Celebrating the Lantern Festival (Yuan Xiao Festival,元宵节)

Yesterday is the Lantern Festival (Yuan Xiao Festival), the 15th day of the first lunar month. And the whole country is decked out for the celebration. And the exciting thing which made it special is that this year’s Lantern Festival witnessed the biggest and roundest moon for the past 52 festivals Monday night.

Lantern Festival is the first significant festival after Spring Festival, Having lots of meanings to Chinese people. Literally, we can know that the most important activity during the night of the event is watching lanterns. And because every household eats yuanxiao (a rice ball stuffed with different fillings, also called “tangyuan”) on that day, it is called Yuan Xiao Festival. Today, Lantern Festival is regarded as China's Valentine's Day, offering many youngers a good time to sharing with lovers.

For its rich and colorful activities, it is regarded as the most recreational among all the Chinese festivals and a festival for appreciating the bright full moon, and family reunion. Customs and Activities: With a history of over 2,000 years, various traditional customs and activities are held during Lantern Festival that appeal to people of different ages, including watching lanterns and fireworks, guessing lantern riddles, performing folk dances, and eating yuanxiao.

Watching Lanterns

During the Han Dynasty (206 BC - 220 AD), Buddhism flourished in China. So in order to popularize Buddhism, one of the emperors gave an order to light lanterns in the imperial palace to worship and show respect for Buddha on the 15th day of the first lunar month. During the Tang (618 - 907), Song (960 - 1279), Ming (1368 - 1644) and Qing (1644 - 1911) dynasties, lighting lanterns became a tradition for Chinese people.

Today, when the Lantern Festival comes, red lanterns can be seen in the street, in each house, and store. In the parks, lanterns of various shapes and types attract countless visitors. Visitors marvel that various lanterns so vividly demonstrate traditional Chinese folklore.

Guessing Lantern Riddles

Beginning from the Song Dynasty (960 - 1279), guessing lantern riddles is regarded as an indispensable part of the Lantern Festival. The lantern exhibition organizers write all kinds of riddles on pieces of paper, and paste them on colorful lanterns to let visitors guess. If one has an answer to a riddle, he can pull the paper from the lantern to let organizers verify the answer. Gifts are presented to the people who get the right answers.

Because this intellectual activity is exciting, people from all walks of life enjoy it.

Folk Dances: Lion Dance, and Walking on Stilts

Derived from the Three Kingdoms Period (220-280), the lion dance is an excellent traditional art that adds infinite fun to any celebration including the Lantern Festival. Two performing types have formed during its long development. In north China, the lion dance focuses on skills, and in the south the lion dance pays more attention to the animal resemblance. One actor manipulates a small lion made of quilts resembling a real one, and with two persons acting like a big lion, one manages the head part and the other, the rest. Under the guidance of a director, the lions sometimes jump, leap, and do difficult acts such as walking on stilts.

Because the acting is always amusing, spectators enjoy it very much. According to ancient custom, the lion is a symbol of boldness and strength that can protect people, so by performing the lion dance, everyone prays for an auspicious and happy life.

Walking on stilts, another folk art, traces its origins to the Spring and Autumn period (770BC - 476BC). Performers not only walk on stilts by binding them to their feet, but also do some breathtakingly difficult moves. As actors impersonate different characters like monks, clowns, and fishermen and perform vivid and humorous acts, the art amuses many people.

Eating Yuanxiao

Yuanxiao, also called tangyuan, is a dumpling ball made of sticky rice flour stuffed with different fillings. Eating yuanxiao has become an essential part of the festival. The methods for making Yuanxiao differ by region and fillings include sugar, rose petals, sesame, sweetened bean paste, and jujube paste. Some do not have fillings. Because tangyuan can be boiled, fried or steamed, and each has a unique taste, it is very popular. Yuanxiao is round in shape so it is endowed with the meaning of reunion, harmony and happiness. During the night of the festival, family members sit together to taste yuanxiao and appreciate the full moon.

Decorations for Coming Spring Festival

People were busy in selecting decorations and goods to greet the Chinese traditional Spring Festival, which falls on Jan. 26 this year. Decorations for the Coming Spring Festival are very beautiful and colorful, they are the expressions of Chinese culture.

1. An old style lantern:

2. Lanterns hanged on the tree

3.paper-cut decorations

4.paper-cut decorations


5. The local flower business heats up in the market as the Chinese traditional Spring Festival approaches.

The Chinese Spring Festival is coming

Jan 26, it’s a big day for all Chinese people. That’s the traditional holiday --- the Spring Festival!

Held on the first day of each year of the lunar calendar and lasting for weeks, the spring festival is regarded by the Chinese people as the grandest and most important annual festival, similar to Christmas Day for Europeans and Americans. Originating during the Shang Dynasty (16th - 11th century BC), Spring Festival, which celebrates family reunion, is full of rich and colorful activities, and new hopes for health, treasure and good luck. People from different regions and different ethnic groups celebrate it in their unique ways.

The spring festival is very interesting, people do a lot of preparations and colorful activities are held. Such as:

1. House decoration --- Nearly a week before the Spring Festival, every family does a thorough house cleaning. People often buy some Red scrolls with complementary poetic couplets, one line on each side of the gate, are pasted at every gate. The Chinese character 'Fu' is pasted on the center of the door and paper-cut pictures adorn windows. 'Fu' in Chinese means 'Good Luck' or 'Happiness', by pasting this character on the center of the door, people show great hope to be happy. Nowadays, people like to paste it backward, for this means 'Fu' has come. Paper-cut is a famous Chinese traditional craft. During Spring Festival, people paste favorite paper cuts on windows not only for decoration and appreciation but also for delivering hope.

2. Prepare food and clothes --- they purchase enough food, including fish, meat, roasted nuts and seeds, all kinds of candies and fruits, etc, for the festival period. People from different regions may prepare different food, such as jiaozi in north China and niangao (a kind of sticky rice cake) in the south are the indispensable foods. Also, new clothes must be bought, especially for children.

3. Spring Festival’s Eve --- On New Year's Eve, no matter where he is, every member will try his best to come back to enjoy the family reunion feast. Family members chat or watch special TV programs all night. To show respect for their ancestors, some families burn incense and prepare delicious food at home.

4. Setting Firecrackers and Fireworks --- Regarded as the most exciting event, especially to children during the festival, setting firecrackers means biding farewell to the past year and welcoming the New Year. Fireworks have been popular for over 2,000 years, and have become a festival essential. When the clock announces the New Year, numerous households set off fireworks at almost the same time, creating a thunderous sound. Various multicolored fireworks are also displayed by official organizations. Today fireworks have become an indispensable part of celebrating grand festivals, of marriage, even of opening a new shop.

5. Paying New Year Visits --- Paying New Year visits is a special way for people to express good wishes to each other. On the first day of Spring Festival, wearing their new clothes, people visit relatives and friends to extend New Year's greetings and invite them to visit. Next, people begin to visit their distant relatives. In cities and suburbs, colorful activities include Temple Fairs, Yangge dancing, and lion and dragon dancing.

The Spring Festival lasts until the Lantern Festival begins fifteen days later marking the end of the Chinese New Year. It is celebrated by Chinese people at home and abroad. Everyone immerses in the festive atmosphere, and exchanges wishes for a good harvest year.

travel to Beijing: the Temple of Heaven

Today, we will explore another worthwhile visiting place in Beijing, --- the Temple of Heaven (Tiantan in Chinese). It is a comprehensive expression of the unique construction techniques from Ming and Qing Dynasties, also the world's largest architectural complex for worship heaven. Along with the Summer Palace, it was listed as one of the World Heritage Sites by UNESCO.in 1998.

Built magnificent and gloriously in 1420 A.D, with an solemn and respectful environment, the Temple served as an exclusive altar for Chinese rulers during the Ming and Qing dynasties. Offering sacrifices was a serious task! The ancient Chinese believed that the entire empire relied on the emperor praying for good fortune and abundant harvests from Heaven. Thus the emperors had quite a responsibility! There were specific rites of worship in ancient times, especially during the Ming and Qing dynasties when elaborate ceremonies were held.

It’s interesting when we research the shape and structure of the Temple buildings. With an area of about 2,700,000 square meters, it’s much bigger than the Forbidden City. As Chinese emperors called themselves 'The Son of Heaven', they dared not to build their own dwelling, 'Forbidden City' bigger than a dwelling for Heaven. On the other hand, the buildings reflect an ancient Chinese thought of 'The heaven is round and the earth is square'. Thus, the Northern part of the park is a semicircular shape symbolizing the heavens and the south a square symbolizing the earth. Meanwhile the northern part is higher than the southern part.

While here, tourist can enjoy both the most important constructions, others of historic interest and scenic beauty. The whole compound is enclosed by two walls, dividing the whole Temple into inner and outer areas. The outer area is characterized by suburban scenery, while the inner part is used for sacrifices with the main structures(such as the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvest, the Circular Mound Altar, Imperial Heaven, The Imperial Vault of Heaven, Heaven Kitchen, Long Corridor and so on).

But the Temple of Heaven is not just a solemn and glorious architectures, there are many funny phenomenons. Try the four wonderful sounds!

1. The echo from the Echo Wall – This famous wall encloses the Imperial Vault of Heaven with a perimeter of 193 meters. One person's mere whisper at any point close to the wall can be heard clearly on the other side if you draw your ear close to the wall, it is so clear that it is like talking on the phone. Isn't it interesting? This is possible because the wall is round and hermetically constructed with smooth, solid bricks, so the sound wave can transmit to the other side via the extremely smooth inner circle. The phenomenon utilizes the theory of sound wave.

2. The echo from the Three Echo Stones – It’s outside of the gate of the Imperial Vault of Heaven. If you speak facing the Vault while standing on the first stone, you will hear one echo; standing on the second and then the third stone, you will hear two and three echoes respectively. Why? This is because the distances that the sound wave reflected from the Echo wall to the stone are different, the number of echo is also different. Take a guess which flagstone is at the center of the Echo Wall's? The third one. The echo actually gets repeated more than 3 times, it's just the sound is too weak to be heard after the 4th echo.

3. The sound of the Dialogue Stone - If you speak while standing on the 18th stone in front of The Imperial Vault of Heaven, the sound can clearly pass to the northeast corner of the north side hall and the northwest of the west side hall that are both 36 meters away.

4. The hollow of the Heaven's Center Stone - There is a stone plate in the center of the Circular Mound Altar called the Heaven's Center Stone. Shouting aloud standing above, you will hear the reverberation of the echo. This is due to the refraction of the sound.

travel to Beijing: the Summer Palace

Located in northwest suburban Beijing, the Summer Palace (Yi He Yuan in Chinese) is ranked amongst the most noted and classical imperial gardens of the world. Ingeniously conceived and exquisitely constructed, it is a collection of all the masterpieces in the art of Chinese garden-building and is known as the “Museum of Imperial Gardens”, using to be a luxurious royal garden providing royal families with rest and entertainment. In 1998, it was listed as one of the World Heritage Sites by UNESCO.

The Summer Palace has a tough history, suffering great disaster for twice. Originally named the Garden of Clear Ripples, it was first constructed in 1750 (during the reign of Emperor Qianlong in Qing Dynasty). In 1860 the garden was burned down by Anglo-French allied forces. In 1888, Empress Dowager Cixi embezzled navy funds to reconstruct it for her own benefit, changing its name to Summer Palace (Yiheyuan). Therefore it became the living place of The Empress Dowager Cixi in her later years, dealing with state affairs and entertaining. In 1900, it suffered again, being ransacked by the Eight-Power Allied Forces. After the success of the 1911 Revolution, it was opened to the public.

In the Summer Palace, tourists can not only enjoy the grandeur of an imperial garden, but also the beauty of nature. Occupying an area of 304 hectares, the Summer Palace integrates the landscape, architecture and plants into a whole! Lakes and hills are dotted with palaces, temples and garden structures. The two main elements of the garden would be the Longevity Hill and the Kunming Lake. Take your time to enjoy the amazing scenery here, I swear you don’t want to miss any detail.

travel to Beijing: The Forbidden City

The Forbidden City, also known as the Imperial Palace, the Palace Museum, the Purple Forbidden City and Gugong(故宫), is a must see! Located in the centre of Beijing, it is a real treasures house of Chinese cultural and historical relics. The splendid architecture of the Forbidden City represents the essence and culmination of the traditional Chinese architectural accomplishment.

Together with the Palace of Versailles in France, the Buckingham Palace in the UK, the White House in the US and the Kremlin in Russia, the Forbidden City is recognized as one of the most important five palaces in the world, enlisted in the World Heritage by UNESCO in 1987.

As home to 24 emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasty, what’s it like? What kind of life has been inside the palace centuries ago when it was populated with royalty, eunuchs, servants and concubines?

The history of the Forbidden City

The construction of the Forbidden City started in 1407, the 5th year of Emperor Yongle reign of the third emperor of the Ming dynasty. It was completed fourteen years later in 1420. Until 1924 when the last emperor of China was driven from the palace, fourteen emperors of the Ming dynasty and ten emperors of the Qing dynasty had reigned here, the total is 24. Having been the imperial palace for some five centuries, it houses numerous rare treasures and curiosities. It is now one of the most popular tourist attractions world-wide.

The structure of the Forbidden City

The Forbidden City is the largest ancient palatial complex in the world with lots of beautiful buildings, covering an area of about 72 hectares. Try and do a little research before you go to, or the incredible size of the complex can actually make you wandering around aimlessly.

Rectangular in shape, consisting of 90 palaces and courtyards, 980 buildings and 8,704 rooms, It’s surrounded by a six meter deep moat and a 10 meter high wall. the wall has a gate on each side. Most travelers enter the Forbidden City from the Tian'anmen Gate.

The Forbidden City is divided into two parts. The southern section, or the Outer Court was where the emperor exercised his supreme power over the nation. It is made up of three main buildings, the Hall of Supreme Harmony (Taihedian), the Hall of Central Harmony (Zhonghedian) and Bao He Dian or the Hall of Preserving Harmony (Baohedian). Want to see the emperors' magnificent Dragon Throne (Longyi in Chinese)? It’s placed in the first hall --- Hall of Supreme Harmony, which is the most important and largest structure in the Forbidden City. Next is the Hall of Central Harmony(Zhonghedian), resting place for the emperor before presenting the grand occasions held in the Hall of Supreme Harmony. Emperors would rehearse their speeches and presentations here before departing to the Temple of Heaven for the sacrifice rites. The last hall is the Hall of the Preserving Harmony used for banquets and later for imperial examinations.

The northern section, or the Inner Court was where the Royal Family actually lived. It contains a number of other halls and the Imperial Garden. Also, it’s composed of three rear main structures, the Palace of Heavenly Peace (Qianqinggong) --- the emperors' sleeping place, the Palace of the Union and Peace(Jiaotaidian) --- where the imperial seals were stored, and the Palace of Terrestrial Tranquility(Kun Ning Gong) --- the emperors' wedding room. Exiting the Hall of Terrestrial Tranquility and going further north, travelers will find the Imperial Garden. The garden offers an aesthetic change from the crimson or gray building complex to a colorful and luxuriant atmosphere. Besides the three rear main buildings are the six eastern palaces and six western palaces, where the emperor used to handle every day affairs and was the living quarters for the emperor, expresses and concubines. Those palaces, however, have been converted into exihibition halls, where a spectacular set of imperial collections is displayed.

The main exit gate of the Forbidden City is the Gate of Devine Might behind the Imperial Garden, which is opposite to the Tian'anmen Gate.

The construction of the Forbidden City

Construction of the palace lasted for fourteen years. It was said that a million workers including one hundred thousand artisans were driven into the long-term hard labor. They must not only finish the royal architectural wonders, the grand and deluxe halls, but also the splendid painted decoration on them. Nowadays, these surprisingly magnificent treasures will certainly satisfy tourists from home and abroad.

Stone needed was quarried from Fangshan, a suburb of Beijing. It was said a well was dug every fifty meters along the road in order to pour water onto the road in winter to slide huge stones on ice into the city. Huge amounts of timber and other materials were freighted from faraway provinces. Ancient Chinese people displayed their very considerable skills in building the Forbidden City. Take the grand red city wall for example. It has an 8.6 meters wide base reducing to 6.66 meters wide at the top. The angular shape of the wall totally frustrates attempts to climb it. The bricks were made from white lime and glutinous rice while the cement is made from glutinous rice and egg whites. These incredible materials make the wall extraordinarily strong.