Long,long ago there was a poor scholar who wrote the character ‘fu’ or ‘happiness’ on paper and his wife tore the character out.

很久很久以前，有个穷书生把“福”字写在纸上，被他的妻子剪下来了。

This is the origin of papercutting ( jian zhi).

这就是剪纸的由来。

The jian zhi craft is considered to be one of the standards to identify a smart woman.

剪纸工艺被认为是判断一个聪明女人的标准之一。

People think a woman who is good at making delicate jian zhi is a smart.

人们认为善于制作精致剪纸的女人是聪明的。

Jian zhi patterns come from daily life.

剪纸模式来源于日常生活。

Clipping and engraving are two skills used to make jian zhi.

剪纸和雕刻是制作剪纸的两种技艺。

Intricate centers are important for jian zhi designs.

复杂的中心对于剪纸的设计很重要。

Jian zhi is a popular folk art.

剪纸是一种流行的民间艺术。

Jian zhi expresses Chinese people’s wishes for happiness and good luck.

剪纸表达了中国人对幸福、好运的祝愿… Read the rest

Chopsticks,kuai zi,are the most important eating utensils in China.

筷子是中国最重要的餐具。

Chinese use them during each meal.

中国人每顿饭都要使用。

They’re made of single material with two sticks.

它们是由单一材料和两根棍子组成的。

They’re made of wood or bamboo and use the theory of leverage to pick up various kinds of food easily.

它们是木头或竹子做的，并且用杠杆理论夹起各种各样的食物很容易。

Manners are important when using chopsticks just like using forks and knives in the West.

就像在西方使用刀叉一样，使用筷子时礼貌很重要。

Chinese have used kuai zi for at least 3,000 years.

中国人至少使用过 3000 年。

They have been spread to Asian countries like Japan and South Korea.

它们已经传播到日本和韩国等亚洲国家。

The materials come from nature.

材料来自大自然。

They represent the wisdom of the Chinese

它们代表了中国人的智慧。… Read the rest

Tea,cha,is the beverage most representative of Chinese culture.

茶是最能代表中国文化的饮料。

Proper etiquette dictates the guests are treated to cha.

正确的礼仪要求客人受到的款待。

Many outstanding Chinese poems were created in the company of cha.

中国许多杰出的诗歌都是在茶的陪伴下创作出来的。

Originating in China,cha is divided into green tea,black tea,yellow tea,dark tea and white tea,according to its color.

茶起源于中国，根据茶的颜色分为绿茶、红茶、黄茶、黑茶和白蓝茶。

The procedures for drinking cha are delightful.

喝茶的程序很有趣。

Cha,water,wares and fire are indispensable when making cha.

制茶的水、器、火是必不可少的。

The shape,color and fragrance of cha are quite important.

茶的形、色、香是很重要的。

The water should be clear and sweet.

水应该是清的，甜的。

The fire should be clean without odour.

火应该是干净的，没有气味。

The chinaware and purple clay tea sets are widely used.

瓷器和紫砂茶具用途广泛。

People feel closer to nature by drinking cha.

喝茶让人感觉更亲近大自然。… Read the rest

The tu lou building is a special residence in China.

土楼在中国是一个特殊的住宅。

Central China was in a state of war in the 10th century.

公元 10 世纪，中国中部处于战争状态。

Large numbers of people migrated to the mountainous region in southeast China.

大量的人移居到中国东南部的山区。

They built tu lou with clay and rocks for living and defense.

他们用粘土和石头建造土楼，用于居住和防御，

Circles of rooms are enclosed by another circle Rooms aren connected by round corridors.

一圈圈的房间由另一圈围起来。

The second floor is used as a granary The third and fourth floors are used as bedrooms.

二楼用作谷仓，三楼和四楼用作卧室。

There are more than 300 rooms in the largest tu lou,which can accommodate more than 800 people.

最大的土楼有300 多个房间，可容纳 800 多人。

The center of tu lou is the public area with wells and kitchens.

土楼的中心是公共区域，有水井和厨房。

Family meetings are held on the axis.

家庭会议在轴线上举行。

People have lived in the tu lou,cooking,washing clothes,and holding ceremonies for ancestor worship in harmony for hundreds of years.

几百年来，人们一直生活在土楼里，做饭、洗衣服、举行祭祖仪式。

Now tu lou are open to the public.

现在土楼对公众开放了。

You can experience the family love and unsophisticated customs when you pass by the lovely windows.

经过可爱的窗户，你可以感受到亲情和淳朴的风情… Read the rest

Hu tong,a type of narrow street or alley with houses on both sides is the most typical residence in Beijing.

胡同，一种两边都是房子的狭窄的街道或小巷，是北京最典型的住宅。

The hu tong is not only a traffic channel but also the living area for ordinary people.

胡同不仅是一条交通通道，也是老百姓的生活区。

It is the most peaceful place in this noisy city.

在这个喧闹的城市里，这是一个美丽的地方。

People get along with each other in harmony.

人们和睦相处。

There used to be 4,000 hu tong in Beijing with a history of more than 800 years.

北京曾经有 4000 个胡同，有 800 多年的历史。

Many hu tong have been replaced by modern buildings as the city developed.

随着城市的发展，许多胡同已被现代建筑所取代。

Only a few of them have been preserved keeping the traditions and history of Beijing alive.

只有少数被保存下来，保留了北京的传统和历史。… Read the rest

 

A courtyard residence,si he yuan,is a yard enclosed by houses in four directions.

庭院让中国家庭团聚四合院是四合院，四合院是四合院。

It is a closed residence with only one gate leading to the outside.

这是一个封闭的住宅，只有一个门通向外面。

Houses on the north are the largest ones and used as the owners’ bedrooms.

北部的房屋是最大的房屋，用作业主的卧室。

The arrangement represents the hierarchy in a family.

排列代表了家庭中的等级制度。

The screen wall stands behind the gate to protect the residents from wind-blown sand.

屏风矗立在大门后面，保护居民免受风沙的侵袭。

Chinese believe that the screen wall can also ward off bad luck.

中国人相信屏风还可以辟邪。

Therefore,the wall is usually decorated exquisitely.

因此，墙面通常装饰精美。

The si he yuan is intended to unite all the family members to enjoy a harmonious and happy life together.

四合院旨在团结所有的家庭成员一起享受和谐和幸福的生活。… Read the rest

There’s a pig and two people.The two people drive the pig into a house and raise it together.

有一头猪和两个人，两个人把猪赶到一间房子里，一起养它。

Thus making the Chinese character ‘jia’ which means ‘family’.

因此，汉字“家”的意思是“家庭”。

In Chinese daily life,the whole family includes three generations: Grandparents,parents and children live together.

在中国人的日常生活中，整个家庭包括三代:祖父母、父母和孩子住在一起。

Taking care of each other,looking after the young and supporting the parents are the traditional values of Chinese people.

互相照顾，照顾孩子，赡养父母是中国人的传统价值观。

You can easily find a typical Chinese jia all over the world.

在世界各地，你都可以很容易地找到典型的中国家庭。… Read the rest

Chinese names(xing ming) are different from Western ones.

和西方人的习惯不一样。

The family names(surnames) come first and given names come last.

中国人的姓名是姓在前，名在后。

People usually ask each other’s ‘xing ming’ when they meet. If they share the same family name,they believe that their ancestors were relatives,500 years ago.

在两个中国人见面的时候会问起对方的姓氏，倘若同姓，两人就会很高兴地说：“咱们 500 年前是一家”。

The family of Confucius is an example of Chinese family names.

孔子家族是中国姓氏的标本。

A young man can trace his family line to an ancestor who lived 2,500 years ago.

它可以让一个今天的青年人一代代追溯到 2500 年前的祖先。

It is like a tree: leaves,branches and roots are connected by the family name.

这就像一颗大树，从一片叶子到根茎，联系他们之间关系的就是姓。

There are supposedly more than 20,000 family names in China.

据说，中国有两万个姓。

The secret of where your ancestors came from and what they did are concealed in ‘xing ming’.

祖先从哪里来，为什么来到这里，他们是干什么的，这些秘密都藏在姓名里。… Read the rest