Happiness and Joy

Author: Cui Lequan
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2002-01-01
Features:
Entertainment, an ancient yet distinctive term in traditional Chinese culture, has been a part of human cultural development throughout history. Almost no one in their lifetime has never played games. Even when they are still in their cradle, just beginning to cry and laugh, they often clap their hands or kick their legs, performing some actions that arequite, yet alsoquite innocent and amusing. Therefore, entertainment itself is a cultural phenomenon closely related to humans. Our motherland is a civilization with a long history, and our ancestors once created a splendid traditional culture. Entertainment is a shining gem within this treasure trove of culture. Entertainment has its own unique trajectory of development while also serving as a window to understand the social spirit of different historical eras. On a small scale, entertainment relates to an individual's personality and interests, while on a large scale, it involves understanding a nation through it. To present the rich and diverse Chinese entertainment culture more comprehensively, we have divided ancient entertainment into six major categories based on its functions and characteristics: acrobatics and variety arts, skill competitions, intellectual and cleverness contests, leisure and refined interests, children's play and fun, and seasonal and festival entertainment. Each category is further divided into dozens of subcategories. These entertainment projects, including both prototypes and derivative new varieties, constitute a vast and self-styled system of ancient Chinese entertainment. This is precisely an important window through which we can understand ancient Chinese traditional culture. Modern scholar Lin Yutang once said, "If you do not know the daily entertainment methods of the people, you cannot understand a nation. Just as for an individual, if you do not know how they spend their leisure time, you cannot consider yourself familiar with them." The Chinese nation has always been one that loves life and is good at creating life. Understanding and researching the history of the ancient Chinese entertainment culture is undoubtedly an indispensable part of promoting the long-standing and splendid culture of the Chinese nation.