Chinas Gifts Chinas Gifts to the Worldto the World

Suggested levels for Guided Reading, DRA, Lexile, and Reading Recovery are provided in the Pearson Scott Foresman Leveling Guide.

ISBN 0-328-13402-3

The Four Treasures

Reader Response1. Why hasnt the written Chinese language

changed as much as other languages over time?

2. What are the four treasures? Answer by completing the web.

3. Use a dictionary to find antonymswords that mean the oppositefor these vocabulary words: diverse, flourished, literate, muffled.

4. Look back at page 19. Explain the three stages of practice when learning calligraphy. Why do you think each stage is important?

13402_CVR_FSD C-D13402_CVR_FSD C-D 11/19/05 9:52:03 AM11/19/05 9:52:03 AM

Chinas Gifts Chinas Gifts to the Worldto the World

by Linda Yoshizawaillustrated by Burgundy Beam

Editorial Offices: Glenview, Illinois Parsippany, New Jersey New York, New YorkSales Offices: Needham, Massachusetts Duluth, Georgia Glenview, Illinois

Coppell, Texas Ontario, California Mesa, Arizona

13402_001-024_FSD 113402_001-024_FSD 1 11/19/05 9:49:51 AM11/19/05 9:49:51 AM

Every effort has been made to secure permission and provide appropriate credit for photographic material. The publisher deeply regrets any omission and pledges to correct errors called to its attention in subsequent editions.

Unless otherwise acknowledged, all photographs are the property of Scott Foresman, a division of Pearson Education.

ISBN: 0-328-13402-3

Copyright Pearson Education, Inc.

All Rights Reserved. Printed in the United States of America. This publication is protected by Copyright, and permission should be obtained from the publisher prior to any prohibited reproduction, storage in a retrieval system, or transmission in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or likewise. For information regarding permission(s), write to: Permissions Department, Scott Foresman, 1900 East Lake Avenue, Glenview, Illinois 60025.

2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 V0G1 14 13 12 11 10 09 08 07 06 05

13402_001-024_FSD 213402_001-024_FSD 2 11/19/05 9:49:54 AM11/19/05 9:49:54 AM

3

CONTENTS

CHAPTER 1 4

The Wonders of AsiaCHAPTER 2 5

The Language of ChinaCHAPTER 3 7

Language as ArtCHAPTER 4 9

The Poet Li PoCHAPTER 5 11

The Calligraphers ToolsCHAPTER 6 17

Learning CalligraphyNow Try This 20Glossary 22

13402_001-024_FSD 313402_001-024_FSD 3 11/19/05 9:49:54 AM11/19/05 9:49:54 AM

4

Chapter 1

The Wonders of AsiaIn the late 1200s, Marco Polo, the

young son of a trader, traveled to the Far East with his father. For seventeen years, he journeyed throughout China and the Far East.

On his journeys, Marco Polo saw many of the wonders of Asia. He saw precious jewels, gold-paved streets, beautiful silk clothing in bright colors, and he tasted all kinds of wonderful spices. He also discovered the beautiful Chinese language.

13402_001-024_FSD 413402_001-024_FSD 4 11/19/05 9:49:57 AM11/19/05 9:49:57 AM

By the third century A.D., the Chinese understood how magnets worked. They used magnets to invent a compass.

5

Chapter 2 The Language of China

Chinas towering mountains and huge deserts kept it isolated from Europe for many years. During those years, Chinese civilization flourished. The ancient Chinese knew how to make paper several centuries before the Europeans. They also knew how to print with movable type. The ancient Chinese invented gunpowderwhich they used to make rockets and bombsand they invented a system of writing.

13402_001-024_FSD 513402_001-024_FSD 5 11/19/05 9:49:59 AM11/19/05 9:49:59 AM

Chinese characters

6

Today, China is one of the largest and most populated countries in the world. With so much land and so many people, its not surprising that the country is so diverse. People in different parts of China even speak different dialects, or versions, of the Chinese language.

No matter what dialect they speak, literate Chinese can read the same written language, because the language is written in pictures called characters instead of letters. Each picture stands for a word or an idea. The written language has kept the people united.

13402_001-024_FSD 613402_001-024_FSD 6 11/19/05 9:50:02 AM11/19/05 9:50:02 AM

7

Chapter 3 Language as Art

Most languages change over time. The written language of China has not changed much over the years, though, and modern Chinese scholars can easily read ancient poetry just as it was first written. No translation is needed!

Literature has always been an important part of Chinese culture, so it is a good thing that the literature of the past is easy for people in China to read today.

In China, literature is important for its history, ideas, and the beautiful way it is written. Chinese writing is also known as calligraphy.

Chinese calligraphers do not use an alphabet to write individual letters that form words as we do. Instead, they paint a character. Each character is a little picture that stands for one object or idea.

Each small character is a work of art in itself. Scholars study and practice for many years to learn how to make each character. Then, they practice drawing them in their own individual styles.

13402_001-024_FSD 713402_001-024_FSD 7 11/19/05 9:50:04 AM11/19/05 9:50:04 AM

A Chinese poem

8

Even people who do not read Chinese enjoy looking at the characters drawn by calligraphers. Examples of the art of calligraphy appear in museums all around the world. You could also find examples of this art hanging on the walls in peoples homes. To many art lovers, calligraphy is a much loved and treasured form of fine art.

13402_001-024_FSD 813402_001-024_FSD 8 11/19/05 9:50:04 AM11/19/05 9:50:04 AM

9

Chapter 4 The Poet Li Po

From ancient to modern times, China has had many famous poets, novelists, and essay writers. One of the best known is the poet Li Po.

Li Po lived from 701 to 762, during the Tang Dynasty, a period in Chinese history when all the arts flourished. He wrote about everyday ideas. His writing was happy and light, celebrating the delights of life.

Li Pos favorite subjects were nature, friends, and the joy of spending time alone. Although he had a family and spent time living at the emperors court, he often took time off for wandering. Perhaps his journeys gave him the inspiration for his poems.

13402_001-024_FSD 913402_001-024_FSD 9 11/19/05 9:50:08 AM11/19/05 9:50:08 AM

10

Li Po won lasting fame as a poet. Sadly, though, he failed to achieve one of his lifes goals: the emperor never gave him an official title. Disappointed, he joined a military expedition. The emperor thought the purpose of the expedition was to create a new dynasty, and he became angry. He had the leader of the expedition killed and he jailed Li Po.

13402_001-024_FSD 1013402_001-024_FSD 10 11/19/05 9:50:08 AM11/19/05 9:50:08 AM

You ask me why I dwell in the green mountain,

I smile and make no reply for my heart is free of care.

As the peach-blossom flows downstream and is gone into the unknown,

I have a world apart that is not among men.

11

Chapter 5 The Calligraphers Tools

Ancient calligraphers used special tools for writing that they referred to as the four treasures. One treasure was their collection of special brushes. They also needed ink sticks and ink stones to make ink. The fourth treasure was fine paper.

13402_001-024_FSD 1113402_001-024_FSD 11 11/19/05 9:50:10 AM11/19/05 9:50:10 AM

12

The first calligraphy brushes were made at least 4000 years ago. Modern brushes have not changed much. The bristles are still made from animal hair attached to bamboo reeds.

Brushes come in different sizes, and the bristles have different textures too. Some are soft, and some are stiff, while others have a mixture of soft and stiff bristles.

Brush makers use many different kinds of animal hair. They use hair from goats, wolves, deer, sheep, and foxes.

13402_001-024_FSD 1213402_001-024_FSD 12 11/19/05 9:50:16 AM11/19/05 9:50:16 AM

13

Ancient calligraphers did not buy ink in a bottle. They made their own ink, using an ink stick and an ink stone.

Like other traditional calligraphy materials, ink sticks have been used for thousands of years. The basic ingredient in an ink stick is soot. Soot is the black substance in smoke that comes after you burn something. Some ink sticks use soot from burned pine trees or oil.

The soot is collected and mixed with other ingredients that hold it together. Then the sticks are formed and decorated.

Good ink sticks can last as long ten years. Surprisingly, the best way to determine an ink sticks quality is to tap it and listen to the sound. The sound should be clear and sharp, not muffled.

13402_001-024_FSD 1313402_001-024_FSD 13 11/19/05 9:50:19 AM11/19/05 9:50:19 AM

Ink stick and ink stone

An ink stick is not like chalk; it is too hard and solid to write with. After calligraphers choose the best ink stick, they need to turn it into ink. To do this, they need an ink stone.

Calligraphers use ink stones to grind tiny flakes off the ink stick. Then they mix the flakes with water to make a liquid.

To make ink, artists start by putting a little cool water on the stone. Water that has a small amount of salt works best. Then they rub the stick in the water. Once they have made a thick liquid, they add a little more water and rub some more. They keep working until the ink is just they way they want it.

14

13402_001-024_FSD 1413402_001-024_FSD 14 11/19/05 9:50:19 AM11/19/05 9:50:19 AM

Tips for Making Calligraphy Ink

1. Use the best ink stick you can find.

2. Use water that has a little bit of salt. If you cannot use saltwater, use well water, tap water, or bottled distilled water.

3. Start with a small amount of water.

4. Press the ink stick against the stone and rub lightly in circles.

5. Grind all the ink for one project at the same time. It is hard to make two batches of ink that are exactly the same color.

6. Dont make the ink too thick. Thick ink makes brush bristles stick together.

7. Dont make the ink too thin. Thin ink may go right through the paper.

8. Use the ink right away.

15

13402_001-024_FSD 1513402_001-024_FSD 15 11/19/05 9:50:22 AM11/19/05 9:50:22 AM

Calligraphers can paint their beautiful characters on any kind of surface. Some artists draw on silk; most use special paper.

Artists who want their work to last a long time use a special kind of paper called Xuan paper. Some artwork made on Xuan paper has lasted a thousand years. Xuan paper does not tear easily and will not be damaged by insects. Even if the paper gets wet, the artwork will not be destroyed.

16

13402_001-024_FSD 1613402_001-024_FSD 16 11/19/05 9:50:25 AM11/19/05 9:50:25 AM

Chapter 6 Learning Calligraphy

Calligraphy is not easy to learn. The Chinese written language has about 50,000 characters. About 7,000 characters are commonly used. Calligraphers spend years studying them.

Calligraphy students begin by learning basic techniques. They learn the right way to hold the brush. They learn the correct posture for writing. Then, they learn the basic brushstrokes.

After that, they practice, practice, and practice! One great artist named Wang Xizhi spent lots of time practicing while he was growing up. After each session, he cleaned his brushes in the pond outside his familys home. Some people say he cleaned so many brushes that the whole pond turned black with ink!

17

13402_001-024_FSD 1713402_001-024_FSD 17 11/19/05 9:50:27 AM11/19/05 9:50:27 AM

Calligraphy is written

in lines from the top

of the page to the

bottom, beginning

on the right side of

the page.

18

Even though China has a new system of alphabetic writing, calligraphy is not a lost art. Many people still use characters to communicate. Character writing is still taught in Chinese schools.

Someday character writing may become less common. But many people will still want to learn this ancient and respected art.

13402_001-024_FSD 1813402_001-024_FSD 18 11/19/05 9:50:28 AM11/19/05 9:50:28 AM

19

Calligraphy is an art form with many traditions. One tradition is about a special way to practice. Practice is done in three stages. The stages are called mo, lin, and xie.

During the mo stage, students learn to practice using a brush to make basic strokes. Then students move on to the lin stage. In this stage, they copy a model. Students copy the model onto paper filled with squares.

The xie stage is the time for students to write on their own. They begin to write their own thoughts.

In the xie stage, students also develop their own style. Everyones handwriting looks a little different, and calligraphy, after all, is an art!

13402_001-024_FSD 1913402_001-024_FSD 19 11/19/05 9:50:31 AM11/19/05 9:50:31 AM

20

Be a CalligrapherTry some calligraphy yourself. Since

you are a beginner, you wont use special calligraphy tools. Instead, use a simple paint brush with a fine point and some tempera paint. You can paint on regular art paper.

friend

school

dog

sun

laugh

Now Try This

13402_001-024_FSD 2013402_001-024_FSD 20 11/19/05 9:50:33 AM11/19/05 9:50:33 AM

21

Heres How to Do It!

1. Gather the materials youll need.

2. Practice using the inked paint brush to make different kinds of brushstrokes on the paper.

3. Choose a character from the chart to copy.

4. Study the lines in the character.

5. Trace over the lines with your finger and decide how to form the brushstrokes.

6. Practice! Practice! Practice!

13402_001-024_FSD 2113402_001-024_FSD 21 11/19/05 9:50:34 AM11/19/05 9:50:34 AM

22

Glossarybristles n. the hairs on a brush

dialects n. different versions of a particular language

diverse adj. different

expedition n. a journey with a specific purpose

flourished v. steadily grew; expanded

ingredient n. one of several substances mixed together to make a new substance

inspiration n. something that stimulates a person to be creative

literate adj. having the ability to read and write

muffled adj. unable to be heard; wrapped with material to deaden the sound

techniques n. methods of doing something

translation n. message or text changed from one language into a different language

13402_001-024_FSD 2213402_001-024_FSD 22 11/19/05 9:50:35 AM11/19/05 9:50:35 AM

The Four Treasures

Reader Response1. Why hasnt the written Chinese language

changed as much as other languages over time?

2. What are the four treasures? Answer by completing the web.

3. Use a dictionary to find antonymswords that mean the oppositefor these vocabulary words: diverse, flourished, literate, muffled.

4. Look back at page 19. Explain the three stages of practice when learning calligraphy. Why do you think each stage is important?

13402_CVR_FSD C-D13402_CVR_FSD C-D 11/19/05 9:52:03 AM11/19/05 9:52:03 AM

previous: next: