The first Chinese fans were nothing more than bird feathers or large leaves. Tradition holds that King Wu of the Zhou Dynasty in the 11th century B.C. invented the Chinese hand-held fan, and the oldest known Chinese hand held fan was found in China in 1982 and is approximately 2,300 years old. The earliest half-moon fans were constructed of silk wrapped around bamboo spokes that were arranged in a semi-circle. Fans were used only by the members of the royal court for many centuries, only becoming available to the general public during the Han Dynasty, 206 B.C. – 220 A.D. By the time of the Jin Dynasty, 317-420 A.D., so many fans were being made that the emperor halted the use of silk in their manufacture because silk producers could not keep up.

While the Chinese are credited with the invention of the half-moon hand held fan, these first fans did not fold like modern ones do. The folding half-moon fan was brought to China in the 11th century A.D. from Japan. Today Chinese fans are still made from the traditional bamboo and silk materials, and also of paper, wood, bone, palm tree leaves and other materials.

During the 5th century A.D. the moon fan, or round fan became very popular. Young ladies, especially those inside the imperial palace were very fond of these. These round fans later took on other shapes also, such as oval. The ancient Chinese were a very artistic culture. Everyday items such as fans were valued not only for their functionality, but by their beauty. Fan painting and decoration are but one example of this. There has been a revival of the ancient art form of the Chinese Hand Held Fan. Thy are things of beauty that can add to the decor of any home.

Chinese literature goes back thousands of years, from the dynastic court records to novels that became popular during the Ming Dynasty (1368-16440). During the Tang Dynasty (618-907) woodblock printing was invented, and along with movable type printing that was introduced during the Song Dynasty (960-2179) this enabled the spread of written knowledge among the literate Chinese.

At the beginning of the Gonghe regency (841BC) the Chinese began to keep detailed court records. Perhaps the definitive work in early Chinese writing was the Shiji, a narrative history of Chinese, written by the Han Dynasty court historian Sima Qian (145BC-90BC) and completed about 389BC.

The oldest extant dictionary in China is the Erya, dated to the 3rd century BC, anonymously written but with later commentary by the historian Guo Pu (276-324). There were also large encyclopedias produced in China throughout the ages. The Yiwen Leiju encyclopedia was completed by Ouyang Xun in 624 during the Tang Dynasty, with the help of scholars Liinghu Defen and Chen Shuda.

China has a rich tradition of literature that has continued through the ages and continues to the present day through post Maoist writers. Chinese language literature has also flourished in the diaspora – in South East Asia, the United States, and Europe. China is the largest publisher of books, magazines and newspapers in the world. In book publishing alone, some 128,800 new titles of books were published in 2005, according to the General Administration of Press and Publication. There are more than 600 literary journals across the country. Living and writing in France but continuing to write mainly in Chinese, Gao Xingjian became the first Chinese writer to win the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2000.

It is often a standing joke that what Americans consider to be Chinese food is totally of our own making, and cooks and diners in China would find them completely foreign (like chop suey–what on earth is that?). But somewhere along the line, Chinese food was adapted from our Asian immigrants, Americanized and became wildly popular, not only as a take-out but served buffet-style and sit-down as well. Many dishes are accompanied by plain white, brown or fried rice. Let’s review our most popular:

Dim Sum: bite-sized dumplings stuffed with veggies or meat,essentially a Cantonese preparation not always offered at many restaurants; can be also presented as small sampling dishes, depending on the menu and the cook’s whim;

Hot and Sour Soup: a delightfully “sour” soup with a spicy broth, it contains red peppers or white pepper and vinegar; another favorite soup is a light broth with won ton (meat-filled dumplings);

Quick Noodles: a staple in every Chinese home and found on most Chinese restaurant menus, it comes in several versions, often called lo mein and may be plain or have veggies;

Szechwan Chilli Chicken: a fiery Sichuan delight loaded with pungent spices like ginger, green and red chillies and brown pepper; be careful if you are not a fan of hot chilli peppers;

Spring Rolls: frequently a lighter version of traditional egg rolls, which are shredded meat and veggies encased in a papery thin dough, rolled and deep fried; a favorite to be sure;

Egg Foo Young: an egg pancake with veggies, often too bland for Chinese foodies, served with a brown sauce;

Shitake Fried Rice with water Chestnuts: mushrooms and water chestnuts are used frequently in Chinese cooking, and this is just another version of traditional fried rice; some things never go out of style;

Moo Shu: stir-fried veggies and meat, chicken, shrimp or tofu, rolled up in thin pancakes spread with plum sauce (this author’s favorite dish);

Kung Pao Chicken: savory pieces of chicken cooked in a wok with veggies and flavored with peanuts and spices; from the time of the Qing Dynasty (circa 1876);

General Tso Chicken: deep-fried chicken dish in a tangy sauce, an all-time favorite; it may have been named in honor of a Qing dynasty military leader, but it’s really anyone’s guess;

Orange Chicken: another popular deep-fried chicken dish, coated with an orange sauce after cooking (not for a low-fat diet, to be sure);

Peking Duck: don’t expect this specialty to be readily available at many Chinese restaurants, Peking duck harkens back to the Imperial Era (221 B.C.) and characterized by its thin, crisp skin; often must be ordered ahead of time but fit for an emperor;

Like many other cuisines, Chinese cooking uses sauces and seasonings native to their regions, which might include:

soy sauce

oyster sauce

sesame oil

rice vinegar

rice wine

soybean paste

star anise

five spice powder

chili sauce (or paste)

chili powder

sichuan peppercorns

black bean sauce

Many of these are available in the Asian aisle of your local grocery store or a multitude of Asian grocers in larger cities and can be great fun to try in your own kitchen. So look up the closest Chinese buffet or restaurant, bring your appetite and get ready to sample some of American’s favorite foods. As the old saying goes, you may be hungry an hour later, but it’s well worth it.

If you’re reading this article it’s probably because you’ve found it more difficult than you thought to be able to approach Chinese girls, or you’re looking to find out if there are any major differences in how to first date Chinese women as opposed to a western woman; you may also be wondering if there are any special methods you should use when approaching Chinese girls that can help you. By the end of this article I can promise you will have a new skill set that works all the time!

So let’s say there is a particular Chinese girl you already have in mind, if not, go find one (not this minute, finish the article first!). Now, I’m assuming she doesn’t know you like her, but no matter she does, we’re going to play it on the back-foot so to speak.

First, I want you to find a fairly good excuse to talk to her. This excuse could simply be asking her where to find a place you are looking for, or some kind of question you think she will know the answer to, and it might be believable that you need that answer at the time, but steer well clear of asking her something about Chinese culture as if she is born in the west she has probably had enough of hearing about Chinese culture from her parents!

OK, so you’ve asked her the question and hopefully she has given you some form of answer, one way or the other, simply thank her and say goodbye. Yep, that’s right. Just walk off. Now, what you’ve done here is firstly you haven’t really hit on her, you simply asked a question, secondly, even if she thought you maybe were hitting on her you have now disproved that by saying goodbye and walking off. This will leave her a bit perplexed for sure, but what we are doing is building mystery and tension, she will remember you for that. So lets move onto the next step.

Of course this Chinese girl or woman is one you often see around somewhere, maybe at college, maybe walking the same way to work everyday, no matter where, you can be confident you will see her again at some point. The next time you see her I want you to simply say ‘hi’ and go about your business unless she gives you a wide smile, in that case just comment on something innocuous, don’t even ask her, her name, wait for her to ask, if she smiled at you she will soon enough. Otherwise just say ‘hi’ and keep walking.

And now we get to the next step, the third time you see her she will actually feel she knows you to a degree, even though she doesn’t really (this is a small psychological trick of the mind).

This is when you are going to speak to her more, when you catch her eye, and all I want you to do is simply say something along the lines of “you know I should apologize, this is the third time we have met and I kinda feel I know you, but I didn’t even tell you what my name is, it’s……………”. Then just wait, she will tell you hers, don’t ask, let her tell you and simply keep the conversation going a minute or so before leaving again.

By this point she will be at an ‘opening-up’ point, and you should be attempting to find some common ground in order to establish a rapport, further creating a depth of feeling between the two of you. After you have done this ask her for her email address, not her phone number (unless she suggests it). Don’t let the conversation go on for more than five minutes though. When you get the email address, simply say your goodbyes and move onto the next logical steps.

These basic steps really work well with Chinese females, I should know as I use them all the time! Try them out today and you’ll see. Also….

I get asked a lot about Chinese astrology – not least because I’ve always intended to include it within my website but haven’t yet done so. There is a good reason for this and it’s the simple fact that Chinese astrology is complex whilst web pages need to be simple and quickly assimilated. A single web page for Chinese astrology rapidly turns into several pages of fine details. It’s also very different to Western astrology, using different points of reference both astronomical and cultural. Most of us will be able to say “I’m a Dragon/Tiger/Rat etc” and have a broad idea of the very general characteristics of that sign but few of us will have a clear understanding of their Chinese star signature and how it is determined. Here then, as we began the Year of The Rabbit (Metal, Yin), 78th Cycle (or 79th depending on which calendar version you ascribe to) is a potted summary…

Western astrology is based on a simple twelve months repeating cycle – the Zodiac. Chinese astrology has a zodiac of 12 signs – the Earthly branches – but is based on a sixty year cycle. The mechanics of this are simple enough: Chinese astrology developed in tandem with astronomy which originally recognised five major planets: Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn. Astrology ascribed key elements to these planets – water (Mercury), metal (Venus), fire (Mars), wood (Jupiter), earth (Saturn). Each of the twelve signs spans a year – this was derived from the orbit of Jupiter (11.86 years) – and each sign comes in five elemental varieties (eg Water Rat, Metal Rat, Fire Rat, Wood Rat, Earth Rat). 5 x 12 = 60. Simples? To a degree, yes. But the sixty year cycle is also derived from two separate but interacting cycles – the Earthly branches, asmentioned above -the twelve zodiac signs rat, ox, tiger, rabbit (aka cat), dragon, snake, horse, sheep (aka ram or goat), monkey, rooster, dog, and pig (aka boar)- and in that order; and the ten heavenly stems – these are the five elements mentioned earlier, each in their ying and yang forms – 5×2=10. As the 12 earthly branches, which give us the animal signs, is divisible by two, each of the animal signs is either a Yin year or a Yang year and this is referred to as the sign’s polarity. Yin years end in odd numbers, Yang years in even numbers. Whilst each animal sign is either Yin or Yang (Rats are always Yang, Oxes are always Yin for example), this is tempered by the heavenly stem which adds the element. From 0 to 9, the ordering is metal, metal; water, water; wood, wood; fire, fire; earth, earth. And Yang and Yin, in that order:

0 Metal Yang

1 Metal Yin

2 Water Yang

3 Water Yin

4 Wood Yang

5 Wood Yin

6 Fire Yang

7 Fire Yin

8 Earth Yang

9 Earth Yin

Thus, years ending in 0 are Metal, Yang years, years ending in 1 are Metal Yin years – 2010 was a Yang Metal Tiger year, whilst 2011 is a Yin Metal Rabbit. It won’t be a Tiger year again until 2022 when it will be a Yang Water Tiger. Tiger is always Yang. Rabbit is always Yin and the next Rabbit year will be a Water Rabbit in 2023. It won’t be a Metal Tiger year again until 2060.

In their true order, the cycle actually begins with Metal Rat (Yang) and ends with Earth Pig (Yin). We are today 28 years into the current 60 year cycle (the 78th, or 79th cycle depending on which calendar is used). Chinese astrology uses a lunisolar calendar which begins with lichun – literally the start of spring, around 4th February, this being what we call the Chinese New Year. It’s necessary to bear in mind that someone born, for example, in January of 2011 is, for the purposes of Chinese astrology, born in a year that ends with a 0 – ie Metal Tiger and not Metal Rabbit. This applies, of course, to every year.

The five elements are of crucial importance in Chinese astrology, at least equal in importance to the animal sign, and the emphasis added by the Yin or Yang factor shows the importance of trinity in Chinese astrology- earth, water and the heavens. Those familiar with the I Ching will not be surprised to learn that the elements in Chinese astrology are seen as being transformative agents of change or transformative energies, not unlike the I Ching’s ‘moving lines’ concept but quite unlike Western astrology’s elements which are seen as building blocks.

Just as you realise the importance of how different a Metal Tiger might be to a Wood Tiger or a Water Tiger, a further degree of complexity comes into the picture. Placing a person within the Chinese astrological system requires a calculation involving the birth day, the birth season/month and the birth hour. In addition to the birth year, this means that a person’s star signature in Chinese astrology is made up of four signs. Three of these are the key elements for any person: –

1. The year of birth relates to a person’s family background and position in society, strongly linked with family ancestry, the grandparents which is a cultural emphasis far more marked in Chinese society. As of today (Feb 4 2011) its a (Metal) Rabbit year – remember, the order of the signs, as given above, is rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog, pig. Next February then brings The Year of the Dragon.

2. The birth month or season (note that months are different under the Chinese calendar) determines the ‘inner animal’ – this indicates childhood upbringing, a transformative influence on character and behaviour manifested in adult life.

Spring sees

The Tiger from February 4 to March 5, The Rabbit March 6 to April 4, and The Dragon from April 5 to May 4.

Summer sees

The Snake from May 5 to June 5, The Horse June 6 to July 6, and The Sheep from July 7 to August 6.

Autumn brings

The Monkey from August 7 to September 7, The Rooster 8 September to October 7, The Dog 8 October to 7 November.

Winter sees

The Pig from November 7 until 6 December, The Rat 7 December to January 5th and The Ox from January 6th to February 3rd.

3. The hour of birth determines a person’s ‘secret animal’ – the true person within often only revealed under stress:

11 p.m. – 1 a.m Rat,

1 a.m. – 3 a.m. Ox,

3 a.m. – 5 a.m. Tiger,

5 a.m. – 7 a.m. Rabbit,

7 a.m. – 9 a.m. Dragon,

9 a.m. – 11 a.m. Snake,

11 a.m. – 1 p.m. Horse,

1 p.m. – 3 p.m. Sheep,

3 p.m. – 5 p.m. Monkey,

5 p.m. – 7 p.m. Rooster,

7 p.m. – 9 p.m. Dog,

9 p.m. – 11 p.m. Pig

The day of birth also has some bearing – each animal sign rules one day but that works on the 5 elements x 12 signs basis, each elementary type of animal, and this makes a 60 days basis and things do get complicated… this is more a feature of day to day horoscopic forecasting than birth-charting and it goes beyond the scope of this article.

Intriguingly though, just as the two astrologies seem to be at their most diverse, essential similarities become apparent. Western subjects often focus on the Sun sign without considering the importance, significance and contribution of the Moon sign and the Ascendant in the birth chart. Good western astrology also breaks each sun sign down into four ‘sub signs’ and can be further focused for fine detail by looking at the actual day itself.

Chinese astrology focuses on temperament and character and the interplays and stresses between these two facets, the first being that of predisposition, inclination and tendency whilst the second being that of actual behaviour, habits and learned (current) disposition. It attempts to identify the natural, innate person as opposed to the personality which has been mutated and transformed by life experience, to find nature before nurture and to help us understand our lives by looking at them backwards, as Kierkegaard suggested, whilst living them forwards.

The Chinese have been practicing simple healing techniques that have been passed down for generations. In this article you will learn 5 secret techniques that will help you keep focus and regulate the temperature of your body.

Ancient Chinese Healing Secret #1

Place your palm on your stomach. You will notice that after leaving your hand on your stomach for even less than a minute, you will feel the warmth of your hand radiating throughout your body to help keep you warm. What do I do in the summer to keep cool then? Ironically, the answer is the same, keeping your palm over your stomach tends to regulate the temperature of your body to the ideal temperature and keep you cool. Chinese people know that even if you are sleeping in the middle of summer heat, you still cover your stomach, or you might catch a cold. Interesting isn’t it?

Ancient Chinese Healing Secret #2

Drink plenty of hot liquids. Americans live a lifestyle of drinking water or juices as cold as they come, this quickly lowers your body’s core temperature. While it feels cool and refreshing, it is also making it easier to get sick. Chinese people have been drinking hot tea since Ancient Chinese Civilization. This has a double bonus, you get the vitamins from the tea, and you kill any bacteria inside your throat while keeping your body nice and warm. What is one the first signs of a cold, is it not the itchy feeling in your throat that makes you want to cough?

Ancient Chinese Healing Secret #3

Your body will heal itself, or you won’t get well. Think about it, unless you require surgery or have a broken limb, pretty much the main factor in how fast your body recovers from any sickness is how strong your immunity is. So what do you do if you get sick then? Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables to boost your immunity and get plenty of rest, apply the first technique to make sure your body temperature is regulated, also practice the second technique, but you already know this one right.

Ancient Chinese Healing Secret #4

Take long deep breaths while practicing the first technique. Yoga shows the benefits of deep breathing to help you stay focused and helps to align your body physically and mentally. The technique of covering the stomach and deep breathing really helps you relax, which makes it easier to fall asleep. The technique is to breath in slowly and deeply and breath out from the mouth, notice all the heat coming from your breath, a few breaths, and you will feel more relaxed.

Ancient Chinese Healing Secret #5

Don’t rely heavily on drugs. I am talking about OTC or prescription drugs. In general, relying heavily on any outside source from your body is only allowing your body’s natural resistance to use the boost as a crutch and will lower your body’s natural ability to fight off the sickness. Building a high immunity requires your body to fight off the sickness by itself, so that it gets stronger. If you keep assisting it along, it will have no need to generate the resistance needed, weakening your body’s defenses. Instead, try the above methods and get plenty of rest.

What does this all mean?

This means that unless you have some sort of cancer or require some kind of surgery, it is in your best interest to practice these techniques to help boost your body’s immunity naturally. With proper application of the techniques, it becomes easier to prevent yourself from getting sick in the first place. The best thing about these techniques is that you can use it on infants to adults with the same results.

Want to learn more?

To learn more secrets and logical reasons as to why it works, I highly suggest you check out the book Pei: Thermal Zone System [http://www.authorhouse.com/BookStore/BookStoreSearchResults.aspx?SearchType=smpl&SearchTerm=pei] It covers all these, as well as other techniques in detail, and is written in easy to understand language. I hope you all enjoyed this article, and I wish you all good health.

You finally found her; your dream Chinese woman. The love of your life. The next step is both exciting and terrifying. Exciting, because it’s your dream come true; terrifying, because you’re not sure how her parents will accept you. Your Chinese girlfriend is very open-minded, but she’s also still a very filial daughter; when proposing to her, you have to remember that the approval of her parents is of the utmost importance to your woman.

Her parents still come from an older generation of Chinese that may still place a higher value on arranged marriages and, perhaps, not a lot on romantic love. This means while your proposal may be as romantic as you can make it, and even after your girlfriend has happily accepted it, the real success of your proposal will still depend on her parents’ acceptance of you.

More likely than not, the first time you will meet your now-fiancee’s parents will be when you formally ask for her hand in marriage. You may have made your proposal to your girlfriend traditionally western in nature with your creativity, but the proposal you will be making to her parents will have to be traditionally Chinese.

Usually, a formal Chinese engagement is carried out with a visit from the man and his family to the girl and her family. The date of the visit is carefully chosen with the use of feng shui. A dowry is given – the exact amount and other gifts are often determined by the girl’s parents. And then both parties agree to a wedding date, which is usually set within a year of the engagement.

Ideally, the first time your girlfriend’s parents will meet you will not also be the first time that they’ll find out about you! In any case, the fact that their daughter is dating a foreigner often means that they won’t be expecting your “engagement visit,” or proposal for an engagement, to strictly follow Chinese customs.

All the same, you should do everything you can to follow some of their traditional engagement practices. This will definitely earn you a lot of points with her parents, and hopefully help you win their approval.

So when you finally meet the parents, bring them some gifts. Ask your fiancée what they will most appreciate, the traditional ones and those that also represent your own culture; they will appreciate your sincere efforts in adopting some Chinese customs, as well as the unique, foreign gifts.

Traditionally, the man offers the woman a piece or a few pieces of jewelry, not necessarily an engagement ring, but these still symbolize the official engagement. Having already given your fiancée her jewelry gift/engagement ring, you should initiate the talk about your intentions with her parents.

Sometimes, they will start the conversation themselves with questions about your motivations, plans, goals, and background. So when you start the conversation yourself, and if they don’t ask you any questions at all, this information should be offered by you.

The most important thing that any parent will want to know is that their daughter is loved and will be well taken care of. This is exactly where you should start your proposal speech, but first thank them for their hospitality. Let them know how you feel about their daughter, that they have no need to worry about her well-being and her future, and your intention to marry her. Normally, you will address her parents as “Uncle” and “Aunt.”

Offer them information about your job/career, your plans for the future for after you’re married. Mostly, knowing that you are hardworking, have a stable job, and have the right priorities will be enough to reassure them that their daughter and future grandchildren’s future will be secure.

And then let them know what date you and your fiancée have decided on for the wedding. Again, it will be best if you follow Chinese customs and, with your fiancée, determine an auspicious wedding date using feng shui. Or you can even wait until the meeting with her parents so that you can have them participate in the choosing of the wedding date.

In case you and your fiancée have decided not to schedule a wedding right away because both of you feel that you are not yet ready/stable enough to start a family, you must also explain this to your future in-laws. While they may feel that the wedding should happen as soon as possible, they will also appreciate your practical wisdom.

As long as they can see the sincerity of your intentions and how much you truly love their daughter and your genuine desire to take care of her, your Chinese love’s parents will have no reason not to give the two of you their blessing.

People who have good sense of humor could definitely attract girls so easily. But if you are going to date a Chinese girl, having a good sense of humor is just not enough to win her heart. Read these tips to find out how to attract Chinese women so easily.

Dress Well and Groom Up

Most women love it when guys would exert an effort to dress-up and groom themselves. This applies to Chinese females, too, although older ones that are aged 40 and up do not care much about the way a guy would dress-up, but most young and attractive Chinese girls would prefer a boy who knows how to carry himself well. There are cultural reasons behind this, which is also applicable to other Asian females.

Avoid Common Mistakes of Being Too Funny

It is definitely okay to display some good sense of humor in front of the Chinese girl you are dating, but make sure not to be too goofy or too dorky because they find this unappealing. Too much cockiness would send an impression to the girl that you are being arrogant or insecure, or worse, you could look dumb in front of her. In order to exude a good impression in front of a Chinese girl, always talk with sense and choose your jokes well.

Give Her Compliments

Just like with most girls, Chinese females love it when boys compliment them about their looks and some other things about themselves. So if you want to know how to attract Chinese women, learn to compliment them from time to time, although you must avoid overdoing it and make sure that it is realistic. Some boys make the mistake of lying to girls just to compliment her, which should not be the case, because you could be in real trouble when she finds out that you are lying.

Get Rid of Your Facial Hair

A survey was once conducted wherein Chinese girls were asked about their ideal man. When it comes to physical appearance, most of them are very vocal about disliking a guy with facial hairs. So if you want your Chinese girl to be attracted to you, it’s time that you get rid of all your facial hairs and start sporting a flawless look.

When it comes to winning a Chinese girl’s heart, always bear in mind that Chinese culture is way too different from that of the Western culture. It would help if you familiarize yourself with how the Chinese culture works and make sure that you respect their beliefs and religion as well. If you really want to know how to attract Chinese women so easily, you should be able to adhere to all the tips mentioned above and do your own research about Chinese women so you would be more successful in trying to win a Chinese girl’s heart.

If you want a hard stiff erection the herbs enclosed will give you one just like prescription drugs only naturally with no side affects and they will give you something man made drugs can’t and that’s increase your sex drive, for a complete sexual experience.

The herbs enclosed have worked for thousands of years and will work for you. Let’s look at a combination of herbs, you can find in all the best herbal sex pills for harder erections, more sex drive and better all round wellness.

Horny Goat Weed

This herb has great sexual health benefits and works just like Viagra to increase nitric oxide release and inhibit PDE-5, this leads to a relaxing of the corpus cavernosal tissue, to provide an increased flow of blood into the penis. The herb also increases levels of the key male sex hormone testosterone, for more sexual stamina and reduces stress which is a major cause of libido problems.

Cnidium

This herb also works to increase nitric oxide production and prevent PDE-5 build up so more blood can enter the penis, to ensure a stiff erection and in addition, it also ensures better blood circulation to the pelvic region on arousal…

Ginseng

A great tonic herb which increases energy levels, while at the same time lifting mood by reducing stress and anxiety. On a physical level it helps pump blood to the sex organs, assists in testosterone production and helps to keep sperm healthy.

Tongkat Ali Extract (Eurycoma longfolia)

The Glygopeptide compounds in Tongkat Ali, have been shown to increase free testosterone and decrease SHBG levels and this ensures better erectile function and helps men last longer in bed and finally, Tongakat Ali keeps sperm healthy, by increasing sperm count, sperm size and motility.

Tribulus Terrestris Extract

The herb contains protodioscin, a saponin constituent, improving libido and erectile function but its best known, for its ability to dramatically increase testosterone and this makes it the favorite herbs of athletes and serious body builders.

Cistanche Bark

Cistanche Bark is a tonic herb which increases the blood circulation to all areas of the body including the pelvic region and it also keeps the sex organs healthy and has been taken for thousands of years to treat impotence and premature ejaculation in men.

Get them ALL in the Best Natural Sex Pills

You don’t need to buy them separately, you can get them in blended herbal sex pills to help you get hard stiff erections, increase your libido and help you achieve better overall health, quickly and naturally.

Did you know there are only 6 ways of forming Chinese characters?

Yes, 6 kinds of Chinese characters make up the 50,000 Chinese characters in existence today.

Amazing isn’t it?

It shows that there is a logical symbol system used to create Chinese characters. That they are not just made up of random lines and strokes.

Once you know these 6 types of Chinese characters, you’ll find that learning Chinese writing isn’t so difficult after all.

Oh, one more thing…

The “radicals”

No, these have nothing to do with extremists or terrorists.:)

They are the “root elements” of Chinese characters. The meaning part of Chinese characters. There are 214 of them and they exist independently or as part of complex characters.

Once you get a general idea of the common radicals, you can guess the meaning of Chinese characters.

Modern Chinese dictionaries are organized by radicals – starting with one-stroke radicals, two, three and so on, and hanyu pinyin, the modern Chinese Romanization system.

By knowing the radicals and the 6 ways of forming Chinese characters, one can pretty much guess the meaning and sound of Chinese characters.

So, what are the 6 ways of forming Chinese characters?

The earliest Chinese characters some 4,000 years ago were shaped like the things they represented. Known as “pictographs”, these were pictures of humans, animals and natural objects, like “sun”, “mother”, “bird”, “food” etc.

There are only 300 plus pictographs but they form the building blocks of modern Chinese writing.

To create more words, symbols were added to pictographs to form “ideographs”. For example, by adding a horizontal stroke, “wood” became “root”, and “mouth” became “sweet”.

Later, two or more pictographs were combined to form “composite ideographs”. These are “meaning plus meaning” words. For example, “man” 人 added to “tree” 木 forms the Chinese character “rest” 休 — a man leaning against a tree. And three characters for “wood” 木 together make a “forest” 森.

This way of forming Chinese characters shows the creativity of the ancient Chinese, but it could not produce a lot of Chinese characters easily.

“Borrowed characters” came into being. This means a Chinese character with the same sound as another was borowed to form new characters with no regard for its meaning.

The result? New characters with the same sound but different meanings were formed. For example, the Chinese character for “north” 北 showed two people “back to back” and originally meant just that. The original character 北 was borrowed to represent a direction, while the sound remained unchanged.

But what happened to the original meanings of these borrowed characters? In order to retain their original meanings, a meaning component was added to the sound component. So using the same example, the character meaning “back to back” was given a “flesh” component 背 so it could keep its original meaning.

As a result, “sound plus meaning” words or phonetic compounds were formed. These are Chinese characters with a sound part and a meaning part. Today, this type of Chinese characters make up 80% of Chinese characters in use.

The last type of Chinese characters is called Transferred characters.

Transferred characters share the same radical and have the same meaning but their pronunciations are different. This is the least important of the 6 ways of forming Chinese characters.

So early Chinese characters were created based on meaning alone and started from pictures.

Eventually, each Chinese character became “a unit of sound and meaning” like what we have today.

But it remains possible to guess the meaning of Chinese characters from the meaning component, the radicals.