Feng shui — which literally translates to “wind and water” — is the ancient Chinese art of placement. The goal is to enhance the flow of chi (life force or spiritual energy), and to create harmonious environments that support health, beckon wealth, and invite happiness. At its most basic level, feng shui is a decorating discipline based ...
Porcelain, as indicated by its popular name “china,” or “fine china,” is one of the grandest Chinese inventions and dates back to the Eastern Han Dynasty (196-220). The Chinese term for it is Ci (瓷) or Ciqi (瓷器). The term comes from the Italian “porcellana,” which originally referred to a kind of white cowrie shell. ...
The abacus is a counting tool that has been used in China for thousands of years. It is widely used in shops, restaurants, and anywhere where bills need to be settled. The calculator has a rectangular frame made of wood, bamboo, or steel. It is assembled with rods, and is divided into two parts: the ...
There was a scholar at Jiangxi, Nan Fung, whose literary talent was outstanding in the Qing Dynasty. He wrote extremely well and authored thousands of essays in a short period. However, to earn more money, Nan Fung assisted criminals by adding lies in their defense to reduce their crimes. As a result, many criminals escaped ...
The Chinese character 藥 (yào) refers to medicine or drug. It is composed of two parts. The top part 艹 is the Chinese radical that indicates grass and grass-related plants, including herbs. The lower part 樂 (pronounced yuè or lè) is a Chinese character in its own right. It has two meanings: music, as well ...
Chinese people are famed for being hard-working, especially those living in mainland China who understand that achievements or blessings depend on hard work, and if you do not strive to achieve, it means that you will accomplish nothing. Striving hard is only on the surface level. Whether or not there are achievements or blessings is determined ...
The Chinese proverb of the Four Anchors, also known as the Four Social Bonds (四維 sìwéi), represents the sense of propriety, justice, integrity, and honor (禮義廉恥 lǐ yì lián chǐ), which are the traditional Chinese virtues. lǐ (禮) means proper rite, ceremony, propriety, etiquette, courtesy, manners; yì (義) denotes righteousness, justice; lián (廉) signifies honesty, cleanness, incorruptible; chǐ (恥) means shame, a sense ...
Jade communicates a sense of mystery. In Chinese, jade refers to a fine, beautiful stone with a warm color and rich luster, skillfully and delicately carved. It symbolizes nobility, perfection, constancy, and immortality. For millennia, it has been an intimate part of the lives of Chinese of all classes. Jade is viewed as the most ...
In this current cycle of time and space, many things around us, including poverty and wealth, follow certain laws. The criterion our ancestors used to measure wealth and poverty aligned with these laws, especially as far as virtue was concerned. This was quite different from that of our modern thinking. If we look beneath the ...
The waist drum dance is part of traditional Chinese folklore. Due to its inspiring sound and vigorous movements accompanied by rhythmic drumbeats, many waist drum teams have been established in many countries, including the United States, Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, Vietnam, Australia, and Europe in recent years. History of the waist drum dance It is ...