China encyclopedia for travelers
Who was Qin Shi Huang? What is a hutong? Short answers to the names you meet in China, and where to see them.
People
Confucius 孔子The teacher and thinker of the 6th–5th centuries BC whose ideas on virtue, family and learning shaped Chinese society; nearly every old city has his temple.Kangxi Emperor 康熙帝The Qing emperor who reigned for 61 years (1661–1722), longer than any other Chinese ruler, and founded the summer resort at Chengde.Marco Polo 马可·波罗The Venetian merchant whose 13th-century book about Kublai Khan’s China, and its praise of Hangzhou, fascinated Europe for centuries.Qianlong Emperor 乾隆帝Kangxi’s grandson, who ruled Qing China for sixty years (1735–1796) at the height of its prosperity: a builder of gardens and a tireless art collector.Qin Shi Huang 秦始皇The king of Qin who unified China in 221 BC and made himself its first emperor; his tomb is guarded by the Terracotta Army.Su Dongpo 苏东坡Song-dynasty poet and official Su Shi, better known as Su Dongpo, who built Hangzhou’s Su Causeway and gave his name to Dongpo pork.Wu Zetian 武则天The only woman to rule China as emperor in her own name, proclaiming her own Zhou dynasty (690–705) in the middle of the Tang era.Xuanzang 玄奘The 7th-century Chinese monk who walked to India for Buddhist scriptures; the real traveller behind the novel Journey to the West.Yijing (monk) 义净A Tang monk and translator who sailed through Southeast Asia to India and recorded the maritime Buddhist world of the 7th century.
Dynasties
Han dynasty 汉朝China’s second imperial dynasty (206 BC–AD 220), which gave the Han Chinese their name and opened the routes of the Silk Road.Ming dynasty 明朝The dynasty (1368–1644) that built the Forbidden City and most of the Great Wall seen today, ruling first from Nanjing and then Beijing.Qing dynasty 清朝China’s last imperial dynasty (1644–1912), founded by the Manchus, whose palaces and gardens fill Beijing, Shenyang and Chengde.Song dynasty 宋朝The dynasty (960–1279) of printing, porcelain, landscape painting and paper money, ruled first from Kaifeng and later from Hangzhou.Tang dynasty 唐朝The dynasty (618–907) remembered as China’s golden age of poetry, Buddhism and Silk Road trade, ruled from Chang’an, today’s Xi’an.
Legends and novels
Journey to the West 西游记A Ming-dynasty novel in which the Monkey King Sun Wukong escorts a Tang monk to India, loosely based on the real pilgrim Xuanzang.Legend of the White Snake 白蛇传A Chinese folk legend of a white snake spirit who becomes a woman, marries a mortal and is imprisoned under Leifeng Pagoda on West Lake.
Ideas and beliefs
Buddhism in China 中国佛教The faith that came from India around the 1st century AD and shaped China’s temples, cave art, festivals and everyday language.Classical Chinese gardens 中国古典园林Miniature landscapes of water, rocks, plants and pavilions, shaped by poetry and painting and best seen in Suzhou.Dongba script 东巴文字The picture writing of the Naxi people of Lijiang, used by dongba ritual specialists to record their sacred texts.Feng shui 风水The traditional Chinese practice of siting houses, palaces, cities and tombs in harmony with hills, water and the flow of qi.Imperial examination 科举制度China’s long-running written examination system for selecting government officials, rooted in the classics and abolished in 1905.Silk Road 丝绸之路The network of trade routes that linked China with Central Asia, India, Persia and the Mediterranean for over 1,500 years.Taoism 道教China’s home-grown philosophy and religion of the Dao, “the Way”, traditionally traced to the sage Laozi; its temples and holy mountains are all over China.Tibetan Buddhism 藏传佛教The form of Buddhism that grew in Tibet from the 7th century, known for its monasteries, prayer wheels, thangka paintings and pilgrim circuits.
Arts and crafts
Calligraphy 书法The art of writing Chinese characters with brush and ink, long ranked among China’s highest arts and still practised everywhere.Peking opera 京剧China’s best-known stage art, born in Beijing around 1800: singing, acting and acrobatics with painted faces and lavish costumes.Porcelain 瓷器The hard, white, high-fired ceramic that China invented; Jingdezhen has made it for a thousand years, and English simply calls it “china”.
Food and tea culture
Festivals
Places and buildings
Fujian Tulou 福建土楼Huge round or square earthen fortress-houses in the hills of south-west Fujian, each home to a whole clan; a UNESCO World Heritage site since 2008.Hutong 胡同The narrow lanes of old Beijing, lined with grey-brick courtyard houses; walking or cycling them is the best way to see everyday city life.Siheyuan 四合院The traditional Chinese courtyard house: buildings on four sides of an inner courtyard, closed to the street, home to an extended family.Stele 碑刻An upright carved stone used to preserve texts, names, images or calligraphy in a durable public form.
A–Z
B
- Buddhism in China 中国佛教
C
- Calligraphy 书法
- Chinese tea culture 中国茶文化
- Classical Chinese gardens 中国古典园林
- Confucius 孔子
D
- Dongba script 东巴文字
F
- Feng shui 风水
- Fujian Tulou 福建土楼
H
- Han dynasty 汉朝
- Hutong 胡同
I
- Imperial examination 科举制度
J
K
- Kangxi Emperor 康熙帝
M
- Marco Polo 马可·波罗
- Mid-Autumn Festival 中秋节
- Ming dynasty 明朝
P
- Peking opera 京剧
- Porcelain 瓷器
Q
- Qianlong Emperor 乾隆帝
- Qin Shi Huang 秦始皇
- Qing dynasty 清朝
S
- Siheyuan 四合院
- Silk Road 丝绸之路
- Song dynasty 宋朝
- Spring Festival 春节
- Stele 碑刻
- Su Dongpo 苏东坡
T
- Tang dynasty 唐朝
- Taoism 道教
- Tibetan Buddhism 藏传佛教
W
- Wu Zetian 武则天
X
- Xuanzang 玄奘