Terracotta Army and the First Emperor (7/14 Sat.)

[danielka]

Dear Yoyos,

Hello! This is Daniel. I will be your narrator of Terracotta Army Exhibition in the morning and host in the afternoon meeting on July 14th.

The precious Terracotta Army collection is currently exhibited in National Museum of History in Taipei. Therefore, I would like to take this opportunity to guide Yoyos to the exhibition and have a discussion about the First Emperor and the Terracotta Amy.

During the meeting, I will also introduce “Fantasia, Terracotta Warriors” as the background music for you. This is undisputedly the most magnificent Chinese musical composition that you have to know.

References
http://hellpara.twbbs.org/brdmore/CMusic&14　　　　(Background Music)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qin_Shi_Huang　　　　　(The First Emperor)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terracotta_Army　　　　(Terracotta Army)
http://www.new7wonders.com　　　　　　　　　　　(The New 7 Wonders)

The First Emperor: The Man Who Made China

Qin Shi Huang (260 BC – 210 BC), personal name Yíng Zhèng, was the first emperor of a unified China from 221 BC to 210 BC, ruling under the name the First Emperor. As a ruler, he was known for the introduction of Legalism and also for unifying China.

Qin Shi Huang remains a controversial figure in Chinese history. Having unified China, he and his chief adviser Li Si passed a series of major reforms aimed at cementing unification, and they undertook some gigantic projects, most notably the precursor version of the current Great Wall of China, a city-sized mausoleum guarded by a life-sized Terracotta army, and a massive national road system, at the expense of numerous human lives.

Qin Shi Huang commanded all the members of the former royal houses of the conquered states to move to Xianyang, the capital of Qin, so they could be kept under tight surveillance for rebellious activities. Qin Shi Huang also ordered most previously existing books burned, excepting some medical and agricultural texts held in the palace archives.

Qin Shi Huang and Li Si unified China economically by standardizing the Chinese units of measurements such as weights and measures, the currency, the length of the axles of carts (so every cart could run smoothly in the ruts of the new roads), the legal system, and so on. The emperor also developed an extensive network of roads and canals connecting the provinces to improve trade between them and to accelerate military marches to revolting provinces.

Perhaps most importantly, the Chinese script was unified. Under Li Si, the seal script of the state of Qin. This newly standardized script was then made official throughout all the conquered regions, thus doing away with all the regional scripts and becoming the official script for all of China.

To prevent the Xiongnu from encroaching on the northern frontier any longer, the emperor ordered the construction of an immense defensive wall, linking several walls already existing since the time of the Warring States. This wall, for whose construction hundreds of thousands of men were mobilized, and an unknown number died, is a precursor of the current Great Wall of China.

In traditional Chinese historiography, the First Emperor was almost always portrayed as a brutal tyrant, superstitious, and sometimes even as a mediocre ruler.

In the new era, Qin Shi Huang was seen as a farsighted ruler who destroyed the forces of division and established the first unified, centralized state in Chinese history by rejecting the past. Personal attributes, such as his quest for immortality, so emphasized in traditional historiography, were scarcely mentioned.

Mausoleum and Terracotta Army

Qin Shi Huang was buried in his mausoleum, with the famous Terracotta Army, near modern day Xi'an.

For 2000 years, a secret army of clay soldiers protected the hidden tomb of China's first emperor, Qin Shi Huang. Until 1974 none knew of its existence; now Chinese archaeologists are gradually unfolding the mystery.

To guard him in his afterlife the emperor ordered an army of over 8000 life size clay soldiers to be made. When he died, the burial place was as magnificent and bizarre as even the treasure laden tombs of the Egyptian pharaohs.

The site measures some three miles across and took 700,000 conscripts to construct it. Many wonders of the tomb were described by a Chinese historian, Sima Qian, writing less than a century after the emperor's death. He wrote of rare jewels, a map of the heavens with stars represented by pearls, and, on the floor of the tomb, a panorama map of China with the rivers and seas represented by flowing mercury.

No two terracotta soldiers are identical. The sculptures represent a standard of art that experts previously believed was far beyond the craftsmen of the Qin Dynasty. Each man was built with solid legs and a hollow torso. The soldiers were arranged in battle formation, with 600 clay horses and 100 life-sized working wooden chariots.

A magnetic scan of the site has revealed that a large number of coins are lying in the unopened tomb, occasioning speculation that the royal treasury was interred with the emperor. Scans of the earth atop the tomb have revealed unusually high concentrations of mercury in the shape of China's waters, adding further to the credibility of Sima Qian's description.

The New Seven Wonders of the World

On 07.07.2007, The New7Wonders organization is happy to announce the following 7 candidates have been elected to represent global heritage throughout history.

Chichen Itza;, Mexico
Christ Redeemer, Brazil
The Great Wall, China
Machu Picchu, Peru
Petra, Jordan
The Roman Colloseum, Italy
The Taj Mahal, India

p.s. The Great Pyramid of Giza was not included in the election because it is the Old 7 Wonders of the World.


The questions for discussion are listed as below:

Session I:
1. Please share your positive or negative comments about the First Emperor.
2. Without the First Emperor, China might not be a unified country now. Please imagine what will that affect our current world?
3. History is usually written with biased points of view. What do you think about this?

Session II:
1. The background music described the homesickness of ancient warriors. Did you ever get homesick before? How did you overcome it?
2. The Great Wall is one of the New 7 Wonders of the World. Personally, I think Terracotta Army could be the Eighth Wonder. Have you ever been to either or both places or have you visited any other sites of the New 7 Wonders of the World?

Agendas

2:30 sharp Beginning of the meeting
2:30 ~ 2:40 Opening remarks/newcomers’ self-introduction /grouping

(Session I)

2:40 ~ 3:10 First discussion session
(3:05 Reminding each group of making a review for the speaker)
3:10 ~ 3:20 First summarization
3:20 ~ 3:40 Regrouping and taking a break (Intermission)

(Session II)

3:40 ~ 4:10 Second discussion session
(4:05 Reminding each group of making a review for the speaker)
4:10 ~ 4:20 Second summarization
4:20 ~ 4:30 Concluding remarks/feedback from newcomers/announcements


聚會時間：2007/6/23 (星期六) 請準時2:15 pm 到 ~ 約 4:30 pm 左右結束
聚會地點：加州陽光 2F 台北市大安路一段84巷4號 02-27512955
捷運忠孝復興站（木柵線板南線樞紐，十分方便）
忠孝東路 SOGO 附近永福樓對面Bistro 98大樓-->大安路-->米蘭．米藍(服飾店)-->第一條巷子右轉

給新朋友的話：

1. 請事先準備2~3分鐘的英語自我介紹；討論完畢後可能會請你發表1~2分鐘的感想(feedback)。
2. 請事先閱討論主題相關內容以及host所提的問題，並事先寫下自己所欲發表意見的英文。
3. 來之前請先讀一下在討論主題，思考一下如何回答及討論。
4. 在正式加入之前（繳交可退還之保證金NT$1,000)，可以先來觀摩三次

p.s. 要參觀國立歷史博物館兵馬俑特展的朋友們，請於上午10:30在捷運中正紀念堂站二號出口集合。

[Wayne]

Words and Expressions for Reading and Discussion July 14 2007

單字選粹：為了大家方便閱讀wikipedia有關"秦始皇"的文章，提供部份字彙．請大家在討論時多加利用．

(秦始皇 – Wikipedia)
http://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E7%A7%A6% ... B%E7%9A%87
登基: ascend the throne
朝廷： imperial court
宦官： eunuch
集權統治: rule by centralization of state power
焚書坑儒: bury many of its scholars alive and ban and burn all books other than those officially decreed
法家： Legalists
諸子百家： all classes of authors; the hundred schools of thoughts; the ancient philosophers; the different philosophers and authors
水銀: mercury
陵墓: mausoleum
馳道: massive road
棧道: plank road
運河: canal
刺客: assassin
行刺: assassination
長生不老之藥: elixir of life
方士: necromancer; alchemist
車同軌，書同文: standardizing the scripts and the length of the axles of carts
驛站制度: post system
總督: governor-genera; viceroy
分封制: the fief system; the feudal system
貴族政治: aristocracy
儒家學說: Confucian school; Confucianism
暴君: tyrant
不擇手段: use unscrupulous tactics; by hook or by crook; stop at nothing use all kinds of methods; use every means in one’s prowess to do something; resort to every expedient; unscrupulously

(Qin Shi Huang -- Wikipedia)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qin_Shi_Huang

Legalism: 法家
controversial figure: 有爭議性人物
reforms: 改革
unification: 統一
precursor: 先驅
the Great Wall: 萬里長城
mausoleum: 陵寢
Terracotta army: 兵馬俑
outlawed: 禁止； 宣佈...為非法
Confucianism: 儒家
tyranny: 暴政；苛政
autocratic rule: 獨裁統治
pivotal figure: 關鍵人物
unification of China: 統一中國
interruptions: 間斷； 中斷
posthumous name: 諡號
unprecedented: 前所未有的； 空前的
Three Huang (Three August Ones): 三皇
Five Di (Five Sovereigns): 五帝
immense: 巨大的
on a par with: 與...不相上下
feat: 功績
Chinese realm: 中國領土
empire: 帝國
encompassed: 統轄(包圍)
rendered: 翻譯
adopted: 採用
abolished: 廢除
posthumous names:
successor: 繼承者
regime: 政權
collapsed: 崩潰
beset: 威脅； 困擾
dynasty: 朝代
the Records of the Grand Historian:《史記》
feudal states: 封建國家
Warring States Period: 戰國時代
annexed: 併吞
ascend the throne: 登基
chancellor (prime minister): 相國
concubine: 姬妾
denounce: 譴責
regent: 攝政王
staged: 安排
a palace coup: 宮廷政變
assumed full power: 攬權
tenaciously: 頑強地
dodging: 避開
recurrence: 重現
chaos: 混亂
feudalism: 封建制度
commanderies:郡
archives: 庫
standardizing the Chinese units of measurements such as weights and measures, the currency, the length of the axles of carts: 統一度量衡及車的軸距
revolting: 叛亂的
seal script: 篆書
standardized script: 統一的文字
Edicts:詔書
clerical script: 隸書
tribuaries: 支流
reign: 統治
nomadic tribes:遊牧民族
subdued:臣服
encroaching: 入侵
mobilized:動員
elixir of life: 不死仙丹
Zhifu Island: 芝罘島
Penglai Mountain: 蓬萊山
the immortals: 仙人
executed: 處決
inspect the efficiency of the bureaucracy: 查核施政效率
symbolize the presence of Qin's prestige:宣示秦國天威
paranoid: 多疑的
doubles: 替身
prefecture: 縣
alchemists: 鍊金師
edible: 可以食用的
trigger: 發動
uprising: 起義； 造反
resentment: 憎恨
the mausoleum of the emperor: 皇陵
imperial entourage: 皇室隨從人員
affairs of state: 國家大事.
stratagem: 策略； 計謀
courtiers: 大臣
wagon: 驛車
foul smell: 臭味
emanating: 發出(味道)
decompose: 分解
eunuch: 宦官
forge: 偽造
erupted:爆發
unrest: 動盪不安
crumbled away: 崩潰； 瓦解
civil strife: 內亂
legalism: 法家
Confucianism: 儒家
moderated the laws: 減輕刑罰
intact: 無改變
Archaeologists: 考古學家
unfolding the mystery: 解開謎團
laden: 充滿的
pharaohs: 法老
conscripts: 被徵召者
molten: 熔化
copper: 銅
crossbows: 十字弓
molds: 模具
torso: 軀體
vaults: 地窖
plinths: 底座； 柱基
battle formation: 戰鬥隊形
chariots: 馬車
meticulous: 極為小心謹慎的；小心翼翼的
occasioning: 引起
speculation: 揣測
interred: 埋葬
Historiography: 史料編纂
Statue: 雕像
brutal tyrant： 暴君
superstitious: 迷信的
Ideological: 意識形態的
Prejudices: 偏見
Xun Zi: 荀子
disparaged: 輕視；貶低
The Faults of Qin: 《過秦論》
far-reaching: 深遠的
pursuit: 追求
harsh: 嚴苛的
fictitious: 虛構的
tarnish the First Emperor's image: 損害始皇帝的形象
prophesying: 預言
accusation: 控訴
decapitated: 斬首
penetrate: 透視
impediment: 阻礙； 障礙
disunity: 分裂
repulsing: 使...厭惡；引起...的反感
Northern Expedition: 北伐
surfaced: 出現
manifestation: 現；表露
class struggle: 階級鬥爭
perennial： 持續的； 反覆不斷的
peasant： 農民
oppression: 壓迫
undermined: 削弱
prominence: 著名
farsighted: 有遠見的
compunctions: 愧疚
subversives: 顛覆份子
run out: 結束
precipitous: 突然的
dictatorship: 獨裁； 專政
reactionaries: 反動份子； 反對改革者
worm their way into...: 贏得...的歡心； 騙取...的信任
organs : 機構；機關
usurp:篡位

[danielka]

感謝Wayne的幫忙
不過看到這麼多單字
發現自己好像選到太難的主題了
大家請多包涵囉

[danielka]

剛剛才發現原來7/14是YOYO在加州陽光的告別之作．
我雖然比較菜，但還是對這家餐廳滿有感情囉！
乾脆討論的時候加一題讓大家分享對加州陽光的回憶好了．
另外麻煩大家在閱讀討論主題相關文章之餘，
也幫忙找找新的聚會場地囉！

[Lydia]

7 月 14 日是 YOYO 在加州陽光餐廳的告別聚會 !
也是 YOYO 5-7 月的慶生會
有歡樂慶祝 有離情依依
加上國樂第一名曲 " 秦兵馬俑幻想曲 " 當背景音樂
我想心情是

擷取 Daniel Ka 給我們參考的文章中之一段話:

彭修文在 "金陵交響樂" 曲譜上的註記解說:

第三樂章：滄桑

豪華的歲月，沉痛的過去，俱往矣，
今日的金陵在前進，在發展，在創造，
撫今思昔，感慨系之，
乘著歷史的大潮，石頭城正張滿錦帆，駛向未來。

Lydia

[Wayne]

Words and Expressions to Learn July 14 2007

1. 不擇手段: by hook or by crook; go to every expedient; use every means in one’s power; by fair means or foul
2. 太監: eunuch
3. 水深火熱: in deep stress; in dire suffering; live in great misery
4. 去中國化: remove “China” from anything that contains the word or that is related to
5. 史官: official historian; historiographer
6. 匈奴: Xiongnu
7. 地方自治: local self-government
8. 抗日: anti-Japanese; resistance against Japan
9. 周武王: King Wu of Zhou
10. 治水: tame a river; regulate rivers and watercourses; prevent floods by water control
11. 南京大屠殺: the Nanjing Massacre
12. 封侯: be conferred a rank of nobility
13. 娘家: a married woman’s parent’s home
14. 專制: autocratic; despotic; dictatorial
15. 梅毒: syphilis
16. 野史: unofficial history; privately compiled history
17. 喜新厭舊: tired of the old and fascinated by the new (lover)
18. 跪別父母:kneel down to parents to bid farewell
19. 審美學的 aesthetic； esthetic
20. 慰安婦: comfort woman
21. 機關(陷穽): booby trap
22. 閹割: castrate


Oops:
1. ... discuss about this person --> ... discuss things about this person
2. They will against --> They will be against him. They will fight him.
3. I’ll answer the Question 2. --> I’ll answer Question 2.
4. History can’t be rewrite. --> History can’t be rewritten.
5. He has been in Xi An. --> He has been to Xi An.
6. They refused to be elected (as one of the New Seven Wonders of the World). --> They refused to have Great Pyramid of Giza voted (as one of the New Seven Wonders of the World).
7. My job is to train people in the China. --> My job is to train people in China.

Mispronunciation: (The CAPITAL LETTERS show where the accentuation is.)
1. (X) in-DUS-tries --> (O) IN-dus-tries
2. (X) char-AC-ters --> (O) CHAR-ac-ters
3. (X) CA-nal --> (O) ca-NAL

[danielka]

Host (1): Daniel

Attendants (17): Lucy, Lydia, Ruby, Lisa, Christine, Sunny Jr., Wayne Ni, Richard Liu, Grace, Luis, Anne, Andy, Sunny Sr., Stephen, Tina, Thomas, Dave

Speakers: Rita, Lisa, Sunny Sr., Sunny Jr., Richard, Luis, Kaniesa, Stephen, Dave

Newcomers (3): Rita, David Lo, Kaniesa
Appearance (1): Una

Total: 21

[technobabel]

感謝Wayne的幫忙
不過看到這麼多單字
發現自己好像選到太難的主題了
大家請多包涵囉

When comes to more vocabulary to complicate your life and exhaust your mind, you know who you can count on.

[technobabel]

To come up with a song that is related to this topic requires a little bit more lateral thinking. Basically, is there a song about tyranny and censorship? Which are the two aspects that makes 秦始皇 an uber -dictator. This isn't a likely subject to based a song on. I guess it was too easy to compose and sing about love. Let's try something different for a change.

Origins of the song
The song was inspired by the banning of rock music in Iran under Ayatollah Khomeini. The song gives a fabulist account of the ban being defied by the population, who proceed to "rock the casbah". The King orders jet fighters to bomb any people in violation of the ban. The pilots ignore the orders, and instead play rock music on their cockpit radios.

The song does not mention Iran or any other Islamic nation by name. The lyrics include a mixture of Arabic, Hebrew, Hindi, and North African terms such as sharif, bedouin, sheikh, kosher, raga, and casbah.



Title: Rock the Casbah

Now the king told the boogie men
You have to let that raga drop
The oil down the desert way
Has been shakin' to the top
The sheik he drove his Cadillac
He went a' cruisin' down the ville
The muezzin was a' standing
On the radiator grille

CHORUS
Sharif don't like it
Rockin' the casbah
Rock the casbah
The shareef don't like it
Rock the Casbah
Rock the Casbah

By order of the prophet
We ban that boogie sound
Degenerate the faithful
With that crazy Casbah sound
But the Bedouin they brought out
The electric kettle drum
The local guitar picker
Got his guitar picking thumb
As soon as the sherif
Had cleared the square
They began to wail

CHORUS

Now over at the temple
Oh! They really pack 'em in
The in crowd say it's cool
To dig this chanting thing
But as the wind changed direction
The temple band took five
The crowd caught a wiff
Of that crazy Casbah jive

CHORUS

The king called up his jet fighters
He said you better earn your pay
Drop your bombs between the minarets
Down the Casbah way

As soon as Sharif was
Chauffeured outta there
The jet pilots tuned to
The cockpit radio blare

As soon as Sharif was
Outta their hair
The jet pilots wailed

CHORUS

He thinks it's not kosher
Fundamentally he can't take it.
You know he really hates it.

[Lydia]

This topic pulled us back to the times of ancent China. We discussed about Starbucks in the Palace Musuem a while ago, I think we may have a chance to talk about 2008 Olympics Games in Beijing in the near future. And along the way, more and more Chinese terminologies and topics will be on the spot. Let's prepare for the China fever.

Special welcome for Tina Cheng's joining YOYO.

Lydia