The Dragons and the Quality of Fertility
5.11.2013
In China, various customs are associated with the quality of fertility as symbolized by dragons. In Hunan and Hubei provinces, women wanting to be pregnant will let the dragon circulate their bodies and give money..
Lue lisääThe earliest Chinese writing system that has been preserved to the present day is the oracle bone inscriptions, which dates back 3,000 years to China’s Shang Dynasty (1600-1046 BC). The ancient Chinese people believed that..
Lue lisääA Legend about Yellow Crane Tower
5.11.2013
In China, there are “four famous buildings”: Yueyang Tower, Tengwang Pavilion, Yellow Crane Tower and Penglai Pavilion. Yellow Crane Tower is said to be 1,800 years old. According to legend, it was once a tavern…
Lue lisääLeifeng Pagoda
5.11.2013
In the past, there was once a pagoda called the Leifeng Pagoda, situated on the shore of the beautiful West Lake (in Hangzhou, Jiangsu Province). According to legend, over 700 years ago, there was once..
Lue lisääChinese characters that represent numbers also have their own special meanings. One (yi, “一”) The Chinese people believe that “one” (“一”) represents the beginning of everything. The famous ancient Chinese philosopher Laozi once said that,..
Lue lisääChinese characters that represent numbers also have their own special meanings. Two (er, “two”) As we know, the Chinese people believe that everything in the universe possesses two properties: “yin” and “yang”. Laozi also said:..
Lue lisääThree (san, “三”) The Chinese people believe the number “three” is a mystical number. Laozi once said, “Two created three; three created all things”. The world thus had “yin” and “yang”. Later, changes in “yin”..
Lue lisääFour (si, “四”) It is interesting that the Chinese character for “four” was originally written in 4 horizontal lines, like “one two three”. Only later it was written in this way—“四”. Comparatively speaking, the number..
Lue lisääFive (wu, “五”) The ancient Chinese people believed that the world was composed of five basic substances: metal, wood, water, fire and earth. These five substances are known as the Five Elements (“wu xing”). The..
Lue lisääIn the ancient times, the Chinese people are quite pride of their hundreds of surnames. However, recently, with the publication of “Dictionary of Chinese Surnames”, there are more than twenty thousand Chinese characters for surnames…
Lue lisää