Explore the captivating history of the Sassoon family’s opium trade successes at the Jewish Museum’s Sassoon Exhibition. Discover rare artifacts, family photos, and a collection of 120 works showcasing their opulent lifestyle and dedication to the arts.
Category:
Art & Culture
The Forbidden City was the Chinese imperial palace from the Ming Dynasty to the end of the Qing Dynasty. It is located in the middle of Beijing, China, and now houses the Palace Museum. For almost 500 years, it served as the home of emperors and their households, as well as the ceremonial and political center of Chinese government.
The shape, size, stretch and type of hair in the brush, the color and density of the ink, as well as the absorptive speed and surface texture of the paper are the main physical parameters influencing the final result. The calligrapher also influences the result by the quantity of ink/water he lets the brush take up, then by the pressure, inclination, and direction he gives to the brush, producing thinner or bolder strokes, and smooth or toothed borders. Eventually, the speed, acceleration and deceleration of the writer’s moves, turns, and crochets, and the stroke order give the “spirit” to the characters by influencing greatly their final shape.
Hutongs are a type of narrow streets or alleys, most commonly associated with Beijing, China. In Beijing, hutongs are alleys formed by lines of siheyuan, traditional courtyard residences.
Many neighbourhoods were formed by joining one siheyuan to another to form a hutong, and then joining one hutong to another. The word hutong is also used to refer to such neighbourhoods.
Since the mid-20th century, the number of Beijing hutongs has dropped dramatically as they are demolished to make way for new roads and buildings. More recently, most hutongs have been designated as protected areas in an attempt to preserve this aspect of Chinese cultural history.
If you have the privilege to stay at the Peninsula Hotel in Shanghai overlooking the magnificent Bund you will quite appreciate at a few steps close the millenary art of keeping healthy through the world’s oldest soft style martial art known as Tai chi ch’uan. It’s very important though to wake up very early in the morning to practice your Chi correctly.
hile some say 2012 will bring about the end of the world, others believe 2012 to be a year of great fortune and prosperity. I, tend to enjoy the cup half full theory, and thus am of the mentality that 2012 should be embraced, and the power of the water dragon called upon.
According to Chinese mythology, 2012 is the year of the dragon. Not an ordinary fire breathing dragon, as you might imagine from a scientific fiction movie, but the powerful and graceful water dragon.
One day Japanese real estate real mogul Minoru Mori was looking at the sky from his renowned Roppongi Hills complex over a cup of green tea. Among the crowded stars he reached out for God with the following plea: ” Dear God, now that I have recently built the in the city of Shanghai, the SWFC , world’s tallest building with the help of by Petersen Fox design team , I would like now with your permission to create the world’s best hotel; what would be your grace’s auspicious suggestions?”
Every inch of this street art landmark is covered with graffiti of the finest order. Much of it is produced by artists associated with São Paulo’s urban intervention schemes, but the Beco do Batman also attracts sprayers and stencilers from all over the world. With its layers upon layers of paint, Beco do Batman is a constantly changing wonder: there’s a new surprise every day.
Giotto found the kindling, Fra Angelico, Brunelleschi and Donatello built the fire. Massaccio and Verrocchio struck the match, then Leonardo, Michelangelo, Botticelli and Raphael threw gasoline — the result was the greatest blaze of art the world has ever seen.This city is literally one huge, glorious, easily walkable treasure chest. I have prepared all kinds of tips in case you decide to go. Have yourself your very own Renaissance…
Because of my gypsy nature I have always been fascinated by the desert. I have just met in Beer Sheva the artist and filmmaker Joseph Dadoune who over several cups of a warm mint tea presented to me a stunning project taking place in the Ofaquim desert involving a local comunity. ” You must be part of this Joelle ! ” He says.
At the age of 6, my parents left me in the lobby of the Haifa Dan Panorama hotel for a little more than an hour, and I needed some time alone …When they came back they found me at the trendy bar recomposed having a cocktail side by side with Omar Sharif.
India is a mosaic of different religions varying from the ancient animistic beliefs of the tribal communities to the rigid orthodoxies of the Hindu caste system. I wandered through different degrees of spiritual energies, absorbing openhearted all that surrounded me with great passion and an observer’s devotion.
Vivaha or traditional marriage in India, becomes for a man an important institution, a bonding with his partner not only in this lifetime but, supporting the Hindu belief of reincarnation, in all lives thereafter. I run in the direction of what is going to be the most incredible experience I have ever lived in the last few years…
I’ve been visiting Naples for the past few days. I am totally overwhelmed by all the holiday lunches and dinners, Christmas concerts, rich Presepi, crucifixes, antique markets, old churches, hand-crafted nativity figurines, internal cloisters, hyper-caloric, delicious traditional pastries and delicacies…