Chaotian Gong
Chaotian Palace 朝天宫 [chao2tian1gong1] is the site of a Ming Palace built by our beloved first Ming emperor, Zhu Yuanzhang. What’s left now is a Confucius Temple (restored during the Qing Dynasty) which is more ancient than the touristy Fuzimiao a.k.a Confucius Temple (finished in 1984). This is also the place where you can watch Kun Opera on Friday and Saturday nights.
Before the temple proper is a park where young and old play, as well as an area where people sell antique and jewelry and other old stuff. It’s quite an interesting site, especially on weekends before 5pm.
Three things to do if you don’t want to pay 20rmb to enter the Chaotian Palace, and want to take a stroll around the area:
1. Watch the Calligraphy man at work:
2. Slide down the stairs:
3. Play with your grandchildren:
one child law came into effect in 1977 i think. i think that it’s good being a girl in china now……many suitors.
Have you ever investigated about the John Rabe-House in Nanjing? Could
be an interesting spot for people interested in newer Chinese history.
lisa
Don’t know much about opera, I’ve been doing Shufa and I’d love to learn how to paint (shanshui) and now that I’ll be moving to China I can learn Calligraphy, or even both first hand.
Let’s not this ancient, beautiful forms of art die out. Humanity will lose something really grandious and magnificent, if that ever happens.
Regards, Daniel D.
what a pity of that. Now, there are a lots of chinese traditional ,classical,ethical art and cultures are disappearing day by day. So ,lets try ours best to rescue them !
kun opera is 昆曲 [kun1qu3]. It’s a form of Chinese opera that originated in the district of Kunshan (which is now a Taiwanese businessman hub) and is more than 600 years old.
It is the richest and most ancient of Chinese opera forms, even older than its famous cousin - Beijing opera.
Sad thing is, it’s a dying art, so support it by attending one of the performances.