A small state is sandwiched between two great powers. If one of them attempts to bring it to submission, the other will be able to take control under the pretext of aiding it. Kun: when one utters words, one is not believed. The battle from which this idiom originated took place in the Spring and […]
In ancient China, there were various concepts of marriage. The most important one is the two families should have equal socioeconomic status. There is no free love. The parents lead the whole affair, and arrange all the things well in advance. For a good couple, the man is talented and the woman is beautiful and […]
Even for small children in China, they know the story of Jiang Taigong, which is a popular name for Jiang Ziya, statesman and strategist. As an advisor of King Wen of the Zhou State in ancient China, he helped the young King Wu overthrow the Shang Dynasty and established the Zhou Dynasty. Jiang Ziya lived […]
Cutting has always been a distinctive feature of Chinese culinary art. The ingredients of a given dish can be cut into slices, strips, shreds, cubes, segments, dices, grains, or minced into a uniform and small size. Some materials can be carved into the artistic shape of peonies, peacocks and phoenixes. Chinese characters can also be […]
When Chinese people go shopping, they often say “mai dongxi”, which literally means “to buy east and west”, but nobody would say “mai nanbei”(buy south and north). In China, the five elements are metal, wood, water, fire and earth, which are combined with five directions: east, west, south, north and the center. The east belongs […]
Moon cake is the ubiquitous fare at any celebration of the traditional Mid-Autumn Festival, not only because of its delicious taste and charming looking, but also for the cultural and artistic connotation. It is said that moon cakes were used as a medium by the Ming revolutionaries in their espionage effort to secretly distribute letters […]
In Chinese history, there are four beautiful women: Xi Shi, Wang Zhaojun, Diao Chan and Yang Yuhuai. There are a lot of portraits of these four women. Actually, these four women are known not just for their pretty looks but also because each of them played a critical role during their times. Both Diao Chan […]
In Chinese, Kungfu denotes any skill that is developed through great practice and cost a lot of time and energy, such as Chinese painting, martial arts. Kungfu tea ceremony is a way of preparing tea with great skill in Chaozhou and South Fujian. It was first sipped back in the Song Dynasty in Chaozhou in […]
The novel “The True Story of Ah Q” is a masterpiece in the history of modern Chinese fiction. Ah Q was a poor peasant being deprived of all his belongings; he embodies the image of a simple and ignorant farmer who is deeply troubled by the feudal system. He is characterized by the common conservativeness […]
The Snake In the past, the Chinese people believe that the dragon evolved from the snake. Therefore, snakes are also known as small dragon. According to the legend, a long time ago, there was once a large snake in southern China called Baishe. Baishe could eat elephants and would then spend three years spitting up […]