The Admiral Of the Western Seas – Cheng Ho (Zheng He) Zheng He flag “treasure ship” is four hundred feet long – much larger than Columbus’s. In the drawing below, the two flagships are superimposed to give a clear idea of the relative size of these two ships. In the 1930s, a stone pillar was discovered … Read more Story of Zheng He
Chinese Food History – An Anthropological Study Chinese food history, adapted from K.C. Chang, Food in Chinese Culture: Anthropological and Historical Perspectives, New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 1977. Reprinted with permission from Yale University Press. To say that the consumption of food is a vital part of the chemical process of life is to … Read more Chinese Food History
Banquets in Chinese Cuisine In Chinese cuisine, banquets are held to celebrate the New Year, the Moon Festival, weddings, and other special occasions. Each event is associated with particular treats — filled moon cakes for the Moon Festival or New Year’s pudding, for example — but there are also many common characteristics and ceremonies involved. … Read more Chinese Cuisine – Banquets
The kite, a Chinese invention, has been praised as the forerunner of the modern aeroplane. In the pavilion of aircraft of the National Aeronautics and Space Museum, Washington D. C., a plaque says, “the earliest aircraft are the kites and missiles of China”. The kite is mainly, but not only, a plaything. It has … Read more The Kite
Chinese New Year Far and away the most important holiday in China is Spring Festival, also known as the Chinese New Year. To the Chinese people it is as important as Christmas to people in the West. The dates for this annual celebration are determined by the lunar calendar rather than the Gregorian calendar, so … Read more Chinese Spring Festival / New Year
Article selected from Travel China weekly During the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) there were all kinds of Chinese royal banquets. Grand banquets were held for a number of reasons; when a new emperor came into power, when the government changed its title of reign, when a war was won, for the Spring Festival, or for special birthdays. … Read more Chinese Royal Banquets
based on material offered by Mr.Du Feibao Jade is loosely understood in China as the collective name for most precious stones, and jade carving in this sense constitutes an important part of Chinese arts and crafts. The love of jade ware, according to Dr. Joseph Needham, the noted British naturalist, has been one of the … Read more Jade History
The Art of Eating To understand the art of eating you must know the philosophy of food. food must be fresh, have flavor and possess proper texture. If the food itself is bad, even the greatest chef will not be able to cook a flavor into it. As in other things in life, we must … Read more Chinese Eating & Drinking Culture
Dai People – Folklore of the Dai Ethnic Group Article selected from Travel China weekly The ethnic Dai people live in compact communities in the southwest frontier of China in Yunnan Province. The beauty of the subtropical natural scene is enhanced by exquisite bamboo houses, charming Dai women in their colorful clothes, and other sights with … Read more Dai People
China, the Homeland of Tea The history of Chinese tea dates back millenniums. Of the three major beverages of the world– tea, coffee and cocoa– tea is consumed by the largest number of people, and for the longest time. China is the homeland of tea. It is believed that China has tea-shrubs as early as … Read more History of Chinese Tea