The pool of middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River is one of the cradles of Chinese civilization. The culture of this plain is one of the best elements of the cultural tradition of the Chinese nation. The customs of the people of Shanxi, Henan, Shandong, from Tainjin and Beijing are also many similarities as differences. We discover the remote origin of traditional Chinese culture and various forms of lifestyle adopted by the inhabitants of these regions.
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Taiyuan (Shanxi), the residence of the Qiao family, the museum of folk customs and Hebian wall of ancient Pingyao wall.
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Linfen (Shanxi): the museum of folk customs of the village of Dingcun.
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Yuncheng (Shanxi): The temple dedicated to General Guan Yu and wall paintings dating from the Yuan in the temple Yongle.
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Weifang (Shandong): the popular village of morals in Shijiazhuang district Anqiu, the museum of kites and prints of New Year Yangjiabu.
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Luoyang (Henan): troglodyte dwellings in Henan in the West.
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Tianjin: the street of traditional culture and the Museum of New Year prints of Yangliuqing.
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Beijing: visit courtyard houses and alleys.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
How the ancient Chinese believed that to repair its mistakes
The elders thought it was very important to repair its own mistakes - it was a way to cultivate virtue. It was also an important problem of introspection and cultivation. The former believed that even a saint could make mistakes. In "The Classics", it is said that no man is infallible, and being able to correct its mistakes is the noblest of virtues.
Make a mistake and not correct it, is thus committing another mistake. Confucius said, "If you know you made a mistake and you do not correct, that's when you truly commit a mistake." This is wonderful when someone can actively improve its behavior. We should act as Mo Zi, one of the most famous disciples of Confucius, "Happy every time he was learning from its mistakes." Only when someone is anxious to correct the errors that can continuously improve and become a person of great virtue.
In The Analects Zi Chang 19, Chang Zi, one of the disciples of Confucius, said: "The errors of a gentleman are like the eclipses of sun and moon, when a gentleman made a mistake, everyone sees and when it corrects, everyone admires that. " Mistakes are inevitable, particularly errors of a gentleman. If it can reform itself, the others will continue to respect it. Failing to do so or if he made efforts to conceal them, then not only will lose his self-esteem but will also face the disdain of others towards him.
In the Book of Changes, it is said that we must change for better and fix our mistakes.
It is impossible for anyone not to make mistakes, but what is crucial is the correct time. Taizhong, the famous emperor of the Tang dynasty, was renowned for his ability to accept different ideas and thus he was able to correct his mistakes at the right time. When he was reminded by Wei Zheng, the counselor in whom he had had the most confidence, he said: "If you take copper as a mirror, it will help you adjust your outfit, if you take history as a mirror, you will see the emergence and fall of dynasties, if you take a human being as a mirror, you will learn the loss and gain. " Take "human being as a mirror" means taking the words and behavior of people like references to discover that no matter that we have right or wrong, we must abandon our own idea if others have better, we must recognize and correct our mistakes if we find that others will behave in the right way, We will be cautious and attentive if others make mistakes, so you do not reproduce the same.
In the senior officials in ancient China, it is said that we must correct its mistakes without hesitation.
Mencius told this story: "There was a man flying every day a chicken with its neighbor. Someone told him that this was not the conduct of an honest man. The man replied, "I need time to correct that. First, I steal one chicken per month, instead of one per day, and next year I will steal more. "He knew he was acting badly. Why does it not correct its error immediately instead of waiting until next year? Once you know your mistakes, you should take steps to correct them quickly and not let things drag.
Lu Jiuyuan, a thinker of the Southern Song Dynasty, said, "When someone shows you errors, you must correct them immediately when you know your mistakes, you should not try to hide, when you correct your mistakes, you do not have fear. "
Mencius was once praised Zi Lu, saying: "Every time someone pointed out to Mo Zi had made a mistake, Zi Lu was very happy." Based on what Mencius said, Lu Jiuyuan drew this conclusion and said: "First, do not be afraid when others highlight your mistakes and secondly, having learned from your mistakes, you should not try to mislead others and yourself, and finally, you must persevere constantly correcting your mistakes. "Have no fear." These words are of great importance. After you have committed a fault, do not be afraid of criticism, do not be afraid to be embarrassed, and furthermore, do not be discouraged because of difficulties that might arise in the process of repairing the fault. When you are able to follow these three steps, your moral rise continuously.
Yan Yuan, a thinker and tutor of the Qing Dynasty, recommended learning all things and apply it in everyday life. He said, "Cultivate your character means to correct your mistakes and change for the better. He insisted that we must apply ourselves to the strict standards.
Make a mistake and not correct it, is thus committing another mistake. Confucius said, "If you know you made a mistake and you do not correct, that's when you truly commit a mistake." This is wonderful when someone can actively improve its behavior. We should act as Mo Zi, one of the most famous disciples of Confucius, "Happy every time he was learning from its mistakes." Only when someone is anxious to correct the errors that can continuously improve and become a person of great virtue.
In The Analects Zi Chang 19, Chang Zi, one of the disciples of Confucius, said: "The errors of a gentleman are like the eclipses of sun and moon, when a gentleman made a mistake, everyone sees and when it corrects, everyone admires that. " Mistakes are inevitable, particularly errors of a gentleman. If it can reform itself, the others will continue to respect it. Failing to do so or if he made efforts to conceal them, then not only will lose his self-esteem but will also face the disdain of others towards him.
In the Book of Changes, it is said that we must change for better and fix our mistakes.
It is impossible for anyone not to make mistakes, but what is crucial is the correct time. Taizhong, the famous emperor of the Tang dynasty, was renowned for his ability to accept different ideas and thus he was able to correct his mistakes at the right time. When he was reminded by Wei Zheng, the counselor in whom he had had the most confidence, he said: "If you take copper as a mirror, it will help you adjust your outfit, if you take history as a mirror, you will see the emergence and fall of dynasties, if you take a human being as a mirror, you will learn the loss and gain. " Take "human being as a mirror" means taking the words and behavior of people like references to discover that no matter that we have right or wrong, we must abandon our own idea if others have better, we must recognize and correct our mistakes if we find that others will behave in the right way, We will be cautious and attentive if others make mistakes, so you do not reproduce the same.
In the senior officials in ancient China, it is said that we must correct its mistakes without hesitation.
Mencius told this story: "There was a man flying every day a chicken with its neighbor. Someone told him that this was not the conduct of an honest man. The man replied, "I need time to correct that. First, I steal one chicken per month, instead of one per day, and next year I will steal more. "He knew he was acting badly. Why does it not correct its error immediately instead of waiting until next year? Once you know your mistakes, you should take steps to correct them quickly and not let things drag.
Lu Jiuyuan, a thinker of the Southern Song Dynasty, said, "When someone shows you errors, you must correct them immediately when you know your mistakes, you should not try to hide, when you correct your mistakes, you do not have fear. "
Mencius was once praised Zi Lu, saying: "Every time someone pointed out to Mo Zi had made a mistake, Zi Lu was very happy." Based on what Mencius said, Lu Jiuyuan drew this conclusion and said: "First, do not be afraid when others highlight your mistakes and secondly, having learned from your mistakes, you should not try to mislead others and yourself, and finally, you must persevere constantly correcting your mistakes. "Have no fear." These words are of great importance. After you have committed a fault, do not be afraid of criticism, do not be afraid to be embarrassed, and furthermore, do not be discouraged because of difficulties that might arise in the process of repairing the fault. When you are able to follow these three steps, your moral rise continuously.
Yan Yuan, a thinker and tutor of the Qing Dynasty, recommended learning all things and apply it in everyday life. He said, "Cultivate your character means to correct your mistakes and change for the better. He insisted that we must apply ourselves to the strict standards.
Horse in the Tang
The horse had an essential place in the Tang dynasty omnipotence. The breeding of horses, developed a systematic way from the seventh century, had a considerable political and military during this period.
The Tang dynasty indeed imposed its supremacy thanks to the thousands of horses that could bring on the battlefield. It is at its cavalry most of its military victories.
The riders were mostly archers. At the beginning of the dynasty, the Tang army had only five thousand horses. A century later, around 650, it is estimated that more than seven hundred thousand the number of frames available in the imperial stud farm, through the province of Shaanxi and Gansu.
Beyond the essential role of the military horse in the Tang, the court will develop a passion for this important animal. Thus the development of polo practice among the Chinese aristocracy.
But it is especially in the arts that the horse will take the most important, including ceramics and paintings on silk. The painter Han Gan (720-780) remained the leading expert in this type of representation.
What the old Chinese saying about "Courage"
Confucius said "A man is not worried about kindness, a scholar is not embarrassed and one brave man is not afraid." But courage does not mean being reckless or stubbornly combative. The "Courage" is related to the 'cultivation' of virtue and morality. Confucius acknowledged that his disciple Zilu was quite brave, but he advised him to always keep a sense of justice, hand in hand with courage. Bravery has no value without the sense of righteousness. Forgot righteousness for the benefit or doing nothing while justice wants can not be called real courage. The courage that conforms to morality has always been a virtue highly recommended in traditional Chinese culture. Shijing (Book of Odes), Daya (Major Odes) and Shumin (Ordinary people) say "Do not eat the sweet, do not spit out the difficult, not to torment the weak and helpless and not be afraid of despots and people power. "[Unofficial translation]. This poem was composed to praise and support to battle the famous General Zhong Shanfu Xizhou of the dynasty. The general idea is that the poem should not be easily tempted by things soft and tender, rather than reject it difficult or intimidating the weak and be intimidated by the strong. The poem blessed the general, saying he will not fail to enforce the imperial decree, he will be able to arrange talks between the warlords and bring comfort to the people. This expresses admiration for a great character and the courage not to deny and to put pressure on the small and weak while not fearing neither danger nor powerful. In the annals of Aigong book Zuo Zhuan, 16th comment, "Courage is headed by righteousness" means that only by adhering to the morality and righteousness that we can speak of courage. The courage "must be based on compassion and righteousness" Confucius is often the question of courage. He says, "A benevolent man is not concerned, a scholar is not embarrassed and one brave man is not afraid." ( "Monday Yu" - [Interviews Confucius] - Xianwen [Key Issues]). According to Confucius, there are three qualities that a good man must possess and which are also the perfect human state. A caring and moral person will treat others with kindness and generosity, so it does not worry. A wise person can distinguish good from evil, it will therefore not be embarrassed. Someone brave not afraid to deal with disasters, so it has nothing to fear. Someone with just one of its qualities is already difficult to find, but it is even more difficult to find someone who has all three. Confucius said candidly that he could not accomplish all three. But his disciple Zi Gong said, "Master speaks for itself", which meant that it was the only description was that of Confucius himself. In the spirit of his disciple, Confucius was the epitome of kindness, wisdom and courage. If he did not have three qualities, who had? Confucius also said "A person certainly sympathetic to the courage, but a courageous person is not necessarily benign neglect" ( "Monday Yu - Xianwen). This statement expresses the relationship between "caring" and "courage." A benevolent person is certainly courageous for a just cause, even sacrificing his life for this and that's true courage. Some people may seem very brave, but not in order to seek justice. This can be reduced to an emotional glow, not necessarily with the heart to care for others and kindness. Confucius said, "Whoever does not act for a just cause during a confrontation is not what is called courage" ( "Monday Yu - Weizheng" [The government]) If a person dares not face the challenge that it was intended is a sign of cowardice. This statement illustrates the relationship between righteousness and courage. Do nothing for a just cause is not only a sign of cowardice, it is a shame. Facing the challenges with noble and just cause is a behavior that is much admired in the Chinese traditional culture. In fact such courage that speaks the former is close to the moral and ethical behavior. In his Dialogue Li Hou famous author Su Shi of Song Dynasty criticized the kind of stupidity that leads to fighting in a fit of rage. He praises those with aspirations of visionaries have been able to endure the humiliation, and believes they are very brave. He said "They are really brave, those who are not afraid to deal with a sudden calamity and not deal with n'enragent wanton acts." This means that there are people in the world very courageous, to unforeseen disasters that are not afraid, that the injustices are not angry, as HanXin the Han dynasty that has to crawl between the legs of a thief when he was young. If he had not been able to endure this humiliation and had decided to kill the rogue, how he could have achieved success later? Thus we see that when necessary, endure is the wise choice of a courageous person. Zhu Jia class courage in "petty courage" and "courage." He says in his book (annotation about stanzas of the fourth book - Annotate about Meng Zi) "The petty courage is the result of the excitement, and great courage comes from the correct principles and reason." It means that the petty courage is impulsive, while courage is based on morals and principles. | ||
Tibetan Calendar
The Tibetan calendar is officially entered into force in 1027, and used since then. Its creation was largely related to the people who brought civilization of Central Plains in Tibet.
In the beginning, the Tibetans used a different system of calculation. According to the records, Tibet had its own calendar before the first century BC. The AD method was very simple, based on a system of lunar months based on the full moon, new moon and half moon. In this system, the New Year's Day was the first day of the eleventh month of the current Tibetan calendar. It was the timing of the good religion. An almanac of that era has been discovered in the region Lhoka. This ancient calendar condense the wealth of knowledge of Tibetans with regard to agriculture and astronomy at the time, and it would influence the Tibetan astronomical calendar.
When Princess Wencheng Tang traveled to Tibet, she brought many books, some of which dealt with astronomy and the calendar, which has played a role in the development of the Tibetan calendar. Instead of serving time to set the lunar New Year, we took the position of the stars as a reference point. Some regions still Xigaze observe the New Year according to the method of calculation. From the ninth century, the Tibetan calendar began to resemble that of the Han, and under Phagpa (1235-1280) that saw its greatest development. The New Year period was determined, the year was divided into 12 months (30 days for "large" number of months and 29 days for "small"). It was also
added an extra month every 1 000 days to keep the balance between the months and seasons. The Tibetan calendar uses the twelve signs of the zodiac, and years are calculated using the 12 terrestrial branches (rat, beef, etc..) That are combined with the five elements (wood, fire, earth, metal and water ). This creates five cycles of 12 years, which form a cycle of 60 years called "rabchung", introduced in 1027.
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