The people of Xi’an like to participate in several activities involved in recreating the past, like holding contests to find women who resemble Yang Guifei, the beautiful imperial concubine of the Tang Dynasty. Some people say that the people of Xi’an are closest to the spirit of ancient China. They need only dress in ancient […]
A man named Zhang Xuzi, after having his bed repaired and embellished, wanted to have a show of it very much. As no one was likely to come into the bedroom to have a look at it, he came up with an idea. Pretending to be ill, he kept to his bed so that his […]
The people of Suzhou have a flair for taking simple dishes and preparing them perfectly. Shen Fu’s “Chapters of a Floating Life” describes how his wife, Yun, “Makes cooking seem effortless. Whether preparing fruit, vegetable, fish or shrimp, everything she cooks tastes delicious.” The preparation of Suzhou cuisine is all about timing. For example, the […]
For their own benefits, matchmakers would try their best to negotiate a positive outcome for each marriage proposal, even through cheating. In reality, there were numerous matchmakers who forgot what was right to get the prospective profit and made money at the sacrifice of the future couple’s happiness. Chen Duo (1488-1521), a poet in the […]
In the Chinese language, “桃(táo)” refers to “peach”. It is formed with the part “木” and “兆”, the first part “木” means “tree or wood”. So almost anything made of wood has that part to connote its meaning. And if we put “桃(táo)” and “李(lǐ)” (plum) together, “桃李” doesn’t simply represent the two fruits, actually […]
If you are now studying Chinese, you will know poem is a very important part of Chinese culture. This is one of the best famous poems of the Middle Autumn Day. 明月几时有？把酒问青天。不知天上宫阙，今夕是何年。我欲乘风归去，又恐琼楼玉宇，高处不胜寒。起舞弄清影，何似在人间！ 转朱阁，低绮户，照无眠。不应有恨，何事长向别时圆！人有悲欢离合，月有阴晴圆缺，此事古难全。但愿人长久，千里共婵娟。 You can read this poem aloud to help you improve your pronunciation for studying Chinese. and this poem also is a beautiful […]
Yin-Yang and Wuxing had been involved into the system of Ba Gua (Eight Diagrams) so that the theoretical system of Feng Shui culture in Chinese culture. The original meaning of Yin-Yang refers to the directions of the objects toward the sun light. The custom of worshiping the sun was prevalent among the primitives. On this […]
When you learn Chinese in China and the history of China, you will have the general knowledge about these five emperors in China. Huang Di has been considered as the leader of the five emperors in Chinese culture. This is the legend about Yan Di for the foreign students who study Chinese in China. It […]
The students who study Chinese in China took part in the discussion group about the ancient Chinese culture. This week their topic is the reformation held by Shang Yang in Qin state. In order to make the discussion more wonderful, all the overseas members who study Mandarin in China searched lots of historical materials and […]
The purple-grit teapots were originated from the Yixing, Jiangsu province, which was well-known for its adoption of purple sand as its raw material, the purple-grit teapots were out-standing among the pottery teapots, which enjoy high value in its utility, craftsmanship as well the worth for appreciation, therefore, for people who’d like to learn Chinese in […]