1、对龙图腾的崇拜在中国大约已绵延了八千多年。中国龙是古人将鱼、蛇、马、牛等动物与云雾、雷电等自然天象集合而成的一种神物。中国龙的形成与中华民族的多元融合过程同步。在中国人的心目中，龙具有振奋腾飞、开拓变化的寓意和团结凝聚的精神。ChineseDragonDragontotemworshipinChinahasbeenaroundforthelast8,000year.TheancientsinChinaconsideredthedragon(orloong)afetishthatcombinesanimalsincludingthefi
2、sh,snake,horseandoxwithcloud,thunder,lightningandothernaturalcelestialphenomena.TheChinesedragonwasformedinaccordancewiththemulticulturalfusionprocessoftheChinesenation.TotheChinese,thedragonsignifiesinnovationandcohesion.饺子饺子是深受中国人民喜爱的传统特色食品。相处为古代医圣张仲景发明。饺子的制作是
3、包括：1)擀皮、2)备馅、3)包馅水煮三个步骤。其特点是皮薄馅嫩，味道鲜美，形状独特，百食不厌。民间有“好吃不过饺子”的俗语。中国人接亲待友、逢年过节都有包饺子吃的习俗，寓意吉利。对崇尚亲情的中国人来讲，“更岁饺子”吃饺子，更是欢度除夕、辞旧迎新必不可少的内容。DumplingsDumplingsareoneoftheChinesepeoplesfavoritetraditionaldishes.AccordingtoanancientChineselegend,dumplingswerefirstmadebythemedicalsaint-
4、zhangzhongjing.Therearethreestepsinvolvedinmakingdumplings:1)makedumplingwrappersoutofdumplingflour;2)preparethedumplingstuffing;3)makedumplingsandboilthem.Withthinandelasticdoughskin,freshandtenderstuffing,delicioustaste,anduniqueshapes,dumplingsareworth
5、eatinghundredsoftimes.Theresanoldsayingthatclaims,“Nothingcouldbemoredeliciousthandumplings.”DuringtheSpringFestivalandotherholidays,orwhentreatingrelativesandfriends,Chinesepeopleliketofollowtheauspiciouscustomofeatingdumplings.ToChinesepeoplewhoshowh
6、ighreverenceforfamilylove,havingdumplingsatthemomenttheoldyearisreplacedbythenewisanessentialpartofbiddingfarewelltotheoldandusheringinthenewyear.针灸针灸是中医学的重要组成部分。按照中医的经络理论，针灸疗法主要是通过疏通经络、调和气血，来达到阴阳归于平衡，使脏腑趋于调和之目的。其特点是“内病外治”。主要疗法是用针刺入病人身体的一定穴位，或用艾火的温热刺激烧灼病人的穴位，以达到刺激经络。
7、治疗病痛的目的。针灸以其独特的优势，流传至今并传播到了世界，与中餐、功夫、中药一起被海外誉为中国的“新四大国粹”。AcupunctureAcupunctureisanimportantpartoftraditionalChinesemedicine(TCM).Inaccordancewiththe“mainandcollateralchannels”theoryinTCM,thepurposeofacupunctureistodredgethechannelandregulateqiandblood,soastokee
8、pthebodysyinandyangbalancedandachievereconciliationbetweentheinternalorgans.ItfeaturesintraditionalChinesemedicinethat“internaldiseasesaretobetreatedwithexternaltherapy”.Themaintherapyofacupunctureinvolvesusingneedlestopiercecertainacupointsofthepatient
9、sbody,oradoptingmoxibustiontostimulatethepatientsacupointssoastostimulatethechannelsandrelievepain.Withitsuniqueadvantages,acupuncturehasbeenhandeddowngenerationaftergenerationandhasnowspreadallovertheworld.Nowadays,acupuncture,alongwithChinesefood,kungf
10、u(otherwiseknownasChinesemartialarts),andtraditionalChinesemedicine,hasbeeninternationallyhailedasoneofthe“fournewnationaltreasures.”中国武术中国功夫即中国武术，是将技击寓于搏斗和套路运动之中的中国传统体育项目，承载着丰富的中国民族传统文化。其核心思想是儒家的中和养气之说，同时兼容了道家、释家的思想。中国武术源远流长、流派林立、拳种繁多，讲究刚柔并济、内外兼修，蕴含着先哲们对生命和宇宙的参悟。后世所称十八般武艺，主要
11、指：徒手拳艺，如太极拳、形意拳、八卦掌等；器械功夫，如刀枪剑戟、斧钺钩叉等。ChineseKungFuChinesekungfu,orChinesemartialarts,carriestraditionalChinesecultureinabundance.ItisatraditionalChinesesportwhichappliestheartofattackanddefenceincombatandthemotionsengagedwithaseriesofskillandtricks.Thecore
12、ideaofthemeanandharmonyChinesekingfuisderivedfromtheConfuciantheoryofbothand“cultivatingqi(otherwiseknownasnourishingonesspirit).Meanwhile,italsoincludesthoughtsofTaoismandBuddhism.Chinesekungfuhasalonghistory,withmulti-varioussectsandmanydifferentboxing
13、styles,andemphasizescouplinghardnesswithsoftnessandinternalandexternaltraining.Itcontainstheancientgreatthinkersponderingoflifeandtheuniverse.Theskillsinwieldingthe18kindsofweaponsnamedbythelatergenerationsmainlyinvolvetheskillsofbare-handedboxing,suchas
14、shadowboxing(Taijiquan),formandwillboxing(Xingyiquan),eighttrigrampalm(Baguazhang),andtheskillsofkungfuweaponry,suchastheskillofusingswords,spears,two-edgedswordsandhalberds,axes,tomahawks,kooks,prongsandsoon.中国汉字汉字是从原始人用以记事的简单图画，经过不断演变发展最终成为一种兼具音、形、意、韵的独特文字。现存中国
15、古代最早成熟的文字是甲骨文，被认为是现代汉字的初形。此后，汉字又经历了金文、隶书、楷书、草书、行书等不同的阶段。汉字结构“外圆内方”，源于古人“天圆地方”的观念。汉字有五种基本笔画，即：横、竖、撇、捺、折。ChineseCharactersChinesecharacterswereinitiallymeanttobesimplepicturesusedtohelppeoplerememberthings.Afteralongperiodofdevelopment,itfinallybecameauniquesystemthatembod
16、iesphoneticsound,image,idea,andrhymeatthesametime.Thewritingsystem,whichwasextremelyadvancedinancienttimes,beganwithinscriptionsontortoiseshells,andtheseareregardedastheoriginalformsofChinesecharacters.Afterwards,Chinesecharacterswentthroughnumerouscalligraphi
17、cstyles:bronzeinscriptions,officialscript,regularscript,cursivescript,runningscript,etc.Chinesecharactersareusuallyroundoutsideandsquareinside,whichisrootedinancientChinesebeliefsofanorbicularskyandarectangularEarth.ThefivebasicstrokesofChinesecharactersar
18、e”(thehorizontalstroke),|(theverticalstroke),J(theleft-fallingstroke),“、(theright-fallingstroke),and“乙”(theturningstroke).中国筷子中国人使用筷子就餐的方式在世界上独树一帜。有史记载用筷的历史已有三千多年。筷子古时称为箸，它看似简单，但却同时具有夹、拨、挑、扒、拌、撮、戳、撕等多种功能。中国民间视筷子为吉祥之物,如婚俗中将筷子隐喻为快生贵子的祝福等。与使用刀叉以及手抓的方式不同，成双结对的筷子含有“和为贵”的意蕴。西方人赞誉筷子是古老的东
19、方文明。ChineseChopsticksTheChinesewayofeatingwithchopsticksisuniqueintheworld.Therecordedhistoryofchopsticksstartedmorethanthreethousandyearsago.ChopstickswerenamedzhuinancientChinese.Theylookdeceptivelysimpletouse,butpossessmulti-variousfunctions,suchasclamp
20、ing,turningover,liftingup,raking,stiring,scooping,poking,tearing,andsoon.ChopsticksweretakenasanauspiciousmascotbyordinarypeopleinancientChina.Forexample,thepartialtoneofchopsticksisoftenusedbypeopleasametaphorasweddingstoindicateablessingorbenediction
21、forthecoupletohaveababysoon.Unlikeusingaknifeandforkoronesownhands,apairofchopsticksalsoimpliesthemeaningof“Harmonyiswhatmatters.”ChopsticksarehighlypraisedbyWesternersasahallmarkofancientorientalcivilization.Unit7ChineseSealAsealcanalsobedefined
22、asastamp.BoththeChineseofficialandprivatesealofvariousdynastieshavedifferenttitles,suchasstamp,zhunote,contract,fu,leaseandothers.ThesealsusedbytheemperorsofancientChinawerecalledxi,yin,bao,etc.Accordingtohistoricalrecords,sealswerewidelyusedduringthe
23、WarringStatesPeriod(475BC-221BC).Themakingofasealistoengravefonts,suchassealcharactersandofficialscriptandsoon;orimagesintheformofintaglioandembossmentintotheseal,basicallyshapedasroundorsquare.Coveredwithavermilionoverlay,theChinesesealisnotonlyuse
24、dindailylife,butitisalsousedtorepresentsignaturesonpaintingsandcalligraphies.ItisgraduallybecomingoneofChinasuniqueartworks.印章就是图章。中国历代官、私所用的印章有印信、朱记、合同、符、契等等不同的称谓，而帝王所用的印章古时称玺、印、宝、章等。据史料记载，印章在战国时代已普遍使用。印章的制作是将篆隶等字体、图像用阴、阳的形式雕刻而成，形状以圆、方为主。印章用朱色钤盖，除日常应用外，又多用于书画题识，逐渐成为中国特有的艺术形
25、式之一。Unit8ChineseEraTheChineseeraisthesymbolthattheChinesecalendarusesforrecordingandnamingyears.ThetenHeavenlyStemsare:jia,yi,bing,ding,wu,ji,geng,xin,ren,gui.ThetwelveEarthlyBranchesare:,yin,mou,chen,si,wu,wei,shen,you,xu,hai.Afterobservingtheluna
26、rmonth,theancientsfoundthatthemoonalwayswazesandwanesroughly12timesayear,andtwolunarmonthsaccountforabout60days,sotheorderofthetenHeavenlyStemsandtheorderofthetwelveEarthlyBranchesareproperlymatchedinturn.Intermsofrecordingdate,60yearsisconsidere
27、dtobeafulltimecycle.TheChineseerachronologywasfirstinventedinancienttimesandisstillinusenow.accordingtothechronologyofthe“tenHeavenlyStems,”2011istheyearof“theseventhofthetenHeavenlyStems”and“thefifthofthetwelveEarthlyBranches”.天干地支是中国历法中用以记录和命名年
28、岁的方法。十天干为：甲、乙、丙、丁、戊、已、庚、辛、壬、癸；十二地支为：子、丑、寅、卯、辰、巳、午、未、申、酉、戊、亥。古人观测朔望月，发现月亮圆缺12次大体上是一年的天数，而两个朔望月约是60天。古人以十天干与十二地支的顺序依次相配，记录不同年份，60年为一个轮回。干支纪年法从古沿用至今。按干支纪年法，2011年便是辛卯年。中国丝绸中国是丝绸的故乡。栽桑、养蚕、缫丝、织绸是中国古代人民的伟大发明。商周时期(前1600前256)丝绸的生产技术就已经发展到相当高的水平。西汉(前206公元25)时张骞通西域，把中原与波斯湾、地中海紧密联系起来，开辟了中外交流贸易的新纪元。从此中国的丝绸以
29、其卓越的品质、精美的花色和丰富的文化内涵闻名于世，成为中国文化的象征、东方文明的使者。Chinaisthehomeofsilk.Mulberryplanting,sericulture,silkreelingandthickeningareallgreatinventionsoftheancientChinese.AsearlyastheShangandZhouDynasties(1600BC256BC),theChinesepeoplessilk-weavingtechniqueshadreachedanextrem
30、elyhighlevel.DuringtheWesternHanDynasty(206BC25BC),ZhangQian,anoutstandingdiplomat,traveledaroundcentralAsiaandconnectedChinawiththePersianGulfandtheMediterranean,openingupaneweraofSino-foreigntrade,exchangeandcommunication.Fromthenon,Chinassilkbecamewell
31、knownforitsextraordinaryquality,exquisitedesignandcolor,andabundantculturalconnotations.Hitherto,ChinesesilkhasbeenacceptedasasymbolofChinesecultureandtheemissaryoforientalcivilization.中国园林中国园林是把人造的山水、植物、建筑等与自然地貌有机结合的环境艺术，是我国古代建筑艺术的珍宝。其建造原则是“妙极自然，宛自天开”。游赏中国古典园林，能充分领略“
32、假自然之景，创山水真趣”的园林意境。在世界三大园林体系中，中国园林历史悠久、内涵丰富，被誉为世界造园史上的渊源之一。TheChineseClassicalgardenisaprecioustreasureofourancientChinesearchitecture.Itisakindofenvironmentalart,whichsystematicallycombinesartificialmountainsandrivers,plantsandbuildingswiththenaturallandscape.Thecons
33、tructionstandardofaChineseclassicalgardenisartificialasitis,thegardeninaChineseclassicalgarden,makesuseofthenaturalforviewers.”Oftheworldsishailedasoneoftheoriginsmustlookingeniousandnatural.”Whenyougosightseeingyoushouldbeabletoappreciateitsartisticco
34、nceptwhichlandscapetocreatetherealfunofmountainsandriversthreemajorgardensystems,theChineseclassicalgardenoftheworldsgardenduetoitslonghistoryandabundantconnotations.文房四宝笔墨纸砚是中国古代文人书房中必备的宝贝，被称为“文房四宝”。用笔墨书写绘画在中国可追溯到五千年前。秦（前221-前206）时已用不同硬度的毛和竹管制笔；汉代（前206公元220）以人工制墨
35、替代了天然墨；有了纸张之后，简牍锦帛逐失其用；砚台则随笔墨的使用而发展。“文房四宝”到宋朝（960-1279）以后特指湖笔（浙江湖州）、徽墨（安徽徽州）、宣纸（安徽宣州）、端砚（广东肇庆，古称端州）。可以说文房四宝书写了整个中华文明。Thewritingbrush,inkstick,inkstone,andpaperwererequisitetreasuresinthestudyofthescholarsofancientChina,andtheyareoftenreferredtoasthe“FourTreasuresoft
36、heStudy.”ThewritingbrushandinkstickhavebeenusedbytheChinesetowriteandpaintsince5,000yearsago.IntheQinDynasty（221BC206BC）,peoplealreadyusedfeathersofdifferenthardnessandbambootrunkstomakebrushes.DuringtheHanDynasty(206BC220AD),man-madeinkwasusedinsteado
37、fnaturalink.AfterpaperwasinventedbytheChinese,bambooslips,woodentablets,brocadeandsilk,whichoriginallyfunctionedaswritingsurfaces,graduallyfadedout.Theinkstonewasfirstdevelopedwiththeuseofwritingbrushesandink.AftertheSongDynasty(960AD1279AD),the“FourTreasu
38、resoftheStudy”particularlyreferredtohubi,thewritingbrushproducedinHuzhou,Zhangjiangprovince;huimo,theinkstickproducedinHuizhou,Anhuiprovince;xuanpaper,akindofpaperproducedinXuanzhou,Anhuiprovince;andduanyan,theinkstonemadeinZhapqing,Guangdongprovince(Zhaoqing
40、edduilian)isalsoknownasyinglianorduizi.Anantitheticalcoupletisakindofnationalwritingstyle,whichiscomposedbytheskillfulmanipulationofthecharacteristicoftheChineselanguagethatonecharactercorrespondswithonesyllable.Thephilosophicaloriginandnationalculturalp
41、sychologyoftheantitheticalcoupletarethenotionofyin-yangduality,accordingtowhichtheChineserecognizeandmasterthings.Thefeatureoftheantitheticalcoupletisan“antithesis”:equalcharacters,thesamepartofspeech,thelevelandobliquefittingwitheachother,thecontentbei
42、ngrelated,andtherhythmscorresponding.Therearemanytypesofantitheticalcouplets,suchasSpringFestivalcouplets,marriagecouplets,birthdaycouplets,elegiaccouplets,andantitheticalcoupletsabouttea,etc.围棋中国古代四大艺术“琴棋书画”的“棋”特指围棋。围棋可谓中国的国棋。故称为弈，别称坐隐，手谈。围棋规则简单而玄妙无穷。棋盘方圆不及二尺，有十九纹棋路，三百六
43、十一枚棋子。表面上对弈双方是对黑白棋子的排布，实则是个人心智、胆识、耐力的比拼。国棋象征宇宙天地，包含了象数易理，兵法策略、治国安邦等无穷的哲理，充分体现了中国文化中的智慧与灵性。Weiqi.ThefourartformsinancientChinaareguqin,chess,penmanship,andpainting.AndchessparticularlyreferstoChineseWeiqi.WeiqicouldbecalledthenationalchessofChina.Inancienttimes,Weiq
44、iwascalledyi,withthealternativenamesZuoyinandShoutan.TheregulationsofWeiqiarebothsimpleandcomplexatthesametime.Afullweiqisethas361playingpiecesandisplayedonaboardwitha19by19grid.Thecircumferenceoftheboardislessthan2/3metre.PlayingWeiqimaylooklik
45、eanarrangementoftwosidesblackandwhitepieces.However,itisactuallyacompetitionbetweentwoplayersanditteststheirwisdom,courage,andpatience.WeiqisymbolizesHeavenandEarth.Itcontainsphilosophicaltheories,suchasthetheoriesembodiedintheimage-numerologyinTheBookofCha
46、nges,theartofwar,andtheoriesonstateadministrationandnationalsecurity,whichembodiesthewisdomandthespiritofChineseculture.京剧京剧被誉为“东方歌剧”，是地道的中国国粹。它起源于中国多种古老的地方戏剧，特别是南方的“徽班”。到了19世纪末，京剧形成并成为中国最大的戏曲剧种。京剧是综合性表演艺术，集唱（歌唱）、念（念白）、做（表演）、打（武）、舞（舞蹈）为一体，通过程式化的表演手段，叙述故事，刻画人物。角色主要分生（男性）、旦（
47、女性）、净（男性）、丑（男性女性皆有）四大行当。ChineseBeijingOperaPraisedas“OrientalOpera”,BeijingOperaisagenuinenationalquintessenceofChina.Itoriginatedfrommanykindsofancientlocaloperas,especiallyhuibaninsouthernChina.Attheendofthe19thCentury,BeijingOperaevolvedandtookshape,becom
48、ingthegreatestkindofoperainChina.BeijingOperaisablendofperformingarts-song,speech,performance,acrobatixfightinganddance.BeijingOperaportraysandnarratestheplotandcharactersthroughstylizedacting.ThemaintypesofrolesinBeijingOperaaresheng（male）,dan（youngfemale
49、）,jing（paintedface,male）,andchou（clown,maleorfemale）.中国道教道教是中国土生土长的宗教。创始人是春秋（前770-前476）末期的哲学家、思想家老子。道教以老子所着的道德经为主要经典。道教主张“重人贵生”，崇尚清静无为、修身养性。“道可道，非常道。名可名，非常名。无名天地之始；有名万物之母。故常无，欲以观其妙；常有，欲以观其徼”便是老子的至理名言。ChineseTaoismTaoismfirstoriginatedinChina.ThefounderofTaoismisLaozi，aphiloso
50、pherandthinkerwholivedinthelateSpringandAutumnPeriod(770BC476BC).TaoTeChing,whoseauthorshiphasbeenattributedtoLaozi,isconsideredtobethemainclassic.Taoismadvocatesthevalueofahumanbeingslife,recommendsthediscardingofalldesiresandworriesfromonesmind,ande
51、ncouragesthecultivationofmoralcharacterandthenourishmentofhumannature.ThefollowingisanexampleofLaozisgoldensayings：Thewaythatcanbetoldofisnotanunvaryingway；Thenamesthatcanbenamedarenotunvaryingnames.ItwasfromthenamelessthatHeavenandEarthsprang;Thena
52、medisbutthemotherthatrearsthetenthousandcreatures,eachafteritskind.Truly，onlyhethatridshimselfforeverofdesirecanseethesecretessences；Hethathasneverridhimselfofdesirecanseeonlytheoutcomes.中国成语成语是汉语中完整地表示一般概念的固定词组或短语。“成语”中的“成”即使约定俗成。成语是比词大而语法功能又相当于词的语言单位。绝大多数的中国
53、成语由四个汉字组成，例如：自强不息、青出于蓝、厚积薄发。成语主要从民间谚语、古代文学作品、诗歌、寓言、典故、名言警句等方面提炼而成，是汉语语言中精炼而又富有生命力的一部分。ChineseIdiomsChineseidiomsrefertocomprehensiveandintegratedfixedphrasesandexpressions.Idiomsareestablishedandacceptedbyconstantusageandcommonpractice.Anidiomisalanguageunitthatislarge
54、rthanaword,buthasthesamegrammaticalfunctionasaword.MostChineseidiomsconsistoffourcharacters.Forexample,ziqiangbuxi(makeunremittingeffortstoimproveoneself),qingchuyulan(bluerthanindigo),andhoujibofa(successcomeswithtimeandeffort).Idiomsextractedfromfolkprover
56、农历中的二十四节气不同。农历节日是中华民族凝聚力和生命力的体现。TraditionalChineseFestivalsTraditionalChinesefestivalsareusuallyfixedaccordingtotheLunarcalendar.January1stonthelunarcalendarhasbeendesignedastheSpringFestival(generallyreferredtoasguonian).ThereareseveralcustomsduringtheSpringF
57、estival,suchasprayingforagoodharvest,etc.TheSpringFestivalisthemostceremonioustraditionalfestivalinChinaandsymbolizesunityandprosperity.SomeotherChinesefestivalsincludetheLanternFestival,thePureBrightFestival,theDragonBoatFestival,theDouble-SeventhFestival,
58、theMid-AutumnFestival,theDouble-NinthFestival,theWinterSolstice,andtheEighthDayoftheTwelfthLunarMonth,etc.Eachfestivalhasitsownuniqueoriginandcustom.TheseChinesefestivalsthatfollowtheLunarcalendararedifferentfromthe24SolarTermsintheLunarcalendar.TheyembodyChinascohesionandvitality.中国茶文化茶是中华民族的举国之饮，发端于神农，兴盛于唐宋(618-1279)。开门七件事，柴米油盐酱醋茶，是中国人日常生活的写照。茶文化是茶的自然和人文双重属性的引申与概括。中国的茶道精神将儒释道三教融入其中