The Red Press

The Red Press

Dragon
A
dragon is a large, serpentine legendary creature that appears
in the folklore of many cultures around the world. Beliefs about
dragons vary drastically by region, but dragons in western
cultures since the High Middle Ages have often been depicted as winged,
horned, four-legged, and capable of breathing fire. Dragons in eastern
cultures are usually depicted as wingless, four-legged, serpentine creatures
with above-average intelligence.
Commonalities between dragons traits are often a hybridization of
avian, feline, and reptilian features, and may include: snakelike features,
reptilian scaly skin, four legs with three or four toes on each, spinal
nodes running down the back, a tail, and a serrated jaw with rows
of teeth. Several modern scholars believe huge extinct or migrating
crocodiles bear the closest resemblance, especially when encountered
in forested or swampy areas, and are most likely the template of modern
dragon imagery. This also fits with the ancient words ‘Draco’ and
‘Drakon’, meaning ‘large serpent’ or ‘sea serpent.’
The earliest attested reports of draconic creatures resemble giant snakes.
Draconic creatures are first described in the mythologies of the ancient
Near East and appear in ancient Mesopotamian art and literature.
Stories about storm-gods slaying giant serpents occur throughout nearly
all Indo-European and Near Eastern mythologies. Famous prototypical
draconic creatures include the mušhuššu of ancient Mesopotamia; Apep
in Egyptian mythology; Vrtra in the Rigveda; the Leviathan in the
Hebrew Bible; Python, Ladon, Wyvern, and the Lernaean Hydra in
Greek mythology; Jörmungandr, Níðhöggr, and Fafnir in Norse mythology;
and the dragon from Beowulf.
The word “dragon” has also come to be applied to the Chinese lung
(also spelled long), which are associated with good fortune and are
thought to have power over rain. Dragons and their associations with
rain are the source of the Chinese customs of dragon dancing and
dragon boat racing. Many East Asian deities and demigods have dragons
as their personal mounts or companions. Dragons were also identified
with the Emperor of China, who, during later Chinese imperial history,
was the only one permitted to have dragons on his house, clothing,
or personal articles.

Dragon Dancing
Dragon dance is a form of traditional dance and performance
in Chinese culture. Like the lion dance, it is most often seen
in festive celebrations. The dance is performed by a team of
experienced dancers who manipulate a long flexible figure of a dragon
using poles positioned at regular intervals along the length of the dragon.
The dance team simulates the imagined movements of this river spirit
in a sinuous, undulating manner.
The dragon dance is often performed during Chinese New Year.
Chinese dragons are a symbol of China’s culture, and they are believed
to bring good luck to people, therefore the longer the dragon is in
the dance, the more luck it will bring to the community. The dragons
are believed to possess qualities that include great power, dignity,
fertility, wisdom and auspiciousness. The appearance of a dragon is
both fearsome and bold but it has a benevolent disposition, and it
was an emblem to represent imperial authority. The movements in
a performance traditionally symbolize historical roles of dragons
demonstrating power and dignity. The dragon is a long serpentine
body formed of a number of sections on poles, with a dragon head
and a tail. The dragon is assembled by joining the series of hoops on
each section and attaching the ornamental head and tail pieces at
the ends. Traditionally, dragons were constructed of wood, with
bamboo hoops on the inside and covered with a rich fabric, however
in the modern era lighter materials such as aluminium and plastics
have replaced the wood and heavy material.
Dragons can range in length from as little as 2 metres (10 ft) operated
by two people for small displays, around 25 to 35 metres (80 to 110 ft)
for the more acrobatic models, and up to 50 to 70 metres (160 to 230 ft)
for the larger parade and ceremonial styles. The size and length of a
dragon depends on the human power available, financial power, materials,
skills and size of the field. A small organization cannot afford to
run a very long dragon because it requires considerable human power,
great expenses and special skills which are difficult to manage.
Historically the dragon dance may be performed in a variety of ways
with different types and colors of dragon. Green is sometimes selected
as a main color of the dragon, which symbolizes a great harvest.
Other colors include: yellow symbolizing the solemn empire, golden
or silver colors symbolizing prosperity, red color representing excitement
while its scales and tail are mostly beautiful silver colors and
glittering at all times which provides a feeling of joyous atmosphere.
As the Dragon dance is not performed every day, the cloth of the
dragon is to be removed and to have a new touch of ultra-paint
before the next performance.

Lantern Festival
The Lantern Festival or the Spring Lantern Festival is a Chinese
festival celebrated on the fifteenth day of the first month in the
lunisolar Chinese calendar. Usually falling in February or early
March on the Gregorian calendar, it marks the final day of the traditional
Chinese New Year celebrations. As early as the Western Han Dynasty
(206 BCE-CE 25), it had become a festival with great significance.
During the Lantern Festival, children go out at night carrying paper
lanterns and solve riddles on the lanterns.
In ancient times, the lanterns were fairly simple, and only the emperor
and noblemen had large ornate ones. In modern times, lanterns have
been embellished with many complex designs. For example, lanterns
are now often made in the shape of animals. The lanterns can symbolize
the people letting go of their past selves and getting new ones, which
they will let go of the next year. The lanterns are almost always red to
symbolize good fortune.
The festival acts as an Uposatha day on the Chinese calendar. It should
not to be confused with the Mid-Autumn Festival; which is sometimes
also known as the “Lantern Festival” in locations such as Singapore
and Malaysia. The Lantern Festival has also become popular in Western
countries, especially in cities with a large Chinese community. In London,
the Magical Lantern Festival is held annually.
There are several beliefs about the origin of the Lantern Festival. However,
its roots trace back more than 2000 years ago and is popularly linked
to the reign of Emperor Ming of Han at the time when Buddhism was
growing in China. Emperor Ming was an advocate of Buddhism and
noticed Buddhist monks would light lanterns in temples on the fifteenth
day of the first lunar month. As a result, Emperor Ming ordered all households,
temples and the imperial palace to light lanterns on that evening.
From there it developed into a folk custom. Another likely origin is the
celebration of “the declining darkness of winter” and community’s ability
to “move about at night with human-made light,” namely, lanterns.
During the Han Dynasty, the festival was connected to Ti Yin, the deity
of the North Star. There is one legend that states that it was a time to
worship Taiyi, the God of Heaven in ancient times. The belief was that
the God of Heaven controlled the destiny of the human world. He had
sixteen dragons at his beck and call and he decided when to inflict
drought, storms, famine or pestilence upon human beings. Beginning
with Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor of China, who named China,
all the emperors ordered splendid ceremonies each year. The emperor
would ask Taiyi to bring favorable weather and good health to him
and his people.
Wudi of the Han Dynasty directed special attention to this event.
In 104 BCE, he proclaimed it to be one of the most important celebrations
and the ceremony would last throughout the night.
Another legend associates the Lantern Festival with Taoism. Tianguan
is the Taoist god responsible for good fortune. His birthday falls on the
fifteenth day of the first lunar month. It is said that Tianguan likes all
types of entertainment, so followers prepare various kinds of activities
during which they pray for good fortune.

Peking Opera
Peking opera, or Beijing opera, is the most dominant form of
Chinese opera which combines music, vocal performance,
mime, dance and acrobatics. It arose in Beijing in the mid-
Qing dynasty (1636-1912) and became fully developed and recognized
by the mid-19th century. The form was extremely popular in the
Qing court and has come to be regarded as one of the cultural treasures
of China. Major performance troupes are based in Beijing,
Tianjin and Shanghai. The art form is also preserved in Taiwan, where
it is also known as Guójù (literally: ‘National opera’). It has also spread
to other regions such as the United States and Japan.
Peking opera features four main role types, sheng (gentlemen), dan
(women), jing (rough men), and chou (clowns). Performing troupes
often have several of each variety, as well as numerous secondary and
tertiary performers. With their elaborate and colorful costumes, performers
are the only focal points on Peking opera’s characteristically
sparse stage. They use the skills of speech, song, dance and combat
in movements that are symbolic and suggestive, rather than realistic.
Above all else, the skill of performers is evaluated according to the
beauty of their movements. Performers also adhere to a variety of stylistic
conventions that help audiences navigate the plot of the production.
The layers of meaning within each movement must be expressed in
time with music. The music of Peking opera can be divided into the
xīpí and èrhuáng styles. Melodies include arias, fixed-tune melodies
and percussion patterns. The repertoire of Peking opera includes over
1,400 works, which are based on Chinese history, folklore and, increasingly,
contemporary life.
Traditional Peking opera was denounced as “feudalistic” and “bourgeois”
during the Cultural Revolution (1966–1976) and replaced with
the revolutionary operas as a means of propaganda and indoctrination.
[8] After the Cultural Revolution, these transformations were largely
undone. In recent years, Peking opera has attempted numerous reforms
in response to sagging audience numbers. These reforms, which include
improving performance quality, adapting new performance elements
and performing new and original plays, have met with mixed success.
Peking opera was born when the ‘Four Great Anhui Troupes’ brought
Hui opera, or what is now called Huiju, in 1790 to Beijing, for the
eightieth birthday of the Qianlong Emperor on 25 September. It was
originally staged for the court and only made available to the public later.
In 1828, several famous Hubei troupes arrived in Beijing and performed
jointly with Anhui troupes. The combination gradually formed Peking
opera’s melodies. Peking opera is generally regarded as having fully formed
by 1845. Although it is called Peking opera (Beijing theatre style), its
origins are in the southern Anhui and eastern Hubei, which share the
same dialect of Xiajiang Mandarin (Lower Yangtze Mandarin). Peking
opera’s two main melodies, Xipi and Erhuang, were derived from Han
Opera after about 1750. The tune of Peking opera is extremely similar
to that of Han opera, therefore Han opera is widely known as the Mother
of Peking opera. Xipi literally means ‘Skin Puppet Show’, referring to
the puppet show that originated in Shaanxi province. Chinese puppet
shows always involve singing. Much dialogue is also carried out in an
archaic form of Mandarin Chinese, in which the Zhongyuan Mandarin
dialects of Henan and Shaanxi are closest. This form of Mandarin is
recorded in the book Zhongyuan Yinyun. It also absorbed music from
other operas and local Zhili musical art forms. Some scholars believe
that the Xipi musical form was derived from the historic Qinqiang,
while many conventions of staging, performance elements, and aesthetic
principles were retained from Kunqu, the form that preceded it
as court art.

Ministry of
National Defense
(Republic of China)
Marxism
The Ministry of National Defense of the Republic of China is a
cabinet-level agency under the Executive Yuan responsible for
all defense and military affairs of Taiwan. The MND is headed
by Minister Yen Teh-fa. The MND was originally established as Ministry
of War in 1912 at the creation of the Republic of China.
It established a military occupation operation center in Taipei, Formosa
in November 1945, following the Supreme Commander for the Allied
Powers Douglas MacArthur’s September 2, 1945 General Order No. 1,
for the surrender of Japanese troops and auxiliary forces in Formosa and
the Pescadores to Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek. It was changed to
the Ministry of National Defense in 1946. Military operation activities
in Formosa and the Pescadores were expanded after Japan renounced
its title, right, and claim to Formosa and the Pescadores based on the
April 28, 1952 Treaty of Peace with Japan. The Law of National Defense
and the Organic Law of the ministry were officially promulgated for
implementation on 1 March 2002.
On 8 December 2014, the ministry moved out from its building from
the previous one at Boai Building in Zhongzheng District to the current
one in Dazhi area at Zhongshan District, where it houses the Air Force
Command Headquarters, Navy Command Headquarters and Hengshan
Military Command Center. The completion of the building had been
delayed for nearly two decades due to the compound original architecture
and the bankruptcy of the project’s original contractor. The planning
for the new building and relocation had been done since 1997. The official
ribbon-cutting ceremony was held on 27 December 2014. The head
quarters of the military was originally in eastern Nanjing near Ming
Palace. Today it is located in Dazhi area of Zhongshan District in Taipei.
The 8-story main building was constructed at a cost of NT$15.8 billion,
spreading over 19.5 hectares of area, which houses office buildings,
dormitories and other facilities, such as post office, barbershop, sports
center, and conference hall to accommodate its 3,000 military personnel
stationed there. It also includes several annex buildings around.
Marxism is a method of socioeconomic analysis that views class
relations and social conflict using a materialist interpretation
of historical development and takes a dialectical view of social
transformation. It originates from the works of 19th-century German
philosophers Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels.
Marxism uses a methodology, now known as historical materialism, to
analyze and critique the development of class society and especially of
capitalism as well as the role of class struggles in systemic economic,
social, and political change. According to Marxist theory, in capitalist
societies, class conflict arises due to contradictions between the material
interests of the oppressed and exploited proletariat – a class of wage
labourers employed to produce goods and services – and the bourgeoisie
– the ruling class that owns the means of production and extracts its
wealth through appropriation of the surplus product produced by the
proletariat in the form of profit.
Marxism has developed into many different branches and schools of
thought, with the result that there is now no single definitive Marxist
theory. Different Marxian schools place a greater emphasis on certain
aspects of classical Marxism while rejecting or modifying other aspects.
Many schools of thought have sought to combine Marxian concepts
and non-Marxian concepts, which has then led to contradictory
conclusions. However, lately there is movement toward the recognition
that historical materialism and dialectical materialism remains the fundamental
aspect of all Marxist schools of thought. Marxism has had a profound
impact on global academia and has influenced many fields such
as archaeology, anthropology, media studies, science studies, political
science, theater, history, sociology, art history and theory, cultural studies,
education, economics, ethics, criminology, geography, literary criticism,
aesthetics, film theory, critical psychology and philosophy.

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