The origin of traditional Chinese martial arts is closely connected with fishing and hunting of ancient people and their intertribal fights. Through hunting big game, ancient Chinese people gradually developed stone-throwing, stone-arrowhead shooting and bare-headed fighting skills. Later on, these skills developed into weapon fighting and bare-headed fighting. Legends say that before the Zhou Dynasty […]
Tea sets in China are made of various materials, including metal, porcelain, pottery, purple clay, lacquer, wood, bamboo and glass. Tea sets made of metal were served for the noble, and civilians commonly used porcelain ware and earthenware in the Tang Dynasty. In the Song Dynasty glazed tea sets of various colors were the fashion, […]
Three (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” and “yang” produced a great many new things. Therefore, the number “three” can represent “many”. According to legend, the beginning […]
The ancient Chinese incorporated their observations and awareness of nature into the shapes of Chinese characters. Learn Chinese: 雨(yu, rain) The character for “雨” offers a clear depiction of rainfall. The horizontal line on top represents the sky, and the outer structure looks like a house which represents a layer of clouds covering the world, […]
Below the eyes is the nose. The ancient character for “自” just look like a nose. The original meaning of this character was “nose”. Today, the character “鼻” (bí, “the nose”) still has the character “自”. When Chinese people point to themselves, they point to their nose. Therefore, the character “自” later come to mean […]
Study Chinese with Keats School: 火huǒ There was no electricity or gas in ancient times. Heating food required the use of fire. The character “火” looks like a blazing flame. Since the people broke off a branch from the tree, drilled into the lumber and obtained fire from it, the civilization began to progress. The […]
Despite the food shortages in the ancient time, Chinese people didn’t lack creativity or sense of humor. Buying a kilo of meat would be enough to feed 10-20 people and feed them until they were “stuffed”. This is because the stuffing would include vegetables, tofu and other ingredients mixed in with the meat. China’s food […]
In an ordinary Chinese kitchen, you can often see ancient utensils: a mortar and pestle used as a garlic crusher, iron wire shelves used for baking bread, and wooden rolling pins. Chinese kitchen utensils emphasize the idea of “one tool, many uses.” For example, chopsticks can be used for eating and also in place of […]
The Guangzhou Flower Fair is held every year, starting three days before New Year’s Eve and ending the 1st day of the New Year. During the fair, the city becomes a sea of flowers, with people carrying them everywhere. The people of Guangzhou can’t celebrate the New Year properly without buying a cumquat, a daffodil, […]
According to the people of Nanjing, their special characteristics are really special. Their favorite market place is the Confucius Temple; their signature dish of salted duck; their favorite TV program is “Extraordinary Weekend”. The Confucius Temple is located on the busiest street in the entire southern part of Nanjing city. The Temple is over a […]