Z G06: I&S Culture Shock: Chinese

Based on evidence found by inspecting village graves, it would seem that, in Yangshao culture, the people in charge were women. Every woman's grave that was inspected contained more items than the men's. Out of 250 graves, none showed that a male was chieftain, while there is plenty of evidence that the leaders were women.

High in the Himalayas, the last matriarchs of the Mosuo people struggle to keep ancient traditions alive.

Imagine a society without fathers; without marriage (or divorce); one in which nuclear families don’t exist. Grandmother sits at the head of the table; her sons and daughters live with her, along with the children of those daughters, following the maternal bloodline.

Tourists are drawn to the shores of Lugu Lake in southwest China by tales of an exotic "Kingdom of Daughters," where the women of the Mosuo ethnic group head one of the world's relatively rare matrilineal societies.

The Manchu, an ethnic minority in China, had to enforce this rule upon the majority Han Chinese, for whom this was a foreign custom. We're not sure what your principal does if you break the dress code, but if the Manchu rulers saw you in the wrong haircut, you could be executed for treason.

The Qing (or Ch’ing) dynasty was the last of the imperial dynasties of China. It is also called the Manchu dynasty because the Manchu people from Manchuria ruled. The dynasty began in 1644 and ended in 1911/12.

The Chinese New Year remains the most important holiday in China. The holiday was once a time to honor household and heavenly spirits, as well as family ancestors. It was also a time to bring family together for a feast.

People living in China and in Chinese communities throughout the world annually celebrate the Chinese New Year. It is a 15-day festival that begins with the new moon that occurs some time between January 21 and February 20 according to Western calendars.

Children in China are often saddled with a packed schedule of extracurricular activities before they even enter grade school. However, some parents are making room for a surprising pursuit. They are putting their kids into hip-hop dance classes.