Chinasage Diary

Shaoshan pilgrimage

The province of Hunan just south of the Yangzi river is famous as the birthplace of Mao Zedong. His home village of Shaoshan is still a popular tourist destination. As well as Mao the province was the birthplace of another early leader of the Peoples Republic - Liu Shaoqi.
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On this day

1894 Japanese naval attack 1894 (130 years ago)

Special Economic Zones

A key part of Deng Xiaoping's reform of the Chinese economy was the setting up Special Economic Zones (SEZ). The first set of zones in the early 1980s was Shenzhen, Zhuhai and Shantou all in Guangdong Province; Xiamen in Fujian Province, and the whole of the island province of Hainan. Fourteen more were added to the list in 1984 including Tianjin and Shanghai. A SEZ had a fair degree of independence from central government regulation.
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Special Economic Zones

A key part of Deng Xiaoping's reform of the Chinese economy was the setting up Special Economic Zones (SEZ). The first set of zones in the early 1980s was Shenzhen, Zhuhai and Shantou all in Guangdong Province; Xiamen in Fujian Province, and the whole of the island province of Hainan. Fourteen more were added to the list in 1984 including Tianjin and Shanghai. A SEZ had a fair degree of independence from central government regulation.
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Blank mahjong tiles

Many sets of Mahjong contain four completely blank tiles. This is intentional, they are white dragon tiles. There are three types of dragon in Mahjong: red, green and white. Some sets use an empty frame rather than leaving the tile blank. Sets of dragon tiles score more highly than other tiles.
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Ming founder

Occasionally in Chinese history a man of humble origins has risen to overthrow a dynasty and found his own. The most dramatic example of this is Zhu Yuanzhang who overthrew the Yuan dynasty to become Emperor Hongwu 洪武帝 founder of the Ming dynasty. He came from a family of poor peasants and after living as a novice in a Buddhist monastery he joined the Red Turban rebels. He quickly rose to be leader and gained wide support against the Mongol rulers.
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On this day

541 Emperor Wendi born 541 (1,483 years ago)

Ming founder

Occasionally in Chinese history a man of humble origins has risen to overthrow a dynasty and found his own. The most dramatic example of this is Zhu Yuanzhang who overthrew the Yuan dynasty to become Emperor Hongwu 洪武帝 founder of the Ming dynasty. He came from a family of poor peasants and after living as a novice in a Buddhist monastery he joined the Red Turban rebels. He quickly rose to be leader and gained wide support against the Mongol rulers.
Read More

Ming founder

Occasionally in Chinese history a man of humble origins has risen to overthrow a dynasty and found his own. The most dramatic example of this is Zhu Yuanzhang who overthrew the Yuan dynasty to become Emperor Hongwu 洪武帝 founder of the Ming dynasty. He came from a family of poor peasants and after living as a novice in a Buddhist monastery he joined the Red Turban rebels. He quickly rose to be leader and gained wide support against the Mongol rulers.
Read More

Ming founder

Occasionally in Chinese history a man of humble origins has risen to overthrow a dynasty and found his own. The most dramatic example of this is Zhu Yuanzhang who overthrew the Yuan dynasty to become Emperor Hongwu 洪武帝 founder of the Ming dynasty. He came from a family of poor peasants and after living as a novice in a Buddhist monastery he joined the Red Turban rebels. He quickly rose to be leader and gained wide support against the Mongol rulers.
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On this day

1891 Guo Songtao died 1891 (133 years ago)

Ming founder

Occasionally in Chinese history a man of humble origins has risen to overthrow a dynasty and found his own. The most dramatic example of this is Zhu Yuanzhang who overthrew the Yuan dynasty to become Emperor Hongwu 洪武帝 founder of the Ming dynasty. He came from a family of poor peasants and after living as a novice in a Buddhist monastery he joined the Red Turban rebels. He quickly rose to be leader and gained wide support against the Mongol rulers.
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On this day

1402 Emperor Yongle became ruler 1402 (622 years ago)

Ming founder

Occasionally in Chinese history a man of humble origins has risen to overthrow a dynasty and found his own. The most dramatic example of this is Zhu Yuanzhang who overthrew the Yuan dynasty to become Emperor Hongwu 洪武帝 founder of the Ming dynasty. He came from a family of poor peasants and after living as a novice in a Buddhist monastery he joined the Red Turban rebels. He quickly rose to be leader and gained wide support against the Mongol rulers.
Read More

Ming founder

Occasionally in Chinese history a man of humble origins has risen to overthrow a dynasty and found his own. The most dramatic example of this is Zhu Yuanzhang who overthrew the Yuan dynasty to become Emperor Hongwu 洪武帝 founder of the Ming dynasty. He came from a family of poor peasants and after living as a novice in a Buddhist monastery he joined the Red Turban rebels. He quickly rose to be leader and gained wide support against the Mongol rulers.
Read More

On this day

1907 Qiu Jin died 1907 (117 years ago)

Ming founder

Occasionally in Chinese history a man of humble origins has risen to overthrow a dynasty and found his own. The most dramatic example of this is Zhu Yuanzhang who overthrew the Yuan dynasty to become Emperor Hongwu 洪武帝 founder of the Ming dynasty. He came from a family of poor peasants and after living as a novice in a Buddhist monastery he joined the Red Turban rebels. He quickly rose to be leader and gained wide support against the Mongol rulers.
Read More

Ming founder

Occasionally in Chinese history a man of humble origins has risen to overthrow a dynasty and found his own. The most dramatic example of this is Zhu Yuanzhang who overthrew the Yuan dynasty to become Emperor Hongwu 洪武帝 founder of the Ming dynasty. He came from a family of poor peasants and after living as a novice in a Buddhist monastery he joined the Red Turban rebels. He quickly rose to be leader and gained wide support against the Mongol rulers.
Read More

Ming founder

Occasionally in Chinese history a man of humble origins has risen to overthrow a dynasty and found his own. The most dramatic example of this is Zhu Yuanzhang who overthrew the Yuan dynasty to become Emperor Hongwu 洪武帝 founder of the Ming dynasty. He came from a family of poor peasants and after living as a novice in a Buddhist monastery he joined the Red Turban rebels. He quickly rose to be leader and gained wide support against the Mongol rulers.
Read More

Dark side

China was the first nation to land a probe on the far side of the moon. The Chang'e 4 mission (named after the moon goddess) landed in January 2019 and the Yutu-2 robot (named after a rabbit that was said to inhabit the moon) has trundled around the surface ever since collecting scientific data.
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Bamboo flowers

Bamboo is often associated with China but it grows throughout Asia and beyond. It is unusual as a type of grass for not flowering each year. Some species of bamboo (there are 500 species in China) take up to 120 years before they flower. After it flowers the bamboo plant dies. Because bamboo can cover whole mountains the simultaneous death of bamboo plants can have severe effects on the creatures like the Giant Panda that depend on it.
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Bamboo flowers

Bamboo is often associated with China but it grows throughout Asia and beyond. It is unusual as a type of grass for not flowering each year. Some species of bamboo (there are 500 species in China) take up to 120 years before they flower. After it flowers the bamboo plant dies. Because bamboo can cover whole mountains the simultaneous death of bamboo plants can have severe effects on the creatures like the Giant Panda that depend on it.
Read More

Bamboo flowers

Bamboo is often associated with China but it grows throughout Asia and beyond. It is unusual as a type of grass for not flowering each year. Some species of bamboo (there are 500 species in China) take up to 120 years before they flower. After it flowers the bamboo plant dies. Because bamboo can cover whole mountains the simultaneous death of bamboo plants can have severe effects on the creatures like the Giant Panda that depend on it.
Read More

Bamboo flowers

Bamboo is often associated with China but it grows throughout Asia and beyond. It is unusual as a type of grass for not flowering each year. Some species of bamboo (there are 500 species in China) take up to 120 years before they flower. After it flowers the bamboo plant dies. Because bamboo can cover whole mountains the simultaneous death of bamboo plants can have severe effects on the creatures like the Giant Panda that depend on it.
Read More

On this day

1937 Marco Polo bridge Incident 1937 (87 years ago)

106 dish banquet

In the last Imperial dynasty a formal banquet would last up to three days. The most elaborate was the Manchu-Han banquet which had 108 individual dishes to get through (108 is a mystical number in China). Dishes and chopsticks were of gold and some of the more exotic items included monkey brain, rhinoceros tail and bear claw.
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On this day

1976 Zhu De died 1976 (48 years ago)
1976 Zhu De no longer Chairman NPC 1976 (48 years ago)
1976 Song Qingling became Chairman NPC 1976 (48 years ago)

Tapping fingers

If you see Chinese people tapping their fingers on the restaurant table it usually means they are showing their appreciation. Rather than getting up and bowing the more restrained form has been used for hundreds of years.
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On this day

1907 Yang Shangkun born 1907 (117 years ago)

Tapping fingers

If you see Chinese people tapping their fingers on the restaurant table it usually means they are showing their appreciation. Rather than getting up and bowing the more restrained form has been used for hundreds of years.
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Overseas Aid

The Chinese diaspora have made an important cultural and financial contribution to the building of modern China. Overseas communities in Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and Indonesia have often become rich and send back money to their families or invest in new enterprises within China.
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Chinese elements

While the Greeks had four elements (air, water, fire and earth) the Chinese had five (wood, metal, fire, earth and water) these should not be considered the same as chemical constituents, they are like phases of matter. So 'life' essence is wood, 'liquid' essence is water, 'gas' essence is fire. The Chinese built up a very complex system of interrelation between these elements trying to explain all phenomena as a blend of five basic properties. It came to dominate Chinese science and governed affairs at court. For example the correct time of year for executions was autumn because autumn is associated with death.
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10,000 ton sculpture

On the creation of the Peoples Republic it was decide to greatly enlarge the main square that stands just south of the Forbidden City at the heart of Beijing. Tiananmen Square can easily accommodate one million people for great rallies. Such a large open area needs a suitably large centerpiece and for this a 10,000 ton sculpture the 'Heroes of the People' was created. It shows scenes demonstrating the emergence of people power: the Taiping rebellion (1850-64), the Wuchang uprising (1911), the May 4th movement (1919), demonstrations against Japanese occupation (1925) and the crossing of the Yangzi River (1949). It wsa completed in 1958.
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On this day

1955 Li Keqiang born 1955 (69 years ago)
2006 Opening of Railway to Tibet 2006 (18 years ago)

10,000 ton sculpture

On the creation of the Peoples Republic it was decide to greatly enlarge the main square that stands just south of the Forbidden City at the heart of Beijing. Tiananmen Square can easily accommodate one million people for great rallies. Such a large open area needs a suitably large centerpiece and for this a 10,000 ton sculpture the 'Heroes of the People' was created. It shows scenes demonstrating the emergence of people power: the Taiping rebellion (1850-64), the Wuchang uprising (1911), the May 4th movement (1919), demonstrations against Japanese occupation (1925) and the crossing of the Yangzi River (1949). It wsa completed in 1958.
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On this day

1997 End of British rule in Hong Kong 1997 (27 years ago)

10,000 ton sculpture

On the creation of the Peoples Republic it was decide to greatly enlarge the main square that stands just south of the Forbidden City at the heart of Beijing. Tiananmen Square can easily accommodate one million people for great rallies. Such a large open area needs a suitably large centerpiece and for this a 10,000 ton sculpture the 'Heroes of the People' was created. It shows scenes demonstrating the emergence of people power: the Taiping rebellion (1850-64), the Wuchang uprising (1911), the May 4th movement (1919), demonstrations against Japanese occupation (1925) and the crossing of the Yangzi River (1949). It wsa completed in 1958.
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The Yangtse

The Yangzi (Yangtse in old spelling) 长江 is the third longest river in the world (3,915 miles [3,915 miles]) after the Nile 4,132 miles [4,132 miles] and Amazon 3,977 miles [3,977 miles]. Unlike these other mighty rivers the whole of its length is entirely contained within China. Its source is in southern Qinghai and then it bends south and then north before heading east through the Yangzi gorges and then on out to the sea near Shanghai.
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On this day

1919 Treaty of Versailles 1919 (105 years ago)
1981 Hua Guofeng no longer Chairman Chinese Communist Party 1981 (43 years ago)
1981 Hu Yaobang became Chairman Chinese Communist Party 1981 (43 years ago)

Bamboo paper

Paper in China dates back at least 2,000 years and it was here that a durable, mass-produced writing material was invented. Before paper was first made Chinese was usually written on thin vertical strips of bamboo which were tied together at top and bottom - the writing could then be rolled up for protection and safety. Most early paper was made from tough bamboo leaf fibers. Following the early tradition writing was vertical and rolled up into a scroll.
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