Gate to Courtyard House
In the Old city, this is the home of Christians, noted by the Christian language, which is used in the sayings that run along the borders of the door, and seek blessings and good energy for the house and those dwelling within. The characters on the red paper are common to all Chinese people, regardless of their belief system, meaning simply "Happiness." Sometimes the characters appear upside down, this signifying the wish that happiness would descend or come upon the home....an invitation for the arrival of happiness.
For centuries China stood as a leading civilization, outpacing the rest of the world in the arts and sciences, but in the 19th and early 20th centuries, the country was beset by civil unrest, major famines, military defeats, and foreign occupation. A... ... read more 
