Ethnocultural heritage of the North-Eastern Caucasus as a factor of eco-tourism development

The North-East Caucasus is a multi-ethnic mountain macroregion with a rich cultural heritage,insufficiently studied in the context of the ecotourism development.To fill this gap and identify promising directions of environmentally safe forms of tourism,the author used in-depth review of modern literature to investigate the features of ecological tourism and the problems of preserving ethno-cultural heritage,and used historical and comparative-geographical methods to analyze the development of the tangible and intangible cultural heritage of the indigenous peoples of the North-Eastern Caucasus in different historical periods and to identify the geographical peculiarities of the distribution of historical and cultural monuments(tower buildings),pilgrimage sites and centers of traditional crafts and trades.As part of the planned expeditions,the author personally visited some historical monuments and handicraft centers for a deeper study of ethno-cultural heritage.The cartographic method made it possible to visualize the results.The results of the research show that the ethnocultural heritage of the North-East Caucasus is formed by material(historical and cultural monuments)and immaterial elements of culture(language,customs,traditions,ethnic identification)of those peoples,who live here.The ethnocultural heritage is considered as the most important factor in the development of the tourism industry.It is revealed that this region has a large potential for development in various areas of eco-tourism.The highest concentration of religious buildings focused in mountainous areas.Medieval tower structures were erected in mountainous and high-altitude areas.From ancient times to the present day there have been preserved various types of crafts and trades(pottery,metalworking,burka making,jewelry making,carpet weaving,gold embroidery,wood and stone carving,etc.),which can become objects of ecotourism.The ethnocultural heritage of the North-East Caucasus needs to be preserved and protected.To solve this problem,the author recommends to focus on a balanced combination of traditions and innovations in this industry,also considering the current state and development of the tourism industry in the country and in the world.The research highlights that the development of scientific approaches to plan and manage tourism development can contribute to the preservation of tangible and intangible cultural heritage of indigenous peoples.This is a complex and labour-intensive task,but its solution will have a multiplier effect in the social sphere,in economic development and in environmental security,which is in line with the principles and concept of sustainable development.

Keys to Friendship

ON the night of May 6,2024,French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte Macron held a welcome banquet for Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan at the Elysee Palace in Paris.At the banquet,Chinese virtuoso pianist Lang Lang played the piano version of the popular Chinese folk song Jasmine Flower,after which together with the Elysee Palace band,he presented compositions by French piano guru Charles-Camille Saint-Saëns.

The Importance of Breathing Training in Folk Dance Teaching

The importance of breathing training in dance teaching is reflected in the two aspects of enhancing the quality of dance movements and sublimating the connotation of dance movements.For example,high-quality breathing can help performers complete the dance movements and improve the coordination of the movements;at the same time,the unique body rhythm formed by breathing can strengthen the visual effect of the performance and convey its spirit and soul to the audience.This requires folk dance teachers to carry out relevant training and teaching activities based on the categories and skills of dance breathing,such as changing students’ideological cognition,developing periodic breathing training courses,providing personalized guidance to students,and allowing students to adjust their learning and practice methods in the evaluation.

The Impact of Contextual Teaching Method on Sichuan Folk Song Education and Students’Musical Expressiveness

This study explores the application of the contextual teaching method in Sichuan folk song education and its impact on students’musical expressiveness.By incorporating contextual teaching methods in music classes,this research investigates the effectiveness of this approach in enhancing students’understanding of Sichuan folk songs and improving their musical expressiveness and emotional expression.A mixed-method research approach is employed,utilizing classroom observations,questionnaires,interviews,and statistical analysis to assess the practical outcomes of contextual teaching in folk song education.

惠山泥人的魅力

惠山泥人是无锡的传统文化,也是中国非物质文化遗产之一,是中华民族文化的结晶。Many residents in Wuxi like wandering through the ancient streets of Huishan Ancient Town,visiting the shops selling a variety of Huishan clay figurines.These shops showcase different kinds of vivid figurines,from charming children to lovely animals from Chinese folklore,and even historical characters.Each piece is so charming and exquisite that it draws visitors from all over the world.

Research on Inheritance and Innovation of Children's Folk Sports Culture in the Junction Area Between Chongqing and Hubei

This paper examines the current status and development dilemma of the children’s folk sports culture in the junction area between Chongqing and Hubei with reference to relevant literature.After the literature review and summary,the study finds there are several factors restricting the inheritance and development of the children’s folk sports culture in the area,including insufficiency of theoretical analysis,weak public support in cities,blind imitation of modern sports culture,and absence of policy support.To address the above problems,we put forward several suggestions to promote the inheritance and development of children’s folk sports game culture.First,we should focus on the theoretical research and cultural dissemination of children’s folk sports culture.Second,we should improve the basic rules of children’s folk sports games.Third,importance should be attached to government support in developing children’s folk sports game culture.Fourth,we should ensure the continuation and inheritance of children’s folk sports culture via school activities.Finally,we should carry forward children’s folk sports culture and explore ways to develop excellent cultural tourism.

Preliminary Investigation on Zhuang Folk Medicated Bath Prescriptions:A Case Study of Hechi Region

This paper summarizes the mechanism,methods and characteristics of Zhuang folk medicated bath,as well as the composition and application of prescriptions,which provides a basis for the popularization of Chinese ethnic medicine.

Restoration of Folk Document Covers from the Qing Dynasty to the Republic of China

The covers of booklets and books in folk documents primarily serve to protect the pages.Owing to long-term storage limitations,a considerable number of book covers have suffered varying degrees of damage.Following the principles of restoration,a comparative analysis and restoration of folk document covers were conducted,selecting four different types of carriers from the Taihang Mountain Documents,ranging from the Qing dynasty to the Republican Era.These carriers included hemp,mulberry bark,and machinemade paper,and cotton blue cloth.Each cover type was matched with an appropriate restoration paper,and different methods were employed during the restoration process.Through restoration,the previously damaged document covers can continue to fulfill their role in protecting the books,thereby extending the lifespan of these four folk documents.

Cultural Duplicity:The Social Poetic Nature of Folk Songs and Their Discourse

There is a close relationship between the folk songs and the earth bound society in China,bearing functions of load transfer,expression,dissemination of information,and beauty aspiration,etc.Folk songs are mainly presented through voice and thus possess powerful cultural duplicity,which rightly represents the social poetic quality that both the local residents and the nation-state need to take advantage of.A flexible space of co-existence is thus provided with for both of them.

GIS Mapping, Biomonitoring and Distribution of Heavy Metal Concentrations Using Neem (Azadirachta indica) Bark in Makurdi Town, Benue State, Nigeria

The present work determined the concentration and spatial distribution of heavy metals (As, Hg, Cr, Cd and Pb) in soil samples from Makurdi and its environs using geographic information system (GIS). The specific objective is to produce the spatial distribution maps showing the spatial distribution of toxic heavy metals in the study area. Inverse Distance Weighting (IDW), a GIS technique was used to produce dotted maps showing the spatial distribution of heavy metals in neem bark for better visualization of contamination zones and non-contamination zones. The map reveals few hotspot areas showing areas of high concentrations of the heavy metals investigated which were identified in red colours, the following concentration ranges were obtained;As (4.71 - 6.43 mg/kg), Cd (13.9 - 16.84 mg/kg), Cr (46.3 - 60.84 mg/kg), Hg (3.70 - 5.05 mg/kg) and Pb (24.02 - 31.34 mg/kg). These hotspot areas were found close to business outlets, fuel filling and service stations, farm sites where the application of fertilizers and pesticides were persistent coupled with heavy traffic of vehicles and other machinery which was associated with As, Hg, Cd, Pb and Cr been released into the environment thus, suggesting anthropogenic activities controlling the concentration of these heavy metals in the study areas. The cumulative effect of these heavy metals into the barks of neem could pose as danger, because this plant is used as herbs in folk medicine.

Reconstructing Folk Concepts

Our reconstructions of folk concepts are often influenced by the metaphysical and epistemological doctrines we are committed to.Surprisingly enough,this influence is rarely recognized in definitional debates and has been mostly overlooked in the literature on philosophical definitions.It is frequent for philosophers to act as if only evidential support(for example,our intuitions across real and hypothetical cases)should be considered when choosing between competing reconstructions.This programmatic paper analyzes the interplay between philosophical commitments and evidence in the reconstruction of folk concepts.It also clarifies the precise manner in which metaphysical and epistemological doctrines influence philosophical definitions,why the incidence of metaphysical and epistemological doctrines is rarely recognized,and why theoretically motivated definitions should not be assimilated to the two major forms of definitions recognized in the relevant literature(descriptive and revisionary).

A Study on the Participation of Foreign Students in Local Cultural and Folk Activities in Wenzhou

The number of foreign students studying in Wenzhou, China has increased dramatically as a result of the Belt and Road Initiative. Learning the motivations and leisure constraints of foreign students' participation in local cultural and folk activities in Wenzhou is beneficial to promoting cultural adaptation, strengthening Chinese cultural self-confidence, and improving Wenzhou's international image. Based on the hierarchical model of leisure constraints (personal constraints, interpersonal constraints, and structural constraints), this study has tended to focus on the leisure constraints for foreign students participating in local folk and cultural activities in Wenzhou. A total of seven participants were included in the analysis.

渤海及邻近海区表层沉积物粒度组成及沉积分区

通过渤海及邻域海区表层沉积物粒度实测数据,采用Folk三角图解分类方法,对比已有Shepard分类沉积物类型图对近岸的沉积物类型进行相应补充,编制沉积物类型图,并进行沉积分区。沉积物类型主要为砂质粉砂、粉砂质砂、砂质泥、泥质砂、粉砂和砂。根据沉积物类型分布特征、海洋环流、地形地貌及物质来源(入海河流物质影响程度),划分为4个沉积区,分别是辽东湾混合沉积区、渤海湾-莱州湾及周边泥质沉积区、老铁山水道-辽东-渤中浅滩砂质沉积区和北黄海西部泥质沉积区。渤海表层沉积物的分布受控于近源河流物质和海洋环流变化。渤海的潮流场控制泥沙输运,弱潮流区对应细颗粒沉积物沉降,强潮流控制区发育粗粒级潮流沙脊和沙席沉积。

Influence of patio on indoor environment in a Chinese traditional folk house in summer

A case study is performed on the influence of the patio on the indoor environment of a traditional folk house group,named Zhangguying village in Hunan province,in the summer of 2007.Measurements include indoor and outdoor air temperature,indoor and outdoor illuminance,indoor and outdoor air speed,and carried out from August 5th to 10th.The results show that the patio,acting as a ＂buffer zone＂,can reduce the ambient impacts on the indoor thermal environment of rooms because the temperature of the patio is lower than that of the outdoor temperature but higher than that of the rooms.The patio can improve the indoor lighting environment because the illuminance of the patio is lower than that of outdoor and higher than that of the rooms.But the effect is too limited,because the illuminance of the rooms is lower than the national standards.This study shows that the shading design is the primary consideration in this kind of climate.The wind speed of the patio is stable and similar to that of the hall and the stack effect of the patio is not obvious.It shows that the patio is useful for natural ventilation,caused by wind pressure,in summer.

模糊K-Harmonic Means聚类算法

对K-HarmonicMeans算法进行扩展,考虑到数据点对不同类的隶属关系,将模糊的概念应用到聚类中,提出了模糊K-HarmonicMeans算法,推导出聚类中心和模糊隶属度的迭代公式.在中心迭代聚类算法统一框架的基础上,推导出FKHM算法聚类中心的条件概率表达式以及在迭代过程中的数据加权函数表达式.最后,用Folkes&Mallows指标对聚类结果进行评价.实验表明,模糊K-HarmonicMeans(KHM)算法在聚类对于初值不敏感的同时提高了聚类结果的精确度,达到较好的聚类效果.

Influence of site selection on natural ventilation in Chinese traditional folk house

The relationship between the site selection of a hilly terrain and the natural ventilation of the Dangdamen building complex,which is a traditional folk house,is revealed by a computational fluid dynamics（CFD）simulation.The wind press and speed distributions around the building in four cases with different weather conditions and topographies are simulated.The simulation results show that a hill can reduce the absolute values of the wind pressure at the windward and leeward sides of the building.The encouraging effect of the patio on the natural ventilation in a terrain with a hill is greater than that without a hill.The same situation occurs when comparing the patio effects between summer and winter.The wind speed around the building can be reduced by the hill as it is an obstacle and the degrees of the influence of the hill in summer and in winter are quite different because of different wind directions.The analysis results show that this kind of site selection,with the hill to the north,is a suitable way to settle the conflict of the natural ventilation requirements in summer and in winter under subtropical climate conditions,especially in houses with patios.

灰岩分类研究进展及其进一步完善

介绍了国内外学者在灰岩分类方面的研究成果,指出,1962年Folk的分类和Dunham的分类实用性很强,在灰岩分类史上具有里程碑的意义。而1971年Embry对Dunham分类体系的修订与1992年Wright对灰岩分类的进一步完善,以及2000年Riding对微生物岩的划分是灰岩分类的3次重大进展,使得灰岩分类逐步科学、合理和完善。鉴于生物(尤其是微生物)作用在灰岩成因中的重要性和复杂性,结合Riding的分类——将微生物岩划分为叠层石、凝块石、树形石和均一石以及近年来生物作用类灰岩的研究进展,对灰岩分类体系作了进一步补充和完善。

两种碎屑沉积物分类方法的比较

全面地介绍和对比Shepard和Folk两种沉积物分类方法及图解的原理及其适用性,分析其优缺点。相对Shepard分类方法而言,Folk分类图解更简洁、更实用,其分类边界划分更客观,从而能更好地揭示沉积物特征。建议在国内沉积学研究及正在开展的海洋地质大调查中统一使用Folk沉积物分类方法,不仅可以更好的研究沉积物特征及其分布规律,而且对促进国内外学术交流具有一定意义。

Summary of the Studies on Classical Chinese Folk Houses

Research fruits in classical Chinese folk houses since 1980s were summarized in this study from various perspectives,such as architectural structure,spatial layout,decoration,aesthetic value,regional features and historical attributes,meanwhile,the future study orientation in this field was also discussed.

Landscape Design of Folk Workshop Garden in Jifa Leisure Farm of Beidaihe

In view of the problems in the landscape design of present leisure farms,Folk Workshop Garden in Jifa Leisure Farm of Beidaihe is taken for an example,general conditions of the base,design layout and functional zoning are analyzed to provide advices for the landscape design of similar leisure farms.