Ancient-sounding habits in China and their twentieth-century origins — the policy, product, or price behind each one, with dates rather than folklore.https://chinamaxxing.kredlab.com/enhttps://chinamaxxing.kredlab.com/language/why-mandarin-is-called-putonghua/https://chinamaxxing.kredlab.com/language/why-mandarin-is-called-putonghua/Mandarin is a Portuguese exonym that never came from Chinese; Putonghua was selected by name in 1955 and defined by the State Council in 1956.Fri, 09 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMTlanguagelanguage-policyhabit-originshttps://chinamaxxing.kredlab.com/culture/qingming-became-a-day-off/https://chinamaxxing.kredlab.com/culture/qingming-became-a-day-off/Tomb-sweeping is old; the public holiday is not. A 2007 revision added Qingming to China's paid holidays, and the first one fell on 4 April 2008.Fri, 09 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMTculturepublic-holidayhabit-originshttps://chinamaxxing.kredlab.com/buys/thermos-became-a-personal-object/https://chinamaxxing.kredlab.com/buys/thermos-became-a-personal-object/Hot water only became portable in the 1990s, once a stainless-steel vacuum flask could be made cheaply at home. Here is the object behind the habit.Wed, 07 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMTbuyshousehold-objectshabit-originshot-waterhttps://chinamaxxing.kredlab.com/citylife/why-cash-stopped-being-default/https://chinamaxxing.kredlab.com/citylife/why-cash-stopped-being-default/QR payment became the default in China between 2011 and 2013, then was halted by the central bank for two years before being formally recognized in 2016.Wed, 07 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMTcitylifemobile-paymentcity-routinehabit-originshttps://chinamaxxing.kredlab.com/wellness/why-chinese-drink-hot-water/https://chinamaxxing.kredlab.com/wellness/why-chinese-drink-hot-water/Hot water became China's default drink in the twentieth century, not in antiquity. The dates that explain it are 1934, 1952 and 1985.Tue, 06 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMTwellnesshot-watertcm-shanghuohabit-originspublic-health-campaign