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Chinese Civilization: Traditions & Customs of China

December 8, 2014

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Chinese Civilization: Traditions & Customs of China

The words of wisdom by Confucius, which give a lot of importance to compliance, as well as to respect of seniors and accountability to the society; are the leading elements of the legendary Chinese civilization.

The state is very large, so traditions and customs can differ by topography, in addition to more than fifty tribal factions that live in this kingdom of over one billion citizens. A concise synopsis of the amazing Chinese civilization is presented below:

Religion

Since Chinese Civilization today is a Marxist country, there is actually no certified religion.

Moreover, above half of the inhabitants claim no religious association or identify themselves as atheists. Approximately a quarter of Chinese citizens follow Confucianism and Taoism, and various other diverse customary beliefs.

There are, in addition, a small number of Muslims, Christians and Buddhists. Even though various Catholic and Protestant bureaus have been dynamic in the state from the beginning of the early 1500’s, the ministries have made very little development in converting the Chinese to any of these religions until recently.

Language

There are in total seven major vernaculars of Chinese in Chinese Civilization.

Hakka, Cantonese, Mandarin, Xiang, Gan, Wu and Min. Pŭtōnghuà, the sort of Mandarin spoken in the Chinese capital of Beijing, is the bureaucrat nationwide language of mainland China. A lot of Chinese are, in addition, fluent in English too. The written lingo is character based.

Food

Like the various other features of Chinese lifestyle, cuisine is, to a great deal, subjective to topography, in addition to the ethnic range. Amongst the various approaches of Chinese food preparation are Cantonese, which sports the infamous stir-fried dishes, along with Szechuan, which prepares food by the extreme use of ginger, sesame paste plus peanuts, and is recognized for its sharp taste.

The Chinese term for rice is known to be fan, which in addition means food. In addition to that, rice is a staple of the Chinese diet (more so in the south than north), as are bean sprouts, scallions and cabbage. For the reason that the Chinese do not eat lots of meat, just occasionally consuming chicken or pork, tofu is the main resource of protein used by the Chinese people.

Tea is the mostly consumed beverage (more so in the south than the north).

Arts

Chinese fine art is very much prejudiced by the state’s rich religious and spiritual history. A lot of statuettes and paintings give a picture of religious figurines of Buddhism. Apart from that, a lot of musical apparatuses are basic to Chinese ethnicity, counting the xun, which is similar to the flute, as well as the amazing guqin, which comes from the zither kin.

Eastern approach to martial arts was, in addition, expanded within China. Furthermore, it is also the place of birth of Kung Fu, which actually transforms to individual achievement. Prehistoric Chinese were enthusiastic authors and theorists; in particular, for the duration of the Qing and Ming dynasties, and this is mirrored in the nation’s rich liturgical record.

I loved living in China for all of the reasons above. But perhaps the greatest reason was its rich and diverse history. From ancient Xi’an, to Beijing (which is the 5th capital of China and its youngest), to the raging Yellow River, Chinese Civilization has an abundant of things to see and do.

Enjoy!

Secret Paris – 4 Hidden Events in the City History

November 24, 2014

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Secret Paris – 4 Hidden Events in the City History

Paris is one of the most beautiful cities in the world! Incredible foods. Incredible sites! Incredible places to discover. An amazing history! And I like to consider myself a bit of a student of history so let me say that I was… intrigued… by these few facts that a friend told me about. So much so I wanted write an article about them.

Paris is a city of many mysteries, one thing that you may not be aware of is the fact that there are many events which have happened that have disappeared somewhere in the history books. Here are the top 4 for your enjoyment.

Secret Paris – Nazi bunkers were created in the Paris Catacombs.
1. The catacombs below Paris are the home to over 6 million Parisians. Of those 6 million most of them are ancient. During the French Revolution many people used to meet in the catacombs and hide to plan their strategies.
2. In addition to that there are people now who meet down there as well to have catacomb parties. The Nazis saw the distinct advantage to ensuring that their men had a place to hide in the most secure area of the city.
3. Nazi Bunkers, courtesy Messy Nessy
Secret Paris – The French-Algerian Massacre of 1961.
1. In 1961 on the tail end of a disagreement with the government. The French government got into a disagreement with Algerians who were seeking and looking for political asylum. The government decided to crack down on the people and a massacre ensued.
Secret Police – Napoleon escaped twice.
Secret Paris – Paris had human zoos.
1. France has always been a country of conquest and while they were working hard to expand the empire they also decided to bring it back to Paris for national display. Over 35,000 people were brought back to the city and were then put into local villages which recreated the lifestyle of the locations where there were very were from.
2. Now there is a location that is available and abandoned in the middle of Paris. It stands in the heart of the city as a testament to all of the things that were wrong with colonization. One thing that is truly amazing as well is the fact that there are many people as well who have gone back to the site and have contemplated tearing it down.
3. That however, is not an option since the site has been a part of the history of the city.

Every city has its secrets and there is nothing different about Paris.

Within the dark streets and the locations which have been populated since Roman times lurks a new kind of secret which is the driving force of history as well as of innovation; Secret Paris. When you head to Paris you will be able to find locations in which you want to stay and have an experience of a lifetime. Make sure you are ready!

Enjoy!

China Tourist Attractions – You Must Visit and Avoid

November 5, 2014

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Qin dynasty Terracotta Army, Xian (Sian), China

China Tourist Attractions – You Must Visit and Avoid

The gate was ancient entrance way into towns and cities in China

While living in China I primarily did most of my traveling for work related reasons. Sometimes, a visit to a factory in another province was literally an overnight trek (remind me to tell you the story of the duck tape on the wing!), but I always tried as hard as possible to see the surrounding area as much as possible.

Every province, every district, every village even, had its own unique culture, language, and history. While much of that has been eroded today by the Central Government enforcing certain things, like only Mandarin to be taught in schools, it is still very possible to meet people who seem like they’re caught in time.

The country is large (roughly 100,000 sq. miles larger than the US) and has many amazing China tourist attractions for you to visit.

With more than 22 provinces, four directly controlled municipalities, two self-governing special administrative areas and five autonomous regions, it is hard to list a few of the top-notch tourist spots in the country.

I have had the chance to visit some pretty exotic places in China, which I have shared some in this article. I have also mentioned the places that might not be worth your time.

China Tourist Attractions – Sights to See!

Beijing has been China’s capital for more than 700 (rather young, China has had 5 capitals in its long history, Beijing being the newest) years and is indeed one of the finest cities to visit in the country. Some of the best attractions of the city include the famous Great Wall of China, the interesting Forbidden City, the fascinating Temple of Heaven, the lovely Summer Palace and the Olympic Village. Also, I personally always found the Ming Tombs to be very interesting.

Shanghai is another wonderful city in China and has a very dynamic atmosphere that has modernity like that of New York. Some of the sights for you to visit are the Jade Buddha Temple, Yuyuan Garden and going on the Huangpu River cruise, and the TV Tower, and an amazing walk along the Bund (***Watch out for pickpockets!!!). There is also an incredible historical side to the city, some great museums, and even the old Jewish ghetto that was used by the Japanese to keep Jews during WWII.

Xi’an is an amazing place to visit if interest historical sites. It houses a huge number of amazing relics and ancient sites. The Entombed Warriors, the Small Wild Goose Pagoda, the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, the First Emperor’s Tomb, the Great Mosque and the Ancient City Wall are some of the top sites to see in the city. For seeing the Giant Pandas, you must visit Chengdu.

Chinese terracotta army - Xian — Chinese terracotta army – Xian

Guilin is a beautiful city in the country, and is often regarded as one of the most gorgeous cities in the world. You must visit Long sheng and Yangzhou if you want to have a relaxing time amidst scenic views.

Hangzhou is another city with breathtaking views. Besides the views, it has places like Thousand Islets Lake, Wuhan, Xizang, National Tea Museum and National Silk Museum for you to visit.

China Tourist Attractions – Sights You Should Avoid

Mao’s Mausoleum is a place that can be missed while you are in Beijing. Cameras are not allowed there because of security reasons and the guides at the sight are thugs, waiting to scam the tourists.

The Banpo Neolithic Village and Fang Shui Museum in Xi’an are two other popular tourist traps of the city. Not only are they are also overcrowded and the guides there are always seeking tourists to scam them. Although the famous backstreet of this city hosts great souvenirs of both, Xi’an and China, but many of the vendors there are scammers as well. If you want to purchase a memento from there, make sure to bargain a lot on the price offered to you.

These are just some of the awesome China tourist attractions to visit.

I’ll be writing soon about my two week journey with my Grandpa when he came to visit me in China. Our trip started in Hong Kong, went to Beijing, Shanghai, Zhujiaojiao, and Xi’an. It was an extraordinary trip that anyone should take if given the opportunity.

Enjoy!