chinese serotonin

Learning through the palate In most cultures gastronomy is really important and Chinese culture is not exception. It is a known fact that Chinese food is one of the biggest gastronomes in the world. The are a lot of different dishes, which variate depending on the region which they are from. To try Chinese food is actually quite important in your Chinese learning journey, as it helps you to get immersed in their culture, which will later on help you improve your Chinese skills. Also, who doesn't want to try some delicious new dishes? The eight main cosines in Chinese Gastronomy  As it was previously mentioned, Chinese gastronomy variates a lot. That's why there was a need to create a distinction among each cousin. Thus, the eight Chinese culinary cuisines were created, these are: 山東菜，四川菜， 粵菜，鮮味， 江蘇菜，浙菜，湘菜，安徽菜.  山東菜 Shang Dong Cai come from the region of Shangdong, a northern coastal province of China. This cuisine is made up of two main styles: Jiangdong which is mainly made o...

 The meaning of "Have face"  You probably have heard the question 你有沒有面子? or some variation of it. This expression is really popular, and it's often used in TV shows, videos, movies, etc. The direct translations of 面子 is face, but in most cases that's not the meaning that they are referring to. In most cases this expression refers to someone's reputation, honor or pride. But depending on the situation, the meaning can slightly change.  Common Phrases  To care about your reputation / have a reputation   - 有面子 : To have a reputation. This reputation has been giving to you because of the power you hold or your place in society.  -面子很大 : To be well respected by people (have a big reputation). Usually this expression refers to someone that's famous, rich or simply someone that's perceived positively by people. -愛面子 ： Someone who really cares about their reputation and they are constantly trying to protect it.  -要面子 : Someone who is constantly protecting th...

The color red in Chinese culture Colors have a different impact and meaning in every culture. In this case, red is one of the most important color in Chines culture, and it's even considered one of the three lucky colors in China (red, yellow and green). One clear example of its impact is: Chinese new Year, during this festivity all you will see is red and gold. The history of the color red in China  The color red can be traced back to ancient time. In the majority of the caves drawings found, the color red was prevalent, one clear example of this is the Buddhist art in the Cave temples of Dunhuang. It's also said that early pottery, walls, and gates were also painted in the color red. There is not an exact period where the color red became so important. Nonetheless, there are still two myths that try to explain this phenomenon.  The first myth states that red became an auspicious color during the Han Dynasty  It is believed that the first emperor of the Han dynasty was t...

Tomb Sweeping Day, an interesting holiday  What is Tomb Sweeping day?  Qing Ming festival is a holiday that's meant to commemorate and pay respect to a person's ancestors. On this day families visit the gravesite of their ancestors, and they gather there to honor their ancestors by praying, cleaning the graves, burning incense and remembering those who passed away.  Tomb Sweeping day, is a holiday that's celebrated 15 days after the Spring Equinox following the Chinese Lunar calendar, or 107 days after winter has begun, which means that this holiday usually falls between April 4th and April 6th. It's important to mention that Tomb Sweeping Day is considered and official holiday in China, in which most people get the day off from work and from school.  The origin of this holiday The QingMing Festival grew out of an ancient Chinese festival called 寒食. The Hanshi Festival is also known as the  Cool Food Festival.  The Hanshi Festival was originally celebrated ...

The Spring Festival What is Chinese New Year?  Chinese New Year or also known as Spring Festival is a celebration that begins with the first new moon and ends in the first full moon of the Chinese lunar calendar; it is celebrated in China, Vietnam, Singapore, Korea and a lot of different East Asian countries.  This festivity can be traced back to thousands of years ago, during the spring festival farmers could rest from their work in the fields, and family members would travel from near and far to welcome the new year with their loved ones.  The history behind the Spring festival 春节 The Lunar New Year can be traced back to 3500 years ago; even though there is not an exact date on when it was created, it's believed that it started in the Shang Dynasty, because in the winter people held ceremonies and sacrifices to gods and ancestors. Then, in the Zhou Dynasty, the term 年 was introduced. And it had become a social practice to offer sacrifices to ancestors or gods, also they...