White Crane Research Articles

Research on the Symbolic Meaning of White Cranes — A Case Study of Fly with the Crane

Fly with the Crane is a feature film directed by Chinese filmmaker Li Ruijun in 2012, adapted from the short story of the same name by Su Tong. Set against a family backdrop, the film explores the emotional conflicts and collisions of life philosophies between the elderly and their family members when facing life and death decisions. Cranes play a significant symbolic role in the film, reflecting the characters’ inner emotions and their different understandings of life, death, and destiny. From the crane pattern on the coffin to the real white cranes in the film, and to the crane in the heart of the protagonist, five types of white cranes present different layers of symbolic meanings, enriching the depth and connotation of the film. At the same time, the film also reflects the current reality of scarce land resources, conflicts in resource allocation, and changes in people’s consciousness, indicating that the “crane culture” may gradually disappear.

Kinematics and biomechanics analysis of classic 24-style taijiquan

Abstract Inheriting and promoting Taijiquan, most of the process of oral teaching and teaching by words, the lack of scientific data support, there is an urgent need to standardize the interpretation level measurement standards. In this paper, based on the high-speed infrared motion capture technology, the HelenHayes method is used to select the bony landmarks of human anatomy, establish the coordinate system, and optimize the traditional posture-solving algorithm by using Mahony to design the kinematic and biomechanical analytical model used for the movements of the classical 24-step Taijiquan. The analytical model was used to analyze the kinematics and biomechanics of a total of 6 taijiquan practitioners in both professional and amateur groups. It was finally found that the center of gravity of the taijiquan champion was 0.077, 0.080, and 0.034 during the white crane bright wing movement, and the center of gravity of the three stages of the single whip was 0.062, 0.075, and 0.059, without excessive undulating movements, and basically remained at the same height. In the four stages of the movement, the left hip joint angle of the amateur group has been deviating from the standard, with a maximum deviation of 22.98 degrees, which is significantly different from that of the professional group. This study provides a theoretical basis for the improvement, rationalization, and simplification of Taijiquan movements and scientific experimental data for the standardized teaching and training of these movements.

Первая регистрация стерха (Grus leucogeranus) в Магаданской области

The first case of meeting a Siberian White Crane in Magadan Oblast has been documented. Observations of a single bird were made outside the nesting range, during the breeding season.

Стихотворения Расула Гамзатова «Журавли» и «Белые журавли»: глоссированный текст с подстрочным переводом

The article presents a linguistic analysis of two poems written by well-known Avar poet Rasul Gamzatov, namely “The Cranes” (/q’unq’rabi/, ca. 1965) and “The White Cranes” (/qaħal q’unq’rabi/, 1971). Both were originally written in Avar, but the earlier poem also became widely known in the Russian translation by Naum Grebnev (1968). Additionally, a third poem by Gamzatov, written on a similar topic and with one stanza fully identical to the corresponding stanza of “The Cranes”, is also taken into consideration. All three poems are presented in a unified format, as glossed texts comprising three lines: the linguistic transcription of the Avar text, interlinear morphemeby-morpheme glossing, and a close-to-literal Russian translation. The Avar texts are also given in the original Cyrillic orthography. As the comparison of these poems shows, “The Cranes” and “The White Cra‑ nes” are in fact two versions, one earlier, one later, of the same poem. The later version is also closer to the Russian translation by Grebnev. From the standpoint of structure and content, both poems resemble the song version of “The Cranes”, which appeared in 1969 as a shorte‑ ned and slightly edited version of Grebnev’s translation. Interestingly, the full original version of “The Cranes” in Avar (including the two stanzas which were left out of the song version) appears to have never been published.

Wetlands dynamics analysis: a case study of Keoladeo National Park (India), the wintering grounds of West Siberian white crane population

The work is devoted to the study of the dynamics of the wetlands area in the Keoladeo National Park (Bharatpur province, Rajasthan, India) over the past decades in connection with changes in climatic parameters to assess the wintering conditions of the endangered West Siberian White Crane population (Leucogeranus (=Grus) leucogeranus Pallas, 1773). The article presents the results of a statistical analysis of the main meteorological parameters (average maximum and minimum temperatures of the surface layer of the atmosphere in 1971–2022, average precipitation per year and from October to March (the wintering period of West Siberian White Crane) in 1958–2021); the results of an analysis of the ratio of areas of different types of habitats according to remote sensing data in 1972–2022; the results of statistical analysis of the volume of water entering the park from the Ajahn Bund reservoir in 1980–2010. During the study period, a significant increase in the average maximum and minimum temperatures of the winter period was revealed, which, along with the absence of a significant trend towards an increase in the average amount of precipitation and an increase in the number of dry years, indicates a warming climate with an increase in its aridity. A statistically significant reduction in the area of habitats suitable for West Siberian White Crane has been established. This indicates a significant decrease in the water level in the Keoladeo wetlands, both due to increased evaporation and a significant reduction in the volume of water entering the park from the reservoir. The results of the study show that in the conditions of observed climate changes, the main regulators of the water level and the state of the ecosystem of the Keoladeo wetlands are agricultural users, whose water consumption increases with increasing aridity of the climate.

Cranes, Cultivating a New Knowledge Practice in Late-Chosŏn Korea: Knowledge Transformations Connected by Things

Red-crowned white cranes, large migratory birds symbolizing longevity, fidelity, and independence from power across East Asian cultures, came to live in scholar-official households in late Chosŏn. With the residency of this elegant bird in scholarly households around the mid-eighteenth century, a new knowledge practice that took serious interest in things like cranes emerged. This paper illuminates the roles of these highly cross-cultured things in late-Chosŏn knowledge transformation, echoing material turns in various disciplines. Necessitating knowledge to properly possess and accompany them, cranes led to a new scholarly attachment to things. It opened up an unprecedented intellectual attitude that valued curiosity, taste, and facts concerning things and emphasized usefulness of that newly obtained thing-knowledge. Curiosity, taste, facts, and the usefulness of knowledge obtained new meanings in other parts of the world that experienced similar transitions in knowledge practice by and towards things. While delineating the roles of cranes specifically in late-Chosŏn's transformation through the imprints that they left in scholarly acts and works, this paper proposes a new way to connect knowledge transformations in different parts of the globe, via these newly migrating things, moving away from the narrative that requires an origin and transfers.

Peculiarities of the artistic translation of R. Gamzatov’s poetry into the Ossetian language (using the example of the poem “Cranes”)

The article for the first time provides a comparative analysis of the Ossetian translations of the famous poem “Cranes” by R. Gamzatov with the canonical translation by N. Grebnev. The authors establishes the degree of adequacy of translated texts at the level of conveying the content, stylistic features of the poetic text. It is concluded that each of the translators tried to reflect the ideological and artistic originality of the Russian text with their own poetic means. Y. Tigiev’s translation characterizes the preservation of poetic symbolism, the form of the verse of the translated text, but there are also inconsistencies, which in places can be reduced to the leveling of artistic and expressive means. The emotional and semantic message of the original text is completely preserved in the second version of the translation. The translator I. Pliev conveys the rhythmic and intonational, lexical and semantic features of the Russian-language text. Differences are observed in the transfer of the main poetic symbol of R. Gamzatov’s poem – white cranes. In the text of I. Pliev, the replacement of the image (white cranes → falcon → bird) led to a change in the title of the poem

The assessment of Kunovat sanctuary natural complexes in the area of the Siberian white crane (<i>Leucogeranus leucogeranus</i>) reintroduction

The paper deals with the research of soils, vegetation, bird and mammal population composition and structure in the vicinity of the white crane field research station in the Kunovat sanctuary (Kunovat Zakaznik), northern taiga subzone, Shuryshkarsky District, Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug, Russia. The aim of this investigation is to assess the present state of natural complexes in the area of the critically endangered Leucogeranus leucogeranus Ob population reintroduction. It has been established that various components of the natural complexes under study are generally consistent with the zone-and-province landscape, climate and biotope peculiarities of the area, which is a sign of their good health and relative stability. At the same time, in small mammal communities (an indicator group) the resistant sustainability index has been higher than the resilient sustainability index for two years in a row, which is characteristic of disturbed habitats or of early ecological succession stages. Such imbalance may be accounted for by local wild fires and floods in the natural complex under study. Botaurus stellaris nests have been registered in different parts of the quaking (white crane) bog, whose breeding grounds used to lie further to the south. This is evidence that the species range moves to the high latitudes and that the global climate change influences the natural complexes in the historic breeding area of the West-Siberian white crane population.

Martial art-acting in dictatorial Indonesia: Antigone (1974) and Lysistrata (1975) directed by W. S. Rendra

W. S. Rendra, the most prominent director-pedagogue in Indonesian theatre of the dictatorial era, staged Sophocles’ Antigone in 1974 and Aristophanes’ Lysistrata a year later. Clear cases of political provocation against the authoritarian regime, these productions confirmed his Bengkel Teater (Workshop Theatre) as one of the most disruptive, prolific and admired ensembles of the years of socio-political turmoil. Although the Chinese community was undergoing significant discrimination at the time, Rendra connected with a specific Sino-Indonesian martial art, siauw lim pek ho pay, or Bangau Putih (White Crane) silat. Its founder, Suhu Subur Rahardja, was a vital reference point for Rendra’s personal development while Suhu’s martial art became a powerful tool for actor training and provided a crucial contribution for the Bengkel Teater. This article investigates the different forms which martial art-acting took in the work of Rendra’s group in training, performing, in its pedagogic approach and in its community outreach. The article provides some basics about Rendra, Indonesia’s historical, political and cultural contexts, as well as silat. It also collates press releases from 1974 to 1975 with interviews with Fajar Suharno, a senior Bengkel Teater performer. It concludes by pointing out some similarities between Rendra’s approach and that of other theatre director-pedagogues and educators of the last century.

A survey of Cryptosporidium prevalence among birds in two zoos in China.

BackgroundCryptosporidiosis is an important zoonotic protozoan disease worldwide, but few studies on this disease have been performed in wild birds; thus, our knowledge of this disease is insufficient, even in zoo birds. Animals in zoos are possible zoonotic disease reservoirs, potentially resulting in zoonotic agent spillover to humans; accordingly, our understanding of such phenomena should be improved.MethodsA total of 263 fresh fecal samples from 43 avian species were randomly collected from the Beijing Zoo and Harbin North Forest Zoo and screened for the prevalence of Cryptosporidium by 18S rRNA gene sequencing. Cryptosporidium species were distinguished based on the combined results of phylogenetic tree and genetic distance analyses conducted with the inclusion of seven avian Cryptosporidium species and 13 avian Cryptosporidium genotypes. The genetic diversity of Cryptosporidium parvum among different hosts, including humans, cattle, dogs, and birds, and the genetic diversity of avian C. parvum among avian hosts in China, Iraq and Brazil were determined based on C. parvum 18S rRNA haplotypes.ResultsThe results of PCR targeting the 18S rRNA gene revealed that 1.9% (5/263) of the samples were Cryptosporidium-positive. Four of the five Cryptosporidium-positive samples originated from white cranes (Grus leucogeranus), and one originated from a flamingo (Phoenicopteridae). Avian C. parvum isolates, including the isolates examined in the present study, showed gene flow with other isolates from different types of hosts, including humans, cattle and dogs, indicating that zoo birds potentially pose zoonotic and pathogenic risks to humans and animals. Additionally, gene flow between avian C. parvum isolates from China and Brazil was detected.ConclusionsTo the best of our knowledge, our results demonstrate C. parvum infection in a flamingo (Phoenicopteridae) and white cranes (Grus leucogeranus) for the first time. The results of our study provide an important reference for understanding the host range, biological characteristics, and molecular epidemiology of C. parvum.

White Cranes in a Lotus Pond

White Cranes in a Lotus Pond

How does Three Gorges Dam regulate heavy metal footprints in the largest freshwater lake of China

Herein, a two-dimensional (2-D) vertically-averaged hydrodynamic model was applied to study the heavy metal particle footprints pre- and post-Three Gorges Dam (TGD) in Poyang Lake. Two defined indexes-Reserve Impact Index (σRII) and Species Impact Index (ηSII) were applied to assess the potential impact of the copper footprint on nature reserves and sensitive species quantitatively. The results demonstrated that the movement speed, distribution, and trajectory of copper particle footprints differed enormously pre- and post-TGD. By contrast, the post-TGD footprints were more complex because of the dam-induced variations in hydrology and meteorology. TGD had both pros and cons for the copper footprint on the reserves based on the results of σRII. It had changed the way for the transport of heavy metals and altered the patterns of exposure risk in the reserves. Sustainable management of Poyang Lake could be achieved by optimizing daily monitoring works. The ηSII for Finless Porpoises do not differ significantly between scenarios, but the ηSII for Siberian White Cranes increased by 0.92 and 0.83 for the two periods pre- and post-TGD, respectively. Heavy metals in food sources and the excreta of Siberian White Cranes could be of great concern in future studies. This study provides a theoretical basis for the in-depth study of the TGD-induced impact on Poyang Lake and provides a reference for the long-term treatment of Poyang Lake and the protection of key species.

Effects of developmental stages on postharvest performance of White Crane Orchid (Calanthe triplicata) inflorescences

White crane orchid (Calanthe triplicata) is one of the native orchids in Taiwan. It features pure white flowers, a unique flowering pattern, an elegant inflorescence, and it is of high ornamental value. In order to evaluate the feasibility of white crane orchid for cut flower production, we characterized the growing and blooming of the white crane orchid inflorescence during its vase life in deionized water. Up to 30 florets on each rachis bloomed from the bottom to the top on the raceme of the white crane orchid. The floret at the lowest position began to wilt after more than 20 florets bloomed. The early senescence symptoms of a floret were the yellowing labellum and blackening anther cap. To investigate the flower longevity and the overall ornamental value of inflorescences, they were harvested when bearing 0, 11, and 20 opened florets. The inflorescences in the three developmental stages had a vase life of 22 days, 9 days and 6 days, respectively, in deionized water at 25 °C. Although they have the longest vase life, inflorescences that were harvested in the budding period (0 opened florets) had a relatively low ornamental value; conversely, the ornamental value of the inflorescences harvested in the blooming period (20 opened florets) was the highest, followed by that at the stage with 11 florets. The application of ethylene action inhibitors, such as 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) or silver thiosulfate (STS), to the inflorescences harvested in the blooming period (20 opened florets) has extended their vase life from 6 days to 8 days and to 10 days, respectively.

A Lost Fight Book: Alfred Lister and the Noble Art of Self-Defence in China

In 1874 an anonymous author published a partial English language translation and discussion of a now lost Southern Chinese martial arts manual originally titled Tearing Down Techniques of Hero Boxing. This was a critical period in the development of the modern Chinese martial arts. Many of the best known Southern Chinese fighting systems (Hung Gar, Choy Li Fut, Wing Chun, White Crane, etc.) were just starting to assume a recognisable form. Yet it is also a poorly understood era. Just as importantly, it was during the mid- and late nineteenth century that Western soldiers, administrators and adventurers first began to encounter and describe the Chinese martial arts. For better or worse, their records would help shape the perception of China in the popular imagination. This chapter begins by identifying Alfred Lister, a civil servant in Hong Kong, as the previously unknown author of this English language work. It then attempts to reconstruct the structure and contents of the now lost fight book which he encountered. Lastly it investigates the consequences of the misreading of this text.

Severe Historical Droughts Carved on Rock in the Yangtze

AbstractThe White Crane Ridge (WCR) Rock Fish, now submerged under the backwater of the Three Gorges Reservoir in the Yangtze River, are affirmed as one of the earliest hydrologic observations ever made in any large river in the world. The usually in-water monument provides highly valuable historical records of severe droughts in the upper Yangtze over the last 1,200 years. This article updated the historical drought chronology previously developed based on the WCR inscriptions, which can be applied in assessment of extreme climatic and hydrological risks, and also made a preliminary analysis of changes of the severe drought frequency during the last thousand years in the upper Yangtze. The analysis shows that the severe droughts occurred more frequently during the Medieval Climate Anomaly (MCA), relatively less so during the Little Ice Age (LIA), and once again more often under the background of modern global warming. It was suggested that a generally warmer Euro-Asian continent during the MCA was in favor of the stronger East Asian summer monsoon, and the resulting less precipitation and more severe droughts of the Yangtze and the lower water level at the Three Gorges area on the centennial scale, and vice versa for the period of the LIA. The results would help in understanding the causes and mechanisms of the regional climate change and variability, and also in taking measures in the fields of the watershed management to cope with the long-term change in climatic and hydrologic droughts.

Spatial–Temporal Wetland Landcover Changes of Poyang Lake Derived from Landsat and HJ-1A/B Data in the Dry Season from 1973–2019

As China’s largest freshwater lake and an important wintering ground for white cranes in Asia, the Poyang Lake wetland has unique ecological value. However, wetland cover types have changed dynamically and have attracted the attention of society and researchers over the past few decades. To obtain detailed knowledge and understanding of the long-term landcover dynamics of Poyang Lake and the associated driving forces, Landsat and HJ-1A/B images (31 images) were used to acquire classification and frequency maps of Poyang Lake in the dry season from 1973–2019 based on the random forest (RF) algorithm. In addition, the driving forces were discussed according to the Geodetector model. The results showed that the coverage of water and mudflat showed opposite trends from 1987–2019. Water and vegetation exhibited a significant decreasing trend from 1981–2003 and from 1996–2004 (p < 0.01), respectively. A phenomenon of vegetation expanding from west to east was found, and the expansion areas were mainly concentrated in the central zone of Poyang Lake, while vegetation in the northern mountainous area of Songmen (region 1) and eastern Songmen Mountain (region 2), showed a significantly expanded trend (R2 > 0.6, p < 0.01) during the five-decade period. The year-long dominant distribution of water occurred mainly in the two deltas formed by the Raohe and Tongjin rivers and the Fuhe and Xinjiang rivers, with deep water. In the 1973–2003 and 2003–2019 periods, a total of 313.522 km2 of water turned into swamp and mudflat and 478.453 km2 of swamp and mudflat transitioned into vegetation, respectively. Elevation and temperature appeared to be the main factors affecting the regional wetland evolution in the dry season and should be considered in the management of Poyang Lake. The findings of this work provide detailed information for spatial–temporal landcover changes of Poyang Lake, which could help policymakers to formulate scientific and appropriate policies and achieve restoration of the Poyang Lake wetland.

Third Trip to Rehab

Third Trip to Rehab Christine Penko (bio) Vaster than a hundred lines of Yeats robert bly The vineyards spread along the California interstate, shape themselvesinto fold of hills—staked, orderly, green—between the frameof golden, lion-backed ridges. San Miguel, King City, Greenfield— the vines give way to walnut orchards, lines of kale. Our conversationdrifts— Soledad, Gonzales, Chualar—pickers bent in the fields: What more can be said? Stevenson's rhyme runs over and over in my head. The world is so full of a number of thingsa white crane, stand of eucalyptus— I'm sure we should all be as happy as kings. You take my hand, look off into some distance.As we come up on Salinas—pale gray scarves of cloud and light. [End Page 48] Christine Penko Christine Penko is the author of Thunderbirds. Her work can also be found in many journals and anthologies under the name Christine Kravetz. She is passionate about bringing the benefits of poetry to the children of Santa Barbara County where, for almost twenty years, she has taught poetry writing in Santa Barbara's public and private schools. Copyright © 2018 University of Nebraska Press

The Birth of Acupuncture in America: The White Crane's Gift

<i>The Birth of Acupuncture in America: The White Crane's Gift</i>

Alloionema californicum n. sp. (Nematoda: Alloionematidae): a new alloionematid from USA.

A new species of the family Alloionematidae was isolated from a rotten winged gourd at White Crane Garden, San Francisco, USA, sampled by Christopher Nelson in November 2010, and a live culture is deposited in Félix Lab Strain Database (http://www.justbio.com/worms/index.php), IBENS, Paris, France. Specimens from the culture have been examined. Both morphologically and molecularly, the nematode described herein as Alloionema californicum n. sp. differs from the other alloionematid species, A. appendiculatum and Neoalloionema tricaudatum. It is characterised by having a narrow stoma, 2.5-3.5 or 4 times longer than broad in adults or dauer juveniles respectively. Lateral fields are not present in adults but occur as one prominent ridge in dauers. Males have no bursa, six pairs of genital papillae and one single papilla. Dauers have large apparent phasmids in the middle of the tail. The ecology of the newly described species is unknown but probably it is a saprobic bacteriophagous nematode preferring rotting organic material.

Differential Flooding Impacts on Echinochloa caudata and Scirpus planiculmis: Implications for Weed Control in Wetlands

Scirpus planiculmis, a perennial herb typically grown from tubers in wetlands, is the main food species for migratory Siberian white crane (Grus leucogeranus) in Momoge National Nature Reserve (MNNR), northeastern China. However, Echinochloa caudata, an annual weed propagated only from seed, became the dominant species in the majority of the rewetted site in Momoge wetland, which decreased the habitat quality for Siberian white crane. Early flooding during the first few days of germination kills plant seedlings of many species and thus may consequently be used to effectively suppress undesired species. A pot experiment was conducted to determine the effects of different flooding depths on the regeneration of both E. caudata and S. planiculmis. Five water depths (−5, 0, 5, 10 and 20 cm water depth relative to sediment surface) and four flooding regimes (one, four, eight and 16 days after sowing (DAS)) were evaluated. The results showed that 0 cm water depth was most favorable for both the survival and growth of E. caudata seedlings. Water depths of 10 or 20 cm significantly reduced both the survival rates and biomass accumulation of E. caudata seedlings at one, four or eight DAS. Seedling height of E. caudata was not affected by water depths of 0–10 cm when flooded at one or four DAS and was increased by flooding (5–20 cm water depth) when the flooding was delayed to eight or 16 DAS. Flooding did not significantly affect the shoot number, plant height or dry biomass of S. planiculmis. Our results provide valuable information for the control of E. caudata using hydrology in wetlands dominated by S. planiculmis, and these strategies can be used to protect the habitat of the Siberian white crane.