Chinese Culture (General)

Dear Anon, Yes, in my opinion, this is indeed a true statement. 1. Currently in mainland China, where they have a `one' child family planning, there are many articles that mentioned the problem where the ratio of males babies are higher than female babies. Such articles, do mention that many parents had either aborted or killed/murdered female babies secretly. 2. To understand why this is happening, one can take clue to this: Chinese grand parents and even parents have a social pressure to give birth to baby boys. Why? This is because only the males can `carry' their family name. For example, the grand father's Surname is Tang, only a male child born to him can carry on …

Dear Anon, This reminds me of what my mum told me, since young that one should not wear `torn clothings' as it implies that one would become a beggar. As some beggars wear torn clothings. Again, this is a Chinese belief. More modern parents would not `blink an eye' if their children go out and purposely buy torn jeans as they are in fashion sometime back. Maybe these modern parents even actually worn torn jeans. I guess, many of us know that this conference: Chinese culture, there are really no right or wrong answers as it is routed in one's personal beliefs and experiences. Let me elaborate further on another example. Some parents belief that if they young e.g. talks fi…

Dear Glyn, I totally agree with you with regards to the spoilt brats. Those who are pampered from day one they are born. These spoilt brats do not generally reflect the majority of children that were brought up `properly'. The good ones have good upbringing, filial piety and good social values. One worrying trend is the one child policy implemented in China. Wow you should see the one child family. Some of them are so plump! And pampered by their grand parents. Although one cannot blame China for their one child family due to their size of population. Many parents either abort a baby girl or `kill' them after they were born. There is an imbalance of births i.e. more boys …

Dear Anon, I remember Raymond Lo, did his own analysis of Bruce Lee's death in one of his Pillars of Destiny (on people) book. I don't have the book. You can search for it. I believe he explained it based on Pillars of Destiny. I believe, this analysis was done without mention of the position of his father's grave. Yin Feng Shui or Feng Shui for the death in relation to the location and position of graves are in my opinion, equally important in Feng Shui. Cremation is considered " neutral " and does not `impact' on the decendants. If you ask many Traditional FS Masters/Practioners, they do believe in the proper sitting of an ancestor's grave. I vaguely remember that som…

Hi! One must remember that Chinese cuisine is very ancient and most ingredients in Chinese diet are well established through historical precedent. Both Tomato and Potato were only added to the European diet since Christopher Columbus brought them back from the "New World" As Cecil has put it, the need for potato is not there in the Chinese diet. India, conversely has absorbed both these two "New" items completely into her cuisine. Interestingly enough Chinese cuisine has embraced the use of capsicum (peppers & chilli - not black or white pepper)types of vegetables totally. The capsicum vegetables also came from the "New World" as did corn(maize) and Tobacco. Robert …

Yes! We are BRITISH! And not Chinese! So why are you still hanging the PROSPERITY sign upside down? COPY CAT!

The idea of praying to the Five (5) spirits: The God of the North, South, East, West and Center god.. by offering five cups of tea.

Clogs are used worldwide and although the form may vary by culture, within a culture the form often remained unchanged for centuries. Clogs are also used in several different styles of dance. When worn for dancing an important feature is the sound of the clog against the floor.

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This article is quite interesting: 1. The article mentions that China was the only developing country that contributed to a 1 percent mapping of human genome. 2. How China is making an effort to map the genome of pigs or porkys. Warmest Regards, Cecil

Phonetic Sound Like: Mandarin Oranges sound like "GOLD" in Hokkien No. 6 sounds like LUCK, also

Dear Anon, In my opinion, there is no significance of planting red chilly plants such as `chilli padis' which are the hottest type of chillies. Those that are similar to Tabasco source but because of the high vinega content in Tabasco, it is really not as hot as those small chilli plants that some Chinese love to plant and of eat. I believe, the edible ones are planted so that they can be plucked and eated during lunch or dinner. These plants grow chillies very fast and plucking them often helps more chillies to grow. For the non-edible ones.. I am not too sure. Frankly, I have not seen a non-edible one locally. Perhaps, the owners would not bother to plant them at all. …

Dear Anon, It is quite difficult for me to answer this question. This is because, there are many Chinese who have been educated in the West or some has even lost touch with their roots e.g. unable to read Mandarin or speak the tongue or language. Furthermore, good quality `antiques' or such collectables are not cheap. I personally been to lots of `Chinese' houses for visits and there are a wide range of `tastes'. Usually, the younger families have display shelves that are quite similiar as `Westerners'. Those who `pray' are buddhists, taoists or ancestor worship usually have altars in their living room. Occassionaly, they have a `Fu' or Good Luck symbol in their homes.…

Dear Anon, 1. So far, no mainland Chinese has been crowned in Miss World beauty pagent. 2. In Chinese cities e.g. Shanghai, there are beauty contests. Plus there are many Chinese models. There are Chinese "beauties". (However, it depends on the eye of the beholder). Warmest Regards, Cecil

Dear Masters Our auspicious dates for moving house based on Ba Zi is 06 Feb 2018 (Tue); 16 Feb 2018 (Fri); 18 Feb 2018 (Sun); 28 Feb 2018 (Wed); 02 Mar 2018 (Fri). Four of the dates fall within the 15 days of the Chinese New Year. Both me and my wife are Singaporean Chinese. Is there any feng shui or cultural taboo to move house during 15 days of Chinese New Year? Pei Hua

Lee Sifu, Traditionally, Chinese of Hokkien heritage revere the sugarcane, most likely a during the Lunar New Year. As it symbolizes sweetness as it goes on the top, there is a legend that the ancestors of the Hokkien people were saved by the sugarcane field by hiding inside (the field) as their enemies burned their village...they found no one's in the village so the attackers left the place without killing someone.

Made a trip to Penang, Malaysia recently. Penang, has a predominant Chinese population. And I must say, their hawker food is both cheap and wow! nice! These are some of the sample food.....

Dear Jen, Please see below:- Such objects normally should be treated as decorative items. However, it it really makes one feel good; then, this can be coined as Man (human) luck and not Feng Shui. Are we so sure that `X' marks the spot is our wealth sector? Be it, fire, metal, wood, earth or water. As mentioned above, perhaps if the above gives one a psychological happiness, or hope, then, it should be classified under Man (human) luck. Usually, we often feel good for a short duration. When there seems to be no result, one fine day, such objects may be `chucked' aside or simply renegated into a display cabinet. Worse still, kept away in the closet. Warmest Regards, Ce…

In China, it is quite common to find children catch crickets in the autumn. These children will train the crickets for fighting. And in some cases, the prize for a winning cricket is an handsome reward of an animal. The cricket signifies `fighting spirit'. Thus, it is generally considered auspicious. But it is not necessary true that it should be given as a gift i.e. the real insect. For a piece of jewellery, it depends on marketing of the piece as it is not a well known `object'. Warmest Regards, Cecil

Dear Anon, The 5th day of the 5th month in the lunar calendar is regarded as the most perilous day. This month, known as the Dragon Month, necessitates heightened vigilance against illnesses and diseases. The Dragon Boat Festival aims to repel malevolent forces and marks the onset of summer. In the year 2000, the Dragon Boat Festival is observed on June 6. The narrative dates back to around 300 BC, featuring Qu Yuan, a loyal advisor to the King. His position incited jealousy in another advisor, Zi Lan, who resented the King's preference for Qu Yuan's counsel. Following the King's capture and subsequent death in prison, his eldest son ascended to the throne …

A child gets a haircut at a barbershop in Heifei, Anhui provicne, China yesterday. It is believed to bring luck when one gets a hair-cut during the second day of the second Chinese lunar month, which falls on March 17 this year. (REUTERS)

Dear Anon, Attached please find a recent article on the use of handphones and internet in Mainland China.