The 7 best traditional Chinese gifts for Christmas

Chinese knot weave

Chinese knot weaving is a craft that originated as a Chinese folk art during the Tang and Song dynasties of China (960-1279 AD). It became popular later, during the Ming Empire. th art is also called Chinese traditional decorative knots.

Usually compositions of Chinese knots are similar to slings, in which 2 laces are threaded at the top of the knot, and the same number comes out from the bottom, and on the sides – mostly 8. As a rule, knots are two-layered and symmetrical.

Chopsticks

Chopsticks date back to the Shang Dynasty (1766-1122 BC) in ancient China. The very first pair of sticks made of bronze were found in the Yin ruins near the city of Anyang in Henan province. It is dated to around 1200 BC. The use of chopsticks was first mentioned in the philosophical treatise “Han-Fei-tzu”, written in the 3rd century BC by Han Fei (280-233 BC).

Although China has long included chopsticks on its traditional cutlery list, over the past few centuries, chopsticks have been used in several other Asian countries as well, due to the influx of immigrants to Southeast Asia.

Chinese tea

According to folk tales, tea was discovered by the Chinese emperor Shennong in 2373 BC. BC, when a leaf from a Chinese camellia bush fell into the water that the emperor was boiling.

Chinese tea can be divided into 5 different categories: white, green, oolong, black / red, and post-fermented. Some add categories for pre-packaged, flavored, and pressed teas. All of them arose due to the variety of types of Chinese camellia. Green tea is the most popular type of tea in China.

Chinese embroidery

The history of Chinese embroidery dates back to the Neolithic era. The quality of silk fibers is high; therefore, it is from them that fine Chinese embroidery is performed. Chinese embroidery means embroidery created by any of the cultures living in the territory of modern China. This is one of the most ancient types of handicrafts that have survived to this day. There are four main types of regional embroidery: Suzhou, Hunan, Guangdong, and Sichuan.

Chinese painting

Chinese painting is one of the oldest artistic traditions in the world that still exists today. The very first pictures were not figurative, but ornamental; they were more patterns than pictures. And only in the period of the Warring States (475-221 BC) did artists begin to depict the world around them.

The two main techniques of Chinese painting are gunbi (clear drawing of elements) and sei (free writing).

Xun

Xun is a spherical flute-like Chinese musical instrument made from clay or ceramic. It looks like an ocarina, but lacks a mouthpiece. Although other flute-like Chinese instruments, such as voodoo and taodi, have a mouthpiece.

Shun is given an ovoid shape and performed in several sizes; it is considered one of the oldest Chinese instruments. On top of it there is a hole where you need to blow, smaller finger holes.

Tobacco bottle

During the Qing Dynasty, the Chinese used tobacco vials to store snuff. During this era, tobacco smoking was illegal, but the use of snuff was not prohibited as the Chinese considered it to be a cure for the most common diseases.

The most famous and collectible types of tobacco vials are painted inside or using the reverse painting technique, these small masterpieces are painted with a thin curved brush or bamboo stick that penetrates the bottle through its neck.

Chinese tobacco bubbles were often decorated with paintings or carvings to distinguish between bubbles of different quality and value. As before, decorative bubbles take a long time to make, which is why they are so desirable for modern collectors.

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