The Chinese Dragon Boat Festival

The Dragon Boat Festival is a Chinese lunar holiday, occurring on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month (June 16, 2010 this year). It is a significant holiday celebrated in China, and the one with the longest history. While many stories regarding its origin abound, the most popular and widely accepted version regards Qu Yuan, a minister during the Warring States Period (475 - 221 BC).

Origin

At the end of the Zhou Dynasty, the area we now know as China had fallen into a state of fragmentation and conflict. While the Zhou dynasty had ruled for several centuries, several other states, originally feudal domains, tried to carve out their own kingdoms. The state of Qin would eventually emerge the victor and unify all of China under one rule for the first time in history.

Qu Yuan served as minister to the Zhou Emperor. A wise and articulate man, he was loved by the common people. He did much to fight against the rampant corruption that plagued the court-- thereby earning the envy and fear of other officials. Therefore, when he urged the emperor to avoid conflict with the Qin Kingdom, the officials pressured the Emperor to have him removed from service. In exile, he traveled, taught and wrote for several years. Hearing that the Zhou had been defeated by the Qin, he fell into despair and threw himself into the Milou River.

As he was so loved by the people, fishermen rushed out in long boats, beating drums to scare the fish away, and throwing zong zi into the water to feed braver fish so that they would not eat Qu Yuan's body.

Zong Zi

The traditional food for the Dragon Boat Festival, Zong zi is a glutinous rice ball, with a filling, wrapped in corn leaves. The fillings can be egg, beans, dates, fruits, sweet potato, walnuts, mushrooms, meat, or a combination of them. They are generally steamed.


Dragon Boat Race

The Dragon Boat Festival is celebrated by boat races in the shape of dragons. Competing teams row their boats forward to a drumbeat racing to reach the finish end first.

The boat races during the Dragon Boat Festival are traditional customs to attempts to rescue the patriotic poet Chu Yuan. Chu Yuan drowned on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month in 277 B.C. Chinese citizens now throw bamboo leaves filled with cooked rice into the water. Therefore the fish could eat the rice rather than the hero poet. This later on turned into the custom of eating tzungtzu and rice dumplings.

The celebration's is a time for protection from evil and disease for the rest of the year. It is done so by different practices such as hanging healthy herbs on the front door, drinking nutritious concoctions, and displaying portraits of evil's nemesis, Chung Kuei. If one manages to stand an egg on it's end at exactly 12:00 noon, the following year will be a lucky one.

Chinese Paper Cutting

Paper-cutting is a very distinctive visual art of Chinese handicrafts. It originated from the 6th century when women used to paste golden and silver foil cuttings onto their hair at the temples, and men used them in sacred rituals. During the Chinese Festivals like the New Year, paper cuttings are used to adorn entrances of buildings and homes to bring good luck and fortune.

They have special significance at festivals and on holidays. At the New Year's Festival for example, entrances are decorated with papercuttings which are supposed to bring good luck.Papercuttings used to be used as patterns, especially for embroidery and lacquer work.

Though small piece of paper is, it can reflect many aspects of life like prosperous atmosphere, healthy persons and harvest year, etc. Some is even drawned from stories representing common goals and expects to happiness.

The main cutting tools are simple: paper and scissors or an engraving knife, but clever and deft craftspeople are remarkably good at cutting in the theme of daily life. When you look at items made in this method carefully, you will be amazed by the true to life expressions of the figure's sentiment and appearance, or portrayal of natural plants and animals' diverse gestures. Patterns of chrysanthemum display the curling petals, pied magpies show their tiny feathers and others such as a married daughter returning to her parents' home, or young people paying a New Year call to their grandparents.

People find hope and comfort in expressing wishes with paper cuttings. For example: for a wedding ceremony, red paper cuttings are a traditional and required decoration on the tea set, the dressing table glass, and on other furniture. A big red paper character 'Xi' (happiness) is a traditional must on the newlywed's door. Upon the birthday party of a senior, the character 'Shou' represents longevity and will add delight to the whole celebration; while a pattern of plump children cuddling fish signifies that every year they will be abundant in wealth.

Chinese Lantern Festival 2010

The Lantern Festival is a traditional Chinese festival since Han Dynasty more than 2000 years ago. In the early Tan Dynasty (618-907AD), it was called the Shan-Yuan Festival, because of Taoism. in the late Tan Dynasty, it was called the Yuan-Xiao Festival. It was called Lantern Night in the Sun Dynasty (960-1297 A.D.). The Lantern Festival was used in Ching Dynasty (1644-1911 AD).

According to the Chinese calendar, the night of January 15th has the first full moon of the New Year and marks the end of the Chinese New Year festivities.

Chinese people traditionally celebrate this occasion with the Lantern Festival in which beautiful lanterns (and nowadays electric lights) of all shapes and sizes are lit, fireworks are set off, lantern riddles are devised and guessed and people eat Yuan Xiao together while appreciating the full moon.

The lantern displays can be found in the town center square and temples. Usually. there is the lantern competition at the temple. Traditional lanterns are made by paper. They can make the lantern tuning around by the heat circulation from the candle inside. Today the light of the lantern is from the electricity. People like to design lantern using zodiac animals, historical figures, saint and gods of Taoism or Buddhism. Certainly, the current year's animal symbol of the Chinese calendar is most popular subject. Using the computer tool today, they can design the lantern with different movements, the different colors of light and even using the laser light with special visual and sound effects.

Customs of the Lantern Festival

1. Eating Yuan Xiao
It is well known that Lantern Festival is also called Yuan-Xiao Festival. This is because Chinese eat Yuan-Xiao on this day. This custom originated from the Eastern Jin Dynasty in the fourth century, then became popular during the Tang and Song Dynasty.

Yuan-Xiao just like Tang-Yuan . They are made of sweet rice flour into sticky glutinous balls. They can be filled in with sesame, red-bean or peanut butter paste. Usually, they are severed with sugar water. But some people still make salty Tang-Yuan.

The difference between Yuan-Xiao and Tang-Yuan is the way they are made and cooked. This is because that Chinese in different geographic area prepare the food in different way. Chinese call the one they eat on Winter Solstice Day is Tang-Yuan. The one they eat on the Lantern festival is called Yuan-Xiao.

2. Lantern Riddles

Guessing lantern riddles is a popular addition to the Lantern Festival that appeared during the Tang Dynasty. As you would imagine, the game is to write riddles and have other people try to guess them. This is a popular social part of the Lantern festival and provides great exercise for the brain!

3 Best Nourishing Soup in Winter

It is the best time for us to nourish our bodies in Autumn and Winter all year. Although we are always in strong stress, we should not forget to nourish ourselves. Here I recommend you 3 nourishing soup, which make you have a nice winter.

Almond Pearl Tofu Soup
Effects: Relieving constipation, Whitening skin.
Materials: Large almond 10g, Tofu 150g, Pearl Powder 1 to 3g, glucose powder 15g.

Peanut Pettitoes Soup
Effects: moisturizing the skin and increase elasticity.
Materials: Peanut 80 g, Zhushou 300 g, yam 50 g
Seasoning: Salt, Onion, Ginger, Cooking wine
Shouwu Pigeon Eggs Soup
Efficacy: supplement liver and kidney, Hair Tonic
Material: fleece-flower root 5 g, Rehmannia 3 g, Pigeon Eggs 50 g, Mushroom 10 g.
Seasoning: Salt

Picking up Strawberries in Nanjing

Picking up strawberries, which is a kind of fruits that could make the spring close to us, with family is so popular in this spring. Put a strawberry at your lips, your will find that spring is fair for every one.

In Nanjing, Jiangxin island is one of the most popular place for visiters to pick up strawberries. On last weekend (the traditional festival - Qingming, which is for people to go outside and enjoy the greenery of springtime, and also to tend to the graves of departed ones.), many nanjing people go there to enjor the delicious fruits and spring.

In these strawberry bases, the average price is from 16 rmb/kilo to 40 rmb/kilo. In average, there are 1,500 kilo strawberries to be picked up in each base.

Nanjing Four Star Luxury Toilet in Use

Since mid-February 2009, the first four-star luxury public toilets will be put into use in a small garden of Confucius Temple in Nanjing City, Jiangsu Province. It is reported that the luxury toilets are rebuilt on the base of a common public toilets to cater for the creation of National 5A scenic spot of Confucius Temple Qinhuai landscape level with and to respond to the "difficult to go to the toilet" complaints in the Confucius Temple Area. This toilet covers an area of more than 100 square meters, and cost 400,000 yuan. And it will be free to public.

The public toilet is made up with the men's and women's room and the hall. There are basins that made by blue and white porcelain, sliding door with wood sculptures in Ming-Qing Dynasty and sensor hand-dryers in toilet. And all types of signboards and nameplates are translated in 4 languages including Chinese, English, Japanese and Korean. In the hall, there are also central air conditioners, LCD TVs and fauteuils. Since it was put into use, many people came here to have a try.

Three Holy Places for Watching Peach Flower in South China

As the saying goes: "Flowers bloom in March, and flourish in April." So it is the best season to watch flowers in these two months. Whether it is in the mountains, forests or beside the farmland, and whether peach, plum, cherry or rape, as long as you close to them, you will be covered with an aroma of spring. And telling you that spring is beginning.
Longquanyi in Chengdu

Chengdu Longquanyi District can be said to be the most undulating terrain for watching peach flower in domestic. It is about half an hour journey from Longquanyi to Chengdu. Every time in the mid of March, International Peach Festival will be hold at Peach Trench, which is located on Longquan Mountain. Although the mountain is not so majestic, it is also a unique scenery in Chengdu Plain.

In March, more than 17 million peach blossom bloom over all the mountain. So it is so comfortable for you that rely on a bamboo chair under the peach the blossoms, drink a cup of green tea and enjoy the warm sunshine.

Romantic Taohuayuan in Changde

Taohuayuan is described as a utopia by the poet Tao Yuan-ming of Eastern Jin Dynasty. It is fictional, but it has its place, and is located in Taoyuan County, Hunan Province. The Peach Blossoms Festival is hold on Mar. 28th every year. In the florescence of March, more than 10 thousand peach blossoms bloom just like a piece of mariculous and clouful Yun Brocade, including pink, white, light red, plain and red . Strolling along the cobblestone paths around peach forest, you will see a beautiful landscape paint with a brook, that named Peach Brook, and a stone arch bridge, that named Qionglin Bridge across the brook. It makes you feel in the paradise that the fresh green matches the peach red.

Peach Garden in Foshan

Foshan city is in Guangdong Province, so that the spring always come early. In January each year, the peach flowers of 3000 acres will bloom in the garden. Because it was cold in this srping festival, the peach florescence delayed. But now, the peach blossoms of Nanguo Garden all bloom like a piece of red Brocade, which will last to March.

Beijing and the Three Northeast Provinces are the Most Favoritest Travel Spots in 2009 Spring Festival

2009 Spring Festival is getting closer and closer. The reporter learned from major travel agencies in Dongguan city that the the overall price of the domestic tour of Spring Festival in 2009 remains stable. Beijing and the north-east line are considered the most popular domestic tours lines of the Spring Festival in 2009, which prices have rised, but the increase remained at 10%. Now the fuel costs becomes lower, so that the increases is about 5%.

Beijing Tour is still the most favoritest in the next Spring Festival

At present, travel agencies in Dongguan released most of the Spring Festival domestic tour routes in 2009. Many citizens apply to travel agencies, especially for the Beijing and North-East Line. According to Chen Zijiang, deputy general manager of China Travel Service in Dongguan, at present the travel agency had received more than 100 members to Beijing for Spring Festival travel. Similarly, Beijing line is the most closed-off in the every weekend meeting of Dongguan MNB.

Those the most popular lines which price fluctuations do not exceed 10%, usually remain higher prices. The domestic tour lines in 2009 Spring Festival have no exception. Take Beijing line as an example, the five-day quote of the Spring Festival temple fair, "Bird's Nest", passion skiing and the Great Wall in 2008 Spring Festival is 2536 yuan, while the quote of the current Spring 2009 is 2996 yuan. Chen Zijiang said that the price of Beijing line raise about 10%. However, with the fuel costs became lower, overall prices just increase by 200 yuan and the maximum increase will be 5%.

The prices of Northeast line and Hainan line rise

Snow sight of the Northeast is also popular in Dongguan. Take a 6-days line for an example, the price is usually only 3800 yuan, but it willrise to 5800 yuan in the Spring Festival. The Ice Show of the Northeast provinces began from December 25 and would continue to one-month. During this period, the air tickets fee and the price of northeast line began to rise.

This situation also happened in the Hainan tour line. Although the prices remain stable with the prices of the same with period of last year, but it has been rised 50% . In normal times, the room fee is about 1,500 RMB, but it will rise to more than 4000 RMB in the Spring Festival.

Celebrating Christmas Day in China

Christmas Day is an annual holiday celebrated on December 25 that marks and honors the birth of Jesus of Nazareth. People often celebrate from December 24 - the Christmas Eve.

Modern customs of the holiday include gift-giving, church celebrations, and the display of various decorations—including the Christmas tree, lights, mistletoe, nativity scenes and holly. Santa Claus (also referred to as Father Christmas, although the two figures have different origins) is a popular mythological figure often associated with bringing gifts at Christmas.

As the Christmas approaches, department stores, shopping malls, official buildings will be decorated with Christmas trees (Christmas trees are usually decorated with paper chains, paper flowers, and paper lanterns), colorful lights and even Chinese lanterns. Christmas carols can be heard over the noise of the crowds and the Chinese "Father Christmas" helps to make the scene complete.

It is different from the weaterners that the Chinese family often skips the large meal - Christmas tree, but everyone still exchanges gifts. Exchanging Christmas Cards and Gifts is a very important part of Chinese Christmas Day. It is a chance to strengthen the relationships between friends, families and loved ones by exchanging Christmas cards and gifts. For many young Chinese people, Christmas Day is more like another Valentine’s Day rather than the family-get-together of western counties. They invite their loved ones for celebratory dinner, exchange gifts and enjoy a romantic night.

Chinese Christmas Day is also an occasion to share goodwill and be generous to people in need like orphans, lonely old people, the sick and homeless people. Many Chinese people will bring gifts to orphanage, Old People’s Home and hospitals to encourage these people.

As in western culture, Christmas day was a time to spend with family. Judy recalls sitting down with relatives to a large meal on Christmas day, but it could be served at either lunch or dinner. Instead of turkey, her father would prepare foods such as roast barbecued pork, chicken, and soup with wood ears. Reminiscing, she says the meal had more in common with a Chinese New Year's banquet than a traditional Christmas dinner.

Colorful Yunnan Tour

Lijiang is a prefecture-level city in northwestern Yunnan Province, 527 km from the provincial capital Kunming. Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, located ten miles from Lijiang, has one of the closest glaciers to the equator. The mountain peaks at 18,000 feet above sea level at the Shanzidou peak which looks like a snow-covered dragon. To the west of Lijiang the River of Golden Sand - the Jinshajiang (or Upper Yangtze) - makes a sharp turn north at Shigu and from here to the next major river valley - the Lancangjiang (Upper Mekong) - mountains predominate.

Lijiang has a population of 1,040,000 and is the main region inhabited by Naxi Group. The Bai, Yi, Miao, and other ethnic minorities accounted for 58%, Lijiang is therefore with very different and colorful ethnic customs. Naxi ancient music is known as the "Chinese classical music living fossil" . In its long history, the local residents have established their splendid Dongba Culture which has absorbed aspects of the culture of Tibet and the Central Plains along the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River. The various souvenirs marked with these Dongba hieroglyphs are very popular with visitors from home and abroad.

Dali is located on a fertile plateau between the Cangshan mountains to the west and Erhai lake to the east. It has traditionally been settled by the Bai and Yi minorities. It is also the capital of the Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture.
The long history and splendid culture of Dali left us rich cultural relics. Cangshan Mountain, Erhai Lake, Butterfly Spring, and the Three Pagodas of Chongsheng Temple are praised as Dali's leading scenic areas.

Ethnic minorities have inhabited Dali for generations, with the Bai Minority making up the majority of Dali's population (65%). The customs of the ethnic minorities bring charm to daily life in Dali. Each spring, celebrations and festivals bring the city to life. Celebrations such as the March Street Festival and Butterfly Fest provide excellent opportunities to learn about local folk customs. Dali city has attracted many tourists from abroad. There is a famous street called "Foreigner Street" around Huguo Road.

The Xishuangbanna sees Golden Peacock as its symbol. Dai town of Xishuangbanna is the hometown of Golden. Xishuangbanna looks like a elegant and beautiful picture: the dense forests, the leisurely walking elephants, flying peacock, magnificent countryside, whirling Feng Weizhu, areca arch , The Dai's bamboo bulding, Golden Temple pagoda, and Dai women's graceful figure...

Following with "Mei Lanfang" to Chase for the Lost Beauty

Mei Lanfang(梅兰芳), Shang Xiaoyun (尚小云), Cheng Yanqiu (程砚秋) and Xun Huisheng (荀慧生) were known as Four Great Dan in the golden era of Peking Opera. Mei really a culture hero. The new moive "Mei Lanfang" gave us an opportunity to touch the classic tradition and the culture of Beijing Opera. It also gave us an opportunity to clean up our souls at these artistic Masters' hometown.
Mei's House in Taizhou, Jiangsu

With a history of over 2100 years, Taizhou enjoys the reputation of "Ancient County in Han and Tang Dynasties and Famous District alongside the coast of the Yellow Sea". Through ages, it has seen gatherings of great talents and famous merchants. Roaming about the streets in Taizhou, you could feel its thick culture history.

Cheng Yanqiu's House in Beijing

Beijing - the place where Peking Opera was born. On top have a visit of Hutong Tour by pedicabs，enjoying the real life of the Beijing residents and Peking Opera.

Xun and Shang both come from Hebei province. Xun is best known for his portrayal of huadan roles, women who tended to be more vivacious or even of questionable character. In addition to Shang's singing, he was known for his dance and acrobatic skills.

7 Good Reasons for Traveling Tibet in Winter

1. Enjoy the sunshine at the bank of Lhasa River

Choose a family inn at Xianzu island. Every morning when the first ray of sunshine permeates your window, what you need to do is just rely on the balcony and drink a cup of milk tea. With the music, you could overlook the far off mountains and enjoy the fresh air.

2. Taste the colorful life.

See the kowtowing believers at Jokhang Temple and how those pretenders deceiving.

3. See the sunset at the Potala Palace.

The best place to view is the hillside oppsite the lahsa river.

4. Have a Tibet new year.

At Tibetan New Year, the Shoton Festival, Sagadawa Festival, the Qugui Festival, Fairy Festival, and the Festival of Su Youhua Lights, you will not only be able to enjoy the exhibition ceremony of the Buddha, pilgrims, Chao Chuan-law, but also can watch the Tibetan opera performances, puppet shows, lanterns, Duige competition, traditional dancing and so on. You will have a deep impress with the lively and happy Lhasa.

5. Looking for the relation between human and architecture.

Indulge your camera traveling in these Tibetan architectures, it will help you to have a peaceful mind at some time.
6. Obsessed with small alley.

The soul of Lahsa is those alleys that hide around Jokhang Temple. Under the glittery light, hiking around the alleys, you will feel the mysterious of Lahsa.

7. Hitting in the sweet tea house.

If you never hiking around those old alleys, never tasting the sweet tea and Tibetan nuddle with Lhasa people, you will not recognise the real Lahsa.

China Sees Ecotourism on the Rise

After more than a decade's development, China's tourism, which has been dotted by negative comments from environmentalists and preservationists, now sees a new possibility: ecotourism.

Norbert Trehoux of Marseilles-based TEC, a consulting agency specializing in the tourism, transport and environmental sectors, is convinced this niche sector could attract well-heeled foreign visitors to less developed parts of China hoping to leverage their natural beauty to generate much-needed income.

Yet he admits the industry faces some pretty tough obstacles.

"In China there is a national policy -- they want to develop ecotourism. But today, the definition of ecotourism is not the one we have in Western countries," he told the Foreign Correspondents' Club of China.

Provinces such as those in the scenic southwest, including Yunnan and Sichuan, are at the forefront of this push.
Still, many supposed ecotourism resorts which have been developed are far from rural idylls, Trehoux said.
"It's more like Disneyland," he added. "You don't go there to be quiet and to relax or to trek. They are more like theme parks. Some have small zoos, and lots of restaurants. This is ecotourism today in China."

Tourism is already big business in China, generating more than 1 trillion yuan ($146.4 billion) in revenues last year, according to the official Xinhua news agency.

Though there are no exact figures for the ecotourism segment, a government-sponsored push for rural tourism -- usually involving staying with farmers -- has become popular in China in recent years.

That gives Trehoux hope that in future more and more Chinese will opt for ecotourism, as opposed to the mass tourism in groups generally favored at present.

"The market is changing. There are Western influences everywhere, and China is going greener," he said. "I met some Chinese people in Shanghai, and they don't want to travel like their parents. They are fed up with the flag, and the microphone. They don't want this any more."

Ecotourism in China is also attracting some well-known international boutique chains. Singapore's Banyan Tree runs an award-winning hotel in a remote, Tibetan part of Yunnan which incorporates many aspects of the local culture.

While the government's aim is currently to attract wealthy Westerners to these types of places, Trehoux said that ultimately Chinese will comprise the majority of customers.

"They want to attract Western tourists, but in 20 years time they won't care about Western tourists. They will have high-end Chinese tourists. They will have people who are prepared to spend thousands to spend a night in a remote place," he said.

Get Hold of Best Kebab Sandwiches

Sandwiches, which have meat, vegetables and also bread, seem to contain all neccessary nutrients people need to fulfill a busy day. So here come three eateries where people can grab the best ever kebab sandwiches.

*Anadolu Turkish
A true Turkish delight, Andaolu's kebabs are rock solid, loaded with the hearty chunks of well-spiced meat that have made this dish an international sensation. The price (starting around 25-30 yuan) is astounding and the fact that Anadolu stays open until the crack of dawn elevates this kebab to the upper echelon of drunken munchies–A+.
Add: 4-7 Hengshan Lu 衡山路4-7号Tel: 021-5465-0977

*Haya's Mediterranean Cuisine Mediterranean
There are several reasons why you should be noshing on Haya's delectable kebab sandwiches, none of which is more noteworthy than the chicken schwarma (46 yuan sandwich, 60 yuan meal). This schwarma, true to the Israeli favorite, consists of shaved chunks of delicately seasoned roasted chicken. Add fries, veggies and, if you're smart, a glob of hummus and you've got magic in a pita.
Add: 415 Dagu Lu 大沽路415号 or 2/F, 3219 Hongmei Lu 虹梅路3219号2楼Tel: 021-6295-9511 (Dagu), 021-6465-1166 (Hongmei)

*Greek Taverna Mediterranean
If there is one reason to go to Thumb Plaza, it is Greek Taverna's chicken gyros (35 yuan sandwich, 50 yuan meal) stuffed with fries, veggies and garlic tsatsiki. Shanghai is conspicuously lacking in quality Greek offerings, so a good gyro, even one all the way in the nether regions of Pudong, is nothing to sneeze at. Why they only have chicken and pork but not lamb gyros is a mystery for the ages, but we'll settle on the chicken for now.
Add: Unit 41 Thumb Plaza, 199 Fangdian Lu 芳甸路199号大拇指广场41铺Tel: 021-5033-7500

The First Selling Tickets at Water Cube after Golden Weeks

Yesterday (19th Oct.) 9:00 a.m., Water Cube begins to sale tickets after golden weeks. One ticket remains for 30 yuan, but the daily selling limit is 20,000.
The tickets are only for Oct. 19 to 21, and visit time will be from 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.. One person could only buy 2 tickets for the max, children below the height of 1.2 meters can visit for free. The West Gate of the water cube is the wicket, the South Gate is for entrance, and the North Gate is for Exit.

In order to prevent looting tickets, the ticket office of Water Cube did not disclose the news of selling tickets for individual before. Yesterday, around 8:30, they put up the ticket selling information around Water Cube, but they did not receive any notice whether they would sell tickets for tourists after 21th of this month.

It is appoved that the measure of putting up ticket information provisionally didn't prevent looting tickets. At 4:00 p.m. yesterday, when the tickets are sold out from the ticket office of Water Cube, there are many people huddled at the entrance selling tickets. The ticket of 30 yuan is sold for 80 yuan the highest, and 45 yuan for the lowest.

"The Water Cube is now transformed for business use." the staff of the entrance office of Water Cube said. The official Olympic swimming pools have been pumped out, and the fountain pipes are being installed at the bottom of the swimming pools in order to prepare a large-scale water, sound and light combined concert. There are only training pool and diving pool with water in Water Cube, so the audience can only be entered from the eastern side of the stands to visit.

The Best Viewing Period of Xiangshan Maple Leaves

Yesterday, Maple Leaf Festival of the Xiangshan Park is openning. Maple Leaf Festival will continue to the 9th next month. During the period, in order to ease traffic pressure, the park consult with the traffic control department that opened a one-way down the mountain-lane --- Jie wangfu Road (from Jinyuan Holiday Hotel to Xiangshan South Road).

One staff of Xiangshan maple leaves phenological observations group said that due to the abundant rain of Beijing this year, maple leaves grow better than last year and the best viewing period will reach more than 20 days. It is expected that the best viewing period will last from the end of October to early November.

One staff of Xiangshan Park said that the travel population is expected to break 70,000 per day during the best viewing period of Maple leaces. So Xiangshan Park remind visitors to take buses here as much as possible at that time.

Reporters learned that the Xiangshan Red Leaf Festival will be held from October 15 to November 9. Admission fee: 10 RMB. During the eight days, the visitors who have the yearly, seasonly and monthly commutation tickets can only visit park at 6:00 to 9:00 and 16:00 to 18:30 a day.

The Best palce for viewing are Jingcui lake, Xiangshan Temple, Heshun Gate, Yuhua Hill and Xiangwu Grotto. The Jingcui Lake is the nearest place to watch the best.

Beijing Government Website Publishes Beijing Visitors Guidebook

"Essence of Beijing", a comprehensive 200 page visitor's guide to Beijing, is produced by the govenment of Beijing introducing the Beijing's culture heritage sites and popular destinations. The book is designed to help visitors feel more comfortable exploring the city. Every chapter of this book is put online that be helpful for visitors to look at what has been added.

The visitor's guide introduces Beijing for those who are arriving for the first time and is a free service of eBeijing.

The guide is divided into ten chapters, each of which represents a cultural area. Each area is described in a one day walking tour, with descriptions of cultural, historical, and other interesting sites along the route.

The guide is unique in Beijing for its use of several media formats together to serve visitors.The multiple publication channels include of a paperback guide convenient for walking tours, a mobile site which offers on-the-spot information about a location once a visitor has arrived, and a detailed online website guide which can be accessed from a web browser.

China Big Attraction for US - Poll

The Great Wall is the most recognized symbol of China among Americans, a survey released on Monday by US-based Perspective Resources Inc (PRI) has claimed.

Entitled "A Study of American Perceptions of China" the survey attracted 2 million US citizens, all aged 18 or above, with different social and education backgrounds. They were asked 10 questions about China.

When asked what they most associated with China, 49 percent said the Great Wall, followed by the Beijing Olympics (36 percent), rice and food (34 percent) and dragons (32 percent).

When asked to say which words they most associated with the country, the most popular answers were "highly populated", "government or Communism", "culture or history" and "red".

The most famous Chinese people are Jackie Chan, Bruce Lee, Mao Zedong, Confucius, Jet Li, Yao Ming, Buddha, Lucy Liu, Genghis Khan and Chow Yun-fat, the survey found.

When asked what are the most popular Chinese dishes, nearly 60 percent said it was rice or fried rice. Others mentioned egg rolls, noodles, wonton soup, fortune cookies, egg drop soup and stir-fried food.

When it comes to places to visit, Americans think of Beijing, the Great Wall, Hong Kong, Shanghai, the Bird's Nest, Forbidden City, Tibet and Tian'anmen Square, the revealing survey said.

Twenty-two percent of those surveyed also mentioned Singapore, which they thought was a Chinese city.
Chinese brand names are least familiar with Americans who named Samsung, Toyota, Nissan and Nike, which are not Chinese at all.

Forty-two percent of people surveyed said they could not name any Chinese brands, although 87 percent said they had used products made in China such as clothing, electronics and toys.

Asked about the most important issues in China, 39 percent said civil rights and freedom.

Others mentioned a wide range of topics such as population control, pollution, Communism and Capitalism, the economy, labor issues, sweatshops, low quality products, US debt to China and Tibet.

The survey also found that 49 percent of respondents were interested in Chinese history and culture, while 53 percent said they hoped to someday visit China.

The survey's margin of error was within 5 percent, according to PRI.

Set up in 1973, PRI has clients such as Cable News Network, General Electric, AT&T, VISA and American Airlines.

The survey was commissioned by the Blue Ocean Network International Communications Committee, a media organization that aims to promote better understanding of China among Westerners.

Construction Material of the Great Wall

As we all know, the Great Wall is the treasure of China - even the world. It really is a great masterpiece of mankind, with its beautiful scenes and grand construction. What many people may not know, however, is that in different periods of Chinese history the material of the Great Wall is different in different areas.

Before the use of bricks, the Great Wall was mainly built from earth, stones and wood. Due to the large quantity of materials required to construct the Great Wall, the builders always tried to use local sources. When building over the mountain ranges, the stones of the mountain were exploited and used; while in the plains, earth was rammed into solid blocks to be used in construction. In the desert, even the sanded reeds and juniper tamarisks were used to build the Great Wall.

Before and during the Qin Dynasty (221BC-206BC), because the earth buildings could withstand the strength of weapons like swords and spears and there was low technology of productivity, the Great Wall was basically built by stamping earth between board frames. As such, only walls of plain earth or earth with gravel inside were built. No fortresses were constructed along the wall, nor bricks used in the construction of gates at the passes. Some of the walls were even made only from piles of crude stones. Around Dunhuang City in Gansu Province, Yulin City in Shaanxi Province and Baotou City in Inner Mongolia, sites can still be found from the Great Wall of Qin, the Great Wall of Han and the Wall of Zhao. The Wall of Zhao was built during the Warring States Period using board frames, and the layers of earth can still be clearly seen.

During the period following the Han Dynasty (202BC-220AD), earth or crude stones were still popular building tools. The construction material did not reach a new level until the middle of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644); however the principle of using local material was maintained. Three hundred million cubic meters (393 million yards) of earthwork were used in the construction of the Great Wall, and with the appearance of large brick and lime workshops, some parts were also built with these new materials.

Bricks were used in a lot of areas during the Ming Dynasty, as well as materials such as tiles and lime. Attempts were always made to produce the materials locally, so kiln workshops were established to burn the crude material. In a construction team there was Material Supply Department. For example, in Juyongguan Pass names of supply departments such as kiln workshops, stone ponds and material supply departments were recorded. Some materials, such as the timbers for the construction of the passes, did have to be transported from outside areas when there were none available locally. Bricks were more a convenient material than earth and stone as their small size and light weight made them convenient to carry and thus quickened the speed of construction. Bricks are also the ideal material to bear the weight. According to a sample experiment experiencing gravity and erosion over a hundred years, the compressive strength, resistance to freezing and absorbency of the bricks of the time are similar to today's common bricks. A huge brick from a hundred years ago showed a high level of technological skill for that time. For further ease of construction, different shapes of brick were also burned and made to stuff into different positions. Stone, however, still has its advantages.

Stones cut in rectangular shapes were mostly used to build the foundation, inner and outer brims, and gateways of the Great Wall. In the Badaling section, the Great Wall is made almost entirely of granite, some of green and white stones and some of white marble. The stone material was found to better resist efflorescence than bricks.

It is not only because of the high level of productivity of the time that hard material like bricks and stones were used in the construction of the Great Wall, but also because of the development of weapons. Before the Ming Dynasty, the Great Wall was built from board frames and, although not very solid, could withhold simple weapons like swords, spears and bows. But during the Ming Dynasty, gunpowder became available. The musket, blunderbuss and cannon appeared. Due to the use of these weapons, more solid bricks and stones were required to build a stronger Great Wall.

The Great Wall of China embodies the great systems of defense created during the wars of the time; moreover it indicates a great achievement in architecture.

Legend of Mid Autumn Festival

There are many beautiful legends about the moon in China. the most popular one tells how a goddess named Chang'e flies to the moon.

A long, long time ago, a terrible drought plagued the earth. Ten suns burned fiercely in the sky like smoldering volcanoes. The trees and grass were scorched. The land was cracked and parched, and rivers ran dry. Many people died of hunger and thirst.

The King of Heaven sent Hou Yi down to the earth to help. When Hou Yi arrived, he took out his red bow and white arrows and shot down nine suns one after another. The weather immediately turned cooler. Heavy rains filled the rivers with fresh water and the grass and trees turned green. Life had been restored and humanity was saved.

One day, a charming young woman, Chang'e makes her way home from a stream, holding a bamboo contaiver, A young man comes forward, asking for a drink. When she sees the red bow and white arrows hanging from his belt, Chang'e tealizes that he is their savior, Hou Yi. Inviting him to drink, Chang'e plucks a beautiful flower and gives it to him as a token of respect. Hou Yi, in turn, selects a beautiful silver fox fur as his gift for her. This meeting kindles the spark of their love. And soon after that, they get married.
A mortal's life is limited, of course. So in order to enjoy his happy life with Chang'e forever, Hou Yi decides to look for an elixir of life.He goes to the Kunlun Mountains where the Western Queen Mother lives.

Out of respect for the good deeds the has done, the Western Queen Mother rewards Hou Yi with elixir, a fine powder made from kerndls of fruit which grows on the tree of eternity. At the same time, she tells him:If you and your wife share the elixir, you will both enjoy eternal life. But if only one of you takes it,that one will ascend to Heaven and become immortal.

Hou Yi returns home and tells his wife all that has happened and they decide to drink the elixir together on the 15th day of the eighth lunar month when the moon is full and bright.

A wicked and merciless man named Feng Meng secretly hears about their plan.He wishes Hou Yi an early death so that he can drink the elixir himeslf and become immortal.His opportunity finally arrives. One day,when the full moon is rising, Hou Yi is on his way home from hunting. Feng Meng kills him. The murderer then runs to Hou Yi's home and forces Chang'e to give him the elixir, Without hesitating, Chang'e picks up the elixir and drinks it all.
Overcome with grief, Chang'e rushes to her dead husband's sied, weeping bitterly.Soon the elixir begins to have its effect and Chang'e feels herself being lifted towards Heaven.

Chang'e decides to live on the moon because it is nearest to the earth. There she lives a simple and contented life. Even though she is in Heaven, her heart remains in the world of mortals. Never does she forget the deep love she has for Hou Yi and the love she feels for the people who have shared their sadness and happiness.

Another legend explained the role of the Old Man on the Moon, the Divine Match-maker. The Chinese believed that marriages were made in Heaven but prepared on the moon. The Old Man on the Moon tied the feet of young men and women with red cords for marriage. Thus a maiden made offerings and prayed to him during the Mid-Autumn Festival, hoping that some day she would ride in the red bridal sedan chair.