第三行起为正文

Feng shui is a Chinese philosophical system of harmonizing the human existence with the surrounding environment. The term feng shui literally translates as "wind-water" in English. This is a cultural shorthand taken from the passage of the now-lost Classic of Burial recorded in Guo Pu's commentary: Feng shui is one of the Five Arts of Chinese Metaphysics, classified as physiognomy (observation of appearances through formulas and calculations). The feng shui practice discusses architecture in  taphoric terms of "invisible forces" that bind the universe, earth, and man together, known as qi/chi/energy.Historically, feng shui was widely used to orient buildings—often spiritually significant structures such as tombs, but also dwellings and other structures—in an auspicious manner. Depending on the particular style of feng shui being used, an auspicious site could be determined by reference to local features such as bodies of water, stars, or a compass. Feng shui was suppressed in mainland China during the cultural revolution in the 1960s, but since then has increased in popularity.

The symbol of Chinese culture——Chinese Dragon

From primitive times people have regarded the dragon as an auspicious creature with the power to bless and influence their lives. As tribes fought for domination and came to be united under a common banner the dragon was adopted as a national icon. Such was the mysterious creature's power it was regarded as the god of rain, thunder, the rainbow, and the stars. In a society that was founded upon agriculture and animal husbandry totally reliant upon its natural environment and in particular the climate, the dragon was worshipped as the source of all that was beneficial to communal well being. This concept has been sustained for thousands of years as more and more deification was bestowed upon the dragon ranging from being a bringer of joy to prophecy and miracles. With the establishment of a feudal society, emperors compared themselves to the dragon thereby making it the exclusive symbol of imperial majesty. Anyone who subsequently used the dragon as a symbol either intentionally or erroneously could be regarded as offending their ruler and condemned to death.

The image of the dragon has undergone a series of changes over the centuries becoming more and more mighty and beautiful. The original illustration on primitive bronze ware portrays it as ferocious and mysterious; in the Han Dynasty (206BC - 220), it became magnificent and unrestrained; while during the Tang Dynasty (618 - 907), it was personalized as gentle, tamed and graceful. From the Song Dynasty onwards (960 - 1279), the design became delicate and flowery.

There are several different kinds of dragon according to color, which may be yellow, blue, black, white or red. Of these the most highly revered was the yellow one and so each emperor wore a gown decorated with a yellow dragon pattern.

Although there are differences in appearance, the basics are similar. This is because it is a combination of the features of animals with which people were familiar. A dragon has a protruding forehead indicating wisdom and antlers signifying longevity. Its ox's ears denote success in the imperial examination; it has tiger's eyes as a sign of power; eagle's claws showing bravery; while a fish's tail implies flexibility and the horse's teeth are a mark of diligence and so on.

The Great Wall is a symbol of Chinese civilization,

and one of the wonders that the Chinese people have created. Badaling Great Wall, the most representative part, was promoted as a key  

national cultural relic, protected under the approval of the State Council in

1961. Badaling Great Wall is situated in Yanqing County, over 70 kilometres (43 miles) north of Beijing. It is the most well-preserved section of the Great Wall, built during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644).

Badaling Great Wall is like a strong

dragon winding its way along the mountain ranges. The Great wall originally functioned as a fortification. As early as the Qin Dynasty (221BC-206BC), Qinshihuang, the first emperor of Qin Dynasty unified the whole nation and began to build the Great Wall to protect China's borders from the intrusion of the northern nomadic tribes.

As a landmark erected at the top of a

group of mountain ranges, Badaling Great Wall has also witnessed many significant historic events. The first emperor of the Qin Dynasty toured there, Yuan Taizu, the first emperor of Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368) passed the Badaling Great Wall and took control over the whole of China.

Empress Cixi fled from there to the

western part of China in 1900 when an alliance of eight western countries invaded Beijing. At present, Badaling Great Wall stands still there recording the hardship and bitterness that Chinese people have endured in the past 2,000 years. Badaling Great Wall was the earliest part of the great Wall opened to tourists. It has drawn tens of millions of tourists both from home and abroad. More than 370 foreign leaders and celebrities have visited there. It is a priceless cultural heritage of humanity.

During the Duan Wu Festival, a glutinous rice pudding called rice dumpling is eaten to symbolize the rice offerings to Qu. Ingredients such as beans, lotus seeds（莲子）, chestnuts（栗子）, pork fat and the golden yolk of a salted duck egg areoften added to the glutinous rice. The pudding is then wrapped with bamboo leaves, bound with a kind of raffia and boiled in salt water for hours. Many traditional Chinese foods are intended to honor either the gods or divine persons in history. Rice dumpling- a glutinous rice dumpling wrapped in bamboo or reed leaves - is no exception. It is meant to honor Qu Yuan (340-278 BC.), the pioneer poet of ancient China. Qu Yuan was a famous poet who was also concerned aboutthe fate of his government. 

Unfortunately his stature aroused the jealousy of the king, who banished him to a remote area. The poet despaired of the government and its policies. When the state"s capital was captured by enemies, he committed suicide by drowning himself in the Miluo River (on May 5th according to the Chinese lunar calendar). The Chinese people felt this loss deeply, as he was a much beloved poet. Local folk searched for him in the river, meanwhile dropping dumplings of glutinous rice wrapped in bamboo or reed leaves into the river in order to keep the fishes from attacking Qu Yuan’s body .Since that time, it has been customary on this day to enjoy rice dumplings as a memorial to the patriotic poet. In addition, there is also a festival called the Duan Wu or Dragon Boat Festival. If you ever visit China during the Dragon Boat Festival, you can"t miss the nationwide custom of enjoying rice dumplings. You are sure to be impressed with the delicacy of this snack, and with the faint scent of the leaves imprinted on the skin of the dumplings. 

We were very eager since the food was made only once a year on May 5th.The Chinese rice dumpling is not only made for the Duan Wu Festival. It is available at any time of the year. And local areas have developed their own styles and varieties of dumpling. 

The bamboo or reed leaves which form the wrapping and make rice dumplings distinct from other types of Chinese dumplings. The filling often contains either dates or sweetened red bean paste. 

The leading place for the food is Jia xing , an ancient town in Zhejiang province. Many different 

types of rice dumplings are made here. At Wu Fang Zhai, a monopolistic food processor, you"ll find all the ingredients you need: the dumplings with meat, sweetened bean paste and chestnuts, lotus seeds, dates, and yolk of egg. 

In ancient times, chopsticks were called 'Zhu'. At that time, our ancestors liked to steam or boil food. It was difficult for them to use spoons to dip vegetables in the soup. So they cleverly invented 'Zhu' to nip food, thus it has become the most convenient tableware in their lives.

The development of chopstick has experienced a long history. Early in Xia Dynasty (21st to 16th century BC), the shape was still in development. Chopsticks only became two sticks of the same length in the Shang Dynasty (16th - 11th century BC). In the late Shang Dynasty, the tyrannical King Zhou ordered his craftsmen to make chopsticks from elephants' teeth, which was seen to be the most luxurious in the early history of Chinese food culture. The appearance of chopsticks said goodbye to those days when our Chinese ancestors had to use their hands to eat, so they featured the coming of civilization to food culture. The invention has many scientific theories. The lever principle of mechanics was applied into practice. The point where two sticks crossed is the pivot of the lever.The use of chopsticks has been an important part of Chinese food culture.

The Chinese Brush Calligraphy is one of the traditional four arts which was once an important critical standard for the Chinese literati in the imperial era and now prevails not only in China but also worldwide as a unique branch of art. 

Calligraphy is so abstract and sublime that in Chinese culture it is universally regarded to be the most revealing power of a person. While one has conformed to the defined structure of words, the expression can be displayed with great creativity by individuals. 

To become an artist or expert in calligraphy, one has to practice word by word and stroke by stroke until the spirit of the practice gets into one's mind. Just as Chinese Qi Gong, the Chinese brush calligraphy can temper a person into a state in which one can apply subconsciousness got from the daily practice to control the concentration of ink and the compatibility of font and size of each piece or word. 

In contrast to the Western calligraphy, diffusing ink blots and dry brush strokes are viewed as a natural and free impromptu expression. All the varieties of the operation depend on the mental exercise that coordinates the mind and the body to perform the proper sense to choose the proper way in expressing the content of the passage. 

Calligraphy is considered as an active way of keeping one fit and health for the practice is either relaxing or self-entertaining. Historically, many calligraphy artists both in China and Japan were well known for their longevity.

In fact, the “dragon” is only an imaginary animal. Nobody

 really knows where the dragon comes from. The dragon 

looks like a combination of many animals, such as a reptile,

a snake, an alligator, and a lizard. Or it may be just a product

from the imagination of the ancient Chinese people.

Chinese emperors think they are the real dragons and the 

sons of the heaven. Dragons can be seen on the buildings 

in the imperial palace. Dragon screens are an important 

part of this dragon culture. The dragon is a symbol of 

imperial power.

Traditionally the dragons are considered as the governors

 of rain falls in Chinese culture. They have the power to 

decide where and when to have rain falls. The kings of the

 water dragons live in the dragon palaces under the oceans.

The dragon also plays an important part in Chinese Festivals.

 The dragon dance has a long history, which was already a 

popular event during the Song Dynasty. The Dragon Boat 

Festival is almost purely dragon-related festival, which becomes

 popular international events now.

In China, the dragon has an important position and influence.

 During the 5,000 years, Dragon has become a symbol of the 

Chinese nation, a symbol of Chinese culture, a symbol of the

 rapid advance of the great motherland.

“In the faraway orient lies a dragon, whose name is China. ” As

 the classic Chinese song shows, China is nicknamed “Oriental 

Dragon”.

The Chinese dragon culture in modern China is not only the

 existence of individual sites, but still maintaining a strong 

vitality. The Chinese dragon culture has a strong appeal and

 centripetal force in the Chinese nation.

No matter wherever we are, we will say we are the descendants 

of the dragon with great pride.

辛宜臻——食理英语3班

The Chinese Brush Calligraphy is one of the traditional four arts which

 was once an important critical standard for the Chinese literati in the 

imperial era and now prevails not only in China but also worldwide as 

a unique branch of art. 

Calligraphy is so abstract and sublime that in Chinese culture it is 

universally regarded to be the most revealing power of a person. While 

one has conformed to the defined structure of words, the expression

 can be displayed with great creativity by individuals. 

To become an artist or expert in calligraphy, one has to practice word

 by word and stroke by stroke until the spirit of the practice gets into 

one's mind. Just as Chinese Qi Gong, the Chinese brush calligraphy 

can temper a person into a state in which one can apply 

subconsciousness got from the daily practice to control the concentration

of ink and the compatibility of font and size of each piece or word. 

In contrast to the Western calligraphy, diffusing ink blots and dry brush

strokes are viewed as a natural and free impromptu expression. All the

 varieties of the operation depend on the mental exercise that coordinates

 the mind and the body to perform the proper sense to choose the proper 

way in expressing the content of the passage. 

Calligraphy is considered as an active way of keeping one fit and health

 for the practice is either relaxing or self-entertaining. Historically, many

 calligraphy artists both in China and Japan were well known for their longevity.

In China, the color vermilion（朱红色） was playing an important role in the national culture. The color was most famously used in creating Chinese lacquerware(漆器), which was exported around the world, giving rise to the term "Chinese red."

Beginning in about the 8th century, Chinese chemists began making synthetic(合成的) vermillion from mercury(汞) and sulphur(硫磺), which reduced the price of the pigment(颜料) and allowed the production of Chinese lacquerware on a larger scale.

The shade of red of the lacquerware has changed over the centuries. During the Eastern Han Dynasty (25–220 AD) the Chinese word for red referred to a light red. However, during the Tang Dynasty (618–907), when the synthetic vermilion was introduced, that color became darker and richer. The poet Bai Juyi (772–846) wrote that "the flowers in the river when the sun rises are redder than flames," and the word he used for red was the word for vermilion, or Chinese red.

 In 1835 "Chinese vermilion" was described as a cinnabar(朱砂) so pure that it only had to be ground into powder to become a perfect vermilion.

In China, From ancient times vermilion was regarded as the color of blood, and thus the color of life. It was used to paint temples,the carriages(马车) of the Emperor, and as the printing paste for personal name chops. It was also used for unique red calligraphic(书法的) ink reserved for Emperors. Chinese Taoists(道家) associated vermilion with eternity(永恒).

The panda,also known as the giant panda to distinguish it from the unrelated red panda, is a bear native to south central China.It is a symbol of China.

The giant panda lives in a few mountain ranges in central China, mainly in  Sichuan province, but also in the Shaanxi and Gansu provinces.As a result  of farming, deforestation and other development, the panda has been driven out of the lowland areas where it once lived.

No conclusive explanation of the origin of the word "panda" has been found. The closest candidate is the Nepali word ponya, possibly referring to the  adapted wrist bone. The Western world originally applied this name to the  red panda. Until 1901, when it was erroneously stated tobe related to the  red panda, the giant panda was known as "mottled bear" (Ailuropus  melanoleucus) or "particolored bear".

The giant panda is listed as endangered in the World Conservation Union's  (IUCN's) Red List of Threatened Animals. It is one of the most critically  endangered species in the world. There are about 1,000 left in the wild.  About 140 pandas live in zoos and breeding centers around the world,  mostly in China. 

While the dragon has often served as China's national emblem,  internationally the panda appears at least as commonly. As such, it is  becoming widely used within China in international contexts, for example  the five Fuwa mascots of the Beijing Olympics.

of Buddha Siddhartha Gautamain Lumbini, Nepal. This makes it one of the oldest religions

practiced today. Buddhism first reached China from India roughly 2,000 years ago, 

during the Han Dynasty.Buddhism has played an enormous role in shaping the mindset of

the Chinese people, affecting their aesthetics, politics, literature, philosophy and 

medicine.

At the peak of the Tang Dynasty's vitality, Chinese Buddhism produced numerous spiritual 

masters. Scholars classified Chinese Buddhism into 7-15 schools, commonly into 10 

schools, called the Ten Schools of the Han Transmission of Buddhism .After the turmoil of 

the Cultural Revolution, Chinese Buddhism is growing again, with ancient monasteries 

being rebuilt, and more people choosing to take ordination as monks and nuns.

When Buddhism began to influence Chinese culture , it brought with it a vast array of new 

concepts, doctrines, and beliefs. Detailed conceptions of heavens and hells, a new 

pantheon, belief in reincarnation, and the doctrine of karma all eventually worked their 

way into the fabric of Chinese life as Buddhist ideas took hold and spread. Buddhism

brought with it as well new types of behavior: forms of seated meditation, the practice of 

making offerings before images, Buddhist rites of consecration and confession, and even 

the new gesture of palms pressed together. By exposing Chinese to foreign missionaries 

and through the translation of foreign texts, Buddhism made contributions to the Chinese 

understanding of their own language and to the language itself; many expressions 

common in modern Chinese originated in Buddhist texts, and the recognition of the 

distinctive characteristics of the Chinese language, such as its dependence on tones, was 

also sparked by scrutiny of the Indian language in which Buddhist texts were couched.

·  denote： 指用符号等表示。

·  indicate： 指用词语或标记表达较明确的意义。

·  mean, imply, indicate, represent, denote, signify, suggest这些动词均含有“表示……的意思”之意。

Eg . a..Red eyes denote strain and fatigue... 眼睛充血表明压力过大、身心疲惫。

b. There was a message waiting, denoting that someone had been here ahead of her.有了一条留言，这表示有人已先于她到了这儿。

②  tenet ---The tenets of a theory or belief are the main principles on which it is based.

Eg .a Non-violence and patience are the central tenets of their faith... 非暴力和忍耐是他们的信仰的核心原则。

b.  The judge's ruling was based on the simple commonsense tenet that no man is above the law.

③ institutionalize---If someone such as a sick, mentally ill, or old person is institutionalized, they are sent to stay in a special hospital or home, usually for a long period

④  Propriety --- Propriety is the quality of being socially or morally acceptable.

  Eg. Their sense of social propriety is eroded.他们的社交礼仪意识淡薄。

instantaneity瞬时性,即时性 (instant立即的+aneity性质,状态→n.瞬时性,即时性)

  spontaneity自然,自发 (spont个人意志,自愿+aneity性质,状态→n.自然,自发)

simultaneity同时发生,同时 (simult类似+aneity性质,状态→n.同时发生,同时)

Silk road

The Silk Road, or Silk Route, is a series of trade and cultural transmission routes that were central to cultural interaction through regions of the Asian continent connecting the West and East by linking traders, merchants, pilgrims, monks, soldiers, nomads(游牧民Eg.a country of nomads who raise cattle and camels.)and urban dwellers from China to the Mediterranean Sea during various periods of time.

  Extending 4,000 miles (6,437 kilometres), the Silk Road gets its name from the lucrative(获利多的；赚大钱的) trade of Chinese silk which was carried out along its length, and began during the Han Dynasty (206 BC – 220 AD). The Central Asian sections of the trade routes were expanded around 114 BC by the Han dynasty, largely through the missions and explorations of Chinese imperial envoy Zhang Qian.

Trade on the Silk Road was a significant factor in the development of the civilizations of China, the Indian subcontinent, Persia, Europe and Arabia. It opened long-distance, political and economic interactions between the civilizations.  Though silk was certainly the major trade item from China, many other goods were traded, and various technologies, religions and philosophies, as well as the bubonic plague (the "Black Death"), also traveled along the Silk Routes. In addition to economic trade, the Silk Road served as ways of carrying out cultural trade between the networking civilizations.

China has a vast territory ,is the word’s attention to “eat” nationa.Originated from the ancient time,the Chinesecuisines has developed in a long time.As earlyas “qing” Dynasty, the Royal Banquet like Man-Han Banquet shows Chinese gift incooking,the dishes i delicious and beautiful as well,they are in adequatecontainers,like pieces of art.Long term since,because each district made ofdifferent raw materials,different ingredients,using different cooking

methods,and formed their own unique flaver .Regional cuisines has became more and morepopular.For more information , focus on CCTV’s documentary , A Bite of China.

Chinese dumplings or Jiaozi, with meat and vegetable

fillings, is a traditional Chinese Food, which is essential during holidays in Northern China. Chinese are Masters in the Art of Making Dumplings.
History
The history of jiaozi dates back to ancient times, some 500-600 years ago. As the Spring Festival marks the start of a new year, people choose to eat jiaozi to connote their wishes for good fortune in the new year. China has been perfecting the art of dumpling making since the Sung dynasty.
Fillings
There is no set rule as to what makes dumping fillings. They can be anything from vegetables, meat to seafood. Whatever the fillings, the wrapping skill needs to be exquisite to make jiaozi look attractive.
Shape and variety
Chinese dumplings may be round or crescent-shaped, boiled or pan-fried. The filling may be sweet or savory; vegetarian or filled with meat and vegetables. Of course, all this variety can be confusing.
As China is a country with a vast territory, there are great difference in various regions in ways of making jiaozi or even serving it. For example, dumplings wrappers are made with a rolling stick in most areas of Beijing and Hebei Provinces, whereas in some parts of Shanxi Province and inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, wrappers are hand- pressed.

New Year's Food

Chinese dumpling is one of the most important foods in Chinese New Year. Since the shape of Chinese dumplings is similar to ancient Chinese gold or silver ingots, they symbolize wealth. Traditionally, the members of a family get together to make dumplings during the New Year's Eve. They may hide some coins in one of the dumplings. The person who fined the coin will likely have a good fortune in the New Year. Chinese dumpling is also popular in other Chinese holidays or festivals, so it is part of the Chinese culture or tradition.

Confucius, or as literally translated, Master Kong，lived and worked during what is known as the Chinese Spring and Autumn Period (770-481 BCE), and is by tradition said to have been born on the 28th of September in 551 BCE in the state of Lu located on the Shandong peninsula in northeastern China and died in 479 BCE. 

t is said, “by tradition” because it is difficult to distinguish much of Confucius’ life between the factual and the legendary. Confucius was an infamous Chinese thinker and educator, comparable to Socrates in the West, who developed a social and political philosophy that is often considered to be the foundation of subsequent Chinese thought. He was the founder of the Ru School of Chinese thought and the philosophical school of thought that has come to bear his name, Confucianism, comes from his tradition and the fragments that were recorded in the text calledAnalects (Lunyu). 

What is clear is that education or study was extremely important to Confucius in which one must be dependent and independent; he is recorded in the Analects as saying: “He who learns but does not think is lost. He who thinks but does not learn is in great danger.”

Confucius was open to teaching all, no matter their class, through his interpretation of his study and centered that espousal on the edifice of learning as well. His method was never to teach in a preacher-like manner, but rather in a motivational one (so-to-speak), such that the pupil must answer for himself: “I only instruct the eager and enlighten the fervent. If I hold up one corner and a student cannot come back to me with the other three, I do not go on with the lesson.”

Enjoying the fame of "Wan Li Chang Cheng", Great Wall starts from Hushan in Liaoning in the east and ends at Jiayuguan Pass in Gansu in the west, via the nine provinces or cities. It is often compared to a huge dragon winding up and down in the mountains, grassland and deserts.The builders of the Great Wall is the ancient Chinese laboring people .The new survey of the length of the wall in Ming Dynasty has confirmed that it is 8,851.8 km (5,500 miles) long.As one of the Seven Wonders in the world, the Great Wall of China has become the symbol of the Chinese nation and its culture.

The history of the Great Wall is said to start from the Spring and Autumn Periods when seven powerful states appeared at the same time and stopped in the middle of the Qing Dynasty.

The average height of the Ming Great Wall measures 33 feet and the width is about five yards. In low, flat areas the wall was built high and more defense lines were added. 

Lots of beautiful legends and stories about the Great Wall took place following along the construction,. Meng Jiangnu's story is the most famous and widely spread. It tells of how Meng Jiangnu's bitter weeping made a section of the wall collapse.This story indicates that the wall is the production of tens of thousands of Chinese commoners.

The Great Wall, owing to its huge bulk, long length and variant construction materials, is difficult to protect well . Besides natural disasters such as storms and earthquakes, the wall also suffers from human sabotage. Being one of the world cultural and natural heritages, the Great Wall of China, belongs to the world, so everyone has the responsibility to protect it. 

At present, many sections of the Great Wallhave been repaired and opened to the public. Among them, Badaling is the most famous which receives the most visitors from home and abroad. Mutianyu is famous for its spectacular scenery, Jinshanling and Simatai are well known for the wildness and cragginess, and Jiankou is attracted by its dangerous location. Due to these varieties, it's no wonder that Great Wall is the most welcomed scenic sight in China.

The cheongsam is a female dress with distinctive Chinese features and enjoys a growing popularity in the international world of high fashion.

The name "cheongsam," meaning simply "long dress," entered the English vocabulary from the dialect of China's Guangdong Province . In other parts of the country including Beijing, however, it is known as "qipao", which has a history behind it.

When the early Manchu rulers came to China proper, they organized certain people, mainly Manchus, into "banners" and called them "banner people" (qiren), which then became loosely the name of all Manchus. The Manchu women wore normally a one-piece dress which, likewise, came to be called "qipao" or "banner dress." Although the 1911 Revolution toppled the rule of the Qing Dynasty, the female dress survived the political change and, with later improvements, has become the traditional dress for Chinese women.

Easy to slip on and comfortable to wear, the cheongsam fits well the female Chinese figure. Its neck is high, collar closed, and its sleeves may be either short, medium or full length, depending on season and taste. The dress is buttoned on the right side, with a loose chest, a fitting waist, and slits up from the sides, all of which combine to set off the beauty of the female shape.

The cheongsam is not too complicated to make. Nor does it call for too much material, for there are no accessories like belts, scarves, sashes or frills to go with it.

Another beauty of the cheongsam is that, made of different materials and to varying lengths, they can be worn either on casual or formal occasions. In either case, it creates an impression of simple and quiet charm, elegance and neatness. No wonder it is so much liked by women not only of China but of foreign countries as well.

Peking Opera known as the "Oriental opera", it is a genuine Chinese quintessence, 

named after the deep formation in Beijing.Beijing Opera has a history of more than 200

   years. Its origin dates back to the several ancient local drama, is particularly popular 

in the eighteenth centurythe local opera of the south "HuiBan". In 1790, the first

 HuiBan into Beijing, attend the emperor's birthday. Then there is a lot of HuiBan began 

to show in Beijing. HuiBan original liquid, is good at absorbing other operas repertoire

  and performance method, Beijing brought together many local operas, this makes

  HuiBan in art are improved rapidly.

The end of the 19th century and the beginningof the 20th century, after decades 

of fusion,Peking Opera is formed, and becomeChina's largest opera performances.

  More rich, performingartist of Beijing Opera repertoire, the troupe, the audience as much as, 

more extensive influence,are among the top of theChina. Beijing Opera is a comprehensive

 performing arts, it sets "sing , say (NianBai), domartial arts, dance ," as a whole, through the 

program of performance means, narrative, and score. 

Beijing Opera are divided into  the role of raw (male) Dan (female), net (men),

  ugly (both male and female) four big business, there are also some supporting business.

 Facebook is the most distinctive Beijing Opera art. Character's faithful evil, beauty and

 ugliness, good and evil, and junior, mostly can pass through facebook. Generally believe

 that the end of the 18th century is the first climax in the development of Beijing Opera.

 At the time, not only the folk drama Within a very prosperous, the palace drama performance 

is very much also.Because the royal nobles all like Beijing Opera, palace in the superior

 material conditions for the Peking Opera performances, wear regulation, the respect such as

 facebook make-up, the stage provides the beneficial help. Palace and folk drama influence each other,

 make the unprecedented development of Peking Opera. Different opera schools have a large number 

of famous actors,they are active on the stage in Shanghai, Beijing and other cities, Beijing Opera stage

 art reached its zenith.

PORCELAIN

崔宇-杨可炜食理英语3班

China is the home of porcelain. The beauty of porcelain makes the world understand China. When hearing the English words CHINA, what kind of feeling do you have? The word China has the mean of Porcelain. nd fire is the basis of human evolution.Chinese porcelain which is the art of the earth and fire represents the Chinese wisdom.China is the hometown of china,the invention of china is a great contribution to world civilization.In English,china means porcelain. The earliest Neolithid earthenware with very few adornments mainly falls into three categories: storing,boiling and drinking vessels. By the late Neolithic Age, carving decorative patterns on the surface of earthen-ware became a common practice, and the burnished black pottery of the Longshan Culture,which is as thin as eggshell, represents the highest technological level of baking earthenware at that time. ound the 16th century BC in Shang Dynasty, the early Chinese porcelain appeared.On Qing Dynasty,porcelain firing technology had reached the top level of the history Technology of firing porcelain shows the brightness and hardworking of Chinese people. On Han Dynasty,the government break a new path(开辟新路) to the westerns.Now we named it The Silk Road,through which Chinese porcelain was traded to the world.From that time on, China means porcelain and china is the symbol of China.

Confucianism Confucianism as the guiding cultural genre. Confucianism was created by Confucius Spring and Autumn Period, advocated blood human relations, secular Feats, self Cunyang, moral reason, the central idea is filial piety, brother, loyalty, trust, propriety, justice, honesty, shame, and its core is the "benevolence . "Confucianism experience on behalf of the rulers respected, as well as the development of Confucius after school and heritage to the development of Chinese culture played a decisive role in the concept of Chinese culture in depth, all the name of the stigma of Confucianism.

Confucius which the Spring and Autumn Period, profound internal crisis is not adjustable due to social conflicts caused by shaking together the traditional culture of the authority, the traditional culture of suspicion and critical spirit growing, even Shun, civil and military charter Confucius can not fail to was injected into the spirit of the times in which their ideological system, and be appropriate to transform the traditional culture, in order to establish a new order and harmony in social practice mental balance, this situation to the Warring States era of great change is particularly prominent, because people on the ruins of the old world had dimly seen the collapse of the old hierarchy level to break the shackles of the dawn of a new era.

 The Confucian culture, rich in its contents and great in its significance, exerted on the thinking, culture and political life of ancient China immense influences, unparalleled by any other school of thought or culture. Confucian theories on morality and ethics, with 'goodness' as the core and 'rites' as the norm 

 Thought of Confucius in Chinese history of great significance, has already affected more than two thousand years in China, Confucius's position in history is also very high. Now, more and more and more Chinese and foreigners start studying Confucian culture. Confucius, are worthy of great philosophers of ancient China!

  China is the hometown of china,which means porcelain in English.

  As a art symbol of China,china is a great contribution
to world civilization.The history of ceramics is the history of Chinese
civilization is an important part of Chjna,as one of the four ancient civilizations,human
development and social progress made outstanding contributions,including the
invention of ceramics and the development of a more unique significance.

  As early as the Europeans have porcelain manufacturing technology one thousand
years ago,Chinese people have created a very fine ceramics.China is the
earliest country with porcelain technology,and Chinese porcelain technology,and
Chinese porcelain with its Usefulness and artistry has been the world’s praise
and respect.

  Thereare four traditional porcelain:Blue and white porcelain,Color glaze
porcelain,Famille Rose Porcelain,Glowing porcelain.

  Blue and white porcelain iselegant,noble and pure,such as the Millennium basket,with its strong vitalityand ceramic art,become the perfect combination of modern andtraditional.

  Ancient Chinese craftsmen adding different metal oxides in the
glaze,at different temperatures and flame,glaze will show different color,to
form the rich and colorful color glaze.

  Famille Rose Porcelain also called softporcelain,the famille rose as the main decoration of Famille roseporcelain.

  Craftsmen carve out many regular”delicate eyes”in the porcelain
body,and then fire these holes with the glaze into the bright hole,very
beautiful,known as “card glass ware”.

Silk fabric was first developed in ancient China,with some of the earliest examples found as early as 3500 BC.Legend gives credit for developing silk to a Chinese empress, Leizu.

Silks were originally reserved for the Emperors of China for their own use and gifts to others, but spread gradually through Chinese culture and trade both geographically and socially, and then to many regions of Asia. Silk rapidly became a popular luxury fabric in the many areas accessible to Chinese merchants because of its texture and lustre. Silk was in great demand, and became a staple of pre-industrial international trade. 

In the ancient era, silk from China was the most lucrative and sought-after luxury item traded across the Eurasian continent,and many civilizations, such as the ancient Persians, benefited economically from trade.The silk trade reached as far as the Indian subcontinent, the Middle East, Europe, and North Africa. This trade was so extensive that the major set of trade routes between Europe and Asia came to be known as the Silk Road.

 Besides,silk was one of the most important elements of the Chinese culture. It had numerous uses besides clothing including strings for musical instruments, fishing-lines, bow strings, and much more. It was eventually used as a currency. The largest impact it had with the Chinese culture was with trade. Western civilizations traded wool and other goods for the precious silk, which greatly helped their economy

As early as in 1974,rural residents discovered some piece of tiles. Since then,various scholars proposed to explore the underground palace.However, opponents of such excavations hold that China's current technology is not able to deal with the large scale of the underground palace yet. Many mistakes were made in the case of the Terracotta Warriors. For instance, scientists were unable to preserve the colored Terracotta Warriors, which resulted in the rapid shedding of their painted decoration when exposed to air. Also the situation of the underground palace still remains unclear, so any rash digging may cause damage.[

Work on the mausoleum began soon after Emperor Qin ascended the throne in 246 BC when he was still aged 13, although its full-scale construction only started after he had conquered the six other major states and unified China in 221 BC. In December 2012, it was announced that the remains of a massive "imperial palace" was found at the site. Based on its foundations, the courtyard-style palace was estimated to be 690 meters long and 250 meters wide, covering an area of 170,000 square meters, which is nearly one fourth the size of the Forbidden City in Beijing. The palace included 18 courtyard houses and a main building that overlooked the houses. The archaeologists have been excavating the foundations since 2010 and have found walls, gates, stone roads, pottery shards and some brickwork.In 1987, the mausoleum, including the Terracotta Warriors, were listed as World Heritage Sites.[

Jade,the Chinese Culture Symbol

 In Chinese people's minds, jade is the crystal of heaven and earth’s essence.

As the mediator of spiritual communication betwen man and god, jade has an unusual

religious symbolism.China 's ancient books write that Kunlun Mountains are known as

the " group of jade mountain" or " mountains of the motherland ." As early as three 

thousand six hundred to three thousand one hundred years ago in Shang dynasty , 

jade from distant Xinjiang Hetian has been to the capital of Yin in Anyang, Henan.

  At the imperial palace,natural jade products are considered as a symbol of status

and rank , having becomed an important component which maintains social order .

Meanwhile, a special role in the funeral aspect Jade plays also gives a incomparable

mystical and religious significance.

Therefore, the spiritual culture arising out of jade in ancient China is a highly interesting

phenomenon in world civilization,.It is the spirit of the East’s vivid physical manifestation

and the material foundation of traditional Chinese culture. And all these thing is inextricabl

linked with the Hotan jade.After thousands years history precipitation , Chinese jade culture has the basic shape .

Addressed cheongsam fashion starting time, usually considered

 in the 20th century during the Republic of China.As the old 

empire in Beijing, there are records show cheongsam fashion

 began in 1925. Therefore, the cheongsam popular starting

 time as 1925 when reasonable.

Cheongsam style originated in the Qing Dynasty folk generally

 believed that improvements in women's gowns flag, but

 actually a lot of controversy in the academic community.There 

are many scholars and the media at the time believed that the

 early Republican woman to seek independent thought and 

feminist liberation, to emulate male child wearing a robe is an 

important reason.

From the late 1920s to the 1940s, Chinese cheongsam popular

 for over 20 years, the style has changed several times, such as 

the level of the short length of the collar, sleeves, slit height,

 so dress to completely get rid of the old style, changing the

 Chinese women have long fundamentally bra wrapped arm,

 so that women and curvaceous body fully displayed, is suitable

 for the fashion, female emancipation legislation a success.Later, 

the cheongsam is also spread abroad, as other countries follow

 suit wearing woman.

Foreign tourists to Shanghai, often custom-made dress as the

 first program, regarded as the representative of Chinese elements.

The Great Wallis the world cultural heritage ，which is located in Beijing of China. The great

wall history can be traced to the western zhou dynasty. The great wall you see today Is established in ming dynasty.

TheAncient wall is 6700-kilometer long and it starts at the Jiayuguan Pass of Gansu Province in

the west and ends at the Shanhaiguan Pass of Hebei Province in the east.As one of the Eight Wonders in the world,the Great Wall of China has become the symbol of the Chinese nation and its culture.

The ancientsof the Great Wall,precisely in order to strengthen military defenses.and this practice is kept from han dynasty to ming dynasty.Plenty of ordinary Chinese farmers are forced to build the great wall by Rules，in which process a lot of people died.

In addition to the above-mentioned stories about the construction of the Great Wall, there are also plenty of stories about current scenic spots. A famous one is the legend of the Beacon Tower. This story happened during the Western Zhou Dynasty (11th century BC-711 BC). King You had a queen named Bao Si, who was very pretty. King You liked her very much, however Bao Si never smiled. An official gave a suggestion that setting the beacon tower on fire would frighten the King's subjects, and might make the queen smile. King You liked the idea. The subjects were fooled and Bao Si smiled at the sight of the chaos. Later enemies invaded Western Zhou, King You set the beacon tower on fire to ask for help. No subjects came to help because they had been fooled once before. Thus, King Zhou was killed by the enemy and Western Zhou came to an end.

　Beautiful stories and legends about the Great Wall help to keep alive Chinese history and culture. In each dynasty after the building of the Great Wall, many more stories were created and spread.

2级食理英语3班李鑫

食科1308 笪荣辉

Peony in China has been the most important Kao, equivalent to the European minds Flower Queen - Rose. Peony is a symbol of material civilization, peony is the king of flowers, a symbol of the spirit of national unity implies, is a prosperous country Cheers atmosphere. 

 Peony cultivation history of late about the Han Dynasty, due to its flower like peony was the introduction but after years of cultivation, in the Tang dynasty has been "Shen Nong's Herbal Classic" hailed Kao, was also called "wood peony." Wearing headphones Tang Dynasty palace maid with peony for the United States. The Tang Dynasty was bred multicolor varieties now grown around the world are from China Introduced peony. 

Peony desirable red, white and two-color ill persons medicine, safflower were somewhat favorable, somewhat white who make up. Peony apply facial melasma, skin aging. Consumption of a variety can make plenty of blood, let Yanhong Run, full of energy. 

Peony colorful, elegant, known as Aromatic, is the king of flowers.

The Yellow River is the symbol of Chinese culture. The cradle of Chinese civilization and the Chinese race, the Yellow River is called the Mother River. The Yellow River is 5,464 km in length and is the second largest River in China. The average volume of the flow of the Yellow River, 48 billion cubic meters each year, is not more than one-twentieth of the Yangtze’s. Legend has it that a dragon from the river brought to the Chinese the strokes from which the Chinese characters developed. However, the Yellow River is known as China’s sorrow because it has caused countless deaths through its devastating floods. The powerful floods have often changed the course of the river.

Tea

       Tea is the Tenation's national drink. It first appears in Shennong
period, now has become fashionable in the world's three major non-alcoholic
drinks (tea, coffee and cocoa), and will be the king of the beverage of the
21st century.

        The Chinese people, in their drinking of tea, place much significance on
the act of "savoring." "Savoring tea" is not only a way to
discern good tea from mediocre tea, but also how people take delight in their
reverie and in tea-drinking itself. Snatching a bit of leisure from a busy
schedule, making a kettle of strong tea, securing a serene space, and serving
and drinking tea by yourself can help banish fatigue and frustration, improve
your thinking ability and inspire you with enthusiasm. You may also imbibe it
slowly in small sips to appreciate the subtle allure of tea-drinking, until
your spirits soar up and up into a sublime aesthetic realm. Buildings, gardens,
ornaments and tea sets are the elements that form the ambience for savoring
tea. A tranquil, refreshing, comfortable and neat locale is certainly desirable
for drinking tea. China is the birthplace of tea, known as "tea of the
motherland."

           Tea is the pride of the Chinese nation! 
 
 
 
 

Chinese Chun Lian：Spring Couplets

  chunlian is a special type of duilian, or couplet. it is used only during the
chinese new year as part of its celebration. while duilian is permanent,
chunlian is a temporary decoration to be placed on the entrance of the house,
somewhat akin to halloween and christmas decorations. duilian comprises of a
couplet written on vertical strips of red paper in the best calligraphic style
one can muster. 

  the first (called upper) line is posted on the right side of the front door.the
second (called lower) line is posted on the left side of the front door. in
addition, a third horizontal piece may be posted across and on top the
door.typically, the chun lian writes an happy, hopeful, uplifting message about
a better new year to come, like this one:

 word-for-word translation of above: 

top (horizontal across)  : whole earth  returns  spring

left (vertical) line  : winter gone mountain clear water sparkles

right (vertical) line: spring comes  bird sings flower fragrant

note that word for word, the upper and
lower lines are antithetical, yet the meanings are complementary and content of
the message is hopeful and uplifting. the words in the horizontal are written
from left to right. 

Tea

        Tea is the Tenation's national drink. It first appears in Shennong period, now has become fashionable in the world's three major non-alcoholic drinks (tea , coffee and cocoa), and will be the king of the beverage of the 21st century.

          The Chinese people, in their drinking of tea, place much significance on the act of "savoring." "Savoring tea" is not only a way to discern good tea from mediocre tea, but also how people take delight in their reverie and in tea-drinkimng itself. Snatching a bit of leisure from busy schedule,   making a kettle of strong tea, securing a serene space, and serving  and drinking tea by yourself can help banish fatigue and frustration, improve your thinking ability and inspire you with enthusiasm. You may also imbibe it slowly in small sips to appreciate the subtle allure of tea-drinking, until your spirits soar up and up into a sublime aesthetic realm. Buildings, gardens, ornaments and tea sets are the elements that form the ambience for savoring tea. A tranquil, refreshing, comfortable and neat locale is certainly desirable for drinking tea. China is the birthplace of tea, known as "tea of the  motherland."

           Tea is the pride of the Chinese nation!

]]> 2014-04-30 14:03:06 UTC https://padlet.com/chrisyang0329/13CEL3/wish/26999443 1365806825 https://padlet.com/chrisyang0329/13CEL3/wish/27005769 2014-04-30 14:56:01 UTC https://padlet.com/chrisyang0329/13CEL3/wish/27005769 1365806825 https://padlet.com/chrisyang0329/13CEL3/wish/27005963 Chinese Calligraphy 李静-生化英语四班

Few nations in the world have calligraphy as a form of art. In China, calligraphy has maintained a close rapport with the country's cultural development. Calligraphy, or shufa, is one of the four basic skills and disciplines of the Chinese literati, together with painting (hua), stringed musical instruments (qin) and board games (qi ). Chinese calligraphy is the art of turning square Chinese characters into expressive images by the responsiveness of rice paper and speed and pressure of a pointed Chinese brush. Calligraphy is an expressive art. According to an old Chinese saying, "the way characters are written is a portrait of the person who writes them." Expressing the abstract beauty of lines and rhythms, calligraphy is thud a reflection of a person's emotions, moral integrity, character, educational level, accomplishments in self-cultivation, intellectual tastes and approach to life. Chinese characters, which convey ideas, are regarded as the most abstract and sublime art form. Calligraphy manifests the basic characteristics of all Chinese arts.

The dragon is commonly called Lóng in China. As a primitive totem of the Chinese people it can date back to the Neolithic period. This sacred animal in the ancient Chinese legend, it is referred to as the divine mythical creature that brings with it ultimate abundance, prosperity and good fortune. Its benevolence signifies greatness, goodness and blessing; it symbolizes excellence, valiancy and boldness, heroism, perseverance, nobility and divinity. 

 In China, the dragon permeates through the great Chinese civilization because the people have special worship to the dragon. In the old dynasties, the dragon was the emblem of the emperor and the imperial power. It was referred to something about the emperor, such as, the royal court was called dragon court, the imperial robe was called dragon robe, the son of the emperor was call dragon son, the face of the emperor was called dragon face, emperor’s head was called dragon head…very interesting. Some Chinese people even take the character of dragon (Lóng) as their family name; nearly all the Chinese parents hope their sons become dragons (means become a useful person) when they grow up and possess the energetic, decisive, optimistic, intelligent and ambitious like the dragon. 

Dragon has been comparable as the symbol of the Chinese nationality itself from time immemorial. Currently, the Chinese people around the world proudly proclaim themselves the “Descendents of the Dragon”. But now when people mention the Chinese dragon it is usually associated with China and the Chinese culture.

Round sweet balls are eaten for happiness on the Lantern Festival. The Chinese call these balls Yuanxiao or Tangyuan. Obviously, they get the name from the festival itself. It is said that the custom of eating Yuanxiao originated during the Eastern Jin Dynasty in the fourth century, then became popular during the Tang and Song periods.

The fillings inside the dumplings or Yuanxiao are either sweet or salty. Sweet fillings are made of sugar, Walnuts, sesame, osmanthus, rose petals, sweetened tangerine peel, bean paste, or jujube paste. A single ingredient or any combination can be used as the filling . The salty variety is filled with minced meat, vegetables or a mixture.

The way to make Yuanxiao also varies between northern and southern China. The usual method followed in southern provinces is to shape the dough of rice flour into balls, make a hole, insert the filling, then close the hole and smooth out the dumpling by rolling it between your hands. In North China, sweet or nonmeat stuffing is the usual ingredient. The fillings are pressed into hardened cores, dipped lightly in water and rolled in a flat basket containing dry glutinous rice flour. A layer of the flour sticks to the filling, which is then again dipped in water and rolled a second time in the rice flour. And so it goes, like rolling a snowball, until the dumpling is the desired size.

The custom of eating Yuanxiao dumplings remains. This tradition encourages both old and new stores to promote their Yuanxiao products. They all try their best to improve the taste and quality of the dumplings to attract more customers.

Traditional Chinese medicine is a broad range of medicine practices sharing common concepts which have been developed in China and are based on a tradition of more than 2,000 years, including various forms of herbal medicine, acupuncture(针灸）, massage （按摩）, exercise , and dietary therapy（治疗，疗法）.

The doctrines of Chinese medicine are rooted in books such as the Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon and the Treatise on Cold Damage, as well as in cosmological（宇宙论的） notions（概念，见解） such as yin-yang and the five phases. Starting in the 1950s, these precepts were standardized in the People's Republic of China, including attempts to integrate them with modern notions ofanatomy and pathology. Nonetheless, the bulk of these precepts, including the model of the body, or concept of disease, are not supported by science or evidence-based medicine. TCM is not based upon the current body of knowledge related to health care in accordance with the scientific community.

TCM's view of the body places little emphasis on anatomical （解剖学的）structures, but is mainly concerned with the identification of functional entities (which regulate digestion, breathing, aging etc.). While health is perceived as harmonious interaction of these entities and the outside world, disease is interpreted as a disharmony in interaction. TCM diagnosis aims to trace symptoms to patterns of an underlying disharmony, by measuring the pulse, inspecting the tongue, skin, and eyes, and looking at the eating and sleeping habits of the person as well as many other things.

In traditional Chinese herbal medicine, plant elements are by far the most commonly, but not solely, used substances; animal, human, and mineral products are also utilized. The effectiveness of Chinese herbal medicine remains poorly documented. There are concerns over a number of potentially toxic（有毒的） Chinese medicinals that consist of plants, animal parts, and minerals.There is a lack of existing cost-effectiveness research for TCM. Although some TCM textbooks recommend preparations containing animal substances, little research to justify the claimed clinical efficacy of many TCM animal products have been done. Poachers hunt restricted or endangered species animals to supply the black market with TCM products.With an eye to the Chinese market, pharmaceutical（制药的） companies have explored the potential for creating new drugs from traditional remedies. Successful results have however been scarce: artemisinin, for example, which is an effective treatment for malaria, was fished out of a herb traditionally used to treat fever. Although advocates have argued that research had missed some key features of TCM, such as the subtle interrelationships between ingredients, it is largely pseudoscience, with no valid mechanism of action for the majority of its treatments.

According to ancient texts, "Shan Hai Jing" and "via" useful "Shi Qian" pierce carbuncles records, and "Mencius": "disease seven years, seeking three years of Ai," saying, according to recent years in our country historical relics excavated around to research the origin of "acupuncture" and may be in the Stone Age.

Acupuncture originated in China, is an important part of traditional Chinese medicine, as well as outstanding representatives of Chinese national culture, declare the success of this project is the recognition of traditional Chinese medicine culture. This further promote heritage, protection and development "acupuncture" this precious heritage; enhance the international community's attention to the fine traditional Chinese culture and awareness; highlight the country's soft power, the Chinese traditional culture to promote dialogue with other cultures and worlds exchange, protection of cultural diversity has far-reaching significance.

Acupuncture is the ancient Chinese in particular natural and social environments grow up scientific and cultural knowledge, contains the unique spirit of the Chinese nation, thinking and culture, Han satisfied with a lot of practice observation, knowledge systems and technical skills, cohesion of the Chinese nation great vitality and creativity, the wisdom of the Chinese nation, but also a treasure of mankind civilization, should be better protected and utilized.

 Traditional Chinese decorative knots, also known as Chinese knots, are typical local arts of China. They are a distinctive and traditional Chinese folk handicraft woven separately from one piece of thread and named according to its shape and meaning. In Chinese, "knot" means reunion, friendliness, peace, warmth, marriage, love, etc. Chinese knots are often used to express good wishes, including happiness, prosperity, love and the absence of evil.

     The Chinese knot is based on over a dozen basic knots named according to their distinctive shapes, usages, or origins. The Two-Coins Knot, for example, is shaped like two overlapping coins once used in ancient China. The Button Knot functions as a button, and the Reversed Swastika Knot was derived from the Buddhist symbol commonly seen on the streamers hanging down from the waistband of the Buddhist Goddess of Mercy。

     Crafting the Chinese knot is a three-step process which involves tying knots, tightening them and adding the finishing touches. Knot-tying methods are fixed, but the tightening can determine the degree of tension in a knot, the length of loops (ears) and the smoothness and orderliness of the lines. Thus, how well a Chinese knot has been tightened can demonstrate the skill and artistic merit of a knot artist. Finishing a knot means inlaying pearls or other precious stones, starching the knot into certain patterns, or adding any other final touches.

      The Chinese knot, with its classic elegance and ever-changing variations, is both practical and ornamental, fully reflecting the grace and depth of Chinese culture.

   With a history of more than 3,000 years, Su embroidery is the general name for embroidery products in areas around Suzhou, Jiangsu Province. The craft, which dates back to the Three Kingdoms Period (220-280), became a sideline of people in the Suzhou area during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). Well known for its smoothness and delicateness, Su embroidery won Suzhou the title City of Embroidery in the Qing Dynasty.

Beijing opera is our nation opera.It came into being after 1790

and has about 200 years of history.There are four main roles in

Beijing opera Sheng,Dan,Jing,Chou.Its music and singing come

Four XiPi and Erhuang In Anhui and fighting.It is an important part of Chinese culture.Beijing Opera used to be popular with old people,even some foreigners,are becoming interested in it nowadays.

徐倩-2级食理三班

Also known as Peking opera in Taiwan, also known as Peking opera, Chinese opera, Chinese opera song is one species. Distribution in Beijing as the center, across the country. Opera in the mid-nineteenth century, a blend of drama and Han Ju emblem and absorbed the advantages of opera, opera, operas, Yiyang and other art form in Beijing. After the opera formed in the Qing court was unprecedented prosperity. Opera tone to Sipi and two yellow, mainly with violin and percussion accompaniment, etc. are considered Chinese quintessence.

Opera once was devastated during the period of the Cultural Revolution, when Mao Zedong's Cultural Revolution promoters banner of "Four Olds, Four New" banner in order to eradicate the name of the old culture of the persecution of the Peking Opera performing arts workers, the Red Guards to opera performing workers labeled "reactionaries" label and the criticism; at the end of the Mao era, survived the Cultural Revolution in Peking Opera performing in workers got a chance to breathe, to rebuild the opera culture.

Quintessence is a traditional Chinese culture, the most representative of the "unique content" and the enduring cultural heritage. Opera was designated as the quintessence have always controversial, because Manchu emperor Qianlong opera preferences birth, when the prestigious Beijing opera four emblem class performances, favored by the Emperor Qianlong in continuous transformation Manchu director, a from the southern Manchuria minor mixed drama and opera was born.

Yao, September 12, 1980 Born in Shanghai, is a symbol and pride of the Chinese basketball. Serving the Chinese national basketball team. He has played for the Shanghai Sharks basketball club, he is the effectiveness of NBA's Houston Rockets.

Yao Ming of the brilliant achievements ：

l         1998 the Chinese basketball star team selected

l         2000 All-Star Team, selected Asian

l         2002 CBA championship main members of the Shanghai team

l         June 2002 to join the United States as champion Houston Rockets, NBA history is a

foreign draft pick

l         2003 to 2009, elected into the NBA for 7 years, Western Star team (07 years due to

injury was unable to attend)                                   

When he arrived in Houston. His strength and conditioning coach Falsone said to him, "How do you treat your body. Your body on how to treat you," Yao Ming this phrase as a Yao Ming is so great that his retirement on July 20,2011,sparked more than 1.2 million comments on the Chinese social-networking site Sina Weibo.After entering the nba ,Yao has not only become a hero in China ,but also been a sysmbol of China in United States.

In the long river of history, culture and civilization of the carrier plays a vital role in "four treasures" as. This "four treasures" is the "pen, inkPaper and ink stone. "Is a straight brush, ink is black material for the painting, and paper is an important writing material, Yan is an indispensable tool.

Ages literati, all emphasis room appliances. In many of the text of the appliances,  Four Treasures valuable cultural heritage is not only the history of Chinese civilization, Meanwhile, the Chinese literati help it create a gorgeous scene of cultural products, such as calligraphy, paintings, books and other album.Due to the development of the times, Chinese four treasures of cultural goods from a change for the collection, which is any modern writing instruments unmatchedPart of Chinese traditional culture characteristics,

Four treasures from ancient legacy to the present, has a rich cultural heritage, on behalf of the Chinese traditional culture and ideology, has great value.ents Shangjian, to vividly reproduce the image.So the four treasures of great significance for us Chinese people.

 The flag of the People's Republic of China is

1. golden stars. The design features one large star, with four smaller stars in a
   

  The flag was designed by Zeng Liansong, a citizen from Rui'an, Zhejiang. He designed it in response to a circular distributed by the Preparatory Committee of the New Political Consultative Conference (新政治協商會議籌備會)in July 1949, shortly after they came to power following the Chinese Civil War. The design competition received 2,992entries, and Zeng's design was put into a pool of 38 finalists. After several meetings and slight modifications, Zeng's design was chosen as the national flag.

  According to the current government interpretation of the flag, the red background symbolizes the revolution and the golden colors were used to "radiate" on the red background. The five stars and their relationship represents the unity of Chinese people under the leadership of the Communist Party of China. The orientation of the stars shows that the unity should go around a center.

"Ceramic" is a generic term, "Tao" and "Porcelain" in texture, the physical properties there are very differen.

China was among the first to create one of the countries of pottery, porcelain was one of the first invention.

 The emergence of pottery dating back about 1 million years or so, China has entered the New Stone Age,

 began to settle in life, water, with objects of daily life, such as the need to promote the invention of pottery.

 The history of ceramics is the history of Chinese civilization is an important part of China, as one of the four 

ancient civilizations, human development and social progress made outstanding contributions, including the

 invention of ceramics and the development of a more unique significance , The history of China-North Korea

 on behalf of all the different artistic styles and different technical characteristics. English of "china" China not 

only mean, ceramics and mean, clearly demonstrates China is the "hometown of pottery."

As early as the Europeans have porcelain manufacturing technology over 1000 years ago, Chinese people

have created a very fine ceramics. China is the world's first application of one of the countries pottery, and

 porcelain from China for its high artistic quality and relevance of the world have attracted much praise.

Mahjong is a game that originated in China, commonly played by four players (with some three-player variations found in Korea and Japan).

 Similar to the Western card game rummy, mahjong is a game of skill, strategy and calculation and involves a certain degree of chance. The 

game is played with a set of 136 tiles based on Chinese characters and symbols, although some regional variationsuse a different number

 of tiles .

The game 's name now is mahjong ,while The game was calledmá quâ, meaning sparrow in Chinese, which is still the name most commonly

 used in some southern Chinese languages such as Cantonese and Min Nan, as well as in Japanese.Different areas has its different name .

What's more ,in china each place has their own way,so mahjong can always promote feelings with people all over the word.

One of the myths of the origin of mahjong suggests that Confucius, the Chinese philosopher, developed the game in about 500 BC. The three 

dragon (cardinal) tiles also agree with the three cardinal virtues bequeathed by Confucius. Hóng Zhōng (红中 , red middle), Fā Cái (发财  prosperity),

 and Bái Bǎn"' (白板 , white board) represent benevolence, sincerity, and filial piety, respectively. The myth also claims that Confucius was fond of 

birds, which would explain the name "mahjong".
In conclusionWhere there is Chinese , there is Majiang

he was a living example of the concepts he promoted and this had a deep and lasting influence upon his disciples.His private life was a model of his doctrines.The Analects of Confucius provide a vivid record of his teachings but although he wrote nothing personally, his words were collected and recorded for posterity by his disciples.The accumulated words of wisdom have come down to us as "The Analects", one of the most important of all the Chinese classics.

Confucianism is succinct as well as intensive.Strictly speaking, it is not a religion but more a doctrine than belief, while the meaning behind the beautiful words renders wordy post-modernism pale and dull.It is part of world cultural heritage and an integral part of Chinese life.

I think the most can represent the Chinese culture of "Confucian culture".Since "the spring and autumn period and the warring states period" of more than 2000 years, Confucianism, with its extensive and profound culture affects the generation after generation of Chinese.

So what is the” Confucian culture”? Confucian culture guided by the Confucianism culture of schools. Advocating CunYang kin ethics, secular his undertaking, cultivate one's morality, moral reason, its central idea is filial piety, brother, sincerity, truthfulness, courtesy, righteousness, inexpensive, shame, its core is "benevolence".The masterpiece of Confucian culture is the “four books and five classics”. "Four books" refers to "the analects", "mencius", "university" and "the doctrine of the mean"."Five classics" refers to the "book of songs", "history", "rites", “the book of changes” and “the spring and autumn annals”.

So Why the Confucian culture will be such a big influence on the Chinese. The Confucian culture has a huge impact on the Chinese. For thousands of years of feudal society, the sense of responsibility of the Chinese traditional thought, temperance thought and filial piety thoughts is the result of it is combined with feudal rule.Therefore, Confucianism is together with our contemporary mainstream ideology. Confucianism exist for thousands of years in China, for China's many aspects, such as politics, economy, there is still a great potential impact.

Confucian culture is the Chinese traditional culture, but also the representative of Chinese culture

 reverie and in tea-drinking itself. Snatching a bit of leisure from a busy schedule, making a kettle of strong tea, securing a serene space, and serving and drinking tea by yourself can help banish fatigue and 

frustration, improve your thinking ability and inspire you with enthusiasm. You may also imbibe it slowly in small sips to appreciate the subtle allure of tea-drinking, until your spirits soar up and up into a sublime aesthetic realm. Buildings, gardens, ornaments and tea sets are the elements that form the ambience for savoring tea. A tranquil, refreshing,

comfortable and neat locale is certainly desirable for drinking tea. Chinese gardens are well known in the world and beautiful Chinese landscapes are too numerous to count. Teahouses tucked away in

 gardens and nestled beside the natural beauty of mountains and rivers are enchanting places of repose for people to rest and recreate themselves. 

China is a country with a time-honored civilization and a land of ceremony and decorum. Whenever guests visit, it is necessary to make and serve tea to them. Before serving tea, you may ask them for their preferences as to what kind

 of tea they fancy and serve them the tea in the most appropriate teacups. In the course of serving tea, the host should take careful note of how much water is remaining in the cups and in the kettle. 

Usually, if the tea is made in a teacup, boiling water should be added after half of the cup has been consumed; and thus the cup is kept filled so that the tea retains the same bouquet and remains

pleasantly warm throughout the entire course of tea-drinking. Snacks, sweets and other dishes may be served at tea time to complement the fragrance of the tea and to allay one's hunger.

Besides being a great educationist, thinker and unsuccessful politician, he was first of all an intellect with a noble moral.

He pursued truth, kindness and perfection throughout his life and his success and failure were largely due to his character, which had an everlasting impact on Chinese intellect.

He was a living example of the concepts he promoted and this had a deep and lasting influence upon his disciples.

His private life was a model of his doctrines.

The Analects of Confucius provide a vivid record of his teachings but although he wrote nothing personally, his words were collected and recorded for posterity by his disciples.

The accumulated words of wisdom have come down to us as "The Analects", one of the most important of all the Chinese classics.

Confucianism is succinct as well as intensive.

Strictly speaking, it is not a religion but more a doctrine than belief, while the meaning behind the beautiful words renders wordy post-modernism pale and dull.It is part of world cultural heritage and an integral part of Chinese life.

I think the most can represent the Chinese culture of "Confucian culture".Since "the spring and autumn period and the warring states period" of more than 2000 years, Confucianism, with its extensive and profound culture affects the generation after generation of Chinese.

So what is the” Confucian culture”? Confucian culture guided by the Confucianism culture of schools. Advocating CunYang kin ethics, secular his undertaking, cultivate one's morality, moral reason, its central idea is filial piety, brother, sincerity, truthfulness, courtesy, righteousness, inexpensive, shame, its core is "benevolence".The masterpiece of Confucian culture is the “four books and five classics”. "Four books" refers to "the analects", "mencius", "university" and "the doctrine of the mean"."Five classics" refers to the "book of songs", "history", "rites", “the book of changes” and “the spring and autumn annals”.

So Why the Confucian culture will be such a big influence on the Chinese. The Confucian culture has a huge impact on the Chinese. For thousands of years of feudal society, the sense of responsibility of the Chinese traditional thought, temperance thought and filial piety thoughts is the result of it is combined with feudal rule.Therefore, Confucianism is together with our contemporary mainstream ideology. Confucianism exist for thousands of years in China, for China's many aspects, such as politics, economy, there is still a great potential impact.

Confucian culture is the Chinese traditional culture, but also the representative of Chinese culture

The Chinese people, in their drinking of tea, place much significance on the act of "savoring." "Savoring tea" is not only a way to discern good tea from mediocre tea, but also how people take delight in their

 reverie and in tea-drinking itself. Snatching a bit of leisure from a busy schedule, making a kettle of strong tea, securing a serene space, and serving and drinking tea by yourself can help banish fatigue and 

frustration, improve your thinking ability and inspire you with enthusiasm. You may also imbibe it slowly in small sips to appreciate the subtle allure of tea-drinking, until your spirits soar up and up into a sublime aesthetic realm. Buildings, gardens, ornaments and tea sets are the elements that form the ambience for savoring tea. A tranquil, refreshing,

comfortable and neat locale is certainly desirable for drinking tea. Chinese gardens are well known in the world and beautiful Chinese landscapes are too numerous to count. Teahouses tucked away in

 gardens and nestled beside the natural beauty of mountains and rivers are enchanting places of repose for people to rest and recreate themselves. 

China is a country with a time-honored civilization and a land of ceremony and decorum. Whenever guests visit, it is necessary to make and serve tea to them. Before serving tea, you may ask them for their preferences as to what kind

 of tea they fancy and serve them the tea in the most appropriate teacups. In the course of serving tea, the host should take careful note of how much water is remaining in the cups and in the kettle. 

Usually, if the tea is made in a teacup, boiling water should be added after half of the cup has been consumed; and thus the cup is kept filled so that the tea retains the same bouquet and re

mains

pleasantly warm throughout the entire course of tea-drinking. Snacks, sweets and other dishes may be served at tea time to complement the fragrance of the tea and to allay one's hunger.

If we have to choose one dress that can best show the beauty of Chinese women，it should definitely be QiPao.The QiPao also known as the cheongsam.It came from the Manchus.When the early Manchu rulers came to China proper in the early 17th century, they set up Eight Banner System and organized certain people, mainly Manchus, into " banners " (qi) and called them "banner people" (qi ren),which then became loosely the name of all Manchus. The Manchu women wore normally a one-piece dress which, like-wise, came to be called "qi pao" or "banner dress".The QIPao became popular among ladies of the royal family in the Qing Dynasty. Although the 1911 Revolution toppled the rule of the Qing(Manchu)Dynasty, the female dress survived the political change, and with later improvements, has become the traditional dress for Chinese women.It can be made of different materials and to varying lengths, be worn either on casual or formal occasions.It creates an impression of simple and quiet charm, elegance and neatness. No wonder it is so much liked by women not only of China but of foreign countires as well.

Chinese knot is a symbol of beauty and wisdom of the Chinese ancient civilization and it embodies Chinese traditional custom decoration and aesthetic concepts. It comes from Paleolithic knot, and then turned into the notes of manners in Han Dynasty, developed in Tang and Song Dynasty, It is inherited and became today's decorative skills years later.Because having no access to characters or papers,our ancestors first tied knots to record historical events.In contemporary society, Chinese knots are used as gifts given among friends and relatives and for personal portable attachments.

With a long process of evolution, Chinese knot was given a variety of emotional meanings by people.Such as‘healthy’ and ‘well-being’, ‘rich in property’, ‘happiness and joys’and some other optimistic meanings.It plays anindispensible role in Chinese traditional culture.

But owning to its complicated weaving steps and unpractical use, many people do not undertake the knot weavingjob at all.Consequently, we should take measures immediately to inherit and protect them. Only in this way, can we preserve our precious Chinese traditional culture and resplendent civilization.

běiquán) and "southern" (南拳; nánquán), is another popular classification method.

Beijing Opera is the quintessence（国粹） of China. As the largest Chinese opera form, it is admired as 'Oriental（东方的） Opera'. Having a history of 160 years, it has created many 'firsts' in Chinese dramas: the abundance of repertoires, the number of artists, opera troupes and spectators.

The costumes in Beijing Opera are graceful, magnificent, elegant and brilliant, and mostly are made in handicraft embroidery. As the traditional Chinese pattern are adopted, the costumes are of a high aesthetic（美学的） value.The types of facial make-ups in Beijing Opera are rich and various, describing different characters and remarkable images, therefore they are highly appreciated. Moreover there are numerous fixed editions of facial make-up.

The play book of Beijing opera developed quickly as well; more than five thousand are still extant.

History of Chinese Tea

Chinese tea consists of tea leaves which have been processed using methods inherited from China.

According to popular legend, tea was discovered by Chinese Emperor Shennong (Shen Nung, Shen Nong, The Yan Emperor, The Emperor of the five grains) in 2737 BC when a leaf from a Camilla sinensis tree fell into water the emperor was boiling. Not everyone agrees on the origin, but no one disputes that tea is deeply woven into the history and culture of China. The beverage is considered one of the seven necessities of Chinese life, along with firewood, rice, oil, salt, sauce and vinegar.

Some writers classify tea into four categories, green, white, black and oolong. Others add categories for red, scented and compressed teas. All of these come from varieties of the Camilla sinensis plant. Chinese flower tea (花茶), while popular, is not a true tea. Most Chinese tea is consumed in China and is not exported. Green tea is the most popular type of tea used in China.

Within these main categories of tea are vast varieties of individual beverages. Some researchers have counted more than 700. Others put the number at more than 1,000. Some of the variations are due to different strains of the Camilla plant. The popular Tie Guan Yin 铁观音, for example, is traced back to a single plant discovered in Anxi 安溪 in the Fujian province. Other teas draw some of their characteristics from local growing conditions. The largest factor in the wide variations comes from differences in processing after the tea is harvested. White and green teas are cooked soon after picking to prevent oxidization, often called fermentation, caused by natural enzymes in the leaves. Oolong teas are partially oxidized. Black and red teas are fully oxidized. Other differences come from variations in the processing steps.

Chinese Tea History

Tea (Camellia sinensis) is native to China. The ancient Chinese used them for medical purposes, then developed the infusion we know as tea; to this day tea is said to purge the digestive system of 'toxins'. Later the Chinese learned to grow tea plants and use their leaves to make various types of tea.

Many different types of tea were grown during each of the dynasties in China

Xīnwén Liánbō, literally "News Simulcast") is a daily news programme produced by China Central Television (CCTV). It is shown simultaneously by most terrestrial television channels in mainland China, making it one of the world's most-watched programmes. It has been broadcast since on 1 January 1978.

This program is used as a medium for the state to announce government announcements and meetings, commentaries on major economic and policy issues, and the activities of national leaders. The program reflects official positions of the Chinese government on a wide range of matters. Some accuse the program as serving more as a means for the state to divulge its political agenda rather than to examine the day's important news events. It has been criticized both within China and internationally for its lack of neutrality. Despite declining popularity, it remains a widely watched program.

Effectively,Xinwen Lianbois a mouthpiece for the party and the state. As with all news broadcasts in mainland China, the running order is dictated by the socio-political importance of the individual or group concerned (rather than othernews values). the camera will carefully pan across the Politburo Standing Committee.

Different form the Phoenician alphabet, the Chinese characters,

which could date back to 1300 BC, the Shang dynasty in Chinese

history, can't be more typical to represent Chinese culture.

Legend has it that a dragon from the Yellow River brought to the

Chinese the strokes from which the Chinese characters developed.

But the most of people today believe that CangJie，a courtier of

 the Yellow Emperor，invented the Chinese characters.

  薛亚娟---生化英语4班

The Palace Museum is housed in the Forbidden City.The third Ming emperor constructed it from 1406 to 1420, as he moved his capital from Nanjing to Beijing.For almost five centuries, it served as the home of the Emperor and his household, and the ceremonial and political centre of Chinese government.  Twenty-four successive Ming and Qing emperors ruled from the palace until 1911 when the Qing dynasty fell.Located in the center of Beijing, the Palace Museum, historically and artistically one of the most comprehensive museum in China.

The complex consists of 980 surviving buildings with 8,707 bays of rooms and covers 720,000 square meters palace complex exemplifies traditional Chinese palatial architecture, and has influenced cultural and architectural developments in East Asia and elsewhere.After the establishment of the People's Republic of China in 1949, some damage was done to the Forbidden City as the country was swept up in revolutionary zeal.During the Cultural Revolution, however, further destruction was prevented when Premier Zhou Enlai sent an army battalion to guard the city. The Forbidden City was declared a World Heritage Site in 1987, and is listed by UNESCO as the largest collection of preserved ancient wooden structures in the world.

"Blue and white wares" (in Chinese 青花 qīng-huā) designate white pottery and porcelain decorated under the glaze with a blue pigment, generally cobalt oxide. The decoration is commonly applied by hand, by stencilling or by transfer-printing, though other methods of application have also been used.

The first blue and white wares were as early as the ninth century in Henan province, China. Blue and white porcelain made at Jingdezhen probably reached the height of its technical excellence during the reign of the Kangxi emperor of the Qing Dynasty (reigned 1661 to 1722).

 Chopsticks are most commonly made of bamboo or plastic, but are also made of metal, bone, ivory, and various types of wood. The pair of sticks is maneuvered in one hand, between the thumb and fingers, and used to pick up pieces of food.

Chinese have been useing chopsticks for at least 3000years.There is a saying that chopsticks saved the life of jiangziya with its ability to identity poison food .If the meal is poison ,then the chopsticks will change into dark.

Chopsticks are used to eat most kinds of Chinese foods, with some exceptions. Some of the most important rules to remember when dining with chopsticks are as follows:
Hold your chopsticks towards their end, not in the middle or the front third. When you are not using your chopsticks, or have finished eating, lay them down in front of you with the tips to left. Do not stick chopsticks into your food, especially not into rice. This is only done at funerals with rice that is put onto the altar. Do not pass food directly from your set of chopsticks to another's. Again, this is a funeral tradition that involves the bones of a cremated body. Do not spear food with your chopsticks. Do not point with your chopsticks. Do not wave your chopsticks around in the air or play with them. Do not move plates or bowls around with your chopsticks. To separate a piece of food in two, exert controlled pressure on the chopsticks while moving them apart from each other in order to tear the food. This takes some practice. With larger pieces of food such as tempura, it is also acceptable to pick up the entire piece with your chopsticks, and take a bite. It is also a importment part of chinese culture.

Sun Wukong, also known as the Monkey King, is a main character in the Chineseclassical novelJourney to the West. The famous book was written ｏｎthe Ming Dynasty　ｂｙ Wu Cheng-en. Journey tothe west is a combination of myth parable and comedy.

Sun Wukong is also found in many later stories and adaptations. In the novel, he is a monkey born from a stone who acquires supernatural powers through Taoist practices. After rebelling against heaven and being imprisoned under a mountain by the Buddha, he later accompanies the monk Xuanzang on a journey to retrieve Buddhistsutras from India.

Sun Wukong possesses an immense amount of strength; he is able to lift his 13,500 jīnstaff with ease. He is also extremely fast, able to travel 108,000 li in one somersault. Sun knows 72 transformations, which allow him to transform into various animals and objects; however, he is troubled in transforming into other forms, due to the accompanying incomplete transformation of his tail. Sun Wukong is a skilled fighter, capable of holding his own against the best warriors of heaven. Also, each of his hairs possess magical properties, capable of being transformed into clones of the Monkey King himself, or into various weapons, animals, and other objects. He also knows spells that can command wind, part water, conjure protective circles against demons, and freeze humans, demons, and gods alike.

One of the most enduring Chinese literary characters, Sun Wukong has a varied background and colorful cultural history. The Monkey King is a magic hero. Detest evil, he intelligent, loyal, has a strong persistence, perseverance heroism. He is an idol in the hearts and minds of Chinese people,affecting generation after generation, inspire us forward constantly.

Qin Shi Huang ,personal name Ying Zheng, was king of the Chinese State of Qin from 247 BCE to 221 BCE (during the Warring States Period). He became the first emperor of a unified China in 221 BCE. He ruled until his death in 210 BCE, calling himself the First Emperor . He was known for the introduction of Legalism and also for unifying China.

Qin Shi Huang remains a controversial figure in Chinese history. After unifying China, he and his chief adviser Li Si passed a series of major reforms meant to preserve unification. Together, they undertook gigantic projects, including the first version of the current Great Wall of China, the now famous city-sized mausoleum guarded by a life-sized Terracotta Army, and a massive national road system, all at the expense of many lives. To ensure stability, Qin Shi Huang outlawed Confucianism and is reported to have buried alive many of its scholars. All books other than those officially decreed were banned and burned.

Despite the tyranny of his autocratic rule, Qin Shi Huang is regarded as a pivotal figure in Chinese history whose unification of China has endured for more than two thousand years.

林钞--食理英语3班

The giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) ("black-and-white cat-foot") is a mammal classified in the bear family, Ursidae, native to central-western and southwestern China. It is easily recognized by its large, distinctive black patches around the eyes, ears and on its rotund body. Though technically a carnivore, the panda has a diet which is 98% bamboo. However, they may eat other foods such as honey, eggs, fish, and yams. 

The Giant Panda is an endangered animal; an estimated 3,000 pandas live in the wild[2][3] and over 180 were reported to live in captivity by August 2006 in mainland China[3] (another source by the end of 2006 put the figure for China at 221[4]), with twenty pandas living outside of China.[citation needed] However, reports show that the numbers of wild panda are on the rise.[5][6]  

The giant panda has long been a favorite of the public, at least partly on account of the fact that the species has an appealing baby-like cuteness that makes it seem to resemble a living teddy bear. The fact that it is usually depicted reclining peacefully eating bamboo, as opposed to hunting, also adds to its image of innocence. Though the giant panda is often assumed docile because of their cuteness, they have been known to attack humans, usually assumed to be out of irritation rather than predatory behavior.

The Chinese zodiac signs are determined by the lunar year in which you were born. The Chinese believe the animal ruling one's birth year has a profoundinfluence on personality, and destiny. The saying is: "This animal hides in your heart."

Unlike Western astrology, it does not look the heavenly constellations or planets to predict one's destiny. Rather, Chinese astrology deals with divining sciences of wuxing or the five elements (earth, fire, water, metal, wood), Yin and Yang, Chi, and the cycles of time.

Legend has it that inception of the Chinese zodiac signs began when the Buddha beckoned all the animals to bid him farewell before his departure from the Earth. Only twelve arrived at his summoning, and so those were given a place of honor in a year being named after each.

Rat:
Element: Water
Partners well with: Dragon and Monkey
Characteristics: Intelligent, adaptable, quick-witted, charming, artistic, sociable. 
Ox:
Element: Earth
Partners well with: Snake and Rooster
Characteristics: Loyal, reliable, thorough, strong, reasonable, steady, determined

Tiger:
Element: Wood Partners well with:Horse and Dog
Characteristics: Enthusiastic, courageous, ambitious, leadership, confidence, charismatic
Dragon:
Element: Earth
Partners well with: Rat and Monkey
Characteristics: Lucky, flexible, eccentric, imaginative, artistic, spiritual, charismatic Snake:
Element: Fire
Partners well with: Rooster and Ox
Characteristics: Philosophical, organized, intelligent, intuitive, elegant, attentive, decisive Horse:
Element: Fire
Partners well with: Dog and Tiger
Characteristics: Adaptable, loyal, courageous, ambitious, intelligent, adventurous, strong  Sheep:
Element: Earth
Partners well with: Boar and Rabbit
Characteristics: Tasteful, crafty, warm, elegant, charming, intuitive, sensitive, calm  Monkey:
Element: Metal
Partners well with: Dragon and Rat
Characteristics: Quick-witted, charming, lucky, adaptable, bright, versatile, lively, smart. 
Rooster:
Element: Metal
Partners well with: Snake and Ox
Characteristics: Honest, energetic, intelligent, flamboyant, flexible, diverse, confident.
Dog:
Element: Earth
Partners well with: Tiger and Horse
Characteristics: Loyal, sociable, courageous, diligent, steady, lively, Boar:
Element: Water
Partners well with: Sheep and Rabbit
Characteristics: Honorable, philanthropic, determined, optimistic, sincere, sociable  adaptable, smart 

A tangzhuang is a Chinese jacket that originated at the end of the QingDynasty (1644–1911). The Tangzhuang evolved from the Magua,a Manchurian piece of clothing, which the Han Chinese were forced to wear it during the Qing Dynasty. In modern times it has been adopted by common people. They are often worn by men, although women wear them as well.

In Chinese communities, the Mao suit, the western suit, and the Tang suit are the main forms of formal dress for men on many occasions. Tangzhuang are made in different colors, most commonly red, navy, gold, black and green. One common design is the usage of Chinese characters  as monogram such as Fu, Shou  to spread good luck and wishes. At the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Shaihai in November 2001, the host presented silk-embroided tangzhuang jackets as the Chinese traditional national costume.

     Foot binding was an old Chinese custom,which is called Three-inch Golden Lotus , in which young girls' feet were tightly bound to restrict and alter their growth. Although it was banned nearly
a century ago by the Chinese government and is now seen as barbaric, the practice took years to die out, and a few of its victims -- most far older than 70 -- can still be found today.

    Foot binding is thought to have originated in imperial China in the 10th or 11th century, probably as a fashionable practice among wealthy women. Although its first adherents used it as a status symbol to indicate their high social rank, foot binding gradually spread throughout the culture.

    When a girl was about three years of age, most of her toes would be fractured and her feet bound tightly with linen strips to impede their growth. The ideal was to create a 3-inch "lotus foot" by limiting growth to just a few inches. The binding forced a girl's toes down toward the soles of her feet to form a concave shape.

    The physical consequences of this process extended far beyond the feet themselves. Women with bound feet had difficulty walking, squatting and working in the fields.

    Foot binding is no longer practiced today, but its effects can still be seen in China. In the 1997 UCSF study, researchers who examined a randomly selected sample of women ages 70 and older in Beijing found dozens with deformities resulting from the foot binding they experienced after the tradition was banned.

     Only a profound rethinking of this pathological culture of the feudal ethics to look at rational, we can overcome ignorance. follow in the footsteps of history continue to move forward.

China fan culture, an essential part of the national culture, has a profound cultural background.

The fan originated in China, has 3000 years history in China. It first appeared in the Yin dynasty ,

which was made of colorful feathers. Because of that, the fan was known as "disabled". At that time, 

the fan was not used to enjoy the cool, but was taken to keep out the sun and the sand when the king

traveled outside.

When the eastern han dynasty, the fan, as silk and cloth,mostly was employed to ornament the embroidery paintings.

In the Qing dynasty, the fan presented a variety of styles and outstanding characteristic of these fans is symmetry

strong light interference, and of creativity.

In The Three Kingdoms period, some characters and pictures began appearing on the fan. Meanwhile, the fan also gradually 

became a symbol of a gentleman in the ancient time. Adding characters and pictures into the fan can often make people pleased.

These characters and pictures are worth carefully savoring, which contain artistic atmosphere. People always presented it to their 

great friends as a symbol of great friendship. Starting from the Ming dynasty, the masterly craft was introduced into Europe , and

has always enjoyed great popularity in the world so far.

THE DRAGON

The Forbidden City was the Chinese imperial palace from the

 Ming dynasty to the end of the Qing dynasty. It is located in the

 center of Beijing, China, and now houses the Palace Museum.

 For almost 500 years, it served as the home of emperors and

 their households, as well as the ceremonial and political center

 of Chinese government.

Built in 1406 to 1420, the palace complex exemplifies traditional

 Chinese palatial architecture, and has influenced cultural 

and architectural developments in East Asia and elsewhere. The

 Forbidden City was declared a World Heritage Site in 1987,and is

 listed by UNESCO as the largest collection of preserved ancient

 wooden structures in the world.

Since 1925, the Forbidden City has been under the charge of the

 Palace Museum, whose extensive collection of artwork and

 artifacts were built upon the imperial collections of the Ming and

 Qing dynasties. Part of the museum's former collection is now 

located in the National Palace Museum in Taipei. Both museums 

descend from the same institution, but were split after the Chinese

 Civil War.The common English name, "the Forbidden City", is a

 translation of the Chinese name Zijin Cheng (Chinese: 紫禁城;

 pinyin: Zǐjinchéng; literally: "Purple Forbidden City"). Another English

 name of similar origin is "Forbidden Palace".

Now,the Forbidden City has become a symbol of China and become

 increasingly popular.

 The word calligraphy literally means beautiful writing. Before the invention of the printing press some 500 years ago, it was the way books were made. Each copy was handwritten out by a scribe working in a scriptorium. The hand writing was done with quill and ink onto materials like vellum or parchment. The lettering style applied was one of the period bookhands like rustic, carolingian, blackletter, etc.
  There are many famous Calligraphers in history,lsuch as Yan Zhenqing and Liu Gongquan.They have made grate contribution to the Chinese calligraphers
  The effect of calligraphy in the world have a great impact on the world's culture . A lot of people try to learn chinese calligraphy.Chinese is the mother tongue, it’s our duty to learn and write it well though not everyone can be calligrapher.
  Finanlly,I am a calligrapher,too.

China is the hometown of china and the invention of china is a great contribution to word civilization.In English,china means porcelain.

 The history of ceramics is an important part of China in the history of Chinese civilization , as one of the four ancient civilizations, China has made outstanding contributions to human development and social progress , including the invention and the development of ceramics. By the Sui (about 580 AD) and Tang (about 620 AD) dynasties, porcelain had become widely produced. Eventually, porcelain and the expertise required to create it began to spread into other areas; by the seventeenth century, it was being exported to Europe. Of course, Korean and Japanese porcelain also have long histories and distinct artistic traditions. But China is the earliest country with porcelain with its usefulness and artistry has been the word’s praise and respect.

In china,there are four traditional porcelain,such as, Blue and white porcelain, Color glaze porcelain, Famille Rose porcelain and Glowing porcelain. Among of these porcelains, the Blue and white porcelain is especially famous. Blue and white porcelain is elegant, noble and pure, such as the Millennium basket, with its strong vitality and ceramic art, become the perfect combination of modern and traditional. 

 In conclusion, the porcelain has become an symbol of China.People can learn the culture of China well by the porcelain from all over the world.

Chinese Music dates back to the dawn of Chinese civilization with documents and artifacts providing evidence of a well-developed musical culture as early as the Zhou Dynasty (1122 BC – 256 BC). Today, the music continues a rich traditional heritage in one aspect, while emerging into a more contemporary form at the same time.

According to Mencius, a powerful ruler once asked him whether it was moral if he preferred popular music to the classics. The answer was that it only mattered that the ruler love his subjects. The Imperial Music Bureau, first established in the Qin Dynasty (221–07 BC), was greatly expanded under the Emperor Han Wu Di (140–87 BC) and charged with supervising court music and military music and determining what folk music would be officially recognized. In subsequent dynasties, the development of Chinese music was strongly influenced by foreign music, especially Central Asia.

The oldest known written music is Youlan or the Solitary Orchid, attributed to Confucius (see guqin article for a sample of tablature). The first major well-documented flowering of Chinese music was for the qin during the Tang Dynasty, though the qin is known to have been played since before the Han Dynasty.

In ancient China the position of musicians was much lower than that of painters, though music was seen as central to the harmony and longevity of the state. Almost every emperor took folk songs seriously, sending officers to collect songs to inspect the popular will. One of the Confucianist Classics, Shi Jing (The Classic of Poetry), contained many folk songs dating from 800 BC to about 400 BC.

The first European to reach China with a musical instrument was Jesuit priest Matteo Ricci who presented a Harpsichord to the Lee imperial court in 1601, and trained four eunuchs to play it.

Dragon Dance
The famous dragon dance with music is also a remembered tradition. It is seen on Chinese New Year across the world by millions. It is not known when the tradition started, but it is believed to be thousands of years ago, as entertainment of former emperors, royals and nobles.

Traditional music in China is played on solo instruments or in small ensembles of plucked and bowed stringed instruments, flutes, and various cymbals, gongs, and drums. The scale is pentatonic. Bamboo pipes and qin are among the oldest known musical instruments from China; instruments are traditionally divided into categories based on their material of composition: animal skins, gourd, bamboo, wood, silk, earth/clay, metal and stone. Chinese orchestras traditionally consist of bowed strings, woodwinds, plucked strings and percussion.

Today, we referred to the Great Wall, referring to the construction of the Ming Dynasty Great Wall. It west China's Gansu Province, Jiayuguan in the western East, Northeast China Liaoning Province of the Yalu River, while 6,350,000 meters long as it is a powerful dragon through steep mountains and the more cross-desert grasslands through ups and downs in the top of mountains on the other side of the Yellow Sea and Bohai all times and in all who have visited the Great Wall were all amazed that it's Bang Bo Momentum of the grand scale and difficulty of the project is a rare treasure of the Great Wall is an extraordinary artistic heritage symbolizes the Chinese nation in the world forever indestructible strength and the will of the Chinese nation is proud of is the pride of humanity as a whole.

One of the most famous symbols of Chinese culture is dragon,which the western people called loong.There are eight thousand years history of the dragon totem at least.

Legend has it that the Chinese dragon has snake’body,deer’horn,fish’scale and tiger’s claw.Ancient Chinese people believed dragon can in charge of astronomical phenomena ,so they regard the dragon with reverence.Because of this ,in Chinese feudal society,emperors called themselves “the Real Dragons”. Only the imperial dress can have dragon patterns.

 Tody ,Chinese dragon has become more approachable.People now regard it as our mascot.Many cute dragon characters have deep in our life. They symbolizes lucky,happiness,rich and honor.

 In the end,don’t forget the fact that we are the sons of dragon.We should be proud for this. 

The Spring Festival is the most important festival for the Chinese people and is when all family members get together, just like Christmas in the West.It originated in the Shang Dynasty (c. 1600 BC-c. 1100 BC) from the people's sacrifice to gods and ancestors at the end of an old year and the beginning of a new one.

Many customs accompany the Spring Festival. Some are still followed today, but others have weakened.

Before the New Year comes, the people completely clean the indoors and outdoors of their homes as well as their clothes, bedclothes and all their utensils.Then people begin decorating their clean rooms featuring an atmosphere of rejoicing and festivity. All the door panels will be pasted with Spring Festival couplets, highlighting Chinese calligraphy with black characters on red paper. The content varies from house owners' wishes for a bright future to good luck for the New Year. Also, pictures of the god of doors and wealth will be posted on front doors to ward off evil spirits and welcome peace and abundance.

Waking up on New Year, everybody dresses up. First they extend greetings to their parents. Then each child will get money as a New Year gift, wrapped up in red paper. People in northern China will eat jiaozi, or dumplings, for breakfast, as they think "jiaozi" in sound means "bidding farewell to the old and ushering in the new". Also, the shape of the dumpling is like gold ingot from ancient China. So people eat them and wish for money and treasure.

The Spring Festival lasts about 15 days long .People visit relatives and friends with the words “Have all your wishes ”. People enjoy the Spring Festival ,during this time they can have a good rest .

In 221 BC, qin shi huang and put out the six governors, unified the world, over the conflict in the spring and autumn period and the warring states period, finished first in the history of Chinese feudal centralization of the great task of reunifying the country. In order to consolidate the unified empire of safety and production of Ann, defense powerful northern nomadic xiongnu slave owners, and repair the Great Wall. In addition to using the original yan, zhao, qin The basis of the north of the Great Wall, built to expand increase a lot of parts, "about the west, the east check liaodong, spanning more than ten thousand", from this has the title of the Great Wall. Built the Great Wall of China is the world the longest and biggest quantity of cold war era of national military defense project, together with the blood of our ancestors and wisdom, is the symbol and pride of the Chinese nation. Today, the Great Wall and Egypt's gold tower, the Roman Colosseum, the Leaning Tower of piza in Italy is known as the seven wonders of the world, is the Chinese nation ancient monuments and wisdom crystallization of culture, is a symbol of the blood patrimony and national spirit of the Chinese nation.

  Dunhuang was established as a frontier garrison outpost by the Han

Dynasty Emperor Wudi to protect against the Xiongnu in 111 BCE.It also

became an important gateway to the West,a centre of commerce along 

the Silk Road, as well as a meeting place of various peopleand religions

such as Buddhism.During late nineteenth century and early twentieth

 century,Western explorers began to show interest in the ancient Silk

 Road and the lost cities of Central Asia, and those who passed through

 Dunhuang noted the murals and artifacts such as the Stele of Sulaiman

at Mogao.The biggest discovery, however, came from a Chinese Taoist

 named Wang Yuanlu,who appointed himself guardian of some of these

 temples around the turn of the century.Some of the caves had by then

 been blocked by sand, and Wang set about clearing away the sand and 

made an attempt at repairing the site.In one such cave, on 25 June 1900, 

Wang discovered a walled up area behind one side of a corridor leading

 to a main cave.Behind the wall was a small cave stuffed with an enormous 

hoard of manuscripts.In the next feconcerned,Dunhuang Caves w years, 

 Wang took some manuscriptsto show various officials who expressed 

varying level of interest,but in1904 Wang re-sealed the cave following an

 order by the governor of Gansu.As far as I am have diverse meaning and

 can be treated as a symbol of Chinese culture.

Dragon in real life we do not know whether there is , there are many myths about dragons .

Dragon is very important for our country , and we give it a good meaning, pray for him to bless .

Long seems to be made ​​up of different animals consisting of nine dragon in Chinese mythology and legend, is a miraculous animal , with nine unlike the image into one of nine animals . Which nine kinds of animals specifically disputed . According to legend, the dragon's body , " nine as nine unlike" head like a cow , horns like a deer, eyes like shrimp, like elephant ears , items like a snake , belly like a snake , like fish scales , claws like a phoenix , palm tiger . Another said that : "mouth like a horse , eyes like a crab, must be like sheep , horns like a deer , ears like a cow , mane like a lion , like carp scales , body like a snake , claws like an eagle ... " ; There is a saying : " head like a camel , eyes like a ghost , like the ears of cattle , horns like a deer, items like a snake , belly like a mirage , like carp scales , claws like eagles , palm like a tiger . " The dragon also has ancient tribes as their totem to faith , then there pray for good weather , peace and prosperity of .

Of course, the most well known is the dragon represents imperial power, it represents the height of imperial power , so there robes , dragon bed like that. But , after all, is an animal that people might think, there is no concrete existence we are not able to determine , because the rumors and stories about dragons too much, but no doubt that China's traditional culture, the dragon is an indispensable part of for our part is very important.

The Great Wall was built in the Spring and Autumn Period, which lasted up to 2000 years, with a total length of up to 50 million meters. Spring and Autumn Period, princes States to defend against the invasion of other countries, the construction of beacon towers, connected by walls to form the first Great Wall. It is us. However, today more than that referred to the Great Wall built in Ming Dynasty Great Wall, Jiayuguan in the west it is in western China's Gansu Province, east to the Yalu River in northeast China's Liaoning Province side, 6,350,000 meters long. It is like a vigorous dragon, more mountains, through cliffs, wearing prairie, across deserts, mountains and downs at the top of the Yellow and Bohai Sea shore.

All times, people who have been to the Great Wall are all amazed its majestic momentum, grand scale and challenging projects. The Great Wall is a miracle created by ancient working people a rare treasure, but also the extraordinary artistic heritage, it symbolizes the nation indestructible strength and will last forever, is the pride of the Chinese nation, but also the pride of the entire human race.

《A bite of China》 is the most popular TV program about Chinese dishes in China.

There are many TV programs on Chinese cuisines, but few are like 《A bite of China》. 

The latest seven-part high-definition documentary offers insights into the geographical, historical and cultural dimensions of what Chinese eat.Filled with mouthwatering images of food ranging from haute cuisine to local delicacies, the docu captures the beautiful and refined process of food-making. The program is sure to attract both food buffs and ordinary audiences.

The bonus is, the show is not only about dishes. Every episode will highlight different people, who will tell stories about their adventures with food.

The Shaolin temple has many legends and mysteries surround it. The origin of martial arts, the origin of kung fu surround the vague mysteries of the Shaolin Temple and the shaolin monks.

Shaolin Temple is probably the most famous temple in China, not only because of its long history and its role in Chinese Buddhism, but also because of its martial arts or Wushu Chan. Shaolin Temple is situated in the beautiful Songshan Mountains, which is only eight miles of Dengfeng and about 50 miles southwest of Zhengzhou, the capital of Henan Province.

Shaolin Temple was established in 495 during the Northern Wei Dynasty (386-534). Batuo, an Indian monk, came toLuoyang, the ancient capital, for spreading Buddhism at that period. EmperorXiaowen was a believer of Buddhism so he decided to build the temple in the Songshan Mountains to house Batuo, who translated many Buddhist works and had a few hundred followers there.

There are many noted relics at Shaolin.There are over 300 ancient stone inscriptions, some of them by famouscalligraphers. The large mural of 500 arhats in the Qianfo Hall was from theMing Dynasty. There are 232 pagodas from different dynasties, known as the

forest of pagodas. The oldest one was from the Tang Dynasty. The pagodas are the tombs of the celebrated Shaolin monks. The Shaolin martial arts are an important part of the relics.

Mahjong, also spelledmajiang,mah jongg, and numerous other variants, is agamethat originated inChina.The game is played with a set of 144 tiles based onChinese charactersandsymbols, although some regional variations use a different number of tiles. In most variations, each player begins by receiving 13 tiles. In turn players draw and discard tiles until they complete a legal hand using the 14th drawn tile to form four groups (melds) and a pair (head). There are fairly standard rules about how a piece is drawn, stolen from another player and thus melded, the use of simples (numbered tiles) and honours (winds and dragons), the kinds of melds, and the order of dealing and play. However there are many regional variations in the rules; in addition, the scoring system and the minimum hand necessary to win varies significantly based on the local rules being used.

One of the myths of the origin of mahjong suggests thatConfucius,^[1]the Chinese philosopher, developed the game in about 500 BC. The three dragon (cardinal) tiles also agree with the three cardinal virtues bequeathed by Confucius.Hóng Zhōng(紅中, red middle),Fā Cái(發財, prosperity), andBái Bǎn"(白板, white board) representbenevolence,sincerity, andfilial piety, respectively.

The myth also claims that Confucius was fond of birds, which would explain the name "mahjong" (maque 麻雀 = sparrow).

Many historians believe it was based on a Chinesecard gamecalledMǎdiào(馬吊) (also known asMa Tiae, hanging horse; orYèzí[葉子], leaf) in the earlyMing dynasty.^[2]This game was played with 40 paper cards similar in appearance to the cards used in the game Ya Pei. These 40 cards are numbered 1 to 9 in four different suits, along with four extra flower cards. This is quite similar to the numbering of mahjong tiles today, although mahjong only has three suits and, in effect, uses four packs of Ya Pei cards.

During the 18th century,there is a Chinese card game with principle of drawing and discarding with a view to melding and is in fact essence of mahjong.^[3]

There is still some debate about who created the game. One theory is that Chinese army officers serving during theTaiping Rebellioncreated the game to pass the time. Another theory is that a nobleman living in theShanghaiarea created the game between 1870 and 1875. Others believe that two brothers fromNíngpōcreated mahjong around 1850, from the earlier game of Mǎdiào.

This game was banned by the government ofPeople's Republic of Chinawhen it took power in 1949.^[4]The newCommunistgovernment forbade any gambling activities, which were regarded as symbols ofcapitalistcorruption. After theCultural Revolution, the game was revived, without gambling elements, and the prohibition was revoked in 1985.^[5]Today, it is a favorite pastime in China and other Chinese-speaking communities.

Wuxia, which literally means "martial hero", is a broad genre of Chinese fiction concerning the adventures of martial artists. Although wuxia is traditionally a form of literature, its popularity has caused it to spread to diverse art forms such as Chinese opera, manhua, films, television series and video games. It is a component of popular culture in many Chinese-speaking communities around the world.

The word "wuxia" is a compound word composed of the words wu (lit. "martial", "military", or "armed") andxia (lit. "honourable", "chivalrous", or "hero"). A martial artist who follows the code of xia is often referred to as a xiake (lit. "follower of xia") or youxia (lit. "wandering xia"). In some translated works of wuxia, the martial artist is sometimes termed as a "swordsman" or "swordswoman" even though he or she may not necessarily wield a sword.

Typically, the heroes in wuxia fiction do not serve a lord, wield military power or belong to the aristocratic class. They are often from the lower social classes of ancient Chinese society. Wuxia heroes are usually bound by a code of chivalry that requires them to right wrongs, fight for righteousness, remove an oppressor, redress wrongs and bring retribution for past misdeeds. The Chinese xia traditions can be compared to martial codes from other countries, such as the Japanese samurai's bushido tradition, the chivalry of medieval European knights and the gunslingers of America's Westerns.

Even though the term "wuxia", as the name of a genre, is a recent coinage, stories about xia date back more than 2,000 years. Wuxia stories have their roots in some early youxia tales from 300–200 BCE . The Legalist philosopher Han Fei spoke disparagingly of youxias in his book Han Feizi in the chapterOn Five 'Maggot' Classes (韩非子·五蠹) about the five social classes in the Spring and Autumn Period.^[1] Some well-known stories include Zhuan Zhu's assassination of King Liao of Wu, and most notably, Jing Ke's attempt on the life of the King of Qin (who became Qin Shi Huang later). In Volume 86 of theRecords of the Grand Historian (Shi Ji), Sima Qian listed five notable assassins (Cao Mo, Zhuan Zhu, Yu Rang, Nie Zheng and Jing Ke) from the Warring States period, who undertook tasks of conducting political assassinations of aristocrats and nobles.^[2][3]

These assassins were known as cike (刺客; lit. "stabbing guests"). They usually rendered their loyalties and services to feudal lords and nobles in return for rewards such as riches and women. In Volume 124 of the Shi Ji, Sima Qian detailed several embryonic features of xia culture from his period. These popular phenomena were also documented in other historical records such as the Book of Han and the Book of the Later Han.

Xiake stories made a turning point in the Tang dynasty and returned in the form of chuanqi (傳奇; lit. "legendary tales"). Stories from that era, such asNie Yinniang (聶隱娘),^[4] The Kunlun Slave, Thirteenth Madame Jing (荆十三娘),^[5] Red String (紅線)^[6] and The Bearded Warrior (虬髯客),^[7] served as prototypes for modern wuxia stories.^[8] They featured fantasies and isolated protagonists, usually loners, who performed daring heroic deeds. During theSong dynasty, similar stories circulated in the huaben, short works that were once thought to have served as prompt-books for shuochang (traditional Chinese storytelling).^[9][10]

The genre of the martial or military romance also developed during the Tang dynasty. In the Ming dynasty, Luo Guanzhong and Shi Nai'an wrote Romance of the Three Kingdoms and Water Margin respectively, which were later ranked among the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature. The former is a romanticised historical retelling of the events in the late Eastern Han dynasty and the Three Kingdoms period, while the latter criticises the deplorable socio-economic status of the late Northern Song dynasty. Water Margin is often seen as the first full-length wuxia novel: the portrayal of the 108 heroes, and their code of honour and willingness to become outlaws rather than serve a corrupt government, played an influential role in the development ofjianghu culture in later centuries. Romance of the Three Kingdoms is also seen as a possible early antecedent, and contains classic close-combat descriptions that were later borrowed by wuxia writers in their works.^[11][12]

In the Qing dynasty, further developments were the gong'an (公案; lit. "public case") and related detective novels, where xia and other heroes, working with a judge or magistrate, solved crimes and battled injustice. The Justice Bao stories from Sanxia Wuyi (三俠五義; later extended and renamed to Qixia Wuyi) and Xiaowuyi (小五義), incorporated much of social justice themes of later wuxia stories. Xiayi stories of chivalrous romance, which frequently featured female heroes and supernatural fighting abilities, also surfaced during the Qing dynasty. Novels such as Shi Gong'an Qiwen (施公案奇聞) and Ernü Yingxiong Zhuan (兒女英雄傳) have been cited as the clearest nascent wuxia novels.^[13][14]

The term "wuxia" as a genre label itself first appeared at the end of the Qing dynasty, a calque of the Japanese "bukyō", a genre of oft-militaristic andbushido-influenced adventure fiction. The term was brought to China by writers and students who hoped that China would modernise its military and place emphasis on martial virtues, and it quickly became entrenched as the term used to refer to xiayi and other predecessors of wuxia proper, while in Japan itself, however, it faded into obscurity.^[15][16]

Many wuxia works produced during the Ming and Qing dynasties were lost due to the governments' strong crackdown and banning of such works.^[17] Wuxia works were deemed responsible for brewing anti-government sentiments, which led to rebellions during those eras.^{[citation needed]} The departure from mainstream literature also meant that patronage of this genre was limited to the masses and not to the literati, which led to the stifling of the development of the wuxia genre. Nonetheless, the wuxia genre remained enormously popular with the common people.^[18]

20th century[edit]

The modern wuxia genre rose to prominence in the early 20th century after the May Fourth Movement of 1919. A new literature evolved, calling for a break with Confucian values, and the xia emerged as a symbol of personal freedom, defiance to Confucian tradition, and rejection of the Chinese family system.^[17]

The early 20th century and the period from the 1960s–80s were often regarded as the golden ages of the wuxia genre.^{[citation needed]} Xiang Kairan (pen namePingjiang Buxiaosheng) became the first notable wuxia writer, his maiden work being The Peculiar Knights-Errant of the Jianghu (江湖奇侠传).^[19][20] It was serialised from 1921 to 1928 and was adapted into the first wuxia film, The Burning of the Red Lotus Temple (1928).^[21] Zhao Huanting (趙煥亭), who wroteChronicles of the Loyal Knights-Errant (奇俠精忠傳, serialised 1923–27), was another well-known wuxia writer who was based in Shanghai.^[22] Starting from the 1930s, wuxia works proliferated and its centre shifted to Beijing and Tianjin in northern China. The most prolific writers there were collectively referred to as the Five Great Masters of the Northern School (北派五大家) — Huanzhu Louzhu (還珠樓主), who wrote The Swordspeople from Shu Mountains (蜀山剑侠传); Kenneth Lu (蘆葦草),^[23] who wrote Tales of Terra Ocean (山海封神榜 前传);^[24] Bai Yu, who wrote Twelve Coin Darts (十二钱镖); Wang Dulu, who wrote The Crane-Iron Pentalogy (鹤铁五部作); Zheng Zhengyin (郑证因), who wrote The King of Eagle Claws (鹰爪王); Zhu Zhenmu (朱贞木), who wrote The Seven-Killing Stele (七杀碑).^[25][26]

Wuxia fiction was banned at various times during the Republican era and these restrictions stifled the growth of the genre.^[17] In spite of this, wuxia writing prevailed in other Chinese-speaking regions, such as Taiwan and Hong Kong. Writers such as Liang Yusheng and Louis Cha (Jin Yong) spearheaded the founding of a "new school" of the wuxia genre that differed largely from its predecessors. They wrote serials for newspapers and magazines. They also incorporated several fictional themes such as mystery and romance from other cultures. In Taiwan, Wolong Sheng, Sima Ling, Zhuge Qingyun (诸葛青云), Xiao Yi (萧逸) and Gu Long became the region's most famous wuxia writers. After them, other writers such as Wen Rui'an and Huang Yi rose to prominence in a later period. Chen Yu-hui is a contemporary female wuxia novelist who made her debut with the novel The Tian-Guan Duo Heroes (天觀雙俠).^[27]

There have also been works created after the 1980s which attempt to create a post-wuxia genre. Yu Hua, one of the more notable writers from this period, published a counter-genre short story titled Blood and Plum Blossoms, in which the protagonist goes on a quest to avenge his murdered father.

Themes, plots and settings[edit]

Modern wuxia stories are largely set in ancient or premodern China. The historical setting can range from being quite specific and important to the story, to being vaguely-defined, anachronistic, or is only used as a backdrop for the action. Fantasy elements, ranging from fantastic martial arts to ghosts and monsters, are common elements of a wuxia story but not a prerequisite. However, the martial arts element is a definite part of a wuxia tale, as its characters must know some form of martial arts. Themes of romance are also strongly featured in some wuxia tales.

A typical wuxia story features a young male protagonist who experiences a tragedy, such as losing his loved ones, and goes on to undertake several trials and tribulations throughout his adventures in order to learn several forms of martial arts from various fighters. At the end of the story, the protagonist emerges as a powerful fighter whom few can equal. He uses his abilities to follow the code of xia and mends the ills of the jianghu. For instance, the opening chapters of some of Louis Cha's works follow a certain pattern: a tragic event occurs, usually one that costs the lives of the newly introduced characters, and then it sets events into motion that will culminate in the primary action of the story.^[28]

Other stories use different structures. For instance, the protagonist is denied being accepted into a martial arts sect. He experiences hardships and trains secretly and waits until there is an opportunity for him to show off his skills and surprise those who initially looked down on him.^{[citation needed]} Some stories feature a mature hero with powerful martial arts abilities confronting an equally powerful antagonist as his nemesis. The plot will gradually meander to a final dramatic showdown between the protagonist and his nemesis. These types of stories were prevalent during the era of anti-Qing revolutionaries.^{[citation needed]}

Certain stories have unique plots, such as those by Gu Long and Huang Yi. Gu Long's works have an element of mystery and are written like detective stories. The protagonist, usually a formidable martial artist and intelligent problem-solver, embarks on a quest to solve a mystery such as a murder case. Huang Yi's stories are blended with science fiction.

Despite these genre-blending elements, wuxia is primarily a historical genre of fiction. Notwithstanding this, wuxia writers openly admit that they are unable to capture the entire history of a course of events and instead choose to structure their stories along the pattern of the protagonist's progression from childhood to adulthood instead.^{[citation needed]} The progression may be symbolic rather than literal, as observed in Louis Cha's The Smiling, Proud Wanderer, where the young Linghu Chong progresses from childish concerns and dalliances into much more adult ones as his unwavering loyalty repeatedly thrusts him into the rocks of betrayal at the hands of his inhumane master.^[28]

Code of xia[edit]

Eight common attributes of the xia are listed as benevolence, justice, individualism, loyalty, courage, truthfulness, disregard for wealth and desire for glory. Apart from individualism, these characteristics are similar to Confucian values such as ren (仁; "benevolence", "kindness"), zhong (忠; "loyalty"),yong (勇; "courage", "bravery") and yi (義; "righteousness").^[17] The code of xia also emphasises the importance of repaying benefactors after having received deeds of en (恩; "grace", "favour") from others, as well as seeking chou (仇; "vengeance", "revenge") to bring villains to justice. However, the importance of vengeance is controversial, as a number of wuxia works stress Buddhist ideals, which include forgiveness, compassion and a prohibition on killing.

In the jianghu, martial artists are expected to be loyal to their master (sifu). This gives rise to the formation of several complex trees of master-apprentice relations as well as the various sects such as Shaolin and Wudang.^{[citation needed]} If there are any disputes between fighters, they will choose the honourable way of settling their issues through fighting in duels.^{[citation needed]}

Skills and abilities[edit]

The martial arts in wuxia stories are based on wushu techniques and other real life Chinese martial arts. In wuxia tales, however, the mastery of such skills are highly exaggerated to superhuman levels of achievement and prowess.

The following is a list of skills and abilities a typical fighter or martial artist in a wuxia story possesses:

• Martial arts (武功): Fighting techniques in a codified sequence called zhaoshi (招式), which are based on real life Chinese martial arts.

• Weapons and objects: Combatants use a wide range of weapons in combat. The most commonly used ones are the dao (broadsword or saber), jian (sword), gun(staff), and qiang (spear). Everyday objects such as abaci, benches, fans, ink brushes, smoking pipes, sewing needles, or various musical instruments, are also used as weapons as well.

• Qinggong: A form of real Chinese martial arts. In wuxia stories and films, however, its use is highly exaggerated to the point that characters can circumvent gravity to fly, cover tremendous distances in a single stride, glide across surfaces of water, scale high walls and mount trees.

• Neili (内力; lit "internal force" or "internal strength") / Neigong (內功; lit. "internal skill" or "internal function"): The ability to build up and cultivate inner energy known as qi and utilise it for attack and defensive purposes. Characters use this energy to attain skills such as superhuman strength, speed, stamina, durability and healing as well as the ability to project energy beams and/or elemental forces from their bodies.

• Dianxue (點穴; lit. "touching acupuncture points"): Characters use various acupuncture techniques to kill, paralyse, immobilise or control opponents by attacking their acupressure points with their bare hands or weapons. Such techniques can also be used for healing purposes, such as halting excessive bleeding. Real life martial artists do use such techniques to paralyse or stun their opponents, however, their effectiveness is highly exaggerated in wuxia stories.

In wuxia stories, characters attain the above skills and abilities by devoting themselves to years of diligent study and exercise, but can also have such power conferred upon them by a master who transfers his inner energy to them. The instructions to mastering these skills through training are found in secret manuals known as miji (秘笈). In some stories, specific skills can be learned by spending several years in seclusion with a master or training with a group of fighters.

Jianghu[edit]

The "jianghu" (江湖; lit. "rivers and lakes") refers to a community of martial artists. The term "wulin" (武林; lit. "martial forest") is another commonly used term which refers to this community. The jianghu is made up of several martial artists who are usually congregated in sects, clans, disciplines and various schools of martial arts. It is also inhabited by others such as youxia ("wandering martial artists"), nobles, thieves, beggars, priests, healers, merchants and craftsmen.

A common aspect of the jianghu is that the courts of law are dysfunctional and that all disputes and differences can only be resolved by use of force, predicating the need for the code of xia and acts of chivalry. Law and order within the jianghu are maintained by the various orthodox and righteous sects and heroes. Sometimes these sects may gather to form an alliance against a powerful evil organisation in the jianghu.

A leader, called the "wulin mengzhu" (武林盟主; lit. "master of the wulin alliance"), is elected from among the sects in order to lead them and ensure law and order within the jianghu. The leader is usually someone with a high level of mastery in martial arts and a great reputation for righteousness who is often involved in some conspiracy and/or killed. In some cases, the leader may not be the greatest martial artist in the jianghu while in others, the position of the leader is hereditary. The leader is an arbiter who presides and adjudicates over all inequities and disputes. The leader is a de jurechief justice of the affairs of the jianghu.

The term "jianghu" is linked to cultures other than those pertaining to martial arts in wuxia stories. It is also applied to anarchic societies. For instance, the triads and other Chinese secret societies use the term "jianghu" to describe their world of organised crime. Sometimes, the term "jianghu" may be replaced by the term "underworld", with reference to the "criminal underworld".

In modern terminology, "jianghu" may mean any circle of interest, ranging from the entertainment industry to sports. Colloquially, retirement is also referred to as "leaving the jianghu" (退出江湖). In wuxia stories, when a reputable fighter decides to retire from the jianghu, he will do so in a ceremony known as "washing hands in the golden basin" (金盆洗手). He washes his hands in a golden basin filled with water, signifying that he will no longer be involved in the affairs of the jianghu. When a reclusive fighter who has retired from the jianghu reappears, his return is described as "re-entering the jianghu" (重出江湖).