Its state system of athletic training has perfected a foolproof method for producing top gymnasts, ping pong champs, badminton aces and diving divas. Since it first participated in the modern Olympics in , it's steadily risen toward the top of the medals table. Chinese-style athleticism reached a climax at the Summer Olympics in Beijing when the country garnered 51 gold medals and ranked number one overall.
Although a top contender in diving and gymnastics, Chinese competitors are practically unbeatable at badminton and table tennis, winning more gold medals in these events than any other country at the Olympics. In comparison, the United States is undeniably the long-standing king of the Olympics, but it's had an Olympic head start on China.
China's achievements today, including several of the items on this list, can be credited to a deep sense of pragmatism, which assesses most situations by looking at the practical consequences of actions. On a policy level, China will engage with any country, regardless of moral standing. As Deng Xiaoping, architect of modern China, famously said: "It doesn't matter whether a cat is white or black, as long as it catches mice.
On a grassroots level, Chinese people embrace pragmatism on a daily basis. The philosophy explains most of China's customs and cultural norms, including the gifting of hongbao red envelopes filled with cash , the importance of maintaining guanxi interpersonal relationships and filial piety.
Calligraphy in China is an art form, a meditative practice, a scholarly pursuit and, nowadays, an investment. With a rich tradition of calligraphy tracing back thousands of years, China reveres the works on paper by great masters, as well as the experimental new media calligraphic works of contemporary artists. The ancient work was written by the famous poet Su Shi and consists of just nine characters.
Historic Wuzhen is one of six ancient Yangtze River towns. Best of all, it's just a short drive from Shanghai. Video by Black Buddha. Why reinvent the wheel? China is great at copying other people's version of the wheel and making it more affordable.
There's a cheap Chinese version of almost everything and anything, from luxury fashions to electronic gadgets.
A copycat version of the Eiffel Tower? Small fry. Try these ambitious copies of entire towns, such as the historic Austrian town recreated in Guangdong and the one of Manhattan proposed in Tianjin. Building fast. Gunpowder was first invented by the Chinese for fire crackers which was also first invented by the Chinese. Did you know that ice cream was firs invented in China when the Chinese packed soft milk and rice mixture in snow.
A complete cycle of the Chinese calendar take 60 years. It dates back BC and it the oldest known calendar in the world. Suspension bridges were first invented in China in 25 BC, years before such bridges were known in the west.
Chinese developed the three levels of heaven- Heaven, Earth and Man which has greatly influenced landscape painting and flower arrangement. The calculation of pi was invented by Zu Chongzhi, a Chinese who calculated the value of pi which falls between 3. The toilet paper was first invented in China in the late and was meant for emperors only. Now it is enjoyed by all and sundry. It is widely practiced in China and was widely developed from ancient farming and hunting methods.
After living in the US for seven years, Sharon Shi chose to return to China and settled in Beijing with her American husband and cute daughter. Some people say that success is gained through making right decisions; right decisions come from the wisdom gained through experience. Graphs: Why China isn't a copy-cat nation. Experts' take on world in Copyright -. All rights reserved. Without written authorization from CDIC, such content shall not be republished or used in any form.
License for publishing multimedia online Registration Number: Papermaking The art of papermaking was first developed in China by an official named Cai Lun after a long term experiment using plant fibers, bark, rags and torn fishing nets. Printing The first movable type printing technique were first invented in China and first introduced to Korea and Japan and then westward to Persia and Egypt.
About a quarter of the people practice Taoism and Confucianism and other traditional religions. There are also small numbers of Buddhists, Muslims and Christians. Although numerous Protestant and Catholic ministries have been active in the country since the early 19th century, they have made little progress in converting Chinese to these religions. The cremated remains of someone who may have been the Buddha were discovered in Jingchuan County, China, with more than Buddhist statues in late Buddha was a spiritual teacher who lived between mid-6th and mid-4th centuries B.
His lessons founded Buddhism. There are seven major groups of dialects of the Chinese language, which each have their own variations, according to Mount Holyoke College.
Mandarin dialects are spoken by Chinese dialects are very different, according to Jerry Norman, a former professor of linguistics at the University of Washington and author of " Chinese Cambridge Language Surveys " Cambridge University Press, To take an extreme example, there is probably as much difference between the dialects of Peking [Beijing] and Chaozhou as there is between Italian and French.
Many Chinese are also fluent in English. Like other aspects of Chinese life, cuisine is heavily influenced by geography and ethnic diversity. Among the main styles of Chinese cooking are Cantonese, which features stir-fried dishes, and Szechuan, which relies heavily on use of peanuts, sesame paste and ginger and is known for its spiciness.
Rice is not only a major food source in China; it is also a major element that helped grow their society, according to " Pathways to Asian Civilizations: Tracing the Origins and Spread of Rice and Rice Cultures ," an article in the journal Rice by Dorian Q. The Chinese word for rice is fan , which also means "meal," and it is a staple of their diet, as are bean sprouts, cabbage and scallions.
Because they do not consume a lot of meat — occasionally pork or chicken — tofu is a main source of protein for the Chinese.
0コメント