Chinese Marriage Custom

A Wedding Without Bridegroom

Wedding Customs in Northern Shaanxi

Weddings of Zang Nationality in Northwest Sichuan

Camel Trains In The Desert

Customs of the Hakkas

Customs of the People of Taihu Lake

De'ang Customs

Deities Worshipped by Farmers

Dragon Dance in the Hometown of the Dragon

Dragon Boat Races

Flower Fair at Spring Festival Time

Funeral Customs

Kashi, a pearl on the Old Silk Road

Mazu and Mazu Culture

Paper Joss

Silkworm Raisers' Customs

Tattoo in Chinese Minorities

The Customs of the Hui Minority

The Customs of the Thousand Lakes Province

The Customs of Tajik People

Unique Customs In Hui'an,Fujian Province

Unique Tibetan Food and Souvenirs for Tourists

Zhoucun's Lantern Fair

Chinese Calligraphy

Calligraphy, literally "beautiful writing," is one of the traditional four arts dating back to the earliest days of Chinese history. For the Chinese, calligraphy, the ancient art of the written word, is not just a method of communication but also a means of expressing the dynamic forces of the natural world.

A Chinese calligrapher's tools (Calligraphy Set), like those of a painter, are comprised of four basic items that are commonly referred to as the "four treasures of the study". They are the brush, ink, ink stone, and paper.

It is very much like painting. It uses Chinese characters to communicate the spiritual world of the artist. Just as one thousand persons will have as many faces, one thousand persons will have as many differences in handwriting. Through the medium of form, way of handling the brush, presentation, and style, calligraphy as a work of art conveys the moral integrity, character, emotions, esthetic feelings and culture of the artist to readers affecting them by the power of appeal and the joy of beauty ......

More Information of Chinese Calligraphy

Traditional Chinese Brush Painting

An important part of the country's cultural heritage, the traditional Chinese painting is distinguished from Western art in that it is executed on xuan paper (or silk) with the Chinese brush, Chinese ink and mineral and vegetable pigments.

To attain proficiency in this branch of art calls for assiduous exercise, a good control of the brush, and a feel and knowledge of the qualities of xuan paper and Chinese ink.

Before setting a brush to paper, the painter must conceive a well-composed draft in his mind, drawing on his imagination and store of experience, Once he starts to paint, he will normally have to complete the work at one go, denied the possibility of any alteration of wrong strokes.

Xuan paper is most suitable for Chinese painting. It is of the right texture to allow the writing brush wet with Chinese ink and held in a trained hand, to move freely on it, making strokes varying from dark to light, from solid to hollow. These soon turn out to be human figures, plants and flowers, birds, fish and insects, full of interest and life ......

More Information of Traditional Chinese Brush Painting

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Essentials of China - The Origin of Ancient Oriental Civilization

China, along with ancient Egypt, Babylon, and India, is known as one of the four great ancient civilizations of the world. The distinctive culture that arose in China was both far-reaching and highly refined.

In approximately the 21st century BC, a primitive agricultural society first appeared in the areas around China's Yellow and Yangtze rivers, and animal husbandry joined hunting and fishing as a means of human sustenance. Approximately two millennia later, the Xia Dynasty (21st-16th century BC) emerged as China's first dynastic government, followed by the Shang Dynasty (16th-11th century BC) and the Western Zhou Dynasty (11th century-771BC), which further refined the national system. The subsequent Spring and Autumn (770-476BC) and Warring States periods (475-221BC) were a time of constant struggle for supremacy among numerous small states.

China's Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods saw a great upsurge in science and technology, as well as in ideology and culture. Much as ancient Greece gave rise to Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle, China produced a number of great scholars who possessed abundant ideas and extensive knowledge, including Kongzi (Confucius), Laozi, Mozi, Xunzi, and Mengzi (Mencius). The atmosphere of free debate among the different schools of philosophy founded by these Chinese thinkers was characterized by the saying, "Let a hundred flowers blossom and a hundred schools of thought contend."

Like their contemporaries in ancient Greece, the Chinese philosophers established schools and took on pupils, brilliantly discoursed and debated, pondered military and governmental affairs, and served as strategists and advisors to their country's leaders. They left future generations a valuable legacy in philosophy, politics, education, and the military, and had a profound influence on the culture of China and the entire world. One of these illustrious figures was the military strategist Sun Wu (Sunzi), whose renowned work, Sunzi's Art of War, is still used extensively in the areas of military and economic affairs.

In 221BC, at approximately the same time that the Roman Empire was establishing hegemony in the Mediterranean, Qin Shihuang, the first Qin Emperor, conquered the warring states and founded the Qin Dynasty (221-207BC) -- the first united, centralized, multi-ethnic nation in Chinese history. The Qin Dynasty was followed by many dynasties, which have left a legacy of fascinating stories, and have provided a wealth of inspiration for modern Chinese art, literature, film, and television.

Traditional Chinese culture -- drawing from philosophy, religion, and ethics; art and literature; science and technology; and even ecology and the environment -- embodies the development and wisdom of the Chinese people. It is not only the priceless inheritance of the people of China, but also a great treasure belonging to all humanity.

China's many inventions (especially its Four Great Inventions of paper, printing, the compass, and gunpowder) and wide range of knowledge have had a far-reaching effect on human development.. When Christopher Columbus embarked on his great voyages to the New World, the Chinese compass provided him with vital assistance. Floating pontoon bridges were in use in China before 1100BC, and the world's earliest astronomical treatise, Gan Shi Xing Jing (The Classic of the Stars), was written in China during the Warring States Period.

Zhang Heng invented the celestial globe, used to study star-related phenomena, and the seismograph, used to measure seismic activity, during the Han Dynasty (206BC-220AD). During the Northern and Southern Dynasties (420-589), Zu Chongzi calculated the value of pi (π) to be between 3.1415926 and 3.1415927, becoming the first person in the world to accurately determine the value of pi (π) to seven decimal places. Li Shizhen's famous Compendium of Materia Medica, written in the 16th century, lists over 1,800 different medical remedies and over 10,000 prescriptions.

Traditional Chinese culture is recorded not only in historical books and documents, but also in architectural records, such as ancient city walls, palaces, temples, pagodas, and grottos; artifacts, such as bronze objects, weapons, bronze mirrors, coins, clocks, jade and pottery objects, and curios; and folk culture, including song and dance, embroidery, cuisine, clothing, tea ceremonies, drinking games, lanterns, riddles, martial arts, chess, and kites.

Imbued with the distinctive romance and charm of the East, Chinese art has garnered acclaim all over the world. Chinese calligraphy and painting, which appeared and evolved in tandem, are the guiding force of China's fine arts. They embody China's humanist spirit, and are unparalleled in the arts of the world.

The number of cultures that have produced the art of calligraphy can be counted on the fingers of one hand. of them, China has the most ancient calligraphic tradition. Calligraphy has its source in writing. The earliest known form of Chinese writing, consisting of primitive pictographs, has been found engraved on 5000-year-old Neolithic pottery shards.

The Chinese system of writing, which employs pictographs rather than alphabets, has been in existence for several thousand years. Chinese writing is not only an expression of Chinese culture, but also one of the great achievements of early human civilization. Pictographic Chinese characters resemble an ancient fossil record in that they vividly capture the natural, social, and spiritual face of the ancient world, and reflect the evolution of both the Chinese people and human society. Chinese language and writing are inseparable from the achievements of Chinese culture, maturing alongside society to become steadily more expressive and refined.

China's painting tradition is extremely ancient as well. When tracing the origins of Chinese painting, what first comes to mind are the elegantly engraved prehistoric pots produced by China's "painted pottery" culture, dating from 5,000 to 6,000 years ago. By the time of the Warring States Period, Chinese painting had developed into a distinctive and mature art form. Colored drawings on silk from this period, unearthed from the tomb of the King of Chu in Changsha (Central China's Hunan Province), are the oldest existing drawings in China and the world. Chinese painting continued to develop during the Eastern and Western Jin Dynasties (265-420), and flourished during the Sui (581-618), Tang (618-907), Song (960-1279), Yuan (1271-1368), Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) Dynasties.

Chinese sculpture has its origins in the Xia Dynasty (21st-16th century BC). During the Qin Dynasty, lifelike terracotta burial figures of soldiers and horses were created for the tomb of Qin Shihuang, the First Qin Emperor. The discovery and excavation of thousands of these figures from the Emperor's tomb in Xi'an shook the world, and they were hailed as the "Eighth Wonder of the World" by foreign archeologists.

China's Four Great Grottos -- the Mogao and Maijishan Grottos at Dunt1uang in Northwest China's Gansu Province, the Yungang Grottos at Datong in North China's Shanxi Province, and the Longmen Grottos at Luoyang in Central China's Henan Province -- are storehouses of ancient Chinese art, and treasures belonging to the entire world. of these sites, the Mogao Grottos are the most ancient and contain the most magnificent cliff paintings and sculptures.

The ancestors of the Chinese people were gifted in both song and dance. Musical instruments have existed in China since remote antiquity. Ancient historical documents generally trace the history of Chinese music back to the time of the legendary Yellow Emperor, 4,000 to 5,000 years ago.

A set of sixty-four cast bronze bells, made in the State of Chu during the Warring States Period, has been discovered in Central China's Hubei Province. Each bell produces two notes, with the set covering a range of over five octaves. A wide range of classical and modem music, including symphonic works by Beethoven, can be performed on the set, which is tuned to a diatonic scale in the key of C major. The bells have a beautiful tone, harmonious and pleasing to the ear. The fact that such a musical instrument was created in China 2,400 years ago is truly a miracle in the history of world music.

China has numerous exquisite traditional arts and crafts. Among the most famous are carving and metalwork, embroidery and painting, ceramics and porcelain, and cloisonné (a kind of finish) enamel inlay. Bamboo furniture, woven bamboo and grass objects, paper cuts, lanterns, kites, and toys are popular traditional craft items, while Chinese jade and ivory ornaments, cloisonné, and embroidery are treasured by people all over the world.

Ceramics and porcelain are among the most well known inventions of ancient China. The most outstanding porcelain is made in China's porcelain capital, Jingdezhen in East China's Jiangxi Province. A famous saying describes Jingdezhen porcelain as "white as jade, bright as a mirror; thin as paper, tone like a chime." China's ceramics capital, Yixing in Jiangsu Province (East China), is the home of purple sand pottery. Produced using the area's unique purple sand clay and special firing techniques, Yixing pottery is both beautiful and distinctive.

Embroidery is a traditional craft that has flourished over the ages. China's four main styles of embroidery developed in Suzhou (Jiangsu), Hunan Province (Central China), Sichuan Province (Southwestern China), and Guangdong Province (South China). An embroidery artist may use several dozen different stitches to portray flowers, people, animals, scenery, or any number of meticulously designed patterns.

Traditional Chinese philosophy is both profound and simple, intimately linked to both society and the individual. It propounds the theory of "as above, so below," and replies to the vexations of the "ten thousand things" -- that is, the material world -- with the concept of Harmony ("he" in Chinese). Harmony appears weak but is actually strong. There is nothing it cannot absorb and nothing it cannot penetrate. The Chinese character "he," or Harmony, appears in the Chinese words for peace, compromise, concord, and unison, and may be interpreted to include all of these meanings.

The philosophic concept of Harmony is expressed in both the Confucian ideal of Benevolence and the Daoist idea of Non-Action. The taijitu, or Yin-Yang symbol, offers a visual representation of this concept. It depicts two opposing forces, each of which includes elements of the other and may transform into its opposite under certain conditions. The balanced interaction of these opposing forces creates a unified and harmonious whole. The ancient philosophy of balancing opposition to create a harmonious whole has fostered an individual and collective love of peace in the Chinese people.

Chinese civilization has its source far in the distant past. With a continuous history of 5,000 years, it has undergone frequent transformations to produce a rich and vital cultural heritage.

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History of China

China, representing one of the earliest civilizations in the world, has a recorded history of about 3,600 years. It possesses rich historical documents as well as ancient relics. Like other nations, China, in its development, passed through the stages of primitive society, slave society, and feudal society. During the middle decades of the 19th century, capitalist forces of foreign countries invaded China, and China was slowly transformed into a semi-colonial and semi-feudal society. The founding of the People's Republic in 1949 marked China's entry into the socialist stage. During the long period of historical development, the industrious, courageous, and intelligent Chinese people of all nationalities collectively created a great civilization. They made great contributions to all of mankind.

The following is a list of the dynasties:

Prehistoric Times

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1.7 million years - 21st century BC, Xia Dynasty, --, About 2100-1600 BC, Shang Dynasty, --, About 1600-1100 BC, Zhou Dynasty, Western Zhou Dynasty, About 1100-771 BC, Eastern Zhou Dynasty, 770-256 BC, Spring & Autumn, 770-476 BC, Warring States, 475-221 BC, Qin Dynasty, --, 221-207 BC, Han Dynasty, Western Han, 206BC-AD 24, Eastern Han, 25-220, Three Kingdoms, Wei, 220-265, Shu Han, 221-263, Wu, 222-280, Western Jin Dynasty, --, 265-316, Eastern Jin Dynasty, --, 317-420, Northern & Southern Dynasties, Southern Dynasty, Song, 420-479, Qi, 479-502, Liang, 502-557, Chen, 557-589, Northern Dynasty, Northern Wei, 386-534, Eastern Wei, 534-550, Northern Qi, 550-577, Western Wei, 535-556, Northern Zhou, 557-581, Sui Dynasty, --, 581-618, Tang Dynasty, --, 618-907, Five Dynasties & Ten, States, Later Liang, 907-923, Later Tang, 923-936, Later Jin, 936-946, Later Han, 947-950, Later Zhou, 951-960, Song Dynasty, Northern Song Dynasty, 960-1127, Southern Song Dynasty, 1127-1279, Liao Dynasty, --, 916-1125, Jin Dynasty, --, 1115-1234, Yuan Dynasty, --, 1271-1368, Ming Dynasty, --, 1368-1644, Qing Dynasty, --, 1644-1911, Republic of China, --, 1912-1949, People's Republic of China, --, 1949-

The History of China, as documented in ancient writings, dates back some 3,300 years. Modern archaeological studies provide evidence of still more ancient origins in a culture that flourished between 2500 and 2000 B.C. in what is now central China and the lower Huang He ( orYellow River) Valley of north China. Centuries of migration, amalgamation, and development brought about a distinctive system of writing, philosophy, art, and political organization that came to be recognizable as Chinese civilization. What makes the civilization unique in world history is its continuity through over 4,000 years to the present century.

The Chinese have developed a strong sense of their real and mythological origins and have kept voluminous records since very early times. It is largely as a result of these records that knowledge concerning the ancient past, not only of China but also of its neighbors, has survived.

Chinese history, until the twentieth century, was written mostly by members of the ruling scholar-official class and was meant to provide the ruler with precedents to guide or justify his policies. These accounts focused on dynastic politics and colorful court histories and included developments among the commoners only as backdrops. The historians described a Chinese political pattern of dynasties, one following another in a cycle of ascent, achievement, decay, and rebirth under a new family.

of the consistent traits identified by independent historians, a salient one has been the capacity of the Chinese to absorb the people of surrounding areas into their own civilization. Their success can be attributed to the superiority of their ideographic written language, their technology, and their political institutions; the refinement of their artistic and intellectual creativity; and the sheer weight of their numbers. The process of assimilation continued over the centuries through conquest and colonization until what is now known as China Proper was brought under unified rule. The Chinese also left an enduring mark on people beyond their borders, especially the Koreans, Japanese, and Vietnamese.

Another recurrent historical theme has been the unceasing struggle of the sedentary Chinese against the threat posed to their safety and way of life by non-Chinese peoples on the margins of their territory in the north, northeast, and northwest. In the thirteenth century, the Mongols from the northern steppes became the first alien people to conquer all China. Although not as culturally developed as the Chinese, they left some imprint on Chinese civilization while heightening Chinese perceptions of threat from the north. China came under alien rule for the second time in the mid-seventeenth century; the conquerors--the Manchus--came again from the north and northeast.

For centuries virtually all the foreigners that Chinese rulers saw came from the less developed societies along their land borders. This circumstance conditioned the Chinese view of the outside world. The Chinese saw their domain as the self-sufficient center of the universe and derived from this image the traditional (and still used) Chinese name for their country--Zhongguo () , literally, Middle Kingdom or Central Nation. China saw itself surrounded on all sides by so-called barbarian peoples whose cultures were demonstrably inferior by Chinese standards. This China-centered ("sinocentric") view of the world was still undisturbed in the nineteenth century, at the time of the first serious confrontation with the West. China had taken it for granted that its relations with Europeans would be conducted according to the tributary system that had evolved over the centuries between the emperor and representatives of the lesser states on China's borders as well as between the emperor and some earlier European visitors. But by the mid-nineteenth century, humiliated militarily by superior Western weaponry and technology and faced with imminent territorial dismemberment, China began to reassess its position with respect to Western civilization. By 1911 the two-millennia-old dynastic system of imperial government was brought down by its inability to make this adjustment successfully.

Because of its length and complexity, the history of the Middle Kingdom lends itself to varied interpretation. After the communist takeover in 1949, historians in mainland China wrote their own version of the past--a history of China built on a Marxist model of progression from primitive communism to slavery, feudalism, capitalism, and finally socialism. The events of history came to be presented as a function of the class struggle. Historiography became subordinated to proletarian politics fashioned and directed by the Chinese Communist Party. A series of thought-reform and antirightist campaigns were directed against intellectuals in the arts, sciences, and academic community. The Cultural Revolution (1966-76) further altered the objectivity of historians. In the years after the death of Mao Zedong in 1976, however, interest grew within the party, and outside it as well, in restoring the integrity of historical inquiry. This trend was consistent with the party's commitment to "seeking truth from facts." As a result, historians and social scientists raised probing questions concerning the state of historiography in China. Their investigations included not only historical study of traditional China but penetrating inquiries into modern Chinese history and the history of the Chinese Communist Party.

In post-Mao China, the discipline of historiography has not been separated from politics, although a much greater range of historical topics has been discussed. Figures from Confucius--who was bitterly excoriated for his "feudal" outlook by Cultural Revolution-era historians--to Mao himself have been evaluated with increasing flexibility. Among the criticisms made by Chinese social scientists is that Maoist-era historiography distorted Marxist and Leninist interpretations. This meant that considerable revision of historical texts was in order in the 1980s, although no substantive change away from the conventional Marxist approach was likely. Historical institutes were restored within the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, and a growing corps of trained historians, in institutes and academia alike, returned to their work with the blessing of the Chinese Communist Party. This in itself was a potentially significant development.

Why China is Called China

China is the appellation of our country given by foreigners.

The porcelain china is the transliteration of the place name Changnan, which was the old name for the porcelain town of today's Jingdezhen (Jingde Town). In the Eastern Han Dynasty (25-220), people built their cave-houses and cut logs to make pottery. And in the Tang Dynasty (618-907), people combined the advantages of celadon from the southern Yue kiln and white porcelains from the northern Xing kiln, and with the high-quality earth of the Gaoling Mountain in Changnan Town they produced a kind of white & green porcelain. This porcelain was smooth and bright, and hence earned another name of artificial jade. It became famous both home and abroad and exported to Europe in large quantities since people there did not know how to make porcelain before the 18th century.

In Europe, people regarded Changnan porcelain as something precious and delicate and would take proud in possessing one. As time passed, people in Europe forgot the meaning of Changnan and switched the original meaning of porcelain of the word 'china' to the place of its origin — China. Therefore, Changnan in people's eyes represented porcelain and China. In the Jingde reign of the Song Dynasty (960-1279), Emperor Zhenzong loved Changnan porcelain so much that he ordered to build official cave-houses to make porcelain of all kinds. And porcelains paid as tributes to the emperor were required to print with made in the Jinde reign at the bottom. From then on, Changnan Town became Jingde Town and it remained as such until today.

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Local Administration Systems

When China entered the feudal society, the autocratic and centralized regime was established, as demonstrated by the fact that emperor had absolute control over the central regimen and the central government had concentrated power supposedly entitled to regions. Junxianzhi (the system of prefectures and counties) refers to the form of administration with local regions subordinate to the central government.

Since the number of administrative departments at county level exceeded one thousand, it was difficult for the central government to govern each of them. To address this issue, the regime above county level was founded to supervise the operation of governments at county level and was held accountable for the central government. Regarding the division of local power, it was the guiding principle of monarchs of all the dynasties to disintegrate the local power and have it fall into the hands of different regional executives who in turn leveraged on each other. Appointed by the central government, the chief local officials had stipulated tenure of office, and they were not allowed to serve in their hometown -- known as hometown hedging.

History of the Word 'Emperor'

The earliest appellation Emperor was a general designation of Three Kings and Five Emperors. Three Kings were referred to Emperor of Heaven, Emperor of Earth and Emperor of Human, the three ancient emperors in Chinese legends. Originally, Emperor was referred to Emperor of Heaven, the sovereign ruler of everything on earth. Later on, after wars occurred between many states, their rulers called themselves emperor, such as Western Emperor, Eastern Emperor, Mid Emperor, Northern Emperor, and so on, which made the Emperors in the heaven come down into the world and thus became a honorific title in the world. (There was another saying that Five Emperors were referred to the Yellow Emperor, Emperor Yan, Emperor Ciyou, etc. in the tribe age.)

After the first emperor of the Qin Dynasty (221-206BC) unified the whole country, he regarded himself having more virtues than 'Three Kings' and obtaining more achievements than 'Five Emperors', and combined King and Emperor, the two superlative titles in the world, and took it as his appellation. From then on, the Sons of Heaven were called Emperors.

Emissary of Ancient Culture Exchange

Zhang Qian

The Western Region, referring to today's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and the areas west to it, has long established close relation and exchange with the Central Plains......

Ban Chao

Ban Chao (32-102 AD) was a famous diplomat and military figure of the Eastern Han Dynasty (25-220 AD)......

Xuanzang

The ancient Chinese mythological novel Xi You Ji (Journey to the West or The Monkey King) made the story of Tangseng well known in China for centuries. It was based on a true story of a famous Chinese monk, Xuanzang (602-664)......

Marco Polo

Marco Polo (1254-1324) is probably the most famous Westerner traveled on the Silk Road. He excelled all the other travelers in his determination, his writing, and his influence. His journey through Asia lasted 24 years......

Zheng He

Zheng He (also known as Cheng Ho) was born in Kunyang, Yunnan (present-day Jinning County, Kunming) around 1371 AD, the fourth year of the Hongwu reign period (1371 AD) of the Ming Dynasty......

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Origin of Chinese Dragon

Dragon is a legendary kind of creature, which does not exist in the world at all.

Apart from China, many other countries also enjoy the image of dragon in their legends. For instance, the dragon in western legends has a lot in common with Chinese dragon: huge body covered by squama and shells all over, four legs with sharp claws, horns, and both can fly in the sky. The differences are: western dragons have more heads varying from three, nine to twelve, while Chinese dragons just have one; western dragons spray water while Chinese, fire; western dragons usually represent evils while Chinese, good luck or fortune.

Chinese dragon is of magic power. It can change the length of its body as it wishes, it can either fly or swim and it can even bring rainfalls. People in ancient China often offered sacrifices to Dragon for favorable weather and good harvest.

It has been at least 6,000 years since dragon came into being.

Dragon was one of the totem worship images in remote times when people liked to use the images of creatures or plants which they held in awe as symbols of their tribes. They believed that totem worship could bring them protection and good luck.

What does dragon come of? There are a lot of answers such as crocodile, snake, pig or even lightening. Now many experts agree on that dragon came of a totem mainly consisting of snake. It had snake's body, pig's head, deer's horns, bull's ear, goat's beard, hawk's claws and fish's squama. This view introduces a penetrating insight towards the life of ancient society: in remote times of clanship, the Huaxia Clan symbolized by snake totem in the Yellow River drainage area conquered other clans and then grew into a big clan union by integrating others together with their totems. That was how the totem of dragon came into being.

In 1987 a grave of the Yangshao Culture in 6,000 years ago was unearthed in Ziyang, Henan Province, where a dragon made of mussel shells was found beside the male dead. This was the earliest dragon we have ever known by far. A jade dragon of more than 5,000 years of history was dug out in Inner Mongolia with a slim body crooked like the alphabet C and a pig-like head.

During the Shang and Zhou dynasties 3,000 years ago, dragons often appeared on utensil made of bronze or bones. We can even find the Chinese character of dragon in the inscriptions on tortoise shells and animal bones at that time. There are over 100 styles of writing the character of dragon.

In the Warring States Period (475-221BC), dragon was often drawn in the painting on silk. And the dragon in the Han Dynasty (206BC-220AD) looked much the same with today's dragons.

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Chinese Characters

When did calligraphy originate? This question probably interests everyone who wishes to study calligraphy. No precise date is given in ancient Chinese history. Legend says that during the reign of the Yellow Emperor a man named Cang Jie invented the Chinese language. Calligraphy came after invention of the language. We may attribute- the invention to 4,600 years ago, but this is only a legendary tale and may not be credible. What is interesting, however, is that archaeological discoveries since the birth of new China have authenticated that 4,500 years ago language came into existence in China. It follows that calligraphy entered an embryonic stage then.

Chinese characters have played a significant role in the development of the outstanding culture of the Chinese people. Chinese characters are one kind of the most ancient characters. In the world, there were originally ancient Sumerian and ancient Egyptian letters. However, the two disappeared successively and only Chinese characters remain extant.

Chinese characters, based on pictographs and combining shape, sound and meaning, become a kind of unique block-shape characters with meanings. Chinese characters originated from drawings. Archaeological researchers found many signs carved on earthenware excavated from the Banpo Village in Xi'an City and Jiangzhai Village in Lintong. These marks were carved in the Yangshao Culture Period 6,000 years ago in the primitive society. More than 4,000 years ago, people living in the Tai'an area of Shandong Province also carved some signs on earthenware. Take the character "" (dan in Pingyin, which means dawn) for instance: the sun ( ) rises upward crossing mountains and passing through cloud layers to tell people the morning has approached. It is safe to say that signs on earthenware are the origin of Chinese characters. That is to say, Chinese characters originated from drawings.

The most mature, earliest Chinese characters that have been discovered are Jiaguwen (inscriptions on tortoise shells and animal bones) of the Shang Dynasty more than 3,000 years ago. The inscription on animal bones and tortoise shells look like drawings very much. Up till now, China has unearthed 150,000 pieces of animal bones and tortoise shells and has altogether discovered more than 4,600 non-repeated Chinese characters, among which more than 1,700 have been identified. The inscription on animal bones and tortoise shells has included phrases and simple sentences, providing much knowledge about the Shang Dynasty. Modern Chinese characters total more than 60,000, among which about 3,000 are frequently used characters.

More Detailed Information, Click Below Links

Origin of Chinese Characters

Chinese Characters Structure

Scripts Styles & Changes

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Classical Books

Songs of Chu

Including seventeen prosaisms of the poets of Chu state, such as Qu Yuan, and Song Yu, and the literators of the Han Dynasty (206BC-220AD), Chuci (Songs of Chu) is the compiled literature of the Chu state during the Warring States Period (475-221). Most of the works were from Qu Yuan, such as Lisao (The Poem on Departure), Tianwen (Ask Heaven), Jiuge (Nine Songs), which contain many fairy tales and much historical information, and is of great value for academic reference.

Qu Yuan (c. 475-221BC) was slandered by Zilan, the son of King Huai of the Chu state, and was dismissed, ostracized afterward, because he proposed the reformation, pursued the nomocracy, and appointed virtuous and talented persons. At last he made suicide in the Miluo River with desperation.

Lisao (The Poem on Departure), a great political lyric, is the representative work of Qu Yuan, which demonstrates his advanced idea.Qu Yuan often expressed his feelings and summarized the knowledge of experience in his description of history.

It is said that Qi of the Xia Dynasty (21st century - 17th century) stole Jiuge (Nine Songs), an ancient song, from the heaven. In fact Jiuge was produced by Qu Yuan, which was based on the folk songs used in offering sacrifices to god. As invaluable historical materials about ancient folk-custom and the Chu culture, it was named after the ancient song, containing eleven chapters in all, and kept many fairy tales about the cloud god, the mountain god, the Xiangshui River god, the river god, and the sun god.

There are more than 170 questions on nature and society in the long poem Tianwen (Ask the Heaven), which also contains many fairy tales and much historical information. The ancient literature materials are very rare, such as the water-control story of Gun and Yu, the story of Houyi, Xie (the primogenitor of Shang, a name of an ancient kingdom), and the history from Xie to Tang of the Shang Dynasty (17th century - 11th century), however, Tianwen offers much especially valuable hints in this respect.

Songs of Chu

Spring and Autumn Annals

Fan Shengzhi Book

Guanzi

Discourses of the States

Hanfeizi

Bamboo Slips of the Han Dynasties

History of the [Former] Han Dynasty

Laozi

Records of Rites

Six Strategies

Master Lu's Spring and Autumn

Analects of Confucius

Book of Mencius

Essential Techniques for the Peasantry

Written Slips of Qin

Records of the Three Kingdoms

Classic of Mountains and Seas

Book of Lord Shang

Book of History

Book of Odes

Records of the Great Historian

New Anecdotes of Social Talk

Commentary on the Waterways Classic

Explanation on Chinese Characters

Sun Bin's Art of War

Sunzi's Art of War

Book of Xunzi

Stratagems of the Warring States

Changes of Zhou

Annals on Bamboo

Book of Zhuangzi

Zuo's Commentary on Spring and Autumn Annals

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Hundred Schools of Thought

In the turbulent Spring and Autumn Period (770-476BC) and Warring States Period (475-221BC), many schools of thought were flourishing. The four most influential schools of thought that evolved during this period were Confucianism, Taoism, Mohism, and Legalism. There were also other schools like Yin & Yang, Eclectics, Logicians, Coalition persuaders and Militarism. The hundred schools of thought showed the fierce political and class struggles for survival among regional wars between the rising landed class and slaveholder class. The flouring thoughts intensified activities and debates in the intellectual and ideology system in ancient China and exerted great influence on Chinese culture.

Confucianism

Confucius was the founder of Confucianism. He advocated a set of moral code on basis of five merits: benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom and trustworthiness. Among them, benevolence was considered as the cornerstone, which stands for faithfulness, filial piety, tolerance and kindness. He also requested people to keep in good harmony with each other and establish a community ruled by standard manners and behavior.

Mencius (372-289BC) was a Confucian in the Warring States Period (475-221BC). He repeatedly tried to convince rulers that the ruler should cultivate moral perfection in order to set a good example to the people and the ruler who governed benevolently would earn the respect of the people. He held the view that human nature was fundamentally good as everyone is born with the ability to recognize what is right and act upon it. He also believed that people were more important than rulers.

Xunzi (about 313-238BC), also a Confucian of the state of Chu, advocated the policy making a country rich and building up its military power, and sang high praise of the state of Qin.

Mohism

The Mohism founded by Mozi flourished in the latter half of the fifth century. It resembles Confucianism in its reverence for humanism. Master Mo called for a universal love encompassing all human beings in equal degree. He suggested a harmonious relationship between people on a reciprocal basis. Thus he was an assertor of unionism who suggested a practice of a political relationship of mutual benefit or dependence between states.

Taoism

The Taoism was founded by Laozi. The most important pre-Han Taoist bible was Laozi, also known as Dao De Jing (Classic of the Way and its Power). Laozi put forward a dialectic view: Good fortune follows upon disaster; Disaster lurks within good fortune. He tried to tell people not to exaggerate the importance of man too much because human life is only a small part of the universal and the only way can human actions make sense is to act in accord with the principles of the nature. It showed an integral concept of Taoism the withdrawal from the worldly affairs and the self-cultivation. Zhuangzi was a Taoist in the Warring States Period. He understood the Tao as the Way of Nature as a whole and the origin of the world. He believed that all things were in constant changes and there was no rule of right and wrong. In his mind, life was but a dream and only destruction could lead to the final peace of the society.

Legalism

The Legalist School sought by every means possible to strengthen the state and increase its military might. It began to take shape late in the fourth century. Earlier legalists were Shang Yang, Li Kui and Wu Qi. Later in the Warring States Period, the most important legalist named Han Fei advocated harsh rules and laws.

He was born in a rich family in the state of Han. In the book Han Fei Zi, he bent on organizing society on a rational basis and finding means to strengthen their states agriculturally and militarily. He also advised elaborate means for controlling people's lives and actions through laws and punishments. In his theories, law was the basis, strategies were the means in political struggle and power was the strength and high position. Only getting command of the three factors can a ruler establish a powerful state of central power. Han Fei's theory was applied by Qin and played an important role in unification of China by Qin Emperor Shihuang.

- Hundred Schools of Thought

- Political Reforms of Shang Yang

- Qin Great Wall

- Chen Sheng-Wu Guang Uprising

- Rebellion of Seven Kingdoms

- Reigns of Wen & Jing

- Rise of Confucianism as Main State Ideology

- Silk Road

- Policy of Pacification Through Marriage

- Prosperity of Zhenguan

- Heyday of Kaiyuan

- Catastrophe of Jingkang

- Opium War

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Chinese Family

Family is the cell of the society, and archons of past dynasties all paid great attention to the stability of families, which affected the stability of the society and the regime of the archon as well.

In the Past

The Chinese family as it is described in the Story of the Stone (hong lou meng, Qing dyansty) is the result of a long historical development: The basic rules of patrilineal descent and surname exogamy, the practice of venerating and sacrificing to ancestors, and the moral value of filial piety were all well-established by the end of the Zhou period (11th century - 256BC).

The Chinese for "family" is Jia, which generally means the basic family group, those who are related by blood, marriage, or adoption, living and managing their finances together. In a Jia, the males are all agnatic kin (i.e., blood relations). Sons live in their father's house with their wives, who have been brought in from outside the family. As soon as daughters come of age, they are married out, that is, they join another Jia. They are members of their parents' Jia only as long as they are unmarried. During the wedding ritual, daughters officially sever their ties to their father's patriline, and are pledged to serve their new family, including its ancestors. Males are permanent members of the family they were born into; females, however, are expected to eventually leave their natal family. Women, therefore, are only assured a place in a patriline -- that of their husband, not their father -- when they give birth to a son.

The Jia shares living space and finances. One male, the patriarch (the oldest competent male) has ultimate authority in all family matters. In the ideal Jia, three, four, or five generations live under one roof. Sons obediently follow their father's direction in choosing a career and a mate, and every member of the Jia works together for a single objective: sustaining and increasing the Jia's wealth and status. Such a large, multi-generational Jia can grow to be very complex.

For women and children, especially in the large, wealthy, sheltered elite families, the Jia was essentially both the center and the limit of the world. The wealth, reputation, and status of the Jia, however, rested largely on the success or failure of men operating outside the Jia.

1.Elements that Characterize the Traditional Chinese Family:

Patrilineal descent (family name, property, status passes from father to sons to grandsons);

Sacrifice to and veneration of ancestors (eldest living male cares for ancestral tablets and is responsible for ancestral rituals);

Legally recognized concubinage (under the law, a man could have more than one wife);

Large families with several married brothers living together;

Need for a male heir to continue ancestor sacrifice;

Organization of kinsmen on the basis of a common patrilineal descent ("lineage").

2. The Traditional Family Worked as a Corporate Firm

Family land was owned collectively by the family, not by an individual. The patriarch managed it for the family;

Marriages were arranged to further the interests of the family as a whole (role of sons and daughters in the preservation of the family);

Property was divided equally among brothers at their father's passing (although the eldest often received an additional share since he was obligated to maintain the ancestral shrine).

Ancestor's Hall

Ancestor's Hall (or Zong Ci) is the place to worship clan ancestors, also called ancestral halls. It is the combined core of clan power and religious authority.

In ancient times, ancestral halls are a place exclusively for the Son of Heaven (tian zi, or emperors). It was called Tai Miao, or the Imperial Ancestral Temple, which is now the highest class of Temple, with existing representative Beijing Tai Miao, Palace of the Ming and Qing dynasties.

During the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), ancestral halls became common throughout the country, such as Zu Miao in Foshan, Guangdong Province. The construction and decoration styles similar to that of Zu Miao are very common in areas south of the Five Ridges, Guangdong, Fujian and Taiwan.

Modern Chinese Family

According to latest statistics, China has 340 million families, with 3.63 people per household on average. In general, a Chinese family is composed of a couple and their children, but big families with three or more generations can also be found in China. With the pursuit of personal freedom, the trend of forming small families with only directly related members is now prevalent.

In the past, each Chinese family had a "head", who had absolute authority at home, and had the final say in family affairs. But now in most Chinese families, the husband and wife, or a couple with other family members, work out together the household plans, and decide family affairs through consultation.

Moreover, family members share the housework, making the division of labor at home more reasonable; and the husband and wife support each other's work.

Chinese people have the tradition of respecting the old and loving the young. Though many young couples do not live with their parents, they maintain close contact with them. Grown-up children have the duty to support and help their parents. The Chinese people attach great importance to relations between family members and relatives, and cherish their parents, children, brothers and sister, uncles, aunts and other relatives.

Family planning has been pushed forward as one of the basic state policies in China. The basic requirements of family planning are late marriages and late childbearing, so as to have fewer but healthier babies, especially one child per couple. But a flexible family planning policy is adopted for rural people and ethnic minorities: in rural areas, couples may have a second baby in exceptional cases, but must wait several years after the birth of the first child; in areas inhabited by minority peoples, each ethnic group may work out different regulations in accordance with its wish, population, natural resources, economy, culture and customs -- in general a couple may have a second baby, or a third child in some places. As for ethnic minorities with extremely small populations, a couple may have as many children as they want.

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