Where is Mandarin Chinese from? A Very Ancient Language Trying to understand the origin of the Chinese language is trying to understand the history of an entire group of dialects and languages, and one that spans for thousands of years! The Chinese language is as old as China itself and belongs to the Sino-Tibetan language family, which […]
Chinese Culture
The 12 Zodiac Symbols Written in Chinese
Finds out what are the Chinese characters for the Chinese zodiac animals! First, a little story behind the Zodiac Symbols Written in Chinese… An ancient Chinese legend has it that long ago, during Chinese New Year, Buddha himself called the animals of creation. He promised each of them a reward, on the condition that they would […]
Chinese Traditions 25 Fascinating Pictures
Taiwan is one of the only places in the world where you can witness authentic Chinese traditions. In China, ancient customs have been banned and practices of long ago are still repressed. In Taiwan, classical Chinese culture has not only survived… it is flourishing! Every year, on September 28, bright costumes, serious rituals and ancient music […]
Chinese Zodiac Symbols
Characteristics of the 12 Chinese astrological signs The Chinese Zodiac symbols are now extremely popular all over the world. If you want to find out about the traits and characteristics of each Chinese Zodiac animal, read on! The Chinese Zodiac started in China and is based on a 12 year cycle; each one has a different […]
Chinese Tea Culture
Information About Chinese Tea Culture Chinese tea culture is at the very heart of Chinese culture and society. Although there are regional differences in exactly the way a Chinese tea ceremony is done, the fact that it is central to every household, even the poorest, attests to the fact of how important it is in society. […]
Chinese Superstitions
Information About Chinese Superstitions Taiwan and China have been undergoing serious economic development, and in many ways the landscapes of cities in both places have been irreversibly changed. Chinese superstitions, however, are harder to kill than brick buildings and bad economic policies. You might ask why we wanted to write an article about a topic […]
Chinese Punishment
Information About Chinese Punishment Let’s see…. Boiling to death, drawing and quartering, the rack, thumb screws, stocks, pillory, dunking in water, burning at the stake, bridles in women’s mouths, tarring and feathering, coffin torture, burned within a brazen bull, forced drinking, the list goes on… Ancient Chinese punishment, you say? No, all Western! That’s not to […]
Chinese New Year Traditions
The Chinese Lunar New Year is packed with interesting customs and traditions! Chinese New Year Traditions The Chinese New Year celebration, or the Spring Festival, as it is known in China and Taiwan, has so many traditions, and is even bigger and more splendid than Christmas is in the West. When is Chinese New Year? […]
Chinese New Year Symbols
Chinese New Year symbols can be useful if you want to write a Chinese New Year’s card, painting, calligraphy, or scroll. Even if you’re not planning on writing anything for Chinese New Year, you might want to learn about all the symbolism that surrounds this great Chinese holiday. Chinese Symbols for “Chinese New Year” Chinese Characters for […]
Chinese New Year Food
Popular Chinese New Year Foods Chinese New Year food is one of the most colorful, exciting parts of the fifteen day celebration. Some, like Yu Sheng, or raw fish salad, are eaten on particular days, or every day during the holiday. The most popular of the foods symbolize some aspect or desirable thing wished for in […]
Chinese New Year Holiday Celebrations in Taiwan
Information about Chinese New Year You may have heard about Chinese New Year, but what is it actually all about? We’ll try to cover that here. When is Chinese New Year (CNY) celebrated? If you’ve read other articles on this website, you might know that most traditional holidays in Taiwan follow the Chinese lunar calendar […]
Chinese Lucky Numbers
What are Some Lucky Chinese Numbers? Almost every Chinese person is a budding numerologist, so you don’t have to go far to find someone who will talk to you about Chinese lucky numbers. Many things determine whether or not a number is lucky or not, and often that will be simply what other word the number […]
The 12 Chinese Horoscope Signs
On this page, you’ll find a list of the 12 Chinese horoscope signsas well as a brief description of each zodiac sign’s characteristics. The Chinese zodiac is based on the Lunar Calendar (also called Chinese calendar or Zodiac Calendar). The Chinese Lunar calendar has 12 months of 29 or 30 days. Even though industrialization and modern […]
A Little Guide About Chinese Herb Tea
Chinese have a long history of drinking tea. Tea actually originated in China where it spread throughout the rest of the world. It is still a very popular drink in China and Taiwan and is served with most meals at restaurants for free. Types of Chinese Tea Ancient Chinese herb tea can be separated into […]
Who was the Chinese God of War?
Guan Yu is sometimes referred to as the Chinese God of War, even though he technically wasn’t a god. He was a general who served under Liu Bei, an ancient Chinese warlord. He was alive during the Han Dynasty. Guan Yu is one of the best-known characters in Chinese history. However, it’s thought that many of […]
Understand What is the Chinese Game of Mahjong!
The Chinese love gambling and playing games, Chinese Chess is very popular but this is very complicated and normally only played by men. The most popular Chinese game is Mahjong. This is a game which can trace its origins back to ancient times and it’s likely that it started as a card game. What is […]
Chinese Five Elements
This article about the Five Chinese Elements was submitted by one of Taiwanese Secrets’ visitors. The Ancient Chinese had a very good understanding of how the natural world worked. They were at the cutting edge of scientific knowledge at this period in history. They created the Chinese five elements system, which consisted of Wood, Fire, Earth, […]
18 Essential Chinese Etiquette
A survival guide to having good manners with Chinese people in Taiwan Knowing basic Chinese etiquette and customs is indispensable when traveling to Taiwan or China. From the simplest circumstances like knowing how to greet Chinese people, to more subtle situations like what color to use when writing someone’s name, you will find on this page some […]
Chinese Dragon Art
10 Images of Chinese Dragons Chinese dragon art can be seen in many places around Taiwan, China, and other countries where Chinese communities exist. I’ve had a passion for Chinese dragons drawings, paintings, and sculptures since 1999, the year I traveled to Asia for the first time. I have taken hundreds of photos of Chinese […]
What is the Chinese Conception Calendar?
The traditional Chinese way of predicting whether an unborn child will be a boy or a girl. The Art of Predicting Things Chinese astrology is a vast and ancient art of predicting things – personality, auspicious dates, marriage and conception – based on the lunar calendar. Though most Taiwanese do not follow the lunar calendar […]