ATHENA LIU MEI HUA
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BONUS ROUND : COLOR ME CRAZY
THE COLOR OF HAPPINESS
I'm representing the color that shows happiness in chinese culture
Headshot
Bodyshot
The Red Bride
Beijing Opera
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ROUND 2 : CULTURE
Headshot
Bodyshot
Write about your experiences of your country and what you love
One of the reasons I love my country is because of the rich culture it has. The cultures of Taiwan are a hybrid blend of various sources, incorporating elements of traditional Chinese culture, attributable to the historical and ancestry origin of the majority of its current residents, Japanese culture, traditional Confucianist beliefs, and increasingly Western values. Arts and culture have always been a passion of mine since I was a little kid. I joined so many culture-related activities such as Chinese calligraphy, traditional Chinese painting, folk art, and Chinese opera.
Feelings about the photo shoot
When I was asked to do a photo-shoot about the culture of my country. There were two things crossed my mind instantly. Hua Mu Lan and Chinese New Year.
Hua Mu Lan
Hua Mu Lan is a heroine who joined an all-male army, described in a Chinese poem known as the Ballad of Mu Lan. In 1998, Disney made an animation movie of this legend. Why I chose this one among other legends ? Because Hua Mu Lan is an Idol of mine. She proved to her society that there's nothing men can do that women can't do! Her legend may inspire one of issues we ( females ) are fighting nowadays. The emancipation of women.
Gong Xi Fa Cai
The other culture would have to be Chinese New Year.
Chinese New Year, Lunar New Year, or Spring Festival is the most important of the traditional Chinese holidays. It is commonly called "Lunar New Year", because it is based on the lunisolar Chinese calendar. The festival traditionally begins on the first day of the first month in the Chinese calendar and ends with Lantern Festival which is on the 15th day.
Chinese New Year is the longest and most important festivity in the Chinese Lunar Calendar. The origin of Chinese New Year is itself centuries old and gains significance because of several myths and traditions. Ancient Chinese New Year is a reflection on how the people behaved and what they believed in the most.
Chinese New Year is celebrated in countries and territories with significant Chinese populations, such as Mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Macau, Vietnam, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, and also in Chinatowns elsewhere. Chinese New Year is considered a major holiday for the Chinese and has had influence on the new year celebrations of its geographic neighbors, as well as cultures with whom the Chinese have had extensive interaction. These include Koreans (Seollal), Tibetans and Bhutanese (Losar), Mongolians (Tsagaan Sar), Vietnamese (Tết), and the Japanese before 1873 (Oshogatsu).
In countries such as Australia, Canada and the United States, although Chinese New Year is not an official holiday, many ethnic Chinese hold large celebrations and Australia Post, Canada Post, and the US Postal Service issue New Year's themed stamps.
Within China, regional customs and traditions concerning the celebration of the Chinese new year vary widely. People will pour out their money to buy presents, decoration, material, food, and clothing. It is also the tradition that every family thoroughly cleans the house to sweep away any ill-fortune in hopes to make way for good incoming luck. Windows and doors will be decorated with red colour paper-cuts and couplets with popular themes of “happiness”, “wealth”, and “longevity”. On the Eve of Chinese New Year, supper is a feast with families. Food will include such items as pigs, ducks, chicken and sweet delicacies. The family will end the night with firecrackers. Early the next morning, children will greet their parents by wishing them a healthy and happy new year, and receive money in red paper envelopes. The Chinese New Year tradition is a great way to reconcile; forgetting all grudges, and sincerely wish peace and happiness for everyone.
There are four things that you could never get them back :
1. A stone...after it's thrown
2. Words...after they're spoken
3. Chance...after it's passed
4. Time...after it's gone