Chinasage Diary

Cultural destruction

During the Cultural Revolution (1966-76) there were many victims. One great sadness was the loss of many buildings and items of historical and cultural value. Many temples were destroyed as all religion was suppressed. The campaign against the four olds: ?old culture, old customs, old habits and old thinking? led to the destruction of many people's treasured heirlooms. In Beijing 72% of the cataloged relics were smashed to dust and 37% of historic sites flattened.
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On this day

868 Printing of Diamond Sutra 868 (1,153 years ago)
1610 died 1610 (411 years ago)
1610 Matteo Ricci died 1610 (411 years ago)

One child policy

The policy of only permitting one child per family is considered the most hated in China since the formation of the P.R.C.. It was introduced in 1980 after warnings of the dangers of over population had gone unheeded for twenty years. Mass starvation was considered the likely result. The fact that China's population has stabilized and is on track to fall slightly is a vindication of the policy despite the personal hardship and heartbreak that it undoubtedly caused. The policy has now been relaxed to llow for two children per couple. With sustainability of the world at risk one obvious way to relieve pressure is to reduce demand on food and resources.
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Sun Yatsen's mausoleum

Sun Yatsen and Mao Zedong are regarded as the two founders of modern China; on National day (1st October) both their portraits are paraded in Tiananmen Square. Sun Yatsen's power-base was in southern China. The Republican government sat at Nanjing not Beijing in 1912. So it is near to Nanjing that Sun Yatsen has his grand mausoleum. Close by on the Purple Mountains is the mausoleum of Emperor Hongwu founder of the Ming dynasty.
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On this day

1421 Lightning strike destroys Forbidden City 1421 (600 years ago)

Tao Te Ching

Now written in pinyin as Dao De Jing, this small book is the best known ancient Chinese classic outside China. It is a set of philosophical aphorisms and riddles from the Daoist tradition. Within China the book is less well known, many Chinese would first mention the I Ching (Yi Jing) as the premier ancient classic.
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Who pays for a meal?

If you go out to a restaurant with Chinese friends you will become aware of different cultural attitudes to paying the bill. While westerners will either split the bill equally between everyone or else work out individual bills of exactly what has been eaten. In China, with the emphasis on sharing dishes, there is strong competition to be the one to pay the whole bill for everyone. It is very hard for a guest to get to pay the bill.
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Civil war of succession

Following the pattern of many other dynasties the Ming dynasty began with a strong leader who united the country but on his death the country fell into a brutal was of succession between Emperor Hongwu's nominated heir Zhu Yunwen and Zhu Di. Zhu Di eventually won to become Emperor Yongle and he consolidated Ming rule in China.
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Landscape Pagodas

The Chinese landscape still has many pagodas but far fewer than there used to be. Care was taken to place them appropriately in the landscape. Pagodas act as storehouses of sacred relics (usually Buddhist) or commemorate a sacred place and always have an odd number of stories - often nine or seven.
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On this day

1260 Kublai Khan became ruler 1260 (761 years ago)

Scholarly accomplishments

A scholar aspiring to be a government official was expected to excel at scholarly accomplishments, the main four were Chinese chess (Xiangqi), Literature, Painting and Playing the lute (guqin).
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On this day

1421 Burning of Imperial Palace 1421 (600 years ago)
1654 Emperor Kangxi born 1654 (367 years ago)
1919 May 4th Movement founded 1919 (102 years ago)

The Chinese violin - Erhu

Most people judge that the traditional Chinese instrument, the Erhu, is the one that is most emblematic of China. It is a small instrument with two strings attached at the bottom to a small sounding box. Between the strings is threaded the bow and so it is almost impossible to move the bow without making a sound. The sound made is somewhat more shrill than western string instruments and has a melancholic timbre. The Erhu is often played by buskers in towns and cities in China but it is also used as part of a traditional Chinese orchestra in place of violins.
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Eastern and Western tombs

Even though the Manchu rulers during the Qing dynasty were not Han Chinese they took to many Chinese customs. One particular belief system is that tombs must be located according to Feng Shui rules. Unfortunately Feng shui masters could not agree on the best site for the location of the tombs and the Emperors after Yongzheng hedged their bets by alternating between the Eastern and Western tombs. The Eastern were built first and are 78 miles NE of Beijing while the Western are 87 miles SE of Beijing.
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On this day

1360 Emperor Yongle born 1360 (661 years ago)

The Chinese Trinity

One of the most common sculptures you will see in shops, restaurants and homes is a set of three figures. These are the good luck gods of the Daoist tradition Fu, Lou (or Lu) and Shou representing respectively wishes for happiness, prosperity and long life.
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Hundred Schools

Over 2,000 years ago the conflicting Chinese philosophies were codified and vigorously debated, a few have survived little changed to the present day. This flourishing of philosophy is somewhat similar to the situation in Ancient Greece and occurred about the same time. The Hundred Schools of Thought was the time of Laozi and Kongzi (Confucius).
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100 Days of Reform

In the late Qing dynasty there was a last glimmer of reform. After centuries of domination by conservative forces who rejected any structural change it was Emperor Guangxu for was persuaded by leading intellectual Kang Youwei that a radical swathe of reforms were needed. In June 1898 the reforms abandoned the age-old examination system to bring in Western technology and science; commerce and engineering were promoted. Conservative forces led by his aunt Dowager Empress Cixi blocked the reforms and they were abandoned after just 100 days. It is one of the great 'what ifs' of Chinese history. If the reforms had succeeded China could have been a modern state much earlier under the same model as that of Japan.
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Qinghai

The province of Qinghai is named after the lake that stands on its eastern edge. It is the largest lake in China and is at a high altitude of 10,500 feet [3,200 meters]. Its name means blue-green lake. The salty waters of the lake (it has no outflow) is home to many birds.
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On this day

1897 Ye Jianying born 1897 (124 years ago)
1959 Liu Shaoqi became Chairman Peoples Republic of China 1959 (62 years ago)

China's flag

The four smaller stars on the flag of the People's Republic represent the four classes of people: working class; peasantry; petit bourgeoisie and patriotic capitalists.
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On this day

1959 Mao Zedong no longer Chairman Chinese Communist Party 1959 (62 years ago)
1959 Mao Zedong no longer Chairman Peoples Republic of China 1959 (62 years ago)

Paddyfields

Rice has been grown in China for thousands of years. However there is a common misconception that is grown and eaten all over the vast country. In fact northern China is just too cold to grow rice and so wheat and other grains are grown instead. Rice likes as hot and humid a climate as it can get, so actually much of China's rice is now imported from countries further south. Another misconception is that rice needs to be grown in water - the familiar paddy-field. In fact the fields are flooded to control weeds as only rice will grow in standing water.
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On this day

1997 Peng Zhen died 1997 (24 years ago)

Li River

The Li River scenery between Guilin and Yangshao has been considered the most beautiful in China for hundreds of years. The limestone has been worn away by the waters to leave strange towering pinnacles covered in lush vegetation.
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On this day

1644 Ming dynasty ended 1644 (377 years ago)

Keeping the seal

The seal of office of a government official was a thing of great value. Documents were not valid if they did not bear the appropriate marks of the seal. If a seal was stolen it could be used to create legal-looking edicts covering everything from land ownership to death sentences. The safe-keeping of the seal was often the responsibility of the official's wife. Should it be lost the official was typically demoted or dismissed from office.
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Panthay rebellion

One of the bloodiest rebellions in Chinese history took place 1853-73. The Muslims of north-western China rose up in revolt and it was brutally suppressed by the Qing government. About 2 million people (Chinese and Muslims) met their death. It would be better known if the Taiping Rebellion (1850-64) had not taken place with its about 40 million deaths. The rebellion is one reason why the current Chinese government is ruling the Muslim dominated Xinjiang province with such firmness.
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Overseas Aid

The Chinese diaspora have made an important cultural and financial contribution to the building of modern China. Overseas communities in Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and Indonesia have often become rich and send back money to their families or invest in new enterprises within China.
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Qufu

The town of Qufu, Shandong was the home of Confucius (孔夫子 Kǒngfūzǐ ) and descendents now in the 83rd generation still live there. The size and grandeur of the buildings rival that of the Forbidden City in Beijing.
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Internet wars

China has put many defenses to prevent material on the internet being seen by its citizens. Although it is fairly easy to circumvent the Great Firewall of China most do not. Many sensitive topics are blocked including strange items like 'Pooh Bear', this last one is because President Xi has been unfavorably compared to this children's character. To maintain vigilance there are estimated to be 100,000 people employed to monitor and block certain web sites and pages in China. It began as early as 1997.
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Decimal system

China has used a mainly decimal system for weights and measures for 3,000 years. Long before Napoleon imposed a decimal system in his European empire the Chinese were using a system based on units of ten. For a long time this also applied to days - the week was ten days rather than seven days long. When the metric system was adopted in 1912 the conversion of units in China was straightforward.
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Decimal system

China has used a mainly decimal system for weights and measures for 3,000 years. Long before Napoleon imposed a decimal system in his European empire the Chinese were using a system based on units of ten. For a long time this also applied to days - the week was ten days rather than seven days long. When the metric system was adopted in 1912 the conversion of units in China was straightforward.
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Lofty Everest

As the international border runs directly through the mountain China claims the eastern half of the world's highest mountain. The English name is named after the surveyor who measured its height - Sir George Everest. In China it is known as Zhumulangma 'Holy Mother'.
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Making connections

Everyone in China maintains their personal network of connections. 'Guanxi' is the Chinese word for this invaluable resource. Friendships are cultivated so that should the need arise a favor can be called in; this could be getting hold of a permit or a discount or a place at a school. A person with many connections is likely to gain crucial advantages in life.
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Goose service

The goose is often portrayed on postage stamps in China. This alludes to the story dating back to 81BCE when Su Wu was on a journey of exploration into the west. He was captured and held in prison where he was starved. Somehow he managed to get hold of a wild goose and attach a letter to its leg. The Emperor was able to confront his captors and he was duly released. This is probably the first documented use of birds as messengers and so they make a suitable emblem for a postal service.
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On this day

1989 Hu Yaobang died 1989 (32 years ago)

Latin Treaty

When the Russians and Chinese came to make a treaty in 1689 they had a problem. They needed a language that both sides could understand, Russian or Chinese would not do. So the compromise was to write the Treaty of Nerchinsk in Latin. Latin was known to the Russians and in China the Jesuit mission was still active and they could freely translate between Chinese and Latin.
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Equality of women

The role of women in China was through most of the Imperial Era one of subjugation to men. Women had to defer to men in all things; it was only as a widow that she would have the power to control their son's household. The position eased on the fall of the Qing dynasty in 1911 but it was not until the Communist party victory in 1949 that equality began to be introduced across the country.
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On this day

1988 Wan Li became Chairman NPC 1988 (33 years ago)