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Ruyi, As You Wish
Visitors to Beijing's Forbidden City will notice a valuable exhibit called ruyi (formerly spelt as juyi) with a head like a shred of cloud and a long body or handle in the shape of a flat S. It may be made of any of a wide range of valuable materials: gold, jade, jadeite, crystal, agate, coral, agolloch eaglewood, bamboo, bone and what not. And the workmanship is often quite meticulous: it is carved with patterns in incision, low-relief or openwork and sometimes inlaid with silver, gold and gems. The designs may be simple or very elaborate but invariably convey messages of good wishes, such...
Weddings and Funerals
The Chinese are a very family-oriented people. Weddings of a relative are cause for celebration while funerals are a time for deep mourning. Both weddings and funerals have distinct characteristics.
Chinese Wedding Do's & Dont's
At the proposal meeting, the groom's family will present the bride with an alive goose. The bride's family should not kill the goose and eat it because the goose represents the groom. If the goose is quiet when it is turned over to the bride's family, it indicates that the groom has good personality. Otherwise, it indicates the groom is quick-tampered. The bride's family should leave the goose to a pond where it will grow by itself.
What Are Popular Chinese Gifts?
Gifts in China are given for many occasions. There are a few rules of etiquette in Chinese gifting. For example, the receiver will refuse the gift several times before accepting it. Good manners dictate that when staying in somebody's home, a gift is given to the host. Avoid giving clocks, knives and other sharp objects or anything in multiples of four. These are considered taboo gifts in China. The Chinese people appreciate any gift, but there are gifts that are more popular than any others.
Mazu Culture and Xunpu Women
Quanzhou, situated on the southeastern coast of East China's Fujian province, was an important harbor and the starting point on the Maritime Silk Road. Boats loaded with goods would shuttle back and forth between the ships and the wharves, already piled high with goods. After unloading items such as spices, ivory, pearls, hawksbill turtles, and rhinoceros horns, the ships would then take on silk, porcelain, tea, and Chinese arts and crafts before sailing back home.
Wenzhou Wedding Rituals
Wenzhou, a prefecture-level city in southeastern Zhejiang Province was once a prosperous foreign treaty port, and remains well-preserved today.
Bonan Wedding Rituals
The 12,000 Bonan people in China live mainly in Gansu Province, and are one of the country's smallest ethnic minorities. As Muslims, the Bonan have close cultural ties with the Hui ethnic minority. The dialect they speak belongs to the Mongolian branch of the Altaic language family.
Bargaining in China - Playing it Cool
Whether you're wheeling and dealing in China, or just trying to get a few yuan knocked off the price of the Mao bobblehead, there are a few points to consider to help your negotiations go smoothly.
Cultural Differences in China
By being aware of some of the differences you lessen the impact of culture shock and you make your life considerably easier. Here is a list of some of the more overt cultural differences of Western culture in relation to Chinese culture:
Cultural Taboos in China
Foreigners are not expected to know all of these things the minute they step off the plane and will be given great latitude, however your knowledge of what is not acceptable can make your transition to life in China much smoother.