
The Bizarre and Dangerous World of Ancient Chinese Weight Loss
From a weight-loss dance to diets of cacti and musk, ancient Chinese had a variety of ways to keep themselves slim

How Ancient Chinese Scholars Celebrated Graduation
In the Tang dynasty, scholars celebrated the end of exams with food, bribes, and cosying up to officials

Anti-War Poetry in Ancient China
Four ancient Chinese poets on human suffering amid turbulence and war

How Ancient Chinese Seniors Spent Their Retirement
Retirement from working wasn’t always bliss for ancient Chinese officials

Chinese Trees and Their Meanings
Symbolism of eight common trees in Chinese culture

Nailed It: Why Long Fingernails Were All the Rage in Ancient China
The symbolism of long nails and nail guards, from Confucius to Empress Cixi

The “Designer” Bags of Ancient China
Centuries before Chanel and Hermès became status symbols, ancient Chinese could tell a person’s rank from the bag they carried

Ancient Ways to Beat the Summer Heat
Keeping cool with no electricity was no easy feat in ancient China

The Ebb and Flow of the Grand Canal
How the Grand Canal turned Hangzhou from a backwater into one of the richest cities in the world
