Chinese Culture Centre & Boutique
March 12th, the 19th day of the second lunar month, is celebrated by Buddhists as Guanyin’s birthday. Guanyin, an enlightened being called a Bodhisattva, is also known in Sanskrit as Avalokitesvara and in English as the Goddess of Mercy, and her statue can be found in most Buddhist temples.
Read on to find out more about her and the celebration!
Continue reading “Marking Guanyin’s Birthday – March 12th 2020”
Spring is here, and it’s time to refresh your home and/or office! This is especially important if you’ve been spending a lot of time in one place recently due to coronavirus! One way to do this, after a thorough clean and opening the windows wide to let in fresh air, is to use Feng Shui.
Read on for more information about this fascinating aspect of traditional Chinese culture, and how you can use it to improve your life!
Continue reading “Feng Shui – The Chinese Art of Wind and Water!”
While most educational centres in Beijing are closed, people still have a thirst for learning that needs satisfying! Join Cultural Keys online for 4 fascinating informal presentations on Chinese traditional ink painting, dragon and lion dancing, the Shaolin Temple and Chinese folk arts and crafts.
Each presentations will give an introduction to the basics of each topic and are followed by a short discussion. They are free of charge and will be held every Friday in March at 10am on WeChat, with informative slides sent into the group as the presentation progresses.
Read on to find out more about the topics and what you will learn!
Continue reading “Cultural presentations online via WeChat this March from Cultural Keys!”
In 2020, the Lantern Festival (Yuánxiāo jié 元宵节) falls on February 8th, the fifteenth and final day of Spring Festival. Although it’s not a public holiday, it is still widely celebrated, especially in southern China and amongst the diaspora.
What’s this holiday all about and how can you celebrate it? Read on to find out!
Updated: Due to the ongoing Coronavirus situation, we have had to postpone our celebration workshop until a later date. This article will be updated as soon as a new date has been set.
At Spring Festival there are many ways to decorate, but one of the most common is to paste the character ‘fu’, 福, on doors and windows. There is evidence that this custom dates back to the Song dynasty (AD 960 – 1279).
福 is pronounced fú and means ‘blessings’. It is traditionally handwritten in black or gold ink by itself on square red paper, with the corners pointing in the directions of the compass, and it is hung up facing outwards to keep bad luck away and bring good luck to the home. It is often hung with other decorations, such as couplets and red lanterns.
Continue reading “福 – China’s luckiest character? 2020 Edition”