Fresh explainers, culture news, practical guides, and evergreen stories for readers who want to understand China with context.
Every year on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, rivers across China explode with color and noise. Teams of paddlers drive long, carved dragon-headed boats through the water while drums …
Every year during the seventh month of the lunar calendar, something unusual happens across China and Chinese communities worldwide. Streets that were …
The Mid-Autumn Festival (中秋节, Zhōngqiū Jié), also called the Moon Festival or Mooncake Festival, is the second most important traditional holiday in …
Two weeks after Chinese New Year, another major festival lights up the calendar — the Chinese Lantern Festival, or Yuanxiao Jie (元宵节). It falls on the …
What to Say (and Not Say) During Spring Festival: A Practical Guide to CNY Greetings, Taboos, and Small Talk Why Words Matter So Much During Spring …
How to Wish Someone a Happy Chinese New Year (Without Sounding Like a Robot) The phrase almost every foreigner learns first is also the one many …
Every year, millions of people around the world ask the same question: “What’s the Chinese New Year animal this year?” If …
15 Chinese New Year Traditions Foreigners Always Get Wrong You’ve seen the red envelopes, the dragon dances, the endless plates of dumplings. …
On the day called Lixia (立夏), which usually falls around May 5 or 6 on the Gregorian calendar, Chinese families across the country do something that …
When the summer sun reaches its northernmost point and the day stretches longer than any other, Chinese families across the country sit down to a bowl …
Chinese New Year Taboos: What Not to Do During Spring Festival — and Why Chinese New Year is a time of joy, reunion, and abundance. But it is also a …