TanSuo Cultural Travel specialises in tours that take you off the beaten track in China. We pride ourselves on the extensive knowledge and cultural understanding of our travel experts, who will accompany you on your tour. Every Wednesday evening, we offer a free seminar on a certain topic related to Chinese culture.

In this week's seminar, we'll be taking a closer look at one of the oldest and most culturally significant philosophical concepts in China, that of Yin-Yang Theory. Unlike in Western philosophy, where good and evil represented the two main forces in the universe, Chinese philosophy gravitated towards a more magnanimous conception of the world. Rather than viewing darkness and light as elements in opposition, they believed that ultimately they worked together to form a whole. This concept lies at the centre of Yin-Yang Theory.

The history of Yin-Yang Theory stretches all of the way back to the Hundred Schools of Thought era (c. 600-221 BC), when illustrious thinkers such as Confucius and Laozi were expounding new philosophies in a desperate effort to keep the civilization from collapsing. This was all taking place during a tumultuous time in Chinese history known as the Warring States Period (475-221 BC), when the country was embroiled in civil warfare.

During the first half of the seminar, we'll discuss the origins of Yin-Yang Theory and dissect the meaning behind yin (阴) or "dark side" of the sign. In the second half, we'll do the same for yang (阳) or the "bright side" of the sign before going into more depth about how they interact together.

Join us for an evening of learning and interactive discussion, where we'll learn to achieve the true balance of yin and yang in our lives!