中国武术分内家拳和外家拳。外家拳(少林拳/洪拳/蔡李佛)——刚猛有力，注重肌肉力量和速度，先发制人。内家拳(太极拳/形意拳/八卦掌)——以柔克刚，注重内在气息和劲力传导，后发先至。太极拳能不能打？能——但和你在公园里看到的老年人慢悠悠的太极是两回事。陈式太极(发源地陈家沟)保留了完整的实战体系——推手(两人手臂相贴练习听劲和化劲，感知对方的意图和力点，在对方力到之前就化掉了)、擒拿摔法、爆发力训练(陈式太极有发劲的动作不是一直慢的)。杨式太极是陈家沟传到北京后为了教八旗子弟简化了的版本(降低了实战性强调养生)——这也是全世界最多人练的太极。真正的太极高手极少——他们不会在公园里打太极，也不是擂台上的格斗选手——是一种介于格斗和养生之间的实战智慧。抛开能不能打——太极拳对中老年人来说是最安全的全身运动之一(改善平衡/降低血压/延缓认知衰退)。
日本飞鸟/奈良时代的建筑深受中国唐代影响。遣唐使把唐代的建筑制式、斗拱技术、寺院布局带回日本——法隆寺、唐招提寺、东大寺就是唐代建筑的日本版。中国现存唐代木构建筑仅4座且都在山西：南禅寺大殿建于782年是中国现存最古老的木构建筑；佛光寺东大殿建于857年由梁思成1937年发现——之前日本人宣称中国已无唐代木构，要看唐构只能来日本，梁思成林徽因在五台山找到佛光寺打破了这一断言；广仁王庙；天台庵。为什么中国唐代木构这么少？因为中国建筑多用木材且历代王朝有烧旧建新的传统。日本保留了更多古建筑的原因是较少战乱、修缮保护意识强、木构重建传统如伊势神宫每20年重建一次让建筑技法代代相传。所以如果你在国内看不到唐代木构，去日本奈良和京都看看，那是唐代建筑的镜像。
Guqin ≠ Guzheng — although they differ by only one character, they are two completely different instruments. Guqin (seven-stringed zither): 3000+ years of history, 7 strings, no bridges, with a deep, restrained, and distant tone. Its volume is extremely low — it requires close listening in a quiet environment. The guqin is one of the oldest extant plucked instruments in the world and preserves the world's oldest notation system (jianzipu, from the Tang Dynasty to the present). In 2003, guqin art was inscribed on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The four cultivated arts of Chinese literati: qin (guqin), qi (go), shu (calligraphy), hua (Chinese painting) — the guqin is a tool for the spiritual cultivation of literati, not a performance instrument. Famous pieces: "Flowing Water" (carried into space on NASA's Voyager Golden Record) / "Guangling San" / "Three Variations on the Plum Blossom". Guzheng: 2500+ years of history, 21 strings, with bridges, loud volume and a gorgeous, bright timbre — it is a performance-oriented instrument. It is suitable for playing pieces with strong melodic lines. Famous pieces: "Fisherman's Song at Eventide", "High Mountains and Flowing Water" (guzheng version). Analogy for the difference: the guqin is like an old piano with only 7 notes but infinite room for imagination in each note, played for oneself; the guzheng is like a 21-string harp, played for others.
There are approximately 348 existing traditional Chinese opera genres in China (2017 national traditional Chinese opera survey data). The recognized five major opera genres: ① Peking Opera (national opera) — formed in 1790 when Anhui troupes entered Beijing and merged with Kunqu/Qinqiang/Han tunes, complete with singing, recitation, acting, and acrobatics, representative works "Farewell My Concubine" and "The Drunken Beauty" ② Kunqu (ancestor of a hundred operas) — 600 years of history, selected as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2001 (China's first), with melodious and lingering vocal style known as shuimo diao, representative works "The Peony Pavilion" and "The Peach Blossom Fan" ③ Yue Opera (women's Yue Opera) — originated in Shengzhou, Zhejiang with all-female troupes, skilled at performing love stories of scholars and beauties, with beautiful and lyrical singing, representative works "Dream of the Red Chamber" and "Butterfly Lovers" ④ Huangmei Opera — from the border of Anhui and Hubei,平民化 plain and lively, representative works "The Heavenly Match" and "The Female Son-in-Law" ⑤ Yu Opera — from Henan, the opera genre with the largest number of troupes nationwide, bold and unrestrained, representative works "Mulan" and "Mu Guiying Takes Command". Other important opera genres: Sichuan Opera (face-changing stunt)/Qinqiang (the oldest, ancestor of Peking Opera)/Jin Opera/Cantonese Opera (Guangdong, UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage)/Ping Opera/Hebei Bangzi. How to get started? First watch the youth version of "The Peony Pavilion" (adapted by Bai Xianyong) — do not watch the old recordings from the 1960s, the slow pace will discourage you.
中国武术分内家拳和外家拳。外家拳(少林拳/洪拳/蔡李佛)——刚猛有力，注重肌肉力量和速度，先发制人。内家拳(太极拳/形意拳/八卦掌)——以柔克刚，注重内在气息和劲力传导，后发先至。太极拳能不能打？能——但和你在公园里看到的老年人慢悠悠的太极是两回事。陈式太极(发源地陈家沟)保留了完整的实战体系——推手(两人手臂相贴练习听劲和化劲，感知对方的意图和力点，在对方力到之前就化掉了)、擒拿摔法、爆发力训练(陈式太极有发劲的动作不是一直慢的)。杨式太极是陈家沟传到北京后为了教八旗子弟简化了的版本(降低了实战性强调养生)——这也是全世界最多人练的太极。真正的太极高手极少——他们不会在公园里打太极，也不是擂台上的格斗选手——是一种介于格斗和养生之间的实战智慧。抛开能不能打——太极拳对中老年人来说是最安全的全身运动之一(改善平衡/降低血压/延缓认知衰退)。
日本飞鸟/奈良时代的建筑深受中国唐代影响。遣唐使把唐代的建筑制式、斗拱技术、寺院布局带回日本——法隆寺、唐招提寺、东大寺就是唐代建筑的日本版。中国现存唐代木构建筑仅4座且都在山西：南禅寺大殿建于782年是中国现存最古老的木构建筑；佛光寺东大殿建于857年由梁思成1937年发现——之前日本人宣称中国已无唐代木构，要看唐构只能来日本，梁思成林徽因在五台山找到佛光寺打破了这一断言；广仁王庙；天台庵。为什么中国唐代木构这么少？因为中国建筑多用木材且历代王朝有烧旧建新的传统。日本保留了更多古建筑的原因是较少战乱、修缮保护意识强、木构重建传统如伊势神宫每20年重建一次让建筑技法代代相传。所以如果你在国内看不到唐代木构，去日本奈良和京都看看，那是唐代建筑的镜像。
Guqin ≠ Guzheng — although they differ by only one character, they are two completely different instruments. Guqin (seven-stringed zither): 3000+ years of history, 7 strings, no bridges, with a deep, restrained, and distant tone. Its volume is extremely low — it requires close listening in a quiet environment. The guqin is one of the oldest extant plucked instruments in the world and preserves the world's oldest notation system (jianzipu, from the Tang Dynasty to the present). In 2003, guqin art was inscribed on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The four cultivated arts of Chinese literati: qin (guqin), qi (go), shu (calligraphy), hua (Chinese painting) — the guqin is a tool for the spiritual cultivation of literati, not a performance instrument. Famous pieces: "Flowing Water" (carried into space on NASA's Voyager Golden Record) / "Guangling San" / "Three Variations on the Plum Blossom". Guzheng: 2500+ years of history, 21 strings, with bridges, loud volume and a gorgeous, bright timbre — it is a performance-oriented instrument. It is suitable for playing pieces with strong melodic lines. Famous pieces: "Fisherman's Song at Eventide", "High Mountains and Flowing Water" (guzheng version). Analogy for the difference: the guqin is like an old piano with only 7 notes but infinite room for imagination in each note, played for oneself; the guzheng is like a 21-string harp, played for others.
There are approximately 348 existing traditional Chinese opera genres in China (2017 national traditional Chinese opera survey data). The recognized five major opera genres: ① Peking Opera (national opera) — formed in 1790 when Anhui troupes entered Beijing and merged with Kunqu/Qinqiang/Han tunes, complete with singing, recitation, acting, and acrobatics, representative works "Farewell My Concubine" and "The Drunken Beauty" ② Kunqu (ancestor of a hundred operas) — 600 years of history, selected as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2001 (China's first), with melodious and lingering vocal style known as shuimo diao, representative works "The Peony Pavilion" and "The Peach Blossom Fan" ③ Yue Opera (women's Yue Opera) — originated in Shengzhou, Zhejiang with all-female troupes, skilled at performing love stories of scholars and beauties, with beautiful and lyrical singing, representative works "Dream of the Red Chamber" and "Butterfly Lovers" ④ Huangmei Opera — from the border of Anhui and Hubei,平民化 plain and lively, representative works "The Heavenly Match" and "The Female Son-in-Law" ⑤ Yu Opera — from Henan, the opera genre with the largest number of troupes nationwide, bold and unrestrained, representative works "Mulan" and "Mu Guiying Takes Command". Other important opera genres: Sichuan Opera (face-changing stunt)/Qinqiang (the oldest, ancestor of Peking Opera)/Jin Opera/Cantonese Opera (Guangdong, UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage)/Ping Opera/Hebei Bangzi. How to get started? First watch the youth version of "The Peony Pavilion" (adapted by Bai Xianyong) — do not watch the old recordings from the 1960s, the slow pace will discourage you.