Chinese National Day

The National Day is a designated date on which celebrations mark the nationhood of a country. Often the National Day will be a national holiday.

The National Day is often taken as the date on which a state or territory achieved independence. Other dates such as the country's patron saint day or a significant historic date are sometimes used. Most countries have a single National Day per year, though a few, for example, India and Pakistan, have more than one. Besides that, each of the two special administrative regions of the People's Republic of China, namely Hong Kong and Macao, celebrate the day of the establishment of the special administrative region, as well as the National Day of the People's Republic of China.

Do you know how does Chinese National Day come?

October 1^st, 1949, anniversary of the founding of new china. It should be clear that, in many people's minds, held in October 1st 1949 in the people's Republic of China has one hundred thousand soldiers and civilians to participate in the founding ceremony in Tiananmen square in Beijing. In fact, the impression in people's minds is not accurate.

Since October 1, 1949, held the ceremony inTiananmen Square is the Central People's government the establishment ceremony, but was not the founding ceremony. In fact, the people's Republic of China "Founding", that is to say the people's Republic of China establishment, early in the year October 1st has been announced a week before. Was not called "founding ceremony," but referred to as the "Founding ceremony".

The time is September 21, 1949. This day, the Chinese people's Political Consultative Conference Chairman Mao Zedong in the preparatory meeting of the first session of the CPPCC's opening statement has been declared the birth of new china.

How to return a responsibility th October 1st as National Day? At the first session of the Chinese people's Political Consultative Conference of the first National Committee, Xu Guangping said: "Ma Xulun members can not leave, he asked me, the establishment of the people's Republic of China, there should be national day, so I hope this will be decided in October 1st as the national day."

Mao Zedong said "we should make a proposal, suggested to the government, decided by the government." In October 2, 1949, the Central People's government through the "on the national day of the people's Republic of China on the resolution", stipulated every year in October 1st as the national day, and to this day as the announcement of the people's Republic of China was founded.

Since then, every year on Oct. 1 to become the grand people of all nationalities to celebrate the festival.

Moon cake

Mid-Autumn Festival, an important traditional Chinese festival. Do you know what is popular in this holiday? Yes, Moon cakes. In China, Moon cakes now not only a food eaten during the Mid-Autumn Festival, but also a promotional gift for business. Many companies will send moon cakes by couriers or take by themselves to their customers. So what is Moon cake? Will you also try Moon Cakes?

Moon cakes, some people also called as Mooncakes, are Chinese pastries traditionally eaten during the Mid-Autumn Festival. The festival is for lunar worship and moon watching; moon cakes are regarded as an indispensable delicacy on this occasion. Before, Moon cakes are offered between friends or on family gatherings while celebrating the festival, one of the three most important Chinese festivals. Now, companies or factories also provide moon cakes to customers to promote business.

Typical moon cakes are round or rectangular pastries, measuring about 10cm in diameter and 4-5 cm thick. A thick filling usually made from lotus seed paste is surrounded by a relatively thin (2-3mm) crust and may contain yolks from salted duck eggs. Besides, moon cakes have been made with seeet of nuts, and so on. Moon cakes are rich, heavy and dense compared with most Western cakes and pastries. They are usually eatern in small wedges accompanied by Chinese tea.

Most moon cakes consist of a thin tender skin enveloping a sweet, dense filling. The moon cake may contain one or more whole salted egg yolks in ites center to symbolize the full moon. Very rarely, moon cakes are also served steamed or fried.

Traditional moon cakes have an imprint on top consisting of the Chinese characters for “longevity” or “harmony” as well as the name of the bakery and the filling in the moon cake. And now, many moon cakes will have an imprint the brand of the producer.

Moon cakes are considered a delicacy, production is laber-intensive and few people make them at home. Most moon cakes are bought at Asian markets and bakeries. The price of mooncakes are different from different brands, usually from $10- $50.

Why did people eat moon cakes on Mid-Autumn day? Because in ancient, people use the circle cakes to send a mess in case the bad man found them.

In the 14^th century (AD 1280-1368) in the Yuan Dynasty of the Genhis Khan, moon cakes helped bring about a revolution. A Chinese rebel leader name Liu Fu Tong devised a plan to arouse the Chinese people to raise up against the ruling Mongols, to end the oppressive Yuan dynasty. He obtained permission from the Mongollian leaders to give gifts to friends as a symbolic gesture, to honor the longevity of the Mongolian Emperor. These gifts were round moon cakes. Liu’s Plan was to place a piece of paper the date of revolt inside each moon cake, to inform his flollowers when to rise up. The coup date was the fifteenth night of the eighth month.

When the people cut open the cakes and found the message, they set out on that appointed the day to overthrow the Mongols, thus ending the Yuan Dynasty.

Today, far from exotic and heroic deeds, Chinese communities all over the world make and eat moon cakes during the traditional Harvest Moon Festival to honor this tradition. 

Mid Autumn Festival

"Zhong Qiu Jie", which is also known as the Mid-Autumn Festival, is celebrated on the 15th day of the 8th month of the lunar calendar. It is a time for family members and loved ones to congregate and enjoy the full moon - an auspicious symbol of abundance, harmony and luck. Adults will usually indulge in fragrant mooncakes of many varieties with a good cup of piping hot Chinese tea, while the little ones run around with their brightly-lit lanterns.

"Zhong Qiu Jie" probably began as a harvest festival. The festival was later given a mythological flavor with legends of Chang-E, the beautiful lady in the moon.

According to Chinese mythology, the earth once had 10 suns circling over it. One day, all 10 suns appeared together, scorching the earth with their heat. The earth was saved when a strong archer, Hou Yi, succeeded in shooting down 9 of the suns. Yi stole the elixir of life to save the people from his tyrannical rule, but his wife, Chang-E drank it. Thus started the legend of the lady in the moon to whom young Chinese girls would pray at the Mid-Autumn Festival.

In the 14th century, the eating of mooncakes at "Zhong Qiu Jie" was given a new significance. The story goes that when Zhu Yuan Zhang was plotting to overthrow the Yuan Dynasty started by the Mongolians, the rebels hid their messages in the Mid-Autumn mooncakes. Zhong Qiu Jie is hence also a commemoration of the overthrow of the Mongolians by the Han people.

During the Yuan Dynasty (A.D.1206-1368) China was ruled by the Mongolian people. Leaders from the preceding Sung Dynasty (A.D.960-1279) were unhappy at submitting to foreign rule, and set how to coordinate the rebellion without it being discovered. The leaders of the rebellion, knowing that the Moon Festival was drawing near, ordered the making of special cakes. Packed into each mooncake was a message with the outline of the attack. On the night of the Moon Festival, the rebels successfully attacked and overthrew the government. What followed was the establishment of the Ming Dynasty (A.D. 1368-1644). Today, moon cakes are eaten to commemorate this event.

Mid-Autumn Day is a traditional festival inChina. Almost everyone likes to eat mooncakes on that day. Most families have a dinner together to celebrate the festival. A saying goes, "The moon in your hometown is almost always the brightest and roundest". Many people who live far away from homes want to go back to have a family reunion. How happy it is to enjoy the moon cakes while watching the full moon with your family members.

Besides eating moon-cakes, Chinese people also send greeting message or greeting website to their friends and families with best wishes. 

Double Seventh Festival

The Double Seventh Festival, on the 7th day of the 7th lunar month, is a traditional festival full of romance. It often goes into August in the Gregorian calendar.

This festival is in mid-summer when the weather is warm and the grass and trees reveal their luxurious greens. At night when the sky is dotted with stars and people can see the Milky Way spanning from the north to the south. On each bank of it is a bright star, which see each other from afar. They are the Cowherd and Weaver Maid, and about them there is a beautiful love story passed down from generation to generation.

Long, long ago, there was an honest and kind-hearted fellow named Niu Lang (Cowhand). His parents died when he was a child. Later he was driven out of his home by his sister-in-law. So he lived by himself herding cattle and farming. One day, a fairy from heaven Zhi Nu (Weaver Maid) fell in love with him and came down secretly to earth and married him. The cowhand farmed in the field and the Weaver Maid wove at home. They lived a happy life and gave birth to a boy and a girl. Unfortunately, the God of Heaven soon found out the fact and ordered the Queen Mother of the Western Heavens to bring the Weaver Maid back. 

With the help of celestial cattle, the Cowhand flew to heaven with his son and daughter. At the time when he was about to catch up with his wife, the Queen Mother took off one of her gold hairpins and made a stroke. One billowy river appeared in front of the Cowhand. The Cowhand and Weaver Maid were separated on the two banks forever and could only feel their tears. Their loyalty to love touched magpies, so tens of thousands of magpies came to build a bridge for the Cowhand and Weaver Maid to meet each other. The Queen Mother was eventually moved and allowed them to meet each year on the 7th of the 7th lunar month. Hence their meeting date has been called "Qi Xi" (Double Seventh).

Scholars have shown the Double Seventh Festival originated from the Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD220). Historical documents from the Eastern Jin Dynasty(AD371-420) mention the festival, while records from the Tang Dynasty (618-907) depict the grand evening banquet of Emperor Taizong and his concubines. By theSong (960-1279) and Yuan (1279-1368) dynasties, special articles for the "Qi Xi" were seen being sold on markets in the capital. The bustling markets demonstrated the significance of the festival. 

Today some traditional customs are still observed in rural areas of China, but have been weakened or diluted in urban cities. However, the legend of the Cowhand and Weaver Maidhas taken root in the hearts of the people. In recent years, in particular, urban youths have celebrated it as Valentine's Day in China. As a result, owners of flower shops, bars and stores are full of joy as they sell more commodities for love.

Dragon Boat Festival

Dragon Boat Festival, also called Duanwu Festival, is celebrated on the fifth day of the fifth month according to the Chinese calendar. For thousands of years, the festival has been marked by eating zong zi (glutinous rice wrapped to form a pyramid using bamboo or reed leaves) and racing dragon boats.

The festival is best known for its dragon-boat races, especially in the southern provinces where there are many rivers and lakes. This regatta commemorates the death of Qu Yuan , an honest minister who is said to have committed suicide by drowning himself in a river .Qu was a minister of the State of Chu situated in present-day Hunan and Hubei provinces, during the Warring States Period(475-221BC). He was upright, loyal and highly esteemed for his wise counsel that brought peace and prosperity to the state. However, when a dishonest and corrupt prince vilified Qu, he was disgraced and dismissed from office. Realizing that the country was now in the hands of evil and corrupt officials, Qu grabbed a large stone and leapt into the Miluo River on the fifth day of the fifth month. Nearby fishermen rushed over to try and save him but were unable to even recover his body. Thereafter, the state declined and was eventually conquered by the State of Qin.

The people of Chu who mourned the death of Qu threw rice into the river to feed his ghost every year on the fifth day of the fifth month. But one year, the spirit of Qu appeared and told the mourners that a reptile in the river had stolen the rice. The spirit then advised them to wrap the rice in silk and bind it with five different-colored threads before tossing it into the river.

During the Duanwu Festival, a glutinous rice pudding called zong zi is eaten to symbolize the rice offerings to Qu. Ingredients such as beans, lotus seeds, chestnuts, fat pork and the golden yolk of a salted duck egg are often added to the glutinous rice. The pudding is then wrapped with bamboo leaves, bound with a kind of raffia and boiled in salt water for hours.

The dragon-boat races symbolize the many attempts to rescue and recover Qu's body. A typical dragon boat ranges from 50-100 feet in length, with a beam of about 5.5 feet, accommodating two paddlers seated side by side.

A wooden dragon head is attached at the bow, and a dragon tail at the stern. A banner hoisted on a pole is also fastened at the stern and the hull is decorated with red, green and blue scales edged in gold. In the center of the boat is a canopied shrine behind which the drummers, gong beaters and cymbal players are seated to set the pace for the paddlers. There are also men positioned at the bow to set off firecrackers, toss rice into the water and pretend to be looking for Qu. All of the noise and pageantry creates an atmosphere of gaiety and excitement for the participants and spectators alike. The races are held among different clans, villages and organizations, and the winners are awarded medals, banners, jugs of wine and festive meals.

Spring Dragon Day on 2nd day of 2nd Lunar month

According to the folk legend, the 2nd day of the second lunar month is the day for the dragon king who is in charge of clouds and rains to raise his head. After that day, there will be more and more rain, so that day is also called Spring Dragon Day (春龙节). Most Chinese northern farmers believe that with the help of that day, all stores, big and small, will be full of grain. Every year when this day comes, those Chinese northern people will carry the lanterns, in the morning to fetch water from the wells and the rivers. They will light the candles, burn incense and play tribute to the dragon king. In the old times people called this "welcome the fields dragon（引田龙）" On that day, all the families will eat noodles or fried glutinous rice blocks, and pop corn to enjoy happiness.

Spring Dragon Festival

A popular fairy tale in the north of China can tell the origin of the day. When Wu Zetian (武则天), the empress, in the Tang Dynasty came into power, the Heaven God was so angry that he ordered the dragon kings to stop raining for 3 years. Soon after this, the dragon king who was in charge of the heaven river heard the bitter cries from the folk, saw many people starve to death. He was afraid that there would be no life in soon. Then he went against the Heaven God's order and gave the folk a heavy rain. Because of this, the dragon king was thrown into the folk world by the Heaven God and pressed under a large mountain. (There was a stone tablet on the mountain saying: The dragon king went against the Heaven God’s order because gave the rain, he can not return LingxiaoGe unless everywhere with gold beans.)

Then the people hurried to look for gold beans everywhere in order to save him from the pressure. On the 2nd day of the 2nd lunar month the next year, when people were drying the corn seeds in the sun, they thought of the corn seeds as gold beans because when they were roasted, they would pop in blossom like gold beans. So all the families began to pop corn and burn incense and put gold beans on desks. When the dragon king raised his head, he knew the folk were trying to save him, so he shouted to the God, "Gold beans are in blossom, so let me out." After the Heaven God saw all gold beans in blossom in all families, he had to give his order to ask the dragon king to return to the heaven palace and go on with his job of making clouds and rains for the folk. Since then, it has been the folk custom to eat pop corn on the 2nd day of the 2nd lunar month. In fact, after the 2nd lunar month, since there will be more and more rain which marks the end of little-rain winter. This is a clear characteristic of the monsoon climate in North China.

Will you say these in New Year?

Spring Festival is coming now, during the festival, you can hear below words Chinese people say frequently. Will you also say these in your New Year?

“新(xīn)年(nián)好(hǎo)!” Or “新(xīn)年(nián)快(kuài)乐(lè)！” It means “Happy New Year.” Almost everyone meet others in the holiday will say it.

“拜(bài)年(nián)啦(lā)!”, “拜(bài)个(gè)早(zǎo)年(nián)！”, we will say it when visit our relations, friends, or business partners. Besides, we can also see some advertisements on TV during the holidays, many companies will also say “给(gěi)您(nín)拜(bài)个(gè)早(zǎo)年(nián)！”

“恭(gōng)喜(xǐ)发(fā)财(cái)” , “财(cái)源(yuán)滚(gǔn)滚(gǔn)” when you say this, it means you hope the one you talk to will get much rich, and earn more money in the coming year. During the Spring Festival, the elders will give red bags to the Youngs. So, some children who want to get more red bags, will say “恭(gōng)喜(xǐ)发(fā)财(cái)，利(lì)是(shì)到(dào)来(lái)”

“身(shēn)体(tǐ)健(jiàn)康(kāng)” - it means “healthy body” healthy is the most important for everyone, so in New Year, people also say it.

“阖(hé)家(jiā)幸(xìng)福(fú)” – wish your families happily.

With Chinese New Year coming, learnmorechina.com also wishes you a happy New Year.  

Lantern Festival

After the Spring Festival, there comes the Lantern Festival – on the Lunar Jan. 15^th, it is called as Yuanxiaojie (元(yuán)宵(xiāo)节(jié)), Chundengjie (春(chūn)灯(dēng)节(jié)), Xiaozhengyue (小(xiǎo)正(zhēng)月(yuè)), Yuanxi (元(yuán)夕(xī)), Dengjie (灯(dēng)节(jié)) in China. It is one of an important of traditional Chinese holidays. Do you know how did the Yuanxiao come? The first month of Lunar calendar called as Yuan Yue. And in the old days, Chinese people called the night as Xiao, and on 15^th, it is the first night of the round moon in the year, so people call Jan. 15^th of Lunar calendar as Yuanxiao Jie.

The culture of Lantern Festival in different places in China will be different. Generally speaking, eating sweet rice ball (吃(chī)元(yuán)宵(xiāo)), Guessing Lantern riddles (猜(cāi)灯(dēng)谜(mí)), watching fireworks (看(kàn)烟(yān)火(huǒ)) are the most popular to celebrate Latern Festival.

Sweet rice ball in China called as Yuanxiao, which is a special food for the Lantern Festival. It is said that Yuanxiao is named after a palace maid, Yuanxiao, of Emperor Wu Di of the Han Dynasty. Yuanxiao is a kind of sweet dumpling, which is made with sticky rice flour filled with sweet stuffing. And the Festival is named after the famous dumpling. It is easy to cook – simply dump them in a pot of boiling water for a few minutes – and eaten as a desert.

While guessing lantern riddles is an essential part of the Festival. Lantern owners write riddles on a piece of paper and post them on the Lanterns. If visitors have solutions to the riddles, they can pull the paper out and go to the lantern owners to check their answer. If they are right, they will get a little gift. As riddle guessing is interesting and full of wisdom, it has become popular among all social strata.

On the night of Lantern Festival, you will find many magnificent lanterns and fireworks. Most families spare some fireworks from the Spring Festival and let them off in the Lantern Festival. Some local governments will even organize a fireworks party. On the night when first full moon enters the New Year, people become really intoxicated by the imposing fireworks and bright moon in the sky.