Chinese people are called “hua ren” (華人), but do you know that the word “hua” (華) was derived from the beautiful clothing worn by the Han Chinese? Many people assume qipao (cheongsam) to be the quintessence of traditional Chinese dressing, but qipao is actually the traditional clothing of the Manchus, not the Chinese. The Han Chinese – the largest ethnic
You might’ve heard the axiom that ‘honesty is the best policy’, and that it’s important to be truthful in our daily lives. So, what would you do if you found a wallet on the street? Would you keep it, or would you return it to its rightful owner? In July 2016, a Japanese expatriate was
These infuriating brushes with swindlers dampened my trip in Vietnam. With a sceptical mindset, I grew more wary and began to distrust the people around me. Wouldn’t it be great to be living in a society where people are truthful and sincere? Sincerity and trustworthiness are traditional moral virtues revered by several societies and religions.
Sincerity, trustworthiness and honesty among people create peace of mind and promote relationships of trust. These values form the foundation of a sustainable, peaceful and harmonious society, and constitute the basis for a nation’s survival. In this series, Epoch Times delves into the significance of truthfulness. Why Do You Think Truthfulness Is Important? “Some people cheat
Remember an instance when an artwork or music piece touched your heart? Or perhaps it was a movie or dance performance that stirred your soul? As American novelist Thomas Wolfe once said, “Culture is the arts elevated to a set of beliefs.” Expansive and expressive, the arts encompass performing, visual, literary, applied, as well as
Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a harder battle. – Plato What Do Singaporeans Value? According to a joint survey conducted by aAdvantage Consulting Group and Barrett Values Centre, out of a list of 10 core values, Singaporeans respondents picked ‘compassion’, ‘caring for the elderly’, and ‘caring for the disadvantaged’ as the most
“The smartest kids, they work so hard in all these classes and they don’t have a lot of time along the way to build their emotional or character competencies. Kids who are competent, but don’t have character, are dangerous.” – Houston Kraft, professional speaker, leadership consultant and kindness advocate We are often selective in showing kindness;
Goh Huck Heng (Goh): Landscape painting (shan shui) is regarded as the highest form of Chinese painting. Artists use a variety of brush strokes called Cun (methods for creating wrinkles) to create the textures of mountains and rocks, like Pi Ma Cun* for creating soft and parallel lines and Juan Yun Cun** that creates curved lines mimicking cirrus. There have been
There are many wonderful stories from ancient China about gentlemen who possessed great wisdom and moral virtue. Many of these stories remain relevant today, and can teach us useful lessons on integrity, humility and having the courage to admit and learn from our mistakes. Being Humble and Tolerant Without Showing Off Xu Rong (许容), who
Yue Fei ( 1103-1141 ) was a general and military expert who lived during the Southern Song Dynasty. He was well-known for mounting a successful defence against the Jin (Jurchen) invaders during that time. Regarded as a Chinese hero, Yue Fei has been deeply respected for his loyalty to his country. While leading the northern
Singapore—situated at the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula in South East Asia—is a multiracial country that comprises of Chinese, Malays, Indians, Eurasians, and many other smaller ethnic communities. Though Singapore is not a Chinese country, ethnic Chinese make up 74.3 % of the country’s population. So, have you ever wondered when Chinese immigrants first
Thanks to the famous novel ‘Journey to the West’ (西游记), the names of Tang Seng (唐僧) and his three disciples – Monkey King Sun Wukong (孙悟空), Pigsy Zhu Bajie (猪八戒) and Sha Wujing (沙悟净) – have been made known to many. Can you still recall how Tang Seng and his three disciples encountered dangerous situations
Today, society is so hypersexualised that we can’t turn on the radio or watch a movie without being inundated with sexually suggestive songs or bed scenes. But do you know that sexual promiscuity is destroying people and humanity by deconstructing the institutions of marriage, family and morality? Where did all of these begin? For the
Let’s do a quick survey. Turn around and ask your friends, family members or just yourself: “Who is Confucius? What are Confucian family values? Do you consider them restrictive and outdated?” Probably, most of us will equate Confucian family values to filial piety (孝顺) or a set of strict family tenets—which is quite a big
Culturally, poetry is used in varied ways. Haikus, for example, juxtapose images of the everyday, while lyric poetry expresses the personal and emotional. Similarly, poets themselves come in a range of guises. Think of the Romantic poet engaging with the sublime, the penniless artist in their garret, the high-brow don, the bard, the soldier on
Nearly 70 years ago, in December 1948, the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. At this time, the UN’s cultural arm, UNESCO, sought to harness the “universal language” of photography to communicate the new system of human rights globally, across barriers of race and language. UNESCO curated the ground-breaking “Human Rights Exhibition” in
By Vibrant Dot Staff The Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival, or Zhōngqiū Jié (中秋节), is also known as the Mooncake Festival. Each year, it is held on the 15th day of the 8th month of the Chinese lunar calendar, when the full moon is said to be at its brightest and closest to Earth, and therefore at
The Philippines was colonized by the Spaniards for 300 years and is currently very much into Western culture. Hence, the Filipino way of life is a colorful mix of Malayan, Spanish, Eastern and Western influences. If you want the best Filipino souvenirs and gifts, you need to go to a specialized shop. If a website
One of the most upsetting things for book lovers is to see a book being mutilated. Book vandalism includes but not limited to defacing, slicing and removal of pages. To many, intentional destruction of book is disturbing but what if it is done for the sake for art creation? Let’s take a little tour around
There’s an image that’s been shared on social media dozens of times over the past few years, typically without attribution. The image depicts a shoeless samurai walking an armored cat. The samurai has a helmet with cat ears, and the image appears to be weathered and old, perhaps dating back to Medieval Japan. There are a variety
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