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Chinese History and Culture

Buddhism in China

Early History of Buddhism in China
Buddhism (fó jiào 佛教) is the most important religion in China. Buddhism was introduced from India into China in 6th Century AD. One of the Hen Emperors sent a mission to the west of China and brought back the scriptures (jīng wén 经文), Indian monks and the images of Buddha. Since then Chinese translation was made available and the further exchange of scholars among altChina, India and other Asian countries brought about the rapid development of Buddhism in China. Buddhist monasteries (xiū dào yuàn 修道院) and temples were built to promote the Buddhism and some of the Emperors were also the followers of Buddhism. Buddhism, just like Confucianism (rú jiào 儒教) and Taoism (dào jiào 道教), guides people to behave, to be honest and responsible. It promotes harmony and peaceful mind, sharing and compassion. Buddhists never force people into their belief. Buddhism emphasizes in "awakening of mind". Through learning, one will develop intellectual capacity to the fullest so as to understand, to love and be kind to other beings.

Buddhism does not believe in God. It believes in People. In Buddhist teaching, there is no aggressive promotion of Buddhism or strong rejection of other religions. All these make Buddhism fall into the same scope of Confucianism and Taoist. Its ability to co-exist with any other religions makes it being developed into one of the largest religions in China.

Last Updated on Wednesday, 22 April 2009 12:20
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Ci (词)

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Ci (cí 词) is a kind of lyric Chinese poetry. For speakers of English, the word "ci" is pronounced somewhat like "tsuh". It is also known as Changduanju (cháng duǎn jù 长短句 "lines of irregular lengths") and Shiyu (shī yú 诗馀).

Typically the number of characters in each line and the arrangement of tones were determined by one of around 800 set patterns, each associated with a particular title, called cipai (cí pái 词牌). Originally they were written to be sung to a tune of that title, with set rhythm, rhyme, and tempo. Therefore, the title may have nothing to do with its contents, and it is common for several ci to appear to have the same title. Some ci would have a "subtitle" (or a commentary, sometimes as long as a paragraph) indicating the contents. Sometimes, for the sake of clarity, a ci is listed under its title plus its first line.

Last Updated on Saturday, 10 October 2009 09:52
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Tang Poetry (唐诗)

Tang PoetryTang poetry (táng shī 唐诗) refers to poetry written during China's Tang Dynasty (táng cháo 唐朝), often considered as the Golden Age of Chinese poetry. According to a compilation created under the Kangxi (kāng xī 康熙) emperor of the Qing Dynasty (qīng cháo 清朝), there were almost 50,000 Tang poems written by over 2,200 authors.

During the Tang Dynasty, poetry became an important part of social life at all levels of society. Scholars were required to master poetry for the civil service examinations, but the art was available to everyone. This led to a large record of poetry and poets, a partial record of which survives today. Two of the most famous poets of the period were Du Fu (dù fǔ 杜甫) and Li Bai (lǐ bái 李白).

 

Last Updated on Friday, 09 October 2009 09:52
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Chinese Wine

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Unlike Western wines, Chinese wine is distilled from rice, millet and other grains, as well as herbs and flowers. A wide variety of tonic wines (zī bǔ jiǔ 滋补酒) are made with traditional ingredients. The popular rice-based Yellow Wine, is best served warm. It tastes similar to medium-dry sherry (xuě lì jiǔ 雪利酒) and goes well with a wide range of Chinese cuisine, especially during the cool season. Gao Liang (gāo liáng jiǔ 高粱酒) and Mao Tai (máo tái 茅台) are fiery, millet-based distillations with an alcoholic content of 70 per cent. These are definitely best sampled after a hearty meal.

Last Updated on Monday, 20 April 2009 10:35
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Four Treasures of the Study

   Four Treasures of the Study
Four Treasures of the Study (wén fáng sì bǎo 文房四宝 ) is an expression used to refer to the ink brush, inkstick, paper and inkstone used in Chinese calligraphy. The name stems from the time of the Southern and Northern Dynasties (nán běi cháo 南北朝).

Last Updated on Wednesday, 21 April 2010 10:52
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