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History and Culture

Explore Wuyi culture and traditions through cultural practices, festivals, and rites such as Chinese New Year celebrations, ancestor worship, and other traditional customs celebrated by Wuyi families

History and Culture

From Villages to Civilizations: Rethinking “China” through the Lens of Tianxia

Over the past weeks, we have wandered through the ancestral lanes of Wuyi villages, tracing how kinship, reciprocity, and ritual practice continue to structure rural life in southern China. We have seen how gifts are exchanged not just in celebration but in the renewal of bonds; how ancestral halls are not relics but living institutions;…

ByStevenJune 10, 20250Comments

History and Culture

Individual Choice in Rural China: How Village Life is Quietly Changing

In recent years, individual choice in rural China has become more visible, as quiet but meaningful shifts begin to take root in daily life. Tradition, long the compass of family and village rhythms, remains — but now bends gently in new directions. Customs once passed down as obligations are being reconsidered in light of personal…

ByStevenJune 7, 20250Comments

History and Culture

What Happens When No One Owes You Anything Anymore in Rural Villages?

In many rural villages across China, the social fabric no longer weaves as tightly as it once did. Networks of mutual obligation — once sustained through harvest seasons, shared rituals, and unspoken codes of exchange — now strain under the pressures of modernization, migration, and market logic. Familiar faces remain, but familiarity itself is fading.…

ByStevenJune 5, 20251Comment

History and Culture

When Familiarity Fades: Tracing the Shifting Fabric of Rural China

Once a symbol of protection and prestige, these fortified towers now stand as quiet witnesses to the transformation of rural China.Not long ago, we explored a world built on trust, tradition, and rootedness—a world where ancestral halls across China's countryside stood not just as buildings, but as pillars of a living culture. In those communities,…

ByStevenJune 2, 20251Comment

History and Culture

Rediscovering Rural Roots: The Essence of Chinese Village Life in the Wuyi Region

When we think of Chinese village life, stereotypes often arise—"rustic," "backward," or "primitive." Yet, beneath these superficial labels lies a deeply rooted cultural fabric that has sustained communities for generations. This cultural richness is particularly vivid in the Wuyi region, encompassing Taishan, Kaiping, Enping, Xinhui, and Heshan, an area renowned for its deep connections to…

ByStevenMay 31, 20250Comments

History and Culture

What Makes the Dragon Boat Festival Special? A Guide to Its Ancient Rituals

As the humid air of early summer settles over southern China, communities by the water stir with ancient rhythm. The Dragon Boat Festival (端午节) is more than an annual tradition—it’s a sacred reawakening of memory, unity, and ancestral spirit. While most may know the festival through the poetic legend of Qu Yuan (屈原), the 3rd-century…

ByStevenMay 30, 20250Comments

History and Culture

The Spirit of Lingnan: What It Means to Come from the South

For many, Lingnan is a region—lush, southern, coastal—stretching beyond the Nanling Mountains where rivers meet the sea and dialects shift with the wind. But to those whose roots lie there, Lingnan is not just geography. It is temperament. It is inheritance. It is a way to live. Cut off from the imperial heartland by mountains…

ByStevenMay 27, 20250Comments

Cities of Wuyi History and Culture

Ancient Roots, New Traditions: Ethnic Integration in the Wuyi Region

The Wuyi region—comprising Xinhui, Taishan, Kaiping, Heshan, and Enping counties in Guangdong—is renowned for its distinctive culture shaped by centuries of migration and ethnic integration. Situated at the junction between the Pearl River Delta and the rugged hills of western Guangdong, Wuyi’s unique identity is a product of diverse ethnicities and historical narratives merging into…

ByStevenMay 24, 20251Comment

Enping History and Culture

Feng Ru of Enping: The Chinese Wright Brother You’ve Never Heard Of

ucked in the hills of Guangzhou’s Huanghuagang Cemetery, beside the tombs of seventy-two revolutionary martyrs, rests a name few today recognize—yet one that once soared across continents. Feng Ru (冯如), born in 1884 in the humble village of Xingwei, Enping (恩平杏围村), carved his place in history as the first Chinese aviator and aircraft engineer. He…

ByStevenMay 19, 20250Comments

Cities of Wuyi History and Culture

The Legacy of the Wuyi Overseas Student Movement: Pioneers of Modernization

China has long been recognized as a cradle of civilization and a center of intellectual and cultural diffusion across Asia. For over a millennium, its philosophical traditions—most notably Confucianism—shaped governance, ethics, and education systems in Korea, Japan, and Vietnam. The imperial examination system, which emphasized merit-based selection of officials, was among the earliest forms of…

ByStevenMay 15, 20250Comments

Roots of China: Celebrating Heritage, Empowering Artisans

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History and Culture

From Villages to Civilizations: Rethinking “China” through the Lens of Tianxia

Individual Choice in Rural China: How Village Life is Quietly Changing

Rediscovering Rural Roots: The Essence of Chinese Village Life in the Wuyi Region

What Makes the Dragon Boat Festival Special? A Guide to Its Ancient Rituals

The Spirit of Lingnan: What It Means to Come from the South

Ancient Roots, New Traditions: Ethnic Integration in the Wuyi Region

Feng Ru of Enping: The Chinese Wright Brother You’ve Never Heard Of

The Legacy of the Wuyi Overseas Student Movement: Pioneers of Modernization

Newsletter

Siyi to Wuyi: A Journey of Transformation and Heritage

Qílóu Architecture in Wuyi: Cultural Fusion and Resilience

Roots of Legacy: Wuyi Impact & Future Generations

History and Culture

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