When I was about 12, I became interested in percussion instruments(打击乐器) and began to play them. At that time, I lost all of my hearing. I remember when I started playing the tympani(定音鼓), my teacher didn't believe me. Then he said, "Well, how are you going to do this? You know, music is about listening. How are you going to hear this and that?" I asked, "Well, how do you hear it?" He pointed to his ear and said, "I think I hear it through here." Then I told him, "I think I can do too, but I also hear it through my hands, my arms, my back, my legs and so on." I mean that I can feel the music, see it and touch it. That's why I can experience every kind of music from classical(古典的) music to pop even though I can't actually hear it.

Now I often travel around the world for concerts. When I am in different countries, I like to go to other people's concerts. I also like to find new instruments. I have a huge collection of them. They often remind me of how excited I was when I first saw local musicians playing them.

How time flies! It’s been 3 months since I came to China. I’m having a great time on my student exchange(交换) program here. So far, I’ve completely got used to the life here and have known a lot about traditional Chinese culture. I’d like to share some with you.

In China, there are many different kinds of traditional art forms, such as paper cutting, Chinese clay art and so on. Among them, the kite interests me most. The first ancient Chinese kite appeared more than 2,000 years ago. Then flying kites was spread into Japan, Korea and Malaysia during the Tang Dynasty and the Song Dynasty. Kites are regarded as the earliest craft(飞行器). They played an important role in the process of inventing the plane.

Tea culture is important in China. Tea was discovered as a kind of drink by accident about 5,000 years ago. It is believed that tea was brought to Korea and Japan during the 6th and 7th centuries. It didn’t appear in England until around 1660. The tea trade from China to Western countries took place in the 19th century. Now tea has become one of the most popular drinks around the world.

Lastly, I’d like to tell you something about one of the traditional Chinese festivals—the Mid-Autumn Festival. It is on the fifteenth day of the eighth month in the Chinese lunar calendar(阴历). Chinese people have been celebrating the Mid-Autumn Festival and enjoying mooncakes for centuries.

If you’d like to know more about traditional Chinese culture, I will talk about it in the next letter.

Best wishes!

   Yours,

John

Kicking stone balls

During the Qing Dynasty, kicking a stone ball around was a popular game in the northern part of China, and it was often played in winter to keep warm.

Playing hide-and-seek

Hide-and-seek is a traditional game for children, popular around the nation. There are two ways to play: covering a child’s eyes while other kids run around to tease(戏弄) him or more commonly, others hide and one child must try to find them.

Flying kites

Kites have quite a long history. The earliest kites were made of wood, instead of paper. The three most famous kites are the Beijing kite, Tianjin kite and Wei fang kite. Each has its own feature. For example, the bird-shaped kite with long wings is a special kind of the Beijing kite.

Watching shadow plays(皮影戏)

The closest thing to watching a film during ancient times was going to see a shadow play. The artists control puppets(木偶) behind the screen and tell stories to the music.

Spring Equinox

The 4th term (March 21th—April 5th) Everything begins to grow and flowers come out. Some birds fly back to the north. People always fly kites and go climbing.

Grain in Ear

The 9th term (June 6th—June 21th) It’s a long period of continuous rainy and cloudy weather. Farmers are busy sowing and working in the fields.

Beginning of Autumn

The 13th term (August 8th—August 23rd) The leaves of trees start to fall, as the saying goes “one leaf falls, autumn arrives.” people can feel that the wind is getting cool.

Greater Cold

The 24th term (January 20th—February 4th) It is snowy and cold. People wear thick clothes to keep warm. Children often make snowmen and do some winter sports like ice skating.