Introduction

The purpose of this blog is to explore various aspects of China through the ages. We strove to show interesting aspects of a culture so distant from our own. We will look at the history, culture, religion, politics and current events. We sincerely hope you enjoy out blog! All sources cited within the text.

China's Obsession with Table Tennis

China is not necessarily a big sports nation unlike America. One thing that they are really obsessed with is Table Tennis. The Chinese love Table Tennis. They are really the only country that really gets into it. Above is a an example match of Chinese Table Tennis and how intense they get into it.

Chinese manufacturing hits three-year low

In the video posted above, it shows how China's manufacturing has been down. China is known for its manufacturing. They manufacture all different things especially electronics.  China manufactures many of projects that end up being sold in the United States of America. It was amazing to me that China manufactures many U.S. products and there manufacturing is still down.

*information coming from video above

What If China Collected on U.S. Debt?

The video above shows what the different situations that China would be in if they cashed out the debt that the United States of America owed them. It is shocking to see how China can corrupt America just by asking for the money that they are owed. It is very scary being an American and seeing this video.

*information coming from video

Forbidden City

The Forbidden City was the Chinese imperial palace from the Ming Dynasty to the end of the Qing Dynasty. It is located in the middle of Beijing, China, and now houses the Palace Museum. For almost 500 years, it served as the home of emperors and their households, as well as the ceremonial and political center of Chinese government.
Since 1925, the Forbidden City has been under the charge of the Palace Museum, whose extensive collection of artwork and artifacts were built upon the imperial collections of the Ming and Qing dynasties. 

http://www.travelchinaguide.com/intro/history/ 

China's one-child policy creates massive gender imbalance

China implemented a one child policy, meaning that a family is only allowed one child. Since there is such a gender bias in China towards men, most families are aborting there girls and waiting for the boy. Since the amount of men is much higher, there are villages that just have single men. In some of those villages for every thirty girls there will be one guy.

*information coming from video

Catholicism

Catholicism in China is called Tiānzhǔ jiào. This means "Religion of the Lord of Heaven". Christianity has been around in China since the Tang Dynasty in the eighth century AD. Christians in China reffered to God in many different terms. Chinese Catholicism is a lot like anywhere else. Chinese Catholics hold masses in cathedrals and share the same rituals and beliefs and prayers. One difference is that services in China are much more old-fashioned. Priests are more likely to face away from the congregation and lead traditional hymns. Until 20 years ago, most masses were still conducted in Latin.

Islam

Islam was brought into China during the seventh century. The religion spread quickly in Central Asia by Muslim conquest of the nomadic tribes and empires between Arabia and China. In modern times, China has a total population of 18 million, whose faith is Islam. Their 30,000 plus mosques are served by 40,000 Imams and Akhunds. The people of China never developed their own version of Islam. There have been many different Muslim sects or groups in different regions of the country and in different ethnic groups. Sometimes the groups fought each other.

Taoism

Taoism is native to China. It has a history of more than 1,700 years. China now has over 1,500 Taoist temples and more than 25,000 Taoist priests and nuns. The basic beliefs of Taoism are Changsheng which means long living, Shen which means god, andXian which means immortal. It evolved from the academic thought of Taoists in the Spring and Autumn, and Warring States Period that happened from 770-256 BC. The religion of Taoism and the thought of Taoists are very closely related the former is the extension of the latter.

Buddhism

Buddhism has been around for about 2,000 years in China. China, at the moment has 13,000 plus Buddhist temples and about 200,000 Buddhist monks and nuns. It was introduced by India to China from missionaries and traders along the Silk Road that connected China to Europe in the late Han Dynasty in 202 BC - 220 AD. The Buddhist philosophy split into two main divisions. One of which followed the traditional Theravada Buddhism, which is about strict meditation and a closer reading of the original teachings of Buddha. The other was Mahayana Buddhism. This includes multiple forms such as Zen Buddhism, Pure Land Buddhism and Tibetan Buddhism. This type is the one more common in China. Mahayana Buddhism believes in the broader appeal to Buddha's teachings compared to the more abstract philosophical questions posed in Theravada Buddhism. Mahayana Buddhists also accept contemporary buddhas like Amitabha, which Theravada Buddhists don't.

China: Religion in General

The country of China has a wide variety of religious beliefs. The major and main religions are Buddhism, Taoism, Islam, and Catholicism. Citizens of China may are allowed to freely choose and express their religious beliefs, and express them however they like. They can make clear religious affiliations. In China, there are about 100 million followers any sort of religion. There are more than 85,000 sites for religious activities, around 300,000 clergy and over 3,000 religious organizations throughout China. Along with 74 religious schools and colleges run by religious organizations.

Wish Lanterns

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/picturegalleries/picturesoftheday/9702941/Pictures-of-the-day-26-November-2012.html?frame=2409642


Chinese wish lanterns were originally created for communication in battle. Today, millions of these lanterns are released around the world for various celebrations. The most notable of which is the Chinese New Year. When released, they are supposed to bring good luck. But what is most striking is how beautiful these simple paper lanterns are when released into the sky. Doing a simple image search for these lanterns yields hundreds of breathtaking photos like the one above. I hope that one day, I can experience the magic of the lantern release in person.

Mooncakes

http://www.whatsonjinan.com/guide-48-traditional-food-for-china-s-mid-autumn-day.html

The above photo is an example of the traditional moon cakes served during the Chinese Mid-Autumn festival. The festival's origins are believed to stem from a man named Hou Yi, who shot down nine of the ten suns that plagued the Chinese with unbearable heat. In recognition for this act, he was given an elixir said to immediately ascend him to heaven and make him immortal. He gave it to his wife, Chang E, who upon drinking it, flew to the moon. Struck with grief, Hou Yi called her name repeatedly and saw her image n the moon. Hou Yi took Chang E's favorite foods and offered them as sacrifice to the moon, as well as burned incense. An thus has become the tradition every year. The festival falls on the 15th day of the 8th month in the Chinese calendar (around mid September by our calendar). The moon cakes pictured above represent the moon with their big round yolks in the center. They are dense, sweet cakes that many say are an acquired taste, although moon cakes of ice cream and chocolate are popular  today. Haagen Dazs makes a beautiful ice cream moon cake.

A Picture is Worth a Thousand words

There is something that is just so beautiful about Chinese culture. This video shows several aspects of Chinese culture through the various ages. The images found within, I found, were absolutely breathtaking. It moves through the dress of the various dynasties, moving to the art of food, then to festivals. I found the section of the moon cake festival especially interesting, and I plan my next post to revolve around it

Han Dynasty Wedding

I found this video browsing YouTube. It appears to be a news cast telling of a couple performing a Han style wedding. I found this interesting because, one, it showed a few of the basic elements of a Han style wedding as well as the traditional dress of the time, but also that some Chinese couples still value these ancient traditions, and are keeping them alive in their own weddings. The traditions of a society can say a lot about their culture, and by keeping certain traditions alive, these couples are making sure certain aspects of the culture survive. (A.K.A. the beautiful ceromonialism and grace of the Han dynasty.)

Be Free

People were searched and sealed into cells, sometimes for several days, to complete their papers for the civil service examinations. The reward was instant power and wealth for their family, which was highly regarded. 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ralphrepo_photolog/4143381206/

Invention of the Rudder

With the invention of the rudder China was able to make huge ships that could sail all around the world. It make the ship stable enough and able to steal through the bad seas.They also invented the stern post rudder and watertight compartments for ship's hulls.With these inventions, the Chinese trader and explorer Zheng Ho sailed as far as Africa between 1405 and 1433. Unfortunately, China did not follow up on these voyages. The Chinese destroyed their ocean going ships and halted further expeditions. 

http://listverse.com/2009/04/18/10-great-ancient-chinese-inventions/ 
http://library.thinkquest.org/23062/rudder.html

Printing Press

The video shows the introduction of the printing press in the Tang dynasty. It shows how the printing press made ideas easier to get around and showed the importance of paper which was also invented in the Tang dynasty.

https://sites.google.com/site/thetangdynasty1/tang-inventions-and-developments

Is China stealing American jobs?

Due to the fact that China labor costs are cheaper, American jobs have been outsourced to China. The video below shows how specific states have been affected by the outsource.  Below are some interesting facts that have been taking from the video.

China has stolen 2.87% of California's jobs
An average American factory workers wage is $34.00, while in China it is $2.00

*information coming from video

An Interesting Find in Splendid Slippers

While I was doing some light research for yesterday's post, I stumbled upon this book. It immediately caught my eye because of its comparison of the Chinese foot binding tradition to modern high heels. Now, I have no idea how much the author actually explores this in her book, but the very thought intrigued me enough to purchase (if not at a much discounted rate on Amazon) the book. There are many theories as to why Chinese women bound their feet for a thousand years. It was so much a part of their culture, that even when it was finally outlawed, many girls still bound their feet, believing that the government could not permanently prevent them from doing so. One of these theories was that it was a form of oppressing women so they were forced to rely one hundred percent upon them. But was this really the case? I am sure that it had to be at least a part of it, but if we take a look at what women do today . . . I have to admit I am not a hundred percent convinced that it is the true story. For men, the bound foot was the most erotic part of the female body. So much so that he would never, ever, see his wife's unbound foot. If a girl wanted to marry well, she had to have small feet.

Just like the author of Splendid Slippers, I will compare this to women wearing heels today. I myself own no fewer than 20 pairs of heels. All of which I adore. I love how pretty they are, plus they make me look and feel good. (Who doesn't love gaining an extra few inches by just slipping on a shoe?) They bend and contort my feet in all sorts of unnatural ways, and by the end of a long night of wearing them, my feet are tired and a bit achy. I cannot walk as fast, no, but there is a different power to my stride, a confidence and, if I must say it, swag, to my gait. No pair of sneakers could ever do that. But I do not do this for any man. There is no one forcing me to contort my feet and balance on 6 inch heels, no one saying I am any less for not wearing them. I do it for me. I already have a man, who I caught all on my own, in loose jeans and a t-shirt. He doesn't need them. I am certainly not trying to attract a second man, nor if I did not have one, would I feel the need to slip on a pair of heels, and flaunt myself about town until I did.Either way, I wear them. Some historian a hundred years from now might look at those very heels and say the same things about me that they say about the Chinese women who bound their feet. What if they felt the same way I do? That it is just pretty? That the pain is worth it to have the confidence to know that you look good?

I cannot say for sure if this is true of those who bound their feet. But I do believe that some aspects of history are lost in the preconceived notions of today. A huge aspect of why they mutilated their feet was to attracted a good husband. But this does not necessarily mean that they were being oppressed. Doesn't everyone want to be happy? Doesn't everyone, in the end, want to find that certain someone with whom they can spend the rest of their lives? Male and female?

Chinese Foot Binding

Not so long ago in China, women across the country forcibly broke their feet to achieve the perfect, three inch ideal. The process would start in girls as young as three, the older females in the family bending their toes backwards and wrapping them in ten feet of cotton. At the time, this small, three inch foot was considered beautiful, as well as a status symbol. If a girl did not have her feet bound, she most likely would not be able to marry. This breaking of the foot prevented the woman from walking on her own in most cases, forcing her to rely on someone else to move around. She would thus become one hundred percent reliant on her husband to take care of her.  As barbaric as this is, today's women are not so different than those who bound their feet. Think about high heels. No, we do not generally break our feet to fit into them . . .

http://www.liamalexander.com/blog/twitter/foot-binding/


But it isn't so different either. We just bend our toes in a different direction . .

History

There is not doubt that the Chinese invented gunpowder. The ways in which they used it and how their use of gunpowder differed from the West has been debated.  The first known recipe for saltpetre, teh principal ingredient of gunpowder, can be found in a Chinese military manual written by Wu Ching Tsung Yao from 1044 (Burke, 1978).  This military manual also gave directions for making a bomb using gunpowder so most historians believe that bombs or grenades were used by Chinese troops from before the 11th century.  And, although the Chinese did use gunpowder in fireworks for religious purposes, they also used gunpowder in cannons, rockets, and guns. Rocket arrows were used in 1126 to defend the city of Kaifeng which was the capital of the Sung empire. 

Gunpowder was a huge invention by China and with it created bombs, fireworks and the invention later of guns. With out this there would be no guns or any type of explosions. War would still be with swords and bow and arrows. Thanks to the Chinese even more things have been invented because of the development of gunpowder.