wednesday,july29,2015 chinadaily kitemakinghelpscitysoar
TRANSCRIPT
12 Culture special Wednesday, July 29, 2015 CHINA DAILY
Zhucheng: Where dinosaurs roamedBy ZHANG [email protected]
While millions of peopleworldwide were stunned bythe dinosaurs created in theHollywood blockbuster Jurassic World, fewer know of thereal world of the prehistoricgiants in Zhucheng county inWeifang, Shandong province.
Dinosaur fossils have beenfound at more than 30 sites inZhucheng, covering a total of1,600 square kilometers, whenthe total area of the county isonly about 2,200 sq km.
Dinosaur fossils were firstdiscovered in the region in1964. When prospectors fromthe former Ministry of Geology were looking for oil, theydiscovered fossilized dinosaurremains later identified asbeing from a Shantungosaurus giganteus, the largest nonsauropod dinosaur yet found.
Following that there have
been three excavation projects, the latest of which wasconducted in 2008, when amuseum for the Tyrannosaurus, commonly known as T. rex,was built on a site wherearchaeologists found fossils ofthe Zhuchengtyrannus magnus, Asia’s largest and China’sonly tyrannosaur species.
Part of the original excavation site is exposed to visitorswith some 2,000 pieces of fossils that belong to four dinosaurs, including atyrannosaur.
Yan Tuanxiang, chief of themuseum, said both carnivorous and herbivorous dinosaurs had been identified atthe site, which means therecould have been a hunt takingplace before all were killed bya sudden mudslide.
Compared with T. rex,which usually draws the spotlight in movies, the real superstar in the museum is a fossil
of the Y. rex, or Yutyrannushuali, the world’s only foundtyrannosaur with feathers.
The Y. rex was about 9meters long and weighed 1.4metric tons. Its sharp teethand claws made it a nightmarefor its contemporary dinosaurs, Yan said.
The fossil, discovered in Liaoning province, is seen as evidence that birds evolved fromdinosaurs.
In another museum, theZhucheng Dinosaur Cubic, 48restored dinosaur skeletonsare displayed, in addition topictures, models and videos.
The most valuable exhibitsinclude some ceratopsid dinosaur skeletons, said WangKebai, director of the Zhucheng Dinosaur CultureResearch Center.
The ceratopsid dinosaurswere believed to exist only inNorth America until 2008,when Chinese scientists dis
covered fossils of the genus inZhucheng. They named themSinoceratops zhuchengensis.
Wang said the Chinese ceratopsid dinosaurs were ancestors of their North Americancounterparts.
“Some of them traveledfrom Asia to North America,as the two continents wereonce connected,” he said.
Near the Zhucheng Dinosaur Cubic is the world’s largest dinosaur fossil site, wheremore than 10,000 fossils havebeen found in diggings 500mlong and 26m deep.
Based on this, the local government is planning a newtourism area that will includeexhibitions and interactivedisplays. The project will takeabout 10 years to complete,Wang said.
The 2008 excavation alsofound more than 11,000 dinosaur footprints that date backsome 100 million years. The
site is not yet open to tourists.Dinosaur attractions in the
area welcome 500,000 visitorsa year, mostly children. Activities are sometimes organized,such as simulated fossil excavations, dinosaur drawing and
model skeleton installation.“The dinosaur relics are
resources owned by all ofhumankind,” said the director.
He added that the government plans to cooperate withSteven Spielberg, producer
of the Jurassic Park movieseries.
“These breathtaking dinosaur sites will give him inspiration, and maybe the nextepisode of the story will happen in Zhucheng,” Wang said.
The Zhucheng Dinosaur Cubic houses 48 restored dinosaur skeletons. JU CHUANJIANG / CHINA DAILY
Weifang invests inrich cultural heritageBy ZHANG [email protected]
The hometown of many ofChina’s leading artists and cultural scholars including MoYan, the country’s first winnerof the Nobel Prize in Literature, Weifang is a recognizedcity of culture whose government has been making effortsto improve local cultural andtourism facilities and services.
In the past century, local artists developed a unique schoolof calligraphy and painting,whose works can be found insome of the 2,000 galleriesacross the city. Today, Weifangis one of the most importantpainting markets in thenation.
More than 1,000 paintingexhibitions are held in the cityevery year. The annual Chinese Painting Festival, one ofthe most influential, attractedmore than 10,000 artworkslast year, with trade volumevalued at nearly 1 billion yuan($161.1 million).
A project in the Shihuyuanarea in the city center is one ofthe newest cultural attractionsin Weifang. Covering nearly 10hectares, the project has somebuildings that date back morethan 200 years, while newlyadded constructions havebeen built in the style of thesame period.
The complex combines artexhibitions and trade, traditional displays and shoppingfacilities. It will house foodvendors, handicraft stalls andsouvenir shops when completed by Oct 1, although part of itis already open.
A traditionalstyle stagestands behind the WenchangPavilion, a 22metertall landmarkinthearea,whereartperformances have been shownevery evening since May 22.
About 50 cultural activitieshave been held in the area overthe past two months, including international paintingexhibitions, with all open totourists free of charge.
Du Gang, manager of thearea, said the local government spent 1.4 billion yuan onthe project, although the totalrent for business facilities inthe area is only expected tomeet half that investment.
“The government has neverwished to cover its investmentwith rent, because its true aimis to let the people enjoy thebenefit of culture,” Du said.
In Weifang’s Qingzhou
county, the 1.3squarekilometer Songcheng area opened apainting and antique marketin 2012, which has become apopular tourism site.
The area not only boastsbuildingsandroadsbuilt in thestyle of the Song Dynasty (9601279), a reminder of its mostprosperous period, but showcases about 100 performersdemonstrating Chinese intangible cultural heritage items.
“We invited the masters tocome out of their homes toshow their skills at the site, notonly to attract more tourists,but also to promote the heritages by letting more people seethem and know them,” saidGao Lingyun, publicity chieffor Qingzhou.
Qingzhou Museum is China’s only toplevel museumhoused in a county, and welcomes about 300,000 visitorseach year.
One of its most valuable collections is an exam paperbelonging to Zhao Bingzhong,who in 1598 won the title ofzhuangyuan, an honor givento the scholar who achievedthe highest score at the highest level of the Chinese imperial examinations.
It is the only original exampaper of a zhuangyuan preserved on the Chinese mainland, on which Zhao wrote hissuggestions for the emperoron how to improve the management of officials and thecountry.
The museum also has about4,000 items from the Xiangshan tomb from the HanDynasty (206 BCAD 220), ofwhich about 2,000 are on display.
The tomb was discovered byaccident during a construction project in 2006. The relicsdiscovered were dug out froman accessory pit, which meansthere could be even more treasures still buried in the maintomb chamber, said a guide atthe museum.
Other tourist attractions inWeifang include Yishanmountain in Linqu county, anational 5Alevel tourism areawith a Taoist background, andthe archaeological sites andmuseums for dinosaurs inZhucheng county.
Kitemaking helps city soarBy ZHANG [email protected]
In Weifang, Shandongprovince, kites are not justtoys. They symbolize both culture and an industry for thecity.
Widely known as the worldcapital of kites, Weifang has ahistory of flying kites datingback about 2,400 years.
Legends say that ancientChinese philosopher Mozimade the first kite in theworld in the Lushan Mountain area, which now belongsto Weifang. It is said that thekite, made of wood, took himthree years to finish but then fell and broke on the first dayit flew.
Others believe that the trueinventor of kites was Mozi’scontemporary Lu Ban, afamous craftsman and engineer who has long beenregarded as the patron saintof Chinese builders and carpenters. His kite, made ofwood and bamboo in theshape of a magpie, flew threedays before it fell, accordingto an ancient book.
A statue of Lu stands infront of the gate of the Weifang World Kite Museum, thelargest kite museum in theworld.
With a total floor area of8,100 square meters, themuseum has a design thatresembles the dragonheadcentipede kite, the mostfamous Weifang kite pattern.The roof is made of blueglazed tiles with a ceramicdragon in the ridge, and thewalls are covered in whitemosaic patterns.
Built in 1987, the museumhas more than 1,000 kites inits collection, most of whichhave been flown. They represent different schools of kitemaking in both China andoverseas regions such as theUnited States, Japan, SouthKorea and Southeast Asia.
One of the largest kites inthe museum is about 140meters long and features 108portraits connected by astring, which are based on thecharacters in the Chineseclassic novel Outlaws of theMarsh. The kite was firstflown in 1985.
The smallest exhibits areno more than 5 cm long andvisitors must use magnifyingglasses to see them clearly.These miniatures use thesame materials, techniquesand patterns as the fullsizemodels.
In addition to displays ofkites, the museum has historical documents, models andvideos depicting the historyand culture of kites.
Even without wind, Li Naigang, vicedirector of themuseum, can fly a kiteindoors. He does this performance with a speciallymade kite in the museumduring his spare time.
He said he first saw indoorkiteflying in 2007 by an overseas team at the annual Weifang International Kite
Festival. He then spent morethan a year studying the techniques himself.
Hesaidthemuseumattractsabout 100,000 visitors a year.
“The museum is a windowthrough which we showcasethe kite culture from acrossthe world,” he said.
In Yangjiabu village, northeast of the Weifang city center, kites were originallybyproducts of local woodblock New Year’s prints, anational intangible culturalheritage item that dates backsome 600 years.
In the beginning, substandard prints were made intokites for children, and later,the bright colors and exaggerated figures of the printsbecame popular features oflocal kites.
Yan Kechen has carvedwoodblocks for more than 40years and now demonstratesthe skill at Yangjiabu Folk ArtPark. He said his largest work
took three years to finish,while regularsized blocksrequire about five days.
Another master, Yang Junyou, has 50 years of experience in printing. He said thetechnique he uses is the sameas that used 600 years ago,except for thepaint,which isamodern chemical product.
Although many people inthe village can make NewYear’s prints now, not allmake a living from it. Yan saidhe has had about 30 students,but only two of them havebecome masters.
The village produces about21 million New Year’s prints ayear, many of them sold tomore than 100 countries andregions overseas.
In contrast to Yangjiabukites that focus on craftsmanship, kites made in the Wangjiazhuangzi area highlightpracticality and industrialization.
The community, compris
ing four villages, was honoredas the Chinese modern kiteindustry base by the International Kite Union this year. Ithasa totalpopulationof4,650people, about 2,200 of whomare involved in kite and kitecomponent manufacturingbusinesses.
There are more than 80 kitefactories in the area withannual production capacityof 80 million kites and revenue of 200 million yuan($32.2 million).
“Many local people canmake kites in the traditionalway, but the handmade kitesrequire much time and theprofit is low,” said Yuan Yan,chief of the community. “So20 years ago, we startedindustrial kite manufacturing.”
Yuan said an industry chainhas been formed in the area,with local companies specializing in different parts of thekites.
Sun Yuemei, 39 years old,opened her own kite factory10 years ago after being aworker at another factory fortwo years.
Her factory hires 50 workers, all local farmers, in itsbusy season, which lasts fromNovember through May, andabout 30 workers the rest ofthe year.
It produces a maximum of10,000 kites a day during thebusy season, Sun said.
“The busy season of kitemanufacturing happens to bethe offseason on the farm,”she said.
Sun said the factory earnedrevenue of 2 billion yuan forthe 12month’s ending thisMay, increasing from 1.5 million yuan a year earlier.
“People are increasinglyinterested in outdoor sports,”she said. “Flying kites combines Chinese traditionalhandicraft and outdoor sporttrends that are popular in theWest.”
She added that the designsof her kites are mostly traditional themes, such as goldfish and swallows, to avoidcopyright disputes.
The factory also makes customized kites and blank kitesso customers can add theirown designs.
Various kites are shown at the 2015 Weifang International KiteFestival in April. JU CHUANJIANG / CHINA DAILY
Workers at a kite factory in Wangjiazhuangzi area.ZHANG ZHAO / CHINA DAILY
A man flies a dragonhead centipede kite in a kite contest in Weifang, Shandong province, in April. ZHANG CHI / FOR CHINA DAILY
2,000art galleries
in Weifang
A visitor photographs a giant mural at the 2015 Chinese PaintingFestival in Weifang. JU CHUANJIANG / CHINA DAILY
The museum is a window throughwhich we showcase the kiteculture from across the world.”Li Naigangvicedirector of the Weifang World Kite Museum
$32.2million
annual revenue from kiteindustry in Weifang’s
Wangjiazhuangzi area