Gardens- More Than Plant Life

While attempting to find an interesting topic on Chinese culture to write about, I will admit I found myself in the middle of writer's block...or maybe it would be better called blogger's block...who knows. Irregardless, I found myself stumped and wanting to find peace in my life. While endlessly searching through topics related to peace, tranquility, and serenity (all which I am trying to find in my own life right now), I stumbled upon Chinese gardens.

Chinese view gardens as an essential art form and part of life. The gardens are created to attain balance, harmony, proportion and variety in life. A fluid and intricate combination of natural items including rocks, water, trees and flowers are fused with artificial elements of architecture, painting and poetry. "The garden is an artistic recreation of nature; a landscape painting in three dimensions"... the beauty of a garden speaks loudly.

The intricacy of a Chinese garden is boundless, and speaks much louder than what meets the eye. Covered corridors can be found within the garden so people can enjoy the garden in both rain and snow. Detailed footpaths imaginatively patterned cover the ground. A common motif I find particularly interesting is a square within a circle, representing the belief of the heaven being round and the earth being square.

Plant life plays a large role in the harmony of the garden, representing the harmony in life. The lotus flower represents purity. The flowering plum is commonly found, representing the renewal of strength and will. Bamboo is commonly found for strong and resilient character.

A Chinese garden is where I could go to right now, and I think many people would be eager to find serenity in them as well during this time of year. The Chinese garden is a place for solitude and serenity with nature. A piece of poetic art, gardens are a place people find spiritual utopia and to search one's inner heart.

Wedding Food

When I was eight years old I was a junior bridesmaid for my aunt's wedding. The lavish event filled will celebrating guests was a memorable experience. One of the highlights of the day was the reception, a large Chinese banquet filling an entire Chinese restaurant. There were obviously the typical wedding DJ, wedding cake, and throwing of the bouquet and garter, but aside from the basics things were very unique.

The biggest difference I found, and probably because I enjoy eating, was the unique Chinese dishes which were served at the event. I remember some guests apprehensively looking at one another saying, "What is that?" or, "I have never heard of this, but it tastes good!"

In Chinese weddings food symbolism is huge, hailing mostly wishes of good luck, longevity, happiness and fertility. Typically the number eight is used as the number of dishes served, excluding dessert. Eight sounds like good luck in Chinese culture, hence why eight dishes are served.

Of some of the dishes served at a traditional banquet, here are some of the meanings behind the food, and it even clears up the confusion for myself!

Shark Fin Soup: Served at the beginning of the meal representing wealth, because this dish is an expensive delicacy.

Roast Suckling Pig: Represents virginity.

Peking duck and lobster: The red colors of these dishes represent happiness and served together represent joy and happiness.

Fowl: Squab or quail can be served to represent peace. If fried chicken were served as a replacement it would symbolize "good life."

Vegetables and sea cucumber: The two dishes combined represent selflessness because sea cucumber represents "good heart," and when the two are combined the couple is hoped to avoid conflict.

Fish: If fish is served it is for their future to be plentiful.

Noodles: At the end of the meal noodles symbolize longevity from their long strands.

Desserts of sweet red bean soup or steamed sweet buns can be served additionally.

This comprehensive list is not a mandated list of dishes to serve, only the meaning of dishes you may find at a wedding. I know the one and only Chinese reception I was old enough to remember had many of these dishes, artfully created in their uniqueness.

Despite the apprehensive bites of food I may have eaten when I was eight years old, I am happy I was able to experience the wishes of happiness all the food brought to the happy couple.

Kuaizi

One of the staples you will find in any Chinese restaurant nomatter how Americanized it may seem are chopsticks. Known as kuaizi or in ancient times zhu, Chinese people have had chopsticks in their history for more than 3,000 years.

Chopsticks are categorized based on the material they are made out of. Five different types of materials are used: wood, metal, bone, stone and compound chopsticks. In Chinese homes, wood and bamboo are the most common.

Chinese chopsticks can be differentiated from other countries chopsticks due to their square shape where they are held, and the round tip where the food is picked up.

In older Chinese culture, it was viewed as improper to hold chopsticks in the left hand, even for left-handed people. It is a good thing those rules have loosened, or being left-handed like myself would have left me in a tricky situation.

While I have grown up in and around Chinese restuarants, I can share a few etiquette tips I have picked up over the years.

Stabbing your food with chopsticks in unacceptable.

Banging and making noise with chopsticks, despite children's antics, is considered rude.

Do not use chopsticks to toy with your food.

And one final chopstick etiquette I always found interesting: it IS acceptable to pick up your rice bowl and shovel rice into your mouth with chopsticks. Using a spoon is considered rude.

Tea Culture

Tea, coffe and cocoa are three of the most consumed beverages in the world. Tea trumps all being the most popular, and its origins are rooted in China. Chinese culture views tea as an integral part of their daily life with the phrase, "Firewood, rice, oil, salt, sauce, vinegar and tea are the seven necessities to begin a day."

As one of the most Zen-like beverages, tea shows a sign of character. Chinese tea is used in various circumstances in all generations of Chinese ancestry.

Tea is used as a sign of respect. Younger children will invite the elders for tea, or will offer them a cup of tea before pouring it for themselves.

Tea is drank during family gatherings. When Chinese restuarants are crowded on the weekends with families eating together, tea is typically served.

Speaking of family gatherings, tea is served to bring families of the wedding parties together. Drinking tea represented acceptance into the family

Unfortunately for some, tea is also used to apologize. It represents submission when children pour tea for their parents.

When someone pours tea to you, be sure to express your gratitude. Typically the middle or index finger is tapped on the table after tea is poured.

Drinking tea always seemed like a normal tradition in my family. Turns out actions really do speak louder than words, or tastes.

Mahjong

I remember sitting at my grandfather's computer for hours endlessly playing games of mahjong. Different tiles were stacked together, and I had to match the tiles up by removing them from the outer edges. While occasionally winning, most of the time I was unable to clear the stack away. And while I played this game at my American grandparent's house, the game of mahjong actually originated in China (in case the name didn't already give it away).

Typically made of tiles or playing cards, mahjong is divided into three categories- suits, honor and flowers. There are commonly 144 tiles per mahjong game and at the very least 136. For complete rules on how to play mahjong click here.

The history of mahjong is still debatable. While the first sightings of mahjong in America was 1920, different stories circulate around its creation in China. One story says a young beauty who lived in seclusion over 2000 years ago invented the game around the era of Confucius during the court of King Wu during the Shang Dynasty.

Another story says Chinese army officers during the Taiping Rebellion created the game to pass the time.

And yet other fables say Confucius created the game around 500 A.D. The game started to appear in various states of China coinciding with Confucius' travels.

While so much of Chinese history is credited to Confucius, it is hard not to add mahjong to the list. Mahjong translates into "chattering sparrow," appropriate for Confucius loved birds. It was believed he used the game as a teaching tool for his philosophies. The cardinal virtues bequeathed by Confucius are found on the three dragon (Cardinal) tiles, representing benevolence, sincerity and piety.

And the list still goes on...

Do I think the ancient fables of mahjong hold validity? Is it a more recent game than what people believe? Or does the game of mahjong hold Chinese cultural history? Maybe the answer is in the cards...I mean the tiles.

Jade

"Beads of jade for beauty..." these words are hailed in the popular Disney movie, Mulan. Jade has been a popular stone in Chinese culture since it was defined by Xu Zhen during his lifetime of 58-147 A.D. Growing up, and still today, my grandmother always wears a single jade bracelet on her wrist. Jewelry I recieved as gifts were frequently made of jade, and it is truly an invaluable stone for the Chinese culture.

Chinese thinker and political leader Confucius believed there was culture, meaning, and humanity behind jade.

'The wise have likened jade to virtue. For them, its polish and brilliancy represent the whole of purity; its perfect compactness and extreme hardness represent the sureness of intelligence; its angles, which do not cut, although they seem sharp, represent justice; the pure and prolonged sound, which it gives forth when one strikes it, represents music. Its color represents loyalty; its interior flaws, always showing themselves through the transparency, call to mind sincerity..."

Referred to as Yu in Chinese, it was believed to be the most beautiful stone of all associated with merit, grace and dignity. Most words associated with morals in the Chinese language begin with the word Yu. Jade has influenced all walks of life, and in past history young girls were named with the prefix of Yu (jade), reflecting the love of their parents.

As I open a jewelry box and find numerous gifts of jade sitting in the drawers, I know my family has given me the gift of beauty, both tangible and intangible.

Qing Ming

Looking outside in the heart of October it is easy to tell the season is changing. Leaves are falling, the weather is getting cooler, and the luscious greenery that once surrounded the land is dissipating. With so much we are about to say goodbye to, it seems appropriate to look at what we have to look forward to.

The Chinese Qing Ming festival is celebrated during the third lunar month and is a time for people to experience the new greenery of spring and clean up the graves of loved ones.

To start on a lighter note, Qing Ming was on April 5, 2007, and the celebrations typically occur ten days before and ten days after Qing Ming. Also known as the Clear Brightness Festival, the celebration involves the start of new plowing, kite flying, the celebration of spring, and it is also a time men start courting.

When I found out the celebration is used to clean up the grave sites of loved ones, I reflect back on my frequent visits to California where we always visit burial sites of family members and leave flowers and food for them. Included in this days many names, in English it is most well known as Tomb Sweeping Day. Ancestors are honored at their grave site, sweeping and cutting of grass occurs, and food is left as an offering for the deceased.

While researching is day I knew virtually nothing about, in case anyone wanted yet another name for the celebration it can also be referred to as All Soul's Day. It is a time for reflection on the deceased loved ones, and it is a time to celebrate the rebirth of a new year.

Zong Zi

One of my favorite foods my grandmother makes is sticky rice filled with meat, eggs, beans and nuts, wrapped in corn leaves and steamed to perfection. My family always called them dung tay, and they are rarely found at an American Chinese restuarant. There is good reason for why this traditional speciality is hardly ever seen, let alone heard of. Traditionally known as zong zi, these dumpling are what is served during the Dragon Boat Festival.

The Dragon Boat Festival occurs on the fifth day of the fifth month of the lunar year. The celebration is also known as the Fifth Month Celebration and is in honor of Qu Yuan, a respected poet of the Zhon Empire who threw himself into the river. Celebrating the Dragon Boat Festival is celebrating the anniversary of his death.

After learning this story I still did not understand why zong zi was served for the Dragon Boat Festival. Zong zi, little packets of glutinous rice, is thought to have their origins in the bamboo tubes of rice in attempt to find the spirit of Qu Yuan. Additionally, the rice packets were wrapped with colored silk threads, which dragons fear. This was to keep the dragons from eating the patriotic poet.

The beauty of zong zi is every dumpling you unwrap is different. Each maker of zong zi places their own unique fillings in the dumplings so unwrapping zong zi has pleasant surprises.

I have always found zong zi to have a striking familiarity to Mexican tamales. Both are wrapped in corn leaves and steamed to perfection. These pyramid shaped dumplings are both created with families and are to be shared with loved ones.

No wonder I find my grandma's zong zi dumplings to have an extra touch - they are made with love. But don't worry, my appetite would never allow for us to throw them in the river.

Yin-Yang

Most people are familiar with the term, Yin and Yang. In elementary and middle school you see children wearing t-shirts with the symbol printed on it, typically a circle half black and half white. But while the term and symbol is familiar, many are unfamiliar with its significance. Simply put, Yin and Yang represent the two opposite principles in nature.

Yin represents the feminine and negative side of things, while Yang represents the masculine and the positive. Yin and Yang are pairs, and the two cannot coexist without each other. The two interchange and interplay so one is not alone. If one side is stronger then the other side is weaker. It is thought the two cannot exist without each other.

If you compare this to genders in society, the same holds true for men and women. Despite the upsurging of political viewpoints and the pressure to act independently, inevitably the male compliments the female and the female compliments the male. I don't necessarily agree the feminine represents the negative and the masculine the positive, but everything is up for interpretation.

If you look at the Yin Yang symbol you will see each side is not completely black or white. This represents the reality of life not being completely black or white, and each side needing the other.

I have never applied the theory of Yin and Yang to my life, but maybe I should start. The shortcomings I face in the world open my eyes to new and interesting perspectives. As a student placing myself in the eyes of the professor leads me to new conclusions about my work and work ethic. It is through these two interactions students and professors need each other to coexist. Girlfriends and boyfriends, while two separate people share the same life. As time progresses each person adapts some of the other person, and the two are encouraged by one another. If one person is weak, the other is strong to build them up. They are a compliment to each other's life and the life they share together. Two halves really do make a whole.