Practical guides to Mandarin pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary, Chinese characters, culture and effective learning strategies.
Chinese Culture
Baozi (包子) are Chinese filled buns with many regional shapes, cooking methods and fillings, so there is no single official number of kinds. This article introduces popular varieties such as baked buns, custard buns, BBQ pork buns and soup dumplings.
Chinese Culture
Before Chinese New Year, many families give the home a thorough clean, and some traditions avoid sweeping on New Year's Day so good fortune is not swept out the door. This article explains these beliefs and notes that customs vary by family and region.
Chinese Culture
As of August 2026, UNESCO lists 61 World Heritage properties in China. The original article described a July 2019 snapshot of 55 sites, so its breakdown should be read as historical. The FAQ explains how and why the total changes.
Chinese Culture
Most of the world's words for tea come from Chinese 茶. Forms like 'tea' trace to the Min pronunciation 'te', while 'cha' and 'chai' come from 'chá'. This article explains how the two spread and why the sea vs land story is a simplification.
Chinese Culture
The idea that every Chinese person knows kung fu is a pop-culture stereotype. This article explains what Chinese martial arts are, how films and stars like Bruce Lee shaped the image abroad, and what the wuxia genre is.
Chinese Characters
Chinese calligraphy developed alongside the Chinese script itself, from inscriptions on oracle bones to seal, clerical, cursive, regular and running scripts. This article outlines that evolution and why calligraphy is valued as an art, not just handwriting.
Life in China
This article summarizes how the GaWC world cities ranking classified Chinese cities in 2018. The FAQ explains what GaWC measures and why it differs from China's commonly used domestic city-tier system, so rankings should be read with their date and source.
Chinese Characters
There is no single verified number of characters every Chinese speaker knows. A useful official benchmark is China's List of Commonly Used Standard Chinese Characters, whose first level has 3,500 high-frequency characters. The FAQ compares this with HSK words.
Life in China
A December 2020 editorial snapshot of apps then common on phones in China, grouped into messaging, payments, shopping, food delivery, video, music, transport, maps and local reviews. It is not a current popularity ranking.
Chinese Culture
The lion dance (舞狮) is a traditional performance in Chinese and other Asian cultures, believed to bring good luck. This article explains its history, why it appears at festivals and celebrations, and how it combines dance, music and martial arts.
Chinese Culture
In China, January 1 is called 元旦 (Yuándàn), while the traditional new year is the Spring Festival (春节) on the lunar calendar. This article explains the difference, when the modern naming began and why many people feel the year truly starts at Spring Festival.
Chinese Culture
Touhu (投壶) is an ancient Chinese game in which players throw arrows into a pot, with losers drinking as a forfeit. Played from pre-Qin times to the end of the Qing dynasty, it began as part of formal etiquette and became a banquet pastime.