Chinese Traditions

Zi Su Ye is an herb commonly served with fish in sushi restaurants. Read this entertaining and educational herb story that's all about Perilla Leaf and its usefullness for tummy troubles!

Yvonne Lau of Mayway Herbs walks us through historical photos showing us how Chinese herbal medicine has evolved in the United States over the last 150 years.

What are now commonly referred to as “patent” medicines are prepared or manufactured Chinese herbal medicines, such as teapills and tablets, which have been made according to standard herbal formulas created hundreds and in some cases even thousands of years ago.

Chinese medicine has a long history in the US, even before the Chinese ever set foot in America. During America’s colonial period, Chinese tea, and herbs such as rhubarb, cinnamon, cardamon, and camphor crossed the ocean to the new world, just as Appalachian wild ginseng went east. White Americans learned about Traditional Chinese Medicine not only through the herbs they consumed, but also through European and American merchants, missionaries, and medical scientists who went to China, studied, and sometimes adopted Chinese therapeutic practices. Read on to learn more about the history of TCM in America.

Every year is either Yin or Yang, and they alternate. Since 2023 was a Yin year, 2024 is a Yang year. If we know the natures of Yin and Yang, we know that generally, Yang is faster, brighter, more active, and more powerful than Yin. That already tells us a bit about the year. Big events will be more Yang, so they may be fast and powerful. Read on for the 2024 Year of the Wood Dragon predictions!

The Spring Festival is celebrated for 15 days, complete with activities, superstitions, gatherings and festivals. It is an ancient holiday which has developed over eons and while many customs are the same throughout, some are observed in specific regions or communities in China. Many of those below are especially important to the southern Chinese communities living along the Pearl River Delta and the diaspora of Cantonese immigrants around the world, including our own Lau family.

Chinese New Year, traditionally called Chūn Jié 春節 or “Spring Festival” is the most important holiday in Chinese culture. 15 days long, it is a celebration of the renewal of life, a time for ritual and prayer, gatherings of family and friends, and the observance of traditions. Lots of preparations are done before the holiday so let’s look at some of the more modern Chinese traditions you can follow for good health, happiness, and better fortune in the coming year!

In recent years, many of us have likely experienced weariness and fatigue from so many rapid changes in our post-pandemic world. Here is a favorite family recipe to renew your energy reserves and provide a warm sense of optimism and strength!

Following the celestial pivot of the Solstice, there is a return to the beginning. Thus, the next hexagram in the sequence is Wú wàng, which literally means “not any delusion”. Wú means “without any” and wàng means "untruthful, dishonest, insincere, or delusional”. Wilhelm translates Wú wàng as “Innocence”, alluding to a time reminiscent of childhood full of laughter without falsehood.

Breathe your way to harmony, balance, health, and well-being. Practicing Qi Gong yourself and teaching it to your patients is one of the most beneficial aspects of Chinese medicine. It can be engaged anywhere and by anyone, including those who are bed-ridden or in a wheelchair. In Qi Gong breathing, the action is focused on the exhale by intentionally contracting the diaphragm and abdominal wall muscles, squeezing out the carbon dioxide until the lungs are empty.

The winter solstice has always been celebrated in China as the resting time of the year. In winter the life energy is still underground. The Return of Light is just beginning; therefore, it must be strengthened by rest so that it will not be dissipated by being used prematurely. This principle of allowing energy that is renewing itself to be reinforced by rest, applies to all similar situations. The return of health after illness, the return of understanding after an estrangement: everything must be treated tenderly and with care at the beginning, so that the return may lead to a flowering in its due course.

We highlight several easy to source Chinese medicinal herbs that are also excellent culinary herbs. Chinese dietary therapy emphasizes the concept of Yao Shi Tong Yuan 药食同源 “medicine and food have the same origin”.

The hexagram Lín 臨 corresponds to the twelfth month of the lunar calendar which is usually found in January or early February. The character Lín 臨 is translated as “coming just before” or “just about to occur” and in most translations of the I Ching, it is rendered as “Approach”. Since this is written in February and the solar calendar places Spring several weeks hence, I see this as “The Approach of Spring”. The hexagram consists of the three broken lines representing Earth above the trigram for Lake. The two yang lines of Lake are rising into and beginning to nourish the Earth, a powerful image for the approach of Spring.

Don't cut your hair, do clean your house, and by all means, have an extra dumpling. With the Chinese New Year coming up, let's take a look at some of the Chinese traditions you can follow for health, happiness and fortune in the coming year.

The Lunar New Year arrives on January 22nd and brings us the Year of the Yin Water Rabbit. You may also see it referred to as the Black Rabbit since black is the color of Water. What does the Rabbit have in store for 2023? The biggest difference is that last year was a Yang year and this year is a Yin year. Yin and Yang are opposites, and we really see the difference in these two years. Look at the contrast between the two animals representing the energy of Wood: the Tiger and the Rabbit. They’re pretty extreme opposites. One is a top of the food chain aggressive predator, and the other is a shy prey animal. That’s a pretty extreme contrast.