Study Chinese with Keats School: 丝sī The character “丝” is a pictographic character, it looks like the appearance of two strands of silk entangled together. during China’s Western Han Dynasty (206 BC-25 AD), Emperor Wu sent the emissary Zhang Qian on several missions to the Western Regions to unite the Da Yuezhi and form a […]
If you give Chinese people two choices of life: a very long, yet ultimately, average and uneventful life or a very exciting, fun-filled life that only lasted 24 years. Most of them may choose the 1st choice. There is an idiom for the traditional Chinese attitude, “A good death is worse than a lazy life”. […]
Chinese people are very interested in the age of others because, it is related to the different traditional formalities that apply according to age. Chinese customs use age as a basis for defining the relationship between people. When people of different age meet they can follow the custom of deciding how to interact with each […]
In ancient China, sacrificial worship was of great importance. Ancient Chinese sacrificial events were held every year and were grand in scale. Many people took part in these events, from the emperor to the common people. Objects included the God of Heaven, the God of Earth, the God of wealth, as well as people’s ancestors. […]
The ancient Chinese people believed that the entire world was composed of five basic elements: metal, wood, water, fire and earth. All materials are composed of “气(qì)”. The original form of the character was like “三”; it resembles an airflow or a steam of gas. “Qi” is shapeless, invisible and intangible. However, Chinese has a […]
Some people say, “to visit Hangzhou without entering a teahouse is like not visiting Hangzhou at all.” Over 80% of the managers of Hangzhou’s teahouses are female, and they use their womanly intuition yo create their own little words. The teahouses are decorated with small flourishes, such as a few stones here or there, pressed […]
The Tu Nationality mainly concentrated in Qinghai Province and Gansu Province. They speak the Tu language which belongs to the Mongolian branch of the Altaic language family. The Tu are good at dancing and singing. They are also know for their folk embroidery with designs like “five petal plum”, “cloud flower” and so on. The […]
Ethnic minority groups were also particular about dowries. For example, the Miao people’s dowries include a pair of twin bamboo plants, which were covered with red cloth. They were carried to the bridegroom’s home by the bride’s uncle and planed soon after the wedding. It is said that this custom originated from an old legend […]
Ground-breaking ceremonies When building a house, people often hire a feng-shui master (also called a Mr. Yin and Yang) to observe the foundation, detremine the directions and the central point of the house with the help of a feng-shui Compass, and finally hold the ground-breaking ceremony. In the ceremony, people often set off firecrackers, burn […]
In Chinese culture, if you learn Chinese in China when Dragon Boat Festival comes, you can see some family usually hang on the picture of Zhong Kui in the hall in some places. It is said that Zhong Kui addicted to destroy all the evils. Therefore, they use Zhong Kui’s picture to get rid of […]