(严复: 20世纪初中国与西方的对话者) 4 min read Modern China’s “age of awakening,” spanning the late 19th and early 20th centuries, was a painful reckoning for Chinese intellectuals as they confronted the country’s rapid decline in the face of Western imperial powers. Yan Fu (严复, 1854—1921), one of the most influential thinkers of this era, was the […]
Yan Fu: At the Crossroad of East and West in the Early 20th Century Read More »
(活生生的中文字) 5 min read Chinese is spoken by more than a billion people, primarily in mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, and in diaspora communities around the world. Like all living languages, Chinese evolves over time. Over the past three millennia, Chinese writing has taken on new forms, and new words and
Chinese—a Living Language Read More »
(历久不衰的成语故事) 6 min read Chinese idioms (成语) are concise expressions that convey complex ideas, moral lessons, or life philosophies. Idiom stories explain the origins and meanings of these expressions and, in some ways, resemble Aesop’s Fables. They are an integral part of Chinese culture. People who grow up in Chinese-speaking communities are deeply familiar
Enduring Idiom-Stories Read More »
(传统说唱艺术的魅力) 4 min read Oral storytelling has played a significant role in the development and preservation of civilizations worldwide, serving as an essential means of transmitting knowledge, cultural values, and historical narratives to the general public before the advent of mass literacy. This tradition, marked by vast regional diversity, encompasses various forms such as
Oral Traditions of China Read More »
(客家人从何而来) 5 min read Throughout history, the Hakka—a subgroup of the Han ethnic majority (汉人)—migrated southward in several waves from northern China to the coastal provinces of Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, and Hainan (福建, 广东, 广西, 海南), as well as to Taiwan (台湾), in order to escape war, poverty, and social upheaval. Shaped by this
Who are the Hakka people? Read More »
(海外华人在抗日战争中的贡献) 5 min read During China’s War of Resistance against Japan, overseas Chinese communities organized on a massive scale to support the struggle. More than 3,900 overseas Chinese groups were established worldwide. They conducted fundraising campaigns, donating money and materials to support frontline troops. For example, in 1942 Chinese communities in New York, Boston,
Overseas Chinese in China’s War of Resistance against Japan Read More »
(描绘北宋汴京的清明上河图) 5 min read Along the River during the Qingming Festival (清明上河图) is one of the most celebrated masterpieces of traditional Chinese painting. Created during the Northern Song dynasty (北宋) and presented to Emperor Huizong (宋徽宗) in the early 12th century, this monumental handscroll measures 25 × 529 cm. It presents a sweeping panorama
Along the River during the Qingming Festival Read More »
(山水画中的 “自然模仿艺术”) 4 min read In Chinese art, landscapes (shanshui, 山水, “mountain and water”) express the artist’s inner mind and cultivated spirit rather than literal depictions of specific places. They are valued not only for their beauty but also for their cultural and philosophical depth. The following masterpieces illustrate how landscape art shaped China’s
“Nature Imitates Art” in Chinese Landscape Read More »
(云冈石窟) 5 min read After meeting my good friend and travel companion at Beijing Railway Station, we set off for Datong in Shanxi Province (山西大同). There, we were awed by the Yungang Grottoes, a UNESCO World Heritage Site renowned for its breathtaking grandeur. Carved into a sandstone cliff in the 5th century by the
Time Travel in Yungang Grottoes Read More »
(中文字如何形成) 4 min read Chinese characters are logograms: each character is a standalone symbol that represents meaning, rather than being written with letters of an alphabet. Korean and Japanese also use logographic writing systems, whereas the majority of the world’s languages are based on alphabetic systems. Although Chinese characters are often thought to depict
How Chinese Characters are Created Read More »
