Welcome to our course Introducing China in English, in which we will explore the unique features and distinctive heights of Chinese culture in the fourteen units. The first unit “The Wisdom of Confucius” discusses the most important school of Chinese philosophy - Confucianism - with the focus on its core concepts Ren and Li. We’ll explore the route designed by Confucius to social harmony and political order by means of benevolence (ren) and rites (li). In the second unit “The Wisdom of Laozi”, we’ll visit another most influential philosopher, Laozi, to gain some insights into Daoism about the law of nature, principles of reversion, relationship between being and non-being. In unit three “Chinese Characters”, we will discuss the development of the pictographic language from oracle bone and bronze inscriptions to seal and clerical scripts, until regular and cursive scripts. The methods of Chinese writing are also explained with six rules of formation, stroke and radical order and other features of Chinese characters. The fourth unit “Chinese Festivals” will focus on the Chinese calendar and some major and unique traditional festivals in China, like Spring Festival, Mid-autumn Festivals and so on. We will also talk about the festive customs observed and passed down to today which can reflect the shared cultural heritage, history, traditions, conventions, values, folk religions and family life of the Chinese people. In Unit Five “Chinese Food”, not only do we present you with the eight Chinese cuisines consisting of a variety of dishes with color, aroma and taste, but also we introduce Chinese conceptions and principles of cooking, i.e. yin-yang balance, medicine and food homology and five-taste in harmony, so that you have a better understanding of Chinese Culinary Culture. The sixth unit “Traditional Chinese Wedding” focuses on the stages of traditional Chinese wedding including engagement, preparations, wedding ceremony and post-wedding rituals, which is controlled by a set of rigid rites called “three letters and six rites”. Meanwhile, people’s sense of hierarchy, views on life and folk customs are represented in the process. The seventh unit “Chinese Cheongsam” will deal with cheongsam or qipao which is a kind of traditional dress for women, yet still in fashion today. With the description of the origin, development and design of cheongsam, we will explore the profound cultural connotations and aesthetic thoughts it carries, and we hope to give a glimpse of aesthetic interests and national characteristics of Chinese people. In the eighth unit “Chinese Paper Cutting”, we will take a look at the history and the artistic features of Chinese paper cutting, and then dig up the cultural meanings of the paper arts and crafts deeply rooted in Chinese philosophy and archeology for domestic decoration, festivals, wedding ceremonies, etc. In Unit Nine and Unit Ten, we will discuss Chinese architecture that will be exemplified by the Forbidden City. With the explanation of the architectural layout and structure of the buildings and the cultural symbols there such as Fengshui, yin-yang, Eight Trigrams, Five Elements, number of mythological animals, etc., we will have a better understanding of Chinese architecture. Unit Eleven presents an intriguing and mellow form of traditional Chinese theater - Peking Opera. To help you gain some insights into the opera and appreciate it, we’ll explain its development and unique features like four major roles, meanings of facial makeup and four artistic skills in speech, singing, dancing and combating in movements that are more symbolic and suggestive. Unit Twelve introduces “Traditional Chinese Medicine” which is based on Chinese philosophy about yin-yang balance theory, and the harmonious relationship between man and nature. With those views, we’ll look at meridians and Qi, traditional treatment methods such as acupuncture, scraping therapy, herbals, etc. In Unit Thirteen “Chinese Painting”, we’ll talk about historical development of Chinese painting from pottery painting of Yangshao civilization (5000 BC) till present day. Of course, we’ll also display some famous paintings and painters with some techniques explained. The last unit expounds Chinese Kung Fu with the major schools such as Wudang, Emei, Kunlun etc., indicating the enduring charm of Chinese martial arts and its underlying principles and characteristics.
