A Blog for TCM

TCM, or Traditional Chinese Medicine, is fairly famous all around the world not only for its efficacious therapies but also for the mysterious side of the word” traditional”. However, most of the TCM physicians actually do not obtain the noticeable attention equally comparing with TCM itself even their relationship is just like the connections between Magic and the magicians. Consequently, many of the physicians aren’t well-known even for some hottest branch fields of TCM, one of them can be Acupuncture. As a result, I took a volunteer job introduced by my aunt who is also a physician, which is to make a blog webpage for one of the reputed finest Acupunctural physicians in Nanjing. Well, this task is sound easy to get, but actually… not!

Give a hand to China's future

Be honest, Chris and I didn’t try to imagine that our group can win the competition of fundraising---- a group which sells sour pasta can beat one sells McDonalds to a “removed-from-habitation” campus in suburb? Kidding! However, we finally won it in our block for a strange reason: honesty. Then the result came, and we were in the way to the Amity Foundation headquarter, trying to figure out who can be the one we can help.
Although the Amity Foundation is relatively well-known among the whole Nanjing city and in many of the students, when Chris and I Got into the taxi, we could not even tell the driver where the exact location of headquarter. Then suddenly, the driver said, “It is on Hankou Road, right? I know that place.” Well, that’s embarrassing that we didn’t know whether it’s because we didn’t understand or paid no attention to our teacher’s description…Anyway, we arrived at there.
All right, the “Taxi incident” was actually not the hardest deal but choosing the kid which is in most needs. The kindhearted officer

GCA Fashion show!

After the athirst waiting for three weeks, the GCA fashion Show finally came off on schedule. Although the fashion show was just last for half and an hour, it still can be a very absorbing topic to talk about. Well, the word “absorbing” contains not only for fascinating proms, casuals and uniforms, but also some totally amusing and then arousing laughter. OK, let’s go on browsing.

As a designer, you must keep awareness on every design which’s going to show on the stage instead of make your own eyes arrested by some of the enchanting models (girls only, no doubt)…Well that’s sounds good, but the actual situation is: I was sitting besides the stereo sound box, paid no attention to 10-B’s weird casuals, but waiting for Chris, our model, and his casual T-shirt. “Oh, my, please don’t let the audience laugh when the T-shirt appears in their eyes, or I’m going to strike my heads to the wall!”

One minute… two… three… four…. He finally came. I took a deep breath to prevent heart attack---Wait, what’s going on? That’s almost nobody laugh, and they were all sitting steady: “Hey, that’s not what I expected!” Come on, guys, make any noise! I admit it was the worst one: Win an award called “the worst ever” is even better than audiences’ no response! Moreover, it seemed like that Chris has got necromancy or some other magic, he suddenly turned around to us, and gave an unfathomable smile. Help…

Well that’s fine. Although we were relatively lack of creativities comparing with 10-D’s design--- They made a boy dressing on a kind of girls’ prom dress and put a pair of something like sponge on the super model’s chest for a better visual effect and impression--- but we put our best talent on the whole project, and got a ending with satisfactory.

Bon appetit! Bella Napoli Restaurant

A visit to Nanjing Museum(First article without ironic words,indeed!)

On the day of 3/8 Women's Day, half dozen and two of boring men who suffered from endless single life... OK, just joking. On this day our group of 8 decided to go for a visit to Nanjing Museum which's besides the Zhongshan city gate. The museum is now holding a exhibition around traditional Chinese artwork.

When we arrived at the gate of the museum, entered and tried to go on our visit straightly, we suddenly found that the Museum is such a 'distinguished' museum, for it even devoted its major exhibition building (before) to a notice of 'staff only'... ehh, nothing in irony...Fine, That's a irony. At least they need to notice us at the entrance, eh?


Alright, stop animadverting like a critic. We finally entered the building besides, and found there are so many topics of exhibition rooms and objects in exhibitions that we couldn’t figure out which one to talk about: There’s a room for Chinese lacquerware, one for ancient Chinese bronze works, one for Chinese Jade (also made a lively introduction on carving jade), and one for modern Chinese artwork (tired of these)… We even found Wu Weishan’s sculpture in it! I was wondering he’s an octopus or… something else, I don’t know. Eventually, I think we can bring a brief introduction on one exhibition I thought it’s the best among the long list.


Actually this kind of artwork is also can be considered as a long list—A list of most famous and also strange artists in middle Qing Dynasty: We call them ‘Eight Eccentrics of Yangzhou’ (the description eccentric comes from Wikipedia), The Eight Eccentrics of Yangzhou is the name for a group of eight Chinese painters known in the Qing for rejecting the orthodox ideas about painting in favor of a style deemed expressive and individualist. One of these 8 ‘eccentrics’ who had a greatest influence on the flow of Chinese culture—in my opinion--- is called Zheng Xie, also known as Zheng BanQiao (郑板桥) (1693-1765) I consider that he’s special in these 8 painters is because he actually can represent the main figure of the ‘8 eccentrics’ in his paintings, and also had his individual, unique style. As a good example for proving it, the painting about ‘bamboos growing on hard rocks’ shows Zheng’s excellent technique on dealing with such a object which’s not easy to portray—bamboos—with only several strokes in simplicity. However this kind of painting style exactly matches the main idea of these eccentrics, or all of the artists who’s from impoverished or troubled backgrounds-- Not only for the naturalism thought on their outlook on lives which can almost represent the whole Chinese Culture, but also for this: whatever how severely hard situation they’re in, they all have a strong belief inside their mind that ‘Rainbow will finally appears after severe rainstorm.


Finally, we had to leave there because the problem on sandglass. A visit which’s shorter than one and a half hour? Oh, that’s definitely too short for such a distinguished museum—no irony for this time.

CLUB ACTIVITIES

PHYSICAL ACTIVITIES

First employment experience at UBC Coffee House

First employment experience in U.B.C. Coffee House
On December 24th, the silent night…ehh, clatter night at coffee house at least, Sherry and I experienced a busy but wonderful time in UBC House for performing “generous” “Saint Nick and Saint Nicola”. How is that? We’ll come back soon to that one, but first I suppose a step-by-step introducing.

After a significant success with two distinguished performers--Sherry and me—for Xmas song performances in earlier December, both of Chaplin and Chaplina (OK I’ll stop talking about that) thought that we could and must continue our tour on the theme of Xmas. For the reason of that we took several pictures with the scene in UBC House, Sherry gave a suggestion that we have already found a place for our employability experiencing— As a result, we contacted with the manager of UBC…well actually we contacted with Sherry’s aunt and uncle, and they accepted it with pleasant. Woo, that’s far better compare with running around in a hurry to find a place of employment in holiday!

So you know that we went there on the Christmas Eve, with excitement, of course. However, I got a problem right after we arrived there: I couldn’t put myself in the Santa suit they prepared for their new man! The coat could be PUT on in all cost, but the hat… Later on they told me that their family has a tradition of performing in a Santa role by one family member every year in their UBC house… this fact made me more frustrated: It means that I am far “stronger” than any member of their family who have been the role…

After Sherry’s aunt gave another “big enough” hat, we started our work. This may be easy in your impression, but our job was “distribute” Christmas gifts to all the customers who were able to take a chance—It looked like a lottery but in hundreds of Red Pockets. That’s easy to handle it, right? No! The truth is: I was in the duty of carrying a noticeable big bag full with gifts while Sherry was holding a lottery box for customers, but they were all “Thanks for your participation” gifts! Then every customer, even everyone, treated me as a devil with bad luck…

OK, just kidding. Actually I was pleasured in this job, especially when the customers looked at me as a real Santa. I also think that Sherry was also very pleasant though she had already known their tradition before.

Finally thanks for the UBC coffee shop, and Sherry’s help, for gave us a opportunity to have such a fantastic experience. That’s a great value of us when we are in the way of trying to become adapted in a new place around us.

Gourmands’ gourmandize in Lucky Star Restaurant

Gourmands’ gourmandize in Lucky Star Restaurant

Christmas, merry Christmas! In the end of the 4-day Christmas holiday, December 28th evening, we went to Lucky Star Restaurant in the CBD district in Nanjing. As the team called ‘we’, we have both grade 10 students and 12 mentors.
The title above, ‘Gourmands’ gourmandize’ is so suitable for our campaign: We talked, or argued intensely because of too many restaurants we could choose. Finally we chose the American style restaurant—Lucky Star Restaurant. The reason of choosing an American was actually not the most delicious one compared with le François, or la Italiano, but it was the cheapest one… So sad!
Afterwards, we met at 6 p.m. in Xinjiekou for being ready for gourmandizing. When we got inside the restaurant, I felt astonished—How can a quiet bay located on the busy city center?!Then we begun to order our own dishes, and I found astonished again: Where’s an real American style meal that I expected while we were discussing? The menu got Spaghetti, mushroom soup, even espresso, but no American could be found!

A Visit to Wu Wei Shan Cultural Figures Sculpture Gallery

On December 4th, 08, the whole class went to the famed university, Nanjing University, for an art exhibition which is called Wu Wei Shan Cultural Figures Sculpture Gallery. All the sculptures are made by a well-known artist, Professor Wu Wei Shan. A mixture: Expressing the ART of sculptures with stone, bronze, or wood by using traditional Chinese idea of art expression, and use contemporary technique for made these pieces of art profound and significant.
Many of the sculptures in exhibition hall gave me deep impressions, but now I want to talk about the most famous one: the sculpture which was christened ‘Laozi’. It was made in 2005, but the sculpture in Nanjing University is a replica.

The first impression to me of this sculpture “Laozi” How huge the sculpture is! Nevertheless, the most astonishing fact is that the “huge” one is not the biggest at all but a slight bronze replica for a sixteen-meter-tall “Titan laozi” in Huai’an, Jiangsu! Then, after a few second applauding in admiration for Professor Wu’s work, I became confused: Did professor Wu think this is a sculpture with deeper, diversified meanings? Maybe the meaning is actually visible, but I still cannot figure out his intention until our guide teacher came and interpreting it to us that this shows a image of Laozi’s thought and his philosophical theory on society issues, attitudes on life, which can be considered as a kind of naturalism.

Whereas, I asked a question to the guide teacher: ‘can you help me with this question: Why this sculpture has a elaborate sculpting on Laozi’s upper half-length portrayal, especially for Laozi’s face, but a very simple, ‘cursivelike’, or even unshaped sculpting for other parts?’Our guide teacher answered with smelling, ‘This is a way of a oriental ideology: not everything must be detailed, but in order to show different further meanings by let audiences get their own understandings. So you can see that’s totally different form Western. Moreover, the simple or even just contour sculpting on subordinate object can also make a good effect by supporting major object.’ Wow…

Well, this seems to be a irony to me (again) after I gave a excellent appreciation to this sculpture “Laozi” because a prefer the Western schools’ method of expressing art in realistic…But anyway, “Laozi” is my favorite in this exhibition because its steady but degage figure, leisurely expressions, the most important one—the sculpture can communicate with visitors by its empty inside which is totally different from other works.

Practically, I think this sculpture virtually reflecting a kind of HARMONY between the spirits of sky, land and also include human beings. It also tell us the importance of a balance between natural principles and human activities—It matches the basic but distinguished thought of inscriptive words (which is from Laozi’s literature Dao De Jing). Moreover, I think that maybe these profound ideas are also match the his outlook on life, and his solicitude to all livings—‘he’ means both two masters on philosophy or sculpting.
After an hour’s visiting, I felt satisfied with the exhibition(but not for the way of sculpting style), for the best art exhibition I have been in this year.