BEIJING, Jan. 28 -- The Manchus are an ethnic minority in China who established the Qing Dynasty (1644-1912). After consolidating their rule in China, the Manchus adopted the Chinese culture, including the custom of hanging couplets during the Spring Festival to express good feelings and wishes for the lunar new year.

    Couplets are ornamental banners decorated with calligraphy. But instead of using the customary red as the basic background for spring couplets, the Manchus used white. Why?

    SOUNDBITE: Tong Yue, the research director of Palace Museum in Shenyang, northeast China, said: "Spring Festival couplets on white paper reflected the hunting culture of the Manchus. They liked the color white, as hunters all wore white clothes in the snow so that the animals could not see them. The color red was considered unlucky because red could attract wild animals' attention and so could bring dangers."

    It was not until the reign of Emperor Qianlong, 100 years after the Manchus established their rule in China, that the Manchu people began using red color as the background color for Spring Festival couplets.

    However, the white couplets were always used at the imperial palace in Beijing throughout the rule of the Qing Dynasty.

    Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Shenyang.

(Source: XHTV)