China Travel Guide

Red envelope, also called Hongbao, is a long and narrow red paper envelope written with golden lucky words. It’s a cultural specialty during the Spring Festival. However, Hongbao is given more meaning today. It’s used as gift money, bonus money, tip, bribery, gamble, and gift coupon.  Origin of Chinese Red Envelope The legend goes that there was a little sprite named “Chong," who was very mischievous. He often came out on new year’s eve and touched children’s heads while they were sleeping. Those who were touched would end up having a fever and becoming dumb. To keep the sprite from hurting children, the parents lit up all the rooms and sat up all night. A new year was coming along, and the little sprite was ready to play again. He went to an old couple’s house and found the cherished baby boy. He was about to touch the boy’s head when a shaft of light appeared. The sprite fled away. It turned out that the old couple placed a small red envelope with eight copper coins wrapped besi...

Modern Chinese history refers to the history between the founding of the People’s Republic of China and today. It's divided into the new democratic society and the socialist society. During this time, China has evolved from establishing and consolidating its regime to leading the Chinese people to a prosperous, democratic, and self-reliant path. The timeline below illustrates the difficult past and the outstanding achievements that have been made by today. Phase One: The Founding of the People’s Republic of China and the Consolidation of the New Regime On April.23rd, 1949, the Chinese People's Liberation Army built its first navy in the east China military area. In September 1949, the first Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference was held in Beijing. Founding Ceremony On October 1st, a founding ceremony was held, indicating the official founding of the People’s Republic of China. From October 1950 to July 1953, China sent the Chinese People's Volunteer Army t...

Liu Bang , also called Emperor Gaozu , is the founder of the great Han Dynasty (202 B.C - 220 A.D). He is the first grass-root emperor in Chinese history who turned out to be an outstanding militarist, politician, and strategist. From the uprising against the tyrannical rule of the Qin dynasty (221 - 207 B.C) to establishing the Han dynasty, Liu Bang and his supporters struggled for seven years. In 202 B.C, Liu Bang realized his dream of being an emperor, and he ruled for seven years before death.  Basics of Liu Bang Name : Liu Bang, Liu Ji Gender : male Birthplace : Fengyi, Pei Prefecture (today’s Fengxian county, Jiangsu) Birthday : 256 or 247 B.C Reign years : 206 - 195 B.C Death date : June 1, 195 B.C Posthumous title : Emperor Gaozu of the Han Major achievements : Destroying the Qin dynasty and founding the Han dynasty Major literary works : Song of the Great Wind, Song of the Large Swans Early Years - A Complete Scoundrel Born in a peasant family, Liu Bang was a generous an...

The lucky symbols are an indispensable element in China. People rest their hope and expectations on many auspicious symbols. It's estimated that there are hundreds of lucky symbols in China, including characters, patterns, animals, divine deities, numbers, and others.  Four Divine Animals 1.Qilin Qilin is an imagery animal with a deer body, an oxtail, four hoofs, and fish scales. It's the legendary beast of benevolence . It is gentle and courageous, but it never hurt people and property. Some people even regard Qilin as Confucius in animals. According to Chinese folklore, a Qilin descent to Confucius' home when he was born and predicted that Confucius would be a golden boy. Therefore, Qilin symbolizes talented persons .  Qilin 2.Phoenix Phoenix is the King of Birds in Chinese culture. It’s a virtual animal with a rooster head, a swallow jaw, a snake neck, a turtle back, a fishtail, and a body of colorful feathers. It’s a symbol of auspiciousness and harmony . Since the Qin...

According to Taoist philosophy, everything on earth has either Yin or Yang attribute. Chinese tea, based on their taste and fermentation, is categorized into Yin tea and Yang tea. Each has different attributes and effects on the body. Therefore, some teas are conducive, and some are not. It’s essential to know what tea you should drink. What is Yin Tea and What is Yang Tea? Tea is cold and Yin in natural property, and it can be warm and Yang by stir-frying at a high temperature, fermenting, baking, and storing. The cold materials contained in tea is gradually oxidized and transformed, making the Yin tea mild. In general, if the tea leaves are green in the water, the tea is Yin tea. If the tea leaves are dark red or slightly black, the tea is Yang tea. Among the six major teas, green tea, yellow tea, and white tea are Yin teas, and Oolong tea, red tea, and black tea are Yang teas.   What Are the Attributes of Yin Tea? Yin tea is cold in property, making it an excellent drink fo...