Introducing China in English (Part 2)

About This Course

Introducing China in English is designed to provide participants with a wide range of areas best defines Chinese culture. It is divided into three parts. Each part is a stand-alone course.

Part Two presents a colorful picture of China with the following topics:

traditional Chinese wedding,

Cheongsam or Qipao,

paper cutting and

Chinese architecture.

In introduction to traditional Chinese wedding, we first focus on the stages of wedding including engagement, preparations, wedding ceremony and post-wedding rituals, which is controlled by a set of rigid rites called “three letters and six rites”. Meanwhile, people’s sense of hierachy, views on life and folk customs are represented in the process. Cheongsam or Qipao is a kind of traditional dress for women, yet still in fashion today. With the description of the development and design of Cheongsam, we hope to give a glimpse of aesthetic interests and national characteristics of Chinese people. Chinese paper cutting has a long history from the primitive to the modern society. We’ll explore the cultural connotations of the paper arts and crafts deeply rooted in Chinese philosophy and archelology for domestic decoration, festivals, wedding ceremonies, etc. Chinese architecture will be exemplified by Forbidden City. With the explanation of the layout and structure of the buildings and the cultural symbols there such as Fengshui, yin-yang, Eight Trigrams, Five Elements, number of lucky animals, etc., you will have a better understanding of Chinese architecture.

Course Schedule

• Week 1: Unit 1 Traditional Chinese Wedding
• Week 2: Unit 2 Chinese Cheongsam
• Week 3: Unit 3 Chinese Paper Cutting
• Week 4: Unit 4 Layout and Hierarchy of Traditional Chinese Architecture
• Week 5: Unit 5 Cultural Connotations of Traditional Chinese Architecture