dross, rite of marriage, song hong, traditional chinese culture

How the Rite of Marriage Defines What One Should Value

Marriage, in the traditional sense, is the union between a man and a woman. The rite of marriage has been practiced among various cultures around the globe for centuries. It is the foundation for the social embodiment of what we refer to as a family, with its duties and privileges shared respectively. Marriage is essential ...

Hermann Rohr

A man and woman with a wedding bouquet.

Stories of a Mother’s Love

In Chinese culture, from ancient times up to today, there are records of compassionate mother’s love. Here are few mothers worth remembering who have been included in Shen Yun’s performances. General Yue Fei’s mother Yue Fei was born in the 12th century A.D. at the end of the Northern Song Dynasty. When Yue Fei was ...

Nspirement Staff

The Importance of the Incense Box in Chinese Culture

It was once said that when Westerners traveled overseas, they brought along the soil of their homeland to help them overcome homesickness. In the case of the Chinese Han people, when they left their homeland to settle elsewhere, the most important item that they brought along was their incense box and ashes. The Chinese Han ...

Nspirement Staff

Chiang Kai-Shek’s Revision of Chinese Culture in Taiwan

In 1949, the communists took over Mainland China, forcing the leader of the Republic of China, Chiang Kai-Shek (October 31, 1887 — April 5, 1975), also known as Chiang Chung-Cheng, to lead 600,000 military officers and civilians to Taiwan. Chiang spent 26 years of his life turning Taiwan into a stronghold for traditional Chinese culture ...

Nspirement Staff

Chiang Kai-shek.

The History and Traditional Values Behind Chinese Cuisine

Already by the end of the Spring and Autumn Period of Chinese history, the eating habits and Chinese cuisine were deeply influenced by terminology and etiquette from Confucianism. K’ung Fu Tzu strongly influenced Chinese cuisine In a classic book from the Confucian school, Book of Rites, it states: “During meals, wine and soup should be ...

Nspirement Staff

Keepsakes in a Traditional Chinese Wedding

With a long history of 5,000 years, China’s rich cultural connotations and traditional cultural heritage are embodied in its architecture, literature, painting, calligraphy, arts, and customs. The traditional Chinese wedding also has significant meanings, often characterized by particular marriage keepsakes. Red double happiness The Chinese character “双 喜,”  known as double happiness (pronounced shuāng xǐ ...

Nspirement Staff

A Chinese bride and groom dressed in red.

The Guqin: The Instrument of the Sages

The guqin, or qin, is a seven-stringed classical musical instrument that is a relative of the zither family and has a history in China of about 5,000 years. Scholars and sages considered the qin as the singular instrument that captures the essence of traditional Chinese culture. The qin, along with calligraphy, chess, and painting, were ...

Nspirement Staff

A woman playing a guqin.

Origin and Brief History of Mooncakes

The Mid-Autumn Festival usually falls in September or early October. In China, mooncakes have blanketed markets. Were it not for the Mid-Autumn Festival and its traditions, the mooncake may have been banished by today’s populace who seek low-fat, low-sugar foods. They are symbols of harmony, family reunion, and good fortune, and these meanings are important ...

Nspirement Staff

What You Need to Know About Ghosts in Chinese Culture

Every culture has its own unique take on ghosts and the supernatural, right from ancient to modern times. And in this regard, ghosts in Chinese culture are not any different. From ghosts that have smelly hair to ghosts who plan revenge on wrongdoers, the Chinese concept has numerous examples that will certainly interest those who ...

Armin Auctor

Chinese New Year Rituals

Like many traditional Chinese festivities, Chinese New Year is rich in customs and rituals. Among the different Chinese dialect groups, there are many similar and different Chinese New Year rituals for celebrations, though much of these rich traditional cultures, rituals, and customs have been diluted in mainland China since the Cultural Revolution. However, in many ...

Nspirement Staff