Yum Cha and Dim Sum: A Cantonese Morning Tea Guide
A working guide to yum cha and dim sum in Cantonese teahouses — what to order, how the trolley service works, tea etiquette, and where the tradition came from.
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Chinese Culture
213 articles
Kunqu Opera: The 600-Year-Old Refined Sound Behind The Peony Pavilion and Chinese Theater's Origins
Kunqu opera emerged in 14th-century Suzhou and gave Chinese theater its melodic bones, its actor-training system, and The Peony Pavilion. Six centuries on, UNESCO calls it a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity. Here is why it still matters.
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Qilin Auspicious Beast Mythology - The Chinese Unicorn That Walks on Clouds
Meet the qilin - China's most beloved mythical creature. Deer body, dragon scales, ox tail, and a single horn. From Confucius's omen at birth to modern feng shui, the qilin's story.
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Pixiu Wealth Beast Mythology - The Dragon-Headed Lion That Eats Gold But Cannot Spit It Out
The Pixiu is a Chinese mythical wealth beast with a dragon's head and a lion's body - and no anus, so it only takes in. Where to place one, how Pixiu differs from Piyao, and why the bracelets are everywhere.
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Kunpeng Giant Bird Mythology - Zhuangzi's Fish That Became a 90000-Li Wind
The Kunpeng from Zhuangzi - a fish so large it became a bird whose wings span the sky. The Southern Sea, the 90000-li wind, and the Chinese idiom for limitless ambition.
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Jade Rabbit Moon Legend - The White Hare Who Pounds the Elixir of Long Life on the Moon
The Jade Rabbit of Chinese mythology - companion of Chang'e on the moon, pounding the elixir of long life with mortar and pestle. The Mid-Autumn Festival, the Apollo comparison, and the rabbit's many afterlives.
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Fox Spirit Huli Jing Legend - The Shapeshifting Fox Immortals of Chinese Mythology
Huli jing - the fox spirits and fox immortals of Chinese mythology who cultivate themselves into human form. Daji, Yang Guifei, and the modern afterlife.
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Wang Xizhi and the Orchid Pavilion Preface - The Birth of Chinese Calligraphy
How Wang Xizhi wrote the Lantingji Xu at a springtime drinking party in 353 CE and changed Chinese calligraphy forever — the man, the work, the legend.
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Shu Embroidery - One of China's Four Great Embroidery Traditions from Sichuan
Shu embroidery (蜀绣) from Sichuan weaves silk thread into phoenixes, pandas, and lotus. Over two thousand years old, one of Chinas four great embroidery schools.
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Li Shizhen and the Compendium of Materia Medica - The Book That Cataloged Every Healing Plant in China
Li Shizhen spent 27 years writing the Bencao Gangmu, a Ming dynasty encyclopedia of 1,892 medicinal plants, animals, and minerals. Here is his life and legacy.
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