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Three ancient, awe-inspiring acoustic phenomena built into the sacred altars of the Temple of Heaven complex in Beijing are renowned in history as the "sound miracles." These architectural marvels were built with precise geometry, smooth masonry and strategically positioned structures to reflect and amplify sound so that they could form what the ancients believed a direct channel of communication between the emperors and the heavenly powers.
China has some of the most extensive and diverse karst landforms in the world. The highest concentrations are found in the provinces of Guangxi, Yunnan, Guizhou, Sichuan and Hunan.
Initially relying primarily on transplanting wild specimens, flower cultivation during the Spring and Autumn Period evolved into artificial cultivation. The Rites of Zhou, a Chinese text on bureaucracy and organizational theory, documents the existence of officials who were appointed to oversee gardens and orchards.
Around 10,000 years ago, evidence of early domesticated millet grains first appeared at the Donghulin site in Beijing. By 7,000 to 5,000 years ago, millet had become the primary staple food in regions associated with the Yangshao culture in the middle reaches of the Yellow River. This marked a transition where formal agriculture replaced hunting and gathering as the dominant mode of subsistence.
Sourced from Dashuowo village in the Fangshan district on the outskirts of Beijing, the structure is carved from four blocks of Aiyeqing, a green stone dating back to the Ming Dynasty. The largest block measures approximately over 16 meters long, 3.07 meters wide, and 1.7 meters thick. It weighs over 200 tonnes and is the largest structural component in the Forbidden City. The wisdom behind this monumental work is best demonstrated in the techniques used for its transportation and carving.
The Sword of Goujian is a bronze sword famous for its exceptional sharpness, detailed pattern of black diamond engravings, and its remarkable resistance to corrosion, something very unusual among existing artifacts from a similar time period. Unearthed in 1965 from a historic grave in Hubei province, the sword is recognized by the markings on its blade as crafted and owned by Goujian, one of the final rulers of Yue during the Spring and Autumn period (770-481 BCE).
The Four Books include the Doctrine of the Mean, the Great Learning, Mencius, and the Analects, and the Five Classics comprise the Book of Odes, the Book of Documents, the Book of Changes, the Book of Rites, and the Spring and Autumn Annals.
Dating back to the Tang dynasty (618-907), the Dunhuang Star Chart is one of the earliest known graphical depictions of the night sky in ancient Chinese astronomy. It visually corroborates star-related information recorded in early Chinese texts, and is part of a scroll that includes a series of illustrations found among the Dunhuang manuscripts.
The Siku Quanshu or the "Complete Library in the Four Branches of Literature," is a Chinese encyclopedia commissioned during the Qing dynasty by the Qianlong Emperor. Commissioned in 1772 and completed in 1782, the Siku Quanshu is the largest collection of books in imperial Chinese history, comprising 36,381 volumes, 79,337 manuscript rolls, 2.3 million pages, and about 997 million words.
The bow served as the dominant weapon in ancient Chinese combat, and mastering its use was regarded as a vital military and ritual skill for thousands of years. Over the centuries, archers were used as infantry, chariot riders and cavalry. Although the significance of this weapon was challenged by the sword and crossbow, it continued to be an essential part of a commander's strategy on the battlefield, particularly during initial maneuvers, withdrawals and city defenses.
As early as 7,000 years ago, during the Hemudu culture period, ancient Chinese began cultivating wild bamboo. By the Liangzhu Culture period 5,000 years ago, archaeological excavations in China have yielded many woven bamboo artifacts. Around 3,000 years ago, during the Western Zhou Dynasty, the artificial cultivation of bamboo officially began — The Book of Songs (Shijing) contains records describing extensive bamboo groves.
The Yongning Temple Pagoda is an iconic landmark in Luoyang, Henan province in central China, originally constructed in the first year of the Xiping era (516 CE) during the Northern Wei Dynasty. It was a site where the Emperor and the Empress Dowager performed Buddhist rites.
The water clock, also known as clepsydra (water thief in ancient Greek), is a device that measures time based on the controlled flow of liquid into or out of a container, with time indicated by the volume of liquid. It is one of the earliest timekeeping devices, believed to be in use around 1500 BCE.
In modern life, people rely on heating or air conditioning to keep warm in the bitter cold of winter — but what did the ancients use? During the Warring States period, people actually had a "three-piece set" for winter heating: a bronze charcoal brazier, a bronze shovel and a bronze sieve.
Tian yuan shu, a method of algebraic computation using counting rods to solve problems, translates as "method of the heavenly element." The "heavenly element" refers to the unknown variable, which is usually represented by the letter x in modern algebra. As a positional system it makes use of the rod numerals to express polynomial (two or more algebraic terms) equations.
"Hezhen Yimakan storytelling," a revered Chinese folk tradition, has been included in the UNESCO intangible cultural heritage list, a move that is sure to preserve these time-honored oral customs for generations to come.
Yongle Dadian, a Chinese compilation, is the world's largest known encyclopaedia. It was compiled during the Ming dynasty (1368-1644) by thousands of Chinese scholars under the direction of Emperor Yongle (reigned: 1402-1424) and was completed in 1408. Containing 22,937 "juan" or sections (including the index), in 11,095 volumes, the work was designed to include everything ever written at that time on the Confucian canon, history, philosophy, and the arts and sciences.
The Zhoubi Suanjing (The Mathematical Book on Gnomons and Circular Paths), written around the 1st century BC, is the oldest surviving Chinese book on the fundamentals of astronomical calculations. The book is known for its early use of the Gougu theorem (a Chinese version of the Pythagorean theorem), along with its detailed astronomical and calendrical methods. It is one of the 10 classic books on mathematics from ancient China.
Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is a complementary and alternative medicine that has attracted significant attention both domestically and internationally. It offers a distinct approach to patient diagnosis and treatment compared to Western medicine, using four main diagnostic methods to detect ailments: Observation (inspection), Auscultation and Olfaction (listening and smelling), Inquiry (interrogation) and Palpation (feeling, including pulse-taking).
Celebrated as one of the "Five Great Kilns" that produced porcelain in ancient China, the Ding kilns in the Song dynasty were located in what is now Quyang county, Hebei province. At the time, the area was under the administration of Dingzhou, hence the name "Ding kilns."
Chinese President Xi Jinping has sent a congratulatory letter to the Science and Technology Daily on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of its founding.
The recently held London Parallel Session of the 2026 Beijing CBD Forum shed a global spotlight on the remarkable evolution of China's central business districts (CBDs). Over the past few years, these urban hubs have steadily climbed the global value chain, commanding stronger competitiveness and earning greater international acclaim.
