[The Five W's] : Proposing in the 1600s.

It is a cool, summer day as you walk by a park, and you see two lovers getting married. Do you know what they did in the old days? Lovers did get married however, there were many differences. Compare these two situations:

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Situation 1] After dating for a reasonable amount of time, the male in the relationship decides to ask the big question, on a very romantic date.

Situation 2] A male and a female’s parents arrange for them to get married.

Hold up! Difference number one here.

In the present period, the two lovers in a relationship decide if they want to marry or not.
In past times, parents decided if they wanted their son or daughter to bond with another of the opposite gender.

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The Chinese feel that they have to satisfy the ghosts in order to get good fortune and luck in their lives. During the 7th month, the Chinese offer prayers to the deceased relatives and burn joss sticks. In Singapore, it is a common sight to see entertaining ‘wayang’ shows and concerts performed on outdoor stages in some neighborhoods. These events are always held at night. There is a belief that this entertainment would please those wandering ghosts.

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Just as the West features Halloween for ghosts and ghouls, the Chinese have a holiday to honor the departed spirits of the underworld, the Chinese Ghost Festival. It is said that ghosts roam the world every year for one lunar month. In some areas of China, visitors can see small roadside fires where believers burn paper money and other offerings to appease the restless spirits that have temporarily been released from Hades. The Chinese ghost festival falls on every 14th day of the seventh month according to the lunar calendar. The ghost festival may fall on the 15th day in some other Chinese countries too; the days vary according to the different types of Chinese dialect groups. The festival is celebrated by Chinese people in many countries.

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In the past 5000 years of Chinese history, there have been many interesting myths. Many of them were recorded by hand. As for the myths from the very ancient times, there are no written versions; they have traveled orally, making their way around these years.

For example, where do the ancestors of people come from? In the ancient times, there was a tale about Pan Gu creating the world. It is said that before Pan Gu came, the world was in chaos; there was no light, no sound, and everything was a big, chaotic mess. At that moment, a man named Pan Gu appeared, and using a big axe, he sliced through the air, separating the big mess. The lighter portion of the mess floated up, becoming the sky, and the heavier portion of the mess sunk down, becoming the earth.

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Have you ever noticed ancient art and the intricacy of each piece? If you look closely at a piece, it is as if the soul of the artist is poured onto the canvas itself. How much time was spent on one piece? Was it hours or days on end? That is the beauty of ancient Chinese art. Chinese art varied throughout ancient history; it has been characterized by the different periods of dynastic rule and been greatly influenced by different religions and great philosophers and teachers.

The Standing Woman, by Tang Yin of Ming Dynasty

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Dim Sum is a Chinese light meal that it’s usually served with Chinese tea. It is eaten from morning to early afternoon with family or friends. Dim sum consists of a great variety of choices. It has combinations of meat, seafood, vegetables, desserts and fruit.
The Dim Sums are usually served in a small steamer basket or on a small plate.

Its Name
Dim Sum is a Cantonese phrase (點心), literally “touch the heart” (order to your heart’s content). It may be derived from yat dim sum yi (一點心æ„?), meaning “a little token”. Though the English word “Dim Sum” refers to the Cantonese variety, the idea of a wide variety of small dishes for lunch also holds for other regions of China.

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