There are many differences between Chinese eating habits and Western eating habits. In the West, everyone has their own plate of food. But in China the dishes are placed on the table and everyone shares. If you are being treated by a Chinese host, there must be a lot of food prepared for you. Chinese are very proud of their culture. They will do their best to show their hospitality(好客).

And sometimes the Chinese hosts use their chopsticks to put food in your bowl or plate. This is a sign of politeness. The proper thing to do would be to eat the whatever-it-is and say how delicious it is. If you feel uncomfortable with this, you can just say a polite “Thanks” and leave the food there. Don’t stick your chopsticks upright into the rice bowl. Instead, lay them on your dish. The reason for this is that when people die, family members give them a bowl of rice with a pair of chopsticks sticking upright in it. It is impolite to set the teapot down where the spout (壶嘴) is facing towards somebody. The spout should always be directed to where nobody is sitting, usually just outward from the table.

Don’t hit on your bowl with your chopsticks. Beggars (乞丐) hit on their bowls, so this is not polite. Also, when the food is coming too slowly in a restaurant, people will tap(轻敲) their bowls. If you are in someone’s home, it is like offending(冒犯) the cook.

Chinese fancy knots (中国结), also called Chinese knots, are very important in Chinese culture. They began as a form of traditional art in the Tang and Song Dynasties ( 朝 代 ) in China, and became popular in the Ming Dynasty. Long ago, they found their way to Japan and other Southeast Asian countries, and were well received there. Now they are regarded as one of the symbols of Chinese culture.

As for the name itself, it is surely meaningful. The Chinese word for “knot”, jie, means “connection”. And the pronunciation of the Chinese word jie is very close to that of ji, “good luck”. As a result, Chinese knots are used as a way to express people’s strong wishes for marvellous things like happiness, love and good luck.

The knots are used widely in everyday life. They come in different sizes. Small ones are connected to jewellery (珠宝) , clothes and gifts in order to draw people’ s attention, while large ones are used to make a living room or study more beautiful. Whether large or small, they are named after their shapes and usages. For example, Double Coin Knots are called Shuangqian Jie because they are in the shape of two ancient Chinese coins, meaning “good things come in pairs”. Besides, Chinese knots are famous for their bright colors. Different colors have different traditional cultural meanings. Red means good luck and happiness, green means health, and yellow means wealth.

All in all, the famous Chinese fancy knots fully show the Chinese culture. These brightly colored knots with their endless chains (链条) of knots mean that life on earth will continue forever.