Qi Gong

As I woke up this morning feeling sick, I out of instinct went straight to the kitchen for tea and the cabinet for medicine. Popping pills in my mouth feeling tired and exhausted, I thought to myself, "What Chinese medicinal practices are there that might achieve the same end result?" The answer I found was Qi Gong.

Qi meaning "energy" and gong meaning "work", qi gong is an ancient practiced used to balance and strengthen one's life force. When illnesses occur or people adapt to the weather, this practice is used. If one is healthy, qi gong helps the overall well-being of the body.

Qi gong is achieved through movements, visualizations and mind control and requires only a few feet of space. It is a transfer of universal energy with internal energy, hence creating a new energy, qi. This practice can be achieved sitting, standing or reclining.

Qi is the internal body body energy that flows along 14 different pathways. When Yin and Yang are in harmony, the energy flows freely through a person's healthy body. When Yin and Yang are in disarray, there is an obstruction of qi.

So as I sit on my bed, I am tempted to try this new practice. With end of the school year picking up and the weather changing to, well, freezing, it is no wonder my qi may be in disarray. Now do I have the 20 minutes to spare as a college student to attempt this practice?

Eating Customs

With the holidays in full swing most people associate eating lavish and delectable foods with friends, families, and loved ones. We graciously eat a melting pot of various foods, sipping drinks and chatting away. As we take the time out of our hectic end-of-year schedule to enjoy a meal with the ones we care about, in Chinese culture it is actually common for all three meals of the day to be eaten together as a family.

All meals eaten together are based around fan, or grain. Rather than associating certain foods with the time of day a meal is eaten, an array of foods is served at every meal to satisfy the palette. Children are taught to consume equal amounts of each dish, never favoring one food over another. Sorry kids, you really do have to eat your vegetables.

Each place setting for the meal consists of a soup spoon, chopsticks, a bowl of rice, and a saucer. All of the meat and vegetable dishes are placed at the same time at the center of the table, and people eat off these dishes communally. Unlike most elongated tables we often see in Western Culture, Chinese eat off of either round or square tables to reach for the dishes without having to pass the food. A hot towel is provided instead of a napkin as well to clean up after a meal.

Because tea is commonly drank throughout the entire day, no liquid is served during a meal except usually soup. Wine or spirits may be served for special occasions.

And for those people with a sweet tooth, unfortunately no dessert is served, unless it is a special occasion. Even during this period the sweet morsels are usually saved for in between meals.

So while the in-laws may be too much to handle, or the children fussy eaters, take time out to compare your family's eating habits with those of another culture. We may be able to learn a thing or two.

Melting Pot

So I decided today while attempting to write a blog, that despite the many efforts I have made to come up with an interesting topic on Chinese culture, my mind draws to a blank. I start to ponder life experiences that would be applicable, but again, I fall short.

I have exhausted my efforts on the holiday season. Yes, I wrote about Chinese Thanksgiving and Christmas, and well, Chinese New Year is too far in the distance.

I attempted to find some sort of Chinese relationship etiquette or culture to write about, but unfortunately too many Chinese singles ads popped up in my Google search. I didn't intend for that to happen.

Chinese religion is varied and in depth. Choosing to write about Buddhism, Taoism or Confucianism would require too much research, resulting in a lack of engagement from the reader. These topics are complex theories and writings on humanism and living your life in a good manner, and I did not think a blog would do them justice.

So then I ventured to the idea of Chinese food. But what about Chinese food? Foods I deem as having historical significance I already blogged on. I didn't think writing about white rice, sweet and sour chicken, or Americanized food like Panda Express was appropriate.

I desperately tried to come up with a topic based on life stories. My grandma was married at 16, so maybe I could write about arranged marriages. But these are less common now and not a widely practiced engagement.

So for today, while I may be blogging about Chinese culture, I have just given you a taste of multiple aspects of Chinese culture, all different in their own way. But if you decide to venture into the wonderful world of Googling Chinese culture, most likely you will land on the YouTube video of the Chinese Backstreet Boys.

Dun Che Lao Ren

Fo most of us in Western culture, celebrating Christmas means recognizing the biggest holiday of the year. Stores, neighborhood streets and televisions are flooded with Christmas trees and images of Santa Claus. But who fills the holiday stockings in Chinese culture? Well, Dun Che Lao Ren does!

Despite Chinese New Year being the largest Chinese winter celebration, more Chinese Christian families are celebrating Christmas. Adorning their "trees of light" with paper chains, flowers and lanterns, their homes are also decorated with paper lanterns.

Children anxiously wait for "Old Man Christmas," Dun Che Lao Ren, to fill their muslin stockings full of surprises. And what types of gifts to people give and receive during this celestial celebration? Children recieve toys and clothes, the typical of any Christmas celebration. Red envelopes are customary gifts with lucky money, also used to prepare for Chinese New Year.

Part of a Chinese Christmas celebration also involves preparing for Chinese New Year. Bowls of oranges and tangerines will be placed displayed for wealth and good fortune. Additionally, ancestors will be honored with portraits hung in their families home.

So with the holiday season in full swing around us, we cannot forget the beauty and diveristy of other cultures. Holidays are the perfect time to celebrate the ones you loved, the years past and to be surrounded by those you care about most.

Chinese Thanksgiving

As I write the title to this blog I can't help but chuckle because in China there is no such thing as Thanksgiving. Never in the history books did I read about pilgrims coming to settle in China...sorry. The closest celebration they have is their Mid-Autumn Festival, occurring the fifteenth day of the eighth lunar month.

But despite Thanksgiving not being a traditional holiday, it still doesn't exempt Chinese Americans from celebrating the feast of Thanksgiving the last Thursday of November.

When I was very young living closer to my Chinese grandmother in Southern California we always celebrated Thanksgiving with an Asian flair. Instead of serving mashed potatoes, we ate white rice (which actually tastes really good with gravy on top if anyone every tries). We also were served yams, but not the sweet and candied ones. We ate yams with curry. I had no idea what the name was until later in life (I mistakenly assumed they were just scalloped potatoes).

After searching the web for glimmers of hope that other families do the same thing, I was pleasantly surprised. Many people offer menus and recipes hailing an even more Asian flair to traditional cuisine with such items including roast turkey glazed in teriyaki sauce.

If your family decides to step away from traditional this Thanksgiving, I recommend you venture into Chinese cuisine. You may be just as pleasantly surprised as I was.

The spirit of giving

The holiday season has come into full swing. Walk into any department store or mall and you will be surrounded by the constant reminder of diving into your savings to present loved ones with presents. Because I recently opened my wallet to purchase gifts for others, it seemed appropriate to talk about Chinese gift giving.

Chinese view gift giving as a sign of friendship or hospitality. It is viewed as common courtesy, yet ironically enough, if you ever watch a gift exchange between two people you will see the receiver reject the gift three times before fully accepting it. While rejection may be all part of the package, reciprocity is very important as well. To cultivate a relationship, reciprocating the gift giving act is almost customary.

Chinese gift giving occurs very frequently. Gifts are usually given to children, elderly, when visiting others, during the holidays, and major life events.

While the nature of the gift can vary in many forms, when given to a family it is best if the gift can be utilized by everyone, such as tea. One thing I have learned to not take to heart over the years is not being offended if a gift is not open in front of you. Apparently our Western culture is slightly different...