CHINESE CULTURE
In this section, the reader will find articles related to Chinese culture in English.
Many of them are of our own production, elaborated throughout the more than 15 years that this page has been in operation, others are extracts from books or articles that we have dared to publish (generally after translating them) because of the interest they have for the English-speaking readers.
We are in the process of converting all the articles to a more modern format, but given the hundreds of articles in the different sections, it may take a few months.
The main sections are:
GENERAL ASPECTS OF CHINESE CULTURE
HOROSCOPE AND ANIMAL SIMBOLISM
MOVIES
Last posts about Chinese culture
The true origin of the Great Wall
The true origin of the Great wall, as seen in Nicola Di Cosmo (The Origins of the Great Wall. Silk Road Journal. 1993). Generally speaking, the political discourse about foreigners in pre-imperial China tends to justify expansion and conquest, which is exactly what...
Parnashavari: The Tibetan Goddess of Medicine
Parnashavari: The Tibetan Goddess of Medicine Within the complex symbolism of Tibetan deities and protectors, I like to look for distinctive details that allow us to identify a figure the moment we see them in a temple. One of the goddesses who makes this task...
The Smallpox Goddess (Doushen)
The Smallpox Goddess (Doushen) The Smallpox Goddess (Doushen 痘神) is part of a group of goddesses whose primary role was the protection of children. In the final years of the imperial era, they operated under the authority of Bixia Yuanjun, the daughter of the Emperor...
Legends of the Mother Goddess
Legends of the Mother Goddess I am pleased to share with all you that the Italian translation of my book Legends of the Mother Goddess (and Other Myths of Goddesses and Women from the Peoples of China) has now been published and is available for purchase. As many of...
Laozi’s Mother is the goddess who created the world
Laozi’s Mother is the goddess who created the world In Taoist thought, great mysteries are not explained with definitive statements, but with paradoxical images, fragmentary myths, and bodily metaphors. One such mystery is the origin of the world—and for Taoism, that...
Does the Daodejing Contain the Oldest Creation Myth of China?
Does the Daodejing Contain the Oldest Creation Myth of China? An introductory article on Chinese mythology asserts (twice) that the myth of the creation of Huangdi (the Yellow Emperor) should be considered one of China's creation myths, following the model of...
The Wenzi Begins: Echoes from a Forgotten Taoist Voice
The Wenzi Begins: Echoes from a Forgotten Taoist Voice The Wenzi (文子) is an ancient Daoist text attributed to a disciple of Laozi. Although its authenticity has been debated throughout history, its content clearly reflects the Daoist worldview and its influence on the...
A Humble Proposal for Rethinking Historical Periodization: To Go Beyond Dynasties in Chinese History
A Humble Proposal for Rethinking Historical Periodization: To Go Beyond Dynasties in Chinese History Historical narratives are never neutral. The way we divide time reflects not only the facts we choose to remember, but also the frameworks we use to interpret them. In...
The Primitivist: The Taoist Philosopher of Simplicity
The Primitivist: The Taoist Philosopher of Simplicity The Taoist classic Zhuangzi is not the work of a single philosopherAnyone who takes a closer look at the foundational works of Taoism will quickly discover that the book known as Zhuangzi was not entirely written...
Chinese characters
Praise for the book on Chinese characters
Praise for the book on Chinese characters Good News! I'm happy to share that my book Chinese Characters: An Easy Learning Based on Their Etymology and Evolution has been selected by BookAuthority.org as one of The Best Etymology Books for Beginners! BookAuthority...
Ethnic groups
The Lahu Matriarchy: An Egalitarian Dyadic Society in China
The Lahu Matriarchy: An Egalitarian Dyadic Society in China From the book: Mothers, Queens, Goddesses, Shamans: Matriarchy in China (Miraguano, Madrid, 2011) The egalitarian society of the Lahu drew academic attention with Du Shanshan’s study Chopsticks Only Work in...
tRAVELS
Imperial Processions to the Temple of Heaven
Imperial Processions to the Temple of Heaven Those who know China—even if only through a brief trip—and who have visited the Temple of Heaven in Beijing will surely have been fascinated by the sober beauty of its buildings. Yet, whether on a crowded day or during a...
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