Taoism is an ancient Chinese philosophy that focuses on the Tao or the way of the universe. It was heavily influenced by the ancient scared text, the I Ching. The foundation of Taoism is based on the teachings and philosophy of Lao Tzu. He was credited with the teachings of the Tao Te Ching, which is considered to be the “keystone work” of Taoism. The Tao Te Ching is the sacred text in Taoism. The teachings in the book are what make up the philosophy of Taoism. Some Taoist ideas include Yin Yang and Wu Wei. Yin Yang represents the balance in the universe, of darkness and light. Wu Wei is effortless action. It’s the idea that events will occur, without the your actions or efforts.
The Tao is literally translated to the way of the universe. It is the idea that the universe has its own path for everything in our lives and the universe. It is very interconnected with the idea of Wu Wei in the sense that the universe's way will prevail, and that it would be effortless action to do so. Many think that the idea of Yin Yang is that everything in the universe has an opposite. While this statement does have some truth to it, Yin Yang is more about the balance in the universe. It is about how everything in the universe has a balance, and that we need to find that balance in our own lives. All of the main philosophies in Taoism are there to support the way of the universe. Finding a balance and keeping it allows the universe to find its own way without throwing it off course because of the unbalance. Li is the idea that there are patterns everywhere. It is interesting to go out and look for patterns in nature, because it is a very visual representation for Li. They can be found in plants, mountains, the sky, and almost anywhere you look. But Li also appears in life. It is important to look for patterns throughout our lives as well to be aware of everything around us. If there is a pattern of something in life (for example, you keep getting fired) an adjustment can be made to improve upon life. All of these ideas that Taoists have, all connect back to the Tao, and support the action of the universe. I also feel that it is important to note that effortless action does not mean that one should not make an effort, but that sometimes in life, something will happen without you having to do anything. But that does not mean that effort is not needed. It just means that the universe has its path, and doing one thing in specific does not mean that the desired outcome will necessarily happen.
Monday, December 14, 2015
In the upcoming year Chinese New Year will be celebrated on February 8. Though it is at the beginning of February for our modern day society, the New year actually takes place on the last day of the last month according to the Chinese calendar. The holiday is also known as the spring festival and has only recently been modernized and adapted into "Chinese New Year". Even so, it is a very traditional celebration and usually important to Chinese family's. The holidays many traditions encompass around an ancient legend. It tells a story about a man-eating beast called Nian. Nian lived deep underwater but every Chinese New Year he would come out of the sea to eat livestock and humans. One year, though, an old man asked to be left in the village on the New Year with the promise that he will scare away the beast. When Nian came into the village the old man shot fireworks at the beast, scaring him back into the water. When the villagers returned the old man was gone but had left the fireworks for the villagers. From then on Chinese families would light firecrackers and hang red banners to ward off Nian. A common celebration of Chinese New Year is a parade with dancers, fireworks, and beautiful floats. People frequently hand out red envelopes with money to children to ward off evil and keep them in good health. Many will also decorate their homes to welcome the New Year, adding lanterns, red patterns, and more. On the first day of the New Year some people will stay inside all day while others will go out to greet everyone they meet. On the second day married women will visit their parents and religious ceremonies will be held. On a third another ceremony takes place, and on the fifteenth people celebrate the lantern festival. A Popular food eaten on Chinese New Year is Yú, or fish. The way the fish is prepared is very important. The head should be placed towards guests or elders to show respect. The meal can be enjoyed only after the person who the head is pointing toward has finished his meal. The fish can not be moved either. Dumplings are also served in Northern China but are rare in Southern China. Spring rolls and noodles are also traditional and have their own important traditions as well. A traditional Chinese saying on the New Year is 福禄寿, or fú lù shòu, meaning happiness, prosperity, longevity. People say this
during and after the New Year in hopes of brining good luck to those people. Chinese New Year
interested me because I had heard the mythological tale before but had never looked into it. The festivals seem exciting. I also found it interesting that Chinese New year connected with gunpowder.
during and after the New Year in hopes of brining good luck to those people. Chinese New Year
interested me because I had heard the mythological tale before but had never looked into it. The festivals seem exciting. I also found it interesting that Chinese New year connected with gunpowder.
Journey to the west blog post - Angus Gosman
The journey to the west is a story of an enlightened monk in search of sacred sutras by traveling to the west. he was assigned to do so by the Buddha. The monk is also accompanied by the monkey King, sent on this to rid himself of sin, a pig man, accused of assaulting a fairy and a used-to-be sea monster. Throughout the book the monks companions show their puissance, most of which the monkey King.
The journey to the west involves aspects of Taoism, Confucianism and Buddhism all in one story. The idea of the story came from actual events about a real Buddhist monk in search of sacred sutras. The monks name was Xaunzang, it was told that he spent over four years of his life in "western regions" searching for these sutras. The western regions were mostly India, Pakistan and Afghanistan. These aspects displayed in the story have much of a presence in modern China. Having the book being somewhat comical, it is easy to read and a very effective way of showing Chinese ideals.
The journey to the west tells of many adventures and shenanigans, and in the end of each there is usually a message behind each, obtained through cooperation and teamwork. Each character in the story is separate and unique, helping in their own ways. Since the story was very popular, it had many different adaptations, from movies to comic books, this old story of a monk and his misfit companions has become a very prominent part of Chinese culture.
The journey to the west involves aspects of Taoism, Confucianism and Buddhism all in one story. The idea of the story came from actual events about a real Buddhist monk in search of sacred sutras. The monks name was Xaunzang, it was told that he spent over four years of his life in "western regions" searching for these sutras. The western regions were mostly India, Pakistan and Afghanistan. These aspects displayed in the story have much of a presence in modern China. Having the book being somewhat comical, it is easy to read and a very effective way of showing Chinese ideals.
The journey to the west tells of many adventures and shenanigans, and in the end of each there is usually a message behind each, obtained through cooperation and teamwork. Each character in the story is separate and unique, helping in their own ways. Since the story was very popular, it had many different adaptations, from movies to comic books, this old story of a monk and his misfit companions has become a very prominent part of Chinese culture.
Camilla Taylor
December 14, 2015
Global Studies
Mid-Term Final
Gunpowder
Gunpowder was invented by Chinese alchemists who were in search of a new medicine to help improve their lifestyle. The first mention of gunpowder was written by a man named Wei Boyang, in 142 AD during the Han Dynasty. He wrote about the substance as if it was a myth that was a mixture of 3 powders that would "fly and dance" violently in the air (almost like a firework).
The process to make the powder happens to be a rarely simple task. To start, these substances are all ground together. The recipe is: 15 parts saltpeter, 3 parts charcoal, and 2 parts sulfur. They found the use of sulfur by mining it out of the ground because it happens to exist in yellow limestone. Potassium Nitrate, or saltpeter, was made by letting animal manicure decay and then using the Potassium Nitrate crystals that grew from the substance. The charcoal was used easily due to that it was common and its massive amount that was available.
Originally people made use of it in a medical way. They created large mixtures of sulfur and saltpeter which resulted in fatal medicinal conditions. First, people discovered that when burnt the mixture would create a purple flame, which was not common given the time being. The mixtures began to be a hazard to people. Some cases resulted in the loss of homes and skin being very badly burnt, due to mistaking the substance for a type of herbal fragrance or tea.
The start of using Gunpowder was in 904 AD, during the T'ang Dynasty. They mainly used it for firework displays to entertain the civilization. They began to realize the idea that the substance was supposed to be used as a source of weaponry, but they used the it to help build weaponry as opposed to helping use it. It as used for the construction of bombs, flame throwers, rockets, and land mines. The first real use if gunpowder involving weapon dr was the use of rockets for attack purposes because of their similarity to fireworks.
This new discovery, led to a whole new change in society. The Chinese emperors attempted to keep the invention a secret, for their advantage, but soon the Roman and Islamic Empires learned of the secret and began to learn of the use o these powerful weapons. Not to long after, the European Empire leaned of gunpowder and quickly used the information to their advantage. In 1400's AD the European Empire attacked West Africa, who didn't have the knowledge of gunpowder at the time, and defeated them due to their lack of defense.
December 14, 2015
Global Studies
Mid-Term Final
Gunpowder
Gunpowder was invented by Chinese alchemists who were in search of a new medicine to help improve their lifestyle. The first mention of gunpowder was written by a man named Wei Boyang, in 142 AD during the Han Dynasty. He wrote about the substance as if it was a myth that was a mixture of 3 powders that would "fly and dance" violently in the air (almost like a firework).
The process to make the powder happens to be a rarely simple task. To start, these substances are all ground together. The recipe is: 15 parts saltpeter, 3 parts charcoal, and 2 parts sulfur. They found the use of sulfur by mining it out of the ground because it happens to exist in yellow limestone. Potassium Nitrate, or saltpeter, was made by letting animal manicure decay and then using the Potassium Nitrate crystals that grew from the substance. The charcoal was used easily due to that it was common and its massive amount that was available.
Originally people made use of it in a medical way. They created large mixtures of sulfur and saltpeter which resulted in fatal medicinal conditions. First, people discovered that when burnt the mixture would create a purple flame, which was not common given the time being. The mixtures began to be a hazard to people. Some cases resulted in the loss of homes and skin being very badly burnt, due to mistaking the substance for a type of herbal fragrance or tea.
The start of using Gunpowder was in 904 AD, during the T'ang Dynasty. They mainly used it for firework displays to entertain the civilization. They began to realize the idea that the substance was supposed to be used as a source of weaponry, but they used the it to help build weaponry as opposed to helping use it. It as used for the construction of bombs, flame throwers, rockets, and land mines. The first real use if gunpowder involving weapon dr was the use of rockets for attack purposes because of their similarity to fireworks.
This new discovery, led to a whole new change in society. The Chinese emperors attempted to keep the invention a secret, for their advantage, but soon the Roman and Islamic Empires learned of the secret and began to learn of the use o these powerful weapons. Not to long after, the European Empire leaned of gunpowder and quickly used the information to their advantage. In 1400's AD the European Empire attacked West Africa, who didn't have the knowledge of gunpowder at the time, and defeated them due to their lack of defense.
Chinese New Year is a Chinese holiday celebrated at the turn of the Chinese calendar. Another name for the festival is spring festival because it is celebrated between January 21 and February 20. Chinese New Year is celebrated in many countries and territories with great Chinese populations such as mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, Singapore, Thailand, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mauritius, and the Philippines. The celebrations of Chinese New Year include family reunion dinners, decorating the windows and doors with red paper-cuts and couplets with themes of good fortune, health, and longevity. Some other traditions are to light fire crackers and to give and receive money in red envelopes. There are also many colorful parades that take place on Chinese New Year.
The Chinese year 4713 began on February 19, 2015. It is said that Chinese New Year originated during the Shang Dynasty which is 1766 BC-1122 BC but it is still unclear what the dates are exactly.
According to tales and legends there was a mythical creature called the "Year". On New Year's Eve the beast would come out and harm people. The only way to scare away the "Year" was to be loud, bright and red because the creature was afraid of those things. From then on it became a tradition to light fireworks, and decorate with the color red. Fireworks are lit on New Year's Eve to celebrate the coming year, and to scare away the evil. It is said that the first person to light the fireworks will obtain good luck.
Chinese New Year was traditionally the most important festival on the Chinese calendar. It was originally a time to honor deities and ancestors. The Chinese New Year dinner is very large and normally includes dumplings, chicken and pork. Traditionally there is also a fish served but internationally it is not finished to bless the new year.
The lantern festival is another celebration of Chinese New Year that takes place on the 15th day of the lunar month. To celebrate, people carry lanterns at the festival at which there is a famous dragon dance. Children also carry the paper lanterns to temples at night to solve riddles on the lantern. In ancient times these lanterns were very simple, yet now everyone is able to have ornately decorated ones. They are almost always red ones to symbolize good fortune. In Hong Kong the lantern festival is like Valentine's Day.
Over all, Chinese New Year is a very valuable and important holiday that showcases Chinese culture worldwide.
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Chinese New Year
Chinese New Year
Chinese New Year is the most important festival in China. It is the time where families reunite and celebrate the start o a new year. Every year is the year of a zodiac animal, and the animals change every year. The zodiac animals in order are: Rat,Ox,Tiger,Rabbit,Fragon,Snake,Horse,Goat,Monkey,Rooster,Dog,Pig. This year (2016) is the year of the Monkey.
The date of the Chinese New Year changes every year because the Chinese follow the Lunar calendar. Chinese New Year is day one of the first month o the Lunar calendar. In 2016, Chinese New Year begins on the 8th of Febraury and ends on the 22nd of February. It is an official public holiday, and most Chinese people get 7 days off of work.
Before the big celebration, Chinese people would prepare by thouroughly cleaning the house and it is called 'sweeping the dust'. Cleaning the house represents saying goodbye to the old year and welcoming the new year. Popular decorations include fancy cut-outs, red traditional lanterns, kumquat trees and couplets. The most popular decoration is an upside down good forturne sign called 'fu', and has been used for many years. The tradition of the upside down good fortune sign was from a mistake, as a family hung their good luck sign upside down by accident and a neighbor corrected them say "your fu is upside down" and in Chinese upside down also means 'pour out' so they misunderstood and thought the neighbour said "your fu is pouring out" which means your luck is pouring out.
On the day of the celebration, families get together and reunite over dinner. Some of the popular foods that are eaten on Chinese New Year are fish, dumplings and noodles. Fish in chinese also sounds like surplus, so peole eat fish to have surplus at the end of the year. Dumplings are eaten because they are in the shape of a gold ingot which represents weath and the noodles represents a long life, and is believed to be lucky when eaten on a special occasion such as Chinese New Year. Adults give the children red envelopes filled with money inside for good luck, and the envelopes are red because red is China's lucky color and red is also used to scare the monster Nian so the money inside is called 'lucky money'. After dinner, the whole amily would usually go outside to watch a lion dancing show and light firecrackers.
The legend of the monster 'Nian' is a very important part of Chinese New Year. before, the monster used to eat people and the crops in China but the survivors found a way to ward off the monster by setting off fireworks and putting up red because the color scared the monster. This is why it is a tradition to set off fireworks and decorate the house red on Chinese New Year.
Chinese New Year is the most important festival in China. It is the time where families reunite and celebrate the start o a new year. Every year is the year of a zodiac animal, and the animals change every year. The zodiac animals in order are: Rat,Ox,Tiger,Rabbit,Fragon,Snake,Horse,Goat,Monkey,Rooster,Dog,Pig. This year (2016) is the year of the Monkey.
The date of the Chinese New Year changes every year because the Chinese follow the Lunar calendar. Chinese New Year is day one of the first month o the Lunar calendar. In 2016, Chinese New Year begins on the 8th of Febraury and ends on the 22nd of February. It is an official public holiday, and most Chinese people get 7 days off of work.
Before the big celebration, Chinese people would prepare by thouroughly cleaning the house and it is called 'sweeping the dust'. Cleaning the house represents saying goodbye to the old year and welcoming the new year. Popular decorations include fancy cut-outs, red traditional lanterns, kumquat trees and couplets. The most popular decoration is an upside down good forturne sign called 'fu', and has been used for many years. The tradition of the upside down good fortune sign was from a mistake, as a family hung their good luck sign upside down by accident and a neighbor corrected them say "your fu is upside down" and in Chinese upside down also means 'pour out' so they misunderstood and thought the neighbour said "your fu is pouring out" which means your luck is pouring out.
On the day of the celebration, families get together and reunite over dinner. Some of the popular foods that are eaten on Chinese New Year are fish, dumplings and noodles. Fish in chinese also sounds like surplus, so peole eat fish to have surplus at the end of the year. Dumplings are eaten because they are in the shape of a gold ingot which represents weath and the noodles represents a long life, and is believed to be lucky when eaten on a special occasion such as Chinese New Year. Adults give the children red envelopes filled with money inside for good luck, and the envelopes are red because red is China's lucky color and red is also used to scare the monster Nian so the money inside is called 'lucky money'. After dinner, the whole amily would usually go outside to watch a lion dancing show and light firecrackers.
The legend of the monster 'Nian' is a very important part of Chinese New Year. before, the monster used to eat people and the crops in China but the survivors found a way to ward off the monster by setting off fireworks and putting up red because the color scared the monster. This is why it is a tradition to set off fireworks and decorate the house red on Chinese New Year.
Sunday, December 13, 2015
The Great Wall of China
Sofia Sani
Global Studies 9B
December 8, 2015
The Great Wall of China
By Sofia Sani
The Great Wall of China, or the Chang Cheng in Chinese, is one of the largest and most amazing pieces of architecture in our world. It is located in China. China is the largest country in Asia and is the worlds most populated country. China has created many many great things including gunpowder, paper and printing, porcelain, silk, and the Great Wall of China. The Great Wall of China is made up of stone, brick, tamped earth, wood and many other things to creat a series of fortifications. Fortifications are military constructions or buildings built as defense for the territories in warfare. It is not all one wall but many walls built and compiled over 2,000 years. It is built along the east-to-west line of the border in northern China. The Great Wall started out as many small walls that were then joined together to make a stronger and bigger wall. The wall is there to protect China from raids and invasions from outsiders. It also works as border control and allowing goods to be transported in and out of China along the silk roads. The Great Wall stretches from the east to west, from Dandong to Lop Lake. The watchtowers are 30-40 feet high and the base is 40 feet wide. The watchtowers are connected by a couple miles of wall. The Great Wall stretches around 13,000 miles and was built in 206 BC.
When China became an empire under the rule of Qin Shi Huang, he ordered the construction of the wall to keep the Moguls out. The wall surrounded Beijing, which was thought to be the center of the empire. The wall wasn't as stable as it is now and soon the defenses became weak and China was taken over by the Ming Dynasty. The emperor of the Ming Dynasty, Jaijing, had sat on the throne of the Ming dynasty since 1522. Back then the Ming Dynasty didn't trade with anyone, they just traded with each other and grew crops in the empire. Jaijing tasked general Weng Wanda with the task of building on the wall and making it greater, taller, longer and stronger. He wanted to protect the empire from the Mongols and their raids. The Mongols were constantly asking to set up trading posts to trade with Jaijing. In 1549 a Mongol peasant led a raid to try to break down the wall. The Great Wall was thought to be impenetrable. Finally, the Mongols found a weak stop on the wall and broke through. For three days they burned, terrorized, and ruined the city. On September 30, 1550, the Mongol raiders got to the center of the city. The Mongols sent a prisoner of war with a message to Jaijing. The message only asks for trading posts to be set up, nothing more. Confused by this meager request, the emperor question the validity of the letter. Soon Jaijing decided that he will not negotiate with murderers so he said no and to send a formal request. Years later they opened up some trading posts in the watchtowers of the Great Wall.
The Great Wall of China follows the mountain lines and travels many ups and downs, from the tops of the mountains to the bottoms of the valleys. The workers who worked on the wall were treated terribly and under very harsh conditions. They were abused physically and verbally and the pay was terrible. The rates they were forced to work at were crazy, three kilometers of the wall was created in 6 days with under 3,000 workers! So many of the workers died and were buried in the wall. Finally, when the wall was finished, they got guards to stay on watch. The guards who stayed on the wall were payed very little, if at all, for the Great Wall bankrupt the Ming Dynasty. Smoke signals were used to tell other guards that invaders were coming and the guards would then gather together and fend off the invaders. Even through the countless deaths and all the bloodshed, an amazing architectural feat was accomplished that is still standing strong today.
Global Studies 9B
December 8, 2015
The Great Wall of China
By Sofia Sani
The Great Wall of China, or the Chang Cheng in Chinese, is one of the largest and most amazing pieces of architecture in our world. It is located in China. China is the largest country in Asia and is the worlds most populated country. China has created many many great things including gunpowder, paper and printing, porcelain, silk, and the Great Wall of China. The Great Wall of China is made up of stone, brick, tamped earth, wood and many other things to creat a series of fortifications. Fortifications are military constructions or buildings built as defense for the territories in warfare. It is not all one wall but many walls built and compiled over 2,000 years. It is built along the east-to-west line of the border in northern China. The Great Wall started out as many small walls that were then joined together to make a stronger and bigger wall. The wall is there to protect China from raids and invasions from outsiders. It also works as border control and allowing goods to be transported in and out of China along the silk roads. The Great Wall stretches from the east to west, from Dandong to Lop Lake. The watchtowers are 30-40 feet high and the base is 40 feet wide. The watchtowers are connected by a couple miles of wall. The Great Wall stretches around 13,000 miles and was built in 206 BC.
When China became an empire under the rule of Qin Shi Huang, he ordered the construction of the wall to keep the Moguls out. The wall surrounded Beijing, which was thought to be the center of the empire. The wall wasn't as stable as it is now and soon the defenses became weak and China was taken over by the Ming Dynasty. The emperor of the Ming Dynasty, Jaijing, had sat on the throne of the Ming dynasty since 1522. Back then the Ming Dynasty didn't trade with anyone, they just traded with each other and grew crops in the empire. Jaijing tasked general Weng Wanda with the task of building on the wall and making it greater, taller, longer and stronger. He wanted to protect the empire from the Mongols and their raids. The Mongols were constantly asking to set up trading posts to trade with Jaijing. In 1549 a Mongol peasant led a raid to try to break down the wall. The Great Wall was thought to be impenetrable. Finally, the Mongols found a weak stop on the wall and broke through. For three days they burned, terrorized, and ruined the city. On September 30, 1550, the Mongol raiders got to the center of the city. The Mongols sent a prisoner of war with a message to Jaijing. The message only asks for trading posts to be set up, nothing more. Confused by this meager request, the emperor question the validity of the letter. Soon Jaijing decided that he will not negotiate with murderers so he said no and to send a formal request. Years later they opened up some trading posts in the watchtowers of the Great Wall.
The Great Wall of China follows the mountain lines and travels many ups and downs, from the tops of the mountains to the bottoms of the valleys. The workers who worked on the wall were treated terribly and under very harsh conditions. They were abused physically and verbally and the pay was terrible. The rates they were forced to work at were crazy, three kilometers of the wall was created in 6 days with under 3,000 workers! So many of the workers died and were buried in the wall. Finally, when the wall was finished, they got guards to stay on watch. The guards who stayed on the wall were payed very little, if at all, for the Great Wall bankrupt the Ming Dynasty. Smoke signals were used to tell other guards that invaders were coming and the guards would then gather together and fend off the invaders. Even through the countless deaths and all the bloodshed, an amazing architectural feat was accomplished that is still standing strong today.
Acupuncture
Acupuncture
Acupuncture is a both ancient and modern form of alternative medicine, used to cure sickness, relieve pains in the body, and help with ones health in general. It is believed that by stimulating certain points along one or more of the 12 basic meridians on the body, you can choose exact places elsewhere internally, outside, or mentally, to cure. It originated as a Chinese practice in 2500 B.C.E., but by the late twentieth century, the practice had spread quickly to the rest of the world and society. Acupuncture is performed by inserting multiple needles into chosen points on the body, just below the top layer of skin. The idea of acupuncture grew out of the theory and belief of the yin and yang. The yin is the feminine principle, and is represented by darkness in the earth. The yang is the male principle, and is represented by the light from heaven. It is believed that we have a balance of the yin and yang within us. Any disease or physical ailment are simply caused by a disharmony or an imbalance of the yin and yang. Acupuncture was designed to evenly distribute all these forces throughout the body, and balance and harmonize all aspects of health. The actual practice of acupuncture is performed by inserting either straight or arrowhead needles into the skin, normally 0.1 inches to 0.4 inches, but can go up to 10 inches laterally into the skin. Acupuncture is often and routinely used during surgical operations as an anesthetic. People have witnessed ordinarily and extremely painful surgeries performed, the patient wide awake and fully conscious, only numbed by acupuncture. There have been several theories about how and why acupuncture works, and it's degree of effectiveness. Some experts say that when the needles are inserted into the body, they stimulate the body's production of the bodies natural painkillers as endorphins, which mask all aspects of pain. Others speculated that acupuncture is effective because it triggers and acts on the central nervous system, closing "certain neurological gates"and therefore blocking the transmission of all pain to and from other parts of the body. Some Westerners only believe that acupuncture is simply a placebo effect, which actually wouldn't take very much away from its effectiveness. It would simply be an entirely psychological healing process, which depending on the patients trust, faith, and confidence in the power of acupuncture, could be a possibly very effective medical practice in the future.
Compass
The compass was invented in China in the 2nd century. The compass can help people not get lost and also help people of they do get lost. The compass is still given and sold around the world. It was originally used for geomancy which is the act of configuration. Configuration is the arrangement of elements. But the compass was used for configuration of buildings or other structures. The compass was also use for fortune telling, not how we use it today for navigation. Once the compass was used for navigations the global and historical impacts beyond China were that people no longer had to use landmarks to navigate. They had something that could now help them find their way no mater where they were. They were less likely to get lost and they had an understanding of direction and they could now travel where there were not as many geographical features. Long ship voyages were now being taken because of the compass. Some ship voyages were used to transport things and produce to trade and compasses also allowed people to go long distances to trade which eventually spread knowledge. Compasses also helped with innovations in topics such as physics and engineering. We still use compasses today to navigate if we are lost but not as much as we used to because now we can use modern technology. There were and still are many different types of compasses. Some types of compasses include; The South Pointer, The Wet compass, and the Magnetic compass. Although compasses help out there are some problems that accrued once compasses were being used for navigation. The problems were that there was a change in the angular difference, meaning that there was now two norths, magnetic north and true (geographic) north. When there were skies with no clouds people could find the geographic north using the sun or moon. When there were not clear skies no one could see the sun or the moon which made it difficult to navigate, if you were going to read the compass it may not be correct. In the Atlantic, near northern latitudes,the difference was considerable, which caused problems in people's sense of direction. Although these problems did occur the compass was still used. Compasses impacted a small portion of the world at first but then once discovered that they could be used for constant and relevant navigation the out brake of compass use was phenomenal.
The Great Wall of China
Kayden Korst
Global Studies
8 December 2015
The Great Wall of China
The great wall was built to eliminate the possibility for intruders to invade China. It was constructed in 220-206 BCE with stone, wood, and brick. These are only a few of the many materials used to build this extraordinary wall. This wall allowed goods like silk to be transported and traded. The Great Wall of China is approximately 5500 miles long. The widest segment of this historic structure measures at about thirty feet. The highest peek of this gigantic monument reaches twenty-six feet tall. All along this historic wall, there are over 7000 watch towers originally built. 2220 years ago when this wall was built, China had become a hard target to attack. To protect North China even more, constructors made a moat to increase the difficulty for barbarians. The Great Wall of China is a popular site to visit and continues to be a large part of the Chines culture.
The wall is the largest human-made structure to this day. The wall imperfectly draws the perimeter of Mongolia. When the wall was built many years ago, it was to protect, and isolate the Ming Dynasty from intruders. While the great Wall of China is still visited today, it will never be the original wall it once was. This wall has been rebuilt over and over again to maintain is remarkable existence. While building or rebuilding this wall, many of the workers lost there lives. The dead bodies were buried into the Great Wall of China. Those who visit the wall say that the trip would have been worthless without walking on the great wall. The wall is even used for historic events like the 2008 Olympics. It was specifically used as the finish line for a bike race. This historic site is still visited and admired today by people all over the world.
The Wall is distributed through mountains, deserts, and plains in Northern China. Translated in Chinese, Cháng-chéng means long wall. The wall was first built into many smaller walls protecting only areas of the Ming Dynasty. The translation was given once the wall was built into the Great Wall. This Wall has represented China as a historic location that's purpose has immensely differed. The Great Wall of China has turned into one of the most visited tourist destinations from, a powerful protection structure.
Global Studies
8 December 2015
The Great Wall of China
The great wall was built to eliminate the possibility for intruders to invade China. It was constructed in 220-206 BCE with stone, wood, and brick. These are only a few of the many materials used to build this extraordinary wall. This wall allowed goods like silk to be transported and traded. The Great Wall of China is approximately 5500 miles long. The widest segment of this historic structure measures at about thirty feet. The highest peek of this gigantic monument reaches twenty-six feet tall. All along this historic wall, there are over 7000 watch towers originally built. 2220 years ago when this wall was built, China had become a hard target to attack. To protect North China even more, constructors made a moat to increase the difficulty for barbarians. The Great Wall of China is a popular site to visit and continues to be a large part of the Chines culture.
The wall is the largest human-made structure to this day. The wall imperfectly draws the perimeter of Mongolia. When the wall was built many years ago, it was to protect, and isolate the Ming Dynasty from intruders. While the great Wall of China is still visited today, it will never be the original wall it once was. This wall has been rebuilt over and over again to maintain is remarkable existence. While building or rebuilding this wall, many of the workers lost there lives. The dead bodies were buried into the Great Wall of China. Those who visit the wall say that the trip would have been worthless without walking on the great wall. The wall is even used for historic events like the 2008 Olympics. It was specifically used as the finish line for a bike race. This historic site is still visited and admired today by people all over the world.
The Wall is distributed through mountains, deserts, and plains in Northern China. Translated in Chinese, Cháng-chéng means long wall. The wall was first built into many smaller walls protecting only areas of the Ming Dynasty. The translation was given once the wall was built into the Great Wall. This Wall has represented China as a historic location that's purpose has immensely differed. The Great Wall of China has turned into one of the most visited tourist destinations from, a powerful protection structure.
Gunpowder (Bryan Min)
Gunpowder was one of the most phenomenal inventions during the modern history era. Every single war from Chinese Empires to the Americans was fought with gunpowder weapons. Invented by the Song Dynasty, on the 9th century, this innovative weapon was intended to be a potion of immortality. The Song Dynasty invented many other things such as paper money and compasses. On around 900 AD, Taoist monks created new elixirs and medicine to cure specific illnesses. By mixing saltpeter, sulfur, and charcoal, they accidentally created a dangerously flammable explosive. That eventually became the gunpowder that we know to this date. Finally realizing that this could be used as a weapon, Chinese military started to bring in gunpowder weapons into wars against the Mongols. Some of the weapons that were invented were explosives, cannons, and guns.
By experimenting to grasp an understanding of this mysterious mixture, the Chinese people created rockets that held gunpowder in it. By making a stand for it, they would set fire to the gunpowder for the rocket to shoot up. That was the most basic invention. Later throughout history, Europeans made shotguns with small bullets that held gunpowder in it. It was the same concept of what the Chinese made, but the mechanism was built smaller to fit for a person to carry. Soon after, many more guns were made with more capabilities such as the small revolver and automated guns. Not only did China create a special dust, but they also created a new era of this world.
Thanks to gunpowder, China's dominance could never be ended against the old swords and spears. This secret dust was admired by everyone from around the world. Using the Silk Road, people would trade anything for this unique weapon. The Europeans traded the gunpowder and took advantage of it. In Europe, constant wars were happening between 1450 and 1750. The advantage about guns were that you were able to kill enemies without risking your own life. Since the Europeans perfected this dangerous mixture, they used it to conquer lands. After that, settlements of no gunpowder weapons started to fade away, making gunpowder eventually being a necessity for survival. As time went by, guns started to become more efficient, and replaced the gunpowder with a different black dust. However, gunpowder is still used to this date. Fireworks and other things are still being done with gunpowder. This powder became a phenomenal creation to this world, and it marked an important part in the history of this world.
By experimenting to grasp an understanding of this mysterious mixture, the Chinese people created rockets that held gunpowder in it. By making a stand for it, they would set fire to the gunpowder for the rocket to shoot up. That was the most basic invention. Later throughout history, Europeans made shotguns with small bullets that held gunpowder in it. It was the same concept of what the Chinese made, but the mechanism was built smaller to fit for a person to carry. Soon after, many more guns were made with more capabilities such as the small revolver and automated guns. Not only did China create a special dust, but they also created a new era of this world.
Thanks to gunpowder, China's dominance could never be ended against the old swords and spears. This secret dust was admired by everyone from around the world. Using the Silk Road, people would trade anything for this unique weapon. The Europeans traded the gunpowder and took advantage of it. In Europe, constant wars were happening between 1450 and 1750. The advantage about guns were that you were able to kill enemies without risking your own life. Since the Europeans perfected this dangerous mixture, they used it to conquer lands. After that, settlements of no gunpowder weapons started to fade away, making gunpowder eventually being a necessity for survival. As time went by, guns started to become more efficient, and replaced the gunpowder with a different black dust. However, gunpowder is still used to this date. Fireworks and other things are still being done with gunpowder. This powder became a phenomenal creation to this world, and it marked an important part in the history of this world.
Paper and the Future
In modern day culture we often take for granted all the simple things we have in life. Festivities with fireworks, knowing where we are in the world, or even the simplest object like paper. At first thought, paper isn't much to us. A thing to write on, yes, but we do much of our writing on technology now a days in the form of typing. But then you think, what is made of paper, and you relive that there are things you couldn't live without. Paintings, napkins, paper towels, and even toilet paper. So these are all valid and important roles paper plays in our lives, but if you really think, without paper, say goodbye to all advancements in technology. Paper aloud us to store ideas, pass on knowledge, and get to where we are at with smart phones, tablets computers, and much much more. Though where was paper first made, who started it all? For that answer we look to the west, to China.
China stands tall in history with the title of "the Four Great Inventions." These being paper, printing, gunpowder, and the compass. The word "paper" come from the word "papyrus." It was around 2,200 BC when Egyptians found that a reed called papyrus could be formed into a writing surface by stacking thin, water soaked strips and then pounding these strips into a sheet. Though this papyrus, wasn't the paper we know of today, it was very hard to write on, and on top of that, papyrus was very expensive. Paper as we know it was invented in China at about 105 AD. The paper made back then is practically identical to what we have today, which is why it is considered the true birth of paper.
The person that discovered how paper can be made is assumed to be Chai Lun, the head of a royal workshop in 2nd century China, but recent discoveries show that paper was being used in China two hundred years before Chai Lun. Even though he might not have been the start of it, Chai Lun's paper recipe is very close to what we still use today. The ingredients being a variety of fibrous materials, including rope pieces, old fishing nets, rags, bamboo fibers and tree bark. Another very important to paper was birch leaves. The mucilage, a substance that is extracted as a gelatinous solution from plant materials, from birch leaves is used to strengthen the paper, also making it more even and smooth. Then the fibrous material that was softened by water, then was beaten into a pulp. Adding the birch leave mucilage to the pulp, then the pulp was filtered through big strainer made of cloth. This process took the big chunks of fibers out of the mix. Next, with a drying process, the paper hardens and it is complete.
This process used so long ago is still used today. Since then paper has been unchanged and brought us our future faster than ever before. Graphs show our acceleration in technology increases more and more each year. Then came computers and we continue to grow in new advancements in technology, but it all leads back to one country, and one person wanting a change.
China stands tall in history with the title of "the Four Great Inventions." These being paper, printing, gunpowder, and the compass. The word "paper" come from the word "papyrus." It was around 2,200 BC when Egyptians found that a reed called papyrus could be formed into a writing surface by stacking thin, water soaked strips and then pounding these strips into a sheet. Though this papyrus, wasn't the paper we know of today, it was very hard to write on, and on top of that, papyrus was very expensive. Paper as we know it was invented in China at about 105 AD. The paper made back then is practically identical to what we have today, which is why it is considered the true birth of paper.
The person that discovered how paper can be made is assumed to be Chai Lun, the head of a royal workshop in 2nd century China, but recent discoveries show that paper was being used in China two hundred years before Chai Lun. Even though he might not have been the start of it, Chai Lun's paper recipe is very close to what we still use today. The ingredients being a variety of fibrous materials, including rope pieces, old fishing nets, rags, bamboo fibers and tree bark. Another very important to paper was birch leaves. The mucilage, a substance that is extracted as a gelatinous solution from plant materials, from birch leaves is used to strengthen the paper, also making it more even and smooth. Then the fibrous material that was softened by water, then was beaten into a pulp. Adding the birch leave mucilage to the pulp, then the pulp was filtered through big strainer made of cloth. This process took the big chunks of fibers out of the mix. Next, with a drying process, the paper hardens and it is complete.
This process used so long ago is still used today. Since then paper has been unchanged and brought us our future faster than ever before. Graphs show our acceleration in technology increases more and more each year. Then came computers and we continue to grow in new advancements in technology, but it all leads back to one country, and one person wanting a change.
The Great Wall of China
The Construction
The construction began under the rule of legendary emperor Qin (pronounced "chin"), who is known as the first emperor of China. He is also known for his Terracotta army built to protect him in his tomb. Emperor Qin's idea was to build a huge wall to keep the northern invaders out. He forced convicts, soldiers and people into labor which many died and were buried in the wall. Later, the wall didn't prove useful when the Mongol invaders strategically went around the discontinuous structure. In the Han and Ming dynasty The Great Wall was continued and later finished.
About The Great Wall
The Great Wall is known as the slithering serpent on the Chinese border. Four to six million people died during the construction and most of them were buried inside the wall itself. This is why the great wall is also known as the worlds longest graveyard. The wall stretches from the China Sea Port of Shanhaiguan and goes 3,000 miles west to the Gansu province. When it was finished the wall was 21,196 kilometers and had up to 25,000 watchtowers on it. The wall was made to keep out the barbaric northern invaders out, but the wall didn't prove to help. The mongols used many war tactics and strategies to get over, around and through the wall. Still today the great wall is recognized worldwide as the greatest architectural feat.
Fun Facts :
Did you know...
-the Great Wall is more than 2,300 years old
-the Great Wall of China can not be seen from space by human eye without without aid
-the clay slabs used to built the Great Wall of China were stuck together with rice
-the Great Wall was made from clay under the rule of Emperor Qin, but later in the Ming dynasty it was built from stone
sources:
crystalinks.com
history.com
Saturday, December 12, 2015
Oracle Bones script
1.What is Oracle Bones script
Oracle Bones script is the oldest Chinese language, which originated in Shang Dynasty(1760-1520 B.C.E.). It's vitally important for understanding the development of present-day Chinese-simplified Chinese. It's symbolic language, meaning the words look similar with the things they represent. For example, 月 is the moon in Chinese and it looks like a moon. Apparantly, oracle bones language is much more complicated, because Chinese language evolved over times. At first, people mostly used Oracle Bones script on turtle's hard shell. However, because of inconvenience, people wrote on bamboo slim for a long time. Although they used different material for writing, the language they used are the same one, which is Oracle Bones script.
2. How does it work
The picture shows some actual words of Oracle Bones script. The word "heart", in the second row, looks like a real heart. Besides, the word ear, also in the second row, looks like a real ear. If you are patient, you will find that most of the words have connection with what they represent. Although this language is hard to write and it's unstandard, it's still capable enough for fully communicating. So next time when you see Oracle Bones script or Chinese, you might understand that word from its appearence. In addition, many of components are created by Oracle Bones script. For example, 铁 铜 铝, which respectively means iron, copper and aluminum. Looking at the lest part of these three words, you will find they all have a component 钅, which means anything relates to metal. So next time when you see this component, you can conclude carefully that it's a word about metal. They are over one hundred components like this, including 氵,扌,土. All of the words with component 氵have connection with water; all of the words with component 扌have connection with hand and all of the words with 土 have connection with dirt. There is no exception. All of these components I used are simplified Chinese, because it's hard to type Oracle Bones script. But all of these components are evolved from Oracle Bones script.
3. Structure of Oracle Bones script
In fact, Oracle Bones script is capable enough for recording language. Unfortunately we don't have enough evidence from a such formative period to prove that. But in the Shang dynasty, they had had some non-pictographic components, which means Oracle Bones script became more standard. Oracle Bones script isn't mature enough because the form of graphs change depending on the contect, which is like what we are doing right now in Chinese. What's more, the vast majority of Oracle Bones script remind undeciphered.
4. Divination
Animal bones or turtle shells used in divination in Bronze Age China.
http://www.omniglot.com/chinese/jiaguwen.htm
http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Oracle_Bone_Script
Oracle Bones script is the oldest Chinese language, which originated in Shang Dynasty(1760-1520 B.C.E.). It's vitally important for understanding the development of present-day Chinese-simplified Chinese. It's symbolic language, meaning the words look similar with the things they represent. For example, 月 is the moon in Chinese and it looks like a moon. Apparantly, oracle bones language is much more complicated, because Chinese language evolved over times. At first, people mostly used Oracle Bones script on turtle's hard shell. However, because of inconvenience, people wrote on bamboo slim for a long time. Although they used different material for writing, the language they used are the same one, which is Oracle Bones script.
2. How does it work
The picture shows some actual words of Oracle Bones script. The word "heart", in the second row, looks like a real heart. Besides, the word ear, also in the second row, looks like a real ear. If you are patient, you will find that most of the words have connection with what they represent. Although this language is hard to write and it's unstandard, it's still capable enough for fully communicating. So next time when you see Oracle Bones script or Chinese, you might understand that word from its appearence. In addition, many of components are created by Oracle Bones script. For example, 铁 铜 铝, which respectively means iron, copper and aluminum. Looking at the lest part of these three words, you will find they all have a component 钅, which means anything relates to metal. So next time when you see this component, you can conclude carefully that it's a word about metal. They are over one hundred components like this, including 氵,扌,土. All of the words with component 氵have connection with water; all of the words with component 扌have connection with hand and all of the words with 土 have connection with dirt. There is no exception. All of these components I used are simplified Chinese, because it's hard to type Oracle Bones script. But all of these components are evolved from Oracle Bones script.
3. Structure of Oracle Bones script
In fact, Oracle Bones script is capable enough for recording language. Unfortunately we don't have enough evidence from a such formative period to prove that. But in the Shang dynasty, they had had some non-pictographic components, which means Oracle Bones script became more standard. Oracle Bones script isn't mature enough because the form of graphs change depending on the contect, which is like what we are doing right now in Chinese. What's more, the vast majority of Oracle Bones script remind undeciphered.
4. Divination
Animal bones or turtle shells used in divination in Bronze Age China.
http://www.omniglot.com/chinese/jiaguwen.htm
http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Oracle_Bone_Script
The Terra-cotta Army
The Terra-cotta Warriors
Lindsay Sohn
The Terra-cotta warriors are a collection of terra-cotta figures representing the army of Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor of China. They were buried with him in order to protect him and supply him with what he needed in the afterlife. The emperor ordered construction of his mausoleum in roughly 246 BC. It is estimated that is took about 70,000 workers to complete the mausoleum throughout his lifetime.
Qin Shi Huang was 13 when he stepped up to the throne in 246 BC. He was an extremely effective emperor, having unified numerous warring kingdoms during his reign. He is credited for creating the first idea for the Great Wall and creating new national road systems throughout China. He died at the age of 50 in 210 BC.
The mausoleum, as well as the army, was constructed from the time he first stepped up to the throne at age 13. The army was said to have been constructed by both government laborers and local craftsman. Each figure is life-sized and life-like. The heights of soldiers vary between the rank or position. For example, the generals are most likely taller than the rest of the army. Each uniform and hairstyle applies to the specific soldier's ranking. The arms, legs, head, and torso of each soldier are created separately and later assembled together. It is said that roughly eight face molds were used but more clay was added on to distinguish different faces. Workshops who crafted each soldier were required to write their names into the figure. This helped modern historians tell that the army was crafted in different workshops. Some historians believe that the soldiers were originally crafted in color. However, today, the color is greatly faded so it is difficult to tell.
The army includes soldiers, horses, chariots, strongmen, and musicians. Historians estimate that there are roughly 8,000 soldiers, 520 horses, 130 chariots, and 150 Calvary horses. The army was buried in three pits, due to the forth being left unfinished. The pits are 1.5 km east of Qin Shi Huang's burial ground. Some believe that the walls of the pits were designed to keep conquering states out. Pit one was mainly filled with the 8,000 soldiers. Pit two was filled with noblemen and war chariots while pit three was filled with was built to represent he command post, containing the commanding officers.
In 1974, the army was discovered in the eastern suburbs of Xi'an Shaanxi province. Local farmers were drilling a water well in the ground. Archeologists confirmed that the army was made as funeral art and served for roughly 2,000 years. This discovery of the Terra-cotta army is considered one of the world's greatest archeological discoveries.
Lindsay Sohn
The Terra-cotta warriors are a collection of terra-cotta figures representing the army of Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor of China. They were buried with him in order to protect him and supply him with what he needed in the afterlife. The emperor ordered construction of his mausoleum in roughly 246 BC. It is estimated that is took about 70,000 workers to complete the mausoleum throughout his lifetime.
Qin Shi Huang was 13 when he stepped up to the throne in 246 BC. He was an extremely effective emperor, having unified numerous warring kingdoms during his reign. He is credited for creating the first idea for the Great Wall and creating new national road systems throughout China. He died at the age of 50 in 210 BC.
The mausoleum, as well as the army, was constructed from the time he first stepped up to the throne at age 13. The army was said to have been constructed by both government laborers and local craftsman. Each figure is life-sized and life-like. The heights of soldiers vary between the rank or position. For example, the generals are most likely taller than the rest of the army. Each uniform and hairstyle applies to the specific soldier's ranking. The arms, legs, head, and torso of each soldier are created separately and later assembled together. It is said that roughly eight face molds were used but more clay was added on to distinguish different faces. Workshops who crafted each soldier were required to write their names into the figure. This helped modern historians tell that the army was crafted in different workshops. Some historians believe that the soldiers were originally crafted in color. However, today, the color is greatly faded so it is difficult to tell.
The army includes soldiers, horses, chariots, strongmen, and musicians. Historians estimate that there are roughly 8,000 soldiers, 520 horses, 130 chariots, and 150 Calvary horses. The army was buried in three pits, due to the forth being left unfinished. The pits are 1.5 km east of Qin Shi Huang's burial ground. Some believe that the walls of the pits were designed to keep conquering states out. Pit one was mainly filled with the 8,000 soldiers. Pit two was filled with noblemen and war chariots while pit three was filled with was built to represent he command post, containing the commanding officers.
In 1974, the army was discovered in the eastern suburbs of Xi'an Shaanxi province. Local farmers were drilling a water well in the ground. Archeologists confirmed that the army was made as funeral art and served for roughly 2,000 years. This discovery of the Terra-cotta army is considered one of the world's greatest archeological discoveries.
Wednesday, December 9, 2015
The Forbidden City
The Forbidden City is located at the exact centre of Beijing, which had been set as the capital of China in 1400s by the third Ming Emperor Yongle. The Forbidden City which is called “Zijin Cheng” in Chinese, started in 1406 and completed in 1420. Forbidden City is a immense construction in the past and even now. It is the best-preserved imperial palace in China, and the largest ancient palatial structure in the world, and the essence and elimination of traditional Chinese architectural accomplishment. Over 24 Emperors were living in this huge group of palaces from the Ming Dynasty to the Qing Dynasty. So it has over 500 years history of homing the Emperors. There are about 9000 rooms in over 800 buildings in the Forbidden City. Also, it is a rectangle city, with a 52 meter-wide river to protect the whole palace, so the group of palaces is also called as the “city in the city”.
There are several gates to get into the Forbidden City, in the front of the castle is the Meridian Gate, in the east side is the Donghua Gate, which is also called as the “Gate of the ghost”.While people died, their bodies will be get out of the palace through this door. In the west side is the Xihua Gate. For the exit, they used the Gate of Divine Might, which is in the north side of the castle.
For the outer court, there are 3 main buildings. The Hall of Supreme Harmony (Taihedian), the Hall of Central Harmony (Zhonghedian) and the Hall of Preserving Harmony (Baohedian). The uses of these 3 halls are to form and attend the grand ceremonies and conducted state affairs. Taihedian is the largest and the most significant palace in the entire castle, the Dragon Chair which is the symbol of emperor sets in this hall. The Qianqingmen is also in the outer court, and it is the gate to go to the inner court.
The main buildings that formed up the inner court are the 6 western palaces and the 6 eastern palaces. Emperors used them to do the everyday affairs and their wives used them to lived in. And in the inner court, the 3 main palaces are the Palace of Heavenly Peace, which named “Qianqinggong” in Chinese; the Palace of Union and Peace, which was called as “Jiaotaidian”; and the Palace of Terrestrial Tranquility, which is “Kunninggong”. Qianqinggong is the first palace in the inner court of the castle, which is used to be the bedroom of the emperor; Jiaotaidian is the place where keep the imperial seals; and the Kunninggong is the wedding room for the emperors. By the way, one palace called the Mental Cultivation Hall (Yangxindian) is the second significant palaces in the Forbidden City. Since Yongzheng, the third emperor of the Qing Dynasty, all the Qing emperors resided in this palace.
There are more than 10 types of roofs In the group of the palaces. The Emperor of the Ming Dynasty used the glazed tiles to form the roofs when they built the Forbidden City. The colors of the roofs need to follow a lots of rules. The main is yellow, green is for the children of the emperors. Basically, others are blue, purple, black and navy blue. The glazed tiles were mainly decorated for the garden and the wall of the tile.
Chinese New Year
Chinese New Year, also called the Spring Festival, is one of the most important holidays in China. It starts from the New Year's Eve according to the traditional Chinese Lunisolar Calendar. This festival is the longest public holiday in China that lasts about fifteen days. Literally, Spring Festival celebrate "new year's coming". During Chinese New Year, it’s a significant period for Chinese to follow the customs in order to have good fortunes in a new year. This holiday has a long-standing history more than 4,000 years.
“Nian,” which means “year” in Chinese, is a legend monster and also as the origin of Chinese New Year. According to the mythology, Nian is a mighty beast living on eating the human, especially children. At every end of a year, it will come out and seek people as food. The Chinese Lion dance was inspired by the figure of “Nian”. But people are no longer afraid of “Nian” as soon as they find its weaknesses: loud noises and the color red. As a result, Chinese have conventions to set off firecrackers during the New Year and regard “red” as an auspicious number.
In the evening on the last day of a year, families will get together no matter how busy they are. Also, the dinner we eat on that day called "Reunion Dinner." This meal takes a significant role in Chinese beliefs that is the most important meal of a year. We always eat dumplings because of the shape of it is similar to an ancient Chinese money, which it's believed to bring us wealth for the next year. "Eight-Treasures" Rice is also a must-have in the Reunion Dinner. It made of glutinous rice with eight different kinds of "meaningful" food that are sweet and palatable, such as red dates represent "having an intelligent child", tiger lilies represent "forever", and so on. Another fun part of the day is watching CCTV(a Chinese TV-channel)'s New Year Gala starts at 8 pm and ends at 12:00. It's a magnificent and prevalent performance that almost every Chinese will watch it on the day. It's also a dreamful stage for all Chinese stars. After watching, people will stay up late on new year's eve. There are two meanings behind the behavior: for elders, they stay up as saying good-bye to old time; for youngers, they stay up to prolong the lives of their parents, which is a superstition. There will have a bunch of fireworks in the nights during the Spring Festival. My family always watch them together. Usually in the morning on the first day of a year, I will be awakened by the loud sound of firecrackers.
People will hold plenty of family feasts. It's crazy that you have to reserve almost a month ahead if you want to have meals in restaurants during Chinese New Year. And the amazing thing is you can see nearly everyone is in red clothes spontaneously. Teenagers and children will get "lucky money" that is in red envelopes and hear benedictions from relatives. People are especially friendly, and we greet each other with sincere wishes, for example, I will say "wishing you prosperity." when I receive the lucky money from adults.
Just like Christmas, Chinese will also decorate all over the place. As for my family, my father and I will usually substitute the old spring couplets into a new one. Couplets are two pairs of phrases written on the red paper. Those two phrases are either the warm blessings or the philosophical sentences that prevent us from conceit. Some houses will also put up red lanterns upon their doors, which is thought to keep evil away.
Without a doubt, Chinese New Year plays a significant role in Chinese' hearts. We regard this celebration as the most important part of a year. It gives people chances for families reunion, for industrious workers to relax, and for persons find frustration to gain confidence again. We make wishes in Chinese New Year and work on it for the rest of a year, year and year repeat, and that's the cycle of lives.
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