The traditional Chinese calendar, dating back to the Han dynasty, is a lunisolar calendar that blends solar, lunar, and other cycles for social and agricultural purposes. While modern China primarily uses the Gregorian calendar for official purposes, the traditional calendar remains culturally significant. It determines the timing of Chinese New Year with traditions like the twelve animals of the Chinese Zodiac still widely observed.
A red envelope, red packet, lai see, hongbao or ang pau is a gift of money given during holidays or for special occasions such as weddings, graduations, and birthdays. It originated in China before spreading across parts of Southeast Asia and other countries with sizable ethnic Chinese populations.
Christmas Eve is the evening or entire day before Christmas, the festival commemorating the birth of Jesus. Christmas Day is observed around the world, and Christmas Eve is widely observed as a full or partial holiday in anticipation of Christmas Day. Together, both days are considered one of the most culturally significant celebrations in Christendom and Western society.
Lunar New Year is the beginning of a new year based on lunar calendars or, informally but more widely, lunisolar calendars. Typically, both types of calendar begin with a new moon but, whilst a lunar calendar year has a fixed number of lunar months, lunisolar calendars have a variable number of lunar months, resetting the count periodically to resynchronise with the solar year. The event is celebrated by numerous cultures in various ways at diverse dates. The determination of the first day of a new lunar or lunisolar year varies by culture.
Emperor Gaozu of Han, also known by his given name Liu Bang, was the founder and first emperor of the Han dynasty, reigning from 202 to 195 BC. He is considered by traditional Chinese historiography to be one of the greatest emperors in history, credited with establishing the first Pax Sinica, one of China's longest golden ages.
The Qingming Festival or Ching Ming Festival, also known as Tomb-Sweeping Day in English, is a traditional Chinese festival observed by ethnic Chinese in mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, Malaysia, Singapore, Cambodia, Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam. A celebration of spring, it falls on the first day of the fifth solar term of the traditional Chinese lunisolar calendar. This makes it the 15th day after the Spring Equinox, either 4, 5 or 6 April in a given year. During Qingming, Chinese families visit the tombs of their ancestors to clean the gravesites and make ritual offerings to their ancestors. Offerings would typically include traditional food dishes and the burning of joss sticks and joss paper. The holiday recognizes the traditional reverence of one's ancestors in Chinese culture.
Ying Ziying, also known as Ziying, King of Qin, was the third and last ruler of the Qin dynasty of China. He ruled over a fragmented Qin Empire for 46 days, from mid-October to early December 207 BC. Unlike his predecessor, he ruled as a king instead of emperor. He is referred to in some sources with the posthumous name Emperor Shang of Qin (秦殤帝) although the Qin dynasty had abolished the tradition of according posthumous names to deceased monarchs.
Mantou, often referred to as a Chinese steamed bun, is a white and soft type of steamed bread or bun popular in northern China. Folk etymology connects the name mantou to a tale about Zhuge Liang.
The Dongzhi Festival or Winter Solstice Festival is a traditional Chinese festival celebrated during the Dongzhi solar term, which falls between December 21 and December 23.
Huzhou is a prefecture-level city in northern Zhejiang province. Lying south of the Lake Tai, it borders Jiaxing to the east, Hangzhou to the south, and the provinces of Anhui and Jiangsu to the west and north respectively. Huzhou is located on the south bank of Taihu Lake. It is named after the lake. It is an ancient city in the south of the Yangtze River with a history of more than 2,300 years. It currently governs Wuxing and Nanxun districts and three counties of Deqing, Changxing and Anji, with a total area of 5,818 square kilometers. As of the 2020 census, its population was 3,367,579 inhabitants, of whom 1,015,937 lived in the built-up area made of Wuxing District as Nanxun District is not being conurbated yet.
Baozi, or simply bao, is a type of yeast-leavened filled bun in various Chinese cuisines. There are many variations in fillings and preparations, though the buns are most often steamed. They are a variation of mantou from Northern China.
Xiàzhì is the 10th solar term, and marks the summer solstice, in the traditional Chinese lunisolar calendar dividing a year into 24 solar terms.
Beibi Gong is a Chinese film and television actress. Beginning her acting career as a teenager after she was discovered for the lead role in the film You Are Not Sixteen, Gong later studied and graduated from the nationally prestigious Central Academy of Drama. She first gained recognition among audiences in China after starring in several popular TV series and feature films in both mainland China and Hong Kong. Due to her success while still a student, Gong was dubbed in the media at the time as "little Gong Li", who also graduated from the same acting college.
Chinese New Year, or the Spring Festival, is a festival that celebrates the beginning of a new year on the traditional lunisolar Chinese calendar. It is one of the most important holidays in Chinese culture, and has been added to the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity list by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization in 2024. Marking the end of winter and the beginning of spring, this festival takes place from Chinese New Year's Eve to the Lantern Festival, held on the 15th day of the year. The first day of Chinese New Year begins on the new moon that appears between 21 January and 20 February.
Wang Bodang was a general in Wagang Army which rebelled against the Sui dynasty. He is also a highly celebrated and praised figure in Chinese popular culture because of his bravery and loyalty.
Zhang Xutuo, courtesy name Guo, was one of the most celebrated generals during the Sui dynasty. He was best known for his achievements in suppressing rebellions and uprisings during Emperor Yang's reign.
New Year's foods are dishes traditionally eaten for luck in the coming year. Many traditional New Year dishes revolve around the food's resemblance to money or to its appearance symbolizing long life, such as long noodles or strands of sauerkraut. Sweets, symbolizing a sweet new year, are often given or consumed. Some cultures and religions have evolved complex food traditions associated with the new year.
Taiwanese Lunar New Year or Kuè-nî is a Taiwanese traditional festival and national holiday commemorating the first day of the traditional Chinese lunisolar calendar. It shares historical and cultural origins with Chinese New Year.
