In ancient times, people put a pair of stone lions in front of the entrance door of government offices, temples, and mansions to ward off evil spirits. Chinese people always regard stone lions as auspicious things and place a pair of them in front of the main entrances of government offices, temples, and mansions. Various ...
The classic Chinese novel Journey to the West tells the tale of a Buddhist monk named Tang Sanzang who sets off for India in search of sacred Buddhist Scriptures. Along the way, he is joined by three disciples chosen to accompany and protect him. The Monkey King, also known as Sun Wukong, was the first ...
Chinese festivals have a unique flavor of their own. The Mid-Autumn Festival is one of the prominent festivals in Chinese culture. There are some interesting stories and legends behind the Mid-Autumn Festival. Among the stories, the most popular one is that of Chang’e – the legendary story of the Chinese Moon goddess. The legend changes ...
Sima Guang (1019-1086), courtesy name Junshi, was a native of Shanxi Xia County, a litterateur, and a historian in the Northern Song Dynasty. He consecutively served as an official across four emperors, taking charge of the compilation of the first Chinese general history, History as a Mirror. He was a paradigm of Confucian education and ...
Please go here for Part 1 Getting married is the most significant event in life for everyone. Yet, despite this, many Chinese people have long forgotten traditional wedding customs. So what are the cultural connotations of a traditional Chinese wedding? The 6 formal wedding rituals After the cultural rituals of the Western Zhou and Zhou ...
Please go here for Part 2 Marriage is one of the most important events in everyone’s life. However, today, many Chinese people have forgotten the customs of traditional weddings. For example, brides often wear white, as is the tradition in Western weddings as it symbolizes purity, but not entirely in traditional China culture, as white ...
Please go here for Part 1 Shi Cheng chose a high rock cliff for the monumental task of carving out the Leshan Giant Buddha statue. However, by its very nature, this rock cliff was difficult and dangerous to work on. So he and his apprentices built scaffolding on the rock to enable them to maneuver ...
Please go here for Part 2 At the confluence of the Dadu, Qingyi, and Min rivers in Sichuan Province, the world’s largest stone-carved Buddha statue is 71 meters (233 ft) high. This gigantic Buddha statue is the famous Leshan Giant Buddha, also known as the Giant Stone Maitreya Buddha of Lingyun Temple in Jiazhou (present-day ...
The idiom of “a meal worth a thousand pieces of gold” is a common saying in China and dates back to Han Xin of the Han Dynasty. It means that one should always show gratitude for the kindness received from someone. Although the favor received may be very small, even a little help in times ...
Chinese folktales are some of the most colorful and varied stories ever written. For thousands of years, China has produced an unparalleled treasure house of fables, myths, and anecdotes passed down through generations. The traditional Chinese culture has an enigmatic history and rich, colorful folklore. Written during the Three Kingdoms period (220-280 CE), Lu Shang’s ...