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Aug 14, 2022 · Sina Corporation launched Chinese microblogging website Sina Weibo (more commonly referred to as Weibo) on August 14, 2009. Weibo has grown into one of the biggest social media platforms in the country over the past decade, with 241 million daily active users (DAU), as of May 2020.
Weibo is a Chinese social media platform, launched in 2009, that allows users to post short messages, share multimedia content, and follow others. Often referred to as 'China's Twitter,' Weibo has become a significant tool for expression, information sharing, and social interaction in a country where traditional media is heavily regulated.
Mar 20, 2019 · Weibo was a major last stand for China’s inventive and obstreperous online dissidents, who threw everything they could at the censors, coming up with ingenious ways to get around the blocks...
Aug 14, 2022 · Sina Corporation launched Chinese microblogging website Sina Weibo (more commonly referred to as Weibo) on August 14, 2009. Weibo has grown into one of the biggest social media platforms in the country over the past decade, with 241 million daily active users (DAU), as of May 2020.
- Facts About Chinese Values and Beliefs
- Facts About The Chinese Language
- Religion and Superstitions in Chinese Culture
- Facts About Chinese Cuisine
- Facts About Chinese Pop and The Chinese Entertainment Scene
- Chinese Holidays and Celebrations
- Facts About Sports in China
- More Interesting Facts About Chinese Culture
1. Filial piety and honoring one’s ancestors
One of the most widely-known Chinese culture facts is the strong emphasis on filial piety. Children are expected to always respect, honor, and take care of their parents. What’s more, the concept of honoring your ancestors has a deep intertwinement with Chinese culture. So much so that “对得起祖先” — to be able to face your ancestors, is a common phrase used to dissuade individuals from partaking in taboo and immoral activities.
2. The concept of “saving face”
Another common fact about Chinese culture is the concept of “saving face” — presenting one’s self in a way that avoids embarrassing or bringing shame to one’s self, one’s family, or someone else. There isn’t a set threshold of what exactly is considered “shameful” and is really based more on societal norms and constructs. For example, one Chinese family may consider the fact that their child is failing at school to be shameful while another might not feel the need to hide it. This also extend...
3. Respecting your elders and seniors
This is one of the interesting things about Chinese culture that can also be seen in most Asian cultures. In Chinese culture, those who are more elderly than you or those who enjoy seniority often enjoy great respect. So much so that there is a popular Chinese idiom, 不听老人言，吃亏在眼前, which warns of the consequences of disregarding the advice of those more elderly than you. One way that the Chinese show respect to their elders is simply by bowing and addressing them with reverence, such as not cas...
6. One of the oldest languages in the world
Here’s a cool ancient Chinese cultural fact for you: The Chinese language, or rather its writing system, is one of the oldest writing systems in the world that’s still in use today! It has a rich history of over 4,000 years and is said to have been invented by the Shang Dynasty (oracle bone script). While the Chinese language itself has evolved over several thousand years, the core element of Chinese characters and their pictorial roots have remained to this day. Basically, many characters in...
7. One language, different dialects
Another cool fact about Chinese culture is that the Chinese language isn’t just one language like English. In fact, the Chinese “language” that most people refer to is actually Mandarin, the dominant dialect that is spoken throughout most of China, Taiwan, and even Malaysia and Singapore. However, beyond Mandarin, there are also Cantonese, Hokkien, Teochew, Hainanese, Hakka, and many more dialects, making the Chinese language, as a whole, one of the most sophisticated languages in the world.
8. Tones are everything in Mandarin
Speaking of Mandarin, it is one of the most popular languages to learn in this day and age. And ask anyone who is learning the language, and they’ll tell you how important tones are in Mandarin. This is why mastering hanyu pinyin (romanization and pronunciation of Mandarin characters) is so important. Overly emphasize or under-annunciate something and the meaning of your sentence could change drastically. A popular joke is the difference between 睡觉 (sleep) and 水饺 (dumplings), which are both p...
11. The shared values of Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism
While China doesn’t have an official state religion, Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism are the most widely-practiced religions in China. In fact, elements of these religions permeate many aspects of Chinese culture. Common practices such as respecting one’s elders are deeply rooted in the values of Confucianism, while the concept of yin and yang, the idea that everything works in opposite but intertwining forces, has its roots in Taoism.
12. Feng Shui in daily life
Another interesting fact about Chinese culture is the pervasiveness of feng shui. To the uninitiated, feng shui might sound like a superficial superstition where changing the position of a plant, for example, brings good luck. But in reality, for many Chinese, feng shui is a way of life that actually has some connection to logic and science. For example, one concept of feng shui is to promote clutter-free spaces which helps in promoting positive energy flow. This is similar to how being in a...
13. Astrology and fortune telling
Another interesting Chinese cultural fact is the belief in astrology and fortune-telling. There are varying degrees of this, from visiting a fortune teller to find out if you’ll find love this year, to changing one’s name to counter “bad energy” and to influence one’s path in life. Chinese astrology relies not only on the position of the stars but also on the Chinese Zodiac to make predictions about one’s life.
16. Regional cuisines
To say that there are as many types of Chinese cuisine as there are dialects isn’t an exaggeration. In fact, you would probably be quite spot-on in that regard! That’s because Chinese food can generally be divided into just eight main regional cuisines: Cantonese, which is by far the most popular; Sichuanese and Hunanese, which are famous for being spicy; Shandong cuisine which goes big on seafood; Zhejiang and Jiangsu cuisine which emphasizes a balance of sweet and savory; and finally cuisin...
17. Communal meals
Regardless of which cuisine speaks more to your soul (or belly), one thing that’s for certain is that in Chinese culture, meals are often intimate gatherings with friends and family. That’s reflected in the communal nature of Chinese meals — rather than each individual getting their own separate dishes, the main courses are placed in the middle of the table to be shared by everyone. Here, you might think: Yes, each person gets a bowl of rice and they pair it with the dishes. But that’s not al...
18. Using chopsticks instead of other utensils
Another Chinese tradition when it comes to food is that we prefer to use chopsticks over other utensils. That said, there’s more to eating with chopsticks than using them to pick up food. For one, the common taboo that most people will no doubt have heard about is not sticking your chopsticks upright in your rice. This looks like an offering of incense to the dead. Some of the more uncommon taboos include not using your chopsticks to poke around looking for something specific, and only using...
23. The Four Heavenly Kings
Chinese pop music is one of the most popular music genres in the world, with megastars like Jay Chou and Jolin Tsai tearing up the scene since the early 2000s. However, the most well-known group of singers in Chinese pop culture, particularly in Cantopop, has to be the Four Heavenly Kings. The Four Heavenly Kings (四大天王) in Chinese pop culture generally refer to four specific male Cantopop singers who have gone on to achieve unrivaled success. They are Jacky Cheung, Andy Lau, Aaron Kwok, and L...
24. Four Dan Actresses
Similarly in Chinese culture, the four best female actresses are also honored with a lofty title — the Four Dan Actresses. Traditionally, this term was used in Chinese opera to refer to the four highest-ranking female roles, each role symbolizing a different virtue of a woman. These days, the title is given to essentially the four most famous young actresses in Mainland China. The first generation of Four Dan Actresses included Zhang Ziyi, Zhao Wei, Zhou Xun, and Xu Jinglei in the year 2000,...
25. Censorship in Chinese cinemas
While the entertainment industry in China is blossoming, the Chinese government heavily regulates and controls the content that users consume. This isn’t limited to just the censorship of certain content or topics, but also to what gets air time at the box office. Chinese cinema is dominated by domestic films with only limited slots afforded to foreign media with strict criteria. If you’ve ever wondered why you started seeing so many advertisements for Chinese ads, and why so many films now s...
27. Chinese Valentine’s Day
In modern Chinese culture, there are no less than FIVE different Valentine’s Days! The first is the conventional Valentine’s Day celebrated by the world on February 14. But a month after that, there’s White Day, 白色情人节, where women give men chocolates. After that, it’s May 20, known as 520 (五二零), a phonetic play on the words “I love you”. This particular Valentine’s Day was born out of Chinese Internet culture and is usually celebrated by millennials and younger couples. And then there’s the t...
28. Singles Day
On the opposite side of the spectrum isGuanggun Jie, or Singles’ Day which is celebrated on November 11. When it first came about in the 90s, Singles Day was when those who are single would buy themselves gifts. Today, the day has become a major online shopping event in China, with many retailers offering huge discounts on this day. Because of the date being associated with online shopping, Singles’ Day is sometimes also considered a pseudo-Valentine’s Day, where lovers take the chance to buy...
29. Dragon Boat Festival
To most people, this festival may seem like nothing more than an event where people race each other in dragon boats and eat rice dumplings. However, the origin of Duanwujie端午节 is a fascinating one that highlights how interesting Chinese culture is. It all started in the Warring States period of China with a man named Qu Yuan, who was a wise and trusted adviser to King Huai of the State of Chu. After King Huai’s death, his son, King Qingxiang grew to distrust Qu Yuan, frequently ignoring his a...
32. Table tennis
When it comes to sports in Chinese culture, nothing is as popular as table tennis (or ping pong). The Chinese national ping pong team has won numerous titles, including several Olympic gold medals. Such is the love for ping pong that it’s believed that as many as 300 million people play ping pong in China regularly! What’s more, ping pong is also an interesting piece of Chinese culture that holds a special place in world politics. In 1971, a few members of the American ping pong team visited...
33. Badminton
After ping pong, the most beloved sport in Chinese culture is surely badminton. After all, with so many world-beaters and Olympic champions hailing from China, it’s no surprise that there are as many passionate badminton fans in China as there are ping pong fans. That said, the most famous badminton star in China remains the legendary Lin Dan, who shared a heated rivalry with the Malaysian player, Lee Chong Wei.
34. Martial arts
An integral part of Chinese culture is the prevalence of martial arts, thanks, especially to the many martial arts films that Hollywood has produced over the years. Indeed, there are many different types of martial arts in Chinese culture and tradition, including Shaolin, Wushu, Taichi, Wing Chun, and more. Martial arts in China is more than just a movie genre though. The Chinese National Wushu team, to date, has won over 200 gold world championship medals!
37. The repeated separation and unification of China
One of the most interesting Chinese culture facts from the past that may still be relevant today is that China, as a country, has been separated and reunited many times throughout history. The first time that China was “whole” was when Qin Shi Huang conquered all the regions in China, bringing an end to the Warring States period. It then split apart again at the end of the Han Dynasty (the era of the Three Kingdoms). What followed was a chaotic few centuries where China kept separating and re...
38. E-Wallets over cash and card
When you visit China for the first time, one thing you’ll realize is that cash isn’t as widely used as in many other countries. In modern Chinese culture, the main method of paying is using electronic wallets like Alipay. That’s why you’ll see plenty of cashless or fully automated eateries, machines, and grocery stores.
39. The culture of streaming in China
Another major part of modern life in China is the culture of streaming. Many content creators in China are now turning to live streaming as a way to connect with their fan base and to sell products. Whether it’s streaming a game, singing and dancing, or simply chatting with users, live streams are a big part of daily life in China.
Feb 23, 2013 · Many of the biggest stories that have rocked China over the past few years were first picked up and then amplified by Weibo, including the Wenzhou train collision and a slew of food safety scandals. You can keep up to date with what Weibo users are talking about by following the “热门话题” (hot topics) on the right hand side of the ...
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Sep 21, 2015 · This is What’s on Weibo’s short introduction to Sina Weibo, China’s biggest social media network that was launched in 2009. Over the past eight years, Weibo has transformed from a Chinese equivalent of Twitter to a comprehensive platform that incorporates the major features of social media channels like Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram ...
