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Monday, December 2, 1985 - 19:30

"Explorations of Chinese Prehistoric History"

Professor Zhou Guoxing, Vice-director,

Natural History Museum of Beijing

Professor Zhou Guoxing is an anthropologist and scientific writer who since 1977 has been involved in all kinds of important excavations in China which have to do with the early origins of man. He was part of the team which excavated a cave in Guangxi Province wherein were found elephant bones and human remains from 37,000 years ago. He has also written several books on the subject of man's origins. He will speak to us about these exciting discoveries in China.
Wednesday, November 20, 1985 - 19:30

"Lu Xun: A Chinese Writer for All Times"

Ruth Weiss, Member, China Political Consultative Conference

Ruth Weiss, a long-time China resident and citizen, worked for China Pictorial and is a member of China's Political Consultative Conference. A book about Lu Xun by the same title has just been published. She will talk about Lu Xun's life and about her personal meeting with him in Shanghai some years ago.
Thursday, November 7, 1985 - 19:30

Lecture and Slides: Tibetan Lamaism and the Reincarnation of the Living Buddha

Professor Wang Yao

Professor Wang Yao is one of the youngest scholars in China holding a full professorship rank specializing in Tibetan language and literature. During the last thirty years he has carried out considerable research in Tibet as well as served as an advisor to the provincial government. His presentation will address the Buddhist sect in Tibet (commonly called Lamaism) and will include slides of Tibet and its people.
Saturday, October 26, 1985 - 10:00

Guided Tour: "Restoration in the Palace Museum"

A seminar commemorating the 60th anniversary of the Gugong will be held in October. As a result the Imperial Scrolls will not be open to the public this year. In lieu of this the Relics Bureau has arranged the following tour: BIS members will have a chance to see first-hand where and how the paintings and ceramics from the Imperial Palace are restored. The tour will also include an introduction into architectural restoration, paying special attention to the roof.
Thursday, July 25, 1985 - 19:30

Film: "Citroen Rally"

This is an account of an astounding adventure, the Citroen Central Asian Expedition from Beirut to Peking, April 1931 to February 1932. Forty men and fourteen half-tracks tried to establish a link between the Mediterranean and China seas following Marco Polo's steps over the Silk Road for 7,500 miles, fighting every inch of the way over the Himalayas, across the Gobi Desert, meeting a revolution in Afghanistan, dissidents in Xinjiang and China at war.
Thursday, July 11, 1985 - 19:30

Film: "Journey into the Heart of China"

NBC-TV Documentary

This NBC-TV documentary was a BIS event last summer and is back by popular request. The film portrays aspects of Chinese life that one reads about but does not often see. There is a visit to a courtroom where a trial is taking place, a mental hospital, a family counselling session plus other scenes of Chinese life. It is a well-presented account of life in China today.
Thursday, June 27, 1985 - 10:00

Guided Temple Tour: "Fa Yuan Si"

Ginny Anami

Located in the south-west corner of Beijing, the Fa Yuan Si -- Temple of Origin of the (Buddhist) Law -- is the oldest temple within the "city walls" as it dates back to the year A.D. 645, although the buildings are of later construction. It is now the center for the Buddhist Association of China and has more than 100 priests of the Hua-yen Sect in residence. It is an excellent example of the typical Chinese Buddhist temple both in the layout of its halls and courtyards and in the representative statues therein.
Monday, June 10, 1985 - 19:30

"The Case of the Cursed Concubine"

Roy Bates

Roy Bates, a businessman who has lived in Beijing for over 5 years, has long made a special study of the Forbidden City. He has already given several fascinating talks on its myths and mysteries, as well as general information about its lesser known and more interesting secrets. His style is light but detailed, and he will be giving an illustrated guide to the stories behind two recently opened buildings in the Forbidden City, one of which is closely associated with the ill-fated "Pearl Concubine".
Saturday, May 18, 1985 - 10:00

Tour: Eastern Qing Tombs

Birgitta Crawfurd will guide a tour to the Eastern Tombs of the Qing Dynasty, located 125 km east of Beijing. She will show you the precious citadels, towers and underground palaces of the Emperor Qian Long and of the Empresses Dowager Ci An and Ci Xi, as well as the Sacred Ways lined by stone figures. This complex of tombs rivals that of the Ming Dynasty but is less well known due to its distance from Peking.
Friday, May 17, 1985 - 19:30

Piano Recital: Chen Su-chen

Chen Su-chen, Graduate, Royal College of Music, London;

Prizewinner, 1982 London Mozart Memorial Prize and

1983 International Busoni Piano Competition, Italy

This evening will offer an unusual opportunity to hear a Chinese pianist play fine Western music in the company of an audience including invited guests from the classical music world in Beijing. The program will include works of Scarlatti, Mozart, Beethoven, Chopin, Debussy and Alexander Tcherepnin, a modern composer whose style combines Western and Chinese influence.
Monday, May 6, 1985 - 15:00

Ceramic Art Exhibition

This is an exhibition of painted ceramics by five young artists, members of the Beijing ZhongLi Art Development Company. Mr. Wang Jianan, president of the company, will be present and will explain the difference between traditional ceramic painting and the work that he and his fellow artists have been doing. Between 4:00 and 6:00, the process of ceramic painting will be explained as well. Purchases are possible at reasonable prices. Sculptures also will be exhibited.
Monday, April 29, 1985 - 19:30

"Is the Peking Opera Dying?"

Dr. Michael Gissenwehrer,

Scholar, Chinese Theatre

Dr. Gissenwehrer of Austria, one of the most renowned scholars of Chinese theater, is gathering material for a book on the education and training of Chinese actor-singers as well as doing research on the history of Chinese theater. He will discuss the 2500-year development of Chinese theatre, beginning with the shamams of antiquity and continuing into the modern era, concluding with the Peking Opera. He will also compare Chinese and Western conventional theater forms and will explain the essential differences between Chinese "actors' theater" and Western "literary theater".
Monday, April 15, 1985 - 19:30

"From Our Own Correspondent"

Mark Brayne, Correspondent, BBC

Mark Brayne is the BBC correspondent in Beijing and, like his colleagues dotted around the globe, tells British and world listeners what is happening on his patch. He has kindly agreed to talk to us of views on the Communist world in general as seen and reported by a radio correspondent. Such views will be of great interest to us all, especially as he has worked as a correspondent in Moscow and E. Berlin and, after nearly 6 months in Beijing finds the comparisons particularly fascinating.
Saturday, April 13, 1985 - 10:00

Tour: "Antique Chinese Bronzes at the Palace Museum"

Du Naisong, Bureau of Museums & Archaeological Data,

Research Fellow, Beijing Palace Museum

Those BIS members who heard Dr. Du Nai Song's delightful and informative introduction to Chinese bronzes in February will be happy to learn that Dr. Du will personally lead this tour of the permanent bronze collection at the Palace Museum, where he is currently a research fellow. For those who missed his fascinating presentation, this is a second chance to benefit from his knowledge of ancient bronze artifacts.
Wednesday, March 13, 1985 - 19:30

"A Brief History of Ancient Chinese Dances"

Dai Ailian, Vice-president,

China Dancers Association and Council of UNESCO

Mme Dai Ai Lian is China's best-known ballerina. Born in the West Indies, she studied ballet in Britain under Marie Rambert and Anton Dolin, and danced with many of the best dancers in Britain at that time. She came to China in 1941 and since then has played a major role in the development of ballet in China. She has collected many Chinese folk dances. Her “Tibetan Dance” won first prize in an international competition.
Wednesday, February 27, 1985 - 19:30

"The Brilliance of Ancient Chinese Bronzes"

Du Naisong, Bureau of Museums & Archaeological Data,

Research Fellow, Beijing Palace Museum

Du Nai Song, a research fellow of the Beijing Palace Museum specializing in bronzes, will speak on the history and development of bronze ware in China during the Bronze Age, the time of the Xia, Shang and Western Zhou dynasties. He will point out the important role the invention of bronze played in Chinese history, as well as describing and illustrating the various kinds, styles and designs.
Thursday, January 17, 1985 - 19:30

"Seal Carving"

Diana Gängl-Ehrenwert, Artist

Ms. Diana Gängl-Ehrenwert, an Austrian graduate student, is doing her Ph.D. dissertation on seal carving as an aspect of Chinese art. Ms Gängl-Ehrenwert has been studying in China for four years, first in Beijing and Nanjing and currently at the Hangzhou Art Academy. She will speak about the history and importance of seal carving in China and will demonstrate the carving technique as well as exhibit some of her work.