Tag: Traditional Chinese

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.

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Kongming Lock 孔明锁

Kongming lock(孔明锁Kǒngmíngsuǒ) is a traditional Chinese intellectual toy. It is said that the toy was invented by Zhuge Kongming(诸葛孔明 Zhūgé Kǒngmíng ) some 2,000 years ago based on the principles of the eight-diagram metaphysics(八卦玄学 Bāguàxuánxué). It was widely popular among the folks. The concave and convex parts inside the three-dimensional interpolation toy mesh perfectly. Kongming locks come in different shapes and sizes, with different internal structures. But they are usually easy to take apart and difficult to reassemble.

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老字号 Old Famous Shops

Lǎozì hào, shì zhǐ nàxiē lìshǐ yōujiǔ 、shēngyù hěn hǎo de diànpù. Tāmen yìzhí shì rénmen xīnzhōng zuì zhídé xìnlài de míngpái. Lǎozì hào zài lǎo yí bèi rén xīnzhōng gèng yǒu zhe wúfǎ tìdài de dìwèi, tāmen bùjǐnjǐn dàibiǎo le pǐnzhì hé xìnyù, yě céngjīng shì tāmen shēnghuó de yí bùfèn.
老字号,是指那些历史悠久、声誉很好的店铺。它们一直是人们心中最值得信赖的名牌。老字号在老一辈人心中更有着无法替代的地位,它们不仅仅代表了品质和信誉,也曾经是他们生活的一部分。(lǎozìhào)refers to the old and famous shops, which has always been reliable and trustworthy and retains an irreplaceable position in people's minds since long time. Not only do they represent good quality and prestige, they have also become an indispensable part in people's daily life.
Qiánmén shì Běijīng lǎozì hào zuì jízhōng de dìqū zhī yī. Quánjùdé de kǎoyā 、Tóngréntáng de zhōngyào 、Ruìfúxiáng de chóuduàn ……zhèxiē lǎozì hào dàibiǎo le guòqù Běijīng fādá de shāngyè wénhuà.
前门是北京老字号最集中的地区之一。全聚德的烤鸭、同仁堂的中药、瑞蚨祥的绸缎……这些老字号代表了过去北京发达的商业文化。Qianmen is the center of these famous and time-honored shops in Beijing. For example, Quanjude Restaurant is famous for its roast duck, Tongrentang for its traditional Chinese medicine, and Ruifuxiang for its silks—all these brands have represented the highly developed commercial culture of old Beijing.
Tóngshí, lǎozì hào bìng bú jǐnjǐn shì yìzhǒng shāngmào jǐngguān, tā gèngshì yìzhǒng lìshǐ chuántǒng wénhuà xiànxiàng. Bú dào Chángchéng fēi hǎo hàn, bù chīkǎo yā zhēn yíhàn, shǐ Quánjùdé chéngwéi Běijīng de xiàngzhēng. Er jīngchéng mínjiān xiēhòuyǔ, rú Dōngláishùn de shuàn yángròu ——zhēn jiào nèn 、Liùbìjū de mòbù ——suān tián kǔ là dōu cháng guò 、Tóngréntáng de yào ——huòzhēn jiàshí 、Shāguōjū de mǎimài ——guòwǔ búhòu děng, dōu shēngdòng dì biǎoshù le zhèxiē lǎozì hào de pǐnpái tèsè.
同时,老字号并不仅仅是一种商贸景观,它更是一种历史传统文化现象。不到长城非好汉,不吃烤鸭真遗憾,使全聚德成为北京的象征。而京城民间歇后语,如东来顺的涮羊肉——真叫嫩、六必居的抹布——酸甜苦辣都尝过、同仁堂的药——货真价实、砂锅居的买卖——过午不候等,都生动地表述了这些老字号的品牌特色。But these shops are more about businesses; they are also a historical and cultural phenomenon. He who has never been to the Great Wall is not a true man, and he who has never tasted a roast duck will regret his whole life—such common sayings have made Quanjude a representation of Beijing. Many two-part allegorical sayings among the folks have also vividly revealed the very characteristics of these old shops. For example, "东来顺的涮羊肉——真叫嫩, 六必居的抹布——酸甜苦辣都尝过, 同仁堂的药——货真价实, 砂锅居的买卖——过午不候" (the instant-boiled mutton of Donglaishun—the softest mutton you can imagine, the rag of Liubiju—tastes more flavors than you did, the traditional Chinese medicine of Tongrentang—genuine goods at fair price, doing business with Shaguoju—they won't wait for you after noon.
Rújīn, zài jīngjì fēisù fāzhǎn 、jìngzhēng jīliè de xiàndài shèhuì ,yìxiē lǎozì hào yǔshí jùjìn, búduàn de gǎigé 、chuàngxīn, shǐ pǐnpái fāyáng guāngdà, zhēnzhèng zuò dào le jǐ bǎi nián bù dǎo; ér háiyǒu yìxiē lǎozì hào bùnéng shìyīng shèhuì shēnghuó de biànhuà, zhújiàn xiāoshī, chéngwéi le lìshǐ.
如今,在经济飞速发展、竞争激烈的现代社会,一些老字号与时俱进,不断地改革、创新,使品牌发扬光大,真正做到了几百年不倒;而还有一些老字号不能适应社会生活的变化,逐渐消失,成为了历史。Nowadays, with the rapid development of economy and fierce competition in modern society, some time-honored shops have been keeping pace with the times and carrying forward their brands through continuous reforms and innovation. They have stood the test of time and survived in competition, while some others have faded into the history due to their inability to adapt to the rapid changes in modern social life.

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3 jujubes a day keeps doc away in China

The JUJUBE(红枣hóngzǎo), the dark red fruit known as Chinese date, is both a popular snack and a very nutritious and therapeutic(therapeutic treatment is designed to treat an illness or to improve a person's health, rather than to prevent an illness) food praised in classics of herbal medicine(草药cǎoyào).

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Qibo of China

Qibo(岐伯Qí Bó), was a mythological(based on or told of in traditional stories; lacking factual basis or historical validity) Chinese doctor, employed by the Huangdi(黄帝Huángdì) as his minister. It is said that he was enlightened with the knowledge of traditional Chinese medicine by an ethereal being from the heavens.

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Dr Wang Zhenyi

Wang Zhenyi(王振义Wáng Zhènyì), whose family comes from Jiangsu(江苏Jiāngsū) Province, said he took up medicine as a career(a career is the job or profession that someone does for a long period of their life) because as a child he thought it was honorable and paid well.

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