Category: Cultural Notes

It refers to someone’s first wife. In ancient times, the distinction between legitimate and illegitimate wives depended on whether the woman was formally married with…

Ge is a type of polearm that was in use from the Longshan culture until the Han dynasty in China. It consists of a dagger-shaped…

Duanyan is one of the four finest inkstone in China (the other three are sheyan 歙硯, taoyan 洮硯, and chengniyan 澄泥硯). It originates from Zhaoqing…

It is a common phrase in the late imperial China to refer to Daoist masters or recluse. They don’t necessarily need to live in the…

“Five strands of long beard” refers to long and smooth facial hair, such as that of Guan Yu, also known as Guan Yu, a character…

It refers to a special shape of helmet. The lotus shape could refer to the petal-like structure of the helmet, or the pattern engraved between…

Shu brocade s a style of embroidery folk art native to Sichuan and Chongqing, particularly renowned for its brocade fabrics known as Shu brocade. This…

Zuo means to sit and dao means a great banner. Together, they mean the great banner of the commander in a troop. Later, it also…

The fish-tailed cap is one of the three major caps in Daoist tradition (the other two are yuqing lianhua guan 玉清蓮花冠 [Yuqing lotus cap] and…