As a great thinker, educator and founder of Confucianism during the Spring and Autumn Period, Confucius is a sage to the ancient Chinese people. His words and life story were recorded by his disciples and their students in The Analects. As an enduring classic of Chinese culture, The Analects has influenced all thinkers, writers and politicians in the thousand years’ Chinese history after Confucius. No scholar could truly understand this long-standing culture or the inner world of the ancient Chinese without this book.

Wax printing appeared in China about 2,000 years ago. Wax printing has long been a widespread technique used in the history of Chinese fashion. During the dyeing process, beeswax is applied to prevent some parts of the cloth form being dyed. When the beeswax dries, it develops cracks, which absorb indigo in the process of dyeing, thus forming the beautiful natural lines resembling breaking ice. These naturally formed lines represent the beauty and soul of wax printing.

Cloisonné is a traditional art widely known in and outside China. It is a kind of superb local expertise form of Beijing, which combines the skills of bronze art, porcelain, carving and other types of folk arts. It is deemed valuable in the eyes of collectors, as well as refined ornaments for daily use. The making of cloisonné first appeared during the Jingtai reign of the Ming Dynasty, with the main colour used being blue, hence the name “Jingtai Blue” as it became known later on. By the time of the Chenghua reign, the techniques for making cloisonné were further developed, with products of this period looking heavy and dignified yet not lacking in eloquence or vividness. Moreover, its cast was always made of choice copper.

Xitang is located in Jiaxing, Zhejiang Province, between Shanghai and Hangzhou. Though small in size, this ancient town boasts a long history. It was first built during the Spring and Autumn Period, at the border between the states of Wu and Yue. The present layout had already taken shape before the Song Dynasty, and the famous Wangxian Bridge in Xitang is a legacy of the Song. By the Ming and Qing Dynasties, Xitang had become a well-known trade centre for farm products, silks and ceramics, all produced in the surrounding areas and famous throughout the country.

The Yangko dance is a traditional folk dance of the Han Chinese, commonly performed in the northern provinces. Yangko dancers usually wear bright and colorful costumes, and their movements are vigorous and quick. During holidays, such as the lunar New Year and the Lantern Festival, as soon as people hear the sound of drums and gongs they swarm into the streets to watch Yangko dance performances, no matter how cold it is outside. In recent years, elderly people in some cities in Northeast China have been organizing themselves into Yangko teams, with the dancers enjoying themselves while keeping fit all year round.

The Bronze Age in China lasted more than 1,500 years, from the Xia through the Shang and Western Zhou Dynasties, to the Spring and Autumn Period. Large numbers of unearthed artifacts indicate a high level of ancient bronze civilization in the country. They feature rich political and religious themes, and are of high artistic value. A representative example is the Great Ding for Yu, which is now preserved in the Museum of Chinese History. It was cast about 3,000 years ago during the reign of King Kang of Western Zhou Dynasty.

In 1911, the first bourgeois revolution in Chinese history — the Revolution of 1911 broke out. The last dynasty of the Chinese feudal society, Qing Dynasty, was over-thrown and the monarch system that had a history of more than 2,000 years was abolished. The Republic of China, the first democratic republic in China, was founded in 1912. After its foundation, the government of Republic of China had required the citizens to cut off their queues and make the haircut they liked. Since then, the wearing-queue order that had lasted for more than 280 years in China has been abolished.

The practice of foot-binding for women appeared in the Five Dynasties, but in the beginning, it was only adopted by the court dancers for convenience while dancing. Since people thought the foot-binding made women’s feet look more beautiful, many females rushed to follow suit. By the Song Dynasty, due to the importance of feudal ethical thoughts and influence of the feudal male superiority conception, the practice of foot-binding was inherited and became a custom. In the Song Dynasty, to meet the needs of women’s small feet, a kind of specially designed shoes gongxie was made.

According to the Chinese ancient documents, the legendary leader Shun abdicated and handed over his leadership to Da Yu who had made great contribution to controlling the flood of the Yellow River of China. When Da Yu died, his son Xia Qi breached the tradition of demise system and set himself as the king. Xia, the first slavery nation in Chinese history, was founded. Since then, the hereditary system had been practiced. Thus, China stepped into a class society. The Xia Dynasty was a transition from primitive society to slave society. At that time, all aspects of social life still reserved traces of primitive society.

Peking duck is a famous duck dish that has been popular since the imperial era in Beijing, and is now considered a national dish of China. The dish is prized for the thin, crisp skin with authentic vision of the dish serving sliced in front of the diners by the cook. Ducks bred specially for the dish are slaughtered after 65 days and seasoned before being roasted in a closed or hung oven. The meat is usually eaten with pancakes, scallion, cucumbers and sweet bean sauce.