Japanese Film "Picture Bride"

Author Amy Tan called the Japanese film by Kayo Hatta "devastatingly beautiful."  The film itself is an epic story in which the natural and supernatural elements of the world blend together in way that could be called "sensual."  In fact, the film is based loosely upon true stories.  The story is about the picture brides of Hawaii a little after the turn of the 20th century.  In this film a young Japanese girl leaves home in 1918 for a man she had never met before who lives in a new world.  It was a place she could not imagine.  It happened to be America!

When she arrives in the tropical island paradise of Hawaii, the young girl has only a picture of her husband in hand.  She has already left behind all that she really knows for an arranged marriage with the man she has known only through this photograph and his letters.  So her arrival proves to be filled with unexpected discovery, hardship, and also joy.  The film features Youki Kudoh, Tamlyn Tomita, Toshiro Mifune.  "Picture Bride" won the Audience Award for Best Dramatic Film at the Sundance Film Festival.  The film is very moving.  It gives one aspect of what it means to be Japanese-American in a way that people every where can understand.... and personally appreciate!

Best regards from the East,

Harlan Urwiler

For more information, feel free to visit my website at:  http://www.myorientalgallery.com/.

The Extreme Nature of the Japanese

Japan is a culture with deep traditions.  Some of the ideas which make Japan what it is are enshrined in a famous novel entitled "The Tale of Genji" by Lady Murasaki which dates from the 11th century.  Subsequently, this work has been frequently illustrated to show the ideas which it presents in a most beautiful form.  The actual language of the text is quite beautiful.  However, the novel also demonstrates a fascinating light upon the attitudes of the court nobels during the era when they were the ruler councillors of the Empire.  To understand the culture correctly is to know the refined and captivating beauty which is so characteristic of Japan.

In this classic work the reader sees such people in their casual moments.  Often they were at play and not at work.  It is most obvious that nobel men moved far from the position of warriors who were their ancestors.  Instead, they live in a society with elaborate rules of etiquette and very refined tastes.  Indeed, they sometimes carry their refinement the point of extreme.  The ability to write sophisticated text in the 11th century was a tremendous social hallmark.  So Lady Murasaki truly mirrored her own times.  It would appear that the primary civilization of China had more of an interest in restraint and avoidance of extremes.  This was never exactly shared by the derived civilization of Japan.  In any case, such a classic text is worthy thoughtful consideration today.  It gives the reader an important look inside the Japanese culture of the past.

Best regards from the East,

Harlan Urwiler

For more information, feel free to visit my website at:  http://www.myorientalgallery.com/.

The Greatest Fear of China

What is the government of China most fearful of?  The most probable fear of the Chinese Communist Party is "social disorder."  This means that the government of China does not want to see a repeat of the 1989 Tiananmen Square demonstrations.  The events which took place witnessed the deaths of many student protestors.  Granted, the tenth and fifteenth anniversaries of the Tiananmen demonstrations saw no great incidents of disorder.  Even so, the government still has not forgotten the dreadful nature of what took place several decades ago.  Of course, this memory is for a good reason.

In addition, the spiritual hollowness of contemporary life in modern China has produced massive interest in the cult of "Falun Gong."  This has taken place after decades of Marxist indoctrination were overturned in favor of mass consumerism.  In fact, the Chinese communist party remains very fearful of any mass religious movement.  The remembrance of of the devestating effects of such rebellions as the Taiping in the 19th century has not been lost either.

Such fears give the rest of the world a keen insight into many of the CCP current policies which direct business affairs and relations with the West in the People's Republic of China.  One must consider the history of modern day China to understand properly many aspects of contemporary life.  China is a unique civilization with a singular history which still exists in a state of flux.

Best regards from the East,

Harlan Urwiler

For more information, feel free to visit my website at:  http://www.myorientalgallery.com/.   

Review of Chinese Red Lantern Film

The film "Raise the Red Lantern" is a story of beauty and terror.  It was originally banned in China because of its somber, even dark, depiction of Chinese society.  The film is directed by Zhang Yimou with actress Gong Li starring in the lead role.  This film was also nominated for an Oscar because it captivates the viewer from the start.  Raise the Red Lantern is film with a powerful and tragic story to tell which effectively disturbs the viewer on a personal level.  Regardless of the effect, it remains a must-see for anyone interested in the plight of women in old Chinese society.

In the 1920's women living in China had few choices to suit them very well.  Therefore, after her father dies the lead character Songlian is faced with a difficult decision.  She is a beautiful nineteen year old college student at the time of her father's untimely death.  However, she agrees to enter into a marriage to a wealthy man of high society.  As it turns out, she is to be wife #4 at a large and luxurious estate.  At this estate an ancient family custom of raising the red lantern outside the house of the wife the master desires to spend the night with is strictly observed.  At first, it appears that there is harmony between the wives.  However, with nothing to do but compete for the attention of the master Songlian soon learns that she is to be drawn into a dangerous game of petty rivalry.  In the end, the game escalates into a treacherous outcome resulting in an incredible tragedy.

Yes, the film is a sobering event to watch.  It causes one to think about the meaning of the past in the old society of China.  Perhaps there is a sense of deep futility which accompanies consideration of such a story.  Even though the film is a work of fiction based upon historical facts, the truth of the unfair treatment of women not so long ago still stirs our deepest emotions.  Watch with an open mind!

Best regards from the East,

Harlan Urwiler

For more information, feel free to visit my website at:  http://www.myorientalgallery.com/.

China's History Books

China's historical legacy is very huge.  As early as the time of the phisopher Confucius (551-479 BCE) people were already looking back to ancient tradition.  It is true that Confucius changed China in ways that he (as a person) would never know or be aware of.  However, Confucius never thought of himself as such an innovator.  Four hundred years later, Sima Qian (145-86 BCE) compiled his work "Records of the Historian."  This book tells Chinese history from the Three August Emperors of mythological times to the high point of the Han dynasty.  This very work was but the first in a series of dynastic histories that traced China's unique story up to the time of the modern age.

In fact, China's greatest historian have been able to draw upon extensive written tradition to do their work.  The scholars of China have always been attracted to the task of rewriting the existing historical texts.  This is because of the desire to see afresh the same history from a contemporary viewpoint.  So, for better or worse, the history books of China are the necessary starting point for that people today need to know about China's long history of antiquity. 

Best regards from the East,

Harlan Urwiler

For more information, feel free to visit my website at:  http://www.myorientalgallery.com/.

China's Tea Contests

The tea contest is a tradition very well established in China.  Tea contests continue to the present day, but their roots are firmly planted in the soil of the past.  The preparation of tea, and tea drinking itself, became quite sophisticated at the Chinese court circle and also among other people during social gatherings.  In fact, tea making contests came into popularity in the Song dynasty.  During the contest, connoisseurs and judges would sample taste and grad the quality of the tea.  They would also, more importantly, appreciate the physical appearance of the tea in the actual tea bowl.  This was always the result of careful preparation.

The preparation of tea requires great skill in order to accomplish.  First, the tea cake is heated.  Then it is ground to a fine powder.  The finely ground tea powder is put in a tea bowl after it is correctly pre-warmed.  The right amount of boiling water at the necessary temperature is poured into the bowl.  Then this is followed by a complete whipping in even circular motions.  If done correctly, the tea will form a silvery white foam on the surface.  The foam clings to the walls of the bowl without showing the presence of water along the wall.  This has been called "biting the bowl" in Chinese.  If this does not happen, the contestant will very likely lose the contest.  Therefore, precision and careful attention are required to be victorious.

Best regards from the East,

Harlan Urwiler

For more information, feel free to visit my website at:  http://www.myorientalgallery.com/.

The Great Wall of China

One of the most fascinating structures built by human hands is the Great Wall of China.  Its history is an intricate part of China itself.  The First Emperor of Qin ordered the building of this incredible wall along the empire's northern frontier.  The idea was to protect China against incursions from Xiongnu, a powerful non-Chinese confederacy.  This confederacy had mastered the war horse which had enabled them to dominate the steppe land of northeast and central Asia for several centuries.  They had successfully contested power with China for the same length of time.

Therefore the commander-in-chief of the Qin army, Meng Tian, deployed a force of 300,000 soldiers and also conscript laborers to build the Great Wall.  The wall became known as "wanli changcheng" or The Wall of Ten Thousand Li.  It was originally constructed of stamped earth with watchtowers and barracks along its mighty length.  One must imagine the time and hard work by ancient people which was required to built such an enormous structure as this one!  Sadly, many common workers died in the construction and maintenance of the Great Wall.

Later dynasties rebuilt the the walls along the northern frontier, often on top of old walls and sometimes in completely different locations.  By the Tang Dynasty (618-907 CE) the Great Wall had entered into the national consciousness of China.  In the popular mind it became the dividing wall between China and the outside world.  The wall has survived today, but it is not as long as it once was.  It has been completely re-constructed in several locations.  One noteworthy location is the hills at Badaling north of Beijing.  If you ever get to China even once in your life, it is absolutely important that you visit the famous Great Wall!

Best regards from the East,

Harlan Urwiler

For more information, feel free to visit my website at:  http://www.myorientalgallery.com/.

Tea Drinking is Home in China

China is the place where tea drinking really got started.  Of course, that happened a very long time ago.  The important thing to remember is that it has endured for thousands of years and shows no sign today of ending.  In fact, China has inspired people all over the world to drink tea as an enjoyable and relaxing beverage.  Tea itself is native to southern China.  However, tea drinking has become a vital part of the daily life in many Asian cultures.

During the Tang dynasty (618-906 CE) tea became a national drink with a steady custom in Buddhist monasteries.  The idea was prevent the monks from experiencing drowsiness during their times of extended meditation.  Archeology has discovered that tea was found buried in the tombs of people who lived during the Han dynasty (206-220 CE).  During this same time, tea had become so popular that it was considered a "good" for the after life.  This strongly suggests that tea drinking had begun in China even before the time of Christ! 

Tea drinking did not end with China though.  Japanese monk Kubai (774-835 CE) and Saicho (767-822 CE) journeyed to China to study Zen Buddhism.  They brought this religion back to Japan, along with tea seeds and the skills to grow the plant in their homeland.  The Japanese eventually began to drink tea during social gatherings.  Tea quickly became a favorite drink of Japan as well as in other regions of East Asia.  Therefore, tea is an ideal contribution to any Asian home or office.  It is relaxing and healthy to consume.  Enjoy some authentic tea leaf from your neighborhood Chinese grocery market today!

Best regards from the East,

Harlan Urwiler

For more information, feel free to visit my website at:  http://www.myorientalgallery.com/.

The Completed Lives of Ancient Chinese People

A long time ago in ancient China most people's lives were lived within the framework of the family.  A person was not merely a child, but someone's son or daughter.  When the child grew up, they were not simply an adult but also a father or a mother.  If they were fortunate enough to live so long at some point they would be a grandfather or a grandmother.  So it was from the family that an individual learned the most important values of Chinese society.

In ancient China the social hierarchies were natural not static.  Social harmony was supposed to be placed above personal goals.  In addition, life after death required corporate effort on the part of the family that person left behind.  There were significant rites of passage to indicate individual lives.  These took place from birth and acceptance into a family, through attainment of adulthood and marriage, to old age, and finally to death and burial.  It was this last passage "death" which was regarded by the majority of Chinese people as the most important one of all.  This was considered to be the realm of ancestors and spirits.  The Chinese view of the after life is also one of mystery and wonder.  Life itself, from beginning to end, is a grand cycle!

Best regards from the East,

Harlan Urwiler

For more information, feel free to visit my website at:  http://www.myorientalgallery.com/.

The Oldest Civilization in East Asia

It is often said that China is the world's longest continuous civilization.  Evidence for this view is suggested by the fact that ancestors of the Chinese people were living in settled communities in the area we know today as "China" no later than 5000 BCE.  Of course, China is "continental" in every respect of the term.  It encompasses most of the East Asian land area, which includes every climatic and topographical feature that you would expect to find.  However, while the present day China may stretch from the deserts of Central Asia to the grasslands of Mongolia, the China of antiquity is generally thought to have been settled in the corner of the Yellow River.

So... who exactly were the ancient Chinese people?  A generation or two ago, it was believed that archaeology would give the correct answer to this question.  The oldest civilization in China seemed to be the Yangshao and Longshan cultures of neolithic times.  They were located in the western and eastern stretches of the Yellow River Valley.  According to the then-prevailing theory of historical development, Chinese civilization spread out from this source.  Today, it is usually accepted that Chinese civilization had many origins.  Numerous cultures actually co-existed, even to the point of contact between them.  Sometimes the ancient cultures remained isolated.  Some came to have predominance over others while a few vanished without a trace.  Therefore, the safest answer nowadays must be that China is the result of many ancient cultures.  In any case, this fact in no way diminishes China's long and continuous history in East Asia.

Best regards from the East,

Harlan Urwiler

For more information, feel free to visit my website at:  http://www.myorientalgallery.com/.

Lovemaking, Chinese Style

The art of love has a history in China.  In fact, the subject is as old as the human race.  Today, Chinese couples appear to be much like couples most anywhere in the West.  In ancient China, marriage itself was more of a corporate endeavor than simply the union of one man and one woman.  For the common people, there were communal gatherings of young men and young women.  These sometimes happened in the spring but also in the autumn.  After an exchange of songs and love tokens along with dancing, some serious events would occur.  However, for the elite of Chinese society marriage was more of a union of two families.

Durng the Zhou period (1045-256 BCE), the bride was accompanied by her own sisters or female cousins who served as "secondary wives."  In all of China's time periods, a man was free to have as many concubines as his family could afford.  The primary wife enjoyed all of the highest privileges of the marriage though.

There is a touching Han dynasty stone sculpture of a young couple in a passionate embrace which was found placed above the tomb at Pengshan, Sichuan.  The art of love was of great interest in the ancient world of China. Among the manuscripts discovered from another tomb at Mawangdai in Changsha, Hunan were several dealing with the lovemaking techniques of the marriage bedchamber.  Some of them even included collections of medicinal prescriptions designed to increase the sex drive of both men and women.  Some facts of life do not change with time.  The art of making love has fascinated people for a very long time indeed!

Best regards from the East,

Harlan Urwiler

For more information, feel free to visit my website at:  http://www.myorientalgallery.com/.

The Finest of Stones

What is the finest of stones, you ask?  Well, according to China's first dictionary which was written by Xu Shen and presented at court court in 1000 CE the answer to this question is jade.  It was said long ago that jade was the finest of stones because it embraces the five virtues:  clarity typified by its luster, rectitude by its translucence, wisdom by the purity and penetrating quality of its sound when struck, courage in that it can be broken but not bent, and equity in that it has sharp edges that do not injure.

As the Chinese dialect evolved over time, the word "jade" was applied to the finest and most mysterious of things known to people.  Included in this list were objects used by the emperor of China, the moon, women, sexual anatomy, and also the highest deity in the Daoist religion, the Jade Emperor.  The jade stone had a long history of use in China.  Museum collections around the world indicate thousands of pieces have survived which everyone agrees are very old.  However, no one seems to know just how ancient they are.  Different types of jades have been discoverd all over China.  Upon closer inspection you may decide that its reputation for being the finest of stones is well deserved! 

Best regards from the East,

Harlan Urwiler

For more information, feel free to visit my website at:  http://www.myorientalgallery.com/.