The Chinese language is one of the oldest and most complex languages in the world. It has a long history and its characters have gone through many changes over the centuries.

The earliest form of Chinese characters were pictographs(象形文字). These characters were simple pictures that meant an object or action. For example, the character for “tree” was a picture of a tree and the character for “sun” was a picture of the sun. Over time, these pictographs became more abstract(抽象的) and changed into ideographs(表意文字). Ideographs were characters that meant an idea or a concept.

The third stage of Chinese character was the introduction of phonetic components(表音偏旁). It allowed people to know a word without having to draw a picture of it. Phonetic components are small pieces of a character that meant the sound of the word. For example, the character for “horse” is made up of the phonetic components for “ma” and “horse”.

Finally, Chinese characters developed into the modern forms we see today. These characters are made up of a combination(结合体) of pictographs, ideographs and phonetic components. This has made Chinese characters much easier to learn and remember, as they are now made up of smaller parts that are easier to remember and recognize.

The change of Chinese characters has had a main influence on Chinese culture and society. For centuries, Chinese character were the only way to communicate and write. This allowed Chinese culture and language to spread through the world. It also allowed people to share their ideas and thoughts with each other, which led to the development of rich and diverse cultures. Today, Chinese characters are still used in China and many other countries. They are important parts of Chinese culture, and they continue to change. Chinese characters reflect creativity of the Chinese people, and they will continue to be an important part of Chinese culture for many years to comic.

There is a festival in China that has three names. It’s known as the Chongyang Festival. Also, it is called the Double Ninth Festival because it falls on the ninth day of the ninth month of the Chinese lunar calendar (阴历). Finally it has been Senior’s Day (老人节) since 1989. This year, it fell on Oct 4th.

There are many traditions for this festival. In the past, people climbed mountains, drank chrysanthemum (菊花) wine, and wore a plant called zhuyu to celebrate it. Climbing mountains in autumn brings people close to nature and it’s good for health. Both chrysanthemum and zhuyu are also clean plants and they can clean houses and make people healthy.

In China, nine has the similar pronunciation with the word “forever”, meaning long life. So the Chinese government set the day as the Senior’s Day in 1989—a day to respect the old. Many companies and communities organize autumn trips for old people. Young people bring elders to the countryside to enjoy nature. They also give them gifts.

In China, it is a tradition to respect old people. In the past, if young people didn’t take good care of their parents, they would be seriously punished. Now we have the 24 Filial Exemplars (《新二十四孝》). It includes 24 things we should do for elders, such as calling them up every week and going to see them more often. On this three-named festival, remember to show your love to your elders.

After a long, cold and dry winter, life and color are starting to return. Flowers are blooming, birds are singing and people are flying kites. Known as the birthplace of kites, Weifang has a long history of making kites.

According to local artisans (工匠), Weifang kite-making can be traced back to 2,000 years ago. At first, they were often used by the military for measuring distance and communication purposes. During the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), kites started to be popular among ordinary people as entertainment.

Made from bamboo and featuring traditional Chinese paintings, Weifang kite-making was included in the national-level intangible (非物质的) cultural heritage lists in 2006. Initiated in 1984, the International Kite Festival has been held in Weifang every year.

Yang Hongwei,56, is an inheritor (传承人) of the Weifang kite-making technique in Shandong. Born into a kite-making family, Yang often saw kites with bright colors and different shapes in her grandfather’s workshop. “Every time I see these beautiful kites, my boredom and negative feelings go away,” said Yang.

Yang learned the technique from her grandfather at the age of 16. After practicing the technique for 10 years, she started her own shop in 1992. On Yang’s kites, people can see not only common patterns like butterflies and swallows (燕子), but also some prints telling Chinese myths, legends and history. For example, she once made a kite showing a phoenix head lined with portraits of 50 famous women in Chinese history on each side.

Though the idea was cool, the process was not easy.

Yang said that each woman has different characteristics in look, attire (服装) and makeup style. To create their portraits, she spent much effort and time checking historical records or discussing the details with professionals. When she explained the stories on the kites to foreign customers, she felt a sense of great achievement.