The painter's aim was to capture the chi or the spirit of his subject. As well as using paper in painting and calligraphy, the Chinese also made an art form out of paper cutting. China is particularly famous for its ceramics - our word for china shows how much the country and the product have been seen to go together. Chinese music comes in many forms and more recently has been influenced by the West. From the 1980s pop music has become acceptable in China.
Stories are traditional and there are many different types of regional opera.
The opera performances include, as well as drama and singing, mime, dance, acrobatics and fencing. The best known traditional sports in China are probably the martial arts such as Tai Chi and Kung Fu. Sport is important in China and in recent years Chinese athletes have been particularly successful in gymnastics, diving, running and table tennis. China played its first international rugby match in 1997 and competed in the Hong Kong Sevens tournament in March 1998. Soccer is probably the most popular spectator sport.