Tang Dynasty Tea Ware and Tea Culture

Chinese people have been drinking tea as far back as the legendary Yan Emperor 4，500 years ago. By the middle of the Tang Dynasty （618-907）， influenced by the aesthetics of Zen Buddhism， the tea-drinking population expanded greatly.

After famous Tang Dynasty tea master Lu Yu conducted an in-depth study of tea history and summarized the complete process of preparing tea， drinking tea became a big trend in China. According to documents and archaeological materials， formal tea-drinking rituals emerged during the Tang Dynasty alongside special tea sets. Chinese tea culture radiating from tea ceremonies took shape and spread to Japan and many other countries.

Forbidden City

April 2021

Chinese Folk Sports

Although “sport”is an imported word， Chinese people have always enjoyed athletic competitions. Long time ago， Chinese ancestors already invented various kinds of sporting activities with a unique Chinese style. Some folk sports had rich and mysterious origins， such as dragon dancing， raising massive flags， walking on burning charcoal， and floating on water. Many unusual“sports” require deft skills to perform weird， wild， or dangerous acts. In the process of“playing，” generations of people not only inherited traditional Chinese etiquettes， customs， concepts， and order， but also injected fresh vigor into old sports.

Chinese Heritage

June 2021

Chinese Romanticism

A cyclone of chic Chinese fashion has been fiercely swirling recently. These days， it is common to see young people wear Hanfu， a traditional Han ethnic garment， on the streets， and its widespread presence on social media testifies to the popularity of the fashion. However， most adorations of the trend remain shallow. Whether Hanfu， traditional Chinese music， old-style cosmetics， or ancient towns， the culture driving the trend is seldom appreciated and studied. People should be more alert of the risk of precious historical and cultural resources being used for commercial tools and capital games. The right interpretation of Chinese romanticism should be stylish but with soul.

New Weekly

June 15， 2021

Play-based Learning

“If you force your children to study everything today， are you sure the knowledge will still be important in 20 years？” Stella Christie， research chair of Tsinghua Brain and Intelligence Laboratory and associate professor of the Department of Psychology， Tsinghua University， raised this question to Chinese parents in an April lecture.

Her research showed that cultivating analogical thinking is more important than urging children to focus on specific skills. And playing is an important channel for the acquisition of analogical thinking.

Vista

May 28， 2021