The True Story of Ah Q
November 6, 2013
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..
Learn More(Ⅲ)Chinese people’s love for the 12 animals
November 5, 2013
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..
Learn MoreThe Number of Chinese Characters for Surnames over Twenty Thousand
November 5, 2013
In 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…
Learn MoreStudy Chinese: bamboo – Chinese Characters and Plants
November 5, 2013
Study Chinese: 竹 (zhu, bamboo) As you can see, the Chinese character “竹” looks just like a bamboo stem and leaves. The Chinese people are very fond of bamboo. This is because they believe that..
Learn Morefree clouds and wild crane
November 5, 2013
Literally, the idiom “xian yue ye he” means “free clouds and wild crane”. It is not a meaningless idiom. It refers to the people who live a quite free life and have no other concerns..
Learn MoreStudy Chinese: (4) Chinese characters and food
November 5, 2013
As everyone knows, the most important holiday in China is the Spring Festival—“春节(chūnjié)”. The Chinese people use the phrase “过年(?uònián)”—celebrate the New Year. What’s the meaning of “年”. It is one of the Chinese people..
Learn MoreChinese Poetry
November 5, 2013
Ancient Chinese poetry, tells us that poets didn’t need material thongs to be happy, all they needed was a pleasant scene, a poem and alcohol. This so-called “pleasant scene” was really just Mother Nature and..
Learn MoreNaxi People in Lijiang
November 5, 2013
Even today, the Nakhi people in Lijiang are still a matrilineal society where the women are the head of their household. During the wedding ceremony, it is traditional for the bride to demonstrate she is..
Learn MoreThe Cool Guys (冷娃lěng wá) of Shaanxi
November 5, 2013
In China, the men in Shaanxi are often called “Shaanxi lěn? wá”. It isn’t used to describe coolness. Some people use the words “strong”, “cold(lěn?)”, “hard” and “tough” to describe the personalities of people of..
Learn MoreAncient Chinese jokes: Grandson (sūn zi)
November 4, 2013
Master Ai had a grandson about 10 years old. As he was wicked and not eager to learn, his grandfather often gave him a good caning. His father, therefore, was awfully afraid this only son..
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