Qin Shihuang, the first emperor of China, was 38 years old when he came into power, unifying China from a 200-year period where six warring states all vied for power. While his Dynasty only lasted...

The well-trodden (no pun intended) story of the Chinese zodiac is cute, but a bit trite. The tale usually begins with the Jade Emperor, or Buddha, depending on the teller, who summoned all the ani...

The strength of the military has always played the major role in determining the political outcome of China. The Early Chinese Republic: In the late Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), many civilian protest...

Some 1500 years ago in the Hunan province of China, Shao-lin monks wanted to live in isolation, pursuing the peaceful teachings of Buddha. In order to protect their freedom in a land filled ...

    To the Chinese, the Imperial Dragon or Lung, is considered to be the primary of four benevolent spiritual animals, the other three being the phoenix, the unicorn and the tortoise...

  by Matthew Johnson Bunraku is the name commonly used for ningyo-joruri, literally puppets and storytelling. This simple name not only describes a puppet performance, but also alludes to...

  "Blessed is the season which engages the whole world in a conspiracy of love." How do the Chinese celebrate Christmas? Readers frequently ask this question as winter approaches. Alt...

People throughout China drink tea daily. Because of the geographic location and climate, different places grow various kinds of tea. In general, there are five kinds of tea classified accordin...

  The Chinese style of Clothing has a long history going back several thousand years. According to legend, Leizu (嫘祖), the wife of Huang-Di (黄帝), started raising silkworms in captivity ...

  The Lunar New Year dates from 2600 BC, when the Emperor Huang Ti introduced the first cycle of the Chinese zodiac. Because of cyclical lunar dating, the first day of the year can fall...

Chinese New Year is the main holiday of the year for more than one quarter of the world’s population. Although the People’s Republic of China uses the Gregorian calendar for civil ...

  Chinese calligraphy is an Oriental art. But what makes it an art? It is very much like painting. It uses Chinese characters to communicate the spiritual world of the artist. Just as one...

  Nobody knows the age of Suo Maliya, female leader of an Ewenki ethnic minority tribe that lives deep in the forests of Greater Hinggan Mountains, Inner Mongolia autonomous region, tho...

Part of MPR's special report, Ocean of Wisdom: The Dalai Lama's Visit By Art Hughes   The Dalai Lama is regarded by Tibetans as one of a succession of (so far) 14 incarnations of the Bud...

Confucius (551-479 BCE), according to Chinese tradition, was a thinker, political figure, educator, and founder of the Ru School of Chinese thought. His teachings, preserved in the Lunyu or Analec...

Editor: Liu FangBatik, one of the oldest handicrafts, has been appreciated as a part of ancient Chinese civilization since the foundation of dyeing and weaving technology in China. It is a traditi...

 Editor: Cindy XuMillions of grains of sand are painstakingly laid into place on a flat platform over a period of days or weeks, creating an overwhelmingly beautiful painting. When finished, ...

Chinese coins are a good reflection of Chinese history in the areas of economic development, Chinese language and calligraphy, metallurgy technology, and social styles.The ancient Chinese monetary...

A Chinatown is a section of an urban area with a large number of Chinese residents, usually outside of Greater China. Chinatowns are present throughout the world, including those in East Asia, ...

  Yuxian paper-cut profile in China's paper-cut many schools in Yuxian paper-cut to her beautiful Charm, unique style and unique, by the people's favorite. According to historical record...

Zhang Xuanqi got up Thursday morning and fastened a small hand-made scent bag on his shirt. This kind of adornment has been a must for him on this special day every year since his childhood. "Ins...

BEIJING, China Searching through the rubble of demolition sites across the 800-year-old capital of China, Li Songtang has unearthed a treasure trove of ancient relics. They include gate piers dep...

Xuan paper, a high quality rice paper made in Xuancheng or Jingxian of Anhui Province, is especially good for traditional Chinese painting and calligraphy. Embroidery is an art of decorating texti...

It's often said that China boasts a sophisticated tea culture: tea was first discovered and drunk in China several thousand years ago and drinking tea has become a daily habit of the Chinese peo...

The tale usually begins with the Jade Emperor, or Buddha, depending on the teller, who summoned all the animals of the universe for a race, or a banquet, depending on the teller. The 12 animals of...

BEIJING HISTORICAL cycles that took a century to unfold in the West can be compressed into less than a decade in today's China. And that's as true of Beijing's preservation movement as it is of th...

BEIJING - Compared variously to a floating pearl and a duck egg, the titanium-and-glass half-dome of the National Center for the Performing Arts formally opened its underwater entryway to Chinese ...

BEIJING - The destruction of this 800-year-old city usually proceeds as follows: the Chinese character for "demolish" mysteriously appears on the front of an old building, the residents wage a fru...

XI'AN, China - This year, in a drive to promote awareness of China's national heritage, the government introduced a free-admission policy at the country's public museums. Officially the cultural e...

SHENZHEN, China - Zhang Libing has painted more van Goghs than van Gogh ever did. At 26, Mr. Zhang estimates that he has painted up to 20,000 copies of van Gogh's works in a paint-spattered third...

With prices for Chinese contemporary art soaring, Christie's opened its week of art auctions in Hong Kong by realizing a record-breaking $67.9 million in its sales of Asian contemporary and Chines...

Cinnabar, what a lovely word. A mineral otherwise known as mercury sulfide, it was an essential ingredient in the now obsolete practice of alchemy. When heated, it produces the seemingly magical s...

Politics and art don't always mix well, but the combination has yielded a rare chance for Hong Kong residents and visitors to see what is arguably China's most famous painting.  Trying to fo...

Chinese folk religion (simplified Chinese: 中国民间宗教 / 中国民间信仰) is a collective label given to various folkloric beliefs that draws heavily from Chinese mythology. It comprises the religion practiced ...

Chinese clothing is the clothing, ancient and modern, worn by the Chinese people. It has varied by region and time, and is recorded by the artifacts and arts of Chinese culture. Dynastic ChinaTra...

The hundreds of different styles and schools of Chinese martial arts (中國武術) are collectively called Kung Fu (功夫), Wushu (武術), Kuoshu (國術), or Ch'uan Fa (拳法), depending on the persons or groups doi...

Chinese cuisine (Traditional Chinese: 中國菜 or 中餐, Simplified Chinese: 中国菜 or 中餐) originated in China and has become widespread in many other parts of the world - from Asia to the Americas, Australi...

Bamboo is one of the four favorite plants along with Chinese plum, orchid and chrysanthemum, the so-called Four Men of Honor (Si4 Jun1 Zi3) by the Chinese. The characters of the four plants are hi...

The Gods and Goddesses of ChinaTo the Chinese, creation was an act of bringing order out of chaos.  One myth tells of two beings, Hu (emperor of the northern sea) and Shu (emperor of the sout...

Introduction Official estimates state that only about two percent of China's 1.3 billion population is Christian, while Christian churches assert that figure to be at least doubled. No matter wha...

December Overview: Let's face it, weather-wise, winter is not the ideal time to travel in China. It's nose-numbing, cheek-freezing cold in the north and it's bone-chilling damp and chilly across ...

Once an excuse for a few expats to drink overpriced gluwein and salivate over thoughts of cranberry sauce, the whole Christmas phenomenon is now big business in Beijing . While some may deplore th...

Ice Skating in Beijing is a favorite sport game during the winters. Tourists coming to Beijing during this time can also take part in Ice Skating in Beijing. There are also ice cars in the winter ...

Christians in China celebrate by lighting their houses with beautiful paper lanterns and decorating their Christmas trees, which they call "Trees of Light," with paper chains, paper flowers, and p...

Want to know what life is like for children in China? Find out the culture and traditions that revolve around Chinese children in the country. Spanning over a time period of more than five thousa...