China Cultural Chronicles December 14, 2012

  • One of the Emperor's Clocks

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    One of the Emperor's Clocks

    Beijing, Palace Museum (Forbidden City), May 2011

    One of the many clocks on display in the Gallery of Clocks and Watches. Some of them beautiful, many of them outrageous and most of them ingenious. The majority (including this one) was manufactured in England in the 18th Century. This piece likely found its way to the imperial palace during the reign of the Qianlong emperor (1735-1796).

  • 深圳北站 (Shenzhen North Railway Station)
  • 深圳北站 (Shenzhen North Railway Station)
  • Chinese Lion Dancer

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    Chinese Lion Dancer

  • The Shot of Urban Highways Intersection of Yanan

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    The Shot of Urban Highways Intersection of Yanan

  • The Shot of Urban Highways Intersection of Yanan

    Eason Q has added a photo to the pool:

    The Shot of Urban Highways Intersection of Yanan

  • The Shot of Urban Highways Intersection of Yanan

    Eason Q has added a photo to the pool:

    The Shot of Urban Highways Intersection of Yanan

  • The Shot of Urban Highways Intersection of Yanan

    Eason Q has added a photo to the pool:

    The Shot of Urban Highways Intersection of Yanan

  • The Shot of Urban Highways Intersection of Yanan

    Eason Q has added a photo to the pool:

    The Shot of Urban Highways Intersection of Yanan

  • Christmas dessert made in Taipei

    A pastry chef shows the Christmas dessert to greet the upcoming Christmas in Taipei, southeast China's Taiwan, Dec. 12, 2012. [Xinhua]

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  • Capital entertainment

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    Visitors can experience the loveliest and liveliest side of this overwhelming city in merely three days - visiting the age-old Forbidden City and Qianmen, shopping at the modernized CBD and Sanlitun, ice-skating on Houhai Lake or enjoying a dinner of Peking roast duck in a fancy restaurant. 

    What to do and where to go if you have 72 hours in Beijing? Mu Qian and Ye Jun recommend some of the must-go and a few of off-the-beaten track spots.

    From Jan 1, transit passengers from 45 countries will be able to stay in Beijing for 72 hours without a visa. This makes the capital city a convenient short-term tourist destination.

    Beijing is one of the largest cities in the world. Some say you need a whole life to explore the ancient city's glorious past and flamboyant present. But three days will give any visitor a taste of something special and will definitely tempt them to return for a longer stay.

    Famous sites include the Forbidden City, Great Wall and Summer Palace. These are must-see places for first-timers in Beijing. But the city can offer much more as many of its treasures are off the beaten path. Let's take a look, Most people start their Beijing trip from the Forbidden City, the palace grounds that were home to the emperors of the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties, which showcases traditional Chinese culture. But unless you climb up the hill in Jingshan Park, located to the north of the ancient palatial structure, you won't be able to have a bird's-eye view of the whole compound.

    According to the dictates of feng shui, it is favorable to site a residence to the south of a nearby hill. Hence, Jingshan mountain was constructed artificially when the Ming emperors built the Forbidden City.

    At 45.7 meters high, it is an easy climb. When you arrive at the pavilion on the top, you will have a great view of not only the imperial palace compound, but also the central axis of Beijing.

    Donghuamen Road and Xihuamen Road, immediately outside the Forbidden City's boundary walls but within the moat, are perfect for a relaxing walk to soak up the nostalgic atmosphere. This is probably the only place in Beijing where your sight won't be diverted by high-rises that are popping up every day.

    On one side is the Forbidden City, on the other, across the moat, are two royal gardens. If you are there early enough, before the other tourists arrive, you can imagine yourself in medieval times.

    Walk south across Tian'anmen Square - one of the largest squares in the world - and you will arrive at Qianmen, a gentrified old district.

    Stroll along Qianmen Pedestrian Street and go into an old lane called Xianyukou to taste the miscellaneous traditional Chinese snacks. But beware, some might taste a bit strange. For a safer choice, check out Du Yi Chu, which sells flower-shaped siu mai that is recognized as China's national intangible heritage.

    The pedestrian street has two of Beijing's oldest Peking roast duck restaurants.

    Quanjude, China's biggest Peking roast duck chain restaurant, preserves an ancient wall in its Qianmen joint, from 1864, when it was founded. Another restaurant, Bianyifang, which uses a closed-oven roasting technique, is even older, dating back to 1416.

    The area also accommodates some of Beijing's best Western restaurants. Capital M at the northern end of Qianmen Pedestrian Street has a view of the Tian'anmen Square on its roof-top terrace.

    Ch'ien Men 23, location of the old American consulate, houses French restaurant Maison Boulud, and Italian restaurant Sadler.

    The founder of Maison Boulud, Daniel Boulud, runs a three-Michelin-star restaurant in New York, and Sadler's founder's restaurant in Italy holds two Michelin stars.

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  • Ugandans embrace learning Chinese language

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    Thousands of kilometers away from home, Chinese volunteers are in Uganda, teaching the Chinese language in renewed efforts to boost the cultural and trade relations between the two countries.

    In Wakiso district, about 15 km east of the capital Kampala is Luyanzi College, a private school owned by a Chinese lady and her husband Ayub Sooma.

    At the school some 500 secondary school students and 10 external learners are waiting for graduation in elementary Chinese language, phonetic system, Chinese characters, grammar and conversation.

    With the help of the volunteers from China's Guizhou Province, it took the students three months to master the elementary stage.

    "Every day we teach them to master the language slowly as they repeat the Chinese vowels and simple conversation," Tu Xi, a Chinese volunteer told Xinhua in an interview on Dec. 10.

    Jimmy Dheyongera, the head-teacher of the school told Xinhua that the students can now freely express themselves in the Chinese language.

    "They (learners) were trained for three months in Chinese elementary language. They can now talk, greet, ask for water and a way forward and they can bargain in any market using the Chinese language," said Dheyongera.

    Luyanzi College is the first privately owned secondary school in Uganda to offer Chinese culture lessons.

    "Because we feel the world is going commerce and China is an economic power and many Ugandans have brought Chinese products here but whenever they go to shop they are handicapped by the language so we hope language will help them to excel in their business," said Dheyongera.

    The Chinese language is also taught at Makerere University, the country's top university.

    According to the Ugandan government, learning the Chinese language and way of doing business is critical in boosting the trade relations between the two countries.

    The language barrier between the two countries would be broken and doing business made simple.

    Because of this, the Ugandan government has introduced the Chinese language as the latest foreign language in the country's syllabus.

    Students in elementary secondary school can learn the language and later at a higher level opt whether to master in it or not.

    "I really support this and it's important they are doing it in School because transforming this country's education is very important and the type of education we've been having is purely Western. Now when we move to the Eastern world I think we now have diversity for development of the economy," Sulaiman Madada, Uganda' s state minister for persons with disability, told Xinhua in an interview on Dec. 10.

    To boost these efforts, the Chinese government is funding the set-up of a Chinese school which will also have an information and cultural center.

    Wang Lihong, the director and proprietor of Luyanzi College, in an interview with Xinhua hailed the initiative to promote the learning of the Chinese language.

    "Chinese investors are increasing in Uganda and if you know the language you increase your job opportunities," she said.

    "The Chinese language will help me to conduct business with the Chinese without any difficulties or cheating," said Hope Cynthia Munguchi, Luyanzi College's best student in Chinese language.

    Since 2007, Uganda Investment Authority has ranked China among the top 10 foreign investors in the East African country. So far there are over 200 Chinese firms in Uganda employing over 30,000 Ugandans.

  • More Chinese tourist comes to Bali

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    Bali, the center of Indonesia tourist industry, continued to see a rising number of Chinese tourists in October, but the island saw fewer European holidaymakers, media reported here on Monday.

    The number of Chinese tourists visiting the island in October rose by 49 percent to 32,245 people on monthly basis, according to data released by the provincial statistics agency.

    Chinese tourists contributed 12.64 percent to total foreign tourist arrivals in Bali that month, which reached 255,021.

    "The number of Chinese tourists continues to rise due to rapid economic growth in the country, despite the financial crisis in Europe," said Gde Suarsa, head of the Bali Statistics Agency was quoted by the Jakarta Post as saying.

    The cumulative of number of Chinese tourist visiting the island by October reached 273,684, a rise of 37.7 percent on yearly basis.

    This figure contributes largely to the country's overall recorded arrivals of some 450,000 Chinese. Next year, Indonesia targets welcoming 600,000 Chinese tourists.

    "Over the last several months, the Chinese have always been the second largest group, after the Australians, visiting the island," Suarsa said.

    In line with China's rapid economic growth, over the coming decade, the country, with a population of more than 1.3 billion, is expected to contribute the single largest number of tourists in the world with some 100 million of its population possibly taking trips abroad by 2020.

    Meanwhile, the number of European tourists visiting Bali during October decreased, especially those from Germany, the U.K. and France.

    The data showed that German arrivals recorded the most significant decrease in October, by 26.75 percent, followed by British with 26.69 percent and French with 11.29 percent, compared to the previous month.

    Germany recorded a decrease in numbers from 11,852 people in September to 8,682 in October, while the U.K. showed a decrease from 12,042 to 8,828. Suarsa said the fall was the result of the ongoing financial crisis in the continent.

    However, the citizens of these three countries still remain in the top 10 of those visiting Bali, alongside those from Australia in first, as well as China, Japan, Malaysia, South Korea, the United States and Singapore. The French, British and Germans ranked sixth, ninth and 10th respectively.

    Suarsa added that overall, the number of foreign tourists visiting Bali during the period of January to October reached 2.44 million, an increase of 3.7 percent from 2.35 million in the same period in 2011.

    Bali has set a target of 2.8 million foreign tourists during this year.

    In an effort to further increase the number of direct arrivals to Bali, national flag carrier PT Garuda Indonesia plans to operate 16 new routes connecting Bali's Ngurah Rai International Airport with some domestic and foreign cities next year. The new routes, which will be in addition to the existing 33 routes, will likely include cities in Europe and America.

  • Khamra National Forest Park, Tibet 2012

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    Khamra National Forest Park, Tibet 2012

    Like to see the pictures as LARGE as your screen? Just click on this Slideshow : www.flickr.com/photos/reurinkjan/sets/72157630983897338/s...

    Khamra National Park (Ch Kanbula):
    Located in the northwest of Jentsa County , 131 kms from Ziling (Ch Xining), the Kanbula National Forest Park covers an area of 39.17 square km. The park is featured with its stone peaks of Danxia landform, forests and man-made sight. This scenic spot consists of hills, eroded hillock, and small basins among mountains, with 50 tourist attractions, of which Danxia landform, Buddhist temples, and Lijia Gorge Power Station are the highlights. Khamra National Park is an ideal place for sightseeing, worshiping, and summer resort. The weather amid the mountains can change very frequently. The middle segment of Namdzong Valley, which extends 5 km, should be the most beautiful place in the park.

  • Wines for Christmas feasts-Old Shanghai inspiration

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    Soon Christmas will be upon us with families of various backgrounds joyously gathering throughout Shanghai to celebrate the most important Western holiday.

    For some this is a spiritual day for reflection while for others it's an occasion to eat and drink with abandon. The important role of food and wine during the Christmas holiday is well documented and over the years certain foods have become standard fare on the Christmas table.

    All you need to do is looking at our newspaper to see the endless offerings of turkey, ham and other favored Christmas fare.

    While there's nothing wrong with traditional dishes, to be different, I'll suggest some inspired Shanghai-themed wining and dining ideas.

    Old Shanghai inspiration

    The best meals and celebrations always require a certain amount of inspiration. Over the past century and a half, our city of Shanghai has been home to some of the most sumptuous and creative Christmas lunches and dinners ever held.

    Why not try and relive some of these great feasts by featuring some of the same dishes and wines of past celebrations? Not only will you enjoy great food and wines but you can regale your family and friends with entertaining tales of the past.

    In the early years after the 1842 Treaty of Nanjing, new Western families in Shanghai longed for the traditional dishes of their homes.

    There exist many copies of old letters that mention Western families in Shanghai in the mid-19th century enjoying Christmas meals with foods quite similar to those enjoyed in their homelands. The English had their humble pie, a mixture of venison or other meat with liver brains and other organs as well as plum pudding that comprised boiled beef or mutton with prunes wine and spices.

    English and German families also enjoyed roasted goose and other fowl, dishes that are readily available today and perhaps more palatable to modern tastes.

    Carp was also a popular Christmas dish for many continental Europeans and it's easy to find today.

    Unfortunately, we don't have documented evidence of the wines that graced 19th-century Christmas tables in Shanghai but based on early shipping documents we know the city already had plenty bottles of red Bordeaux and white German Riesling wines.

    Should you wish to revive the feasts of 19th-century Shanghai, then I recommend you enjoy a nice German Riesling like Joh Jos Prum Graacher Himmelreich Kabinett or Gustave Lorentz Riesling Altenberg. Both wines would go equally well with the carp, goose or water fowl.

    If humble pie or plum pudding is on your menu, then I suggest sticking to a sturdy and structured Cru Bourgeois Bordeaux like Chateau Meyney or Chateau Lillian-Ladouys. Both wines have the weight and concentration to stand up to the tasty classic English fare.

    By the swinging 1920s and 1930s, Western families in Shanghai were often joined by Chinese families in celebrating Christmas.

    Famed triad boss Du Yuesheng, also referred to as big-eared Du, hosted large Christmas parties for senior European and Chinese officials where a mixture of Western and Chinese dishes were served with expensive French and other European wines.

    Dressed in his Chinese silk gown, Du lavishly entertained the who's who of Shanghai society, including famed movie idol Ruan Lingyu and "Golden Voice" Zhou Xuan, who both suffered tragic early deaths.

    Tycoon Sir Victor Sassoon held extravagant costume parties over the Christmas holiday that always featured an abundance of Champagne and caviar.

    Hedonistic Shanghai during the 1920s and 1930s may have been a fools' paradise, but they did throw some fun and delicious parties.

    There's no shortage of Champagne today in Shanghai and it's the perfect drink to accompany the mixed Western and Chinese cuisines at Du's parties and the caviar of Sassoon's parties. I have no proof, but a wine-loving Chinese professor once told me Gosset Champagnes were frequently served at Sassoon's parties.



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