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...

The Solution to the West’s Suicide Epidemic Can Be Found in the Culture of a Himalayan People

The Solution to the West’s Suicide Epidemic Can Be Found in the Culture of a Himalayan People In recent years, the number of suicides among young people has skyrocketed. In some countries, such as Spain, suicides have already surpassed traffic accidents as the leading...

Drak Yerpa: The Tibetan Cliffs of Meditation

Drak Yerpa: The Tibetan Cliffs of Meditation A visit to the cliffs of Drak Yerpa, about 30 kilometers from Lhasa, not only offers a glimpse of the beauty of the Tibetan landscape and some rural settlements near the capital, but also gives us the chance to explore one...

Great Taoist magician Liu Zheng

Great Taoist magician Liu Zheng Liu Zheng was a native of Pei[1]. Endowed with extraordinary talent and vast learning, he left no branch of knowledge unexplored. Profoundly reflecting on the human condition, he concluded that worldly honors and riches endure but a...

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...
Dunhuang in the Silk Road
Dunhuang in the Silk Road

Dunhuang in the Silk RoadDunhuang is a city in the middle of the desert. Over its 2,000-year history, it has always been the last Chinese outpost before reaching the Western Regions—those kingdoms more or less dominated by the imperial regimes, yet showing customs so...

Tales of the faithful dog: China, Mongolia, the West
Tales of the faithful dog: China, Mongolia, the West

In Chinese culture there are many historical and folkloric stories that extolled dogs, placing the animal friend above the other human beings. This was due to the dogs  fidelity to their master, one of the most appreciated virtues in Chinese society. In legends,...

Ethnic groups

Sexual aspects of Gu venom
Sexual aspects of Gu venom

Gu illness resulted from a contamination by gu poison, which a recent analyst has characterized as “an alien evil spirit which entered [the] body and developed into worms or some similar animal that gnawed away at the intestines or genitalia.” This poison was thought...

Praise for the book on 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...

Chinese culture

Does the Daodejing Contain the Oldest Creation Myth of China?
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...

Chinese characters -person
Chinese characters -person

A sample of the first three pages of the English translation of my book on Chinese characters 人 rén – person, human being • adult • each.  This is a pictogram of a person standing, with legs separated. Person > kind of person > every > other. It is one of the...

We are working to republish all the old post in this new format, but due to the vast amount of post published in the last years, it is possible that old and new design posts will coexist during some months.

INDEX OF ETHNIC GROUPS PAGES

 

GeneralAchang BaiBaima – BaoanBulangBuyangBuyiChashanDaiDaur – DeangDengDong – DongxiangDulong – Ersu – EwenkiGejia – GelaoHaniHezheJingpoJinoKucongLahuLhobaLiLisuManchuMaonanMiaoMongolsMosoMulaoNamziNaxiNuOroqenPumiQiangSaniSheShuiTaluTibetanTuTujiaUygurWaXibeYaoYiYugurZhuang