5 Life Lessons From The Chinese Art of Life ☯
What a year in China taught me
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1. Be Hospitable😁
All Chinese holidays are a good pretext to exchange gifts, from rice dumplings wrapped in bamboo leaves (called zongzi 粽子) for the Dragon Boats Festival，to moon cakes (called yuebing 月饼) for the Mid-Autumn festival. When I was in China, my colleagues shared all my joys and sorrows.
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2. Nurture Relationships ✨
In China, relationships, or guanxi 关系, are essential. It's all about patience and the time we take to sow the seeds of trust. This time is never lost and the day will come where we can reap the fruit of our labor.
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3. Take It Easy 😎
If you go on a walk in the evening in China, you will see groups of people dancing or doing gymnastics together. You will notice old people chatting, singing or playing mahjong. Chinese people gather and let time escape under a sky that goes from clear blue，to fiery orange to coal black.
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4. Love Yourself 🌹
Often in Beijing, I went out shopping in my pajamas with no makeup and my hair undone (and still got compliments from perfect strangers!). On my orange bike, I rode next to pretty girls wearing glittery shoes. No one cares how you dress or how you look. People know that the important stuff is on the inside.
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5. Be Curious 🐈
In western countries, we say that curiosity killed the cat. Well, I can tell you that in China, curiosity grooms the cat. When I found myself in an elevator or a taxi, people would always ask me where I came from - "Ni shi nali ren?"/« 你是哪里人»? » I always wondered and wanted to ask: « Why do you care so much about someone who is just passing through your life? »
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Final Words
Chinese People are endlessly sowing seeds. Without asking themselves if these seeds will ever sprout. In the biological world, we know that some seeds will never sprout. But others will blossom. Some will grow roots as far down as possible, others will have branches so high they will tickle the sky. Some trees are a thousand years old. Some flowers only last a summer. It is the same for relationships. But like Candide would tell us, we must cultivate our garden.
Do you want to know more?
Which quality do you think you need to nurture the most: sociability, hospitality, patience, curiosity or self-love?
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References
6 Life Lessons from Chinese Philosophy
21 Greatest Life Lessons You Can Learn From Confucius
This page was built by Laura Parpillon💖