Max Lu

A Chinese Idiom: Uncollectible Spilled Water

An idiom is an expression that cannot be understood from the meanings of its separate words, but that has a separate meaning of its own. Chinese idioms stand out as shining pearls in the treasure of the Chinese language. They are concise, vivid, and expressive accumulations of historical facts and rich ethnic cultures. The formation of ...

Max Lu

A turned over glass of spilled water.

What’s in a Chinese Name?

Chinese names can be puzzling for those not familiar with the Chinese language and culture. In the Chinese language and culture, it’s common practice to start from big to small. For example, addresses will start from the country and move down to the house number, and names always start with the surname first. Therefore, someone ...

Max Lu

Three generations of a Chinese family.

Know Your 3 Chinese Gatekeepers: Dragons, Qilins, Shis

Chinese gatekeepers are a traditional architectural ornament. They are known as Dragons, Qilins, and Shils. The concept, which originated and became popular in Chinese Buddhism, features a pair of highly stylized ornaments which were thought to protect a building from harmful spiritual influences and harmful people that might be a threat. Used in imperial Chinese palaces and tombs, they subsequently spread to ...

Max Lu

A yellow dragon from the Nine-Dragon Wall in the Forbidden City, Beijing, China.

Koh-i-Noor: The Legend and Curse of a British Crown Jewel

The 105 carat Koh-i-Noor is one of the largest cut diamonds in the world — and it comes with a curse. The legend states that the diamond is some 5,000 years old, and is also referred to as the Syamantaka jewel. Koh-i-Noor means “Mountain of Light” in Persian, and was 186 carats (or 37.2 g) before Prince ...

Max Lu

The Koh-i-Noor diamond.

Popular Chinese Phrases Based on the Character for Tiger: 虎

There are many popular Chinese phrases that are based on the Chinese character for tiger, 虎 (pronounced hǔ). This is a popular symbol among non-Chinese because of the strength of the animal it represents, as well as the beauty of the Chinese character itself. In most cultures, the tiger is a fascinating creature. In Chinese ...

Max Lu

A snarling tiger.

The Eight Trigrams of Bagua

The Eight Trigrams of Bagua (八卦) are eight symbols used in Taoist cosmology to understand the organization of life and the universe, and the many phenomena that occur. It is a system for organizing and understanding the forces of nature and represents the fundamental principles of reality, seen as a range of eight interrelated concepts. There are two types of ...

Max Lu

The eight trigrams of the Chinese Bagua.

The Ancient Art of Duzhu Drifting

Is it possible to walk or dance on the water? Apparently, yes by means of ancient Chinese art called Duzhu drifting. A video of a Guizhou girl performing graceful dance-like maneuvers while precariously balanced on a bamboo pole in the water has sparked interest in Duzhu drifting, the little-known ancient Chinese skill. Duzhu drifting as ...

Max Lu

Bamboo drifting.

Chinese Money Launderers Collaborate with Mexican Drug Cartels

Chinese money launderers, in alliance with fentanyl makers, have formed an underground nexus with Mexican drug cartels. Together, they move billions of dollars every year by trafficking this popular and powerful opioid. What is fentanyl? Fentanyl is a powerful synthetic opioid that is similar to morphine, but it is 50 to 100 times more potent. ...

Max Lu

A stack of hundred dollar notes.

Poyang Lake: China’s Bermuda Triangle

From the early 1960s to the late 1980s, more than 200 ships sank in the mysterious waters of Poyang Lake, which is known as China’s Bermuda Triangle. The incidents have resulted in numerous ships and more than 1,600 people going missing, with over 30 survivors driven insane. Poyang Lake is the largest freshwater lake in China, ...

Max Lu

A view of the sun shining on clouds over the sea.

Former NBA Player Royce White Speaks Up for the Uyghurs

China has been accused of committing crimes against humanity and possibly genocide against the Uyghurs and other mostly-Muslim ethnic groups in the north-western region of Xinjiang. Human rights groups believe China has detained more than one million Uyghurs against their will over the past few years in a large network of what the state calls ...

Max Lu

Former NBA player Royce White.