CLSC Chinese Art and Culture

Thanks to CLSC VP Art & Culture Katy Chen Myers for planning a full slate of special projects for our students this year.

Art & Culture Levels 1 & 2

· Animal PuppetsDecorate Oversized Puppet Characters from

Chinese/Miao fairytale: “The Peacock’s Tail
· Book Illustration

For a Story written by Students based on

Shopping for objects from ancient China.

· Patterns & Designs
Basic designs, patterns and symbols of the

Ming & Qing periods



· Bowls and Chopsticks

Food and chopstick 3D display of what we

Eat at home with our families

· Two Thousand Ships
Collage of the Ming Ships that sailed around

the world in the 1600s which carried over

twenty eight thousand men.



CLSC Art & Culture: Levels 3 & 4




· Children & Pet Puppets
Decorate “Self Portrait” or “Pet” puppets to

Dance to Chinese music.

· Family Cookbook
Students create illustrations for the first

CLSC cookbook

· Heroes of the Ming
Students help paint two murals of famous

Heroes from the Ming dynasty

· Two Thousand Ships
Illustrations of the goods traded with the

merchants of Europe during the world

voyage: Chinese innovations

· Active Qigong The Crane, the bear and the basic rock;

Qigong as performance art




CLSC Art & Culture: Levels 5& 6






· The Victors:

Portraits of the Qing & the eight banners; Nurhaci & his decedents: The Manchu

Costumes for men & women

· Temples of worship

Two backdrops depicting the interior of a

Small temple from the 1400s

· Jade & Earth
Recreate ornamental objects and vessels in

miniature for a household



· Shadow Puppets The Man & the Rabbit; a Szechuan folktale

Students create shadow box & puppets



· Qigong: Eight Brocades

Eight exercise movements, performance to

music; Daoist teachings to relax the mind





CLSC Art & Culture: Levels 7-9

· The Dancing Immortals

Puppet portrait: Bamboo & paper

Part of the “Peacock’s Tail” and Magic Flute

Story using masks & puppets



· The Manchu
Portraits depicting the most famous leaders of the Qing



· The Journey Map for the teen & tween using books:

“Monkey” & “American Born Chinese”



· The Book of Inventions 2500 years science & innovations based on

works of Joseph Needham: illustrations &

collage on canvas



· The CLSC photo bookStudents take photos of Asian influences

they see in everyday life to incorporate in to

large mix-media installation





Upcoming CLSC Events



October: Parent Forum: Dr. Jessica Offir

“Parenting: Setting Boundaries for your child”





November: The 2nd Annual CLSC Baking contest

This years’ theme: Decorative arts of China





December: Parent Forum: Patricia Lord

“Self Image for Girls: What moms need to

To Know”





January: Lantern Painting and Art Show





February: Cooking Demo; Steamed buns







CLSC

Wheat & Rice Cooking Workshops





Steam buns with assorted fillings



Fried rice, home style



Glutinous rice with chicken & wine



Dumplings with veggies, shrimp or chicken





Join us to learn how to cook simple and nutritious

home style comfort foods which are easy to

prepare. Class will be held at a private home in

Greenwich. B.Y.O.R.P*



* Bring your own rolling pins

The Chinese discovered tea nearly 5,000 years ago...

The Chinese discovered the healing properties of tea nearly 5,000 years ago.

From Wikipedia: The history of tea in China is long and complex. The Chinese have enjoyed tea for millennia. Scholars hailed the brew as a cure for a variety of ailments; the nobility considered the consumption of good tea as a mark of their status, and the common people simply enjoyed its flavor.

Tea was first discovered by the Chinese Emperor Shennong in 2737 BC. It is said that the emperor liked his drinking water boiled before he drank it so it would be clean, so that is what his servants did. One day, on a trip to a distant region, he and his army stopped to rest. A servant began boiling water for him to drink, and a dead leaf from the wild tea bush fell into the water. It turned a brownish color, but it was unnoticed and presented to the emperor anyway. The emperor drank it and found it very refreshing, and cha (tea) was born.[citation needed]

While historically the origin of tea as a medicinal herb useful for staying awake is unclear, China is considered to have the earliest records of tea drinking, with recorded tea use in its history dating back to the first millennium BC. The Han Dynasty used tea as medicine. The use of tea as a beverage drunk for pleasure on social occasions dates from the Tang Dynasty or earlier.

Marco Polo discussed Chinese teas in his journals; two Russian explores brought tea to Russia in 1579.

For more on tea: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_tea_in_China

To purchase wonderful tea in our area visit Arogya: http://www.arogya.net/

We all know tea has healing properties, gives you energy, tastes great (if prepared the right way) and is good for you.

Following are some Tea Tips:

White Tea: May dispel effects of alcohol and nicotine; acts on colds and sore throats, strong antioxidants; steep for 30 seconds at 185 degrees F, 85 degrees C; may reuse up to 4 times


Green Tea: Acts on colds, sore throats, strong antioxidants; helps dispel fat; steep for 30 seconds at 203 degrees F, 95 degrees C; may resue up to 4 times

Pu’er Tea: May regulate blood pressure, lower cholesterol, helps dispel fat, purifier, may eliminate toxins, mixing with gingeng is said to provide relief from rheumatism and arthritis; steep for 30 seconds at 203 degrees F, 95 degrees C; may resue up to 4 times

Oriental Beauty / King of Oolong Tea: Good for blood circulation and skin; good for anemia, helps enrich blood; may nourish stomach if mixed with brown sugar; may soften blood vessels; steep for 30 seconds at 203 degrees F, 95 degrees C; may reuse up to 4 times

Jasmine Tea: Dispels heat, improves eyesight; gives energy and may help relieve headache; steep for 30 seconds at 203 degrees F, 95 degrees C; may be reused up to 6 times

Litchi Tea / Black Tea: May be good for digestion and promotes energy; steep for 30 seconds at 203 degrees F, 95 degrees C; may be reused up to 3 times

Ginseng Oolong: Restores energy, protects liver and kidney; steep for 30 seconds at 203 degrees F, 95 degrees C; may be reused up to 5 times

"Real" Chinese Instant Noodles

Interesting video on how Chinese chefs prepare traditional noodle soup. This was shot in Beijing in late June (the soup's delicious).

Chefs in Asia train for several years to be able to do prepare noodles this way.

Footage by Kaeru