The Ming Dynasty

The Ming Dynasty has often been labeled "the greatest period in China's history."  The voyages of Zheng He were among the most epic in history, and they extended China's influence throughout much of the world as it is known.  Literature flourished, and many famous novels that are still read today were written, one being Journey to the West, a fairy tale based on the real story of Xuan Zang's epic trek to India to retrieve the Buddhist scriptures during the Tang Dynasty,  The Ming tombs are still an architectural marvel today, and the Great Wall we see at present is in fact mostly built during the Ming.  The classic Chinese garden design also developed during this period, and acupuncture and a system of scientific medial diagnosis was developed.  All in all, the Ming Dynasty was a time of unparalleled achievement, but also the beginning of a dark era for China which was the "closed door policy".

The Ming-Qing period was highly productive musically, resulting in developments that are important not only in this period but as highlights in the entire continuation of Chinese music.  During this dynasty period (1368-1644), the art of traditional opera developed rapidly and diversely in different regions.  When these distinctive opera styles were performed at the capital, artists combined the essence of the different styles and created the Beijing opera.  This music continues to be enjoyed and appreciated even in modern times.  The art of qin and the regional traditional music were also part of the Ming dynasty.Some other prominent developments of this period include the area of theory and musical literature.  The Kun opera flourished during the Ming dynasty.
The reign of Emperor Welzong started the end of the Ming dynastythis reign was also known as Chongzhen. Corrupt court officials and the domination of the eunuchs caused the crisis of the Ming Dynasty.During that time, the ruling classes exploitation along any peasants. with natural disasters caused extreme hardship to the people. Rebel military forces launched battles in the northr]ern area of the Shaaxi Province in 1628. One of the rebel leaders, named Li Zicheng was trusted and supported by many peasants.  Li Zixheng captured Xian and a new regime was founde in 1644, called Dashun.  In the same year, the end of the Ming Dynasty was signified in Jingshan Hill of beijing when Emperor Welzong hanged himself.

Sistine Chapel

The Sistine Chael was commissioned in the year 1475 by Pope Sixtus IV.  The chapel was created to be used as the chapel for the pope, and was intended as a sign of papal authority, which it still reflects today.
Sistine Chapel history shows that while this is one of the most well know works of Michelangelo, it also cost the artist his eyesight.  When Michelangelo was chosen to create the fresco painings he did so unwillingly initially, and was not happy to be called away from his work on the tomb for the pope.  It took Michelangelo more than four years to paint the ceiling and he spent much of this time bent backwards painting on top of the scaffolding.  Speical scaffolding was used so that mass would still be possible, and the scaffolding started higher up the wall that usual because of this,  Due to the extraordinary talents of Michelangelo, the Sistine Chapel has become one of the most famous art displays in the western world. 

The interior of the chapel is gorgeous and attracts millions of visitors each year,   On the inside, the chapel is divided into two by a transenna, and a fence made from marble.  The part facing the altar is only accessible to priests.  Each of the two long walls has six large arched windows.  The walls are covered by three virtual rings with decorations.  The exterior of the building and the architecture is nothing special, and is quite plain when many churches and other historic structures are considered.  The chapel has a rectangular shape.  It has a barrel-shaped roof, topping 20 meters.   The paintings include nine frescos on the ceiling, and these frescoes show nine scenes from the book of Genesis in the Bible.  The paintings on the walls and on the ceiling are widely considered to be the peak of Renaissance art.  Out of all the things to do in Rome, and everything that the city offers, the Sistine Chapel is one of the top attractions for visitors all around the world.
The Sistine Chapel Choir is a choir based in the Vatican City and is one of the oldest religious choirs in the world.  At the present time, the choir comprises approximately twenty adults singers and thirty unpaid boy choristers.  When the Gregorian melodies were still the sole music of the church, it was the papal choir that set the standard for the rest of Christendom, both in regard to the purity of the melodies and their rendition.  After these melodies had blossomed into polyphony, it was the Sistine Chapel that it received adequate interpretation.  Here the artistic degeneration, which church music suffered in different periods in many countries, never took hold for any length of time.  The use of instruments, even of the organ has ever been excluded,  The choir's ideal has always been purely vocal style.

The chapel has been recently restored (1981 through 1994).  The newly-revealed bright colors reveal Michelangelo to have been a masterful colorist, and close-ups of the frescoes show complex brushwork that would not be matched, or even attempted, until the Impressionist movement of the nineteenth century.  Now that the electric lighting has been removed and the frescoes illuminated solely by the light from the windows, the original colors and effect have been restored.

One of the most popular tourist destinations in Rome-Vatican City, the Sistine Chapel receives some 1600 people every hour during the summer.  Visitors are encouraged to bring along binoculars, and patience, to view the 10,000 square feet of ceiling painted by Michelangelo, amidst the crowds.  No photography is permitted in the chapel.