Chinese History and Culture
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 Anyang (ān yáng 安阳) was designated as a capital as early as the 14th century BC, when the 20th king of the Shang Dynasty (shāng cháo 商朝), Pangeng (pán gēng 盘庚), moved the capital to Yin (yīn 殷), today’s Xiaotun village (xiǎo tún cūn 小屯村), Anyang City (ān yáng shì 安阳市), Henan province (hé nán shěng 河南省).
The rulers of the Shang Dynasty organized an immense construction there, and finally built Yin into a great capital in ancient China. After that, some other kingdoms in the Central Plains (comprising the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River) also chose Anyang as the capital as well, but no further accomplishment with regard to city construction was made. This ancient city was reduced to ruins by countless wars. After the Song Dynasty (sòng cháo 宋朝), cultural and architectural relics of the Yin times were discovered from time to time, especially in several large-scale excavations after the founding of People’s Republic of China.
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Last Updated on Monday, 01 February 2010 09:36 |
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Formerly named Bianliang (biàn liáng 汴梁), Kaifeng (kāi fēng 开封) is one of the major seven ancient capitals in China. According to some research, there were human activities around Kaifeng area as early as the capital of a number of dynasties such as the Later Liang Dynasty (hòu liáng 后梁), the Later Jin Dynasty (hòu jìn 后晋), the Han Dynasty (hàn dài 汉代) and the Later Zhou Dynasty (hòu zhōu 后周). In 960 AD, the Northern Song Dynasty (běi sòng 北宋) was founded and made Kaifeng its capital, then known as "Dongdu” (dōng dū 东都, Eastern Captial). During the Northern Song Dynasty, with a population of 1.5 million, Kaifeng was not only the economic, political and cultural hub of China, but also the greatest international metropolis, and hence the title “thoroughfare of the world”. |
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Last Updated on Tuesday, 02 February 2010 09:48 |
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Hangzhou (háng zhōu 杭州) has a long history, and extensive cultural heritages. As early as in the New Stone Age, 4000to 5000years ago, its first inhabitants created the splendid Liangzhu Culture (liáng zhǔ wén huà 良渚文化), reputedly called the twilight of civilization. Hangzhou was called Qiantang (qián táng 钱塘) in ancient times. Over 2200 years has passed since it was designated as the seat of Qiantang County in the Qin Dynasty (qín cháo 秦朝). In 1129, Hangzhou was renamed Lin’an (lín 'ān 临安). In 1138, the Southern Song Dynasty (nán sòng 南宋) made Lin’an its capital, and since then it served as the capital in the following 140 years. |
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Last Updated on Wednesday, 03 February 2010 09:39 |
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Longtang (lòng táng 弄堂) is the local term used by Shanghai (shàng hǎi 上海) people for Lilong (lǐ lòng 里弄). As "long" means a lane and "tang" means an important building or the front room of a house, "longtang" either means a lane that connects houses or a group of houses connected by lanes. According to elucidation, "longtang" might not so explicit as "Lilong"is, for the "Li" in "lilong" means neighbourhood, and people living in a longtang are actually living in a neighbourhood , but it is understandable. |
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Last Updated on Wednesday, 21 October 2009 09:49 |
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The word "hutong" (hú tóng 胡同) means "water well"(shuǐ jǐng 水井) in Mongolian. The Mongolians keep the nomadic tradition of settling down around springs or wells. A hutong is the passage formed by lines of siheyuan (sì hé yuàn 四合院, four-side enclosed courtyards). Strictly, hutong alleys are less than nine meters wide. Most hutongs in Beijing run in an east-west or north-south direction, with most houses facing south to take in as much sunshine as possible. |
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Last Updated on Thursday, 22 October 2009 09:27 |
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