Chinese Culture (Intermediate Level)

When you think of going for a stroll in the park, what comes to mind – birds singing? a gentle breeze blowing? swathes of greenery punctuated by plots of brightly colored flowers?
If you’re walking through a park in China, you’ll get all of that… along with a few surprises older generations have waiting for you. ...

Food – the Be-all, End-all
Before they had to stay home all day, many people took easy access to food for granted; these days, however, even though everyone is realizing just how important food is, that doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy it, too. Eat what you need, but enjoy what you eat!
1. 吃货 (chī huò): n. ...

As the year embraces September, so too will Chinese people begin to embrace the nearing Mid-Autumn Festival. The Mid-Autumn Festival has evolved from “sacrificing the moon” ceremonies. So the Autumn Equinox in ancient times and has become a precious cultural heritage. To give you an idea of what it’s like: adults usually indulge in moon ...

The seventh day of the seventh month of the lunar calendar is the Chinese Qixi Festival, meaning it falls on August 25 this year.The Qixi Festival symbolizes love, a day of romantic celebration between individuals and their significant others.
The festival is based on the legend of a cowherd and a weaver girl who designated this ...

“父亲节(fùqīn jié) Father’s Day” is a holiday that celebrates fathers, and all they do for their children, around the world. There is an old saying in Chinese: “百善孝为先 (bǎi shànxiào wéi xiān)” or “Filial piety is the most important of all virtues”– in other words, if you do nothing else, at least respect your parents! ...

In China, there is usually a week-long National Day holiday that’s aptly called “黄金周 (Huángjīn Zhōu) Golden Week”. Most people choose to travel during this mini-break so a “travel guide” is necessary if you want to take this opportunity to visit some of the special attractions in China.
黄金周 (Huángjīn Zhōu) Golden Week

Take our ...

“Never give up” takes on an interestingly new perspective with the popular Chinese fable “愚公移山 (yúgōngyíshān) Yu Gong Yi Shan”. The story presents a magnifying look into the Chinese culture, a motivational pep talk, as well as an interesting lesson on how to use “聪明 (cōngmíng) clever” and “愚蠢 (yúchǔn) foolish” in Chinese.
The story ...

“Don’t play dumb!” This English phrase has a Chinese equivalent that, although its meaning is the same, has a very different literal translation with unique origins. The Chinese “装蒜 (zhuāngsuàn)” literally means “to pretend garlic” which may sound kind of funny in English. It is used to mean “feign ignorance” and “make a pretense.” Read ...

春节(chūn jié) Chinese New Year or Spring Festival is the most traditional and grand festival in China. It falls on the first of every January in the lunar calendar. 除夕(chú xī) Chinese New Year’s Eve is the last day of last year and means ringing out the old year and ringing in the new. There ...

中国的情人节(zhōngguó de qíngrénjié)

The Seventh Day of the Seventh Month in lunar calendar is Chinese Valentine’s Day, called 七夕(qīxī) Qi Xi (literally “The Night of Sevens”). Girls on this day look at the stars to pray for a happy marriage.
Origin
Chinese Valentine’s Day originated from a famous and beautiful love story. A young man named ...