ChineCulture
Part One: Chine Chopsticks
Chopsticks are the dining utensils most frequently ud in Chine people’s daily life.
1979年五行属什么
Normally people hold chopsticks with the right hand to pick up food
According to some scholars, to properly handle chopsticks requires the coordination of over 80 joints and 50 muscles. what’s more, certain cranial nerves are also involved. Therefore, using chopsticks can help make people more dexterous and intelligent. ?Whatever the reasons why the Chine u chopsticks, it is the result of the culture.
The Chine culture is developed around collectivism which stress communion and harmony.
The Chine like to have communal meals where everybody eats out of the same bowl of food. Chopsticks are proper utensils ud in this situation. ?In ancient China, chopsticks signified far more than tools that take food to the mouth, they also signified status and rules.
There were over a dozen taboos concerning chopsticks. For example, they could not be placed vertically into a dish, as this was the way of making sacrifices to the dead.自然通
Diners could not tap or push a dish with chopsticks, nor u a chopstick as a fork by poking it into a piece of food.
When taking food, they could not go from one dish to another or let their chopsticks cross over tho of others.
When diners wanted to put down their chopsticks during a meal, they would place them lengthways of a chopstick holder, or on the plate .
Respect has to be given to the elderly. Each time a dish is rved, everyone has to wait until the elder person starts
Many of the chopstick taboos are valid to this day and accepted as a norm in today’s table etiquette. A warm atmosphere prevails at a Chine dinner and maybe this is the reason why it is always noisy at the dinner.
The Tea Culture
Tea is native to China, and Chine tea culture has a long history. Originally tea was ud as a medicine instead of a drink. It was said that Shen Nong, the legendary ruler in ancient China, once t
asted a lot of plants and was poisoned many times. It was tea that helped him get rid of the poisoning effect. ?Later the ancient Chine got to know more and more about tea, and instead of being regarded as a medicine, it became a drink.
Tea drinking is a very sophisticated pastime. It starts with the environment. In the past, tea drinking should take place in a tting where “spring water runs on marbles”
Or, “in a monastery in misty spring” or “in the woods during sunt”.
. In the old days, people ud iron kettles to boil water. Tea was placed in a paper bag. Porcelain
cups were ud for drinking
The water came from melted snow which was collected from plum blossom trees the previous
winter and stored underground in a jar. ?Today people u different tea ts but most
popular ones are the pots made in Yinxing
The Dietetic Culture
Chine culinary arts are rather complicated, and in different places, there are different ways for
preparing dishes. Many different cuisines
unique to certain areas are formed, for instance,
Shandong cuisine, Beijng cuisine, Shanghai
cuisine, Sichuan cuisine, Jiangsu cuisine,
Zhejiang cuisine and so on.
Chine Traditional Festivals
1.The Spring Festival
The Spring Festival falls on the first day of the first month according to the lunar calendar, and it is regarded as the most important festival by the Chine people.
2.China’s Tomb Sweeping Day
April the fourth or fifth of the solar year ( according to the Gregorian calendar) is a traditional day for the Chine people to show respect for their ancestors. On this day, people sweep their ancestors’ tombs and burn paper money to wish their ancestors good luck. The local people respected Qu Yuan; some rowed
boats in an attempt to save his life, and others threw eggs and rice wrapped up in bamboo leaves into the river to feed the a creatures so as to keep his body from being eaten by them
Today, people still have boat races on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month to commemorate the attempt to save Qu Yuan, and it is common for people to eat eggs and glutinous rice wrapped up in bamboo or reed leaves.
Other activities include wearing perfume bags, winding colorful threads around children’s wrists and hanging certain plants on the doors. All the have a common purpo, i.e. to keep the evil spirit away.
3.Qiqiao Festival
Qiqiao Festival falls on the venth day of the venth lunar month; it is also called Girls’ Festival, Daughters’ Festival.
The legend related to this festival goes like this: Once upon a time a fairy in heaven (the Weaving Girl) fell in love with a cowherd (the Herd Boy) on earth.
The fairy was so devoted to her love that she gave up all her priviledges of being a fairy in heaven and came
down on earth to live with her beloved. For veral years, they led a happy life, and the Weaving Girl gave birth to two lovely children.
Then th e fairy’s mother —the Lady Queen Mother learnt about this and she was so angry that she had her daughter, the Weaving Girl, taken back to heaven by force. The Herd Boy, with their two children, run after the Weaving Girl, but the Lady Queen mother took out her hairpin and drew a river between them. There were also various activities on this day, such as eating qiaoguo, a kind of wheaten food in varying sizes and shapes and the competition of putting a thread as quickly as possible through the eye of a needle, etc. 6. Double Ninth Festival
Double Ninth Festival falls on the ninth day of the ninth lunar month. It is one of the popular traditional Chine festivals. According to tradtional Chine yin and yang theory, nine is a yang number, therefore it is also called Double Yang Festival.重阳节
For some time in history, it was called Mountain-Climbing Festival and Zhuyu Festival, as there was a custom of climbing mountains and
wearing zhuyu (a herb).
Becau of the fact that nine is the largest digit and “nine nine” sounds the same as “forever” in Chine, and that autumn is the golden harvest ason, people related Double Ninth Festival to longevity and therefore enriched the meaning of the festival. In 1989, Double Ninth Festival was officially defined as the Chine Festival for Senior Citizens. Part Three:
Ancient Architectural Styles
Chine ancient architecture mainly includes buildings built before 1911 as well as tho latter-day buildings with Chine traditional style. Chine ancient architecture is considered to be one of the three greatest architectural systems in the world. It is unique in employing the timber skeleton as its
main structure. Besides, Chine gardening has developed a unique style, too.
Chine architecture is as old as Chine civilization. It enjoys a long history and great achievements.
It has created many architectural miracles.
Ancient Chine attained great accomplishments in building materials, artistic styles, layout and connotation, from which one can e the combination of technology, artistic skill and aesthetic taste Siheyuan in North China
In north China, Siheyuan are the most popular housing buildings in traditional style. A Siheyuan is a rectangular compound with traditional one-story hous of gray tiles and bricks built on the four sides of it. The most typical Siheyuan compounds are found in Beijing.
Chine GardeningGardening
Chine GardeningGardening is one of the important types of architectural art. Its esnce is to construct beautiful surroundings by designing all the elements — mountain, water, building, road, indoor decoration, etc., in a harmonious and
organic way. There are mainly two categories of Chine gardening : imperial gardens in Beijing and the private gardens in the South.
Private gardens in South
convenientThere are over 100 private gardens from the old times in Suzhou, Jiangsu province.
Gardens in that area are known for their skillful combination of landscapes.
数据英文They u man-made structures, such as creeks, rocks, trees, plants, pavilions, platforms, terraces, and bridges Together they create a poetic atmosphere, just like a painting that combines poems, calligraphy and scenery all in one.
The rocks in the garden don’t have to be huge to look meaningful as long as they are arranged in order. The same is true with the creeks.
It is not the length of the creeks but the turns and curves which give the garden a feeling of liveliness. This is a manifestation of the Confucian belief of harmony between man and nature and the Taoist worship of nature.
Chine ancient architecture这次不一样
Chine ancient architecture features unique timber framework, with timber, bricks and tiles as the main building materials.
The layout of ancient architecture is plain, flexible and beautiful.
云开大山Every part of a building is put in a graceful shape, esp. roofs.
Chine fans
Fans em to have special meanings in Chine culture.
Fans ud to be a favorite item for women in China. You may have noticed that nearly all female figures in traditional Chine paintings carry a silk fan. ?The Ancient Chine Calendar
The ancient calendar of China were divided into 12 year cycles. Each year in the 12 year cycle had the name of an animal.
There were twelve animals that were ud to name the 12 years of the cycle.
The animals are the rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, hor, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog, and boar.
In ancient times animals had some significance or meaning for people. There were two common areas of significance that the Chine calendar was ud in.
One area of its u was in lecting a marriage partner. For example, a woman who was born in the year of the dog was perfectly suited to a man who was born in the year of the rabbit. On the other hand, a man who was born in the year of the snake would not be suitable for a woman who was born in the year of the monkey.
Another area of u for the calendar was in lecting a profession. For example, a person born in the year of the dragon might be good for the medical profession, but not for the legal profession.
A person born in the year of the rooster might be suitable for a profession as a cook, but not for a profession as a tailor.
奶茶店有哪些
Part Two: Beijing Opera
Beijing Opera is the cream of the Chine culture. It came from the song and dance of the primitive society.
The costumes of Beijing Opera are very colorful and majestic and people are interested in its facial mask Facial masks
using different colors are an important way to portray a character. There are hundreds of different fac张惠妹火
ial mask designs and each character has its own design. . For example, red is a color that reprents loyalty and courage
People can tell a hero from a villain by the colors of their masks. In general, white usually reprents treachery, black reprents righteousness, yellow reprents bravery, blue and green reprent rebellious fighters while gold and silver reprent divinity and Buddhism
Yellow: China’s Favorite Color
Chine people em to like the yellow colors a lot.
The color preferences of the Chine people are influenced by the five elements of mental, wood, water, fire and earth, in addition to geographical locations and weather.
Han people like yellow especially . Maybe becau the Hans were originated in the Yellow River
Plateau, a region where yellow was the prevailing color.
As far as the five elements are concerned, the corresponding colors are white, green, black, red, and yellow.(⾦,⽊,⽔,⽕,⼟)
Red: China’s Favorite Color
Chine people also like the red color a lot. China ud to be called the “red country” in the past.
Even now Chine people like to refer ourlves as “chi zi” meaning the “red descendent”?Traditionally, red reprents the motherland and authority. Official uniforms of Tang Dynasty were red.
Red is also a highly-regarded color among ordinary people becau it reprents happiness.
The word “double happiness” ud for wedding is red.
The bride wears red clothes.
Red packets with money inside are given to the children as good wishes in 春节
Confucius
Born at Qufu, Shandong Province Confucius
(551—479 B. C.), who given name was Qiu and courtesy name Zhongni, was the founder of Conf
ucianism.
As one of the greatest thinkers and educators in the history of China, Confucius’ legacy lies in the following three aspects:
Firstly, he compiled and prerved literary works of three generations. The six documents (The Six Classics) including Shi (The Book of Songs), Shu (Collection of Ancient Texts), Li (The Rites), Yue (The Music), Yi (The Book of Changes), and Chun Qiu (The Spring and Autumn Annuals),
Thirdly, Confucius was an accomplished educator. He maintained the idea that everyone has the right to be educated despite class differences. In teaching practice, Confucius adopted flexible teaching methods which involve the combinations of learning and thinking, learning and reviewing as well as teaching and learning.
Confucianism is the backbone of Chine culture and it ems to be back in fashion again nowadays. A scholar once said that answers concerning our
survival can be found in the wisdom of Confucius, even though he lived more than 25 centuries ago. Selected Phras from “The Analects of Confucius”
学⽽时习之, 不亦说乎? 有朋⾃远⽅来, 不亦乐乎?⼈不知⽽不愠, 不亦君⼦乎?
To learn and at due times to repeat what one has learnt, is that not after all a pleasure That friends should come to one from afar, is this not after all delightful?
To remain unsouned even though one’s merits are unrecognized by others, is that not after all what I expected of a gentleman?
⼦张问仁于孔⼦. 孔⼦⽈: “能⾏五者于天下, 为仁矣.” “请问之”⽈: “恭, 宽, 信, 敏, 惠.恭则不侮，宽则得众，信则任焉，敏则有功，惠则⾜以使⼈.”?He who is courteous is not scorned, he who is broad wins the multitude, he who is of good faith is trusted by the people, he who is diligent succeeds in all he undertakes, he who is clement can get rvice from the people.”
后⽣可畏，焉知来者之不如今也？四⼗，五⼗⽽⽆闻焉斯亦不⾜畏也亦．
Respect the young. How do you know that they will not one day be all that you are now But if a man has reached forty or fifty and nothing has been heard of him, then I grant there is no need to respect him.
Chine Historical tales
Three Moves by Mencius' Mother
Meng Ke, later known as Mencius, lived near a graveyard in his childhood. Therefore, as he played, he amud himlf by imitating the others’ digging tombs. His mother said, “It's not good for a child to live in this kind of place.”
They moved to a hou near a market. Then the son took pleasure in imitating the peddler’s hawking. Again the mother said, “It's not good for a child to live here.” She changed their residence a cond time and houd themlves near a school. There her son played imitating the sacrificial rites on ceremony and formalities of courtesy. The mother said, “This is the right place for a child.”
They ttled there. After Meng Ke grew up, he became a scholar well known for his erudition and
one of the reprentatives of Confucianism. Since then th is idiom has been ud to eulogize mothers’ inculcation.
Yue Fei's Mother Tattooed Characters on the Skin of Yue Fei
Yue Fei was a patriotic military commander of the Southern Song Dynasty and a national hero in resisting the invading Jin people. As a young man, he was diligent and adept in wushu skills. The sto
ry of character-tattooing of his mother goes like this.
Wang Zuo tried to persuade Yue Fei to surrender but Yue Fei rejected him in stern terms. Yue Fei’s mother was afraid that after her death some unworthy men would still come to tempt her son. Therefore, she decided to tattoo the characters “rving the motherland with lfless loyalty” on the back of his son.
The Art of Calligraphy
Calligraphy, native to China, is a traditional art with
a long history and national characteristic features. It
is the happy result of the painstaking and creative efforts of generations upon generations of artists. It has many styles.
Calligraphy is known for its beautiful shape, rich emotion and artistic conception. It is often likened to a picture, a piece of music and a poem. Its flowing strokes not only remind us of the beauty of nature, but also express the beauty of human spirit. Chine calligraphy is not only a splendid flower in the garden of the Chine culture, but also a shining pearl in the treasure-hou of arts of human
beings.
Olympic Games will be held in Beijing this August and it is easy to recognize some Chine elements in Olympic Seal and the Symbols of all Sports. ?The Seal and Symbol of Sports are similar to Chine calligraphy becau Chine writing is pictograph.
Look at the Ancient Chine writing: Traditional Chine Painting
Traditional Chine painting constitute a unique school of fine art, a school that, in style and technique is vastly different from any other fine art school in the world.
The Chine do paintings with brushes, dipping
their brushes in ink or paint and then skillfully wielding them.
Painters produce on the paper pictures with lines and dots-some heavy, and some light, and some deep, and some pale.
In the hands of a good painter, brushes and ink can be highly expressive. Becau of this, they are emed not only as tools for drawing pictures, but also as a collective symbol of artistic pursuit. ?Tra
ditional Chine paintings were classified into veral categories covering religious beliefs, Confucianism and state power.
The purpo of landscape paintings was to portray the five mountains, while fruit and birds were ud to exemplify or eulogize the Gods.
Artists like to give meaning to the subjects they paint. Bamboo symbolizes integrity and simplicity;
