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Chinese curiosities
China is a fascinating country of cultural, linguistic and landscape diversity. This page will contain the most important and interesting information about the Middle Kingdom
Feniks w kulturze chińskiej/ Phoenix in Chinese culture
Symbolika chińska
W Państwie Środka symbolika ma szczególne znaczenie. Wśród najważniejszych ikon pojawiają się także przeróżne zwierzęta i to zarówno te prawdziwe, występujące w przyrodzie (np. nietoperz, żuraw, ryba, motyl itd.), jak i stworzenia mityczne, pojawiające się tylko i wyłącznie w legendach i literaturze (np. smoki, feniksy, jednorożce [wł. Qilin]).
Charakterystyka chińskiego feniksa
W najwcześniejszych podaniach o tym wymyślnym stworzeniu opisywano go jako ptaka, a właściwie dwa ptaki – samicę i samca (chiński wyraz oznaczający „feniksa” to 凤凰, gdzie 凤 oznacza samca a 凰 – samicę). W okresach późniejszych zwierzę to już prezentowano jako pojedynczego ptaka płci żeńskiej, bardzo często sparowanego z samcem smoka. Według dawnego opisu jego ciało składało się na dziób koguta, ptasie czoło, „twarz” jaskółki, szyję węża, grzbiet żółwia, pierś gęsi, rybi ogon i zad jelenia. W późniejszej charakterystyce jawił się już jako istota o wielu brodach, ciele kaczki-mandarynki, głowie bażanta, pawim ogonie i dziobie papugi.
Znaczenie symboliczne
W chińskiej kulturze feniks stanowi symbol cnoty, obowiązkowości, rzetelności i pomyślności. Dawniej jego pojawienie utożsamiano z zaprowadzeniem w cesarstwie porządku i harmonii przez ówcześnie panującego Cesarza. Jego postać jest także kojarzona z nowym początkiem, dlatego jego wizerunek często pojawia podczas takich uroczystości jak śluby czy podczas Chińskiego Nowego Roku. Jako symbol sprzyjającego losu według filozofii Feng Shui jest nośnikiem dobrej energii qi, dlatego jego podobizny często pojawiają się w chińskich domach.
Podsumowanie
Feniks w kulturze chińskiej pełni funkcję symbolu. Symbolizuje nie tylko równowagę Ying i Yang w chińskiej filozofii Feng Shui, ale także kojarzy się z takimi wartościami jak cnota, rzetelność i obowiązkowość. Symbolizuje pomyślność przy wejściu w nowy etap życia, dlatego jest obecny podczas uroczystości związanych z początkiem czegoś istotnego. Warto przyozdobić swoje mieszkanie/ dom w podobizny tego ptaka, dzięki czemu do nasze miru domowego wkroczy pozytywna energia.
Chinese symbolism
In the Middle Kingdom, symbolism has a special meaning. Among the most important icons there are also various animals, both real ones, occurring in nature (e.g. bat, crane, fish, butterfly, etc.), as well as mythical creatures, appearing only in legends and literature (e.g. dragons, phoenixes, unicorns [incl. Qilin]).
Characteristics of the Chinese Phoenix
In the earliest accounts of this ingenious creature, it was described as a bird, actually two birds - a female and a male (the Chinese word for "phoenix" is 凤凰, where 凤 means male and 凰 - female). In later periods, this animal was already presented as a single female bird, very often paired with a male dragon. According to an old description, his body consisted of a rooster's beak, a bird's forehead, a swallow's "face", a snake's neck, a turtle's back, a goose's breast, a fish's tail and a deer's hindquarters. In the later characterization, he already appeared as a creature with many breads, the body of a mandarin duck, the head of a pheasant, a peacock's tail and a parrot's beak.
Symbolic meaning
In Chinese culture, the phoenix is a symbol of virtue, duty, reliability and prosperity. Formerly, its appearance was identified with the introduction of order and harmony in the empire by the reigning Emperor. His character is also associated with a new beginning, which is why his image often appears during ceremonies such as weddings or during the Chinese New Year. As a symbol of favorable fortune according to the Feng Shui philosophy, it is a carrier of good qi energy, which is why its images often appear in Chinese homes.
Summary
The phoenix is a symbol in Chinese culture. It symbolizes not only the balance of Ying and Yang in the Chinese philosophy of Feng Shui, but is also associated with values such as virtue, reliability and duty. It symbolizes prosperity when entering a new stage of life, which is why it is present during ceremonies related to the beginning of something important. It is worth decorating your apartment / house in the likeness of this bird, thanks to which positive energy will enter your homes.
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腊八粥 - Chinese porridge of the Five Treasures
腊八粥 (pinyin: Làbāzhōu) is a famous ChineseEight Treasures Oatmeal. She is also called 八宝粥 (pinyin: Bābǎozhōu). Traditionally, in China, it is prepared and eatenOn the 8th day of the 12th lunar month. Her appearance heralds the imminent celebration of the Chinese New Year (Spring Festival). Where did the name "eight treasures" come from? It comes from a tradition where the dish consisted of a total of eight different dishescereals, nuts, fruits, various varieties of beans and herbs. The nourishment of the gruel, which comes from the variety of ingredients, comes from the "treasures" of Mother Nature that she carries within herself.
The following foods can be used to prepare this delicacy:
From cereals:
Black rice
Millet
Barley
Rice
From beans:
Red beans
Black beans
soy beans
Mung beans
From nuts:
Peanuts
Italian nuts
Pine nuts
Almonds
From dried fruit:
jujube
Goji berries
Raisins
Hawthorn
From seeds:
Lotus seeds
Spiny plant seeds
Sunflower seeds
Sesame
From herbs:
Chinese yam
bell ringer
Atractulod rhizomes
Poria
To get the perfect dish, beans soaked overnight should be cooked with selected additives until smooth, necessarily at low temperature. If you prefer, you can also add sugar to the gruel at the end.
腊八粥 - Chinese porridge of the Five Treasures
Source: https://www.hepingribao.com/home/2022/12/30/%E4%BC%A0%E7%BB%9F%E6%96%87%E5%8C%96%EF%BC%9A %E8%85%8A%E5%85%AB%E8%8A%82%E7%9A%84%E7%94%B1%E6%9D%A5%E4%B8%8E%E6%9C%B1%E5 %85%83%E7%92%8B%E6%9C%89%E5%85%B3%EF%BC%9F%E5%AE%83%E7%9A%84%E4%B9%A0%E4%BF %97/
腊八粥 (pinyin: Làbāzhōu) is a famous ChineseEight Treasures Oatmeal. She is also called 八宝粥 (pinyin: Bābǎozhōu). Traditionally, in China, it is prepared and eatenOn the 8th day of the 12th lunar month. Her appearance heralds the imminent celebration of the Chinese New Year (Spring Festival). Where did the name "eight treasures" come from? It comes from a tradition where the dish consisted of a total of eight different dishescereals, nuts, fruits, various varieties of beans and herbs. The nourishment of the gruel, which comes from the variety of ingredients, comes from the "treasures" of Mother Nature that she carries within herself.
The following foods can be used to prepare this delicacy:
From cereals:
Black rice
Millet
Barley
Rice
From beans:
Red beans
Black beans
soy beans
Mung beans
From nuts:
Peanuts
Italian nuts
Pine nuts
Almonds
From dried fruit:
jujube
Goji berries
Raisins
Hawthorn
From seeds:
Lotus seeds
Spiny plant seeds
Sunflower seeds
Sesame
From herbs:
Chinese yam
bell ringer
Atractulod rhizomes
Poria
To get the perfect dish, beans soaked overnight should be cooked with selected additives until smooth, necessarily at low temperature. If you prefer, you can also add sugar to the gruel at the end.
China is a fascinating country of cultural, linguistic and landscape diversity. On this page you will find the most important and the most interesting information about the Middle Kingdom
Dragon Boat Festival
端午节
The Dragon Boat Festival (in Chinese: 端午节) is a Chinese holiday celebrated on the fifth day of the fifth month of the Chinese lunar calendar. In the current, 2020, it was June 25.
Celebration
Although the way the festival is celebrated differs slightly from region to region, the common point is the spectacular dragon boat races. Modern boats have a shape typical of the sport of rowing, but a special feature is the dragon's head located on the bow of the boat. Such a boat can accommodate 22 people (including 20 rowers). The races played are accompanied by colorful banners and crowds of spectators cheering loudly.
When it comes to cooking, on this special day, traditional zongzi 粽子 are highly appreciated, i.e. sticky rice with, for example, pieces of meat (pork, poultry), Chinese sausages, salted duck eggs or shiitake mushrooms. Formed in a rounded cone, rice is wrapped mainly in bamboo leaves (also lotus or banana) and steamed.
History
The Dragon Boat Festival is a commemoration of the famous Chinese poet from the Warring States era from Chu Qu Yuan 屈原, who condemning the brutality of wars and promoting the unification of the country fell into disgrace and was exiled by the ruler. As a result of despair, he decided to commit suicide by drowning in the Miluo River 汨罗 江. Tradition has it that the local inhabitants, having learned about the tragic death of the poet, went to their boats in search of the body of the deceased. Not finding it, they began to throw pieces of rice into the water depth of the Miluo River to prevent the poet's body from being eaten by the fish, and beat on the drums to drive away the evil spirits from the body. On the other hand, an elderly Chinese doctor poured wine into the river to poison the monster inhabiting it and thus protect Qu Yuan.
Version straight from Jiangsu
In Jiangsu City, Zhejiang Province, there is a different story of the birth of this holiday tradition. It is the legend of Wu Zixu 伍子胥, who lived before Qu Yuan, also in the Chu State (in the years 722 - 481 BC). His father, a teacher in the court of the ruler of Chu, was thrown in prison. For this reason, Wu Zixu and his older brother Wu Shang, who were sentenced to death, also fell out of favor. When Wu Zixu's father and brother were killed, Wu Zixu was forced to flee the Chu family. He decided to go to the Wu State, which was the enemy of the Chu State. Wu Zixun entered the ruler's court and quickly gained his favor. After the king's death, however, his son took the throne, who unfortunately did not put such trust in Wu Zix. For this reason, he ignored his advice to attack the Yue State. On the fifth day of the fifth month of the lunar calendar, the king forced Wu Zixu to commit suicide, who also asked to gouge out his eyes after his death and hang it on the city gates. Thanks to this, he will be able to watch as Yue's troops conquer Wu. The king became angry and ordered the body of the deceased to be thrown into a river near the city of Suzhou. The local people who liked Wu Zixu organized dragon boat races in his honor each year.
Sources:
https://theculturetrip.com/asia/taiwan/articles/taiwans-dragon-boat-festival/
https://www.chinahighlights.com/festivals/dragon-boat-festival-history.htm
https://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smocze_%C5%82odzie
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zongzi
https://baike.baidu.com/item/%E7%AB%AF%E5%8D%88%E8%8A%82/1054
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Chinese respect for the elderly
Edited by: Karolina Kłopotek
One of the most distinctive features of the Chinese people is their deep respect for the elderly. This type of attitude has its origins in antiquity. What is the uniqueness of this phenomenon? The answer to this question is the subject of this article.
The virtue of filial duty
In the Confucian, Taoist, and Buddhist societies of ancient China, the overriding virtue was the virtue of filial obligation (ch. 孝, xiào). It consisted of an obligation to show respect to parents, elders and ancestors. Filial duty, already described in the Confucian Dialogues, played a paramount role in Confucianism.
According to its definition, it was to be manifested through love for parents, caring for them, and appropriate behavior not only towards parents, but also among the society so as to care for the good name of their family. It manifested itself in a job well done and filling commitments, refrain from rebellion, be polite, following the established etiquette, caring for the graves of ancestors, giving them due veneration, settling near the family home in order to always be able to help elderly, sick parents. Its important aspects were also: providing a male heir and brotherly consent.
Filial duty and modern times
Filial duty is still present in Chinese society in one form or another. In the name of Confucian thought that is still alive, the Chinese government explains how to show respect towards its elderly citizens. He mentions the inhabitants of villages as an example for this part of society that lives in cities. In rural parts of the country, Nursing Homes are not very popular, and families have a strong sense of mutual ties and obligation towards parents and grandparents.
Young people living in Chinese villages most often stay at their parents' homes. Placing an older family member in a Nursing Home is assessed as neglecting family obligations and leads to the so-called "Losing face", which is the greatest dishonor for the Chinese. Even in the face of of such strongly degenerative diseases as Alzheimer's, most people prefer to hire constant care for a sick parent / grandfather in their home, rather than give them to even best equipped facility.
WITH prospects themselves interested
What are the feelings of seniors themselves? The approaches are very different. Some, fearing loneliness and social exclusion, see nursing homes as an opportunity to maintain contact with people, moreover, the company of peers creates an atmosphere of understanding. These people have similar experiences together. Nursing homes located far from overcrowded cities, surrounded by beautiful fauna and flora help seniors to maintain their well-being and soothe their nerves, you can play chess together or take a walk among the beautiful gardens of the establishment.
On the other hand, there are people who treat dedication to a Nursing Home as rejection and exclusion from family life. It separates friends and places where they have spent their entire lives.
Legal aspect
Chinese children have a legal obligation to respect the elderly in their family. The aging of the population has become one of the greatest problems faced by the Middle Kingdom. More and more young people are choosing to leave their family home and live separately. In response to this trend, the Chinese government introduced an order to visit parents regularly, under the threat of legal sanctions.
An elderly person who feels neglected by its offspring may go to court. If the case is won, the court may impose a penalty by enforcing it in the form of, for example, blocking a library card. In Shanghai, a nursing home employee has the legal right to make a phone call to the resident's child (s) and shouting them in the event that it considers that they have failed to comply with the obligation of regular and sufficiently frequent visits.
My experiences
Although I cannot say too much about what this issue looks like "from the backyard", because I have never managed to penetrate any Chinese family so much, one can draw conclusions from superficial observations that the elderly play a significant role in life great Chinese cities. Although the reality in China is changing and children do not have as much time to meet their parents as they used to, it can be seen that seniors can cope on their own. Chinese elderly people are socially active people. I think this is due to their awareness that they constitute a group that enjoys great respect among the society. The average Chinese senior is a cheerful, smiling, open-minded person who has a lot to say. Taking care of your body and mind.
I would wholeheartedly wish that seniors in Poland would also have such feelings. While visiting the Middle Kingdom, I was grasped with the contrast of the same social group on two different continents. A Polish pensioner is often withdrawn, spending most of the time at home with his spouse and then alone. As entertainment, we treat going shopping, quickly exchanging information with a neighbor on the street and going to the church or doctor. Perhaps it is because we, the young, let them feel that we no longer need them, that they constitute a burden and that their thinking is outdated and out of date? Maybe we are actually making a huge mistake, not taking advantage of their greater experience and difficult experiences, learning from the mistakes they made so as not to make them in the future? I leave this issue for personal consideration.
Sources
https://www.ft.com/content/d33fdde0-ffc9-11e5-99cb-83242733f755
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1023/A:1026445420276
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Filial_piety
http://www.china.org.cn/english/China/207500.htm
https://www.spiked-online.com/2007/07/16/how-china-respects-its-elders/
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喝点 热水 * - Meaning hot
water in Chinese culture
Author: Karolina Kłopotek
* Transl .: Drink some hot water
Every sinophile knows exactly that hot water is in culture
Chinese is of considerable importance. When you feel bad
you have a cold, your stomach hurts, you have cancer
mischievous (joke)… Drink some hot water!
When you stroll through the streets of Chinese cities, in public places or at work places, you can meet Chinese people everywhere who do not part with their thermos flasks (保温 杯 Bǎowēn bēi ). Sometimes it is pure water, sometimes with aromatic tea leaves, flowers and dried fruit. A multitude of additives is available in every supermarket. Often, also at airports, offices and schools, you can find special hot water dispensers.
Why are the Chinese so fond of drinking hot water?
The phenomenon of drinking hot water comes from the Chinese people's deep faith in traditional medicine. According to her, everything in the world consists of yin 阴 (what is feminine, dark, cold, weak) and yang 阳 (what is masculine, bright, warm, strong). The ideal is the harmony between the two. If there is too much of any of the elements in our body, a disorder occurs, which can cause numerous diseases. Drinking hot water makes us sweat. Along with sweat, we get rid of the excess of the element yang, or excess heat, we cleanse the body and restore harmony.
Short story
The practice of drinking hot water started in 200. BC However, it was not so widespread. At that time, it was treated as a privilege of people from high society who could afford to buy fuel to heat a drink. The tradition of drinking hot water gained more popularity in 1862, when an epidemic of cholera broke out in Shanghai, killing approx. 3,000 people. daily. The epidemic began to spread throughout the country, reaching the capital.
After the communists took power in 1949, drinking hot water became common. In 1934, the nationalists made available guide Fri "New Life Movement Essentials" 新 生活 运动 之 要 义, where this custom was propagated. In 1956, the communists launched a campaign to encourage the consumption of hot water, arguing that every child should drink hot water three times a day for preventive health care.
Sources: https://theculturetrip.com/asia/china/articles/why-do-chinese-people-drink-hot-water/; https://www.cheng-tsui.com/blog/hot-water-in-chinese-culture
Summary
As already mentioned, drinking hot water in Chinese culture is of great importance. According to Chinese medicine, this is to maintain harmony in the human body. Being in China, we can come across hot drinking water dispensers or large thermoses with this wonderful drink, especially in restaurants or tea rooms. Almost every Chinese citizen carries their handy thermos with them, sometimes adding flavor with tea leaves, flowers or dried fruit.
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