The Start of Winter (li dong), the 19th Solar Term, is on November 7 or 8 every year. In ancient times, the Chinese people took the Start of Winter to be the beginning of the winter. According to the book of 24 solar terms, “Li means the beginning,” and “Dong is the end, the collection of everything.” This means that the autumn crops have been harvested and animals have hidden to prepare for hibernation.
Category: Chinese customs
The Twenty-four Filial Exemplars: Wang Pou 二十四孝：王裒
As one of the cores of Chinese culture, "filiality" is not only the moral code for maintaining family relationships in Chinese society for thousands of years, but also the traditional virtue of Chinese Nation. A Yuan-dynasty(元朝Yuáncháo) writer Guo Jujing(郭居敬Guō Jūjìng) compiled the stories of 24 filial exemplars in ancient times and finished the Stories of Filiality. Let me introduce the 21th story to you.
Chinese Festival: Qingming Festival
Introduction Qingming Festival (also known as Tomb-sweeping Day)（清明节 qīng míng ji é）, which falls on either April 4th or 5th of the gregorian calendar（阳历 yáng lì ）, is one of the Chinese Twenty-four Solar Terms（二十四节气 èr shí sì ji é qì ） . From that date temperatures begin to rise and rainfall increases, indicating that it's the important time for plowing and sowing in the spring. Therefore Qingming Festival has a connection with agriculture. However, it is not merely a seasonal symbol; it is also one day of paying respect to the dead, a spring outing, as well as other activities.
The Twenty-four Filial Exemplars: Ding Lan 二十四孝：丁兰
As one of the cores of Chinese culture, "filiality" is not only the moral code for maintaining family relationships in Chinese society for thousands of years, but also the traditional virtue of Chinese Nation. A Yuan-dynasty(元朝Yuáncháo) writer Guo Jujing(郭居敬Guō Jūjìng) compiled the stories of 24 filial exemplars in ancient times and finished the Stories of Filiality. Let me introduce the 22th story to you.
Beijing cancel English test for college entrance exams
Beijing education authorities are moving to limit the influence of English, one of the three “major” subjects for college entrance exams, in an education reform plan announced yesterday.
Chinese Festival: Double Ninth Festival
The Chongyang Festival（重阳节 chóng yáng ji é） falls on the ninth day of the ninth month of the Chinese lunar calendar, so it is also known as the Double Ninth Festival（双九节 shuāng jiǔ ji é）. It is celebrated for over 2000 years but officially defined as a festival during the Tang Dynasty. As time goes on, the Double Ninth Festival gradually to be celebrated also as an Elder Day for young people to show their respects to the elderly as double nine symbolize the longevity in Chinese culture. The ninth day of the ninth lunar month is a day when the two Yang numbers meet. So it is called Chongyang. Chong in Chinese means "double." Also, as double ninth was pronounced the same as the word to signify "forever", both are "Jiu Jiu（九九 jiǔ jiǔ ）," the Chinese ancestors considered it an auspicious day worth celebration. That's why ancient Chinese began to celebrate this festival long time ago.
The Twenty-four Filial Exemplars: Meng Zong 二十四孝：孟宗
As one of the cores of Chinese culture, "filiality" is not only the moral code for maintaining family relationships in Chinese society for thousands of years, but also the traditional virtue of Chinese Nation. A Yuan-dynasty(元朝Yuáncháo) writer Guo Jujing(郭居敬Guō Jūjìng) compiled the stories of 24 filial exemplars in ancient times and finished the Stories of Filiality. Let me introduce the 23th story to you.
24The Twenty-four Filial Exemplars: Huang Tingjian 二十四孝：黄庭坚
As one of the cores of Chinese culture, "filiality" is not only the moral code for maintaining family relationships in Chinese society for thousands of years, but also the traditional virtue of Chinese Nation. A Yuan-dynasty(元朝Yuán Cháo) writer Guo Jujing(郭居敬Guō Jūjìng) compiled the stories of 24 filial exemplars in ancient times and finished the Stories of Filiality. Let me introduce the 24th story to you.
Art in China–Suzhou Embroidery
In China, there are plenty of folk arts that record the history and culture. And this column will introduce a series of Chinese art. First, let's get to know Suzhou embroidery together!
Changing an English Name into Chinese Name
When choosing a Chinese name, it does not necessarily have to be a transliteration of an English name. Instead, a "real" Chinese name can be adopted. This is much like Chinese people adopting common English names such as "Paul" or "Jessica". Translating an English name into Chinese is really important for anyone who is learning Chinese, interacting with Chinese culture, and is useful for the business man or traveler who runs a business or likes to travel through China. Those who are interested in having their names transliterated into Chinese should consult with someone who has a good understanding of both Chinese and English to ensure that suitable and positive characters are chosen.选择一个中文名字的时候，并不是必须是一个音译的英文名字。相反，一个“真实”的中文名字可以被采用。这很像中国人采用常见的英文名称，如“保罗”或者“杰西卡”。将英文名字翻译成中文名字，对那些正在学习中文、被中国文化所吸引的人来说十分重要，同时对于来中国谈生意的商人或喜欢穿越中国的旅行者来说也十分有用。这些对将自己的名字翻译成中文感兴趣的人，应该咨询一些对中文和英文都很精通的人，以确保选择了适当且正确字符。
Vietnamese 
English 
French 
German 
Malay 
Thai 
Myanmar