Chinese Culture: The Art of Gifting

The Art of Gifting in Chinese Culture

There are many aspects to Chinese culture. Chinese culture ranges from being humble, having manners, greetings, virtue, teachings, respect and much more. There are so many aspects involved in Chinese culture that we could write a book on it, but today we will discuss an important part of Chinese culture for businesses, gifting. For traditional Americans, gifting usually only happens during Christmas, Thanksgiving (when they give back), or during special occasions such as birthdays and anniversaries. In China and in Chinese culture especially in business, you will see gifting happen quite a lot. Below we will go over a few main types of gifting in Chinese culture.

Visiting Gift

In Chinese culture and traditions, respect and virtue is extremely crucial. When you visit somebody, whether you are visiting their house or anywhere else you must bring a gift. It is a way to express politeness and respect for the other person you are visiting. In most cases, people will bring a fruit basket or crackers and cookies. In Chinese culture, this doesn't just show your respect for them, it also makes yourself seem like a more respectful and polite person. So remember, whether you are visiting a Chinese friend from a different country or just meeting up, bring a gift!

Post Business Meeting Gifts

Most of us have heard about the long business meetings in China. Some people find the long meetings tedious and useless, but it is apart of Chinese traditions. China has more than 5000 years of history and Chinese culture and traditions have always been apart of the history. Regardless if you find the meetings tedious or not, it is very necessary to be there at every single meeting if you want to close the deal. In traditional Chinese culture, people like to gather up, have dinner and enjoy their time. That's why it is hard for people to try and close a deal or get a contract signed the first time they meet for dinner. This is where the Chinese tradition of gifting comes in. For example, before the dinner you will take time to talk to the people, then have a photo taken with them. Afterwards, the long meeting you can have your assistant send the photo back to them as an excuse to set up another meeting. Your hoping to develop a strong relationship with them so you can gain their trust for future deals. Chinese believes heavily in sincerity. Being sincere and gifting a lot is a great way for them to remember your brand as well as build a strong relationship.

Gifting to Child

You might have noticed a lot of Chinese parents tend to gift to their friend's child instead of their friend themselves. The reason behind this is because, in Chinese tradition, in a way the child represents their parents. That is why you always hear Chinese parents telling their child to not make them look bad. According to Chinese tradition, when you get married you're supposed to give out red envelopes, but you will never give out red envelopes to people older than you or same generation as you. So, when you are really trying to gift a friend, you can do so by gifting to their child. This is indeed a confusing topic so if you have questions please contact us. One way to understand these Chinese traditions is by actually traveling to China or hanging out with Chinese friends and family members to see these Chinese culture in action.

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Chinese Natural Tourism Resource and Folk Customs

Chinese tourism resource is mainly composed of natural landscapes, historical and human landscapes and folk customs, which is distributed in different parts of China.

On the vast Chinese territory scatter countless high mountains, lakes, valleys, waterfalls and caves, which are gorgeous and magnificent. Taishan Mountain, Hengshan Mountain (Hunan Province), Huashan Mountain, Hengshan Mountain (in Shanxi Province) and Songshan Mountain have been titled "the Five Sacred Mountains" since ancient times, of which Taishan Mountain ranks first for its tremendous momentum, while Huangshan Mountain is famous for its odd-shaped pines, bizarre rocks, cloud seas and hot springs.

In Southwest China there are Jiuzhaigou, Huangguoshu Waterfall and Guilin Mountains & Lakes, and Jiuzhaigou stretches for over 40 kilometers and covers an area of 620 square kilometers, where the lakes, waterfalls and forests scatter, and it's just like a wonderland on the earth. Composed of 18 overground waterfalls and 4 underground waterfalls, Huangguoshu Waterfall Cluster (in Guizhou Province) is very breathtaking and fantastic, whose sound can be heard from five miles away. The Li River meanders along the peaks and caves in Guangxi Province, along which the scenery is picturesque, and the Guilin-Yangshun Section (about 82 kilometers long) boasts the essence of Guilin Mountains & Rivers, attracting millions of visitors every year.

On the plateau of North China scatter numerous high mountains and calm lakes, affording a magnificent spectacle. Surrounded by mountains, Tianchi Lake in Xijiang Province is 1,980 meters high above the sea level with its deepest point of 105 meter. As the capital of China, Beijing is not only famous all over the world for its cultural and historical attractions, but also it's well known for its unique natural scenery, of which the famous ones include Jingdong Grand Canyon, Beijing Botanical Garden and Shidu.

The Three Gorges (Qutang Gorgande, Wu Gorge and Xiling Gorge) along the Yangtze River have long enjoyed a good reputation with many places of interest along the riverbanks, of which Qutang Gorge is steep and majestic, Wu Gorge is characterized by quietness, and Xiling Gorge features many shoals and rapids, where the Three Gorge Dam is located, boasting the biggest hydroelectric project of China.

There are 56 ethnic groups in China, whose culture, lifestyles and festivals vary from one to another. As the most ceremonious festival for the Tibetan ethnic people, the Sour Milk Festival is held on 30th of June every year, when the actors from the major Tibetan drama schools gather in Norbulingka of Lahsa to perform the plays. Nadam Fair is held in July every year, when the Mongolian people celebrate it in the forms of singing, dancing, wresting, shooting arrows and and horse racing.

The Bai ethnic people living in Dali of Yunnan Province hold "March Fair" on Diancang Mountain in March every year, which is a good opportunity for the people to conduct material and culture exchange.

The Dai ethnic people celebrate their Water-Splashing Festival after the Tomb-Sweeping Festival, who consider water as something that brings happiness and longevity to them, so they splash water to each other to express their best wishes during the festival, and the dragon-boating racing and the peacock dancing are also held then.

I am a professional writer to write articles on tourism, and more information about Beijing Shidu and Beijing Travel are available in my service. Please free free to ask any question on tourism, and your questions are always welcome.

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Ancient Chinese Clothing - History of Fashion in China

The ancient Chinese people had very distinctive social classes. Each of these has specific styles and significance of dressing. Varied symbols are used on the clothing to distinguish between various strata of society. The ancient Chinese clothing has varied greatly throughout different periods of time. Each social or historical period brought about a new style.

During the Pre-Qing Dynasty (also known as the Manchu Dynasty was the last ruling dynasty of China from 1644 to 1912.); the prevalent ancient Chinese clothing was broadly referred to as hanfu with many variations such as traditional Chinese academic dress. Every individual stratum displayed a different fashion. In fact the military was totally distinctive in its appearance.

Chinese civil or military officials had an assortment of motifs to depict their rank and position. Hat knobs were used as an icon of their rank. There were nine types of color coded hat knobs that represented the nine distinctive ranks. Another popular insignia was the Mandarin square or rank badge.

The Chinese clothing known as the Hanfu (also referred to as guzhuang meaning "ancient clothing"), was the traditional dress of the Han Chinese folk. The term Hanfu has its organ in the Book of Han, which says, "then many came to the Court to pay homage and were delighted at the clothing style of the Han [Chinese]." It was fascinating for these visitors to see the characteristic outfit - like a kimono and sandals made out of rice reed. As you can see, the Hanfu has a colorful history dating back 3000 years and more. In fact the dress was even worn by the legendary Yellow Emperor. It was popular since long before the Qing Dynasty came into power in the mid seventeenth century. Since the material of this ancient Chinese clothing was always silk, supposedly discovered by the Yellow Emperor's consort, Leizu, the Hanfu was also called 'silk robes'.

The Hanfu now is worn only at special occasions which are mostly historical reenactment, hobby, coming of age/rite of passage ceremonies, ceremonial clothing worn by religious priests, or cultural exercise. However, there are attempts on to try and make it a part of more day to day wear or at least during Chinese celebrations and festivals especially in China as well as among the non resident community.

The Ancient Chinese clothing in its most traditional best can be explained as different parts of specific cloth that are draped in a special style. It would be totally different from the traditional garment of other ethnic groups in China like the Manchurian qipao. There is a great difference between the Han way of dressing and the Manchurian influence. It is as yet an unsolved problem which of the two would be the correct traditional costume of the ancient Chinese. Some costumes commonly thought of as typically Chinese, such as the qipao, are the result of influence by brutal laws (Queue Order) imposed by Manchurian rulers of the Qing Dynasty, and are regarded by some advocates as not being "traditionally" Han.

Christopher Schwebius is an entrepreneur who seeks out sharply defined, specifically focused topics to research. Upon finishing his research he provides relevant, un-biased information to his readers based on his discoveries and/or personal experiences.

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How to Learn Mandarin Chinese - Four Things the Beginner Needs to Know

So you've decided to learn Chinese, but not quite sure what you've gotten yourself into? No problem! We have identified four things that all beginner Mandarin learners need to know to start learning Chinese!

1 - Chinese Pinyins 
You probably know that Chinese characters are the standard for written Chinese, but they're not very helpful when it comes to pronunciation for beginners. As a newbie, your best friend is pinyin. Pinyin is a system for writing out the sounds of the Chinese language using the Roman alphabet. It's not a "pronunciation key," it's a way of representing the sounds of the Chinese language in a phonetic way. This means reading pinyin correctly will still require you to learn some new sounds.

2 - Chinese Tones 
Mandarin Chinese is a tonal language, which means that every syllable has a tone, and the meaning of each syllable can change, depending on the tone. This means that if you want to express yourself in Chinese and get the correct meaning across, you have to pay attention to those tones! There are four main tones in Mandarin Chinese, plus one "neutral" tone. The tones are simply referred to as "first tone," "second tone," "third tone," and "fourth tone." We could describe them here, but the best thing to do is to listen to them, and keep listening until they become familiar.

3 - Chinese Characters 
While the casual learner of Mandarin Chinese may opt not to spend too much time on learning Chinese characters, the serious student will want to dive right in. There are just a few main points you should know about characters to make the most out of your studies:

a - There are two sets of Chinese characters: simplified and traditional. Simplified characters are used in mainland China, whereas Hong Kong and Taiwan still use traditional characters. Most students of Chinese will want to study simplified characters (unless they are focused on Taiwan, Hong Kong, or Chinese history).

b - All Chinese characters are composed of strokes. The order of the strokes that is used when writing a character is called that character's "stroke order." Each Chinese character is not a unique "drawing," however. As you learn more and more characters, you will notice that certain parts of a character appear again in other characters. These recurring component parts have the same stroke order every time, and their use helps us to make sense of Chinese characters. These component parts, when used to classify characters, are called "radicals."

c - Every Chinese character has a one-syllable reading. This means that a one-character word is one syllable, a two-character word is two syllables, etc. Most Chinese characters have one reading, but the number of Chinese characters far outnumbers the total number of syllables in Mandarin Chinese. As a result, for most syllables in Chinese, there is more than one corresponding character.

d - When writing in Chinese characters, there are no spaces between words. This can make it difficult to tell where one word ends and the next begins. Practice is the key. Modern Chinese in mainland China runs left to right, top to bottom (just like English text), but you will occasionally see old texts or signs printed vertically.

4 - Standard Mandarin 
You often hear about various "Chinese dialects," such as Mandarin, Cantonese, Shanghainese, and Hokkien, and you may imagine that they are as similar to each other as American English, Australian English, and British English. In actuality, they are as different as the Romance languages Spanish, Portuguese, French, Italian. Mandarin is by far the most common of the Chinese "dialects" mentioned above,and is the official language in both mainland China and Taiwan. (Cantonese is the language of Hong Kong and Guangdong.) Mandarin is what is usually meant by "Chinese" in casual usage.

You will sometimes hear mentions of "standard Mandarin" in discussions about learning Chinese. China was once fractured by innumerable dialects, and a unifying dialect helped bring the nation together. Standard Mandarin, or putonghua in Chinese, was originally based on the Beijing dialect in northern China, but has long since spread throughout the country. Just as a traveler in the USA will hear the difference in the local accents of Texas, New York, California, and Boston, a visitor to China will notice differences in the Mandarin of the residents of Beijing, Shanghai, Taipei, and Sichuan. These differences add to the richness and variety of the language.

So now you know the 4 most important aspects of learning Mandarin Chinese - so why not get started!

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Vegetable Soup Recipe - Top 5 Weight Controlling Chinese Soup Recipes

Vegetable soups are a favorite for many people who are trying to lose weight because they are fillers that contain low calories. Provided with the proper vegetable soup recipes, you will become slimmer than you expect before you know it while taking good bites. This article is going to share the top 10 Chinese soup recipes that will facilitate your fat loss efforts.

1. Kelp and Bean Sprout Soup

Cooked with such ingredients as kelp, soy bean sprouts, carrots and tomatoes, this soup is nutritious and filling. It is worth mentioning that the kelp maintains the PH of the body more than 7 if you have it when you are losing weight.

2. Winter Melon Soup with Lotus Leaf

The winter melon is not only delicious and inexpensive, but also highly recognized as a top weight controller. According to the traditional Chinese medicine, the winter melon helps with the secretion of fluids in the stomach, which will reduce the intake of foods. Besides fresh lotus leaves, it can also be cooked together with ginger slices.

3. Quick Vegetable Noodles

This soup is easy to make. It is done by adding some vegetables and an egg when the noodles are boiling in the pot. However, the weight related trick lies in the ratio of the noodles to the vegetables and the way you enjoy it. The amount of the vegetables should be twice or more of the noodles. Eat the vegetables first.

4. Cabbage Soup with Onions and Carrots

Cabbage ranks the third on the menu recommended by the World Health Organization. It is nutritious, but contains low calories. This soup is not only tasty, but also good looking due to the combination of green and orange.

5. Vegetable Soup with Curry

The Indian curry powder, instead of the processed curry cube which is highly fatty, enhances the metabolism. Boil the vegetable stock with some water first. Then add some curry powder, tomatoes and some vegetables such as bell peppers and eggplants. It will turn out to bear special flavor.

If you expect the soups to play their weight-losing roles, do not forget about the following tips on how to enjoy the vegetable soup recipes:

1. Don't not add any fat or man-made seasonings.

2. The amount of cabbage, gourds or tomatoes used in the soups must be as high as possible. You can neglect the liquid part of the soups. But the vegetables must be eaten.

3. Natural seasonings such as peppercorns, chili and ginger can not only enhance the flavor of the vegetable soups, but also improve the metabolism. They can be used as often as possible.

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Chinese Dumplings: What They Mean in Chinese Culture and How to Make Them

Introduction to Chinese Dumplings

Dumplings are a very important dish in Chinese cuisine, whose influence in Chinese culture can never be overlooked or underestimated. Dumplings are also part of Japanese, Korean, and even Russian cuisines (although the way they look and taste is totally different).

Dumplings carry a very special meaning for Chinese people all over the World. Most Chinese families gather together during Chinese New Year Eve celebrations to prepare dumplings. When Chinese people have guests for dinner, they prepare dumplings to warmly welcome their guests. Here, in UK, when Chinese friends gather for dinner, it is very common to prepare dumplings together: while a few of us prepare the pastries, the others are rolling them up.

And me, I never forget the time I was there trying to help my parents and grandparents preparing dumplings, I was only five probably, trying to hold the rolling pin to make the pastry, and hated that my left and right hands did not coordinate as they should. So, on top of every cultural facts, it really is a family thing. I remember that after I became an 'expert' on making the pastry, my mum would call all of us come to the kitchen to help after she had prepared the fillings and flour dough already; then, we would all sit around the table chatting and making dumplings.

Here is a basic description of a dumpling: it is a round flour made pastry wrap with fillings inside. Fillings can be made of meat or vegetables, or seafood, (hundreds of different fillings); then, they can be boiled in water, light fried with oil, or steamed. However, the most popular form of preparation in China is to boil them. Different ways of cooking normally require a little bit different ways of preparing the dough.

Dumplings can be easily found in most restaurants in the North East of China, and there are many restaurants specialized on dumplings.

The Pastry Sheet

Nowadays, you can get prepared dumpling pastry sheets in Chinese supermarkets. These normally come frozen, and contain around 30 sheets per pack. They is very convenient if you are short of time. Frozen pastry sheets are good to use, but since they are machine-made, the thickness in the centre and edges of each pastry is the same, where traditionally it is better if the centre of the pastry is slightly thicker and the edge is thinner. And they come in slightly bigger sizes than those made at home.

Here is how to make the pastry sheet from scratch.

Apart from the flour and a bigger size board, you need a nice rolling pin. It is commonly made from wood, around 30cm long, and 2-3 cm diameter (the middle bit is a bit thicker than the two ends). Modern rolling pins can be made of marble as well; marble is heavier, which facilitates the rolling of the pin.

I prefer to prepare the dough first before preparing the fillings. Then, the dough can be left for 20 minutes while you are preparing the other things.

I normally use plain flour, which can be found in any supermarket. If I am expecting guests, however, I would use a different kind of flour. Dumplings are supposed to be white (almost transparent), and the dumplings made of plain flour normally come out dark after boiling. Furthermore, the dough made from plain flour has a tendency to get softer after a while; hence, if you are cooking for many people, you will have to prepare quite a few dumplings, and the dough you will end up using for preparing the last few ones could be too soft.

When we have guests at home, I would buy the flour in Chinese supermarket, actually, now in some Chinese supermarket you can find 'special dumpling flour'. It is more expensive than the alternatives, but then, you don't have to worry about the colour and softness.

If dumplings are the main dish on the table, I normally use four cups of flour for three people, which amounts to 15-20 dumplings per person). However, if you have other dishes to accompany the meal, then the amount of flour can be reduced.

Here are the steps you need to follow in order to make the dough: 

• As for the proportion of flour and water, I normally put three cups of flour with 1 cup of water, or 4 cups of flour with 1 cup and a quarter of water. If I use plain flour, I would add a little spoon full of salt (this is useful especially when the dough gets softer). Keep the dough it in the mix bowl. Traditionally, you can use a slightly wet kitchen cloth to cover the dough, allow it to sit for a while.


• I normally divide the dough into 2 or 3 portions, which facilitates the preparation.


• Make sure you have dusted enough flour on the board so that the dough does not get stuck to the board; then, knead the dough into a long slender tube


• Divide them again into smaller pieces. I prefer use a knife to chop it into pieces, as it is easier to measure the pieces evenly. Many experienced people, however, can do it by hand.


• Press each piece on the board, and make it flat.


• Spread a pinch of dry flour on the board, then place the small dough on the top. The easiest way to do it is just to roll with the rolling pin with both hands, then stop time to time for changing direction. What we normally do, however, it to use the right hand to use the rolling pin and use the left hand to fold the edges of the pastry. Every time when you push the rolling pin up, stop in the middle.

Just couple of reminders. First, do not get frustrated if the pastry sheet does not have a perfect round shape. The dumplings will look beautiful in the end. Second, make sure you have dusted enough flour at button of each sheet, otherwise, they will get stuck together.

The Fillings

The common dumpling fillings in Northeast are either pork, beef, lamb, or prawns, which are normally combined with different vegetables. Of course, there are also many vegetarian choices. Popular vegetables that go well with beef, lamb or prawns are spring onions (you can use leeks as an alternative), celery, or 'Jiu Cai'. The latter are called 'garlic chives' in English (however, there are slight differences between the Jiu Cai and chives in mainland China).

The dumpling filling I am going to explain next is a mix of minced beef and celery.

The basic method of making the fillings is very simple: just mix the minced meat and vegetables together with the seasonings, and try to prevent the filling from getting too much liquid from the seasonings and vegetables (otherwise it will be too difficult to fold the dumplings up later).

Here are the ingredients:

• Beef mince.
• Celery.
• Spring onion (or leeks).
• Ginger.
• Salt, cooking wine, light soya sauce, sesame oil, five (or thirteen) spices (or flavoured oil).

Preparation steps: 

• Chop the celery, leeks and ginger into very small pieces.
• Put the mince and chopped celery, leek and ginger all together into a mix bowl.
• Add salt, 1 table spoon of cooking wine, 1 table spoon of light soy sauce, 1 tea spoon of spicy powder, 1 table spoon of sesame oil, and 3-5 table spoons of oil or flavored oil.

Rolling the Dumplings

The classic shape of a Chinese dumpling is similar to a small sailing boat.

Preparation steps: 

• Place one dumpling pastry sheet flat on your hand.


• Put a tea spoon of the filling in the middle of the pastry sheet. The amount of filling depends on the size of the pastry sheet. I normally use a serving knife for this, but I also found that a long stirring spoon for tall cappuccino can also come handy.


• Fold the two sides together, nip them tightly.


• Use your index finger to push the edge on the right end in, nip it together with the front edge.


• Push the remaining part on the right side from the back towards the front, then nip it together with the front edge. Now, the back would show a nice fold.


• Swap the dumpling to your other hand, then do the same with the left hand side.

However, the most important part is not whether the folding is beautiful; what really matters is whether the edges have been tightly nipped up, so that the dumpling won't break during boiling (or frying).

If you want to go the easy way, just fold up the two sides tightly whichever way you like.

Put the prepared dumplings on a plate or on any clean surface (traditionally, we use a bamboo board). The material is not important, but make sure that you dust some flour on the surface before placing the dumplings on to prevent the dumplings from getting stuck to the surface. Since the flour could be softer if the dumplings are left for a long while, (especially now with the liquid coming out from the fillings), get ready to cook them as soon as you get enough of them to boil or fry.

Boiling and Serving

As already mentioned, Chinese dumplings can be boiled, steamed, or light fried. In this recipe we follow the traditional method, namely to boil the dumplings in water.

Preparation steps: 

• Fill in a deep saucepan with water, and bring the water to boil.


• Once the water is boiling, start putting the prepared dumplings into the water. Don't put too many within one go, otherwise they will get all stuck together, and will also take longer to boil. (The idea is not to leave the dumplings in the water too long, so only put dumplings in when the water is boiling, and take them out as soon as they are done). While doing this, use a skimmer to stir the dumplings from the bottom of the saucepan up.


• Sprinkle some salt into the water (this could prevent the dumplings from getting stuck together).


• Stir the dumplings time to time.


• When the water boils again, pour in a cup of cold water to cool it down, then allow it to boil again. If you are making meat dumplings, then repeat this step. If you are making vegetable dumplings, you can turn off the fire, remove the dumplings from the saucepan and serve them on a plate using the skimmer.

Traditionally, the dumplings are served with a dip (a mixture of soy sauce and vinegar). In most restaurants in North East China, you can see a small bottle of light soya sauce and rice vinegar on each table.

Here is the delicate 'dip recipe' we commonly prepare at home. Mix light soya sauce, rice vinegar, a little pinch of white sugar, sesame oil, 'minced' garlic and chili oil (optional).

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Chinese Eye Exercises - 5 Effective Ways to Reduce Eye Strain

For centuries the Chinese have been world renown for their holistic brand of medicine. Their Eastern approach to medicine addresses the underlying causes of our health problems with an emphasis on improving overall health. Whether we are talking about message techniques, herbal medicine or acupressure, they have also developed specific eye exercises that reduce eye strain. At a time when the use of technology has skyrocketed, placing added stress and strain on our eyes, these stress relieving techniques can be highly beneficial in alleviating vision problems. Here are 5 Chinese eye exercises that show you how to prevent eye strain.

1. Chinese Eye Message: to perform this technique, place your 2 middle fingers against your temples and then proceed to message that area for a period of two minutes. Vary the nature of the message. For example, start with a circular message that is performed in a clockwise motion then, change the message to a counter-clockwise direction. Make sure that the message is gentle and be sensitive to yourself. Here are some additional ways to reduce eye strain:

2. Chinese Acupressure Mix: with this technique you'll need to apply a gentle message to the bony area below the lower eye sockets. Using both index fingers, gently stimulate that area in a circular motion. Be very careful not to apply too much pressure as this area is very sensitive. Begin by messaging the lower eye lids then, perform the same circular message to the bony area right above your upper eyelids. Then, locate the area around the bridge of your nose, and using your thumb, and your first two fingers, message the bridge of your nose. Perform this technique for a couple minutes.

3. Chinese Facial Exercise: if you are suffering from strained eyes try this technique. Close your eyes. Find the exact area where your eyeball adjoins the upper part of your eye socket. Then, using both thumbs, gently stimulate that area. Locate the area where your hairline meets your forehead and lightly stroke that area with your finger tips. Repeat 1 set for 10 repetitions.

4. Occipital Message: press your thumbs behind your ears and message that region in an up and down motion. Then, Locate the Occipital region: This is the area where the bottom of the skull meets the top of your neck. Message that entire region for a few minutes.

5. Chinese Acupuncture Message: using your right thumb, press it into the point between your left thumb and your forefinger, approximately 2 inches in. Repeat 1 set for 10 repetitions.

The following messages and acupressure techniques offer a wide range of benefits. In Addition to relieving eye strain, such exercises increase circulation to the eyes; one of the critical factors that contribute to eye health. They also result in an improvement of your natural vision.

Here are a few important points to bear in mind when performing these techniques: For maximum benefits, do these routines at least twice daily. Always message or apply acupressure points to both eyes, temples or spots behind the head. When you have completed the routine, practice a relaxation technique that involves focusing on a distant object 10 feet away for 10 minutes. This helps to relax the eyes and relieve any additional tension in the eye muscles.

Chinese eye exercises in the form of message, acupressure and acupuncture offer a series of benefits to eye health. They relieve stress and tension in the eyes promoting better eye Health. Ultimately, they are a branch of Chinese medicine that address the underlying causes of our vision problems instead of just dealing with the symptoms alone. The emphasis is on a comprehensive approach to eye care that in the final analysis; promotes our overall eye health.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/7678385

Are Chinese Women the New "Trophy Wives"?

It is a fact. Everywhere you look, more and more rich foreign guys are marrying Chinese women, especially in places with a dense Chinese population, like in the US. In cities like Los Angeles and New York it is common to see Chinese women shopping in expensive brand stores with their mixed children. So, what is it that got these guys ignoring all the skinny busty blondes and pursuing Chinese girls?

There are probably multiple answers to this question, but one that seems to come up over and over again is the fact that Chinese women tend to care more for their families. In these uncertain days, when every year seems to bring about a new financial crisis, more and more western women are investing time in their careers, while putting their families a little aside. Western men, in the other hand, have been watching helplessly as their women slowly take over their role as being the sole financial support of the household. The truth still remains: men enjoy having a wife to look after them, to look after the children and to keep things running around the house. Knowing that they have a wife that depends on them, gives them a feeling of dominance, which just makes them feel a little bit more like a man.

The last decade has brought about the rise of women to power. Never before have so many women attended universities and occupied important governmental and corporate positions. Western women love to boast the fact that they are financially independent, because to them it is almost like coming out from years of reclusion and finally being able to see the sunlight. Its like showing off the prize for winning a long and strenuous battle. What women didn´t really count on all these years, is that you may be able to change the way society thinks, but you can´t change the laws of nature.

It is a fact that women love to feel secure. When looking for a partner, most women will even put financial security ahead of many other aspects and this is something that they do even unconsciously. Even those women who have a thriving career and are completely financially secure, will not allow themselves to marry or even fall in love with a man who earns less than them or who has an inferior education. Not to mention the old saying that women love guys with expensive cars and pockets full of money. It´s not about the steel shaped structure in form of an expensive car they love so much. It´s not about the greenish colored rectangular piece of paper with dollar signs printed on it. For women, it´s all about the sense of security and confidence, which these objects are able to bring them.

In this scenario, where the figure of the male provider is coming to an end, Chinese women have come to fill a gap. Most adult Chinese women today were raised by very traditional parents, who taught them the importance of being a good wife and taking care of her husband. Being a good wife is an important part of Chinese culture and most Chinese women are willing to make great sacrifices for their families and for their marriage. Tradition will heavily influence even Chinese women who have a higher education and are very well capable of leading a financially secure life of her own. For wealthy western men, who already possess everything, but a caring wife, it is the perfect match.

Another reason why more and more wealthy guys are showing off their Chinese wives, is the simple fact that Asian women possess a "quiet" beauty, which does not require them to spend hours in the gym or getting thousands of facials done. They also seem to age much less than white women, which gives an older man the feeling of being with a much younger girl without having to deal with all the age difference related issues. Wrapping it all up, Chinese women are becoming popular, because they are easier to please and are not ashamed of being (or feeling) dependent on their husbands or boyfriends.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/7593670

The Meaning of Chopsticks in Chinese Food Culture

I remember that, when I was little, there were lots of riddles for kids. My grandma used to ask me time to time one of them in particular: 'There are two equally tall brothers, they have good brotherhood, and are always together, but whenever they walk, it is like they are wrestling all the time. Guess what they are?' A pair of chopsticks! Even today, I still think this is the best description of chopsticks.

Chopsticks are definitely the symbol of Chinese food culture. On the dining table, almost everything is picked up and brought to mouth by using chopsticks (apart from soup). From picking up the rice from the bowl, every piece of food on the plate, to picking the small tiny bones from the fish or eating half meter long noodles, or even cutting off some piece into half; all can be done by chopsticks. So the traditional way of laying the table is always having a pair of chopsticks along with a spoon placed next to the rice bowl, no knives, and definitely no forks.

Chopsticks are normally made of wood, bamboo or silver, or even gold. The price can greatly vary because of the quality of the wood. Some chopsticks with good quality wood like achiote and very fine details can be very pricey.

Gold chopsticks were used by the 'emperors' or 'royals' to distinguish their unique position, but silver chopsticks were more common. It is said that using silver chopsticks was the best way to check if the food was poisoned, as there would be a mark shown on the silver chopsticks if there was poison in the food. Not surprisingly, all those emperors needed to take pre-cautions.

Furthermore, silver chopsticks are probably the most 'healthy' ones, as the wood ones can be rotten after washing many times, and become not hygienic.

Chinese chopsticks have normally a kind of rectangular shape, and are longer and thicker, comparing to Japanese ones, for example. This is because of the traditional metaphor of 'round sky and square ground', so the tip of the chopsticks is always in 'round' shape, while the other end is square. However, nowadays, the slim and all round shape chopsticks are also very popular.

At one time, 'chopstick culture' was very popular again. I mean, the design of the chopsticks. On the upper part of the chopsticks, there are some pictures or words, normally are from famous influential traditional Chinese paintings or poems. These are very interesting to look at. So people can get some 'cultural education' while eating.

As for how to use chopsticks, there is no secret. We normally start using chopsticks at very early age, then you would develop your own habit to hold them. Different people, however, would hold chopsticks differently.

One of the most common ways of doing it is to first hold the pair of chopsticks upright, make them stand at same level, (you can hold them against on the table surface if it helps); and use the ring finger to support, index finger to hold the other side, while middle finger helps to make the movement more mobile. It is really a matter of practice.

Saying that it is a cultural thing, it is not only because of its usage on the table, there are also many phrases or stories symbolized by chopsticks. For example, the story of 'united strength', I think most of us have heard of that one.

There was a dad who had three sons, who always fought against each other. One day, at the dad's dying bed, the dad asked the sons to hold a bunch of chopsticks in their hands, and said, 'now try to break one chopstick', the sons did easily, then the dad said, 'now try to break a bunch of chopsticks in your hands', the sons found it was very difficult to do so, almost impossible. The dad looked at the sons; they understood that only unity is strength. The following story is dad died peacefully, and the sons made a great future by working together.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6362314

The First Things You Should Learn When Trying to Master Chinese

You are not sure what is the right method for learning Chinese. You have tried many different books and online courses, but you are not able to make any progress. You need to find the best methods that will help you master Chinese in an easy way.

Chinese language is not the same as western languages. You should know that it has special characters and it may take a long time before you learn sufficient number of characters. The other problem is pronunciation. Pronunciation of Chinese words is very difficult for western people because of tones. There are four tones in Mandarin Chinese language. It is very important that you pronounce the words with correct tones. Any mistake in pronunciation can change the meaning of the words.

It is best to start with the easiest words. Learning greetings and other useful phrases in Chinese doesn't take a lot of time. It is important that you know what are the appropriate greetings for different situations. Chinese people use same greetings for different periods of day.

Using the right technical tools will speed up the process of Chinese language learning. You should get good electronic dictionaries or install dictionaries on your mobile phone. This will make it much easier to check words and characters. Using traditional dictionaries for checking Chinese characters takes a lot of time. You can save time by entering Chinese characters by using pads. Mobile devices are good for Chinese language learning because you can bring them with you anywhere you go. You can learn Chinese while you drive to work or wait for a bus. It is easy and convenient.

Finding the best online Chinese courses can make your learning efforts more productive. You can choose many of the available free online tools for Chinese learning. Those tools include dictionaries, conversations, forums and tests. You can find the best conversations for your current Chinese level. You should learn at your own pace and there is no need to hurry. Language learning is always a gradual process that includes some necessary steps. First step is learning words. Next step is learning how to make phrases. Last step is finding ways to use words and phrases in real conversations.

When learning Chinese, it is best that you don't compare it with your mother tongue. Mandarin Chinese has special grammar rules and word order. It is completely different from English or any European language.

Now is the time for you to make a language learning plan. If you don't have good results in the beginning, you should not give up. Learning Chinese can be fun and it is not as difficult as you think.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6894858