Food plays an outsized role in Chinese culture, and among different Chinese foods, noodles may be the most loved. Over millennia of noodle consumption in China, noodles have evolved into countless shapes, sizes, and textures and been prepared with different seasonings and pairings. The type of noodle consumed in China differs from region to region. […]
From North to South—The World of Chinese Noodles Read More »
(北京精华) Just inside the north side of Beijing’s former city wall is the Drum Tower (鼓楼) and the Bell Tower (钟楼); both built in 1272 during the Yuan Dynasty (元朝, 1271 – 1368). The feature image above shows the Bell Tower in the back and the Drum Tower in the front. Together, they offer panoramic
(郑和下西洋的文化遗产) Since the first century, many regions of the South and Southeast Asia were connected by sea routes known as the Maritime Silk Road today (image below). By Tang Dynasty (唐朝, 618 – 907), these sea routes connected seaports like Guangzhou in Southern China to India, the Persian Gulf, and the east coast of Africa,
Legacy of Zheng He’s Voyages Read More »
(孙悟空何许“人”也？) In the year 629 CE in the Tang Dynasty (唐朝), Xuanzang (玄奘), a Buddhist monk, set out from the Tang capital Chang’an (长安, present day Xi’an [西安]) on a pilgrimage to India. This journey took him along routes that merchants used in trading with the Western Regions (西域) and what are now known as
Who is Sun Wukong? Read More »
(利玛窦–促进西学东渐的第一人) In the mid-16th century, Jesuits, members of the Society of Jesus of the Catholic Church, first attempted to establish a mission in China. In 1552, St. Francis Xavier reached the Shangchuan Island (上川岛) off the coast of Southern China near Macau (澳门). The year 1552 marked the passing of Francis Xavier, yet another legendary
Sages from the West—the Story of Matteo Ricci and his Fellow Jesuits Read More »