
Dragon Boat Festival
The fifth day of the fifth lunar Month is the date of a traditional Chinese festival—the Dragon Boat Festival. In 2009, UNESCO inscribed the festival on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
Chinese folk religion is a large and complex spiritual system, which can be roughly divided into nine categories: worship of immortals, worship of the Buddha and associated divinities, worship of underworld spirits, worship of daily life deities, worship of patron deities of various trades, worship of marriage and fertility gods, worship of historical figures, worship of natural animals, and worship of unusual spirits and ghosts.
The fifth day of the fifth lunar Month is the date of a traditional Chinese festival—the Dragon Boat Festival. In 2009, UNESCO inscribed the festival on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
The “eight immortals,” or baxian, are one of the most popular groups of deities in Chinese folklore. Their tales and attributes are well-known in almost every Chinese household.
Huizhou lies in the mountainous region of southern Anhui province, along the border. The simple and honest mores of Huizhou are like a rare flower among the numerous gardens that are part of China’s intangible cultural heritage.
The Chinese word wanju can refer to two different things in English. The first is “toy,” such as a child’s plaything but it can also mean “curio,” a kind of ornamental plaything or knick-knack.
Shi liao is an abbreviation for shiwu liaofa (food therapy or diet therapy). Chinese diet therapy is a precious culture of Chinese nation, which is both ancient but also a newly developing science.
Guan Yu (d. 220), also known as Guan Gong (Lord Guan), an eminent general of the third century during the Three States period (220–280), has been continuously worshipped as a god in China. Modern Chinese people, both at home and abroad, still honor him as Old Master Guan, Imperial Lord Guan, The Martial Sage, Emperor Guan, Sage Guan, Lord Benefactor, and other titles.
Christianity is the largest religion in the world today, and its believers make up about thirty percent of the world’s population. Christianity together with Islam and Buddhism are collectively called the three major religions.
Tianhou (literally “celestial empress”), personal name Lin Mo, is also known variously as “Tongxian shennü” (Worthy and efficacious divine woman), “Tianhou shengmu” (Celestial empress—the divine mother), “Mazu” (Maternal ancestor), “Niangma” (Mother), and a nunmber of others.
Charitable works in China date back some 3,000 years to the pre-Qin period, and were mainly carried out at the state level. It is recorded that during the Western Zhou (ca. 1100–771 BCE) period the government formed agencies to relieve famines and to provide aid and comfort to the common people.
Islam is one of the three major monotheistic religions and has the largest number of believers. With over seventeen billion believers and growing, it is believed to have the fastest development of any religion.
The tea plant (Camellia sinensis) originated in China and the Chinese were the first to discover that the leaves could be used not only for medicinal purposes but also as an aromatic beverage. Not only is tea the “national drink” of China, it is also a favorite beverage of more than half the world’s population.
Taiji quan (also spelled t’ai-chi ch’üan or simply t’ai-chi) can be translated as “Supreme Ultimate boxing.” It is a national intangible cultural treasure and has a long history. Its mixture of Daoist and Ruist spiritual philosophy combines strength, balance, posture, and concentration with calm breath.