History of Chinese Calligraphy Chinese calligraphy, over the long ages of evolution, has developed various styles and schools, constituting an important part of the heritage of national culture. To obtain a better understanding of Chinese calligraphy, it is imperative to understand the history of...

A Hidden History throughout the Stories: Lu Xun Chinese scholars have fought to find freedom from their traditional past and identify themselves as individuals. Lu Xun is a prominent Chinese writer who, like many, wanted to free China of its traditional civilization. He wrote two diff...

Art can be used to study the progression of civilization. Art is usually used to express one's beliefs religiously, politically, and sometimes as a source of communication, which is accomplished through imagery. Symbols in works of art can be related to nature and myths. From the beginning of Chin...

Chinese Culture The Chinese Lake Murders were written by author, Robert Van Gulik and can be used to learn about pre-modern Chinese civilization. The book was set during the Ming Dynasty in the town of Han-yuan, which is about 60 miles north west of the imperial capital. The novel tells the tal...

From the earliest awakenings of Chinese civilization, the Chinese have sought out what they believe to be spiritual perfection. This numinous sense of flawlessness existed within the people themselves, in nature, and between the two as well. Art has always been a common means for the Chinese to achi...

Buddhism in China before the Tang Dynasty Officially, Buddhism first arrived in China before 100 CE, probably through Southeast Asia and Tibet. Traditionally, "The Emperor Mingdi, who reigned between CE 57 and 75, is said to have dreamt of a golden deity who was later identified as ...

China's Culture Throughout China's encased history it has developed much differently than western parts of the world. Chinese culture varies greatly compared to ours. These great differences between eastern culture and western culture make China a very interesting place. Some of the vast d...

The fall of the Sui in the early 17th century led to a new power, one that revolutionized the social and empirical structure. At its height, the Tang Empire stretched from what is now Manchuria in the northeast into what is now Vietnam in the southwest. Building on the reunification of northern ...

The dynamics of Chinese society are radically different from those of Western societies. The value systems behind every facet of Chinese civilization created a different way of evaluating new circumstances. The educational system that formed the backbone of the government system was based upon conse...

The ancient Chinese custom of footbinding has caused severe life-long suffering for the Chinese women involved. The first documented reference to footbinding was from the Southern Tang Dynasty in Nanjing. It was introduced in the 11th century and spread from the ranks of the wealthy to those of m...

Religion and philosophy embraced in 550 BC and continued to play an important role in China. Confucianism is the accepted philosophy of China 2000 years later. Daoism, Naturalism, and Buddhism are part of Chinese beliefs and customs. These philosophies are at the very core of Chinese life and soc...

Last Friday, I was privileged to attend the concert named the Grandeur of Tang, performed by the Singapore Chinese Orchestra. This was held at the Esplanade concert hall and attracted a huge crowd. Before we entered the hall, we could feel the impact when we saw a number of Chinese dressed in tradit...

The Han Dynasty was one of China's most persevering dynasties of all. During the four centuries that the Han Dynasty remained unified, they brought forth several major cultural and scientific achievements to China. Of these achievements were the establishment of the "Silk Road," the...

The Song dynasty lasted over 300 years, from 960 to 1279. Their history is divided into two periods of northern and southern Song. The Song period was one of China's most peaceful and prosperous eras. However, the Song government was corrupt and weak. The Song Dynasty was a period in which the Ch...

Confucianism Confucianism is a system of thought based on the teachings of a Chinese man named Kung Fuzi. Which is latinaized as Confucius, he lived from 551 to 479 b.c.e. Confucius claimed that he was not original and neither were his teachings, but believed himself to be a "c...

Confucianism Oct 21, 1999 Confucianism is a system of thought based on the teachings of a Chinese man named Kung Fuzi. Which is latinaized as Confucius, he lived from 551 to 479 b.c.e. Confucius claimed that he was not original and neither were his teachings, but believed himself to be a &qu...