The luminous Dunhuang night market

Among all the mythical beasts in Dunhuang, the Chinese dragon, or loong, undoubtedly holds the top stop. Dunhuang not only has a diverse collection of different loong patterns, it's also the home to a very unique one that can hardly be found anywhere else. 

The art treasures of Dunhuang have captivated generations of people. Among them is the “daughter of Dunhuang”, who has spent more than half a century researching and preserving the caves at the heart of the ancient Silk Road. Who is she? What’s her indissoluble bond with Dunhuang ...  Show more

If you have the opportunity to travel around the countryside in China, you might notice these fierce looking gods painted on red paper pasted onto the family gates. Who are these and what are they for? 

The legend of the White Snake is one of the four great folktales of China. Today, we start that with an act of kindness, demons lurking in the places we can’t look, and a (misguided?) monk hoping to bring justice. When the creature this week has time off, it prefers crashing fune ...  Show more

Ellen Wong (Beacon 23, GLOW) headlines a Chinese legend about how the dragon came to be a powerful symbol of prosperity and luck.

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A dragon is rising in the East. All around, curious faces wait to see whether it will roar or sing. In today's Chinese lesson, we'll look at some different perspectives on the rise of modern China. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/1220