1 . Today, I’d like to speak to you about the ink wash animated film Feeling from Mountain and Water. Let’s start by talking about the background of ink wash animation, an animation style that is unique to China. This style combines Chinese traditional art with modern animation techniques.

In the late 1950s, inspired by the ink wash painter Qi Baishi, the Shanghai Animation Studio began to explore ways to turn Chinese traditional paintings into cartoon form. The first ink wash animation film, Tadpoles Searching for Mother, was produced in 1960, and it received the golden prize at an international film festival. Finally, in 1988, the ink wash animation masterpiece, Feeling from Mountain and Water was created.

Let’s turn now to the film itself. The film tells the simple story of an old musician and a young boy. In the film, an old musician falls ill while travelling and is helped by a young boy. To thank the boy, the musician teaches him how to play the guqin. With the change of the seasons, it is time for the musician to leave. As the musician says goodbye, he gives the boy his guqin, and then disappears into the mist. Then, when the boy sits down to play the guqin, all of nature joins him in a visual symphony.

The film has no dialogue. And, unlike typical cartoons, the film has no bright colors. In short, it is like a fine ink wash painting which has been brought to life—a painting with movement. The animation and the music make the film not only appealing to the eyes and ears but also rich in emotion. Therefore, this 18- minute film is regarded by many as a masterpiece of Chinese ink wash animation.

After the late 1980s, the high cost of producing ink was animation caused film studios to stop making them. The techniques used to produce such films simply required too much work, as each frame of the film had to be hand painted. However, in 2016, new artists have begun to make ink wash animated films using computers. It is hoped that these new techniques will breathe new life into this art form.

2 . To ensure Easter is a happy and safe time for you and your pet, Bella & Duke’s Chief Veterinary Consultant, Brendan Clarke lists his five top tips for making Easter safe for your pet, including which Easter foods and springtime plants they should be avoiding.

Chocolate and sweet treats

Chocolate and Easter go hand in hand. It’s a wonderful time of year where we get to indulge in our sweet tooth and have copious amounts of Easter eggs!     1     Chocolate contains a substance called theobromine which is toxic and extremely difficult for dogs and cats to metabolise.

Roast dinner

    2     It’s only natural when your pup is giving you those big eyes that you are tempted to share some of your food so they can join in on the festivities.

Easter egg hunt

An Easter egg hunt around the house or garden is a really fun family activity to do and often a tradition in many households. During the hunt, it’s a good idea to keep an eye on your pet so they don’t go looking themselves and eat any of the chocolate goodies. With their amazing noses, your dog has the upper hand or paw!       3    

Fleas and ticks

Easter is a wonderful time; winter is in the rear-view mirror and we’re starting to welcome warmer days.     4     With this, it’s important to keep in mind the increase of fleas and ticks in warmer weather and the risk of your furry friend bringing some home in their coat.

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Easter is a beautiful time of year with spring flowers and bulbs in full bloom, but make sure you keep them well out of reach of your furry friend, particularly if they’re prone to chewing plants or digging up the garden.

3 . BEST CULTURAL FESTIVALS IN THE WORLD

If you’re planning on hitting a cultural festival this year, make sure you check out the background information about some of them.

Burning Man started in 1986, when Larry Harvey and Jerry James built a 8-foot-tall wooden figure and dragged it to San Francisco’s Baker Beach. They lit it on fire and thus one of the world’s strangest, wildest parties was born. It takes place from the last Sunday in August to Labor Day, with an emphasis on freedom, creativity, and self-expression.

Arguably the biggest festival in the world, Brazil’s Carnival is widely considered “the greatest show on Earth”. The event takes place in February or March, attracting nearly 5 million people who’re baking in the heat each year. There are annual samba competitions for the celebration, and the carnival parades are usually the stuff of legend.

Located in Northeast China, Harbin receives some seriously cold winter winds blowing over from Siberia. So why would any healthy person want to visit for this month-long Chinese festival, which officially starts on January 5. Because it’s home to the largest ice sculptures in the world, and the celebration takes over the entire city. Activities in the area during the festival include touring ice lantern exhibitions and swimming in the river’s cold waters.

The rest of the world could learn a thing or two from the Netherlands about properly celebrating the national governor’s birthday. King’s Day is now officially celebrated on April 27 and includes an official government ceremony followed by sporting competitions and family-friendly celebrations. The great climate also makes for ideal conditions for a country-wide flea market you have to see to believe.

6 . In early February, an old stove with rich vivid images (zaotou painting) took center stage at a village Spring Festival gala in Haiyan county, Zhejiang province.     1     . They feature historical and legendary figures, animals and flowers, which are painted in bright colors and have a way of drawing attention from admiring viewers. Zaotou is a part of a kitchen stove in the shape of a square or rectangle, on which are some images showing the beauty of nature and humanity.

    2    . In ancient time, villagers would hire bricklayers (瓦工) to build a mud stove in their new home and then painted pictures on a day of good fortune.     3    . They whitewashed (粉刷) the mud-made stove with lime-water, sketched out the patterns based on the shape of the stove, applied the final coat of paint and even created a three-dimensional effect.

At first, simple tools had been used to produce such art, including a selection of brushes, rulers, and paint. With people’s aesthetic appreciation growing, watercolors were used, mostly red, yellow and blue, the three auspicious (吉祥的) ones to the Chinese people.     4    . No matter what material is available, the stove painting is always symbolic and harbors good wishes for the owners.

Now many people are devoted to the inheritance and popularization of zaotou painting and more and more support has been received from various sides including local authorities.     5     .

We often hear about the importance of cultural heritage. But what is cultural heritage and why is it important?

First of all, let’s have a look at the meaning of the words. “Heritage” is a property, something that is inherited, passed down from previous generations. In the case of “cultural heritage,” the heritage doesn’t consist of money or property, but of culture, values and traditions. Cultural heritage implies a shared bond, our belonging to a community. It represents our history and our identity; our bond to the past, to our present, and the future.

Cultural heritage often brings to mind artifacts (paintings, drawings, prints, mosaics, sculptures), historical monuments and buildings, as well as archaeological sites. But the concept of cultural heritage is even wider than that, and has gradually grown to include all evidence of human creativity and expression: photographs, documents, books and manuscripts, and instruments, etc. either as individual objects or as collections. Today, towns, underwater heritage, and the natural environment are also considered part of cultural heritage since communities identify themselves with the natural landscape.

Moreover, cultural heritage is not only limited to material objects that we can see and touch. It also consists of immaterial elements: traditions, oral history, performing arts, social practices, traditional craftsmanship, representations, rituals, knowledge and skills transmitted from generation to generation within a community.

But cultural heritage is not just a set of cultural objects or traditions from the past. It is also the result of a selection process: a process of memory and forgetfulness that characterizes every human society constantly engaged in choosing — for both cultural and political reasons — what is worthy of being preserved for future generations and what is not.

All peoples make their contribution to the culture of the world. That’s why it’s important to respect and safeguard all cultural heritage, through national laws and international treaties. Illicit trafficking of artifacts and cultural objects, pillaging of archaeological sites, and destruction of historical buildings and monuments cause irreparable damage to the cultural heritage of a country. UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization), founded in 1946, has adopted international conventions on the protection of cultural heritage, to foster intercultural understanding while stressing the importance of international cooperation.