Mon 18 Dec 2006
Ancient Egyptian and Babylonian characters were invented over 5,000 years ago and have gone through golden ages of development and use, but only the ancient Chinese characters have survived the test of time and continue to be used.
Chinese History & Culture
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Mon 18 Dec 2006
The most important Chinese holiday is Chinese New Year, which is known in China as Spring Festival (chūnjié 春节). The festival ushers in the lunar New Year and is the West’s Christmas and New Year’s Eve rolled into one. From sun up to sun down, this is a time when the whole country throws itself into celebrating and eating.
No one is quite sure exactly when or where the festival originated. Legend has it that once upon a time, there was a monster called Nian (nián 年) that attacked Chinese villages every spring, eating anything that came its way – people, animals, plants and the odd building. One spring, villagers hung red paper on their doors and threw bamboo on a fire when Nian arrived. The monster was so startled by the bright colors and loud crackling noise of the burning bamboo that it turned and fled. Today the word “nian” is the Chinese word for year. (more…)