Chinese Culture

As a young boy growing up in Macau, I used to take the Ferry to Taipa Island and Coloane on weekends, where my Dad and I enjoyed exploring the island. We walked in the town center, and took the...

FENG SHUI -An ancient Chinese art and science - is becoming more and more popular in our western civilization. It is a way and means of balancing our living environment's energy (chi). Simple...

Mongolia is well known for its history of conflict. From Genghis Khan in 1206 to its Democratic revolution in 1990, Mongolia's own history combined with its proximity to China and the former...

Make a cute fortune party favor for New Year's or any other special occasion!

Though born from Chinese rituals which have their roots in Zen Buddhism, the Japanese and Chinese tea ceremonies have now diverged to contain many differences.

The Chinese regard tea as a drink, digestive aid, tonic, and medicine. They first drank tea as medicine, although legends obscure its first use. Not until AD 350 did any written reference to...

Chinese culture is characterized by tea drinking. Chinese historians place the discovery and development of the Chinese tea brew at 2737 B.C. during the reign of Emperor Shen Nung. Tea forms a...

The traditional art of Asia contains plant and flower symbols dating back to the earliest dynasties (Shang 1500 - 1027 B.C., Ming 1386 - 1644 B.C.). Asian art includes flower symbols within its...

A heaven bank note is also called hell bank note, hell money, heaven money, ghost money or spirit money. It is paper resembling money that is burned after someone's death.

Legions of Chinese dynasties have made impressive contributions to society through scientific and cultural inventions. As traditional customs are passed down through generations, the Chinese have...

Although China is losing some of its formality, it is often best to err on the side of the conservative instead of potentially risking unintended offense. Giving and receiving business cards,...

Ribbon dance, a popular Chinese folk dance most often performed by females, focuses on utilizing the aesthetic appeal of ribbon movement as set to music. Each ribbon, usually 3 inches wide and...

Paper and silk lamps and lanterns have been made in China for centuries. Although often associated with China, these types of lanterns are common in other parts of Asia, including Japan and Korea....

Imperial jade is a gemstone with an intense green color and a long history in China, where it has been revered for centuries as the royal gem, or "yu."

Chinese characters may look complex on paper, but they are typically made up of smaller, easily recognizable figures. These figures are written above and below each other, side to side, or as one...

In the modern application of the Chinese Feng Shui exposure to electricity in large amounts is thought to interfere with personal wellbeing. The negative effect of exposure to ionizing radiation...

Camellia is a fragrant, rose-like flower that is very popular and highly respected in Southwest China. Camellia appears in two main colors, red and white, with an occasional pink specimen...

To behold the celebration of the Chinese New Year i a wondrous spectacle. But the Chinese New Year is also much more personal then the National celebration. In observing the New Year the Chinese...

Since ancient times, jade has been valued for its use in jewelry, sculpture and traditional medicinal techniques. One variety of this important gemstone, known as "lavender jade" has a pale lilac...

The Chinese writing system uses characters instead of a phonetic alphabet, so a concept such as "love" is represented in Chinese using a single character. Chinese characters can also be written...

Many cultures are rich in superstition and the paranormal; and are very open to the belief of a spirit world. In fact, many cultures believe that the living are always surrounded by spirits. With...

Though vegetarians are sometimes snubbed in the American media, other cultures around the world have embraced the concept of a predominantly vegetarian diet. The people of rural China are a case...

Less than 1% of the population of China practices a Christian religion. Although, Christmas celebrations are becoming increasingly popular, December 25th is not a considered a legal holiday. For...

August Moon refers to the fifteenth night of the eighth month in the Chinese calender. It is the center of a Chinese celebration, which is often referred to as the August Moon Festival or the...

Feng shui is almost 3000 years old. The practices of feng shui began in China centuries ago and today these practices are followed all over the world. The principle of feng shui is to use the...

Feng Shui is the art of creating harmony by balancing the yin and yang energies, as noted in Chinese medicine. Though feng shui relates to many aspects of life, most people only know of feng shui...

If you have positive energy flowing around your business then you are sure to have good luck and prosper in your business. There are many practices in feng shui that help you to create or increase...

As I approach Chinese temples in China, Hong Kong and Macau, one of the first to greet me is the smell of incense. Visitors simply cannot get away from the aroma of fresh spring as the incense...

The I Ching -- “The Book of Changes” -- is essentially a book of general wisdom -- albeit deep and profound. In the words of Richard Wilhelm, “...it may safely be said that the seasoned wisdom...

A Katana sword is a type of samurai sword that is often worn with a smaller, shorter sword called a Wakizashi. When these swords are worn together, it is referred to as a Daisho. The samurai sword...

When first created 3,000 years ago, Chinese fans were simply used to block the sun and keep cool. But over the years, they evolved into works of art, status symbols, props for theater and dance,...

Feng shui practices have existed in Asian culture for thousands of years. After post war mainland China turned away from her long held traditions feng shui began to work its way westward. Since...

You have probably always wanted to Feng Shui your home and maybe your bedroom. While there are so many different tips and rules, there are a few easy steps you can take to bring some good energy...

We often associate setting a traditional Chinese table with the rather grand way tables can be laid out in Chinese restaurants. In these settings, sometimes plates are laid out with chopsticks...

Ever seen someone with a Tattoo that is supposedly written in Japanese "Kanji"? Ever been to a Chinatown, and wondered if the sign you see is written in Korean or Chinese? Using these...

Yan Xin Qigong is part of a traditional Chinese practice that incorporates slow movement and controlled, practiced breathing techniques to promote meditation, circulation of qi (life energy) and...

Chinese youth have more money today to spend on fashion than ever before. According to China's National Bureau of Statistics, the annual per capita disposable income of urban dwellers increased by...

There is no doubt that a proportionally high number of people who live to be older than 100 years of age live in China. The interest in Chinese centenarians has increased as more studies focus on...

The Tao Te Ching is a Chinese classic text and a fundamental part of Taoism. If you're interested in reading the Tao Te Ching and learning about Taoism my article is for you. I'll show you how to...

Two of my aunts were in the “Fine China” business. I used to spend a lot of time with them as a teenager, completely fascinated by its history and the considerable demand by collectors from all...

It is important to know how to bargain with the Chinese when you go to China for business or leisure. If you don't know how to barter, you will end up paying a lot more! The following tips will...

As the population in Macau and Hong Kong is predominantly Chinese, I was exposed to the Chinese traditions as a youngster. I used to love the Chinese New Year, as this is the time that I go about...

The Chinese Lantern Festival has many names. It is also known as Shang Yuan Festival, or the Little New Year, as it marks the end of the celebrations stemming from the Chinese New Year. The...

Palmprint Reading is always fun, and what you need to do is to pay attention and know what needs to be read.

It is interesting how the Chinese look upon the preparation of food as an art, and not simply a craft. I am told that Chinese cooking is influenced by Confucianism, which calls for a high level of...

In Chinese culture, specific types of dress and colors are worn at specific times. There are three main types of Chinese traditional clothing: the pien-fu, the ch'ang-p'ao, and the shen-i.

As a kid growing up in Macau, I passed by many locations where the Chinese consulted palm readers on a regular basis, and this aroused my curiosity as a teenager to learn more about this....

The Chinese renminbi, RMB, is the official currency of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The word "renminbi" means "the people's currency." Just as the U.S. dollar has coins and smaller...

Unfortunately, infant mortality rates have been very high at times in humanity's history. Typically, however, an infant who lived to be one-month-old would survive. To mark this occasion, the...

The color red represents a complex number of meanings in Chinese culture, depending strongly on the context in which it is used. It always carries a positive message, whether it refers to loyalty...