Practical guides to Mandarin pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary, Chinese characters, culture and effective learning strategies.
English
The Chinese traditionally believed that good luck comes through the front door. Before the Chinese New Year, there will be a huge clean-up around the house. To avoid “sweeping away good fortune”, people will sweep the floor from the entrance towards the inside until they reach the inner corners,
English
As of July 2019, China has 55 scenic spots that made it to the World Heritage List, including 37 world cultural heritage sites, 4 dual world and natural heritage sites, and 14 world natural heritage sites. Some of the most sought after scenery in China on this list are: Wulingyuan
English
The history of tea dates back to ancient China almost 5,000 years ago. The way tea is pronounced is split into two main groups, either “te” or “cha”. For example, “tea” in English, “thee” in Dutch, “te-neer” in Tamil…and “chai” in Hindi, “chay” in Persian, “shay” in
English
Revered martial art superstar Bruce Lee famously described Kung Fu in the following: empty your minds, be formless, shapeless, like water. now you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup. you put it into a bottle, it becomes the bottle. you put it in a teapot, it becomes
English
The history of Chinese calligraphy is as long as the Chinese script has been in use. Since the invention of the script on the oracle bones, Chinese calligraphy has gone through stages of development, from the seal script to the official script, cursive script, regular script, and running script. The
English
World tier 1 cities refer to those metropolises that have a global economic and political impact. The sheer size of these concentrated urban centers and the economies of scale are the biggest provers of global economic growth. The important status of these tier 1 cities are mainly reflected in various
English
If you are preparing for your HSK exams, you might already know that you need to know at least 300 words for the lowest level in HSK. In total, there is around 10,000 Chinese characters (Hanzi) that were once in circulation in the language. But don't be
English
If categorizes according to their functions, the most popular and arguably indispensable apps on the phones of your average Chinese are: Social networking: WeChat Payment: Alipay, WeChat pay Shopping: Taobao, JD, Pinduoduo Food delivery: MeiTuan, MISSFRESH, JD Entertainment: DouYin, Bilibili, KuaiShou, Tencent, iQIYI, YouKu Music: NetEaseMusic, QQMusic Cab hailing: DiDi,
English
Lion dance is a form of traditional dance in Chinese culture and other Asian countries. Performers mimic a lion's movements in a lion costume to show their worship towards their patron saint. Lion dance is believed to bring good luck and fortune and has been practiced for hundreds
English
Traditionally, Chinese New Year is celebrated according to the lunar calendar. Till this day, most Chinese people feel that the new year really begins only after the lunar New Year. Chinese people only started integrating the western calendar year a little over a century ago, recognizing January 1 as the
English
What did the ancient people play? Touhu, or the game of throwing arrows into a pot, where the loser required to drink as punishment, can be regarded as an important entertainment of that time. Touhu had been a part of the traditional etiquette and also a banquet game of the
English
996 working system refers to a kind of employment system that requires workers to "start at 9:00 a.m., leave at 9:00 p.m., and work six days a week". Sometimes it is also used to refer to a series of working systems in which the