China Cultural Chronicles September 13, 2012
- Lanterns ready for global glow
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下载安装Flash播放器Shanghai International Lantern Festival lasts for 40 days at Luxun park.
Chinese tradition says at the very beginning of a new year, when there's a bright full moon hanging in the sky, there should be thousands of colorful lanterns hung out for people to appreciate and thus, the Lantern Festival is celebrated in winter.
But Shanghainese say we shouldn't waste such great weather in the late summer evenings, prompting the Shanghai International Lantern Festival in the fall.
The festival, which lasts for 40 days, is held at Luxun Park in Hongkou district from Sept 5 to Oct 14.
The theme of the Lantern Festival is harmony, blending and development, designed by a Zigong-based company in Sichuan province, which is famous for its magnificent ingenious assembly, exquisite workmanship and strong local customs.
The Zigong lantern has been inscribed on the World Intangible Cultural Heritage. In the 1990s the Zigong Lantern Festival was held several times in Luxun Park.
The festival is divided into three exhibition areas consisting of an international exhibition, a China exhibition and interactivity section.
A total of 52 groups created giant lanterns, adopting special workmanship and introducing sound, light and electricity. In addition, environment-friendly and energy-saving materials such as LED lights are used for the lanterns.
A 200-meter lantern in the shape of a dragon will be the highlight of the festival and will compete for the Guiness World Record of the world's longest lantern.
Comprised of about 80,000 pieces of porcelain including ceramic bowls, dishes, plates and cups, it was made by more than 150 craftsmen from Jiangxi's Jingdezhen, the porcelain capital of China.
"Cotton thread was used to keep the porcelain together, which is extremely hard to imagine as it requires exquisite workmanship - people have to come to check it out," says Liu Shengyang, lighting designer of the Shanghai International Lantern Festival.
The dragon's head alone weighed 1,000 kilograms, he says.
The dragon's head can move and puff smoke, says Liu.
Other lanterns will feature themes such as London Olympics, Eiffel Tower, the Great Wall and the Shenzhou IX manned spacecraft.
- Ancient town of Fenghuang
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下载安装Flash播放器Photo taken on Sept 5, 2012 shows a street of the ancient town of Fenghuang in Fenghuang county, central China's Hunan province. The townlet is famed for its time-honored houses and cultural relics, attracting visitors from home and abroad. [Xinhua]
- Restaurateur wants to eat well, do good
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下载安装Flash播放器Fresh bread is one way Scott Ensminger tempts customers with Western fare. [Darnell Gardner JR/China Daily]
For one genial American, achieving his dream is meaningless unless he can help others to do the same.
Scott Ensminger, 29, first came to China in 2005, after graduating with a degree in engineering. He came at a time when opening a restaurant abroad was but a leftover childhood aspiration.
Late last year, he decided to take that dream off the backburner and together with his wife and two others started planning Ahava, a quaint sandwich shop and cafe, tucked into an alleyway near the west gate of the University of International Business and Economics.
With Ahava, Ensminger wants to address what he feels are two of Beijing's missing ingredients: philanthropy and quality Western food.
While he was working on his menu, he was also working with local charities to locate and train three young men to work in Ahava.
In addition to serving tasty, fairly priced food, Ensminger and his business partners say they want their kitchen to become a platform for philanthropy.
Jiang Lixi, one of Ensminger's business partners, says Ahava is an opportunity to give back to the community.
Jiang says the three young men hired to work as waiters in Ahava, all orphans ranging in age from 17 to 21, too old to be adopted, but also too inexperienced to enter the workforce.
Ensminger says he teaches them skills they'll be able to use to achieve their own dreams in the future.
Song Liuxi, one of the waiters at Ahava, says the skills he's learning will help him achieve his dream of opening a chocolate shop.
"I've learned how to cook and how to communicate," says Song. "I've learned a lot from watching Scott talk to customers."
- Autumn Scenery at Ruoergai Wetland Reserve
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下载安装Flash播放器Located on a plateau in the northwestern part of China's Sichuan province, the Ruoergai Wetland Reserve is a national level nature reserve known for its high altitude. The nature reserve's peak stands at 3697 meters above sea level. The area provides habitat for many rare bird species including the black-necked crane and is home to numerous other wild animals. The wetland reserve has transformed into its autumn finery as can be seen in this latest photo feature filed by CRI reporters traveling in Sichuan.
- Autumn scenery along Sichuan-Tibet Highway
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