Overview on Chinese Culture Spring 2026

Welcome to Overview on Chinese Culture 中國文化概要 (Spring Semester 2026)

Course Code: 09230030.01 | Credits: 3 | Level: BA24

Instructor: Prof. Martin Woesler

Schedule: Thursday 16:30-18:10

Location: Tenglong Building Room 409

Course Website: Click here for the interactive course page (topic selection, quizzes, file upload)

Grading Criteria for Powerpoint Presentations

1. Was the presentation based on scientific facts, did the presenter also conduct some research on the topic and did he/she also add her own experience or her own opinion/perspective and marking the two different perspectives as factual/subjective? Did the presentation avoid absolute judgments like "good" or "best", but did it instead use vocabulary like "fascinating", "surprising" etc. and also indicated to whom it is fascinating/surprising etc. and why?
2. Was the presentation successful? Did it catch the attention of the audience over the whole time? Was the presenter persuading? Was the audience excited/fascinated? Did the audience learn something? (Or was the audience bored and talked the whole time without paying attention to the presenter?)
3. Formal things: Was the speaker good to hear (loud/clear)? Did he make a self-confident impression and did he know his topic? Did the speaker speak freely and not read out? Where there meaningful pictures and graphs on the slides and only a few keywords, well sorted by numbers or bullet points (or was the powerpoint merely a text desert of small size script with the script being copied onto the slides)?
4. Was the presentation appropriate to the topic?
5. Was the activity part meaningful and appropriate to the topic? Did it speak to everyone in the audience individually?
6. Was the presentation not too short and not too long in time, but as long as the other presentations, so that all presentations of the day could be presented?
7. Did the presentation consider the same cultural phenomenon both in China and in other countries, at least as a comparison?
8. Did the presentation avoid mistakes like reading out text in a boring way, pronounciation mistakes, typos in the English text?
9. Did you indicate the sources you have used at least on the last page of your presentation in the form of a list?
10. Did you upload your ppt file successfully (if not, did you contact the teaching assistant to upload)?
11. Did you present your ppt file in the full screen mode?
12. Did you arrive early in classroom to copy your file onto the desktop of the class computer and did you check it and also any embedded or accompanying video files etc. if everything works properly including sound?
13. Did the presentation avoid deadly mistakes like plagiarism, using ai without indicating it (if you use ai to create the presentation, you need to indicate the platform and the full prompt you gave to ai and the main adjustments you did to the prompt), using ideology, patriotism, politics, religious beliefs, advertisement for products, ignorance (e.g. that a cultural phenomenon is wide spread in Asia and the origin is unclear, but claiming it was Chinese and originated in China), racism, prejudices, telling lies, spreading false rumors etc.?

Session 1 - Thu Mar 05 16:30-18:10 Room 409 - Organizational Issues

What we learn

• Overview of the course structure
• Introduction to Chinese culture studies
• How to choose presentation topics (each student picks 2 topics)
• Semester paper guidelines

Textbook

• Overview of Chinese Culture (中国文化概要)

Homework before Session 2

• Choose 2 presentation topics from the list below (via course website)
• Read Chapter 1 of the textbook

Presentation Topics (choose 2)

Each student must select 2 presentation topics and prepare a 5-minute PowerPoint presentation for each.

Please use the interactive course page to select your topics. Below is the complete list organized by category.

Geography

1. Geographic Nature as a Basis for Cultural Development (p.17)
2. Great Wall (长城) (p.17)
3. Grand Canal (京杭大运河) (p.17)

Aesthetic Ideals

1. Standards of Beauty in Ancient China (p.25)
2. Foot Binding (缠足) (p.25)
3. Chinese Aesthetics in Modern Fashion (p.25)

Animals

1. Dragon (龙) and Phoenix (凤) Symbolism (p.27)
2. Panda as National Symbol (p.27)
3. Animals in Chinese Mythology (p.27)
4. Chinese Zodiac Animals (十二生肖) (p.27)

Architecture

1. The Forbidden City (故宫) (p.32)
2. Traditional Courtyard Houses (四合院) (p.32)
3. Chinese Pagodas (塔) (p.32)
4. Temple Architecture (寺庙建筑) (p.32)
5. Modern Chinese Architecture (p.32)
6. Tulou (Hakka Earth Buildings) (土楼) (p.32)
7. Chinese Bridges (桥) (p.32)

Army/Weapons

1. Terracotta Army (兵马俑) (p.40)
2. Ancient Chinese Weapons (p.40)
3. Sun Tzu's Art of War (孙子兵法) (p.40)

Astrology

1. Chinese Zodiac (生肖) (p.44)
2. Chinese Calendar System (农历) (p.44)
3. Feng Shui (风水) (p.44)
4. I Ching / Book of Changes (易经) (p.44)

Beverages

1. Tea Culture (茶文化) (p.48)
2. Chinese Tea Ceremony (p.48)
3. Types of Chinese Tea (绿茶/红茶/乌龙茶) (p.48)
4. Chinese Wine Culture (酒文化) (p.48)
5. Baijiu (白酒) (p.48)

Body Movement

1. Tai Chi (太极拳) (p.55)
2. Qigong (气功) (p.55)
3. Chinese Dance Traditions (p.55)

Chinese Writing

1. Chinese Calligraphy (书法) (p.60)
2. Evolution of Chinese Characters (p.60)
3. Seal Carving (篆刻) (p.60)
4. Four Treasures of the Study (文房四宝) (p.60)

Clothing

1. Hanfu (汉服) (p.65)
2. Qipao/Cheongsam (旗袍) (p.65)
3. Traditional Chinese Clothing through Dynasties (p.65)
4. Chinese Silk and Embroidery (p.65)

Confucianism

1. Confucius and His Teachings (p.72)
2. The Analerta (论语) (p.72)
3. Neo-Confucianism (p.72)
4. Confucianism in Modern Chinese Society (p.72)
5. Confucian Education System (p.72)
6. Five Relationships (五伦) (p.72)

Economy

1. Silk Road and Ancient Trade (p.80)
2. Modern Chinese Economic Development (p.80)
3. Chinese E-Commerce (电商) (p.80)

Education

1. Imperial Examination System (科举) (p.85)
2. Chinese Education Today (p.85)
3. Gaokao (高考) (p.85)
4. Chinese Study Abroad Culture (p.85)

Facial Make-up

1. Beijing Opera Face Painting (脸谱) (p.90)

Fine Arts

1. Chinese Painting (国画) (p.92)
2. Chinese Landscape Painting (山水画) (p.92)
3. Ink Wash Painting (水墨画) (p.92)
4. Chinese Paper Cutting (剪纸) (p.92)
5. Chinese Porcelain Art (p.92)
6. Chinese Jade Carving (玉雕) (p.92)

Games

1. Mahjong (麻将) (p.100)
2. Chinese Chess (象棋) (p.100)
3. Go/Weiqi (围棋) (p.100)
4. Kite Flying (风筝) (p.100)

Garden Culture

1. Classical Chinese Gardens (古典园林) (p.105)
2. Suzhou Gardens (苏州园林) (p.105)
3. Bonsai/Penjing (盆景) (p.105)

Gender/History

1. Women in Chinese History (p.110)
2. Famous Chinese Empresses (p.110)
3. Gender Roles in Traditional China (p.110)

Heritage Sites

1. UNESCO World Heritage Sites in China (p.115)
2. Dunhuang Mogao Caves (莫高窟) (p.115)
3. The Summer Palace (颐和园) (p.115)
4. Mount Tai (泰山) (p.115)

Interieur

1. Chinese Furniture Design (p.120)
2. Chinese Ceramics and Porcelain (陶瓷) (p.120)
3. Traditional Chinese Interior Design (p.120)

Landscapes/Tourism

1. Guilin Landscape (桂林山水) (p.125)
2. Zhangjiajie (张家界) (p.125)
3. Yellow Mountains (黄山) (p.125)
4. West Lake (西湖) (p.125)
5. Li River (漓江) (p.125)
6. Jiuzhaigou Valley (九寨沟) (p.125)
7. Yangtze Three Gorges (长江三峡) (p.125)

Language

1. Chinese Language: Tones and Characters (p.132)
2. Chinese Dialects (方言) (p.132)
3. Chinese Idioms and Proverbs (成语) (p.132)
4. Chinese Internet Slang (网络用语) (p.132)

Literature

1. Four Great Classical Novels (四大名著) (p.138)
2. Dream of the Red Chamber (红楼梦) (p.138)
3. Journey to the West (西游记) (p.138)
4. Three Kingdoms (三国演义) (p.138)
5. Chinese Poetry: Tang Poetry (唐诗) (p.138)
6. Lu Xun and Modern Literature (p.138)
7. Chinese Science Fiction (三体) (p.138)

Martial Arts

1. Chinese Kung Fu (功夫) (p.148)
2. Shaolin Temple (少林寺) (p.148)
3. Wudang (武当) (p.148)
4. Wing Chun (咏春) (p.148)
5. Martial Arts in Chinese Cinema (p.148)

Medicine/TCM

1. Traditional Chinese Medicine (中医) (p.155)
2. Acupuncture (针灸) (p.155)
3. Chinese Herbal Medicine (中草药) (p.155)
4. Yin and Yang in Medicine (p.155)

Minority Cultures

1. China's 56 Ethnic Groups (p.160)
2. Tibetan Culture (藏族文化) (p.160)
3. Uyghur Culture (维吾尔族文化) (p.160)
4. Miao/Hmong Culture (苗族文化) (p.160)
5. Mongolian Culture (蒙古族文化) (p.160)
6. Zhuang Culture (壮族文化) (p.160)
7. Dai Culture (傣族文化) (p.160)

Modern Culture

1. Chinese Social Media (WeChat, Weibo, Douyin) (p.168)
2. Chinese Film Industry (p.168)
3. C-Pop and K-Pop in China (p.168)
4. Chinese Animation (动漫) (p.168)
5. Chinese Gaming Culture (p.168)

Money Culture

1. Chinese Currency History (p.175)
2. Red Envelopes (红包) (p.175)
3. Chinese Business Culture (p.175)

Music/Instruments

1. Traditional Chinese Music (p.180)
2. Guqin (古琴) (p.180)
3. Erhu (二胡) (p.180)
4. Pipa (琵琶) (p.180)
5. Chinese Opera Music (p.180)

Mythology

1. Chinese Creation Myths (p.188)
2. Journey to the West Characters (p.188)
3. Chinese Dragons (p.188)
4. Moon Goddess Chang'e (嫦娥) (p.188)
5. Nezha (哪吒) (p.188)

National Symbols

1. Chinese Flag and Emblem (p.195)
2. National Anthem (义勇军进行曲) (p.195)
3. Giant Panda as Symbol (p.195)

Opera

1. Beijing Opera (京剧) (p.200)
2. Kunqu Opera (昆曲) (p.200)
3. Cantonese Opera (粤剧) (p.200)
4. Sichuan Opera Face Changing (变脸) (p.200)

Philosophical Schools

1. Daoism/Taoism (道家) (p.205)
2. Legalism (法家) (p.205)
3. Mohism (墨家) (p.205)
4. Buddhism in China (佛教) (p.205)
5. Hundred Schools of Thought (百家争鸣) (p.205)

Religion

1. Buddhism in China (p.212)
2. Chinese Folk Religion (民间信仰) (p.212)
3. Daoism as Religion (p.212)
4. Christianity in China (p.212)
5. Islam in China (p.212)

Science/Technology

1. Four Great Inventions (四大发明) (p.220)
2. Ancient Chinese Astronomy (p.220)
3. Chinese Mathematics History (p.220)
4. Modern Chinese Technology (高铁/5G) (p.220)

Silk/Porcelain

1. Chinese Silk Production (p.228)
2. Jingdezhen Porcelain (景德镇瓷器) (p.228)
3. Chinese Lacquerware (漆器) (p.228)

Silk Road

1. Ancient Silk Road (丝绸之路) (p.232)
2. Maritime Silk Road (海上丝绸之路) (p.232)
3. Belt and Road Initiative (一带一路) (p.232)

Social

1. Chinese Family Values (p.237)
2. Filial Piety (孝) (p.237)
3. Chinese Naming Culture (p.237)
4. Chinese Wedding Customs (p.237)
5. Guanxi (关系) (p.237)

Sports

1. Table Tennis in China (p.245)
2. Chinese Martial Arts as Sport (p.245)
3. 2008/2022 Olympics (p.245)

Stage Entertainment

1. Chinese Acrobatics (杂技) (p.250)
2. Shadow Puppetry (皮影戏) (p.250)
3. Chinese Magic/Variety Shows (p.250)

Traditional Crafts

1. Chinese Knotting (中国结) (p.255)
2. Cloisonné (景泰蓝) (p.255)
3. Chinese Embroidery (刺绣) (p.255)
4. Chinese Woodblock Printing (p.255)
5. Sugar Painting (糖画) (p.255)
6. Dough Figurines (面塑) (p.255)

Traditional Cuisine

1. Eight Great Cuisines (八大菜系) (p.262)
2. Sichuan Cuisine (川菜) (p.262)
3. Cantonese Dim Sum (广式点心) (p.262)
4. Peking Duck (北京烤鸭) (p.262)
5. Chinese Hot Pot (火锅) (p.262)
6. Chinese Dumplings (饺子) (p.262)
7. Chinese Street Food (小吃) (p.262)

Traditional Festivals

1. Spring Festival / Chinese New Year (春节) (p.272)
2. Mid-Autumn Festival (中秋节) (p.272)
3. Dragon Boat Festival (端午节) (p.272)
4. Lantern Festival (元宵节) (p.272)
5. Qingming Festival (清明节) (p.272)
6. Double Ninth Festival (重阳节) (p.272)

Westernization

1. Western Influence on Modern China (p.280)
2. Chinese Students Abroad (p.280)
3. East Meets West in Chinese Culture (p.280)

Worship

1. Ancestor Worship (祖先崇拜) (p.285)
2. Chinese Temple Culture (p.285)
3. Incense and Worship Traditions (p.285)

Semester Paper Topics (choose 1)

Each student writes one semester paper (~3000 words). You may choose from the reference topics below or propose your own topic.

Below are topics from previous students for inspiration:

Food & Beverages

• Anhua Dark Green Tea（安化黑茶）
• Braised Pork Meatballs in Brown Sauce（红烧狮子头）
• Camellia Oil（茶油）
• Changshou Rice Noodles（长寿米粉）
• DUO Jiao Yu Tou（剁椒鱼头）
• Daokou Braised Chicken（道口烧鸡）
• Honghu Lotus Root（洪湖莲藕）
• Hulatang（胡辣汤）
• Jingzhou Fish Cake（荆州鱼糕）
• Jining Bengrou Rice（济宁甏肉干饭）
• Knife-cut Noodles（刀削面）
• Lei Cha（擂茶）
• Luo Yang Water Banquet（洛阳水席）
• Nanchang Rice Noodles and Clay Pot Soup（南昌米粉和瓦罐汤）
• Qifengdu Fish Rice Noodles（栖枫渡鱼粉）
• Shanxi Aged Vinegar（山西醋）
• Shaoyang Rice Noodles
• Sichuan Noodles
• Snack: Malatang（麻辣烫）
• Sour Fish Soup with Litsea Cubeba（木姜子酸汤鱼）
• Sour Plum Drink（酸梅汤）
• Tsingtao Beer（青岛啤酒）
• West Lake Longjing Tea（西湖龙井）
• Wugang Braised Food（武冈卤菜）
• Xiamen Tusun Dong（厦门土笋冻）
• Yanji Cold Noodle（延吉冷面）
• Yellow Tea — Junshan Yinzhen（君山银针）
• Yunan Flower Cake（云南鲜花饼）

Performance & Music

• Baishou Dance（摆手舞）
• Huagu Opera（花鼓戏）
• Korean Janggu Dance（朝鲜族长鼓舞）
• Miao Golden Pheasant Dance（苗族锦鸡舞）
• Nanyin Music（南音）
• Ningxiang Shadow Puppets（宁乡皮影戏）
• Nuo Opera（傩戏）
• Qidong Yuguxi（祁东渔鼓戏）
• Shaoyang Glove Puppetry（邵阳布袋木偶戏）
• Xinhua Folk Songs（新化山歌）

Traditional Crafts & Arts

• Bai Tie-Dye（白族扎染）
• Chinese Intangible Cultural Heritage – Round Silk Fan（团扇）
• Chinese Paper Offering Art（纸扎艺术）
• Chinese Sugar Painting（中国糖画）
• Chinese traditional instruments Konghou（箜篌）
• Fine Arts: Born of Gautama Buddha（《送子天王图》）
• Ru Porcelain（汝瓷）
• Tahu Paper Cuts（踏虎凿花）
• Three Carvings of Huizhou（徽州三雕）
• Underglaze Five-Color Porcelain（釉下五彩瓷）
• Wuhu Iron Painting（芜湖铁画）
• Xiang Embroidery（湘绣）
• Yi Embroidery（彝绣）

Heritage Sites & Landmarks

• Emperor Shun's Mausoleum in Jiuyi Mountain（九嶷山舜帝陵）
• Fengdu Ghost City（丰都鬼城）
• Fenghuang Ancient Town（凤凰古城）
• Leshan Giant Buddha
• Longmen Grottoes（龙门石窟）
• Loulan Ancient City（楼兰古城）
• Sanqing Mountain（三清山）
• The Foremost Cliff Inscriptions Site — WuXi Forest of Steles（浯溪碑林）
• Wuyi Mountain（武夷山）
• Xijiang Qianhu Miao Village（西江千户苗寨）

Festivals & Customs

• Guangxi's Zhuang March 3rd Festival（广西壮族三月三）
• Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival（哈尔滨国际冰雪节）
• Lantern Riddles（灯谜）
• Public Memorial Ceremony at the Emperor Yan Mausoleum（炎帝陵公祭）
• Temple Fair（庙会）
• The Modern Value of Yi People's Torch Festival（彝族火把节的当代价值）
• Water-Splashing Festival（泼水节）
• Zhuang Ethnic Minority Third Day of the Third Lunar Month（壮族三月三）

Ethnic Minorities

• Dish-Serving Dance of Yi Ethnic Group in Nanjian（南涧彝族跳菜）
• The Black Rice of the Miao Ethnic Group（苗族黑米饭）
• The Li Ethnic Group: Tiao Niang Dance（黎族跳娘舞）
• The Mosuo People（摩梭人）
• Tibetan Culture（藏族文化）
• Xilankapu: Traditional Tujia Brocade from Enshi（湖北恩施土家族西兰卡普织锦）

Games & Popular Culture

• Blind Box（盲盒）
• Chinese Cultivation Games（中国修仙游戏）
• Chinese Style Game: Jiangnan Peekaboo（江南百景图）
• Culture-Loaded Words in Black Myth: Wukong（黑神话：悟空中的文化词）
• Hunan Tongguan Studio Short Drama Film and Television City（湖南铜官竖店短剧影视城）
• Myers-Briggs Type Indicator（迈尔斯-布里格斯类型指标）
• Study on the Cultural Connotation and Modern Value of the Chinese Zodiac（十二生肖的文化内涵及现代价值研究）

Language & Clothing

• Changsha Dialect（长沙方言）
• Chinese Sachets（中国香囊）
• Clothing: Chinese Hanfu（汉服）
• Quanzhou Zanhua (Hairpin Flower Adornment)（泉州簪花）

Science, Technology & Martial Arts

• Chinese intangible cultural heritage - Liuyang Fireworks
• Datiehua (Iron Fireworks)（打铁花）
• Irrigation System: Dujiangyan in Cheng Du（成都都江堰）
• Rucheng Incense Dragon（汝城香火龙）
• Shaolin Kongfu（少林功夫）
• TCM Health Preservation - Dietary Therapy（中医养生——食疗）

Literature & Scholarship

• Jujube Cake（酸枣糕）
• Redology: the study of Dream of the Red Chamber（红学）
• Seven Sages of Bamboo Grove（竹林七贤）
• The Four Treasures of the Study
• The Presumably Earliest City in China - Chengtoushan（中国最早的城市-城头山）
• The Quest for Love of Lao Lee（老舍《离婚》）
• Yongle Encyclopedia（《永乐大典》）

Architecture

• Huizhou Architecture（徽派建筑）

Cultural Symbols & Traditions

• Symbols of Traditional Chinese Culture: Loong and Fenghuang（龙和凤）
• The Disappearing Chongqing "Bang Bang"
• The Eight Oddities of Shaanxi（陕西八大怪）
• The Nuo Culture of Jiangxi（赣傩文化）
• The Peach Blossom Spring (Taohuayuan): From Literary Utopia to Cultural Symbol of Changde（常德桃花源）
• Traditional Chinese Cultural Symbol: Liuchi Alley（六尺巷）
• Yueyang Tianshi Dance（岳阳天狮舞）
• Yulin Invitation（玉麟相邀/衡阳土头碗）
• Yuanling Shailan Meat（沅陵晒兰肉）
• Yongzhou Blood Duck（永州血鸭）