How do you show somebody your wit and civilization as a person of learning? Speaking 6 different languages, playing piano or violin, having doctoral degrees, etc., nowadays, the criteria could be pretty diversified in a modern world.

In ancient China, to qualify yourself as a well-educated person, you should learn four skills for your self-cultivation and to prove your talent. These four skills are:

Welcome to the October 19, 2009 edition of China Carnival. Although we have only two posts today, they are both about Beijing: Zhu shared some of her pictures about “Old Beijing”; lovelyn told a story about her husband’s “Monkey: A Modern Beijing Opera”. Please enjoy!

Gan Xi’s residence house began construction in Jiaqing era. Commonly known as “ninety-nine and a half rooms”, together with the Xiaoling Tomb of Ming, Nanjing Ming Dynasty City Wall are the “Three Landscapes of Ming and Qing Dynasties in Nanjing. With a high historical, scientific and tourism value, Gan Xi Residence is the largest and best preserved private house in Nanjing area.

Zachary Karabell, an American author, historian, money manager and economist, is the President of River Twice Research, where he analyzes economic and political trends. With several 4-5 star books at hand, Karabell wrote a new book to tell us the story behind China’s rising economy and its “superfusion” with the United States.

Overall, this is a very good book for understanding the geopolitical and economical interactions between China and United States during the recent decades. It also sheds light upon current world economy issues from a unique angle.

Traditional Chinese culture is so extensive and profound that countless experts devote their entire life only to glimpse a piece. To select best of the best, Mei Chaorong (Wuhan University) chose the most influenced 10 masterpiece books from China’s Qin Dysnasty to late Qing Dynasty, among the greatest achievements, the highest value of 2000 years of Chinese culture. They include one translation work, two classic collections, three history books, and four philosophers.