Extended Tasks and Activities
1.Reception Etiquette
Read the following passage and try to get some knowledge about Japanese recreations.
Recreation in Japan
According to a survey on recreation in Japan, 76 percent of the people interviewed said they liked to spend their free time traveling around Japan. Other activities that ranked high were driving, followed by overseas trips, picnics, hiking, and cultural activities such as movies and concerts.
In another survey, 29 percent of those asked said they very often spend their leisure time in natural places such as a park or countryside (compared to 47 percent in the United States) and 27 percent said they sometimes spend time in natural places.
Modern forms of recreation are displacing traditional Japanese art forms. According to a 1997 government White Paper on Leisure, twice as many women are interested in personal computers than the tea ceremony and three times more would rather go bowling than engage in traditional flower arranging.
In 2009, retailers noticed that consumers were becoming more interested in purchases that related to a hobby or a provided skill. Particularly popular were cooking classes, golf lessons and equipment and gardening products.
In a survey in 2009, three fourths of Japanese adults said they didn’t get enough exercise.
Running up long series of stairs—often the ones leading to Buddhist temples or Shinto shrines—is a common training method in Japan.
Japan is a leader in recreation technology. Because space is at a premium, Japanese can go horse-back-riding, ski, go parachuting, or play golf without stepping outside. These sports are all done in front of a projection screen. Horseback riders sits on a mechanical horse that moves up and down while watching trails pass by on a screen.
2.Extended Reading
Importance of Recreation
Thinking of going on an outing this weekend? Planning for a trip with close friends? Go ahead, for you need recreation! Recreation is the spending of time in pleasurable activities.Engaging ourselves in activities that invite happiness and peace of mind is nothing but recreation. Recreation can be in the form of rest, entertainment or adventure. Recreation is the means to take a refreshing break from the monotony. With the increasing pace of life, we have become the participants of a never-ending rat race. In the fast life of today, our destination keeps outdistancing us and we keep pursuing it with all our might. We have become too busy to take out time for our near and dear ones. We have become so engrossed with work that we hardly get time to peep into our own self. We have no time to introspect; we have no time to interact. Recreation is an activity, rather an opportunity to take a break, the much-needed break from work.
Importance of Recreation
Recreation is like a rain shower during the days of scorching heat. It is like a ray of moonlight in the dreadful darkness. Recreation is moreover the time to get together to have fun.Devoting some time for recreation on a daily basis helps in the long run in maintaining health and achieving a peace of mind. Participate in some regular physical activity, play a sport or exercise. These recreational activities serve as a means of relaxation. Research has shown that recreation on a daily basis reduces risks of diabetes and hypertension, enhances physical and mental health and improves the quality of life.
Adventure activities are recommended to be made a part of recreation. Studies have made evident the fact that participation in adventure activities has a positive effect on life. Adventure motivates you, boosts your confidence and enhances self-awareness. Recreation often involves physical activities such as hiking, cycling, fishing and outdoor games. These activities make you feel fresh and relaxed. The excitement and thrill that accompanies adventure sports adds to the freshness. Sports make you feel challenged, encourage you to take risks, exhibit your skills,thus building self-confidence.
These activities of recreation result in the enhancement of your interpersonal and intrapersonal skills. Apart from being a way of spending free time, recreation is a way to socialize; it is a way of being with the loved ones and enjoy. Recreation gives you an opportunity to meet new people, develop new friendships. Socializing implies being a team player making you feel as being a part of the community. It is largely believed that participating in recreational activities helps strengthen family relationships. A certain kind of freedom that you experience during recreation helps you feel destressed. Your enthusiastic participation in recreational activities boost positive energies, encourage a positive temperament, thus relaxing you. Recreation brings you close to the nature. Water sports,adventure sports, visits to parks can brighten up your life.
Recreation is of two types. Active recreation is about engaging in adventure sports or outdoor games while passive recreation involves activities such as taking a walk on the riverside, walking on the beach, strolling in parks or taking nature walks. Both kinds of recreation have their own set of advantages. They create a positive mood, lighten your spirits and help you gain mental peace.
Recreational activities are widely popular across the globe. Some enjoy touring to beautiful places around the world while others take interest in pursuing their hobbies as a means of recreation. Be it of any sort, recreation needs to be made a vital component of the fast life of the present times!
Decide whether the following statements are true or false.
(1) With the increasing pace of life, we have become the participants of a never-ending rat race. ( )
(2) According to the study, adventure activities are not recommended. ( )
(3) Taking a walk on the riverside and walking on the beach fall into the category of active recreation. ( )
(4) Both active recreation and passive recreation create a positive mood and help you gain mental peace. ( )
(5) Be it of any sort, recreation needs to be made an important component of the fast life of the present times. ( )
Lion Dance in South China
Lion dance is a form of traditional dance in Chinese culture, in which performers mimic a lion’s movements in a lion costume. The lion dance is often mistaken as dragon dance. An easy way to tell the difference is that a lion is operated by two people, while a dragon needs many people. Also, in a lion dance, the performers’ faces are covered, since they are inside the lion.In a dragon dance, the performers can be seen since the dragon is held upon poles. Basic lion dance fundamental movements can be found in most Chinese martial arts.
History
The story goes that once upon a time a monk had a dream in which there were many sorrows and evils plaguing the land. The monk prayed and asked the gods how he could prevent these evils from occurring. The gods told him that a lion would protect them and fight back the evils. The Chinese people had never seen a lion before, but had heard stories that the lion was the king of all the other animals, so the monk combined all the lucky or magical animals he could think of and so made a lion.
If you look closely at any lion, you can see a red sash tied on its horn. It is told that the lion got too arrogant and told the gods that he was more powerful than all of them combined.This of course caused the gods to get very angry, so as a punishment they chopped off his horn(the source of his power) and told him to fight off a thousand evils without his power. The lion of course couldn’t and people were dying because the lion couldn’t protect them from the evils.The Goddess of Mercy (Guan Yin) felt bad for him so she tied his horn back on with a red sash.
Lion dances can be broadly categorized into three styles， Chinese Northern （北狮），Chinese Southern （南狮）， and Taiwanese （台湾狮）. The Chinese Northern dance was used as entertainment for the imperial court and elsewhere. The northern lion is usually red， orange and yellow （sometimes with green fur for the female lion）， shaggy in appearance， with a golden head. The northern dance is acrobatic and may include dangerous stunts.
The Chinese Southern dance is more symbolic. It is usually performed as a ceremony to scare away evil spirits and to summon luck and fortune. The Chinese southern lion exhibits a wide variety of color and has a distinctive head with large eyes (of an eagle), a mirror on the forehead (demons are supposedly scared of their own reflection), and a single horn at center of the head (the horn of a unicorn mentioned earlier). Lion dance costumes are considered to be spiritually protective when used as they are traditionally blessed before usage.
The Taiwanese dance integrates with martial arts. The focus on martial arts is very different from the Chinese Southern dance whose fancy style is more suitable for circuit shows.In addition to dance steps, the differences between the Taiwanese and the Chinese Southern dances lie in the lion appearance and music. Unlike the Chinese Southern lion whose eyes and mouth can be moved, the Taiwanese lion is less elaborate and can be roughly divided into two categories: open-mouth lion and closed-mouth lion.
(1) What’s the difference between a dragon dance and a lion dance?
(2) What does the red sash tied on the lion’s horn mean?
(3) What is the feature of Chinese Southern lion dance?
Cantonese Opera
Cantonese opera is one of the major categories in Chinese opera， originating in southern China’s Cantonese culture. It is popular in Guangdong， Guangxi， China’s Hong Kong， China’s Macao， Singapore and Malaysia. Like all versions of Chinese opera， it is a traditional Chinese art form， involving music， singing， martial arts， acrobatics， and acting. 粤剧 （Yuèjù） should not be confused with 越剧（Yuèjù）， the theatre of Zhejiang.
History(https://www.daowen.com)
There is a debate about the origins of Cantonese opera， but it is generally accepted that the opera form was imported from the northern part of China and slowly migrated to the southern province of Guangdong in the late 13th century， during the late Southern Song Dynasty. In the 12th century， there was a theatrical form called “Southern style” [Chinese： 南戏 （Cantonese：Narm4 hei3， Mandarin： Nánxì）] or the Nanxi （Southern drama）， which was performed in public theaters of Hangzhou， then capital of the Southern Song Dynasty. With the invasion of the Mongol army， Emperor Gong of Song Dynasty， called Zhào Xiǎn （赵显）， fled with hundreds of thousands of Song people into the province of Guangdong in 1276.Among these people were some Narm hei artists from the north. Thus Narm hei was brought into Guangdong by these artists and developed into the earliest kind of Cantonese opera.
Many well-known operas performed today, such as The Purple Hairpin and Rejuvenation of the Red Plum Flower, originated in the Yuan Dynasty, with the lyrics and scripts in Cantonese. Until the 20th century all the female roles were performed by males.
Beginning in the 1950s massive waves of immigrants fled Shanghai to destinations like North Point. Their arrival boosted the Cantonese opera fanbase significantly.
Characteristics
Cantonese opera has much in common with other Chinese theatre genres. Commentators often take pride in the idea that all Chinese theatre styles are but minor variations on a pan-Chinese music-theater tradition, and that the basic features or principles are consistent from one local performance form to another. Thus, music, singing, martial arts, acrobatics and acting all feature. Most of the plots are based on Chinese history and famous Chinese classics and myths. The culture and philosophies of the Chinese people can be seen in the plays. Virtues like loyalty, moral, love, patriotism and faithfulness are often reflected by the operas.
The “four skills” and “five methods” are a simple codification of the areas of special training for theatre performers, and also stand as something of a metaphor for the most well-rounded and thoroughly trained performers. The “four skills” apply to the whole spectrum of vocal and dramatic training: singing, acting and movement, delivery of the “speech-types”and martial and “gymnastic skills”, while the “five methods” are categories of techniques associated with specific body parts: hands, eyes, body, hair, feet or walking techniques.
Complete the following sentences with the key words in the passage.
(1) Cantonese opera is popular in Guangdong, Guangxi, China’s Hong Kong, China’s Macao, ______.
（2） With the invasion of the ______， Emperor Gong of Song Dynasty， called Zhào Xiǎn（赵显）， fled with hundreds of thousands of Song people into the province of Guangdong in 1276.
(3) ______ are a simple codification of the areas of special training for theatre performers.
3.Translation
A. Translate the following sentences from English into Chinese.
(1) China has more than 360 kinds of local operas which are the most ancient forms of theatre that still flourish today.
(2) It features colorful costumes, elaborate make-ups, and stylized gestures.
(3) All traditional Chinese opera forms are “regional” in that they are based on the music and dialects of specific areas.
(4) Taijiquan is an ancient Chinese physical art. It is deeply rooted in Chinese philosophy and Taoist wisdom.
(5) Martial arts, also called Wushu or Kungfu in Chinese, are popular sports in China.
B. Translate the following sentences from Chinese into English.
（1）我喜欢在咖啡里加糖或牛奶。
（2）咖啡厅是适合朋友们一起去放松休息的地方。
（3）我能请你和我跳个舞吗？
（4）钓鱼可以是一件很好玩又很开心的事。
（5）打高尔夫能让你接近大自然，呼吸新鲜空气，欣赏蓝天绿地。
4.Practical Training Project
Background:
Suppose you work in a bag making company in Guangzhou and you will be in charge of accompanying some clients from the US to have tea in a traditional teahouse.
Tasks:
Task 1: Writing
Draft an introduction to Cantonese tea and teahouse, focusing on the history and features of Cantonese tea and teahouse. you may refer to the above passage about Cantonese teahouse.
Task 2: Pair Work
Create a dialogue with your partner, simulating the situation of introducing Cantonese tea and teahouse to the foreign guests.