China is a large country. The population is over
1. 4 billion. It has special cultures with a very long history.
Chinese food plays an important role for Chinese families, and different foods have special meanings. The main difference is that chopsticks are used for eating instead of using forks and knives. One of the main foods in Chinese culture is rice. Tea is also popular among Chinese people.
Chinese calendar is different from the one used in Western countries. Chinese New Year is celebrated in late winter. It is also known as the Spring Festival. It is a time of great joy and celebration. Families come together to bring out the old year and welcome in the new year. It has special foods and traditions. For example, sweeping the floor before New Year's Day helps to remove the old year's bad luck.
The Chinese zodiac (生肖) , known as Shengxiao, . is a cycle of twelve animals, each representing a year. Each year is named after a different animal, including rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog, and pig. For example, the year that begins in 2023 is the year of the rabbit.
Chinese language is known for being a different language to learn. Chinese writing system is one of the oldest writing systems in the world, dating back almost 4, 000 years. Chinese writing has thousands of characters. A character stands for a word and also a meaning. Besides Putonghua, there are many dialects such as Cantonese and Shanghainese, throughout China.
