Focus

2,000-year-old Liquor Unearthed in Shaanxi In the process of excavating a group of early Western HanDynasty(206 B.C.-A.D.24)carbon deposit mounds in the north-ern Suburbs of Xi’an in June 2003,the Xi’an Institute of CulturalRelics Protection and Archaeology unearthed 26 kilograms ofWestern Han liquor. When the lids to bronze containers found within the moundswere removed,a mellow aroma pervaded the atmosphere.Theliquid in the containers was a transparent emerald.According toexperts,the containers have been untouched by tomb robbersand so are in very good condition.The varnish and vermilionused to seal them have effectively preserved the liquor for 2,000years.     

Treasure Trove Unveiled

正Ancient royal tomb illuminates emperor’s lifeThe discovery of an ancient tomb in a village near Nanchang,capital of east China’s Jiangxi Province,in 2011 has brought to light the life of its occupant,Liu He,an emperor in the Western Han Dynasty(206B.C.-A.D. 25) who was dethroned just 27 days     

大同的军旅文化

As early as the Western Han Period of 200 B.C., there was a war named as Baidengshan be-tween Liu Ban, the Emperor of Western Han (206 B.C.-23 A.C.)and Shanyu Maodun from Xiongnu, an ancient nationality in China, taken place here. There are many great walls built in differ-ent dynasties scattering every-where in the city--the great walls of Qing Dynasty (221 B.C.-206 B.C.), Han Dynasty (206 B.C.-220 A.C.), Northern Wei (386 A.C.-543 A.C.) and Ming Dynasty (1368 A.C.-1644 A.C.).…     

TERRACOTTA WARRIORS: PRESERVATION AND IMPACT

正In March 1974, Yang Zhifa, his five brothers, and their neighbor Wang Puzhi set out to dig a well near the Lishan Mountain in Lintong, east of Xi'an. Lintong was an area full of underwater springs and water courses, so they knew that they wouldn't have to dig far before finding water. What they discovered instead that day led to one of the greatest archaeological discoveries in Chinese history—the Terracotta Army of Emperor Qinshihuang(259-210 B.C.) of the Qin Dynasty(221-206 B.C.).     

The Middle Dinosaur Kingdom

Dinosaur fossils have been periodically unearthed in various parts of China for more than a century. In 2006, the fossils of the Stegosaur that bear the largest scapulars ever excavated, and of the Mamenchisaurus (the longest dinosaur in Asia) were discovered in Xinjiang. The same year there was a world f irst discovery of fossils of the Dicraeosaurus (a kind of di- plodocoidea) in Lingwu City, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region. The amount of dinosaur fossils discovered in China by 2006 was 1…     

ALL FOR ONE

China has been a unified multiethnic country since ancient times. Historical records show that as far back as 221 B.C., the State of Qin established the first centralized feudal monarchy in the country, extending its rule over parts of the southwestern regions inhabited by various ethnic groups. During the succeeding Han Dynasty (206 B.C.-A.D. 220), 17 administra- tive prefectures were set up in northwest China,     

Performing a Legacy

Every month, Su Zhiyin sets aside four or five days for her favorite hobby— singing nanyin. As a resident of Jinjiang, southeast China's Fujian Province, the 60-year-old retired business woman has been practicing the art for over two decades. Nanyin is a musical performing art that originated during the Han Dynasty (206 B.C.-A.D. 220) and is central to the culture of the people living in the southern part of Fujian, as well as residents on China's southeastern coast and overseas Chinese of south Fujian origin.     

Qin Shihuang, the First Emperor in Chinese History

On a day in January 259 B.C., a boy was born in Handan (now Handan City, North China's Hebei Province) to the family of Yi Ren. Handan was the capital of the State of Zhao. Named Ying Zheng, the baby was to become the First Emperor of China.In 238 B.C., at the age of 22, Ying Zheng was coronated. After the coronation and victory with the struggle for the throne, King Qin applied the strategy of     

Buddhism in China and Its Origin

Buddhism originated in India in the 6th-5th century B.C., based on the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama of the Sakyas.As a prince of a tribe in today's southern part of Nepal, he grew tired of luxury and material goods and a world where there was old age, sickness and death, and went to search for "enlightenment:".One evening he was sitting under a banyan tree and fell into a deep meditation during which he achieved" enlightenment." He was given the title Buddha (the awakened or enlightened) and was also known as Sakyamuni (the wise man of the Sakya tribe). He died in 480 B.C.     

Chinese Cosmology in the Han Dynasty

THE main focus of Han Dynasty (206 B.C.- A.D. 220) metaphysics was to interpret the cosmos from different perspectives. In the Han Dynasty, the study of Confucian classics was divided into an Old Text School and a New Text School, which indicate two methods of interpreting The Six Classics (Liujing) - The Book of Songs (Shijing), The Book of Documents (Shujing), The Records of Rites (Liji), The Book of Changes (Yijing), The Records of Music     

Steamed Pork with Mui Choi

Steamed Pork with Mui Choi originated in the Huizhou area of Guangdong Province on China’s southcoast.It is a popular home-cookedmeal among the Hakka of Guangdong and has a venerable place inChina’s food culture.During the Qin(221-207 B.C.)and Han(206 B.C.     

New Recruits

More terracotta warriors were found in a three-year excavation of the first Chinese emperor’s tomb The color of 1,000-plus painted terracotta warriors, sculpted 2,200 years ago in the Qin Dynasty (221-206B.C.),     

THIS WEEK

正Back Home A Chinese paleontologist inspects a fossilized dinosaur egg nest in the Geological Museum of China in Beijing on February 28. The rare dinosaur egg nest,65-million-year-old,was unearthed     

The TipSheet

Schedule Voyages of Zheng He 1405-1433 A group of statues were unearthed in Changle County, Fujlan Province on 22nd July, 1992. The statue in the middle of about 100 cm in height is Zheng He.Who's Zheng He The greatest seafarer in China's history was raised in the mountainous heart of Asia, several weeks' travel from the closest port. More improbable yet, Zheng was not even Chinese he was by origin a Central Asian Muslim. Born Ma He, the son of a rural official in the Mongol province of Yunnan, he had been taken captive as an invading Chinese army overthrew the Mongols in 1382. Ritually castrated, he was trained as an imperial eunuch and assigned to the court of Zhu Di, the bellicose Prince of Yan.     

The Battle of Muye—The First Massive Battle in the History of China

Xinxiang is located at the southern foot of Taihang Mountain and at the northern foot of the Yellow River. It was here that took place a great event which changed the history of China. This was the Muye battle. After this decisive battle, Zhou Dynasty (11th century -221 B.C.) replaced Shang Dynasty (16th-11th century B.C.). The Chinese history entered a new horizon.In ancient times, the place of Muye referred to land "From the south of Chaoge (the capital of Shang Dynasty, lies in Qi county of Henan province) to Qing Shui (Wei River, which originated from Huixian of the city of Xinxiang, runs into the sea in Tianjin city.)"(By Li Daoyuan who was a geographer of Beiwei Dynasty) It means that the broad area included from northern shore of Weihe river to Weihui County.     

Qu Yuan-Poet,Patriot and Thinker

QU Yuan (340-278 B.C.) was born in the State of Chu, in what is present-day Zigui County, Hubei Province. He lived during the late Warring States Period (475-221 B.C.) of political chaos shortly before Emperor Qin Shihuang unified China. Qu Yuan's academic excellence earned him a place in the court of King Huai Before long his eloquence and state administrative skills brought him a promotion to the position of zuotu- deputy prime minister, a position he used to carry out much needed reforms to the State of Chu's domestic and foreign affairs.     

Tourism Information

Museum of the Qin Terracotta Warriors and Horses Considered "the World's Eighth Wonder" and one of the greatest discoveries in 20th century archaeology, the Museum of the Qin Terracotta Warriors and Horses in Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, reproduces the life of the Qin Dynasty (221-206B.C.) by presenting over 8,000 vivid terracotta warriors and horses. The site was placed on UNESCO's World Cultural Heritage list in December 1987     

The First Known Chinese Woman Historian

Ban Zhao, the first known Chinese woman historian, lived during the Eastern Han Dynasty( 25-220 A.D.), and is renowned for her contribution to the completion of Han Shu( History of the Han Dynasty), which covers the entire Western Han period( 206B.C.-24A.D.). As China's first book on dynastic history, it constitutes the second volume in Twenty-Four Histories, and sets the style of writing for the rest of the dynastic annals. Han Shu consists of 120 volumes divided in to four parts: Biographies of the 12 Western Han emperors and major events during the reign of each emperor, the "Eight Tables," chronologically listing the names of princes, the emperor's in laws and the leading officials; the "The Registries," dealing with rules and laws and Biographies of 70 outstanding personalities. Of the four parts, the "Eight Tables" was compiled by Ban Zhao.     

Tomb Figures Full of Life

IN the early 20th century when a railway was being built in Luoyang, Henan Province, large quantities of pottery shards were excavated from a number of ancient tombs that had been exposed during the construction work. The fragments were glazed in three colors – yellow, green and white. A few years later, utensils glazed in the same three colors and unmistakably identical style were unearthed in Xi’an, Shaanxi Province.