Red,green,black,white,heavy,light,dry and wet changes of water and ink on paper show the mysteries of traditional Chinese painting,guo hua.

红、绿、黑、白、浓、淡、干、湿，水墨在纸上的变化显示着中国画的奥秘。

Tools and materials involve writing brushes,ink,colored ink,rice paper and silk.

绘画的工具和材料通常有毛笔、墨、颜料、宣纸、绢等。

The hardness or softness of brushes,paper absorbency and color determine the features of guo hua.

毛笔的软硬，纸张对于水分的吸收，颜料的色彩表现都充分影响了中国画的特征。

Water,ink and lines are the most essential factors for guo hua.

中国画注重水墨与线条。

Unlike Western paintings,guo hua doesn’t use three dimensions or realism.

和西方油画比较起来，中国画不追求立体和写实。

Instead,paintings involve a unique Chinese view of scenery.

这是因为中国人观看景物有自己的独特方式。

It’s very common that a Chinese painting is attached with a poem.

国画画面上常伴有诗句。

If you understand guo hua you will have a better understanding of Chinese people.

了解了中国画也就了解了中国人。… Read the rest

Jingju,or Peking opera,is an ancient performance art with a history of 200 years.

京剧是一个有着 200 多年历史的古老戏曲。

Jingju has four kinds of roles according to different identities and personalities.

按照人物的身份、性格，京剧把所有角色分为四类。

The lyrics of jingju are performed with swinging or rhythmic speaking,accompanied by dozens of musical instruments.

京剧的台词使用歌唱或富有音乐性的念白。用于京剧伴奏的乐器有几十种。

Now,jingju still enchants many Chinese people and foreigners with its unique charm.

今天，京剧依然用它独特的魅力让很多人着迷。… Read the rest

A Chinese named Bi Sheng invented movable type print around 1,000 years ago.

大约 1000 年前，中国人毕昇发明了活字印刷术。

The movable components are cubes made of baked clay.

活字，就是一个个用胶泥制成的立方体毛坯。

Characters were carved on each piece of clay,which looked like the seals widely used in China.

每个胶泥块上都雕刻着一个汉字，就像中国人常用的印章。

The movable components could be arranged freely to form different vocabularies and sentences.

活字之间，可以灵活地排列组合、组词造句。

They were fixed on an iron plate with frames in certain sequence. Then ink was painted and a piece of paper was laid down. A printed sheet was created this way.

印刷时，用带框的四方形铁板做底托，把活字一个个排进框内；刷上墨，盖上纸，排列整齐的印刷品就这样诞生了。

This technique improved the efficiency of printing and transformed traditional transcription into modern printing.

毕昇发明的活字印刷术，大大提高了印刷的效率，让传统的手工抄写发展成为批量印刷。

Scripts and paintings spread widely in the world with the help of yìn shuā.

文字、图画借助印刷术更加快速广泛地传播到世界各地。… Read the rest

Paper,zhi,was a Chinese invention.

纸的发明源于中国。

2,000 years ago,Chinese invented paper-making.

2000 多年前，中国人发明了造纸术。

This zhi was made of silk and was so expensive that only the emperor and aristocrats could afford to use it.

这种纸用蚕丝作原料，价格昂贵，只有皇帝和贵族才能使用。

1,900 years ago,a eunuch called Cai Lun improved the paper-making process.

1900 多年前，一个叫蔡伦的人改进了造纸术。

He made cheap jinzhi out of tree bark and rags.

他利用树皮、破布，造出了轻便又廉价的纸。

The improvement in paper-making spread zhi far and wide,and many different types of zhi were invented by Chinese people.

造纸术的改进使纸广为流传，也出现了很多品种。

Xuan paper,a kind of high quality rice paper,best shows the charm of traditional Chinese painting and calligraphy.

宣纸最能展示中国画的魅力。

Jute paper is used to transcribe Chinese classics.

黄麻纸多用来书写中国古老的经书。

Later,Chinese zhi spread to the West via the Chinese Silk Road.

后来，中国的纸经过丝绸之路传向西方。

Thousands of years of culture and civilization were recorded on zhi,and passed to different parts of the world.

千百年来，文明被记录在纸上，传递到世界各地。… Read the rest

Gunpowder (huo yao) is another ancient Chinese invention.

火药是中国的一项古老发明。

It was invented by accident.

它的发明很偶然。

More than 1,000 years ago,people experimenting in a pharmacy made the discovery.

1000多年前，在药房做实验的人发现了这一发现。

They found that if sulphur,charcoal and potassium nitrate were mixed together with a certain proportion,the mixture would explode.

他们发现，如果将硫，木炭和硝酸钾按一定比例混合在一起，混合物就会爆炸。

Gunpowder changed the style of wars. The steel age ended and gunpowder-based weapons are now widely used.

火药使作战方式发生变革，从冷兵器开始向火器发展。

More than 600 years ago,primitive guns were used in China.

600 多年前，中国便有了原始火炮。

Cannon balls were propelled by the thrust of the huo yao explosion.

利用火药燃烧产生的推力发射炮弹。

Now,huo yao is also widely used in fireworks.

今日的火药广泛应用于烟火。

The splendid fireworks at the Beijing Olympic Games garnered wide acclaim and admiration from the audience.

2008 年北京奥运会上，无数绽放在空中的美丽烟火，令人惊叹不已，带给人全新的美感。… Read the rest

A compass,zhǐ nán zhēn,indicates north and south.

指南针可以指示南北。

It was invented by Chinese 2,000 years ago.

2000 多年前，中国人发明了它。

The ancient zhǐ nán zhēn looked like a spoon.

古代的指南针就像一把汤勺。

When the spoon was put on the plate,its handle could point to the south using magnetic fields.

把它放在平滑的盘子上，依靠磁铁的原理，当它静止的时候，勺柄就会指向南方。

Then Chinese used a little steel needle to replace the spoon. This made the zhǐ nán zhēn easier to carry.

后来，中国人用小钢针代替了汤勺，指南针就更轻便了。

Six hundred years ago,Zheng He,a famous eunuch of the Ming Dynasty,traveled to Southeast Asia and the Indian Ocean seven times. Zheng even reached the Red Sea with the help of the zhǐ nán zhēn.

600 多年前，郑和先后七下西洋，最远到达红海沿岸与非洲东海岸，便是依靠指南针的导航。

The invention boosted the development of navigation.

指南针的出现促进了世界航海时代的发展。… Read the rest

The lunar calendar (nong li) is the traditional Chinese calendar and is often used in agriculture.

农历是中国的传统历法，农业上使用的历书。

According to nong li,the crescent appears on the first day of each month and full moon comes out at the middle of the month.

新月是农历一个月的第一天，满月到了，就是农历的月中。

The cycle lasts for about 30 days.

这样循环一个月，大概要 30 天。

24 days mark 24 divisions of the solar year in nong li,according to the different positions of the Sun.

农历，又根据太阳的位置，设立了二十四节气。

For example,the division ‘Lichun’ or ‘the beginning of Spring’,reminds people that Spring is coming.

例如，立春，提醒人们开始进入了春天。

‘Jingzhe’ or ‘the walking of insects’ means that the weather is getting warmer.

惊蛰时，天气渐渐暖和，小虫子都出来活动。

‘Lixia’ or ‘the beginning of Summer’ is the point that crops are blooming.

立夏，农作物开始旺盛地生长。

‘Dahan’ or ‘the great cold’ is the end of severe Winter.

大寒以后，天气逐渐暖和了。

All these create a circle.

至此，地球绕太阳公转了一周，完成了一个循环。

Year after year people experience the mysteries of nature with nong li.

一年又一年，人们根据农历观察自然，体会大自然的神秘。… Read the rest

This character means moon with wax and wane.

月亮这个形象意味着月圆月缺。

Mythical meanings are attributed to yue liang in Chinese legends.

在中国，月亮被赋予了许多神话色彩。

Legend has it,that Chang’e,the wife of Ancient Chinese hero Hou Yi,stole her husband’s elixir and ate it.

传说，后裔的妻子嫦娥偷吃了丈夫的仙丹。

Then she became a fairy and flew to the yue liang.

独自飞上天成仙了。

She lived alone on the yue liang with only the company of a rabbit.

她孤独地生活在月亮上，只有一只兔子陪伴。

Worshipping yue liang is an ancient custom in China.

在中国，有祭拜月亮的习俗。

A round yue liang represents family reunion and often reminds people of their family.

圆圆的月亮又象征着团圆，人们看到月亮就会思念家人。

An ancient Chinese poem says,raise my eyes to the yue liang,lower my head and think of home.

正如中国有首古诗所说，“举头望明月，低头思故乡。

 … Read the rest