MAP OF CHINA ( katong red na nay stars)

Stretching 3,100 miles (5,000 kilometers) from east to west and 3,400 miles (5,500
kilometers) from north to south, China is a large country with widely varying landscapes.
Its territory includes mountains, high plateaus, sandy deserts, and dense forests.

In terms of landmass, China is the fourth largest country in the world, behind Russia,
Canada, and the United States, only about 15 percent of it is arable, as most of the
country is made of mountains, hills, and highlands.

One-third of China's land area is made up of mountains. The tallest mountain on Earth,
Mount Everest, sits on the border between China and Nepal.

POPULATION
The size of China's population has long been a hot political issue in China. After
rapid population growth in the middle of the 20th century, the Chinese government
sought to limit population growth by introducing the famous "one-child policy."

 The scheme, which rewarded couples that agreed to have just one child with
cash bonuses and better access to housing, proved so successful that the
birth rate of 1.4 children per woman fell below the replacement rate of 2.1
children per woman. As a result, experts are now concerned that China’s low
birth rate, combined with its aging population, will damage its future
economic development.

LANGUAGE
China is a vast country with a long, complicated history, and this complexity is reflected
in the stunning level of linguistic diversity still present in the country today.

The first category includes Mandarin Chinese, which belongs to the Sino-Tibetan
language family and is the most commonly spoken language in China.

In addition, it also includes languages which are considered variants of Chinese, such
as Cantonese. These are often referred to as dialects, even though they are often
mutually unintelligible.

Officially, there are ten different varieties of Chinese, although some sources only list
eight because the last two are only spoken by less than 1% of the population. These
variants are written using Chinese characters and do not have their own written form.

All 10 varieties of Chinese (including Standard Mandarin) are classified as Sinitic

languages, which are a branch of the Sino-Tibetan language family.

The 10 recognized varieties of Chinese are listed below in descending order by the total
number of native speakers.

https://studycli.org/learn-chinese/languages-in-china/
1. Standard Mandarin

Standard Mandarin, or Standard Chinese, commonly referred to as Putonghua 普通话

(Pǔtōnghuà) in mainland China and Guoyu 国语 (Guóyǔ) in Taiwan, is China’s
predominant language. This language is also referred to as 汉语 (Hànyǔ) because it is
the language spoken by the majority Han ethnic group (汉族 Hànzú).

65.7% of the Chinese population are native Mandarin speakers, making it the variety of
Chinese with the largest number of native speakers. When people around the world
study Chinese, Standard Mandarin is what most of them learn.

Standard Mandarin was originally based on a dialect of Chinese spoken in Beijing, but
it’s now spoken by people all over the country. Mandarin is China’s main official
language and it’s the main language used to communicate in China today.

2. Min Chinese

Min Chinese 闽语 (Mǐnyǔ) refers to a group of languages or dialects that are most
commonly spoken in the coastal province of Fujian. Around 6.2% of China’s population
are native Min speakers. Perhaps because of geographic isolation resulting from
Fujian’s mountainous terrain, there are many different varieties of Min.

One well-known variety of Min is Hokkien. This variety is a Southern Min language from
south eastern Fujian that is also spoken in Taiwan. Hokkien is spoken by members of
overseas Chinese communities both in South East Asian and in China towns in many
countries, including the US.

Min Chinese is spoken in Fujian, Taiwan and some other parts of southern China.

3. Wu Chinese

Wu Chinese 吴语 (Wúyǔ) refers to a group of related Chinese varieties spoken in and

around Shanghai. Although it’s sometimes referred to as Shanghainese, Wu is actually
thought to have originated in Suzhou. It is spoken by 6.1% of China’s population. The
language is most commonly spoken in Shanghai, as well as in parts of the neighboring
Jiangsu and Zhejiang Provinces.

Wu Chinese, also known as Shanghainese, is most commonly spoken in Jiangsu,

Zhejiang and Shanghai. Image credit: ASDFGHJ, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia
Commons.

4. Cantonese (Yue)

In addition to Mandarin, Cantonese 粤语 (Yuèyǔ) is perhaps the dialect of Chinese with

which people outside of China are most familiar. Although it’s only spoken by 5.6% of
the population, its association with Hong Kong martial arts films and the Chinese
diaspora has given it heightened visibility abroad, especially compared to many of the
other less well-known Chinese variants.

Different versions of Cantonese are spoken in Guangdong and Guangxi, as well as

Hong Kong and Macau. It sounds quite different from Mandarin Chinese and the two
are mutually unintelligible.

Cantonese retains several features of ancient spoken Chinese. If you read Tang

dynasty poetry in Standard Mandarin, you won’t hear much of the poet’s intended
rhyme scheme. If you read it in Cantonese, however, you’ll suddenly be able to hear
much more of the original rhyme.

Cantonese is spoken in the southern Chinese provinces of Guangdong and Guangxi as

well as in Hong Kong. Image credit: ASDFGHJ, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia
Commons.

5. Jin Chinese

Jin Chinese 晋语 (Jìnyǔ) dialects are spoken by 5.2% of the population. Most Jin
speakers live in north central areas of China including Shanxi Province as well as parts
of Inner Mongolia, Hebei, Henan and Shaanxi. Because most residents of Shanxi
Province speak Jin, this dialect is also sometimes called 山西话 (Shānxīhuà).

Jin Chinese is most commonly spoken in central China. Image credit: CC BY-SA 3.0.

6. Gan Chinese

Gan Chinese 赣语 (Gànyǔ) refers to a group of Chinese dialects that are mostly spoken
in Jiangxi Province. Gan speakers can also be found in Hunan, Hubei, Fujian and
Anhui. Because most speakers are in Jiangxi, it’s sometimes called 江西话
(Jiāngxīhuà). Gan is spoken by 3.9% of the population and is considered to be closely
related to Hakka.

Gan Chinese is most commonly spoken in Jiangxi Province. Image credit: Internet
Archive Book Images, via Wikimedia Commons.

7. Hakka (Kejia) Chinese

After Mandarin and Cantonese, Hakka Chinese or Kejia (客家话 Kèjiāhuà) is perhaps
the most well-known Chinese variety abroad, probably due to the fact that Hakka is
commonly spoken in many overseas Chinese communities.

In China, Hakka is spoken by 3.5% of the population. Today, Hakka speakers are
scattered throughout Guangdong, Fujian, Guangxi, Hainan, Sichuan, Jiangxi, Guizhou,
Hong Kong and Taiwan. Speakers can also be found in Singapore, Indonesia and
Malaysia as well as in China towns around the world.

The fascinating history of the Chinese Hakka varieties and of the Hakka (Kejia)
people more generally is emblematic of how war and migration have helped shape the
linguistic landscape of modern China.

The modern geographic distribution of the Hakka language has been shaped by
historical migrations of the Hakka people. Image credit: Sdcheung, CC BY-SA 4.0, via
Wikimedia Commons.

The ancestors of today’s Kejia people were originally from northern China. However,
they fled south as refugees to escape war and unrest in northern China beginning in the
Western Jin dynasty (266-420 CE). To this day, their name in Chinese, 客家 (Kèjiā),
which means “guest families,” bears witness to their status as migrants.

Like Cantonese, Hakka Chinese retains several features of ancient spoken Chinese that
no longer exist in Standard Mandarin. Perhaps due to their status as refugees, groups
of Hakka people in China often live in geographically isolated areas, which has
contributed to great linguistic diversity among the various dialects classified as Hakka.
8. Xiang Chinese

Xiang Chinese 湘语 (Xiāngyǔ) is most commonly spoken in Hunan Province, although

speakers can also be found in Guangxi, Guizhou and Hubei. Because of the large
concentration of speakers in Hunan, it’s also often called Hunanese. Around 3% of the
population speak some variety of Xiang.

Most Xiang Chinese speakers can be found in Hunan. Image credit: CC BY-SA 4.0.

9. Huizhou Chinese

Huizhou Chinese 徽州话 (Huīzhōuhuà), also called Hui 徽语 (Huīyǔ), is a small group of
dialects spoken by scattered communities of people in Anhui, Zhejiang and Jiangxi. This
dialect group is only spoken by 0.3% of the population. Because it’s so small, it’s often
left off of lists of Chinese varieties.

Huizhou Chinese is a small group of dialects spoken in parts of Anhui, Zhejiang and
Jiangxi. Image credit: CC BY-SA 4.0.

10. Pinghua Chinese and other unclassified dialects

Pinghua Chinese (平话 Pínghuà) is mainly spoken by people in parts of Guangxi

Zhuang Autonomous Region. Since the number of speakers is quite small, it, like
Huizhou Chinese, is often not included on lists of Chinese varieties.

In addition to Pinghua, China also has a few varieties of Chinese, such as Danzhou
Dialect 儋州话 (Dānzhōuhuà), which remain unclassified. Speakers of Pinghua and the
various unclassified Chinese dialects make up 0.6% of the population.

Pinghua is spoken by a small number of people who mainly live in Guangxi. Image
credit: CC BY-SA 4.0.

RELIGION
Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism are considered the “three pillars” of
ancient Chinese society.

https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/chinese-religions-and-philosophies

Confucianism

Though closer to a philosophy than a true religion, Confucianism was a way of life for

ancient Chinese people, and it continues to influence Chinese culture today. The
founder of Confucianism, named Confucius, lived from 551 to 479 B.C.E. He was a
philosopher and political figure who lived during a time when traditional Chinese
principles began to deteriorate under competing political states. He took older religious
precepts and translated them into guidelines for social mores. His teachings gave
guidance on all levels of ancient Chinese life, from interactions between family
members and in the public sphere, to educational standards and how states should be
governed. Confucius saw every aspect of life as being made up of obligations between
people and entities, and rituals to convey the mutual dependency between them. His
teachings focused on humanism, including treating others the way you would want to be
treated. He taught that if everyone fulfilled their roles and obligations with respect and
kindness towards others, it would build a stronger state. While religious rituals were
mentioned alongside all of the other rituals a person was expected to perform,
Confucius did not focus on spiritual concerns like the afterlife, gods and goddesses, or
mysticism. This is why Confucianism is considered a philosophy rather than a religion,
even though it is often lumped in with other major religions.

Taoism

Taoism (also called Daoism) is a Chinese religion that developed a bit after
Confucianism, around two thousand years ago. In contrast to Confucianism, Taoism is
mainly concerned with the spiritual elements of life, including the nature of the universe.
The guiding principle of Taoism is roughly translated as “the Way,” which is a
harmonious natural order that arises between humans and the world, and that Taoists
should strive to achieve. In the Taoist structure of the universe, humans are meant to
accept and yield to the Tao and only do things that are natural and in keeping with the
Tao. This is the concept of wu-wei, which translates as “non-action,” but really means to
go with the true nature of the world and not strive too hard for desires. This puts Taoism
in opposition to Confucianism in another way: it is not concerned about with humanistic
morality, government, and society, all of which Taoists see as inventions of humans and
not necessarily part of the Tao. At the same time, Taoists were interested in longevity,
both of the human body and the soul. Achieving spiritual immortality through becoming
one with nature is an important part of the Taoist religion.

Despite their differences, Taoist and Confucian ideas are not completely at odds with
each other, so Chinese society was able to absorb concepts from both traditions.
Taoism had influence on literature and the arts, but the biggest area of Taoist influence
was in science. The Taoist focus on natural elements and observing how the natural
world works helped to create Chinese medicine. Similar to the modern scientific
method, Taoists observed how different medicines affected people and animals through
experimentation. Their collective knowledge gained through trying to improve human
longevity made a huge contribution to health sciences.

Buddhism

Buddhism was the third major belief system of ancient China. It was founded by
Siddhartha Gautama, also called the Buddha, who lived in India around the sixth
century B.C.E. Buddhism is a philosophy that focuses on personal development and
attainment of deep knowledge. Buddhists seek to achieve enlightenment through
meditation, spiritual learning, and practice. They believe in reincarnation and that life is
impermanent and full of suffering and uncertainty; the way to find peace is through
reaching nirvana, a joyful state beyond human suffering. There are many different sects
that place different emphasis on various aspects of Buddhism. The two largest sects are
Theravada Buddhism, which is found primarily in southern Asia, and
Mahayana Buddhism, which is found in east Asia, including China.

After its founding in India, Buddhism spread to and became popular in China in the first
century C.E. Part of the reason Buddhism became popular in China was because of
Taoism. Some Buddhist practices were similar to Taoist ones, and Buddhist monks
would use Taoist concepts to explain Buddhism to the Chinese, overcoming the cultural
and language barrier between Indian and the Chinese people. Buddhism also
influenced Taoism with its institutional structure, which Taoists copied and modified. A
competition between Buddhism and Taoism arose to gain more followers and greater
government influence, and this competition increased the vitality of both religions. As
Buddhism became more prevalent, its concepts merged with Taoist and Confucian
ideas to become the basis of ancient Chinese society and government. Its influence is
seen in Chinese art, architecture, and literature.

Values and ideas from Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism are still prevalent in
Chinese culture today. Despite the differences and occasional contradictions between
the three traditions, the ancient Chinese society held each of these philosophies in high
importance and incorporated the different teachings into multiple areas of life.

HISTORY
HTTPS://KIDS.NATIONALGEOGRAPHIC.COM/GEOGRAPHY/COUNTRIES/ARTICLE/CHINA

China is the home of one of the world's oldest civilizations, but it has only recently
become a "modern" nation. In the last 20 years, China has changed faster than any other
country in the world.

Chinese history is divided into dynasties, each of which marks the period when a line of
emperors ruled. The first empire was the Qin dynasty and began in 221 B.C. The last
emperor was overthrown in 1912, and China became a republic. The communist
government began its rule in 1949 following a civil war with the Chinese Nationalists.

Ancient China was a land of invention. For centuries, China was way ahead of most other
countries in science and technology, astronomy, and math. The Chinese invented paper,
the magnetic compass, printing, porcelain, silk, and gunpowder, among other things.

GREAT WALL— The Great Wall begins in the east at Shanhaiguan in Hebei province and ends at
Jiayuguan in Gansu province to the west. Its main body consists of walls, horse tracks, watch
towers, and shelters on the wall, and includes fortresses and passes along the Wall.

In c. 220 B.C., under Qin Shi Huang, sections of earlier fortifications were joined together to
form a united defence system against invasions from the north. Construction continued up to the
Ming dynasty (1368–1644), when the Great Wall became the world's largest military structure.
Its historic and strategic importance is matched only by its architectural significance.

EDUCATION
https://asiasociety.org/china-learning-initiatives/chinas-education-system-oldest-world

It may sound incredible, but China’s formal education system—the oldest in the world—was
established nearly two millennia ago. The imperial education and examination system in China is
estimated to have been founded as early as the Han dynasty (206 BCE to 220 CE), and is
strongly based on meritocratic ideals that persist in Chinese education to this day. Because of
China’s expansion over the centuries, its education system reflects the country’s need to find the
most efficient and fair way to measure students’ academic capabilities.

One of the longest legacies of the imperial education tradition is the (in)famous Gaokao, or the
National College Entrance Examination, which is the sole determining factor of a student’s
eligibility to enroll in universities. Every year on June 7 and 8, nine million students take the
Gaokao. In the U.S., there are multiple elements in a student’s college application, including a
transcript, personal essays, SAT/ACT scores, and recommendation letters; in China, a student’s
score on the Gaokao is the only factor that determines their eligibility to enroll in university. The
higher their score, the more prestigious the university they can attend. This might sound
extremely stressful and intimidating—indeed, for most Chinese secondary school students, the
Gaokao is the culmination of their past twelve years of schooling.

https://www.owleyes.org/text/drinking-alone

POEM LI PO
INTRODUCTION:

Drinking Alone Beneath the Moon

Li PoTranslated by David Hinton
Li Po’s “Drinking Alone Beneath the Moon” celebrates spring, drinking wine, and
achieving spiritual awareness. Li Po himself was notorious for his consumption of wine,
heralding it as creative inspiration for all of his artistic endeavors. In the poem, Li Po
takes readers through a series of claims that favor wine, giving it divine qualities and the
blessing of the heavens and earth. Translated by David Hinton into English, this version
features playful couplets and engaging metaphors to portray wine as a miraculous drink
that gives the imbiber company and enjoyment. However, careful readers may notice
where the speaker’s joy could be portrayed as an indication of loneliness or excessive
drinking. We are left wondering whether drinking wine serves as a metaphor for living
life to its fullest, beyond the confines of rigid doctrine, or whether the poet himself was
simultaneously praising and admonishing his own habit. Ultimately, the poem takes us
on a journey from the physical to the spiritual—incorporating themes of joy, loneliness,
and spiritual understanding—leaving us to consider our own relationships with each.

Drinking Alone Beneath the Moon

https://www.owleyes.org/text/drinking-alone/read/poem-text#root-55683-20

Among the blossoms, a single jar of wine.

No one else here, I ladle it out myself.
Raising my cup, I toast the bright moon,
and facing my shadow makes friends three,
though moon has never understood wine, 
and shadow only trails along behind me.
Kindred a moment with moon and shadow,
I’ve found a joy that must infuse spring:
I sing, and moon rocks back and forth;
I dance, and shadow tumbles into pieces. 
Sober, we’re together and happy. Drunk,
we scatter away into our own directions:
intimates forever, we’ll wander carefree
and meet again in Star River distances.
2

Surely, if heaven didn’t love wine, 

there would be no Wine Star in heaven,
and if earth didn’t love wine, surely
there would be no Wine Spring on earth.
Heaven and earth have always loved wine,
so how could loving wine shame heaven? 
I hear clear wine called enlightenment,
and they say murky wine is like wisdom:
once you drink enlightenment and wisdom,
why go searching for gods and immortals?
Three cups and I’ve plumbed the great Way, 
a jarful and I’ve merged with occurrence
appearing of itself. Wine’s view is lived:
you can’t preach doctrine to the sober.
3

It’s April in Ch’ang-an, these thousand

blossoms making a brocade of daylight. 
Who can bear spring’s lonely sorrows, who
face it without wine? It’s the only way.
Success or failure, life long or short:
our fate’s given by Changemaker at birth.
But a single cup evens out life and death, 
our ten thousand concerns unfathomed,
and once I’m drunk, all heaven and earth
vanish, leaving me suddenly alone in bed,
forgetting that person I am even exists.
Of all our joys, this must be the deepest. 

footnotes

1
This work is a translation, and so much of the word analysis that can be done in this
poem will focus on translator David Hinton’s choices. Here, he uses “blossoms,” a word
for the flowers that grow on plants. In English, this word is often associated with spring
flowers, and therefore contains a direct link to spring-time connotations of renewal,
rebirth, and new beginnings. These are all positive associations, and so we are
encouraged to connect wine to these positive connotations.
— Wesley, Owl Eyes Editor
2
Since the verb is omitted in this first line, several nuanced readings are permitted: the
speaker finds wine among the flowers, the speaker sits among the flowers with wine, or
flowers surround this single jar of wine, etc. However, we can apply English
grammatical rules to Hinton’s translation, which suggests a reading in this vein: “A
single jar of wine is among the blossoms.” Regardless of the reading, the speaker
conveys an idea that wine and nature have a pleasant association.
— Wesley, Owl Eyes Editor
3
Additionally, the jar of wine’s appearance in this first line is somewhat sudden. Since the
speaker has encouraged us to have positive associations with the wine and nature, then
the jar of wine becomes something like a “gift” from nature.
— Wesley, Owl Eyes Editor
4
Many cultures around the world have similar rituals that involve a “toast” when drinking.
Generally, this verb means to to drink in honor of a person or thing. The speaker toasts
the moon, which is described here as a character itself.
— Wesley, Owl Eyes Editor
5
Li Po and many of the other T’ang Dynasty poets associated the moon with special
significance and looked to it as a source for poetic inspiration, believing the Earth to be
masculine and the Moon its feminine counterpart. This perception is in line with Taoist
philosophy, which views everything in complementary pairs: Moon has connotations of
female, femininity, in balance with Earth as male, masculine. Li Po’s speaker uses this
Taoist imagery to create a connection between this philosophy and his action of
drinking.
— Wesley, Owl Eyes Editor
6
While the poet drinks alone, he declares that the moon and his shadow are his “friends”
to give himself company. That there are “three” of them is fortunate: many cultures and
faiths consider “three” to be harmonious, holy, or lucky. Li Po’s speaker then has joined
three elements—a human, a celestial body, and an insubstantial, almost supernatural
figure—together for this drinking ritual.
— Wesley, Owl Eyes Editor
7
While the speaker considers the moon and shadow friends, he does state that they
can’t appreciate wine and drinking as much as the speaker does. This suggests that
wine offers humans something that the moon cannot understand or does not need and
that the shadow is only capable of miming his actions. As we’ll shortly see, the speaker
claims that wine has the power to give humans spiritual harmony and balance, which
the moon would not need since it’s in perfect balance with the earth.
— Wesley, Owl Eyes Editor
8
The noun “kindred” literally means that people have a relationship by blood, descent, or
marriage. However, it can be used more broadly to emphasize a kind of spiritual
relationship or closeness between two souls. Here, the speaker finds that moment of
connection with the moon and his shadow, and in so doing, he finds joy.
— Wesley, Owl Eyes Editor
9
Again, we’re working with Hinton’s translation, but the grammar of this sentence
provides a nuanced reading. That joy “must infuse spring” suggests that spring is
always filled with joy. But it also might suggest that the speaker believes that what
makes spring joyful is the kindred harmony he shares with the natural world.
— Wesley, Owl Eyes Editor
10
While the movement in this couplet could be read as the moon and shadow participating
in the speaker’s singing and dancing, the rocking motion and the tumbling indicate that
the poet is likely becoming more intoxicated from the wine as poem continues.
— Wesley, Owl Eyes Editor
11
Li Po’s speaker appears to contrast sober and drunk states, and many readings could
suggest that the speaker is happy when he’s sober and in the company of his friends
and unhappy when he’s not. However, the use of “wander carefree” suggests that the
speaker and his friends “scatter away” of their own accord, or without any cause for
worry. In this second reading, drunkenness is figured as positively as sobriety.
— Wesley, Owl Eyes Editor
12
While “Star River distances” could suggest a place beyond life, other translations have
simply used the term “the Milky Way”—the irregular, faintly luminous band that circles
the night sky. Regardless of the translation, the speaker appears to convey the idea that
even though he and his friends wander, they are connected to one another forever in a
place that transcends the earth.
— Wesley, Owl Eyes Editor
13
Having earlier personified the moon and his shadow, Li Po’s speaker also personifies
the heaven and the earth in these two couplets. By giving these non-human entities the
capacity to love, he allows them to have a more active voice, which he uses to convey
his argument that wine is a natural substance that should be embraced.
— Wesley, Owl Eyes Editor
14
In the second section, Li Po’s speaker makes a logical claim for why wine has value and
purpose. Since many cultures and faiths have condemned drinking alcoholic beverages,
this claim serves as a reaction against such condemnation. Wine is of the earth and the
heavens; therefore, a love for wine is only natural.
— Wesley, Owl Eyes Editor
15
Clear wine refers to white wines. They are “clear” in the sense that the liquid is
translucent. Since the speaker associates this type of wine with enlightenment, the use
of “clear” here has extra weight. Enlightenment is also referred to as a kind of mental
clarity, of seeing things more easily and clearly. This is likely why he draws the
connection between the two.
— Wesley, Owl Eyes Editor
16
As opposed to the clear wine, “murky wine” likely refers to red wine. While white wines
are clear, red wines are “murky” in the sense that you cannot see through them. Red
wines also tend to have stronger fragrances and tastes, creating a more complex
drinking experience. For these reasons, we can see why the speaker associates red
wine with wisdom. Wisdom is, among other things, the ability to reason with information,
to seek answers to complicated issues.
— Wesley, Owl Eyes Editor
17
Li Po’s speaker claims that both clear and murky wines provide spiritual qualities for the
drinker, much like a form of meditation. The balance that the speaker portrays between
the two brings up another Taoist dichotomy: these two concepts, enlightenment and
wisdom, help to describe complementary aspects of human experience. By connecting
wine to Taoism, the speaker provides further evidence for his claim that drinking wine
can provide benefits and should not be condemned.
— Wesley, Owl Eyes Editor
18
Having described the spiritual benefits of wine, the speaker asks this rhetorical
question. He is not expecting an answer; he has said wine provides spiritual guidance,
and so there is no need to go searching. Such a question is presented as a reaction
against organized religion, where Li Po’s speaker suggests that one does not need to
worship religious idols or gods, but rather merely drink wine to discover spirituality.
— Wesley, Owl Eyes Editor
19
Since the speaker has equated wine with spiritual awareness, he refines his claim with
a metaphorical statement: “Wine’s view is lived: you can’t preach doctrine to the sober.”
He is effectively saying that one must drink to reach enlightenment, but on a broader,
metaphorical sense, we can interpret this in another way: in order to understand
spiritual lessons, one has to experience life for themselves.
— Wesley, Owl Eyes Editor
20
An ancient capital of over ten ruling dynasties in Chinese history, the city of Ch’ang-an,
now known as Xi’an, has figured prominently in culture and history for generations. Li
Po moved to the city in the year 742 at the request of the emperor and wrote many of
his well-known works there. However, his stay was short lived, and he was banished
only two years later. Unfortunately, there does not appear to be a record of the reason
for his banishment.
— Wesley, Owl Eyes Editor
21
A “brocade” is a kind of textile fabric woven with a pattern of raised figures. Originally,
these figures were done in gold or silver, but later on, flower patterns took form, creating
an intricate, interwoven display of color. Li Po’s speaker uses this word to emphasize
the magnificent pattern of color that the new blossoms cast on Ch’ang-an in the spring.
— Wesley, Owl Eyes Editor
22
While this section begins with the positive associations of April and color, the speaker
makes a significant shift in the tone of the poem by associating spring with something
negative. He portrays it as a lonely, sorrowful time and suggests that the only way to
deal with this loneliness is to drink wine.
— Wesley, Owl Eyes Editor
23
Based on context, the word “Changemaker” likely refers to an all-powerful force, such
as Fate or God. Similar to other faiths, this line describes the notion that one’s destiny
and future is predetermined at birth. While such a claim takes away much agency from
the individual, Li Po’s speaker does convey important information: there are many
factors that are beyond our control in determining the type of life we will have.
— Wesley, Owl Eyes Editor
24
While many Western philosophies and religions focus on forming a more complete
understanding of one’s self, many Eastern traditions, such as Buddhism or Taoism,
focus on transcendence or the forgetting of the self. Li Po’s speaker says that
momentarily forgetting that he exists is the deepest joy there is, which conforms to the
desire to transcend one’s self. However, unlike meditation, Li Po’s speaker emphasizes
that this spiritual achievement can be accomplished through drinking wine and
celebrating it as a means of reaching enlightenment.
— Wesley, Owl Eyes Editor

Ethnic group https://www.digiedupro.com/chinese-culture-and-traditions/

Chinese Festivals:
China is listed as the most ancient civilization in the world. It has over 5000 years of
traditional history and witnessed the creation of many Chinese traditional festivals.
According to the Chinese region, Chinese festivals categories into three categories
agricultural, religious, and social festivals. China has several traditional festivals that are
celebrated all over the country and the most important festival in China is the new
year(China celebrates its new year within 15 days to 25 days of January, Chinese new year
is called spring year), Chinese mid-autumn festivals(Mid-Autumn Festival falls on the 15th
day of the eighth lunar month), dragon boat festival are the eldest festival in china.
China also has Lantern Festival, Qingming Festival, Double Seventh Festival, Double Ninth
Festival, Winter Solstice, Laba Festival, Chinese moon festival, and many more. Chinese
festivals are very important parts for Chinese people, they fully highlight their Chinese
culture & traditions in their festival.