Chinese folk arts originate in the rural areas of China's vast territory. As forms of communal art, folk arts are evident in everyday food, clothing and shelter, in traditional festivals, ceremonies and rituals, and in beliefs and taboos. As a living example of cultural heritage, folk art demonstrates the continuity of Chinese culture from ancient to modern times, a culture with distinctive national and regional characteristics and a history of some 8,000 years. Chinese Folk Arts provides an illustrated introduction to the history and development of this colourful part of China's unique artistic culture.

Drawing on the British Museum's extensive collection, this book explores the traditional hierarchy of materials and techniques reaching back as far as the Han Dynasty in the third century BC. In the history and character of the works under scrutiny, this sumptuously illustrated book conveys an understanding of Chinese art in all its great variety.

Chapters by scholars of Chinese history and art and by artists whose careers were shaped by the Cultural Revolution decode the rhetoric of China's turbulent decade. The many illustrations in the book, some familiar and some never seen before, also offer new insights into works that have transcended their times."--BOOK JACKET.

Faces of Tradition in Chinese Performing Arts examines the key role of the individual in the development of traditional Chinese performing arts such as music and dance. These artists and their artistic works–the "faces of tradition"–come to represent and reconfigure broader fields of cultural production in China today. The contributors to this volume explore the ways in which performances and recordings, including singing competitions, textual anthologies, ethnographic videos, and CD albums, serve as discursive spaces where individuals engage with and redefine larger traditions and themselves. By focusing on the performance, scholarship, collection, and teaching of instrumental music, folksong, and classical dance from a variety of disciplines–these case studies highlight the importance of the individual in determining how traditions have been and are represented, maintained, and cultivated.

A celebration of Taoist art traces the influence of philosophy on the visual arts in China.

The anthropology of art in China includes studies of popular arts among the Han in both rural and urban settings, and of folk arts among minority peoples. The country is currently experiencing rapid social change and aesthetic values are being transformed. Chinese scholars have both an exciting range of dramatic case studies to present and their own distinctive theories to offer on these processes. This volume is the first to present an overview of the anthropology of art in China to researchers in the English-speaking world. The essays are written by leading Chinese professors in the fields of visual art, dance, music and art theory.

Annotation Experts in the fields of Chinese art, religion, literature, and history introduce and illuminate many of the issues surrounding child imagery in China, including the frequent use of pictures of children to reinforce social values. Topics include a historical overview; images of children in song, painting, poetry, at play, as icons of good fortune, and in stories; the childhood of gods and sages; folk deities; and family pictures. The text is accompanied by 100-plus color and b&w illustrations. A glossary of Chinese characters is included. Edited by Wicks (art history, Miami U). Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com).