Chinese Culture and Traditions
This section of our web site has pages covering the many Chinese customs and traditions.
Beliefs and mythology are a core part of Chinese culture so we introduce Confucianism Daoism Buddhism Ancestor veneration Traditional Festivals Astrology Everyday customs and traditions Dragons Chinese New Year Deities Feng shui Qi (or Chi) Traditional medicine Yin - Yang Yi Jing
The arts are also well represented: The many styles of Opera Traditional Music Symbolism in art Paper-cuts Shadow puppets and story-telling Architecture Jade Porcelain
We cover the many Chinese pastimes: Chinese chess (Xiang qi) Mahjong Game of ‘Go’ (Weiqi) Kite flying Tai Chi
We also cover more general aspects of Chinese culture including: Chinese inventions Examination system Food in China Rice Tea Chinese Silk Ancient coins Why do we call China ‘China’
Getting by in China There are many customs and traditions that you should know before traveling to China. Our customs page covers such things as giving gifts, banquets, sealing business deals and how to behave in public. A respect for age old traditions will impress your hosts who will appreciate your efforts to embrace the culture. Read more…
Quintessence of the Nation Traditional Chinese Opera was the entertainment of all Chinese over many centuries. A long evening performance contains elements of drama, music, comedy, acrobatics and martial arts. Each region has its own distinctive form. Over time complex body movements represent specific meanings as a very sparse set is used. The art form has inspired many Western composers and playwrights to emulate the style. Read more…
Chinese Character Details The history and structure of many common Chinese characters is a fascinating study. In this section we look in details at a few hundreds of them. Read more…
The game of Mahjong People playing the popular game of Mahjong can often be seen in public parks, cafes and at home. It is a game of both skill and chance and a good head for calculation of probabilities is needed. Since 1920 Mahjong has also been widely played outside China. Read more…
Symbols and Motifs Chinese arts and handicrafts are full of hidden symbols. Bats, goldfish, peonies and bees all give a specific meaning to a painting or decoration. Exploring the world of Chinese symbolism opens up a whole new layer of appreciation. Read more…
Chinese Calligraphy The Chinese language is a treasure trove of history and traditions. The language script has been in use for over 4,000 years. Fine historic pieces by the great masters continue to achieve as high a price at auction as great paintings. To appreciate Chinese writing it is important to know how the characters are made with the brush. Read more…
Three Character Classic The Three Character Classic (San Zi Jing 三 字 经 language primer for children who aspired to a scholarly life. It introduces the student to Chinese history, philosophy as well as the most common characters. It contains many exhortations for the student to study long and hard. Read more…
Precious Jade Jade is highly valued in China, and much of Asia, above gold and diamonds. The gemstone is harder than steel and can be carved into exquisite shapes. Read more…
A survey of Chinese literature As both the book and printing were invented in China it is not surprising that Chinese literature has a long and distinguished history. There are a number of very famous novels from before the time of Shakespeare including The Romance of the Three Kingdoms and The Water Margin. Read more…
Chinese Music As in so many other cultural areas the Chinese musical heritage is immensely rich. A wide range of different musical instruments have been developed over thousands of years. Accomplishment with a musical instrument is still considered an important part of a child's education. Read more…
Chinese Prometheus
Many cultures have a legend about how mankind learned about fire. The Greeks gave us the legend of the Titan Prometheus who was punished for giving mankind the secret of fire. In China one of the legends about the birth of mankind is of Fuxi and Nuwa (sometimes a couple sometimes brother and sister). It was Fuxi that developed fire and taught mankind basic skills such as fishing and cooking. Read more…
Ancient stone writings Stone steles form the most permanent of records. Over the centuries they have been used as memorials, reference libraries, calligraphy samples and poems. Visitors to China will have seen these revered inscriptions in all sorts of locations: mountains, houses, parks and museums documenting the lives and feelings of people over the centuries. They are a powerful and permanent expression of the continuity of Chinese history. Read more…
Traditional performance China has a great range of traditional performing arts: theater, opera, dance, shadow and glove puppetry and story-telling. Many of these have roots back in ancient times - over a thousand years. Mass media has reduced popularity of most forms but devoted practitioners are helping to keep the art-forms alive. Read more…
Chinese Silk Along with porcelain and tea, silk is one of China's important innovations. The secret of this great invention was closely guarded for centuries. Fabulous fine cloth was an important export as far back as the early Roman Empire and it was in Rome where a law was passed to ban the wearing of silk. Read more…
Proverb
焦头 烂额
Jiāo tóu làn é
Head bruised and brow burned
In terrible trouble.
Roughly equivalent to: Beaten black and blue.
All about Chinese proverbs
Pantheon of Chinese gods and heroes China has a rich array of heroes, gods and goddesses to draw on. Temples are full of images of people from China's long history. Often an historical figure is over time upgraded and considered an immortal. Most depictions can be identified by the objects the deity is carrying. Some are associated with Buddhism, others with Daoism and others to no particular religion at all. Read more…
Ancient Chinese numerology The Chinese have studied the properties of numbers from ancient times. Many interesting beliefs came from the magic square that unified other traditions such as yin-yang, five elements, compass directions and the taiju figure. Read more…
An Elegant Party (detail), an outdoor painting of a small Chinese banquet hosted by the emperor for scholar-officials from the Song Dynasty (960-1279). Although painted in the Song period, it is most likely a reproduction of an earlier Tang Dynasty (618-907) work of art. The painting is attributed to Emperor Huizong of Song (r. 1100-1125 AD).
Image by PericlesofAthens ➚ available under a Creative Commons license ➚ .
