the red thread - Miami Theater Center

Suppl emental Material s
Tangrams
Books for Lower Middle and Elementary
School Students
Chinese Cinderella: The True Story of an Unwanted
Daughter by Adeline Yen Mah
Count your Way Through China by James Haskins
The Enchanted Tapestry by Robert San Souci
Great Ancient China Projects You Can Build Yourself
by Lance Kramer
Long-Long’s New Year: A Story About the Chinese Spring
Festival by Catherine Gower
The Weaving of a Dream by Marilee Heyer
When Guàiren, the mystic, begins training Ling Shih to prepare
for the next steps of her adventure, he tells her the ancient
Chinese legend about a servant who dropped a fragile ceramic
tile, breaking it into seven pieces. He couldn’t figure out how to
put the pieces back together into a square; however, he discovered that he could create many other interesting shapes. From
this discovery came the tangram puzzle.
Ling Shih becomes very frustrated when she attempts to create specific shapes with the tangrams. Guàiren advises her to sit
down, close her eyes, clear her mind, and focus on her breath. If
you get frustrated, try following his advice.
by stephanie ansin & fernando calzadilla
Books For Educators and Parents
Along the Silk Road by Elizabeth Ten Grotenhuis
(editor)
Chinese Symbols and Icons complied by
The Commercial Press
A Dictionary of Chinese Symbols by Wolfram Eberhard
Handbook of Chinese Mythology by Lihui Yang and
Deming An with Jessica Anderson Turner
Myths and Legends of China by E.T.C. Werner
Conscious breathing is the core of Buddhist
meditation practice. Most of the time we breathe
automatically without paying attention to our
inhales and exhales. Taking the time to slow down
and focus on your breathing – observing your inhales
and exhales, the rise and fall of your abdomen, and
the thoughts that float through your mind – helps
develop concentration and an awareness of how
what you think affects your body and mind.
RedThreadStudy_2013_v3.indd 1
based on chinese folktales
Books for Upper Middle and
High School Students
The Bone Setter’s Daughter by Amy Tan
The Good Earth by Pearl Buck
The Hero’s Journey by Joseph Campbell
The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan
Woman Warrior by Maxine Hong Kingston
Copy this page and cut up the seven pieces that make up the
square below. Then use the pieces to make a square, a triangle,
person riding a horse, duck, and bunny.
Miami Theater Center
9806 NE 2nd Avenue
Miami Shores, FL 33138
(305) 751-9550
info@mtcmiami.org
mtcmiami.org
the red thread
Web Resources
Ancient Chinese folktales and culture
http://www.chinancient.com/
China for middle school students
http://www.historyforkids.org/learn/china/
Chinese culture, traditions, and etiquette
http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/resources/globaletiquette/china-country-profile.html
The Secrets of the Silk Road
http://www.penn.museum/current-changingexhibits/749-secrets-of-the-silk-road.html
The Silk Road Project, founded by Chinese cellist
Yo-Yo Ma
http://www.silkroadproject.org/
Silkworm Cocooning
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R6Q6vCBFJL4
Tangrams
http://www.tangrams.ca/inner/tanpage.htm
Weaving
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lWXZ8G2EsKI
When Silk Was Gold
http://antiquesandthearts.com/archive/silk.htm
Sunshine State Standards
Choreography by Octavio Campos
Original Music & Sound Design by Luciano Stazzone
Set, Costume & Lighting Design by Fernando Calzadilla
Directed by Stephanie Ansin
Reading/Language Arts 1.6, 1.7, 2.1, 4.2, 6.1 Theatre C.1, H.1, H.3 Math G.1
Social Studies G.1, G.6, 912.H.3
MTC is funded in part by Ansin Foundation; John S. and James L. Knight Foundation;
Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs and the Cultural Affairs Council, the
Miami-Dade County Mayor and Board of County Commissioners; North Dade Medical
Foundation; Gonza Executive Search, LLC; WSVN Channel 7; Andrew L. Ansin; The
Green Family Foundation, Inc.; Peacock Foundation, Inc.; Ophelia & Juan Js. Roca; and
State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs, the Florida Council on
Arts and Culture.
study guide
10/16/13 12:27 PM
The Story
Our story begins in 400 A.C.E in Hangzhou,
a city on the east coast of China. When a silk
weaver named Goˉng Shâo is about to complete
a tapestry he has been working on for three
years, his oldest daughter, Yáo Xuě, convinces
his middle daughter, Méi Huaˉ, to help her steal
the masterpiece so they can sell it and use the
money to acquire fancy clothes, delicious food,
and rich husbands. As a result, Goˉng Shâo’s
youngest daughter, Ling Shih, sets out on a quest
to recover her father’s work. She walks across
China for three months until she encounters a
mystic named Guàiren who teaches her how to
solve complex puzzles and remain calm under
stressful circumstances.
Ling Shih’s new abilities enable her to transform
a jade statue into a magic horse that flies her to a
cave in far western China. There she encounters
Wàng, the Prince of Khotan, who is about to
celebrate his 21st birthday and marry a princess
he has never met. Ling Shih and Wàng instantly
fall in love in the midst of their very stressful
circumstances. Together, they open Wàng’s first
wedding present and find Goˉng Shâo’s tapestry
nestled inside the box! Thanks to the flying horse,
Ling Shih quickly takes the weaving home to her
dying father, and he uses the red thread that was
tied around the present to sew one last red lotus
on the tapestry and complete his work.
Once the tapestry is finished, Goˉng Shâo and
Ling Shih are magically transported back to
Khotan just in time for Ling Shih to replace Prince
Wàng’s unwanted bride. Even the humbled older
sisters are included in the unexpected turn of
events: greed and frivolous spending have forced
them to become travelling dress vendors. They
pass through Khotan right before the wedding,
and they end up giving Ling Shih a stunning gown.
Guàiren officiates a beautiful ceremony, and
everyone dances to celebrate union, reunion,
and homecoming.
The title of the play comes from an
ANCIENT CHINESE BELIEF
The Tapestry
of Life
A tapestry is created by
weaving different colored
threads togther to make
a pattern or image. Goˉng
Shâo's tapestry is a metaphor
for the powerful connections
we have with our family,
friends, and community. Our
strength comes from the
delicate interweaving of
our individual lives.
An invisible red thread
connects those who
are destined to meet,
regardless of time, place,
or circumstance.
The red thread may
stretch or tangle, but it
will never break.
Even today, many Chinese
people wear red bracelets
that symbolize their desire to
find the soul mate they are
connected to by an invisible
red thread.
• How do you see this ancient
Chinese belief reflected in the play?
• Which characters do you think are
connected by invisible red threads?
When Ling Shih searches for her father’s tapestry, it takes her three months to walk from
Hangzhou to the Kunlun Mountain. Then it takes her a few minutes to fly to Khotan
on a magic horse. Later that night, the same horse flies her from Khotan back to Hangzou in less than an hour. When Goˉ ng Shâo finally completes his tapestry, he and Ling
Shih miraculously find themselves transported back to Khotan in a matter of seconds.
Hangzhou to Khotan:
2,815 miles
Khotan
Kunlun Mountain
Kunlun Mountain to Khotan: 265 miles
Luoyang
Xining
Xining to Kunlun Mountain: 1140 miles
Luoyang to Xian: 254 miles
In China, the
Kunlun Mountain
has been know as
one of the pillars
that holds up the
sky; deities’ paradise;
and the link between
Heaven and Earth.
• being good to one’s parents and showing them love, respect, and support
• behaving well outside the home so as to bring a good name to one’s
parents
Yáo Xuě and Méi Huaˉ behave extremely disrespectfully when they steal
their father’s tapestry.
Write an essay or have a discussion about
the following questions:
• Why do Yáo Xuě and Méi Huaˉ disobey Goˉng Shâo?
• What would you do if you were in their situation?
• What would you do if you were Goˉng Shâo or Ling Shi?
Hangzhou to Luoyang: 640 miles
Miami to Santa Barbara:
2,799 miles
Santa Barbara
Filial Piety
Filial piety is considered the most important virtue in Chinese culture.
It includes:
Hangzhou
Xian
Xian to Xining: 516 miles
• Do you have any invisible,
inevitable connections in your life?
• performing the duties of one’s job well so as to obtain the means to
support one’s parents
Goˉng Shâo named his youngest
daughter Ling Shih after Hsi-Ling-Shih,
the wife of the first emperor of China.
According to legend, Hsi-Ling-Shih
discovered silk when a silkworm
cocoon fell into her tea cup and
unraveled before her eyes,
revealing a long strand
of silk thread.
Ling Shih’s Journey
As you can see on the
Google maps, Ling Shih’s
journey is comparable to
traveling from Miami, FL
to Santa Barbara, CA.
Miami Beach
Where have you gone?
Some journeys take place in time and space. Other journeys take place inside
your mind. Think about a significant journey – external or internal – that you’ve
taken. For example: a vacation to another city; moving to a new place; making
a new friend; or overcoming a fear. Now write about what prompted your
journey and what you learned along the way.
(For teachers: This is an FCAT expository essay prompt.)
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