Taiji Quan

Taiji Quan is a Taoist internal martial art. One account of the history of Taiji Quan credits its development to the Taoist immortal Chang San-feng, who is said to have drawn the inspiration for the art by watching a fight between an snake and an aggressive eagle. Chang San-feng was reportedly a master of Shaolin Kung Fu who reached an extraordinary level of cultivation through Taoist internal practices. Another account of the history of Taiji Quan is that many different Kung Fu masters developed it over a long period of time; as a synthesis of internal meditation and martial technique. Either way, the written history of Taiji Quan goes back about 300 years and it was not until the turn of the 20th century that it was introduced to the general public.Taiji Quan is a very unique and powerful art, for both internal power and longevity. Taiji Quan is a martial art which embodies Taoist philosophy. When Taiji Quan was developed, the martial arts were very aggressive. One's proficiency was measured by the strength and aggression of attack, in terms of the Taoist principle of yin and yang this was a purely "yang" conception of martial arts. What was revolutionary about Taiji Quan was the incorporation of the yin element to fighting. In Taiji Quan one uses a balance of yin techniques with yang techniques, a balance between yielding and attacking. It is for this reason that Taiji Quan is described as "a needle hidden in cotton" or "hardness concealed in softness".
Presently Taiji Quan is rapidly growing in popularity for the tremendous health benefits which come through practice. Clinical studies have shown that T'ai Chi practice can lower blood pressure, reduce nervous tension, and benefit the immune, digestive, cardiovascular and respiratory systems. At this time, over one hundred million people practice Taiji Quan on a regular basis.
The heart of the Taiji Quan system is the practice of the single Taiji Quan form. The form practice of Taiji Quan is the foundation of the training. Though Taiji Quan is done slowly, the movements are very difficult and strenuous. Regular practice of Taiji Quan greatly improves the functioning of the bodily systems.
Chen style taiji quan
Chen-style Taiji Quan is an ancient traditional Chinese Kung Fu. It's also the origin of all kinds of Taiji style. It falls into two categories - the old and new frames. The old frame was created by Chen Wangting himself. It had five routines which were also known as the 13-move boxing. Chen Wangting also developed a long-style boxing routine of 108 moves and a cannon boxing routine. It was then handed down to Chen Changxing and Chen Youben, boxers in the Chenjia Valley who were all proficient at the old frame. The present-day Chen style boxing boasts of the old routine, the cannon routine and the new routine. The Chen style taiji boxing is the oldest form, all the other styles of taiji quan having derived from it either directly or indirectly.
Other styles of taiji quan include Yang style taiji quan, Wu style taiji quan, Wu Yuxiang style taiji quan, and Sun style taiji.

Chinese Kung Fu

Kung fu, (also known as wushu or martial arts) is one of the most well known examples of traditional Chinese culture. It it is probably one of the earliest and longest lasting sports which utilizes both brawn and brain. The theory of Kung Fu is based upon classical Chinese philosophy. Over its long history it has developed as a unique combination of exercise, practical self-defense, self-discipline and art. In sports like track and field, ball sports, weightlifting, and boxing, an athlete typically has to retire from full participation in his 30s. Injuries sustained during years of active sport participation at a young age can that affect our health in later life. In Chinese Kung fu however, a distinction is made between "external" and "internal" kung fu. It is said that "In external kung fu, you exercise your tendons, bones, and skin; in internal kung fu, you train your spirit your qi, and your mind."

Chinese Tea Art

Chinese Tea Lore
The Chinese tea lore is several hundred years and even thousands of years earlier than that of Japan. It can be said that the Chinese tea lore places an emphasis on spirit and makes light of form. It also has different representations at different historical stages. Teas are also different but all embody the tea spirit of “clearness, respect, joy and truthfulness”.Drinking tea：Tea is taken as a beverage to quench thirst.
Tasting tea：Emphasis is placed on the color, fragrance and flavor of tea, water quality and tea set. When taking tea, the taster should also be able to savor tea carefully.
Tea art：Attention is paid to environment, atmosphere, music, infusing techniques and interpersonal relationships.
The highest ambit—— tea lore：Philosophy, ethics and morality are blended into tea activity. People cultivate their morality and mind and savor the life through tasting tea, thereby attaining enjoyment of spirit.
Clearness：It is namely cleanness, incorruptness, quietness and loneliness. The essense of tea art not only seeks the cleanness of the appearance of things, but also pursues the loneliness, tranquility, incorruptness and shame awareness of the mind. In a still ambit, only through drinking clear and pure tea soup can one appreciate the profoundness of drinking tea.
respect：Respect is the root of everything on earth and the way of having no enemies. People should show respect for others and be cautious themselves.
Joy：The meaning of harmony lies in form and method and that of joy is in spirit and affection. Sipping bitterness and swallowing sweetness when drinking tea can enlighten the spice of life and cultivate a broad mind and a far sight so that the disputes between others and self disappear. The spirit of joy lies in that people is not pretentious and haughty, dwell in mildness and nurture courteous conduct.
Truthfulness：It is namely truth and genuine knowledge. The supreme good is the whole formed by combination of truth and genunine knowledge. The ambit of supreme good is to retain nature, remove material desire without being tempted by advantages and disadvantages, study the physical world to gain knowledge and continually seek after improvements. In another word, people should use scientific methods to seek the complete sincerity of everything. The essence of drinking tea lies in enlightening capacity and conscience so that everyone can live a simple life to express their ambition and handle matters thriftily and virtuously in daily life, thus attaining the ambit of truth, good and beauty.

Chinese Tea Culture

Experience Peking Duck in Beijing or eat the food of the Ming emperors, explore the world of Chinese cuisine with China Highlights to get the real tastes of China.
Tea culture is an important part of Chinese traditional culture. With the social development and progress, tea not only has played a good role in driving the development in economy, but also has become a necessity in people’s lives. Moreover, it has gradually developed into resplendent tea culture and become a bright pearl of the spirtual civilizaion of the society.
The emergence of tea culture brings the spirit and wisdom of human beings to a higher ambit. Tea has an extextremely close relationship with culture, covers a wide field and has very rich content. It not only has the embodiment of spiritual civilization, but also the extension of ideological form. No doubt it is beneficial in enhancing the cultural accomplishment and art appreciation level of people.

History of the Word 'Emperor'

The earliest appellation Emperor was a general designation of Three Kings and Five Emperors. Three Kings were referred to Emperor of Heaven, Emperor of Earth and Emperor of Human, the three ancient emperors in Chinese legends. Originally, Emperor was referred to Emperor of Heaven, the sovereign ruler of everything on earth. Later on, after wars occurred between many states, their rulers called themselves emperor, such as Western Emperor, Eastern Emperor, Mid Emperor, Northern Emperor, and so on, which made the Emperors in the heaven come down into the world and thus became a honorific title in the world. (There was another saying that Five Emperors were referred to the Yellow Emperor, Emperor Yan, Emperor Ciyou, etc. in the tribe age.)
After the first emperor of the Qin Dynasty (221-206BC) unified the whole country, he regarded himself having more virtues than 'Three Kings' and obtaining more achievements than 'Five Emperors', and combined King and Emperor, the two superlative titles in the world, and took it as his appellation. From then on, the Sons of Heaven were called Emperors