The Chinese Culture is over 5000 years old. The ancient culture is full of vibrant diversity, and no wonder, foreigners are often intrigued by the Chinese cultural heritage. However, in order to understand the ancient culture better, it’s recommended to learn the Mandarin Chinese language. Not to mention, the Chinese language, Mandarin, is arguably the most difficult language to learn. For example, in order to cross the Level 1, one must be able to read and understand over 500 Chinese characters. In case you didn’t know, the natives use over 3000 characters in daily life. Obviously, learning Mandarin, on par with the natives, would require spending a considerable amount of time (maybe 7-8 years).
In this blog-post, let’s learn the Chinese culture! As such, I am going to recommend you a variety of books to learn the ancient Chinese culture. These books, made of about 1000 characters each, are for Level 3 Chinese reading practice. I am assuming that you have already gone through the beginners (Level 1/2) books. If not, here are the links (you may also want to check out the author’s home page.
Learn Chinese Language and Culture
Here are some of the related books/resources to learn Chinese language fast:
- Level 1: Chinese Reading Books (Chinese Elementary/Primary School Education Series)
- Level 1: Chinese Reading Books (Chinese Short Story Series, 500+ characters)
- Level 1: Chinese Reading Books (Journey to the West Series, 600 characters)
- Level 2: Chinese Reading Books (Biographies of China’s Famous Personalities, 600 characters)
- Level 2: Chinese Reading Books (Chinese Reading Comprehension, 600+ characters)
- Level 2: Chinese Reading Books (Chinese History Series, 900 characters)
- Level 3: Chinese Reading Books (Chinese Culture Series, 1000 characters)
- Level 4 & 5: Chinese Reading Books (Chinese Geography and Economy Series, over 1000 characters)
- Level 6: Chinese Reading Books (Chinese Classical Literature Masterpieces, about 1300 characters)
Also, in order to get a solid hand on Chinese characters, here are a couple of blog-posts:
Level 3 Chinese Culture Reading Books with Pinyin
Chinese Culture: an overview
China boasts one of the Four Ancient Civilizations (the others being Nile River, Indus Valley, and Mesopotamian). Chinese culture, one of the world’s oldest cultures, has evolved over a long time. In fact, Chinese written history is about 3,600 years old. As such, Chinese culture is not only unique and vibrant; it is greatly diverse as well. Present day Chinese culture, a harmonious mix of old and new traditions, is an invaluable asset to the humanity.
The current book volume, Chinese Culture, is a Chinese reading practice book. It would introduce you broad aspects of the ancient culture, including Chinese language, poems, food, Confucianism, Red Packets (hongbao), Chinese New Year, etc.
- Paperback (ISBN 9798887340630): Barnes & Noble
- Paperback (ISBN 9798887340630): Amazon
Chinese Poems: 25 famous and must know Chinese poems (First book)
Learning Mandarin Chinese language is a lot about learning the ancient Chinese culture. The Chinese poems are part and parcel of the Chinese culture. The classic poems offer a unique opportunity not only to understand the ancient culture, but also an interesting way to learn very important Mandarin phrases and idioms. These ancient classic poems, passed down from generation to generation, have tremendous cultural significance in China.
The current book volume, Chinese Poems, is a Chinese reading practice book. It would introduce you to the 25 very famous and must know classic Chinese poems (必读中国古诗). The featured 25 famous ancient poems are extremely popular in China and virtually every Chinese knows them well (浅释中国古诗25首). This classic collection has a very high importance for the Chinese literary works. In fact, the words of these poems are deeply ingrained in the minds of Chinese people as they are enforced through repetition during the primary education. As such, in China, every child knows these 25 poems very well.
- Paperback (ISBN 9798887340616): Barnes & Noble
- Paperback (ISBN 9798887340616): Amazon
Here is the list of books to learn Chinese culture (Mandarin Reading practice book series).
Chinese Tea Culture
Tea’s origin story is a mix of folklore, myths and facts. According to the Chinese literature sources, the tea was accidentally discovered in Shaanxi province (in 2737 BCE) by the emperor and father of Chinese medicine, Shen Nong (神农帝). The early use of tea was recorded in the ancient Bashu (巴蜀) area (modern Sichuan Province). As early as the Western Han Dynasty (西汉), drinking tea in Bashu had become more common. Tea was often offered as a tribute to the emperors and imperial families. Although the tea culture existed long before the Tang Dynasty (唐朝), the tea was consumed in different ways. It wasn’t until the appearance of the Tea Classic of Lu Yu (陆羽:《茶经》) in the Tang Dynasty that the way of drinking tea was changed. The tea culture further flourished in the Song Dynasty (宋朝). The existing Chinese tea culture (中国茶文化) represents the cultural characteristics formed during the tea drinking activities, including tea ceremony, tea virtue, tea spirit, tea book, tea set, tea painting, tea science, tea story, tea arts, and so on. Chinese tea culture combines the thoughts of Chinese Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism. Basically, China is the home of tea culture.
- Paperback (ISBN 9798887340647): Barnes & Noble
- Paperback (ISBN 9798887340647): Amazon
Confucius: Four Books & Five Classics
Confucius (551 BC – 479 BC), the founder of the Confucian school, was a great thinker and educator in the late Spring and Autumn Period (春秋). During the Han Dynasty (汉朝), Dong Zhongshu proposed to the Emperor Wu of Han (汉武帝) to dismiss 100 schools of thought and respect Confucianism alone. As a result, Confucianism became the mainstream philosophy. Confucianism had a unique advantage in advancing the governance of the classical society. No wonder, among the emperors of all dynasties, Confucius was revered as the “most holy priest”. In fact, the Confucian school has influenced Chinese society for over 2000 years. To this day, Chinese people still cherish Confucius’ writings.
- Paperback (ISBN 9798887340661): Barnes & Noble
- Paperback (ISBN 9798887340661): Amazon
Chinese Traditional Sports
Although China has long been associated with the Martial Arts (武术), in traditional Chinese sports, there are widely-spread sports such as Horse Riding (骑马), Archery (射箭), Tai Chi (太极拳), Dragon Boat Races (赛龙舟), Lion Dance (舞狮), and so on. These sports narrate distinctive Chinese culture with regional characteristics. Some show the customs of the water country in the south (江南), some exude the aroma of the northern grassland (草原), and some have the magic of the plateau (高原). Many of the official events in the modern Olympic Games, such as football, running, weightlifting, wrestling, archery and other sports can be found in the Chinese traditional sports, and some of them have a longer history in China than in the West. For example, Cuju (蹴鞠) is a unique title of ancient Chinese football. It is a traditional Chinese sport and entertainment method with a history of more than 2,000 years. The origin of Dragon Boat Racing (赛龙舟) dates back to about 2500 years ago and remains a traditional event held around China every year. Bows and arrows are one of the earliest long-range weapons invented by the mankind. It is said that Chinese bows and arrows originated from the time of the Yellow Emperor (黄帝).
- Paperback (ISBN 9798887341194): Barnes & Noble
- Paperback (ISBN 9798887341194): Amazon
Chinese Songs: 21 popular Chinese songs
When you are learning a complex language like Mandarin Chinese, it’s highly recommended to practice singing some of the famous Chinese songs. This could be a great way to enhance your Chinese listening and speaking skills. Moreover, the Chinese songs often have deep cultural meanings, uncovering them could be a fun way to understanding the Chinese culture. In fact, Karaoke has become very popular in both China and abroad. In particular, Chinese people love to visit Karaoke. Therefore, getting a grasp of popular Chinese songs would enable you to closely interact with the Chinese people. As such, learning the most famous songs would have a long lasting effect on your Chinese language endeavors.
- Paperback (ISBN 9798887341309): Barnes & Noble
- Paperback (ISBN 9798887341309): Amazon
Chinese Festivals: 10 most important Chinese festivals
Chinese festivals, characterized by numerous traditional themes, are an integral part of China’s rich history and culture. Well, Chinese social history is about 5000 years old. Obviously, Chinese culture (中华文化) and its values are one of the world’s oldest existing social norms. In fact, the Chinese cultural legacies are a unique feature in the East and South East Asia. As such, there is a very close association between many of the traditional Chinese festivals, science, the lunar calendar and solar terms. Needless is to say, understanding Chinese festivals are very important to intuitively feel China’s rich cultural heritage.
- Paperback (ISBN 9798887340609): Barnes & Noble
- Paperback (ISBN 9798887340609): Amazon
Chinese Food: Eight Great Cuisines of China
The Chinese cuisines have numerous flavors, unique cooking styles and brings a variety of exquisite features onto the table. Moreover, Chinese traditional cuisines are well known for their appearance, delicacies, color, aroma and taste. No wonder, Chinese cuisine is an integral part of the vibrant Chinese culture. Although China offers a variety of cuisines with unique cooking styles, Chinese chefs have identified eight major culinary schools in China (八大菜系, Bādà càixì). Each of these culinary traditions, offering a unique cooking style with different tastes, are often viewed as the role models. Some of the famous food, part of the of the Eight Great Cuisines of China, are Hotpot (火锅, huǒguō), Dumplings (饺子, jiǎozi), Kung Pao Chicken (宫保鸡丁, gōngbào jīdīng), Ma Po Tofu (麻婆豆腐, mápó dòufǔ), Shrimp with vermicelli and garlic (蒜蓉粉丝蒸虾, suànróng fěnsī zhēng xiā), Sichuan Pork (水煮肉片, shuǐzhǔ ròupiàn), Stir-fried noodles (炒面, chǎomiàn), etc.
- Paperback (ISBN 9798887340623): Barnes & Noble
- Paperback (ISBN 9798887340623): Amazon
Chinese Geography: General Overview (L4)
China is located in the east of Asia and the west coast of the Pacific Ocean. China’s land area is about 9.6 million square kilometers. It ranks third in the world after Russia and Canada, and is almost the same area as Europe. In fact, Chinese territory has a longitude of more than 60 degrees from east to west, spanning 5 time zones, and a distance of about 5,200 kilometers from east to west. The north-south span of Chinese territory is nearly 50 degrees, and the north-south distance is about 5,500 kilometers. China’s mainland coastline is more than 18,000 kilometers long, and there are many excellent harbors along the coast, which are convenient for ships to shelter and dock. There are more than 5,000 Chinese islands, most of which are located in the waters south of the Yangtze River estuary.
- Paperback (ISBN 9798887341156): Amazon
- Paperback (ISBN 9798887341156): Barnes & Noble
Chinese Poems 2 (Second book)
The Chinese classical poems are broad and profound literary treasure of the excellent traditional Chinese culture. In particular, the poems from the Song and Tang Dynasties are outstanding representatives of China’s glorious past.
- Paperback (ISBN ): Barnes & Noble
- Paperback (ISBN ): Amazon
I will regularly update the list, so do stop by, at least once in a while!
To sum up, Mandarin Chinese is arguably one of the most difficult languages to learn. However, if you learn smartly, you can indeed learn Chinese much faster. Although the road to learning Chinese is certainly not an easy one, it’s absolutely worth it!
Once you have done enough reading practices, you will be able to read any random piece of Chinese manuscript.
That’s all in this post about How to Learn Chinese Culture by Reading Practice Books. If you have any question about learning Mandarin Chinese, traveling, living or working in China, do let me know in the comments! Feel free to post in our forum so that others could also contribute and learn. For regular updates like us on Facebook, or follow on Twitter!
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Last updated: Sunday, December 25, 2022