CHINESE

CULTURE

BY- SAKSHI
8107 1
 Fast Facts
Official Name: Peoples Republic of China
Capital: Beijing
Biggest City: Shanghai
First Made in China: Paper, fireworks, kites,
yo-yos, the abacus, playing cards.

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 Money
The official currency of China is the yuan. 1
yuan is worth about 15 cents in U.S. dollars. Or
$1.00 is about 7 yuan.

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 Chinese New Year
The Lunar New Year, also called the
Spring Festival, is the most important
holiday for the Chinese people
everywhere.

New Year's Day usually falls on the day

of the second new moon.

The New Year is celebrated with

firecrackers, dragon dances and visits to
friends and family. It lasts for 15 days
and ends with the Lantern Festival.
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 Year of the Rabbit
The Chinese zodiac is based on a 12-
year cycle with each year represented
by an animal. February 3, 2011 marks
the start of the Year of the Rabbit.

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 Customs
The entire house should be cleaned
before New Year's Day. Sweeping or
dusting should not be done on New
Year's Day otherwise good fortune will
be swept away.
.

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 Sharp objects should be put away
otherwise they will cut the luck.

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 Families paste scrolls of lucky sayings on
their front doors. These are called
chun lian

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 A symbol of Spring is often hung upside
down over the door. It means Spring has
arrived

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 On New Years day itself the whole family
sits down to have a huge dinner together.

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 An important dish is steamed
dumplings. The dumplings are
shaped like gold ingots and
symbolize wealth.

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 Ginkgo nuts

baiguo
represent
silver ingots
or wealth.

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 Pomelos, kumquats and oranges
symbolize
good luck and prosperity and are often
given as gifts on Chinese new year.

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 Children receive gifts of lucky money
called hong bao

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Shooting off firecrackers on
New Year's Eve is the
Chinese way of sending
out the old year and
welcoming in the New
Year. On the stroke of
midnight on New Year's
Eve, every door in the
house, and even windows,
have to be open to allow
the old year to go out.

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 Red clothing is preferred on New
Years Day. Red is considered a
bright, happy color, sure to bring the
wearer a sunny and bright future

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 In Chinatown you can see the lively
dragon and lion dances

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The traditional Lion Dance is
performed with two people in a
lions costume. It is accompanied
by drums, gongs and cymbals.

Click to see a lion dance

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In a Dragon Dance, a team of
people carry the dragon on poles.

C 19
l
 The Chinese new
year celebrations
end on the 15th
day of the first
moon with the
Lantern Festival
Yuan
Xiao Jie.

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 On this day brightly lit lanterns are paraded
through the streets.

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 And floated upon the water

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 Many lanterns have riddles hidden in
them.

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