Our weekly cultural post
Authors: Silvia Gramegna, Valentino Zhao Fortress Besieged (围城) is a Chinese satirical novel. The title comes from the French proverb “Marriage is like a fortress besieged: those who are outside want to get in, and those who are inside want to get out”. Published in 1947, Fortress Besieged is the Read more…
Author: Yao Tong Tea drinking has always been a consistent part of Chinese culture. Its origins date back to a legend that tells the story of how Shennong, a humanoid mythical character known as the father of Chinese agriculture and traditional medicine, accidentally discovered tea. He was boiling water to Read more…
Author: Riccardo Hu The Great Wall of China, Wànlǐ Chángchéng (万里长城), consists of a series of fortifications built across the northern borders of China and it is one of the largest building projects ever undertaken in history. The total length of all sections adds up to 21,196 kilometers, with an Read more…
Author: Christine Yu In China, as in many other countries, giving gifts is a way to maintain good relationships between friends and relatives. From generation to generation, Chinese people have developed a culture that appreciates some gifts but rejects others. This is mainly due to the superstitions linked to them Read more…
Shaanxi (陕西, “Shǎnxī”) is a landlocked province with 37 million people. Its capital is Xi’an, the largest city in Northwest China and place of the former Chinese capitals: Fenghao and Chang’an. In fact, Xi’an is also one of the oldest cities in China. It is important not to confuse it Read more…
Jiangsu (江苏) is one of the smallest provinces of China but also one of the most populated. It has the highest GDP per capita and is important in finance, education, technology and tourism. The name comes from the union of the capital city’s original name “Jiāng Níng” and its largest Read more…
Shandong (山东) is a coastal province of China and it has played an important role in Chinese history since the beginning of Chinese civilization. The province is the cultural and religious centre for Taoism, Chinese Buddhism and Confucianism. The Buddhist temples in Jinan were once among the foremost Buddhist sites Read more…
Tianjin（天津, one of the four municipalities directly under the Central Government of China, is the only city in Chinese history that has an exact record of the time it was built. Even if Tianjin is adjacent to Beijing, the styles of the two cities are completely different. While Beijing is Read more…
Beijing (Běi jīng 北京) is one of the four ancient cities in China, together with Xi’an, Luoyang, and Nanjing. Thanks to being surrounded by mountains on the North, it is separated from the northern desert steppes and was chosen by Chinese emperors as the “Northern Capital”, a name adopted in Read more…
Hebei Province, referred to as its one-character abbreviation “冀” (Jì), is located in Northern China. Geographically speaking, it is situated in a very strategic position that gives her the role of “gateway to the outside of the Capital”: in fact, Hebei province is part of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei agglomerate, one of Read more…