A sedan chair(轿子jiàozi) is a human or animal-powered transport vehicle for carrying a person, once popular across the China. It has different names like “shoulder carriage”, “sleeping sedan” and “warm sedan” etc due to the time, location and structural(structural means relating to or affecting the structure of something) differences. The sedans familiar to modern people are warm sedans that have been in use since the Ming and Qing Dynasties. The sedan body is fixed in the wooden rectangular frames on the two thin log poles. The top and four sides of the seat are enclosed with curtains, with a chair blind that could be rolled open in the front and a small window on each side. A chair is placed inside the enclosed space.
Tag: Ancient Chinese
Traditional Chinese Medicine
According to research, TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) had been very popular during the Qin and Han dynasties and many monographs on TCM were written, which are regrettably lost today. In the following dynasties, more medical writings came out successively, among which the “Sheng Nong's Herbal Classic” and the “Compendium of Materia Medica” are the most foremost and famous ones. Nowadays, TCM is still very popular among Chinese people even if the western medical technology produces effect faster. The most important reason for that is Chinese people believe that TCM makes less side-effect and pays more attention to health cultivation. For a long time, TCM impact exerts a deep influence on Japanese, Korean and Vietnamese medical science. Today, TCM is classified as alternative medicine as well as hypnotherapy, Homeopathic Medicine and others. In China today, courses of both western medicine and TCM are commonly provided in medical colleges, and students can even choose a college of traditional Chinese medicine where they have a chance to study more about TCM.
Features of Ancient Chinese Architecture
Wood Frame Structure Wood is the main material in ancient Chinese architecture and most of the buildings are in wood frame structure. The wood frame can successfully separate the bearing structure (the wood frame) and the maintaining structure (walls), what’s more, for the special properties, wood can easily adapt to different climates, effectively diminish the destroy of the earthquakes, and more important, it is the material to be find easily on the spot.
Styles of Ancient Chinese Architecture
1. Four Basic Styles of Ancient Chinese Architecture Chinese architectures can be divided into many types and styles but generally falls into four basic ones.
Evolution of Female Beauty and Fashion in China
In ancient China, there were Four Great Beauties－Diaochan, Lady Yang, Xi Shi and Wang Zhaojun [*note] － who were so famed for their beauty that, like Helen of Troy, they could overthrow states and cities(倾国倾城qīngguó qīngchéng). Their beauty has been depicted in countless traditional paintings, but unlike the art that came much later, ancient painting techniques make it hard to tell how accurate these depictions are.
By the end of the 19th century, however, calendar posters had begun to gain popularity in China. In 1914, the revolutionary painter Zheng Mantuo created a painting technique that could vividly portray the lively charm of women at the time.
From the late Qing Dynasty to the Republic of China, marketing and promotional materials that depict female beauty have influenced the ways in which our ideas of beauty have evolved. More importantly, these pictures represent a snapshot of women's lives at the time.
Chupu 樗蒲
Chupu(樗蒲Chūpú) is an ancient chess game played in China. It is so named because the dice used in the original game were made of simaruba. It is also called the Play of Five Wooden Dice(五木之戏Wǔmù Zhī Xì) since a set of five wooden dice are adopted.
Dream of a banquet of China
Red-robed shrimps is said to be a favorite dish of Jia Baoyu(贾宝玉Jiǎ Bǎoyù), the decadent protagonist(a protagonist in a play, novel, or real event is one of the main people in it) of A Dream of Red Mansions(红楼梦Hónglóumèng).
Main Tourist Attractions in Beijing
Tian’anmen Sguare Situated in the center of Beijing, the Tian’anmen Square is 880m long from south to north ,and 500m wide from east to west, with an area of 440,000sq m. It is the largest square in the city center in the world. The Monument to the People’s Heroes and Chairman Mao Memorial Hall stand in the center ;on the western side of the square is the Great Hall of the people. On the eastern side is the National Museum of China; on the south stand the Zhengyang Gate and Qianmen Embrasured Watchtower, and on the northern side the Tiananmen Gate-tower and the Palace Museum. The Tian’anmen square is imposing, spectacular, tidy, symmetrical and full of power and grandeur. At dawn every day, the five-star red flag the national flag of the People’ Republic of China, is being raised slowly and solemnly.
Embryonic Forms of Primitive Sports of China
Among multitude of fairy tales told by the ancient Chinese, there were moving stories like those about "King Yi Shooting Down Nine Suns" and "Kua Fu Chasing the Sun". Such fairy tales reflect not only our ancestors' fond dreams but also their confidence and fortitude in developing bodily skills for the purpose of conquering nature.
Tripod Lifting 举鼎
Because of pod’s feet and ears are convenient for people to lift it up and its weight, Tripod Lifting(举鼎Jǔdǐng） was one of the sports to practice muscle and show strength in ancient times.
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