Chinese Red Dates: The Youth Pill

What are the health benefits of eating Chinese red dates? Li Shizhen, the renowned physician of the Ming Dynasty, described Chinese red dates in his classic writing Compendium of Materia Medica as sweet in taste, mild in nature, and can replenish energy and nourish the blood. There is a saying among common folks: “Red dates ...

Emma Lu

Chinese red dates.

The Conscience Pawnshop

There was once a little shop called the Conscience Pawnshop. When the business began to decline, the owner, Zhang Yipin, considered closing it down. Around the same time, the owner became seriously ill and lost his eyesight. Now blind and too ill to run the business, he let his son, Zhang Sanbao, manage the shop.  ...

Tatiana Denning

Red Chinese lanterns hang along the side of a building.

11 Brain Foods

Everyone wants to be smart and have the ability to learn and memorize things quickly. In fact, to get these benefits, some people are willing to spend a lot of money on supplements to boost their brain function. The truth is, there are 11 common brain foods that are readily available and they won’t break ...

Emma Lu

A white porcelain bowl filled with red Chinese dates.

Steamed Shrimp

Almost everyone loves steamed shrimp, also called prawns. Here is a simple recipe that will have everyone clamoring for more.   Prepare time: 20 mins Cook time: 10 minutes Ready in: 30 minutes Ingredients Large shrimp — 12 Mushrooms — 2 (chopped) Carrots — 1/4 cup (chopped) Spring onions — 1/4 cup (chopped) Egg mixture ...

Jenny Low

A plate of steamed shrimp.

Intriguing Traditions of the Chinese Lantern Festival

The Lantern Festival is one of the most celebrated holidays across Asia and it officially marks the last day of the Lunar New Year celebrations. It falls on the 15th day of the 1st month on the Lunar Calendar, the first night of the year’s full moon. So this year it is on Friday, February ...

Jessica Kneipp

Ancient painting of a Lantern Festival.

How Censorship Is Forcing Chinese Culture Into Savagery

For a culture to develop, it is necessary that its people are free to explore the questions of free thought, speech, and belief. Putting restrictions on what people can think or feel is a surefire way to repress creativity and innovation, and stagnate the culture of a society. China is a good example of how ...

Armin Auctor

The Great Wall.

4 Ancient Positions for Restorative Sleep

The ancients practiced Taoism and maintained their health during the day, while also paying attention to the quality of their sleep. In the early Song Dynasty, a well-known Taoist named Chen Bo advocated the importance of restorative sleep. As he often slept for a few days at a time, people called him the sleeping immortal, ...

Nspirement Staff

A cartoon graphic of a man sleeping on his side.

Tibet’s Potala Palace Remains an Unsolved Mystery After Centuries

The Potala Palace in Tibet is a highland temple that has attracted worldwide attention for thousands of years. It has fascinated countless people because this temple hides many inexplicable secrets, which makes people feel curious and yearn for answers. The Potala Palace is located on top of a mountain called Marpori (Red Mountain) in the ...

Armin Auctor

The Potala Palace.

Friends All Over the World (‘The Shanghai Friendship Store’ — Chapter 5)

Friends All Over the World, from Susan Ruel’s novel Shanghai Friendship Store, portrays the claustrophobic social lives of a small, insular “foreign expert“ community in the 1980s. Shanghai had long been known as China’s most Westernized city. Yet, during this period following the normalization of Sino-U.S. relations, the city’s few foreign residents were discouraged from ...

Nspirement Staff

Chinese college students in the early 1980s.

Ancient Arts: The History Behind Chinese Cloisonné

Cloisonné is an ancient ceramic and metalwork decoration technique. Though believed to have originated in the West or Middle East, Chinese artisans are well known to have produced some of the world’s best cloisonné works. The term is derived from the French word cloison, which means “partition.” Craftsmen used strips of metal to create partitions ...

Emma Lu

A Chinese cloisonné bowl.