Does that mean that I think babies are being haunted by ghosts when they cry for no apparent reason? No, but the superstition does put you in mind of the thought that we should have respect for the spiritual world. The Chinese words for spirit and breath are similar, which keeps one in mind of the fact that life is filled with the spirit, just as the body is filled with breath. These thoughts are not necessarily bad -- and they keep us in mind of the old traditions of my culture. I like to think about the old traditions and learn from the old people how they lived and what they way of life was like. It helps me think about my own way of life and how I should try to live.
For these reasons, I do not find superstitions necessarily bad -- even if I do not believe in many of them. I still like to ask about them and tell them to others. If someone were to say to me that it was wrong to believe in superstitions I would ask why, but no one has ever really said that to me. Some people will say that they are not real or true, but how can one ever really know? Maybe there is some truth to some of them -- who knows?
I think that some superstitions developed because people wanted a kind of guide for life -- a sort of rule book for a way to live. They wanted some explanation of the things of this world and how they were to be observed and understood. They wanted to know how to conduct their lives and what actions were good and what actions were bad. They wanted to know what their relation was to the world around them and how to communicate with the natural world and with the supernatural...
Chinese Jade Burial Suits During all my travels throughout ancient China, one of the more peculiar beliefs I came across was the notion that jade holds mystical powers, capable of preventing the body from decaying. I am currently in Chang'an, the capital of the dynasty, which is known in the present day as Xi'an. The year is 192 CE. The people of the Western Han Dynasty universally agree that this supposedly
I do not really practice any superstitions, but sometimes I do like to pick lucky numbers or act superstitious with my friends just for fun. I think the media influences people in strange ways: we all see so many things in the media -- we think this is how people really are -- violent or sexy or vulgar or good or perfect or happy. But the media is a liar. Very
The usual rebellions broke out, sweeping a Chinese of most humble origins into the seat of highest power. In 1368 the Mongol dynasty yielded its place to the native dynasty of the Ming. NOTES Buxton L.H.D., China, the Land and the People, Oxford, 1929. Cowan H.H., and Hall J.W., Outline History of China, New York, 1926. Giles H.A., the Civilization of China, New York, 1911. Williams E.T., a Short History of China, New York,
Ancient Chinese Bronzes The existence of the believed first prehistoric Chinese dynasty of Xia from the 21st to the 16th century was assumed a myth on account of scientific excavations at early bronze-age sites in Anyang, Henan Province in 1928 (Crystal 2004) (Poon). But archaeological finds in the 1960s and 1970s, consisting mainly of urban sites, bronze implements and tombs, provided evidence to the existence of a Xia civilization in the
gambling in the Asian-American community. Specifically, it will discuss the differences in how Asian customs or cultures effect how they gamble, and why Asians are much more prone to be pathological gamblers. It will include some Asian superstitions and beliefs about gambling. Asian gambling is a major trouble spot in Asian communities around the world. Asians love to gamble and wager -- it has been part of their history
Amy Tan and the Joy Luck Club Biography The Joy Luck Club Generation Gaps in the Joy Luck Club Cultural Differences Chinese-American Life Amy Tan and the Joy Luck Club On February 19, 1952, Amy Tan was born in Oakland, California, to John Yuehhan, a minister and electrical engineer, and Daisy Tu Ching, a nurse and member of a Joy Luck Club (Amy Tan web site). Tan's father fled to America to escape the Chinese Civil War and
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