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 Shaanxi. “Strong” describes their courage and ferocity; while “cold” describes their cold expressions; “hard” describes their blunt manner of speaking; […]
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 would not survive this frequent caning. So every time Master Ai took his son to task, he would weep and […]
Fuxi and Nvwa; Chang’e In the primitive times, the Chinese people took Fuxi and Nvwa as the gods of marriage and worshipped them. According to legends, Fuxi and Nvwa were the ancestors of all humanity. They arranged marriages for human beings and worked out formalities of marriage. Therefore, they became the gods of marriage. A […]
Hezhes, with Shamanism as their belief, believe that everything has its mystical powers and that the world and the heavenly bodies, though controlled by gods, each have its soul. Hezhes make sacrificial offerings to varieties of gods for their blessing. Shamanism, as a kind of culture, has played an important role in many aspects of […]
A water banquet has two requirements and the first one is that soups are the only hot dishes allowed to be presented. The second requirement is that once a dish is finished, it is immediately followed with another dish; like the process of continuously flowing water. In total, twenty four dishes are served at a […]
The origin of trousseaux In ancient Chinese marriage, as the bridegroom’s family was busy preparing the bridal chamber and furniture, the bride’s family was occupied with the preparation of trousseaux. In ancient times, trousseaux referred to the dressing case a woman used for putting on the makeup; then it was extended to include all the […]
Lunar December is called “腊月”in Chinese custom. Why it is called “腊月”? This origin is very early. It is said that since Zhou Dynasty, Chinese culture has called lunar December as “腊月”. In ancient agricultural society, every manner and Chinese culture custom is unavoidably related to agriculture production. Farmers ploughed in spring, weeded in summer, […]
Guo Pu had written in the Zang Shu that 土圭测其方位，玉尺度其遐迩. It is popular that in the Jin Dynasty and Han Dynasty, when the experts of Feng Shui in Chinese culture measured the level surveying and the orientations, they also used another tool—-Yu Rulers to measure the distance. It is sais that in the Shi Shuo […]
Owing to the rich Chinese culture, majority of overseas are fighting to learn Chinese in China recent years. Before the preparation to study Chinese in China, they have already familiar with the Chinese culture. Thus, they could understand these historic stories about the Huns in Qin Dynasty more easily. Some foreigners who study Mandarin in […]
Many students who learn Chinese in China are quite interested in the ancient Chinese philosophy, which mostly originated from the Warring Period. Today we will introduce several famous thinkers in this period, for their thoughts have been affecting Chinese people for thousands of years. The first thinker will introduce is Mo-tse. I believe you have […]