Tag: ယဉ်ကျေးမှု

Chinese Tea Culture中国茶文化

China is the home country of tea. Before the Tang Dynasty, Chinese tea was exported by land and sea, first to Japan and Korea, then to India and Central Asia and, in the Ming and Qing dynasties, to the Arabian Peninsula. Today, we will talk about the Chinese Tea Culture.中国是茶的故乡。早在唐朝，中国茶远销海内外，先到日本、韩国，然后至印度中亚。明清时期，远销阿拉伯国家。今天我们来介绍一下中国茶的文化。
In the early period of the 17th century, Chinese tea was exported to Europe, where the upper class adopted the fashion of drinking tea. Chinese tea—like Chinese silk and china—has become synonymous(同义的tónɡyìde) worldwide with refined(精致jīnɡzhìde) culture. China traces the development of tea as an art form to Lu Yu, known as "the Saint of Tea" in Chinese history, who lived during the Tang Dynasty and who wrote The Book of Tea, the first ever treatise(论文lùnwén) on tea and tea culture. The spirit of tea permeates(渗透shèntòu) Chinese culture, and throughout the country there are many kinds of teas, teahouses, tea legends, tea artifacts(工艺品ɡōnɡyìpǐn) and tea customs. Better-known places to enjoy a good cup of tea in China include Beijing noted for its variety of teahouses; Fujian and Guangdong provinces and other places in the southeast of China that serve gongfu tea, a formal serving of tea in tiny cups; the West Lake in Hangzhou, also the home of the Tea Connoisseurs(鉴赏家jiànshǎnɡjiā) Association(协会xiéhuì), noted for its excellent green tea; and provinces in southwest China like Yunnan where the ethnic(民族的mínzúde) groups less affected by foreign cultures retain tea ceremonies and customs in original tea-growing areas.在17世纪初期，中国茶叶又远销至欧洲各国，很多上层社会的贵族、绅士都养成了喝茶的习惯。中国的共和中国的丝绸及磁器一样，已经成为了中国在全世界的代名词。追溯中国的茶文化不得不提到茶圣—陆羽，他生活在唐代，是中国最早撰写《茶全》的人，这本著作中包含了做茶的全过程，包括茶的品种、茶室、茶的传说、茶的工艺品以及茶的文化。在中国品上一壶好茶的地方最出名的是北京茶室；福建、广东和其他中国的南方城市泡出的功夫茶；杭州西湖的绿茶也是极具特色的；再有就是云南的茶，已经成为茶文化中不可或缺的角色了。
The Chinese people, in their drinking of tea, place much significance on the act of "savoring(品尝pǐnchánɡ)." "Savoring tea" is not only a way to discern good tea from mediocre tea, but also how people take delight in their reverie and in tea-drinking itself. Snatching a bit of leisure from a busy schedule, making a kettle of strong tea, securing a serene space, and serving and drinking tea by yourself can help banish fatigue and frustration, improve your thinking ability and inspire you with enthusiasm. You may also imbibe it slowly in small sips to appreciate the subtle allure of tea-drinking, until your spirits soar up and up into a sublime aesthetic realm. Buildings, gardens, ornaments(装饰品zhuānɡshìpǐn) and tea sets are the elements that form the ambience for savoring tea. Atranquil(宁静的nínɡjìnɡde), refreshing, comfortable and neat locale is certainly desirable for drinking tea. Chinese gardens are well known in the world and beautiful Chinese landscapes are too numerous to count. Teahouses tucked away in gardens and nestled beside the natural beauty of mountains and rivers areenchanting(妩媚的wǔmèi de) places of repose for people to rest and recreate themselves.中国人饮茶， 注重一个"品"字。"品茶"不但是鉴别茶的优劣，也带有神思遐想和领略饮茶情趣之意。在百忙之中泡上一壶浓茶，择雅静之处，自斟自饮，可以消除疲劳、涤烦益思、振奋精神，也可以细啜慢饮，达到美的享受，使精神世界升华到高尚的艺术境界。品茶的环境一般由建筑物、园林、摆设、茶具等因素组成。饮茶要求安静、清新、舒适、干净。中国园林世界闻名，山水风景更是不可胜数。利用园林或自然山水间，搭设茶室，让人们小憩，意趣盎然。

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Chinese Culture: Hanfu 中国文化之汉服

Hanfu, also known as Hanzhuang or Huafu, refers to the traditional dress of Han Chinese people before Qing dynasty. The term Hanfu derives from the Book of Han, which says, ”then he(Qu Li) came to the Court many times to pay homage and was delighted at the clothing style of the Han. ” Here Han refers to Han Dynasty, but as a matter of fact Hanfu includes not only clothing in Han Dynasty but also in Shang, Zhou, Tang, Song and Ming.

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What’s Chengyu?

What's Chengyu? Chengyu (Chinese: 成语, pinyin: chéngyǔ ) are a type of traditional Chinese idiomatic expressions, most of which consist of four characters. Chengyu were widely used in Classical Chinese and are still common in modern Chinese writing and in the spoken language today. There are about 5,000 chengyu in the Chinese language according to the most stringent definition, though some dictionaries list over 20,000. They are often referred to as Chinese idioms or four-character idioms; however, they are not the only idioms in Chinese.

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Chinese art: The Northeast Errenzhuan东北二人转

The Northeast Errenzhuan is an indispensable role, it is including many forms in China. Today, we are going to talk about this interesting culture.东北二人转是中国众多艺术中不可或缺的一个部分。今天我们一起来说说这一门有趣的艺术文化。
Northeast Errenzhuan is a form of duet(二重奏èrchónɡzòu), also known as Bengbeng. It originated in Northeast Liaoning, Jilin and Heilongjiang provinces. It is a form of Quyi that involves storytelling(讲故事jiǎnɡ ɡùshi), singing and dancing, between two performers. Bengbeng has a history of 200 years and itsscript(脚本jiáoběn)is written in popular language that is easy to understand, humorous, and rich in local life style and flavor. The vocal(声乐shēnɡyuè) music is based on that of the northeastern folk songs. The singing is high-spirited and of an explosive type, sincere and moving. The dancing is derived from farmers' dances done to celebratesowing(播种bōzhǒnɡ) and planting. It also features the folk dance technique of waving fans or silk handkerchiefs.二人转属于曲艺中的走唱类，是广泛流传于东北三省及内蒙部分地区的民间歌舞演唱形式。原叫蹦蹦。深受到东北群众、特别是农民的喜爱。它是一种有说有唱、载歌载舞、生动活泼的走唱类曲艺形式，迄今大约已有三百余年的历史。二人转的唱本语言通俗易懂，幽默风趣，生活气息浓厚、富有地方特色。它的音乐唱腔是以东北民歌、大秧歌为基础，高亢火爆，亲切动听。它的舞蹈是来自东北大秧歌，并吸收了民间舞蹈及武打成份，以及耍扇子、耍手绢等技巧。
There are three kinds of Errenzhuan. The most important is the duet sung by a clown(小丑xiáochǒu) and a player who acts the role of a woman. It is a combination of singing, dancing and storytelling. The most prominent items include The Western Bower and The Blue Bridge. The second type is a solo, in which the player sings and dances. In the third type the actor sings the part of a woman or an old man, as in an opera. This is called Lachangxi. An example is Lord Bao Gong makes an apology.在长期流传中形成了以黑山为代表的西路、以大石桥为中心的南路、以吉林为重点的东路和以黑龙江为重点的北路四个流派。最主要的一种是二人化装成一丑一旦的对唱形式，边说边唱，边唱边舞，如《西厢》、《兰桥》。一种是一人且唱且舞，称为单出头，如《洪月娥做梦》。一种是演员以角色出现在舞台上唱戏，这种形式称“拉场戏”，如《包公赔情》。
After the founding of new China, the government greatly supported this traditional Quyi genre(形式xínɡshì), organizing old artists to impart performing techniques several times, and launching reforms on some items and performance forms of Errenzhuan and removing some vulgar(通俗的tōnɡsúde)elements. Errenzhuan has been listed as a folk art protected by the state.新中国成立之后，政府极力支持这一传统曲艺形式，大力保护这一传统文化，并且积极拓展了二人转的形式，除了说唱以外又加入了很多新鲜的元素，使得二人转更加丰富多彩，二人转这一民间文化形式正在被地方保护。总之，二人转的表演特点最能体现东北劳动人民对艺术美的追求。
Errenzhuan is a kind of folk forms, it not only contains the singing and teasing, but also the story important, if you visit to the Northeast, you must to watch it, it also must let you regret it. 二人转是一种民族文化，不仅包含了唱和跳，而且也在讲述着不同的故事。如果你有机会去中国的东北，不忘看看这门民间艺术，一定不会让您失望的。

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Chinese dynasty history—Qing dynasty 清朝

Although the Manchus were not Han Chinese and were strongly resisted, especially in the south, they had assimilated a great deal of Chinese culture before conquering China Proper. Realizing that to dominate the empire they would have to do things the Chinese way, the Manchus retained many institutions of Ming and earlier Chinese derivation. They continued the Confucian court practices and temple rituals, over which the emperors had traditionally presided.

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Chinese business etiquette and culture06中国商务礼仪文化06

Gifts Exchange Guests are expected to give a gift to their Chinese host. It is helpful to bring an extra supply of wrapped gifts lest you be caught short-handed. A visiting group can give one large gift to the host organization or smaller mementos to individuals. Avoid gifts of excessive value or that are too personal. Try to find a gift that represents your home state, such as locally made products. As a fallback, many companies rely on gifts of nice crystal or company products such as pens or calendars that can be distributed to everyone.

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Chinese dynasty history—Tang dynasty 唐朝

The Tang dynasty (A.D. 618-907), with its capital at Chang’an (长安), is regarded by historians as a high point in Chinese civilization–equal, or even superior, to the Han period. Its territory, acquired through the military exploits of its early rulers, was greater than that of the Han. Stimulated by contact with India (天竺) and the Middle East, the empire saw a flowering of creativity in many fields. Buddhism (佛教), originating in India around the time of Confucius, flourished during the Tang period, becoming thoroughly sinicized and a permanent part of Chinese traditional culture. Block printing was invented, making the written word available to vastly greater audiences. The Tang period was the golden age of literature and art. A government system supported by a large class of Confucian literati selected through civil service examinations (科学) was perfected under Tang rule. This competitive procedure was designed to draw the best talents into government. But perhaps an even greater consideration for the Tang rulers, aware that imperial dependence on powerful aristocratic families and warlords would have destabilizing consequences, was to create a body of career officials having no autonomous territorial or functional power base. As it turned out, these scholar-officials acquired status in their local communities, family ties, and shared values that connected them to the imperial court. From Tang times until the closing days of the Qing empire in 1911, scholar-officials functioned often as intermediaries between the grass-roots level and the government.

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Chinese business etiquette and culture05中国商务礼仪文化05

Last Name First In China, the family name (surname) appears first, and the first name (given name), last. So for Jiang Zemin, Jiang is the family name, Zemin is the given name. For a Chinese businessperson or official who frequently interacts with foreigners, names may be spoken/written in the Western format. If you are uncertain as to which is which, it never hurts to ask for clarification.

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