ap chinese culture

holiday节日/myth神话/celebratory activity庆祝活动:

中秋节

大家好，我今天要介绍一个中国节日。中国有很多的特别的节日，但是我最喜欢的是中秋节。我对中秋节有很多兴趣因为中秋节有一个非常有意思的故事叫嫦娥奔月。

传说很久以前，有一个神箭手叫后裔，他有一个非常漂亮的老婆叫嫦娥。那个时候，天上有十个太阳，天气太热了。后裔为了帮助人们更好的生活，他射下了九个太阳。作为奖品，他得到了一个神药，可以让人长身不老。但是，这个药只能用在一个人上。因为后裔不想离开嫦娥，他就没有把要吃掉。后来，后裔的朋友去偷他的药。嫦娥不想让别人把他的药偷走，自己把要吃掉了。吃完后，嫦娥带她的兔子飞上了天。后裔回家后很伤心，晚上他看着月亮，发现月亮非常非常的亮。月亮上还有一个影子很像嫦娥和她的兔子。

后来大家就在农历的八月十五号纪念嫦娥。全家人一边看月亮，一边尝各种味道的月饼和水果，因为月亮是圆的，月饼也是圆的，所以中国人喜欢用这个代表一家人团圆。因此，中秋节也可以叫团圆节。

according to legend, long ago, there was an extraordinary archer named houyi who had a beautiful wife named chang e. at the time, there were 10 suns in the sky, and it was very hot. for the sake of the people, houyi shot down 9 of the suns. as a reward, he was given a magic medicine that let him live forever. but, only one person could eat the medicine. houyi didn’t want to leave chang e so he didn’t eat it. later on, houyi’s friends tried to steal the medicine. chang e didn’t want them to take it, so she ate it herself. after she ate it, she flew to the sky. when houyi returned and found out, he was heartbroken. at night, he looked at the moon and noticed it was very bright. the moon also had a shadow that looked like chang e.

now, everyone remembers chang e on aug. 15 of the lunar calendar. while watching the moon, people eat different flavors of mooncake and fruits. since the moon is round, mooncakes are round, so chinese people like to use this as a family gathering opportunity. therefore, zhongqiujie is also called tuanyuanjie.

first paragraph- myth/holiday backstory

second paragraph- celebratory activity, add history for time

chinese folk story民间故事/chinese movie电影

大家好，我今天要介绍一个中国民间故事/电影。中国有很多特别的民间故事/电影，可是我最喜欢的事花木兰花。

很久以前，有一个女儿叫花木兰。她的父母想给她找一个好老公，可是这时，北方发生了一场战争(zhànzhēng)，木兰的父亲得去打仗。花木兰担心她的父亲年纪又大，身体又弱，她决定女扮男装，替她爸爸去打仗(dǎzhàng)。虽然木兰和她的战（zhàn)友们遇(yù)到了很多困难，他们最后还是成功了。成功以后，皇帝也给他们发奖了。这就是花木兰替父从军的故事。

花木兰的故事有很多重要的想法，比如"忠"和"孝"。这个故事感动了很多人，流传了很多年。（花木兰的故事变成了一个好莱坞的电影。）

a long time ago, there was a girl named hua mulan. her parents wanted to find her a good husband, but there was a war going on in the north at the time, and mulan’s dad had to go fight in the war. mulan was worried as her father was getting old and weak, so she decided to dress up as a guy and go fight in place of her dad. even though mulan and her army came across a lot of hardships, in the end, they were successful. from this success, the emperor granted them a reward. this is the story of hua mulan and how she fought in place of her father.

hua mulan’s story has many important ideas, such as loyalty and filial piety. this story moved many people, and has been passed down for many years. (hua mulan’s story turned into a hollywood movie.)

chinese art 艺术(form), artist艺术家, performing art表演艺术: beijing opera:

大家好，我今天要介绍一下一个中国的艺术/表演艺术。中国有很多特别的艺术/表演艺术，可是我最喜欢的是中国的京剧。

中国的京剧真的是很特别，有两百年的历史。在表演的时候，有各种各样的简单道具（dàojǚ)和灯光。京剧里有四角色：生，旦，净和丑。生是男的，旦是女的，净是特别的人，然后丑是搞笑的人。丑经常把他们的鼻子图白色。在京剧里，人们会化妆，把各种颜色图在脸上，而且每个颜色有自己特色的意思。比如说，红色代表那个人肯定是好人，是英雄。黄色代表坏人，并且金或者银是神秘的。

中国有四大名旦：一个非常有名的是梅兰芳。梅兰芳男扮女装去演京剧，当一个女生，他非常漂亮。梅兰芳代表作有《贵妃醉酒》)(guìfeīzuìjiǔ) 和 《霸王别姬》(bàwángbiéjī)。

(if it’s an artist, start w mei lanfang and then go into jingju history/description; if not, go straight into ab jingju and leave meilan fang for last if time.)

china’s beijing opera truly is special and has over 200 years of history. while performing, there are many kinds of simple props and stage lights. in the opera, there are four roles: sheng, dan, jing, and chou. sheng is males, dan is females, jing is special people, and chou are the funny people. most of the time, the chou have their noses painted white. in the beijing opera, people will put on makeup different colors on their face. Each color has its own special meaning. for example, red represents people who are definitely good, they are heroes. yellow represents the evil people, and gold or silver are mythical roles.

china has four big female roleplayers: one very famous one is mei lanfang. mei lanfang is a guy who dresses up as a girl to act for the beijing opera, and as a girl, he is very beautiful. mei lanfang’s best known works are «gui fei zui jiu» and «ba wang bie ji».

social custom社会习俗, traditional concept 传统习俗- 孝

大家好，我今天要介绍一下一个传统习俗 （xísú）叫做孝道。孝对中国的传统文化非常重要。"孝"的意思是，尊敬(zūnjìng)自己的父母和其他长辈（zhǎngbèi)。"孝"的这种文化是从孔子的思想。古代中国有关于孝的故事有很多。

比如说，在汉朝（hàncháo)的时候，有一位皇帝(huángdì)，可是他母亲生病了。他妈妈生病的时候，他每天都在床前照顾(zhàogù)他的妈妈。每次他母亲要吃汤药之前，他先需要尝一尝，然后再给他母亲。

中国人认为，在父母老了以后，还要照顾他们。另外，还要听父母和长辈的话，尊重（zūnzhòng） 他们的想法。所以，你可能很容易发现(fāxiàn)，跟西方人比，中国人在成年后，和父母的联系(liánxi)更多，对他们的照顾也更多一些。

对我来说，我问我爸爸妈妈或者姥姥姥爷一个问题的时候，我很尊重他们的想法和建议因为我知道他们比我知道的更多。这就是中国的孝。

hi everyone, today i will introduce a traditional concept called filial piety. to chinese traditional culture, filial piety is very important. filial piety means to respect your parents and any other elders. filial piety and this kind of culture is from confucious’ ideas. from ancient china, there are many stories about filial piety.

for example, in the han dynasty, there was an emperor. however, his mother fell ill. when his mom was ill, everyday, he’d stay by her bedside and take care of his mom. everytime she had to take her medicine, he would first try it himself, then give it to her.

chinese people believe that once their parents are old, they still need to take care of them. also, they still must listen to what their parents and other elders say, and respect their ideas. so, you might be able to easily notice that compared to western people, after chinese people reach adulthood, they remain in contact with their parents more, and it’s more important to chinese people to take care of their parents too.

to me, whenever i ask my mom, dad, grandma, or grandpa a question, i really respect their ideas and suggestions because i know that they know more than me. that is china’s filial piety.

chinese cuisine

大家好，我今天想介绍中国的四川菜。中国每个地方的菜都很不一样，每个有自己的特点。中国很大，所以它有”八大菜系”。在这八，有我最喜欢的，这就是四川菜或者川菜。

川菜不但是四川人细化吃，而且很多外国人也喜欢吃，在海外也有很多四川饭馆。川菜味道的特点是嘛和辣，所以如果你爱吃拉的，四川菜一定你会喜欢。川菜里用的食材是很简单的，很容易在你家里找到。川菜常用辣椒，麻椒，和红油。做的方法常常是炒，烧，煮等等。很有名的四川菜是麻婆豆腐，鱼香肉丝和宫保鸡丁。四川的麻辣火锅也很有名，在锅里加很多的辣椒，吃起来又香又辣。我觉得四川菜非常好吃，所以如果你能吃辣，我建议你试一试对你附近一个四川饭馆。

hi everyone, today i will introduce china’s sichuan cuisine. everywhere in china, the food is different, and each place has its own uniqueness. china is really big, so it has “eight big cuisines”. out of these eight, there is my favorite, which is sichuan cuisine.

not only do sichuan people like sichuan food, but also a lot of foreigners like to eat it too, there’s also lots of sichuan restaurants inland too.

chinese celebrity-李小龙 (bruce lee)

大家好，我今天要介绍一个很有名的演员，他叫李小龙。李小龙的功夫电影让全世界了解中国的功夫和武术。他不但是第一个人把武术带到好莱坞，而且也把武术变成了一个电影种类。在他的电影作品中，他用了精彩的表演让全世界看中国功夫和武术。李小龙不但在电影里是一个功夫明星，在生活中也是一位武术大师。他在美国加州长大，十岁开始学武术。他在大学开了他自己的武术馆，教中国武术。虽然李小龙三十二岁去世了，可是他的武术哲学对中国武术的影响非常大。他在电影中的形象也会一直留在世界全电影迷心中

hi everyone, today i will introduce a very famous actor, named bruce lee. bruce lee’s movies allowed the entire world to get to know about china’s kung fu and martial arts. he not only was the first person to bring martial arts to hollyword, but he also turned it into a movie genre. in his movies, he used wonderful acting to let the entire world get to know china’s kung fu and martial arts. bruce lee wasn’t just a kung fu star in the movies, but also in real life he was a master. he grew up in the united states in california, and started learning martial arts at the age of ten. in college, he opened his own martial arts gym and started teaching chinese martial arts. even thought he died at the age of thirty-two, his martial arts philosophies contributed to chinese martial arts greatly. his image in the movies will always live in the hearts of the movie fans.

chinese idiom- 尊老爱幼

-意思是对父母和长辈有礼貌，尊敬他们

-孔子的孝：尊重父母和长辈的建议和想法

-要叫长辈叔叔阿姨，用“您”

-照顾小孩子，帮他们安全

-在地铁上，会看到很多人会给他们的作为

-就是有礼貌和爱心

zun lao ai you

filial piety

respect, using nin, shushu a yi, etc

caring for young

see it on subways

Talk about Chinese Traditional Medicine-中医

中国传统医学的历史已经有千年。中医通过望(wàng)，闻(wén)，问，切(qiè)四种方法来决定(yuédìng)一个人是不是生病了。"望"就是看病人的样子；"闻"就是听病人说话的声音(shēngyīn); "问"就是问病人的情况和感觉（gǎnjué)；"切"是用手指或手(zhǐ)来感受病人的心跳(tiǎo)和不舒服的地方(téngtòng)。中医有很多传统疗法(liáofǎ), 比方说，针灸（zhēn jiǔ），推拿（tuī ná），和气功（ qì gōng）等等。传统中医重视（zhòngshì)养生(yǎngshēng)和讲究阴阳的说法，中国人通过锻炼身体，注意饮食和养生疗法来达到(dádào)身体的阴阳的平衡(pínghéng)；阴阳平衡了，病也就好了。

Traditional Chinese medicine has a history of thousands of years. Traditional Chinese medicine uses four methods of looking (wàng), smelling (wén), asking, and touching (qiè) to determine (yuédìng) whether a person is sick. "Wang" means looking at the patient; "smelling" means listening to the patient's voice; "asking" means asking about the patient's condition and feelings (gǎnjué); "touching" means using fingers (zhǐ) or hands to feel the patient's heartbeat (tiǎo) and where the discomfort is. There are many traditional therapies (liáofǎ) in Chinese medicine, such as acupuncture (zhēn jiǔ), massage (tuī ná), and qigong (qì gōng), etc. Traditional Chinese medicine attaches importance to (zhòngshì) cultivating vitality (yǎngshēng) and pays attention to the theory of yin and yang. Chinese people achieve (dádào) the balance(pínghéng) of yin and yang of the body by exercising, paying attention to diet and therapeutic practices. When the balance of yin and yang is reached, the diseases are cured.

Calligraphy is the traditional Chinese character writing art. After thousands of years of development, Chinese calligraphy has become a unique style art. Common calligraphy fonts include seal script (zhuànshu), official script (lì shu), regular script (kǎishu), cursive script (cǎoshu) and running script (xíngshu). There are many famous calligraphers in Chinese history, such as: Wang Xizhi , Ouyang Xun and so on. After years of practice, they have formed different styles, which have made the art of Chinese calligraphy reach a very high level. The tools of calligraphy are "four treasures of the study" : brush, ink (mò), paper, inkstone (yàn). A pen is a brush; ink is a paint used for writing and drawing ; the paper used for calligraphy and painting is called rice paper, this kind of paper is not only white, but also soft; inkstone is a tool for grinding (mó) ink. To learn calligraphy, first must learn to use a brush, and beginners should first learn from regular script. The art of Chinese calligraphy not only reflects the Chinese people's understanding of beauty, but also expresses (biǎodá) the thoughts and feelings of calligraphers

Talk about Chinese classic poetry
唐朝(cháo)的时候，有非常多有名的诗(shī)人， 他们做的诗，就是所谓(suǒ wèi)的"唐诗"。一首唐诗有四个句子(jùzi)，一个句子不是有五个字，就是有七个字。李白和杜甫(dù fǔ)都是家喻户晓的唐朝诗人。李白和杜甫是好朋友。李白比杜甫大十一岁。跟"唐诗"不同，"词" 是一种音乐文学，在唐朝的时候形成，但在宋(sòng)朝的成就(chéngjiù）最高，所以也叫"宋词" 。宋词句子有长(cháng）有短（duǎn），所以用来歌唱更方便。比较有名的宋朝词人是李清照和苏轼(sūshì）。

In the Tang Dynasty (cháo), there were a lot of famous poets . The poems they made were the so-called "Tang poems" . A Tang poem has four sentences (jùzi), and a sentence has either five or seven characters. Both Li Bai and Du Fu (dù fǔ) are well-known poets in the Tang Dynasty. Li Bai and Du Fu are good friends. Li Bai is eleven years older than Du Fu. Different from "Tang Poems", "Ci" is a kind of musical literature, which was formed during the Tang Dynasty, but the achievement (chéngjiù) was the highest in the Song (sòng) Dynasty, so it is also called "Song Ci". Song Ci sentences are long (cháng) or short (duǎn), which is more convenient for singing. The famous Song Dynasty poets are Li Qingzhao and Su Shi (sūshì).

Talk about a Chinese poet-Li Bai

李白(701年-762年)，字太白，中国最有名的诗人之一，人们叫李白 "诗仙" (shī xiān, Poet-Immortal)。李白出生在盛唐(shèng táng) 期间， 常常旅游，写了许多跟自然(zì rán)景色(jǐng sè)有关系的诗。李白喜欢月亮和酒，所以写了很多跟月亮、酒有关系的诗，代表他对自由的追求(zhuī qiú, pursuit)。李白受(shòu）道家的影响（yǐng xiǎng), 李白一共有一千多首（shǒu)诗。李白创造（chuàngzào）了中国古代浪漫主义（làngmànzhǔyì）的高峰(fēng）。他最有名的诗叫《静夜思》："床前明月光(guāng)，疑(yí)是地上霜(shuāng)。举(jǔ)头望(wàng)明月，低头思故乡(gùxiāng)。"

Li Bai (701-762), whose courtesy name is Taibai, is one of the most famous poets in China. People called Li Bai Poet-Immortal. Li Bai was born in the Tang Dynasty (shèng táng), traveled a lot, and wrote many poems related to nature (zì rán) and scenery (jǐng sè). Li Bai likes the moon and wine, so he wrote a lot of poems related to the moon and wine, representing his pursuit of freedom (zhuī qiú, pursuit). Li Bai is influenced by (shòu) Taoism, and Li Bai has more than one thousand poems. Li Bai created (chuàngzào) the peak (fēng) of ancient Chinese romanticism (làngmànzhǔyì). His most famous poem is called "Silent Night Thoughts": "The moonlight in front of the bed, the suspicion is the frost on the ground . Lift your head look at the moon, bow your head and think about your hometown."

Talk about a Chinese poet- Du Fu
杜甫(712年-770年)， 字子美，人们叫杜甫 "诗圣" (shī shèng, Poet-Sage)，和李白并称(chēng)"李杜"
杜甫出生在唐朝从盛(shèng)转衰(shuāi)的年代，他总是担心国家，担心人民。他的诗也因为描述社会而被叫做"诗史"。杜甫受儒(rú)家的影响， 他的诗常常描述民生疾苦(mín shēng jí kǔ,suffering of the people)，表现儒家的仁爱(rén ài, benevolence), 是古代现实主义(xiànshízhǔyì)文学的代表。杜甫一共有一千五百多首诗。他最有名的诗叫《春望(wàng)》："国破(pò）山河在，城春草木深。感时花溅(jiàn)泪(lèi)，恨(hèn)别鸟惊心。"

Du Fu (712-770), whose courtesy name is Zimei, people called Du Fu Poet-Sage, with Li Bai together are called "Li Du". Du Fu was born in the period when the Tang dynasty turned into decline. He always worried about the country and the people. His poems are also called "Poetry History" because they describe society. Du Fu was influenced by the Confucian (rú) family. His poems often describe the suffering of the people (mín shēng jí kǔ, suffering of the people), express the benevolence of Confucianism (rén ài, benevolence), and are the representative of realism (xiànshízhǔyì) literature. Du Fu has more than 1,500 poems in total. His most famous poem is called "Chunwang (wàng)": "On war-torn land streams flow and mountains stand;In vernal town grass and weeds are overgrown.Grieved over the years, flowers make us shed tears;Hating to part, hearing birds breaks our hearts."

Four Classic Literature
中国的四大文学名著(zhù)是"三国演义","红楼梦","西游记"和"水浒(hǔ)传"。"三国演义"是一个历史故事，在汉朝的最后几年，发生了很多战争，出现了三个强大的国家，进行了很多战争。"三国演义"描述了战争中的很多故事。"红楼梦"写了中国古代贵族的家庭生活，说的是古代男女为了追求（zhuīqiú）自由的爱情的故事。"西游记"说的是一个和尚(shàng)和他的三个徒弟, 从唐朝到古印度学习佛教（fójiào）的故事。一路上，他们遇到了很多妖怪（yāoguài)，经历了很多困难，但是最后得到了成功。《西游记》是在中国最受欢迎的古代名著，特别是小孩子。这个故事告诉我们，在人生的路上，要像孙悟空一样，为了自己的理想而努力。

China's four major literary masterpieces (zhù) are "The Romance (yǎnyì)of the Three Kingdoms", "A Dream (mèng)of Red Mansions ", "Journey to the West" and "Water Margin (hǔ) Biography (zhuàn)". The Romance of the Three Kingdoms is a historical story. In the last few years of the Han Dynasty (chǎo), there were many wars (zhànzhēng), and three powerful countries emerged: Wei (wèi), Shu (shǔ), and Wu (wǔ) . The three countries fought many wars in order to obtain a whole (zhěng) China. "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms (yǎnyì)" describes many stories (gùshì) and characters in the war. "A Dream of Red Mansions (mèng)" is a story about the family life of the nobles (guìzǔ) in ancient China. It is a story about the love of the hero and heroine (zhǔréngōng) in pursuit (zhuīqiú)of freedom. "Journey to the West" is about a pig (zhū) and a monkey (hóuzi) protecting a monk (héshàng), starting from the capital of the Tang Dynasty and going to ancient India (yìndù) to learn about Buddhism (fójiào). Along the way, they encountered many monsters (yāoguài) and experienced many difficulties (kùnnan), but in the end they succeeded. "Journey to the West" has four unique characters: the omnipotent Monkey King (sūnwùkōng), the kind-hearted Tang Priest, the ridiculous Zhu Bajie and the honest (laoshi) monk of Sha. "Journey to the West" is the most popular ancient masterpiece in China, especially for children. This story tells us that on the road of life, like Monkey King, we must work hard for our ideals (lǐxiǎng).

Talk about a Chinese philosophy-儒家和道家
孔子是中国古代最有名的思想家和教育家。孔子有三千学生。他的思想是告诉人们怎么做人，怎么做事。孔子建立儒(rú)家。儒家思想认为人应该好好跟社会打交道。儒家思想讲究孝、忠(zhōng)、礼(lǐ)、仁(rén)。首先(shǒuxiān)，最重要的儒家思想是"仁爱（rénài)"，也就是爱人，用仁爱来管理国家。道(dào)家思想也是中国古代的哲学(zhéxué)思想。老子建立道家。道家思想认为人应该好好跟自然打交道，讲究(jiǎngjiū)天人合一、重视人与自然的和谐(héxié)。几千年来，儒家和道家思想成为主要(zhǔyào)的中国文化思想，不仅在中国历史上有深远(shēnyuǎn)的影响(yǐngxiǎng)，在世界(shìjiè)上也有很大的影响。

Confucius is the most famous (zhù ming) thinker and educator (jiàoyù jia) in ancient China. Confucius has three thousand students. Whether they are rich or poor (qióng), he will teach them as long as they want to learn. His idea is to tell people how to behave and how to do things. Confucius established the Confucianism. Confucianism (sīxiǎng) believes that people should deal with society well. Confucianism emphasizes filial piety, loyalty (zhōng), etiquette (lǐ), and benevolence (rén). First of all (shǒuxiān), the most important Confucian thought is "benevolence (rénài)", that is, to love one's person and use benevolence to manage (guǎnlǐ) the country. The second is courtesy. Confucius believed that people should be courteous to themselves, others and nature (zìrán). Taoism (dào) is also ancient Chinese philosophy (zhéxué) thought. Lao Tzu established Taoism. Taoism believes that people should deal with nature well, pay attention to (jiǎngjiū) the unity of nature and man, and pay attention to the harmony between man and nature (héxié). For thousands of years, Confucianism and Taoism have become the main (zhǔyào) Chinese cultural thoughts, which not only have a profound (shēnyuǎn) influence (yǐngxiǎng) in Chinese history, but also have a great influence in the world.

Talk about Chinese Tradition and Custom- 婚礼
以前，中国人结婚的时候， 新娘和新郎都会穿 上红色的礼服(lǐfú)，戴(dài)着红色的花。新娘的头上还要盖(gài)一块红色的布，叫"盖头"。过去新婚男女，到结婚打开盖头时，才是第一次见面。新娘坐着轿子(jiàozi)来到新郎家。新娘和新郎的房间也都布置(bùzhi)成红色的。墙上和窗上贴着红色的"喜"字，人们会放鞭炮，新郎和新娘的床单、被子和毯子也常常是 红色的。客人们会把钱放在红包里，送给新娘和新郎。 现在大多数中国年轻人结婚时，新娘都 选择穿白色的婚纱(hūnsha)，新郎都穿西服。有一些年轻人还是会选择举办中式婚礼，只是新娘不坐轿子，而是坐汽车了。

In the past, when Chinese married, the bride and groom would wear red dresses and red flowers. The bride's head is also covered with a piece of red cloth, called "bridal veil". In the past, newlyweds met for the first time when they got married and opened the bridal veil. The bride came to the groom's house in a sedan chair. The bride and groom's rooms are also decorated in red. On the walls and windows there are red "Happy" characters, people will set off firecrackers, and the sheets, quilts and blankets of the bride and groom are often red. Guests will put money in red envelopes and give them to the bride and groom. Nowadays, when most Chinese young people get married, the bride chooses to wear a white wedding dress, and the groom wears a suit. Some young people still choose to hold a Chinese wedding, but the bride does not take a sedan chair, but instead takes a car.

Talk about the Four Great Inventions-四大发明
四大发明是中国古代对世界有很大影响(yǐngxiǎng)的四种发明。他们是造纸术(zàozhǐshù)、指南针(zhǐnánzhēn)、火药和印刷术(yìnshuāshù)。指南针可以指南和北，两千多年前，中国人发明了它（tā)。古代指南针像一把汤勺(sháo)。把汤勺放在盘子上，汤勺的一头会指向南方。火药也是中国的古老发明，一千年前，人们在尝试(chángshì)做各种药的时候，发现（fāxiàn)了火药。古代的纸是用丝绸做的，价钱非常贵。只有皇帝和贵族才能用。汉代的蔡伦(càilún)用树皮(pí)和布(bù)做出了又轻又便宜的纸。宋朝的毕升(bìshēng)发明了活字印刷，一个活字就是一个石（shí)块，每个石块上刻(kè)一个字，这样就可以把字印(yìn)在纸上了。

The four great inventions are the four inventions in ancient China that have a great influence on the world. They are papermaking (zàozhǐshù), compass (zhǐnánzhēn), gunpowder and printing (yìnshuāshù). The compass can guide the north, and the Chinese invented it (tā) more than two thousand years ago. The ancient compass is like a spoon (sháo). Put the soup spoon on the plate, one end of the spoon will point to the south. Gunpowder is also an ancient invention in China. One thousand years ago, when people tried (chángshì) to make various kinds of medicine, they discovered (fāxiàn) gunpowder. Ancient paper was made of silk, which was very expensive. Only emperors and nobles can use it. In the Han Dynasty, Cai Lun (càilún) used bark (shupí) and cloth (bù) to make light and cheap paper. Bi Sheng (bìshēng) invented movable type printing. A movable type is a stone (shí) block, and a character is carved on each stone block so that the character (yìn) can be printed on paper.

Talk about a Chinese App-微信
微信是一个手机聊天软件。它可以向好友发送文字和语音(yǔyīn)信息（xìnxī), 也可以视频聊天，用户可以随时随地通过微信联系。除了聊天以外，微信还可以和好友分享(fēnxiáng)图片和视频。"朋友圈(quān)是微信一个非常好的功能(gōngnéng)。它可以让我们随时随地了解朋友们的资讯。 你可以在朋友圈发图片、文字，分享歌和文章(wénzhāng)。好朋友看到以后，如果觉得很棒(bàng), 就会在下面点赞(zàn)。现在，微信的功能越来越多，他不仅是一个聊天软件，人们还可以用微信玩游戏，打出租车，买电影票，购物付钱等等。微信正在改变人们的生活，也让人和人的交流更加方便。

WeChat is a mobile chat software. It can send text and voice (yǔyīn) messages (xìnxī) to friends, as well as video chat, users can contact via WeChat anytime, anywhere. In addition to chatting, WeChat can also share (fēnxiáng) pictures and videos with friends. "The circle of friends (quān) is a very good function of WeChat (gōngnéng). It allows us to know the information of our friends anytime, anywhere. You can post pictures, texts, and share songs and articles (wénzhāng) in the "circle (quān) of friends" . After good friends see them, if they think it's great (bàng), they will click "like it" below (zàn). Now, WeChat has more and more functions. It is not only a chat software, but people can also use WeChat to play games and take taxis,buy movie tickets, pay for shopping, etc. WeChat is changing people's lives and making it easier for people to communicate with each other.

Talk about Chinese drinks- 茶
茶是中国人的传统饮料。中国人讲究品茶，喝茶不但是因为渴，而且是一种享受(xiángshòu)，一种艺术。中国茶有很多种，比如绿茶、红茶、乌龙茶、花茶等等，都有不同的味道。对喝茶有研究的人不但重视泡茶的方式、时间、次数，而且对茶具也有讲究。各种茶杯、茶壶(hú)都很艺术。在现代的中国的社会，虽然不少人开始喝咖啡，街上也到处可以看见咖啡店，但是在中国人心里，茶还是最好的饮料。你可以一个人喝茶看书，也可以和两三个好朋友喝茶聊天。

Tea is a traditional Chinese drink. Chinese people pay attention to tea tasting, drinking tea is not only because of thirst, but also a kind of enjoyment (xiángshòu), a kind of art. There are many kinds of Chinese tea, such as green tea, black tea, oolong tea, scented tea, etc., all of which have different tastes. People who have researched on tea not only pay attention to the way, time and frequency of brewing tea, but also pay attention to tea utensils. All kinds of teacups and teapots (hú) are very artistic. In modern Chinese society, although many people start drinking coffee, and coffee shops can be seen everywhere on the street, in the hearts of Chinese people, tea is still the best drink. You can drink tea and read a book by yourself, or you can drink tea and chat with two or three good friends.

Talk about Chinese Dynasties-中国的朝代
中国是世界文明古国，有四千多年的历史。让我来介绍一下中国几个重要的朝代。秦朝是第一个统一中国的朝代，秦始皇是中国的第一个皇帝，他对统一中国有很大的贡献，他统一了文字，修建了长城。下一个重要的朝代是汉朝，汉朝在经济、政治各个方面都有很大的发展。汉族这个名字就是从汉朝来的。唐朝是中国古代经济、文化最发达的朝代，很多外国留学生来中国留学。唐朝和宋朝也出现了很多大诗人和词人。宋朝的科技也得到了很大发展，四大发明就在宋朝出现的。清朝是中国最后一个朝代，1911年孙中山领导革命，建立了中华民国，中国再也没有皇帝了。

China is an ancient civilization in the world with a history of more than 4,000 years. Let me introduce some important dynasties in China. The Qin Dynasty was the first dynasty to unify China, and Qin Shihuang was the first emperor of China. He made great contributions to the unification of China. He unified the writing and built the Great Wall. The next important dynasty was the Han Dynasty, which had great development in all aspects of economy and politics. The name Han nationality comes from the Han Dynasty. The Tang Dynasty was the most economically and culturally developed dynasty in ancient China, and many foreign students came to study in China. Many great poets and lyricists also appeared in the Tang and Song dynasties. The technology of the Song Dynasty has also been greatly developed, and the four great inventions appeared in the Song Dynasty. The Qing Dynasty was the last dynasty in China. In 1911, Sun Yat-sen led the revolution and established the Republic of China. There is no more emperor in China.

Talk about Chinese Tour Sites- 云南
中国云南自然风景很美，有山有水，那里住着很多少数民族。来云南旅游，可以看到不同民族的建筑、服装、饮食，了解各个民族的风俗习惯。云南有三个最有名的景点：石林、大理三塔和丽江古城。石林里有千奇百怪的石头，远看就像树林一样。大理三塔是一个很古老的建筑。丽江古城不大，从西边到东边不过一两个小时，最特别的是有一条非常干净的小河从城中间穿过。小河两边有很多商店、茶馆、小饭馆。你可以一边在很有云南特色的茶馆里喝茶，一边看着外边的小河还有来自世界各地的游客，这些都会给你留下美好的印象。

The natural scenery of Yunnan in China is very beautiful, with mountains and waters, and there are many ethnic minorities living there. When you travel to Yunnan, you can see the architecture, clothing, and food of different ethnic groups, and learn about the customs and habits of each ethnic group. There are three most famous scenic spots in Yunnan: the Stone Forest, the Three Pagodas of Dali and the Old Town of Lijiang. There are all kinds of strange stones in the stone forest, and it looks like a forest from a distance. Dali Three Pagodas is a very old building. The ancient city of Lijiang is not big, it only takes an hour or two from the west to the east. The most special thing is that there is a very clean river running through the middle of the city. There are many shops, tea houses and small restaurants on both sides of the river. You can drink tea in a teahouse with Yunnan characteristics while looking at the small river outside and tourists from all over the world, which will give you a good impression.

Talk about A Chinese Idiom- 画龙点睛
让我给大家说说成语画龙点睛的故事。在中国古代的时候，有一个特别有名的画家，他的名字叫张生游，他可以把东西画得像真的一样，有一次，皇帝让他给一个新修的寺庙画墙画，他只用三天就画了四条龙。路过的人都说这四条龙画得好，可是他们发现这些龙都没有眼睛。张生游说，"如果我给他们画上眼睛，他们就会变成真龙飞走了！" 人们不相信，所以他就把一条龙的眼睛画上，那条龙真的活了，飞到天上，剩下没有眼睛的龙还留在墙上。根据这个成语，人们就把绘画上的重要一笔叫做"画龙点睛"，就是说，最后一部分工作是工作中最精彩最重要的一部分。

Let me tell you the story of the idiom finishing touch. In ancient China, there was another very famous painter, his name was Zhang Shengyou. He could paint things like real things. Once, the emperor asked him to paint wall paintings for a newly built temple. He only spent three days I drew four dragons. People passing by said the four dragons were well drawn, but they found that none of the dragons had eyes. Zhang Sheng lobbied, "If I paint them eyes, they'll turn into real dragons and fly away!" People didn't believe it, so he painted the eyes of a dragon, and the dragon really lived and flew away. In the sky, the dragon without eyes remained on the wall. According to this idiom, people call an important stroke on a painting "the finishing touch", which means that the last part of the work is the most exciting and important part of the work.

Talk about Animals in Chinese culture- 十二生肖

在中国，大家都喜欢问：你属什么？在知道你属什么以后就能知道你大概多大。这些不同的动物就叫生肖。十二生肖分别是十二种动物：鼠牛虎兔、龙蛇马羊、猴鸡狗猪。每十二年重复一次。十二生肖还有一个有意思的故事，天神想举办一次过河比赛，最先到的十二种动物可以做十二生肖，过河的时候，动物们都很努力，其中牛游得最快，可是快到终点的时候，老鼠从牛身上跳下来，第一个到了终点，所以鼠是十二生肖的第一名。生肖可以帮助人们计算年代和年龄，比如，我妹妹和我妈妈都属羊，我妈妈比我妹妹大两个十二年，也就是大二十四岁。

In China, everyone likes to ask: What do you belong to? Once you know what animal you are, you can figure out how old you are. These different animals are called zodiac signs. There are twelve animals in the Chinese zodiac: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse and Goat, Monkey, Chicken, Dog and Pig. Repeat every twelve years. Speaking of the zodiac, there is also a story about the zodiac in China. The gods in the sky want to hold a river crossing competition. The twelve animals that arrive first can be the zodiac signs and used to calculate the age. When crossing the river, the animals keep swimming, and the ox swims the fastest, but when it reaches the end, the mouse jumps off the ox and reaches the end first, so the mouse is the first in the zodiac. . The zodiac can help people calculate the age and age. For example, my mother is a sheep, my father is a horse, and my father is one year older than my mother. Both my sister and my mother belong to the year of the sheep. My mother is two twelve years older than my sister, that is, twenty-four years older.

Talk about Chinese Taboo- 数字(numbers)
中国人对数字很有讲究的。中国人最喜欢的数字是"8"，因为它的发音和"发财"的"发"很像。发财就是变得有钱，所以能让人发财的"8"在中国流行起来。为了得到有 "8" 的手机号、车牌或者地址，人们愿意花更多的钱。重要的活动也在有 "8" 的日期举行。说了幸运数字，下面说说不幸运的数字。对中国人来说， 数字"4"不是好数字，因为"4"就是"死"。 最便宜的手机号码都是那些有很多"4"的号码。如果你觉得这个不重要，那 就可以省下不少钱。 饭店里面，一般没有4号房间；大楼里面也没有4层。就像西方人尽可能不用"13"一样，中国人会尽可能不用"4"。

Chinese people are particular about numbers. The Chinese favorite number is "8". The number "8" is popular because it is pronounced like the "fa" in "facai". To be rich is to be rich, who doesn't want to be rich? So the "8" that can make people rich began to become popular in China. People are willing to pay more to get a cell phone number, license plate or address with an "8" in it. Important events are also held on dates with "8". Having said the lucky numbers, let's talk about the unlucky numbers. For the Chinese, the number "4" is not a good number because "4" means "death". The cheapest mobile numbers are those with a lot of "4"s. If you don't think this is important, you can save a lot of money. In the hotel, there is generally no room 4; in the building, there is no 4th floor. Just like Westerners try not to use "13" as much as possible, Chinese people try to avoid "4" as much as possible.

Talk about Chinese Language- 汉字
汉字是世界上最古老的文字之一。汉字把声音、图象，意思结合在一起，是一种风格独特的文字。最早发现的汉字是中国商朝的甲(jiá)骨(gǔ)文。从甲骨文到今天用的汉字，汉字逐渐从图画变成笔画，从难变得简单。有的汉字就像这个字的意思，比如"月"就像一个月亮的样子；有的汉字是把两个字的意思合在一起，比如"休息"的"休"，把"人"和"木"和起来，意思是一个人靠在树上休息；还有的字是把声音和意思合在一起，比如"问"字，代表声音的是"门"，代表意思的是"口"，因为问是用口来问。汉字的最小部分是笔画。写汉字的时候要从上到下，从左到右。汉字在发展中形成了独特的书法艺术

Chinese characters are one of the oldest scripts in the world. Chinese characters combine business, image and meaning, and are a unique style of writing. The earliest Chinese character to be discovered is the Jia (jiá) bone (gǔ) script of the Shang Dynasty in China. From oracle bone inscriptions to Chinese characters used today, Chinese characters gradually changed from pictures to strokes, from difficult to simple. Some Chinese characters are like the meaning of this word, for example, "月" is like a moon; some Chinese characters combine the meanings of two characters, such as "rest" in "rest", "people" and "people". "Mu" together means a person resting against a tree; other words combine sound and meaning, such as the word "I ask", which means "door" for sound and "mouth" for meaning , because the question is asked with the mouth. The smallest part of a Chinese character is the stroke. When writing Chinese characters, go from top to bottom and from left to right. Chinese characters have a very important influence on Chinese culture in history, forming a unique art of calligraphy.

Talk about Chinese casual activity- 打麻将
麻将是中国人的发明，是一种四个人一起玩的棋牌游戏。因为各个地方的风俗和文化不同，麻将也有不同的玩法。在中国，过节或者休假的时候，家人朋友常常在一起打麻将。麻将还是一种非常适合社区活动的游戏，所以如果你走在中国的社区小巷，你也会看到很多居民就在路边玩麻将。麻将不但是一种好玩有趣的游戏，麻将里也有很深的中国文化，而且对开发人的智(zhì)力有好处。现在麻将在世界很多国家和地区都很受欢迎，很多喜欢中国文化的外国人也玩得不亦乐乎。

Mahjong, a Chinese invention, is a board game played by four people. Because of the different customs and cultures in different places, Mahjong also has different ways of playing. In China, family and friends often play mahjong together during festivals or vacations. Mahjong is also a game that is very suitable for community activities, so if you walk in the alleys of Chinese communities, you will also see many residents playing Mahjong on the side of the road. Mahjong is not only a fun and interesting game, there is also a deep Chinese culture in Mahjong, and it is good for developing people's intelligence. Mahjong is now very popular in many countries and regions in the world, and many foreigners who like Chinese culture also enjoy it.