Chinese dynasty history–Qin dynasty 秦朝
Much of what came to constitute China Proper was unified for the first time in 221 B.C. In that year the western frontier state of Qin, the most aggressive of the Warring States, subjugated the last of its rival states. (Qin in Wade-Giles romanization is Ch’in, from which the English China probably derived.) Once the king of Qin consolidated his power, he took the title Shi Huangdi (First Emperor始皇帝), a formulation previously reserved for deities and the mythological sage-emperors, and imposed Qin’s centralized, nonhereditary bureaucratic system on his new empire. In subjugating the six other major states of Eastern Zhou, the Qin kings had relied heavily on Legalist scholar-advisers. Centralization, achieved by ruthless methods, was focused on standardizing legal codes and bureaucratic procedures, the forms of writing and coinage, and the pattern of thought and scholarship. To silence criticism of imperial rule, the kings banished or put to death many dissenting Confucian scholars and confiscated and burned their books (焚书坑儒). Qin aggrandizement was aided by frequent military expeditions pushing forward the frontiers in the north and south. To fend off barbarian intrusion, the fortification walls built by the various warring states were connected to make a 5,000-kilometer-long great wall (万里长城). What is commonly referred to as the Great Wall is actually four great walls rebuilt or extended during the Western Han, Sui, Jin, and Ming periods, rather than a single, continuous wall. At its extremities, the Great Wall reaches from northeastern Heilongjiang (黑龙江) Province to northwestern Gansu (甘肃).
Chinese dynasty history—Zhou dynasty history of China周朝
Zhou dynasty is a great dynasty in China. The last Shang ruler, a despot according to standard Chinese accounts, was overthrown by a chieftain of a frontier tribe called Zhou (周),which had settled in the Wei (渭)Valley in modern Shaanxi (陕西) Province. The Zhou dynasty had its capital at Hao (镐), near the city of Xi’an (西安),or Chang’an (长安), as it was known in its heyday in the imperial period. Sharing the language and culture of the Shang, the early Zhou rulers, through conquest and colonization, gradually sinicized, that is, extended Shang culture through much of China Proper north of the Chang Jiang ( 长江to Yangtze River ). The Zhou dynasty lasted longer than any other, from 1027 to 221 B.C. It was philosophers of this period who first enunciated the doctrine of the “mandate of heaven” (tianming or 天命), the notion that the ruler (the “son of heaven” or 天子) governed by divine right but that his dethronement would prove that he had lost the mandate. The doctrine explained and justified the demise of the two earlier dynasties and at the same time supported the legitimacy of present and future rulers.
Chinese business etiquette and culture02中国商务礼仪文化02
Banquets Structure
Chinese banquets typically last two hours. As guests arrive, they proceed through a receiving line in order of highest- to lowest-ranking hosts. Guests are then seated. Banquets in China have definitive beginnings and endings. The principal host offers a welcoming toast to begin the banquet (or shortly thereafter), and it is customary for the principal guest to reciprocate with his/her own toast. Upon toasting, the formal meal begins. At the conclusion of the banquet, the host will again stand and toast, thanking the guests for attending. Again, it is customary for the principal guest to reciprocate in thanks to the hosts.
Chinese dynasty history—Shang dynasty 商王朝
Thousands of archaeological finds in the Huang He (黄河), Henan Valley (河南) –the apparent cradle of Chinese civilization–provide evidence about the Shang (商) dynasty, which endured roughly from 1700 to 1027 B.C. The Shang dynasty (also called the Yin (殷) dynasty in its later stages) is believed to have been founded by a rebel leader who overthrew the last Xia ruler. Its civilization was based on agriculture, augmented by hunting and animal husbandry. Two important events of the period were the development of a writing system, as revealed in archaic Chinese inscriptions found on tortoise shells and flat cattle bones (commonly called oracle bones or甲骨文), and the use of bronze metallurgy. A number of ceremonial bronze vessels with inscriptions date from the Shang period; the workmanship on the bronzes attests to a high level of civilization.成千上万的考古学家在黄河流经的地方发现了中国文明的摇篮-河南谷，从而证明了商的存在，大约是公元前1700年到公元前1027年。商朝，后期被称做殷，据说是由一个推翻了夏朝的最后一位统治的叛变领袖建立的。这个朝代是建立在农业基础上的，同时也有狩猎和畜牧为补助。这个时期最重要的事件，一是书写文字的发展，甲骨文可以证实这一点，二是青铜冶金术的使用。一些祭祀用的刻有文字的青铜器皿显示是商朝的杰作，而一些铜器上面的手工艺显示了这个时期文明的发达。
A line of hereditary Shang kings ruled over much of northern China, and Shang troops fought frequent wars with neighboring settlements and nomadic herdsmen from the inner Asian steppes. The capitals, one of which was at the site of the modern city of Anyang, were centers of glittering court life. Court rituals to propitiate spirits and to honor sacred ancestors were highly developed. In addition to his secular position, the king was the head of the ancestor- and spirit-worship cult. Evidence from the royal tombs indicates that royal personages were buried with articles of value, presumably for use in the afterlife. Perhaps for the same reason, hundreds of commoners, who may have been slaves, were buried alive with the royal corpse.商朝世袭的几代国王统治着中国北部，商朝军队经常和邻国及西伯利亚的游牧民族之间征战。它的首都，也就是今天的安阳，是繁华宫廷生活的中心。宫廷礼节，诸如谦让，对以故先人的拜祭，在这个时候都得到了高度的发展。为了巩固他的长期统治地位，国王成了先人的发言人以及精神崇拜的对象。从一些皇室的坟墓我们可以看出，贵族都用一些值钱的物品陪葬，可能是留着在阴间用的吧。可能同样是因为这个原因，成百上千的平民，也可能是奴隶，都被活埋，做了皇室贵族的陪葬品。
Chinese business etiquette and culture01中国商务礼仪文化01
Timing is Everything
Guests should arrive on time. Punctuality is a virtue in China. Banquets and business meetings are scheduled to start and finish on time, and the Western concept of “fashionably late” is not understood. If an event is scheduled to begin at 6:00 pm, for example, then arrive a few minutes early or at 6:00 pm sharp. To arrive later would be considered rude. Just as they start on time, banquets also end on time. If a banquet is scheduled to end at 8:30 pm, the host should stand up and close the event at 8:30 pm sharp. It is considered rude to stay late or keep others at the banquet or meeting past the designated ending time.
Chinese dynasty history—Xia dynasty 夏王朝
Chinese civilization, as described in mythology, begins with Pangu (磐古), the creator of the universe, and a succession of legendary sage-emperors and culture heroes (among them are Huang Di i黄帝, Yao, and Shun) who taught the ancient Chinese to communicate and to find sustenance, clothing, and shelter.中华文明，正如神话中描述的一样，是始于世界的创造者盘古，已经后来的一系列圣帝和文明的英雄（他们包括黄帝，尧和顺），他们教会了中国古人如何交流，如何找食物，做衣服和搭建避身处。
The first prehistoric dynasty is said to be Xia (夏),from about the twenty-first to the sixteenth century B.C. Until scientific excavations were made at early bronze-age sites at Anyang (安阳),Henan(河南) Province, in 1928, it was difficult to separate myth from reality in regard to the Xia. But since then, and especially in the 1960s and 1970s, archaeologists have uncovered urban sites, bronze implements, and tombs that point to the existence of Xia civilization in the same locations cited in ancient Chinese historical texts. At minimum, the Xia period marked an evolutionary stage between the late neolithic cultures and the typical Chinese urban civilization of the Shang dynasty.第一个历史悠久的朝代据说是夏，大约是公元前21世纪到公元前16世纪。直到1928年，在河南省安阳市旧铜器时代遗址的科学考古发现，使得人们分不清夏朝的历史是神话还是事实了。但是从那以后，特别是20世纪60年代和70年代，考古学家发现了古城遗址，铜器和墓穴，这些东西证明了夏王朝的存在地址，和中国史书上的记载是相吻合的。夏朝标志着人类社会从新石器时代到典型的中国城市化进程阶段商朝的过渡。
Martial arts— — Shaolin Kung Fu 少林功夫
Shaolin Kung Fu is one of key of Chinese traditional martial arts. The concept of Shaolin kung fu originated when Huang Zongxi defined Chinese martial arts as either the Shaolin school or the Wudang school. You also sometimes hear the Shaolin school referred to as the external school, and the Wudang school referred to as the internal school. This was 1669, and since then people call external Chinese martial arts “Shaolin kung fu” even if the style or student has no affiliation to the Shaolin monastery. Learning the Shaolin fundamentals can help anyone improve their understand of the martial arts and help them better protect themselves in case they are attacked.
Peking opera introduction京剧简介
Peking opera is a traditional art in China.Beijing opera or Peking opera is a kind of Chinese opera which arose in the mid-19th century and was extremely popular in the Qing Dynasty court. It is widely regarded as one of the cultural treasures of China.京剧是中国式戏剧的一种，兴起于19世纪中期，到清朝达到全盛时期。它被看成是中国文化艺术的瑰宝。
Beijing and Tianjin are respected as the base cities of Peking opera in the north while Shanghai is the base in the south.北京和天津被认为是京剧的北方根据地，而上海则是它的南方根据地。
Although it is called Beijing opera, its origins are in the Chinese provinces of Anhui and Hubei.虽然它被称为京剧，但是它的起源地却是中国的安徽省和湖北省。
Beijing opera’s two main melodies; Xipi and Erhuang originated from Anhui and Hubei operas. Much dialogue is also carried out in an archaic dialect originating partially from those regions. It also absorbed music and arias from other operas and musical arts such as the historic Qinqiang as well as being very strongly influenced by Kunqu, the form that preceded it as court art. It is regarded that Beijing opera was born when the Four Great Anhui Troupes came to Beijing in 1790. Beijing opera was originally staged for the court and came into the public later. In 1828, some famous Hubei troupes came to Beijing. They often jointly performed in the stage with Anhui troupes. The combination gradually formed Beijing opera’s main melodies.京剧有2种韵律，源于安徽和湖北的西皮和二黄。一些京剧段子就是从这些地方的古老方言中衍生出来的。它同样从其它戏曲和音乐艺术中吸取了音乐和唱腔， 比如历史上著名的秦腔， 同时也受了在宫廷艺术方面领先于它的昆曲的影响。京剧据说诞生于1790年四大安徽剧团入京表演的时候。京剧先是一种宫廷表演艺术，而后才慢慢普及到民间。1828年， 一些著名的湖北剧团进京。 他们经常和安徽剧团同台演出， 然后渐渐演变为京剧的主旋律。
Travel in China： MartialMarquis Memorial Temple武侯祠
Martial(武术wǔshù) Marquis(侯爵hóujué) Memorial(纪念馆jìniàn ɡuǎn) Temple is dedicated to Zhugeliang, the Martial Marquis of Shu in the Three Kingdoms Period.Liang was the personification of noble character and intelligence. Memorial temples erected in many places after his death include a famous one in Chengdu.成都武侯祠，位于四川省成都市南门武侯祠大街，肇始于公元223年修建刘备惠陵时，它是中国唯一一座君臣合祀祠庙和最负盛名的诸葛亮、刘备及蜀汉英雄纪念地，也是全世界影响最大的三国遗迹博物馆。享有“三国圣地”的美誉。今天，我们就走进成都武侯祠，来领略一下三国的风采。
Chinese zodiac signs characteristics 3
七、Horse: Year 1918, 1930, 1942, 1954, 1966, 1978, 1990, 2002, 2014 People born in the Year of the Horse are popular. They are cheerful, skillful with money, and perceptive, although they sometimes talk too much. They are wise, talented, good with their hands, and sometimes have a weakness for members of the opposite sex. They are impatient and hot-blooded about everything except their daily work. They like entertainment and large crowds. They are very independent and rarely listen to advice. They are most compatible with Tigers, Dogs, and Sheep.
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