Chopsticks

 

         Chopsticks have played an important roll not only in Chinese culture; that is why, we should know some things about them.

 

1) INTRODUCTION:


     a)   Chopsticks were discovered roughly five thousand years ago in China.

    b)  They symbolized a move from warrior values toward more humanistic ideals.

    c)   Chopsticks became a marker of civilization.



 2) MANIPULATING CHOPSTICKS:

   a)   The key to manipulating chopsticks is to move only the upper one,
           using it to pinch the food against the lower one.


     b)  They always operate as two parts of a whole.


     c)  You should keep them together when you are not using them,
          lying parallel to each other.

 3) USE:

     a)  You may use chopsticks to break off a bit from a large, tender portion of food,
           or to sweep rice or noodles into one's mouth.


     b) Chopsticks are used to pick food from communal bowls, placed within everyone's reach.


     c) They are used for certain gestures; for example, when the host invites guests to start eating,
          or when guests hold them up flat to thank the host for a good meal.



 4) THINGS TO AVOID:

     a)  One's chopsticks should not hover above the table, nor poke around a dish,
           nor spear a morsel of food.


     b)  Chopsticks may not be used for gesticulating or pointing.


     c)  Avoid passing food from one pair of chopsticks to another,
          or to stick them upright in a bowl.

Peters, Erica J. "chopsticks." Daily Life through History. ABC-CLIO, 2011.                     Web. 22 Oct. 2011.

         Hairstyles in China: Ancient World

The hairstyles had reflected a person's social class, age, gender,

religion, occupation, and customs in ancient China.

 

       1) INTRODUCTION:

        a) Since ancient times, people in China have paid attention to personal grooming,    

             including hair care.

b) Among the Chinese, hair was an important aspect of appearance, so neglecting   

             it was a sign of illness or grief.

      2) TRADITIONS:

a) If a woman cut off her hair or shaves her head was regarded as disfigurement.

b) It was traditional to shave off a baby's hair; however, this was done when the

             child was a few months old.

          c) Meditation and standing on one's head were traditional treatments for hair loss.

3) MUSTACHES:

 
    a) A number of prominent philosophers and scholars wore long mustaches.

    b) Historians have found evidence that men living in the region of the Sarnath
        were wearing long, drooping mustaches during the third century BCE.

      4) STYLES AND ORNAMENTS:

 4.1 STYLES:

  a) Long hair for both genders that was arranged rather than left hanging loose.

  b) Lower-class women wore simple buns, and upper-class women wore styles that  

                were elaborate and symbolic.

  
  c) Men usually shaved their heads, leaving a long piece growing from the top.

  

4.2 ORNAMENTS:

  

            a) Both men and women wore hair ornaments, including decorative combs and

                hairpins.

  

            b) Upper-class women adorned their buns with gold crowns trimmed with bells  

                 and/or gold hairpins.

 
     c) Poorer people wore ornaments made from cloth or paper.

  

      5) LAWS:

  

          a) Sumptuary laws forced people to dress according to their rank and socioeconomic class.

  

          b) People in the lower classes were banned from wearing certain kinds of clothing and ornaments

        even if they could afford them.

 

      6) PROMOTE GROWTH AND CLEANSE:

  6.1 PROMOTE GROWTH:

  
  a) Women believed that cedrela, a type of fragrant cedar, would promote hair   

                growth.

 

 6.2 CLEANSE:

  

       a) Cleansing took place in baths, and many Chinese considered cold baths to be  

                  most healthy.

  

  b) Wealthy people baths were often scented with oils and aromatics and servants

                  washed their master's or mistress's hair.

  

      7) EYEBROWS:

  
    a) Eyebrows sometimes took on dramatic shapes and colors in ancient and medieval China.

  
    b) It was customary to pluck the eyebrows and then create new brow lines with

               pigments containing animal oil.

  

"Hairstyles in China: Ancient World." Daily Life through History. ABC-CLIO, 2011. Web. 22 Oct. 2011.

                


               
         The pictures show below were taken in the activity  that took place in the JFK library (My Pet Dragon 9-8-2011). The Pet Dragon book had beautiful pictures and it taught us some chinese words. After we finished reading the book, we played some words games. Then, two chinese people wrote our names in chinese language and gave it to us. At the end we ate some traditional and nontraditional chinese food. It was my first experience with the chinese language. Trying to talk chinese words was completely new for me, but I liked it. I loved the time I spent there.