[Chinese Instrument] 琵琶 — Pípá
琵琶 — Pípá The pipa (Chinese: 琵琶; pinyin: pípá) is a four-stringed Chinese musical instrument, belonging to the plucked category of instruments. Sometimes called the Chinese lute, the instrument has a pear-shaped wooden body with a varying number of frets ranging from 12 to 26.
[Chinese Instrument] 扬琴 — Yángqín
The yangqin (Chinese: 扬琴; pinyin: yángqín) is a Chinese hammered dulcimer, originally from Middle East and Persia (modern-day Iran). It used to be written with the characters 洋琴 (lit. "foreign zither"), but over time the first character changed to 揚 (also pronounced "yáng"), which means "acclaimed". Hammered dulcimers of various types are now very popular not only in China, but also Eastern Europe, the Middle East, India and Pakistan. The instruments are also sometimes known by the names "santur" and "cymbalom".
2012 TV Schedule of the 11th Chinese Bridge
Programs Broadcast Date Broadcast Time Channel The openning ceremony
[Chinese Instrument] 二胡–èrhú
Erhu–Chinese Violin The erhu (Chinese: 二胡; pinyin: èrhú) is a two-stringed bowed musical instrument, more specifically a spike fiddle, which may also be called a "southern fiddle", and sometimes known in the Western world as the "Chinese violin" or a "Chinese two-stringed fiddle". It is used as a solo instrument as well as in small ensembles and large orchestras. It is the most popular of the huqin family of traditional bowed string instruments used by various ethnic groups of China. A very versatile instrument, the erhu is used in both traditional and contemporary music arrangements, such as in pop, rock, jazz, etc.
Electricity in China
Domestic electricity supply voltage varies between countries. Over 30 countries (including those in North America) use a voltage of 110V~130V, while another 120 countries (including most of Europe), use a voltage of 220V~230V. The electricity in China is generally 220V, 50HZ, AC (Hong Kong is 200V; Taiwan is 110V), while the supply voltage of Japan is 100V, 50/60HZ.
Time Difference
Time Zones of China
Geographically, China covers five time zones (Zhongyuan, Longshu, Tibet, Kunlun and Changbai Time Zones). However, the standard times used in Chinese Mainland, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan Province are the same, for they are all in the same time zone (UTC+8), 8 hours ahead of the Universal Time Coordinated.
Chinese Medicine
China was one of first countries to have a medical culture. In comparison with Western medicine, the Chinese method takes a far different approach. With a history of 5,000 years, it has formed a deep and immense knowledge of medical science, theory, diagnostic methods, prescriptions and cures.
The basic principles of Chinese medicine are rather distinctive:
[Chinese Instrument]笛子–Dízi
笛子–Dízi The dizi (Chinese: 笛子; pinyin: dízi), is a Chinese transverse flute. There're differnt types and names of dizi in China. They are likely to have multiple spellings, too, depending on the transliteration used to convert from Chinese names. Nonetheless, dizi seems to be the most common name (and written form) used in the West.
Chinese Names
The names of Chinese people have their own tradition and characteristics. Unlike westerners, the family name in China is put first, followed by the given name. Interestingly a feme covert does not use her husband's family name. The given name usually contains one or two Chinese characters but in order to avoid confusion, newly-born babies are now entitled to be given names of three characters.
China Facts: Chinese People
Ethnic Groups
China is a multiracial country consisting of 56 ethnic groups, the most populous being the Han who form about 91.59% of China's total population, while 8.41% are other 55 ethnic minorities. All the ethnic groups live together over vast areas while some live in individual concentrated communities in small areas. Although there are fewer people within the Chinese minorities, they are widely distributed throughtout the country.
Vietnamese 
English 
French 
German 
Malay 
Thai 
Myanmar