Cultural Activities

This session starts by showing you how ancient Chinese people looked upon  and understood the world around them and then continues to explain how those ancient philosophies still affect modern China. Philosophies being revealed are Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism and some other local religions.

Voodoo or science? What is the foundation of Traditional Chinese Medicine? How is the Five Element Theory (Water, Metal, Fire, Wood and Earth) applied into real life practice? Can we just stick in the acupuncture needle anywhere into your body? This session answers all burning questions on Chinese Medicine.

- Monthly activities

- Experience China’s rich culture and history  

- Chinese Corner: practice Mandarin!

The Chinese Dynasties lasted as long as 2.000 years, just to compare: the Roman Empire lasted 500 years. You can imagine the cultural richness and diversity of such a long history, still visible in nowadays China.  Silk Mandarin loves to take you back into time and guide you through the breath taking history of China.

Why did ancient Chinese people put animal sculptures on rooftops? What is a Shikumen and why is it called like that? And why is it that the only place you can find 9 animal sculptures in China is the Forbidden City? In this session, we will show you everything about ancient Chinese architecture from the cities to (door) thresholds.

Where does Yin-yang originally stems from and why is it still important today? Learn all about Yin-yang and how this ancient philosophy is applied to martial arts. You can also get the chance to practice Tai Chi with a master!

Why is calligraphy considered the highest art form in China? This session will reveal the answer to you and show you the unique aspects of Chinese painting and calligraphy. Understand the theory now?  Then it is time to practice some calligraphy yourself now!

Why do Chinese people race dragon boats? Why can't people eat warm food on Tomb Sweeping Day? Why do Chinese eat dumplings during Chinese New Year and where does Lantern Festival stem from? We answer these and other questions and make you find out all kinds of fun stories and customs about Chinese festivals.

Why is Chinese script called Hanzi 汉字?  How and why did Hanzi survive, now being the longest lived script still in use in the world? Why did ancient Chinese people write on turtle shells? This session will show you all the history about Chinese characters and explain why we say "Ancient poetry - the best way to understand Chinese culture”.

Can I send apples as a gift to my friend in hospital? Which end of the chopsticks should I point towards my Chinese customers? This session will show you a variety of Chinese taboos and reveal the reason behind them so that you will never be caught out!

Everybody almost automatically connects tea with China. But what exactly is the history of tea in China and how is the ‘tea ceremony’ related to weddings?  How do Chinese drink their tea, can you add milk to it? What is the most expensive tea in the world? These and many other intriguing questions will be answered in this workshop, whilst tasting Chinese tea yourself…..

Shanghai = Typical China? We will explore this extraordinary city with you, make you feel the Shanghai “buzz”. We take you to the historical Shikumen, wander through Shanghais beautiful parks, we will take you shopping in its extravagant super modern malls and may end up having a drink in one of the famous clubs at the Bund. After this session you can judge for yourself: Shanghai  = Typical China?