples, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

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DunHuang 敦煌, GanSu province : along the old Silk Road

Explore the beautiful ancient town and surrounding sand-dunes and Buddhist caves with Sticker Travel.


The second film shows the Silk Road DunHuang Hotel.


DunHuang lies at the eastern end of the old northern Silk Route, from the ancient capital of Xi'An westwards to Kashgar in XinJiang province. The Great Wall was extended westwards to here around 120 BCE during the Han dynasty (202 BCE - 220 AD). During the Han and Tang dynasties, in particular, it was an important point of communication between China and central Asia.


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Philosophical Ideas


There are a number of ancient philosophical ideas that link with each other in various ways and permeate Chinese culture.


Feng Shui


Feng Shui (pronounced 'fung shway') literally 'Wind Water' is the ancient Chinese concern for placement and arrangement of a space to achieve harmony with the environment. For a place to have 'good Feng Shui' is for it to be in harmony with nature, whereas to have 'bad Feng Shui' is to be incongruous with nature.


Feng Shui draws together a wide mix of geographical, religious, philosophical, mathematical, aesthetic and astrological ideas. Sometimes intuitive and derivable from common sense and our feeling of what is natural.


Underlying the practical guidelines of feng shui is the theory of Qi. The 'Book of Changes' ('I Ching') and 'The Five Elements are also sometimes brought into play.


Qi


Nature is generally held to be a discrete organism that breathes Qi (a kind of life force or spiritual energy). The details about the metaphysics of what nature is, what Qi is and does, and what breath consists in vary. However, it is not generally understood as physical, but neither is it meant to be metaphorical although it can be thought of that way.


The Five Elements


The Qi energy can be found in various forms identified as Wu Xing (5 Phases) - Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water. These energy phases are so-named because they tend to behave somewhat like the physical entities.


The notion of the Five Elements is found in Chinese medicine and Feng Shui.


Do not confuse the 5 elements of Chinese Metaphysics with the 5 elements of Greek philosophy (Wind, Water, Earth, Ether and Sky).


Yin Yang


This is the idea that opposites both contain each other and give rise to each other. These ideas are captured beautifully in the symbolisation of ... Further, that we need to take a holistic view and seek balance between opposites. Any two opposites are defined by reference to each other and in a dynamic relationship.


Although the origins probably predate Taoism, the idea is elaborated quite explicitly in the Tao Te Ching, if not by name.



Yin : Moon, water, cold, feminine, dark, passive force, ...


Yang : Sun, fire, hot, masculine, bright, active force, ...


Everything has an opposite, and opposites are relative, not absolute. They are interdependent.


There is always a trace of one in the other, like stars in the night sky. There can not be absolute darkness or absolute brightness, coldness or whatever.


One can transform into the other. For example, night becomes day becomes night. And if we look from space, we see that night and day actually coexist!


There are four possible imbalances: excess Yin, excess Yang, Yin deficiency, and Yang deficiency. They can again be seen as a pair: by excess of Yin there is a Yang deficiency and vice versa. The imbalance is also a relative factor: the excess of Yang 'forces' Yin to be more 'concentrated'. The darker the night, the brighter the stars look.


Yin / Yang is an important concept in Chinese medicine. Symptoms categorised as yin would be treated by foods that are said to yang.


The 'I Ching' ('Book of Changes')


The 'I Ching' attempts to elaborate on the nature of the universe.




Simplicity. The fundamental law underlying everything in the universe is actually utterly plain and simple, no matter how abstruse or complex some things may appear to be.


Variability. Everything in the universe is continually changing. By comprehending this one may realize the importance of flexibility in life and cultivate the proper attitude for dealing with a multiplicity of diverse situations.


Persistency. While everything in the universe seems to be changing, there is a persistent principle, a central rule, which does not vary with space and time.


This book is based on 64 diagrams that represent all the different ways to combine six 0s and 1s (yin or yang). For example, 101101. An unbroken line can be used to represent Yang and a broken line Yin. This gives 64 hexagrams that can be used as an oracle; providing an input for a new way of looking at a problem.


Dragon and Phoenix


The dragon and the phoenix, mythical creatures that date back into antiquity and only gradually took the form we know today, served in classical art and literature as symbolic of people of high virtue and rare talent. Together, the two symbolize happiness and married love.


The dragon symbolizes supreme power and was associated with the emperor. There is no connection with the Western dragon which symbolizes evil power.


The first emperor, Shi HuangDi, is said to have incorporated the emblem or totem of each tribe he conquered into his own. This may be part of the explanation of how the dragon took on its composite form. A dragon has the body of a snake, the scales and tail of a fish, the antlers of a stag, the face of a camel, the talons of an eagle, the ears of a bull, the feet of a tiger and the eyes of a demon.


The dragon is associated with water and the number 9.


Han Chinese often refer to themselves as 'descendants of the dragon'. In the West, it has also become a symbol of China itself although in China the panda is the preferred national symbol today.


The Phoenix (FengHuang) symbolizes virtue, foresight and devotion and was associated with the empress. The phoenix derived from the combination of the first two mythical phoenixes - the Feng which was male and Huang that was female - to symbolize a harmony of Yin and Yang. The phoenix carries with it eternal truths and is immortal - able to rise from the ashes of death. The phoenix will only stay where there is just rule.


The feathers of the phoenix are often depicted containing the five fundamental colors: black/blue, white, red, green and yellow that relate to the 'Five Elements'.


The phoenix or similar mythical 'fire-birds' appear in many ancient cultures, including that of ancient Greece, but there are some differences.


The dragon and phoenix are still embodied in traditional celebrations such as the Chinese New Year.


Numbers


The number 9, being the highest value digit, is associated with the dragon and the emperor. Nine is often found in architectural and other features associated with the emperor, such as the imperial red doors with their 9 rows of 9 golden bolts.


10,000 was a number used to denote infinity. Hence the Forbidden City was often cited as having 9,999 rooms - just less than the mythical number of rooms in Heaven.


Further, odd numbers are considered to be Yang while even numbers are associated with Yin.


All the other digits have various associations too, with complicated rationales based in various ancient beliefs such as the Five Elements. Even today, 8 is considered to be a lucky number associated with prosperity and happiness, while 4 is an unlucky number. In some multi-storied buildings there is no floor marked as floor 4. A telephone number with lots of 8s and no 4s is the most expensive.

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