An enthralling story of revolution, idealism, and a savage struggle for utopia by one of China's greatest living novelists. In 1898 reformist intellectuals in China persuaded the young emperor that it was time to transform his sclerotic empire into a prosperous modern state. The Hundred Days’ Reform that followed was a moment of unprecedented change and extraordinary hope—brought to an abrupt end by a bloody military coup. Dashed expectations would contribute to the revolutionary turn that Chinese history would soon take, leading in time to the deaths of millions. Peach Blossom Paradise, set at the time of the reform, is the story of Xiumi, the daughter of a wealthy landowner and former government official who falls prey to insanity and disappears. Days later, a man with a gold cicada in his pocket turns up at his estate and is inexplicably welcomed as a relative. This mysterious man has a great vision of reforging China as an egalitarian utopia, and he will stop at nothing to make it real. It is his own plans, however, which come to nothing, and his “little sister” Xiumi is left to take up arms against a Confucian world in which women are chattel. Her campaign for change and her struggle to seize control over her own body are continually threatened by the violent whims of men who claim to be building paradise.
French Beading is a bead-and-wire art from the Renaissance used primarily to make flowers. Learn the art from designer Lauren Harpster in this new publication made specifically for beginners who've never touched beads or wire, but is also an excellent resource for experienced French Beading artists. This title is a hard copy of my Learn French Beading: Beginner Course video series on YouTube. Instructions for accessing the videos are included inside the book (Videos will be available after Feb 29th). *Part 1 is the "Getting Started" guide. Before making French Beaded Flowers it is very important to understand the materials needed to make them. This section explores tools, beads, wire, and other supplies in detail, though not all of them will be necessary for this course. *Part 2 is the "Technique Guide", which contains six lessons that teach the techniques included in this course - Continuous Loops, Continuous Crossover Loops, Continuous Wraparound Loops, Fringe, Basic Frame, and Lacing. These lessons are important for learning French Beading terms and abbreviations, and how to read French Beading patterns. I like to teach techniques separately from flower patterns because there's so much more I can teach you about an individual technique than what I can cover in a single flower pattern. There are also some variations of the techniques that are not used in the practice patterns, but are included for education and reference. This section is also intended to be a one-stop technique reference so you can quickly look up specific techniques while working with other flower patterns. Each lesson has a video demonstration so you can see the techniques in action, but they also contain picture and written instructions for the techniques. *Part 3 contains four wildflower patterns that I've developed specifically for helping you practice the base techniques learned in Part 2 - Lavender, Dame's Rocket, Blue Virgin's Bower, and Black-Eyed Susan. The patterns have been written with beginners in mind and contain a high level of detail, so they're a great way to dip your toes into the art. This section is important for seeing practical application of the techniques, reinforcing the ability to read patterns, and learning how to assemble and shape a variety of flowers. I have also made video demonstrations of each of the flowers. While I demonstrate flower parts fully in the videos, I only show techniques as they are used in that particular flower. So you can start with Part 3 if you use the videos, but I do recommend that you go back through the lessons in Part 2. *Part 4 will demonstrate how to arrange the flowers from Part 3 to make a wildflower arrangement. I am not a professional florist, but I'd like to share what I've learned about arranging beaded flowers. This section is included only in the book version of the course.
When the immortal Bai Qian finally meets her intended husband, the heir to the Sky Throne, she considers herself in luck--until an old enemy returns to threaten everything she holds dear.... When a mortal woman enters the immortal world to be with her true love, she sparks a jealousy that ends in tragedy.... And when a war god depletes his spiritual energy, his devoted student sustains his body with her own heart's blood until the god's scattered soul reassembles.... Spanning a thousand years of tangled lives, To the Sky Kingdom is a story of epic battles, passion, evil, and magic. In its journey across worlds and time, it delves into the powerful forces that drive mortals and gods alike toward revenge, loyalty--and love.
IT is safe to assert that no other country has such a distinctive form of landscape gardening as Japan. In English, French, Italian, and Dutch gardens, however original in their way, there are certain things they seem all to possess in common: terraces, which originally belonged to Italian gardens, were soon introduced into France; clipped trees, which were a distinctive feature of Dutch gardens, were copied by the English; the fashion of decorating gardens with flights of stone steps, balustrades, fountains, and statues at one time spread from Italy throughout Europe; and possibly the over-decoration of gardens led to a change in taste in England and a return to a more natural style.
Torn from her family. Destined to become the most desired courtesan in China. A seductive and evocative debut that opens the doors on life as a Chinese courtesan in the Peach Blossom Pavilion...
Li-Young Lee is a leading American poet, born in Indonesia, whose poetry fuses memory, family, culture and history to explore love, exile, family and mortality. This selection, drawn from three collections and a memoir, shows Lee searching for understanding and for the right language to give form to what is invisible and evanescent.
