Chinesetraditionsplayanintegralroleineverydaylifeforeveryperson.ItisattheverycoreofChinesecultureandrevolvesaroundvaluesandhowpeopleinteractwitheachother,givesasenseofpersonalidentityandsenseofselfworth.ThesetraditionalvalueshelppeoplesolvecommonhumanproblemsforsurvivalandbecometherootsoftraditionthatChinesepeoplefindimportantintheirday-to-daylives.

　　Valuesforonesocietymayseemstrangetoanothersociety,butnonetheless,theyareimportanttothatsociety.Forinstance,thepainfulanddebilitatingChinesetraditionoffootbinding,asbizarreasitmayseemtoourculture,totheChinesepeople,itwastheesotericessenceofpurebeautyandsignifiedstatuswithinthefamilystructure,allowingyoungwomenwithlotusfeetbetteropportunitiesformarriagewithwell-to-dofamilies.

　　TraditionalChinesecourtyardlife,inexistenceuntiltheearly1900’s,wasauniquelifestylewhereChinesefamiliesandneighbourslivedinveryclosequarters–sharingacommoncourtyardandeveryoneknowingeveryoneelse’sbusiness.Specialrulesappliedforwhooccupiedwhichspaceincertaindirections.Readmoreaboutitbyclickingthelinkabove.

　　ChineseChopsticks,bornofnecessityintheearliesttimes,highlyinfluencedtheeatingandcookingtraditionsstillfollowedtodayinChina.ClickonthelinkabovetolearnmoreaboutthehistoryofChinesechopsticks.

　　Chineseknot

　　HaveyoueverseenthosebeautifultiedChineseknots?Didyouknowthateachdifferentdesignisagoodluckwish?Oneofthemostpopularknotsisdoublehappiness,whichinChinesetraditionisgiventonewlyweds,signifyingawishfortheirluckandhappinesstodouble.

　　Xing,ShiandMingarethemostcommonChinesefamilynames.Thereareonly22ancientChinesesurnamesstillinusetoday.ThefamilynameindicatedabloodtiewithintheChinesesocialstructureandwasasymbolofclass.InancientChina,5,000to6,000yearsago,womenweretheclanleadersandmarriageswereonlyallowedamongcertainclasses.

　　TherearemanycolorfulChineseFestivalshappeningallyearround.TherearesomemajoronesthatspanoutoverseveraldaysorseveralweeksthatarecelebratedallacrossChina,andthentherearetheonescelebratedindifferentregionsofChinabythe53differentminoritygroups.ChineseFestivalsofferauniqueinsightintotherich5000yearhistoryandtraditionsofChina.IfyouarelivinginChina,theChinesepeoplewillgraciouslyinviteyoutobepartoftheirtraditionalcelebrations.ClickthelinkabovetocheckoutsomeinterestingcelebrationslikeQingMing-graveyardcleaningandpicnictime,theWaterSplashingFestivalinYunnan,ChineseValentine'sDay,DragonBoatFestivalandmore.

　　leathercutshadowpuppets

　　BeijingOperaisauniquelyChineseformoftheatrethatrelatesstoriesofromance,legendandbattles.ThereusedtobetroupesthattravelledChinatoputontheshows,buttoday,thebestplacetoenjoyitisinBeijing.ChineseShadowPuppetryisanancientformofstorytellingwhichwaspopularduringtheSongDynastyduringtheholidayseason.ThestoriesoftheshadowpuppetstoldofeventsthathadhappenedelsewhereinthecountryandstorieswithaBuddhistbackground.