Sweet Art—Sugar Painting

In and around China’s southwestern Sichuan Province, one can often find folk artists producing sugar paintings with liquid sugar along the streets and in the parks.

According to some academic studies, sugar painting originated from the Ming Dynasty when sugar animals and figures     1     (make) in moulds (模具) as part of a sacrifice in religious ceremonies. In the Qing Dynasty, sugar painting gained more     2     (popular). The production techniques were upgraded and the patterns became more various, most of     3     stood for good luck such as the fish, dragon and monkey. Afterward, the folk artists in Sichuan     4     (develop) this art by adding techniques of the Chinese shadow puppet and Chinese paper cutting. The moulds were also replaced     5     a small bronze spoon. As time passed by, the contemporary form of sugar painting has     6     (gradual) evolved.

Although the number of sugar painters has decreased, due to its unique charm, a certain number of artists are making efforts     7     (preserve) it by offering classes, holding relevant     8     (activity) such as sugar painting contests and applying for the National Non­material Cultural Heritage.

Nowadays, this art is getting support again from the general public     9     it has already been listed as Provincial Non­Material Culture Heritage by the Sichuan Provincial Government. Moreover, the sugar painting artists have gained    10     (increase) recognition.

Chinese archaeologists (考古学家) announced Saturday that some new major discoveries have been made at the legendary Sanxingdui Ruins site in Sichuan Province.

Archaeologists have found six new sacrificial pits (祭祀坑) and unearthed more than 500 items     1     (date) back about 3,000 years at the Sanxingdui Ruins. The new pits sit next to two sacrificial pits     2     (discover) in 1986. Together they form an area in     3     people of the ancient Shu civilization offered sacrifices to heaven, earth and their     4     (ancestor), and prayed for prosperity and peace.

The pits are rectangular (矩形的),     5     areas ranging between 3.5 square meters and 19 square meters. So far, archaeologists have unearthed     6     (variety) cultural items from four of the pits, including pieces of gold masks, gold foil, bronze masks, bronze trees, ivory and jade.     7     rest of the newly discovered pits are still under excavation (挖掘).

The discoveries have shown the distinctiveness of the Shu civilization and the     8     (diverse) of the Chinese civilization.

    9     (literal) meaning “Three-Star Piles”, the Sanxingdui Ruins Site is among China’s top 10 archaeological finds of the 20th century. Covering 12 square kilometers, the relics site, located in the city of Guanghan, about 60 kilometers from Chengdu,     10    (believe) to be the remnants (遗迹) of the Shu Kingdom in ancient China.

Museum showcases vital clues to past

Rising numbers of visitors are heading to Sanxingdui Museum in Guanghan, Sichuan province. Luo Shan, a young receptionist at the site, is frequently asked by early—morning     1     (arrival) why they cannot find a security guard to show them around. The museum employs some guards,     2     they have been unable to deal with the sudden flow of visitors, Luo said.

On Saturday, more than 9,000 people visited the museum,     3     (general) over four times the number on a typical weekend. Ticket sales reached 510,000 yuan ($77,830), the second     4     (high) daily total since it opened in 1997

The increase in visitors is caused by a live broadcast of relics     5     (dig) from six newly discovered sacrificial pits (洞穴)at the Sanxingdui Ruins site. The broadcast     6     (fuel) visitors’ interest in numerous artifacts unearthed earlier at the site since the transmission aired on China Central Television on March 20.

At the site, more than 500 antiques,     7     are 3,200 to 4,000 years old, including gold masks, bronze items and clothes, have been unearthed from the pits. The numerous bronze sculptures include an impressive statue of a barefoot man wearing anklets, his hands clenched (紧握). The figure is 180 cm high, while the entire statue, which is thought     8     (represent) a king from the Shu Kingdom, is nearly 261 cm tall, including the base. Gold items on display at the museum are known for their quality and     9     (diverse).

Situated 40 kilometers north of Chengdu, the site covers 12 square kilometers and contains the ruins of     10     ancient city, sacrificial pits, residential quarters and tombs.