Tag: budaya

The Chinese and the Moon

In Chinese minds, the moon is associated with gentleness and brightness, expressing the beautiful yearnings of the Chinese. On the 15th day of the 8th month of the lunar calendar, the moon is full and it is time to mark the Moon Festival, or the Mid-Autumn Festival. The round shape symbolizes family reunio. Therefore the day is a holiday for family members to get together and enjoy the full moon – an auspicious token of abundance, harmony, and luck.

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Chinese Tea

Tea, a drink pioneered by the Chinese, is brewed by infusing tender buds picked from tea trees in boiled water after baking. Legend has it that tea was first discovered by Emperor Shennong, who was tasting hundreds of herbal medicines to test their medicinal power in southwest China. Tea was originally used for detoxification and meant to be chewed in the mouth. Later, people began to steep it in water. Maybe because the drink has a slightly bitter taste, it was called “tu” (meaning “a bitter edible plant”) before the Qin and Han dynasties and wasn’t officially named “tea” until the Han Dynasty.    

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Classic Love Stories from China

People, regardless of their culture and wher they live, are always affected by sad, sentimental love stories. Each February, especially around Valentine’s Day (February 14), romance fills the air. There’s no better time to reflect on classic Chinese love stories.

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