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culture
Chinese Opera: Beyond Peking Opera
Kunqu, Yu, Yue, Huangmei... an introduction to Chinese opera beyond Peking.
culture
Chinese Gardens: Wisdom of Living by Water and Rock
Why are Suzhou gardens world heritage? Reading borrowed views, rockery and water.
culture
The Evolution of Chinese Characters: From Oracle Bones to Simplified Script
Pictographs, ideographs and phonetics - how characters grew from pictures into today squares.
culture
Dragon Culture: Why Chinese Call Themselves Descendants of the Dragon
From totem to auspicious omen - the thousand-year evolution of the dragon in Chinese culture.
culture
The Four Treasures of the Study: China Story of Brush, Ink, Paper and Inkstone
Huzhou brushes, Huizhou ink, Xuan paper, Duan inkstones - the craftsmanship behind each scholar treasure.
culture
The 24 Solar Terms: Chinese Wisdom of Time
Plant melons at Qingming, eat dumplings at Dongzhi - how the ancient terms still guide Chinese life.
culture
Shadow Puppetry: A Thousand-Year Play of Light and Shadow
A white cloth, an oil lamp, and a puppeteer's hands performing every joy and sorrow.
culture
Chinese Paper Cutting: A World of Auspicious Symbols in Scissors
A sheet of red paper and a pair of scissors - cutting out dragons, phoenixes and abundance.
culture
Mid-Autumn Festival: Longing Sent Across a Thousand Miles of Moonlight
Moon-watching, mooncakes and the story of Chang'e - China's most romantic festival.
culture
Spring Festival: The Grandest Holiday in China
From the travel rush to the reunion dinner, from couplets to firecrackers - Spring Festival is the most important week of the Chinese year.
culture
The Chinese Zodiac: What Animal Are You?
Rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog, pig — the legend, traits and year logic behind your sign.
culture
Chinese Calligraphy: A Millennium of Discipline in One Brush
How Chinese characters became art — the five scripts and the philosophy of "the hand reveals the person".