Barbican Art Gallery

A world-class art and learning center, the Barbican pushes the boundaries of all major art forms including dance, film, music, theater, and many visual arts from Asia.

Tickets:

Adult: E10 on line/f12 at the door

13-17 years old: 6 online/E8 at the door

Children aged 12 and under: Free

Opening Times:

Sat~Wed.: 10 a.m.~6 p.m; Thu.~Fri: 10 a.m.~9 p.m.

Review by Laura Miller: I have just watched To Kill a Mockingbird here. The play and actors were fantastic. Nice and clean ladies’ toilets with hot water. During the interval, they were selling the usual ice cream and drinks. Not all staff were friendly, but most were. I would come again to watch another show or even the same one.

The British Museum

A museum of the world, for the world, discover over two million years of human history and culture. Some of the world-famous objects are from some Asian countries.

Admission and opening times:

Free, open daily 10 a. m. ~17:30 p. m.

The Museum is closed on Jan.1, Good Friday (April 10, 2020) and Dec. 24, 25 & 26, but open every other day of the year.

Review by Robert James: I arrived at the main entrance line at 10:45 a.m., waited patiently as it rolled forward for a few minutes. Now 11:30 a.m. with two thirds of the line to go, another 30minutes to wait and with knowledge that I had to go to the city center for shopping by 1 p.m., I turned on my heels and left.

Emergency dispatchers (调度员) often receive calls that aren’t, well, emergencies.

But something felt off to dispatcher Tim Teneyck of Oregon, Ohio, when a woman called to order a pizza on November 13. He told her she had the wrong number, only to quickly realize this had been no mistake on her part. In a recording of the call, we can hear them both on the line “You called 911 to order a pizza?” Tim asked, “This is the wrong number to call for a pizza.” “No no, no…you’re not understanding,” the woman said.

When the woman replied with her apartment information, everything became clear. She didn’t want a pizza at all, she needed help. But she couldn’t tell him that directly because she wasn’t in a safe place.

While Tim has never received a call like hers in his 14 years of service, he understood her message. After a few more questions, he said, “I’m getting you now. ” As it turned out, the woman was in an apartment with a man who was physically hurting her mother. She knew he would run away if he discovered she was calling 911, so she pretended to order a pizza instead. When Tim sent officers her way, he had them turn off their sirens (警报器) before they arrived.

The officers arrested (逮捕) 56-year-old Simon Lopez who was charged with domestic violence (被控家暴).

Oregon Police Chief Michael Navarre said they couldn’t have helped this woman without Tim’s help. He added that it was important for people in danger to “somehow or another express to the police dispatcher that they are in trouble, and this woman did that words, but with the tone (语气) of her voice.” She did that not with her “Other dispatchers… told me they wouldn’t have picked up on this, ” Tim said.

Of course, the other hero is this clever woman who saved her mom by keeping a cool head. It couldn’t have been easy in such a stressful situation, which just makes her braver!

By drawing patterns (图案) on the surface of a cup of tea, chabaixi, an ancient Chinese tea trick displayed in a recent TV drama, has become popular for its clear similarity with modern latte art (咖啡拉花艺术). However, ten years ago, this special technique was close to disappearing completely. Zhang Zhifeng, a practitioner of chabaixi, found scenes of chabaixi in the drama aroused great interest among ordinary people.

Chabaixi can create endless patterns such as bamboos and mountains or even calligraphy. There are over a dozen steps, from grinding (碾碎) tea for fine powder, to pouring boiled water, stirring the mixture for thick froth (泡沫), and finally drawing the patterns. It is different from making latte because people use clear water as the object to put into the cup instead of milk. But when the water touches the surface of whipped (搅打起泡沫的) tea, it turns into a white color and disappears in 20 minutes. The process before the drawing is known as the tea-making technique, diancha. The quality of diancha is important to whether patterns can be successfully produced later.

“Chabaixi is one of the countless forms of tea-making techniques in China. The importance of chabaixi is not only that this technique is unique in the world, but also it gives us a window into people’s lifestyle in the Song Dynasty, a period when leisure activities in some ways resemble what we have now.” Zhang said.

Before chabaixi was discovered by TY audiences, the technique was listed as part of China Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2017, after it was recovered by Zhang Zhifeng. He started researching the origins of chabaixi in the 1980s and brought the technique back in 2009 after decades of trials and practice. Zhang spent nearly 30 years studying and researching the origins and making of tea but for him it was all worthwhile.

“This technique is key to the tea culture of the Song Dynasty, and it would be a shame to let it fade. This technique must be passed on to the next generations so they can understand its history.” Zhang said.

The Ancient Art of the Brush

Throughout its long history, writing has been a big deal in China. Since the earliest dynasties the skills of reading and writing have been highly respected. In fact, they form an important part of the Chinese art world. Calligraphy, the art of writing with a brush is almost as old as writing itself. And though this art form dates back thousands of years, it is still extremely popular today.

How did writing become so important in Chinese culture? The answer most likely lies way back in the Shang Dynasty (about 1600—1046 BC). That’s when characters were first carved in bronze and used in religious events. This practice conveyed a spiritual aspect which gave writing authority in the eyes of ordinary people.

Calligraphy spread during the Han Dynasty when the necessary tools and materials became more widely available. First, there was the brush, made from bamboo and animal hair. Early ink, or lampblack, was made by burning pine wood and mixing it with water. Early forms of paper were invented around AD 105. Finally, there was inkstone, a smooth piece of stone used for mixing ink. Together, these tools were known as the “four treasures of study” in ancient China.

Calligraphy has been popular in China for thousands of years. Some say that it’s an even higher art form than painting. Though foreigners may not always get it, there’s something truly special about calligraphy. Every written character has a strict stroke order. When viewing the results, you can trace the artist’s process, reliving every stroke of his or her brush. This allows for an intimate connection between artist and audience.

Calligraphy is something that’s best experienced by doing. Luckily, this ancient art is still widely practiced today. So, what are you waiting for? Get out there and find yourself a teacher!

76. 假如你是阳光中学的李华，你校英文报开展了一项关于青少年喜欢的艺术形式的调查请你根据以下内容，用英文写封回信。

I would like to introduce my favorite kind of art form.

I hope everyone can enjoy the art world.

Yours,

Li Hua