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Customs, etiquette, and the unwritten rules of Chinese life — practical reference guides.

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Peking Opera: Performance, Music and Stage Conventions

Peking Opera: Performance, Music and Stage Conventions

Peking opera combines vocal performance, spoken passages, acting and martial movement.

Black Tea in Chinese: 红茶 and the Naming Difference

Black Tea in Chinese: 红茶 and the Naming Difference

Black tea is called 红茶 in Mandarin.

Buddhist Philosophy: Suffering, Persons and Inquiry

Buddhist Philosophy: Suffering, Persons and Inquiry

Buddhist philosophical traditions examine suffering, persons and the possibility of liberation.

Working with Chinese Colleagues: Clear Expectations

Working with Chinese Colleagues: Clear Expectations

For a business interaction, confirm roles, expectations and the next step with the people involved.

Chinese Calligraphy: Scripts and How to Look at a Work

Chinese Calligraphy: Scripts and How to Look at a Work

Chinese calligraphy treats writing as an art of brushwork, form and composition.

Chinese Painting: Reading a Handscroll

Chinese Painting: Reading a Handscroll

A Chinese handscroll can combine painted images with inscriptions, seals and later commentary.

Chinese Clans and Family Records: Vocabulary for Reading

Chinese Clans and Family Records: Vocabulary for Reading

Use the words for clan, genealogy and ancestors carefully when reading family history.

Chinese Color Symbolism: Read the Object and Occasion

Chinese Color Symbolism: Read the Object and Occasion

A colour’s symbolic meaning should be read in the context of a particular object and occasion.

Confucianism: Ethical Cultivation and Social Relationships

Confucianism: Ethical Cultivation and Social Relationships

Confucian thought connects ethical cultivation with relationships, ritual practice and responsibility.

At a Chinese Meal: Ask, Observe and Communicate

At a Chinese Meal: Ask, Observe and Communicate

Ask your host about the meal’s serving arrangement and state your own dietary needs clearly.

Zhongyong: Identifying the Doctrine of the Mean

Zhongyong: Identifying the Doctrine of the Mean

Zhongyong, commonly called the Doctrine of the Mean, is a Confucian text associated with the Book of Rites.

What to Wear in China: Check the Actual Setting

What to Wear in China: Check the Actual Setting

Choose clothing by the venue, occasion and stated requirements, rather than a rule attributed to every Chinese person.