Cité interditeLa Cité interdite (), généralement appelé par les Chinois le palais ancien (), également appelé musée du palais () est le palais impérial au sein de la Cité impériale de Pékin dont la construction fut ordonnée par Yongle, troisième empereur de la dynastie Ming, et réalisée entre 1406 et 1420. Cet immense palais fait partie des palais les plus anciens et les mieux conservés de Chine.
Fête des lanternesthumb|Fête des lanternes à Taipei. La fête des lanternes (元宵节 yuánxiāojié), où la lumière est reine, clôt le cycle des festivités du Nouvel an en Chine. Fête nocturne, on la nomme d'ailleurs parfois « petit Nouvel an » (xiaonian 小年). La population (de nos jours, surtout les enfants accompagnés de leurs parents) sort pour une promenade à la nuit tombée, une lanterne à la main. Bien que les modèles traditionnels (huadeng 花灯) en papier illuminés à la bougie gardent leurs adeptes, on en trouve de plus en plus faites en plastique et équipées de piles.
Shen (clam-monster)In Chinese mythology, the shen or chen () is a shapeshifting dragon or shellfish-type sea monster believed to create mirages. The Chinese classics use the word shèn to mean "a large shellfish" that was associated with funerals and "an aquatic monster" that could change its shape, which was later associated with "mirages". The word used to mean a shellfish, or mollusk, identified as an oyster, mussel, or giant clam such as the Pearl of Lao Tzu.
Hong (rainbow-dragon)Hong or jiang () is a two-headed dragon in Chinese mythology, comparable with rainbow serpent legends in various cultures and mythologies. Chinese has three "rainbow" words, regular hong 虹, literary didong 蝃蝀, and ni 蜺 "secondary rainbow". Note that all these Chinese characters share a graphic element of hui "insect; worm; reptile; etc." (cf. tripled chong ), known in Chinese as Kangxi radical number 142 and loosely translated in English as the "insect radical".
TianlongTianlong (; lit. "heavenly dragon") is a flying dragon in Chinese mythology, a star in Chinese astrology, and a proper name. The term tianlong combines tian "heaven" and long "dragon". Since tian literally means "heaven; the heavens; sky" or figuratively "Heaven; God; gods", tianlong can denote "heavenly dragon; celestial dragon" or "holy dragon; divine dragon". Tianlong 天龍 is homophonous with another name in Chinese folklore.
Chinese folkloreChinese folklore encompasses the folklore of China, and includes songs, poetry, dances, puppetry, and tales. It often tells stories of human nature, historical or legendary events, love, and the supernatural. The stories often explain natural phenomena and distinctive landmarks. Along with Chinese mythology, it forms an important element in Chinese folk religion. The main influences on Chinese folk tales have been Taoism, Confucianism and Buddhism.
Yellow DragonThe Yellow Dragon ( is the zoomorphic incarnation of the Yellow Emperor of the center of the universe in Chinese religion and mythology. The Yellow Emperor or Yellow Deity was conceived by Fubao, who became pregnant after seeing a yellow ray of light turning around the Northern Dipper (in Chinese theology the principal symbol of God). Twenty-four months later, the Yellow Emperor was born and was associated with the color yellow because it is the color of the earth (Dì 地), the material substance in which he incarnated.
Culture de HongshanLa culture de Hongshan (红山文化) est une culture néolithique (4700 - 2900 av. l'ère commune) du nord-est de la Chine, s’étendant au nord des monts Yan (燕山) au Hebei et de part et d'autre des cours supérieurs du Daling (大凌河) et du Xiliao (西遼河) au Liaoning et en Mongolie-Intérieure. La culture de Hongshan est particulièrement célèbre pour ses objets de jade ainsi que pour quelques sites funéraires et cultuels tout à fait remarquables comprenant temples, autels, cairns et constructions pyramidales.
Zhulong (mythology)Zhulong 'dʒuːlɒŋ or Zhuyin 'dʒuːjɪn, also known in English as the Torch Dragon, was a giant red solar dragon and god in Chinese mythology. It supposedly had a human's face and snake's body, created day and night by opening and closing its eyes, and created seasonal winds by breathing. The key word in the names "Zhuyin" and "Zhulong" is , pronounced zhú in present-day Mandarin.
Chīshǒuchīshǒu () est un des neuf fils du dragon que l'on retrouve à l'angle des bâtiments. Il est parfois confondu avec Chiwen (螭吻), qui aime également l'eau et se retrouve à l'angle des toits. Chishou se reconnaît à son museau retroussé et sa forme généralement horizontale, inspirés par le makara indien. Image:Chishou.JPG Image:KongmiaochishouTainanTaiwan.jpg|Chishou à Taïnan, Taïwan Image:Songzalin Monastery main prayer hall roof decorations 3.JPG|Chishou tibétain, au monastère de Songzanlin, province du [[Yunnan]].
