Friday Fun: Hooked on Phonics, Chinese Style

I can speak from experience - it's tough to communicate with cab drivers in China if you don't speak Mandarin, and if you don't have your destination written down in Chinese characters. For those fortunate enough to go to Beijing, check out a cool alternative that can help you get to where you are going....

The art of Chinese ribbon dancing

We're closing in on the Olympics, and I've gotta say that I'm pretty pumped about watching two weeks of intense competition and the emotional and sniffle-provoking profiles of athletes who've overcome [insert unimaginable hardship here] to make it to Beijing. One of my favorite sports to watch is gymnastics, and that includes rhythmic gymnastics, where pint-sized teens/women leap around and perform a combination of ballet, gymnastics and dance with balls, hoops, ropes, clubs and ribbon.

Rewind back to the Tang dynasty in the early eighth century, when ribbon dancing is said to have started. (I haven't found any direct links between ribbon dancing and rhythmic gymnastics, but I'd have to assume that the dance influenced the sport somewhere along the line.) Ribbon dancing has been attributed to Emperor Tang Ming Huang, who was a talented musician, and his lady friend Yang, who was a good dancer. According to the legend, Emperor Tang Ming Huang dreamed that he was in the moon palace surrounded by singing and dancing fairies dressed in long, colorful robes. And that's how it began.

Dancers accentuate their moves using colorful silk ribbons attached to sticks and move to erhu and pipa (ancient Chinese stringed instruments) music. The ribbon symbolizes the clouds, and the patterns the dancers made with their ribbons were believed to attract the gods and bring rain and plentiful crops. The dancers are taught to dance/step gracefully so they look like they're floating through the clouds - these "cloud steps" are still used in many of the Chinese operas and in other Chinese dances.

Ribbon dancing was started to entertain royalty, but it later developed into a folk-style dance that was performed in the streets during harvests and other festivals. These days you can find groups of ribbon dancers performing during Chinese New Year and other major festivals. While researching this post I found links to numerous ribbon dancing shows, and even lessons, in cities across the U.S. If you want to check out the equipment, China Sprout has a set of ribbons for $10.

Have you ever seen a traditional ribbon dance performance? And I'm not talking about Will Ferrell's rendition in the movie "Old School"....

Friday Fun - An unconventional Olympics evangelist

Check out this Beijing Olympics superstar...the hair, the tattoos, his living quarters, his rap skills. Happy Friday!

Friday Fun: Cheerleading in China?

Thoughts?

Countdown to Beijing

With exactly three months to go until the 8/8/08 Beijing Olympics (and we'll talk about number symbolism another day), we've been hearing a lot about the Torch Relay and completion of the birds nest-esque Beijing National Stadium. But what about the mascots?

Meet Fuwa, the five official mascots of the Beijing Games. Each mascot - Beibei the Fish, Jingjing the Panda, the Yingying the Tibetan Antelope, and Nini the Swallow - represent characteristics of four of China’s most popular animals. The fifth is Huanhuan the Olympic Flame.

Each mascot has a rhyming two-syllable name, which is a traditional way of showing affection for children. And when you put their names together – Bei Jing Huan Ying Ni – it translates to “Welcome to Beijing.”

Fuwa also represents the five elements of nature – sea, forest, fire, earth and sky – in their origins and headpieces which also embodies Chinese folk art influences.

Check out the official Beijing Olympics site to learn more about each mascot and their links to various Chinese folktales and traditions. Find out whose headdress was inspired by paintings from the Song Dynasty, who's into water sports, who carries the blessing of health, and who's the aspiring gymnast.

I'm a fan of Yuanyuan, the child of fire. How about you?