Chinese Lessons
Experiencing Chinese
Lesson 9 Entertainment And Sport
The Chinese zodiac, or sheng xiao, is composed of 12 animals, each of which symbolizes a lunar year. Ben ming nian means the year of the animal in which one is born. It is a traditional way to calculate one's age. Sheng xiao is also the source of many traditional customs and newer trends, and the animals are popular images that are seen everywhere
With rich cultural significance and a long history, traditional Chinese festivals are an important and brilliant part of Chinese culture. Many festivals and customs are still followed today. They were often connected with ancient astronomy, calendars and mathematics.
Peking Opera in China has a history of approximately 200 years. It is a local drama of Beijing but a major type of performance with wide influence throughout the whole country, therefore it is named “National Opera”. It has five main leads, i.e. the male, old male, female, painted face and clown, and each lead has its own subdivisions. It is a highly comprehensive art form that includes singing, dancing, talking and acrobatic performing.