The Kirgiz Women I Know

With a population of 114,000, most Kirgiz people reside in the Kizilsu Kirgiz Autonomous Prefecture in the southern region of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.The Kirgiz survive by stock raising, and making handicrafts. Sideline industries include raising crops and processing livestock products. Most of the Kirgiz live a nomadic life, moving about in search of green pastures.The Kirgiz are known for their hospitality and courtesy. Any visitor, known to them or not, is always warmly received.Kirgiz men commonly wear a corduroy cap with a round top all year round. Young men wear caps of green, purple or blue, while old men sport black caps.Kirgiz women love to dress in red. Some wears short blouse and long skirt, others wear dresses. They also wear loose-fitting blouses with a tight collar. And their hair is always beautifully decorated, with embroidered strips binding the plaits and round, silver coins at the end of each plait.The main dish of the Kirgiz is horse meat, beef, lamb and dairy products.     

A Grand Gathering of Ethnic Groups——The 5th National Games of Nationalities' Traditional Sports

AS you know, in addition to the Han nationality, China is home to 55 minorities with their own cultures and traditions. Most of the minorities live in the border areas of China. What a splendid scene it would be if all the ethnic groups put on their colorful costumes and performed their traditional sports at the same tournament! In November, 1995, Kunming on the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau offered a chance for such a grand gathering when the 5th National Games of Nationalities' Traditional Sports was held there. More than 3,300 athletes attended.     

艺术奥运，福娃来了!

As the 2008 Beijing Olympics approach, people throughout China are operating and/or participating in seemingly countless activities,with full passion,to welcome the grand event.Among them are several people who form a group of folk artists who are combining their great works with the Olympic theme.Fuwa,the Games' lovable mascots,are favorites of those artists. Fuwa are on papercuts,embroideries and paintings.They are even being painted on women's fingernails.The five little cuties seem to be everywhere,w...     

ART APPRECIATION

The changing climate and plateau surrounding Tibet hove nursed strong and healthy Tibetans with straightforward and unsophisticated character. Tibetans are simple and kind, with their life deeply influenced by the religion and traditional culture of the minority nationality. Ren Jimin realistically paints the love and profound feelings of Tibetan women. Ren combines the skills of traditional Chinese and Western painting, and produces works with a mixture of colors combined with water and ink. The works     

Female Education of China's Minority Nationalities

CHINA is a unified multi-ethnic country. Besides the populous Han nationality, China has 55 minorities with a population of 91.2 million, accounting for 8.04 percent of the country's total. The area of the minority autonomous regions is 64.3 percent of the total national territory. Before 1949, almost all minority women in China were illiterate. Since the founding of New China, the female education among the minority nationalities has made great progress. According to the fourth national census, the female population of minorities over six years old is 38.18 million. Of these 15.3 million females have received a primary education; 7.65     

Colorful Dong Culture

Among all the nationalities of China, the Dong group enjoys one of the best reputations for architecture.Since ancient times, a saying has been popular with the Dong: "The drum tower is built before the village."With the drum tower as an important landmark, some villages even have three or four. They look magnificent. Their unique style is regarded as a masterpiece of the architectural arts, absorbing the essence of traditional pavilions and towers and breaking through the staid, conventional form of drum towers.The corridor-style bridge, also typical of the Dong, is built over green waters.The wooden bridge, with no use for nails, can provide shelter against the wind and rain and usually a serene view.The Dong also enjoy singing. At the 1986 Paris International Art Festival, the Dong chorus, with their unique singing style and melodious rhymes, caused a sensation in international musical circles.Their soulful singing is said to be the most important discovery in Chinese music history and a miracle of w     

足下春秋——中国少数民族鞋文化(上)(英文)

Chinese minorities are scattered throughout the whole country. From the snowy Changbai Mountain to the tropical south, their ancestors used local materials to make shoes and boots. Using animal skins, grass and wood, hand-woven fabrics and other unique materials, the various mi-     

Young Chinese Women Taste the Sweet and Sour of Modern Life

CHINA is in the midst of snowballing economic changes that are naturally affecting society deeply. Take bikes, for example, one of China's main modes of transportation. Chinese-made, cheap, heavy, black, steel, mass-produced bikes are being replaced by imported mountain bikes or tenspeeds. People are clearly making more money and are able to afford such fast, colorful imported products. Financial disparity is more apparent. One man who sells cigarettes and gum from a corrugated tin shack next to others who sell bike seats, fix shoes and make eys in a free market is now clad in a     

Editors Discuss Women's Publications

IT was only about ten years ago that there were only a few of newspapers and periodicals about women in China. But China has seen a rapid development of newspapers and periodicals on women since it began the policy of reform and opening to the outside world. Today the All-China Women's Federation and local women's federations sponsor and publish 47 different publications about women and children, some of which have a circulation of more than one million. These colorful, influential women's newspapers and periodicals are now some of the most interesting publications in China. Why have these publications been so successful? Recently our staff reporter interviewed several women chief editors about their work. The following interviews are in their own words.     

Introduction to De'ang Nationality

The De'ang nationality lives on the fabulous lands of southwest China. This ethnic minority has a long history, colorful culture and unique customs. They call themselves "De'ang", meaning "people with noble character on the mountains." This nationality used to be called the Benglong nationality, but in September of 1985, it acquired its present name De'ang.     

Li Women Have a New Role to Play

The Li people, with a population of more than 1.11 million, live mainly in the mountainous areas of Hainan, an island province in south China. They speak the Li language, which includes several dialects. The Li people are the original inhabitants of Hainan. As early as 4,000 years ago, when their ancestors began to settle on the island. According to historians, the Li group belongs to one of the ancient "Baiyue' tribe and is closely related to the Zhuang, Buyi, Dong, Shui and Dai ethnicities. In the third month of the lunar calendar, when the spring sun shines     

neiliansheng Shoe Shop—One of The Famaue Old Bnande of Beijing

ASK most Chinese about the classic local cotton footwear worn by a majority of the population and chances are they'll tell you about Neiliansheng, the famous old shoe shop in Beijing. Older generations particularly prefer its cloth shoes. Mao Zedong and Zhou Enlai, the first two great leaders of New China, both liked to wear the cloth shoes from this shop. Many overseas Chinese and foreigners often come to Beijing or remit money to the classic shop to     

Township Enterprises Engage in Exporting

A middle aged woman from Shandong Province showed us her embroidered shirt. The shirt was made of chiffonelle, with embroidered flowers on the front. The shirt was very cool and comfortable, beautiful and dignified, and priced reasonably. These cotton shirts are mostly sold overseas. Shandong Weifang Woolen Clothing Factory is a union of 15 township-owned enterprises in several cities including     

Yi Women's Modern Style

The Yi live on the plateaus and hills of southwest China In (?)In the Liangshan women wear a square shaped headpiece or long headband. loose blouse with embroidered brims. and folded ankle-length skirt. In neighboring Yunnan Province. however. Yi dress is heavily influenced by     

Roosters Playing in the Woods

Here is an arresting cold dish to offer your guests! Provide them not only a treat for their taste buds, but also for their eyes. Only you will know that this impressive dish and stunning centerpiece is actually not too complicated to make. The head: The white part is carved from hard egg white. The cockscomb is made with red pepper and the eye is a green cherry. The body: The white feathers are made of hard egg white and the yellow feathers and feet hard egg yolk. The brown feathers are     

The Nu Women

In the northwest of Yunnan Province lies an area of 14,703 square kilometers called Nujiang Lisu Autonomous Prefecture, which is inhabited by an ethnic group unique to Yunnan—the Nu ethnicity. The Nu people are the most ancient settlers and the earliest pioneers of the region. With a population of 27, 123(13,000 females), the Nu are among the smallest of China's 55 ethnic groups. The Nu live in a mountainous area filled with sloping hills and steep cliffs. The roaring Nujiang River and Lacangjiang River separate the Nu from the outside world. In addition to using rope bridges, the Nu cross the rivers bv means of dugout canoes. The canoes are so small that it is hard to imagine they can be rowed in the rolling waves, but the Nu are good ferrymen. Some people believe that the changeable weather and the complicated natural environment nurtures the Nu to develop rugged and straightforward personalities. The Nu are an optimistic people who take delight in their life. The men like to play the musical instrument k     

Feelings of Love in Mountainous Villages

When March comes with its spring breezes, it is the time for many minority nationalities that inhabit southwestern China to hold their traditional festivities. There are two aims for these activities: to pray for a good harvest, to increase vigor fot production before the spring sowing and to develop commercial trade to improve life. These activities are usually occassions for young people to date and enjoy themselves.     

The Menba Women

Gama Qunzong, director of the women's federation of Lebu District, Cona County, Tibet; Menba nationality women usually wear a woolen gown with a cap and a string of colorful beads. A family enjoying home-made wine. The Menbas usually live in bamboo houses.