~*China tops U.S. in Internet Usage*~ Wednesday, May 7 2008 

Technology , fablala 10:51 am

Now who would have ever thought that?

In a recent article from Forbes.com it stated that “Chinese internet users spend nearly two billion hours online each week, while the U.S. audience logs on for 129 million hours per week”. Last time it was checked, the U.S. had 154 million users on the Internet, back in 2006.

If this were the case, then Dr. Charles Zhang, chairman and CEO of Sohu.com, thinks that China is either at the same level as the U.S. or even above.

In 2004, there were about 94 million Internet users in China. Just a year later it increased up to 111 million, according to the China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC). Within the last two years it continues to grow at a rate of 18%. 

Even USAToday has a got a report about this. It’s interesting to see what people’s thoughts are on this subject. In my opinion it shows just how much more China is developing as a country. 

What do you think?

 

 

 

~*Chinese Dumplings*~ Tuesday, May 6 2008 

Cuisine , fablala 9:55 am

Also known as “Jiaozi”. Chinese dumplings are eaten in most of East Asian countries, such as Japan and Korea. I just recently had some myself and they are delicious! Even suitable for vegetarians. 

Since the Sung dynasty, China has been perfecting the art of dumplings. Chinese dumplings are usually in a round or crescent-shaped piece of dough. For meat eaters, you can have meat and for vegetarians, you can have vegetable fillings and even these can be either sweet or savory. 

The piece of dough wrapped around the filling is very thin and sealed by crimping. Crimping is when the edges of the dough is pressed together. 

There are three ways how dumplings can be cooked: boiled, steamed and shallow fried. The best sauces to have with these dumplings are soya sauce (my personal favourite) or they can also be dipped into vinegar, garlic, ginger, rice wine, hot sauce and sesame oil.  

Dumplings are usually eaten around Chinese New Year with the whole family. They should not be confused though with Dim Sum. Dim Sum’s are smaller and are most commonly steamed. They also have a thinner translucent skin. 

But on the whole, dumplings are definitely worth a try!   

 

~*Chinese Fruit: Lychee*~ Monday, May 5 2008 

Cuisine , fablala 10:02 am

Mhmm you gotta love your fruits! Lychee (or Litchi, Laichi, Lichu) is a delicious fruit and is native to southern China. But they are also grown elsewhere in South-East Asia in countries such as Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam and many more.  

It has similarities with Rambutan, a common fruit found in Indonesia. It is covered in a pink-red, rough-textured rind that you have to remove.

The inside of the Lychee has a translucent white flesh. It is very sweet and rich in Vitamin C. The texture of this is similar to those of a grape.

The center of the Lychee has a brown looking seed.

Lychee’s should be eaten when it’s a hot day and they just came out of the refrigerator. 

 

~*Chinese Vegetables: Broccoli & Cabbage*~ Sunday, May 4 2008 

Cuisine , fablala 10:03 am

Vegetables are healthy. I find that the Chinese cabbage and broccoli taste amazing!

Chinese cabbages have been cultivated, in China, for over six thousand years! They were very common as part of a diet in southern China. 

The Chinese broccoli is a bitter leaf vegetable, with flat, green leaves with thick stems and have those broccoli-like heads. The taste of this broccoli is a bit sweeter than that of a normal broccoli, which you get.

Kai-Lan (Chinese broccoli) is used in a lot of Chinese cuisines just like the cabbage.

Normally you stir-fry the broccoli with ginger and garlic and then boil Kai-Lan. For a finishing touch, add oyster sauce.

One of the best dishes I have ever eaten! Oyster sauce is used in most of vegetable dishes, even with spinach.

 

~*Chinese Candy*~ Saturday, May 3 2008 

Sweets , fablala 10:01 am

In my opinion the best-known Chinese candy is the White Rabbit candy. I am a big fan of them! It is one of the candies, which is marketed significantly outside of China.

The candy is white. When you bite it, you will realize that it has a soft, chewy texture.

When I was younger, I couldn’t believe that you could eat the thin-edible paper-like wrapping around the candy (not the actual wrapping!). When you unfold the outside wrapping, you will find that thin paper-like around the candy. You’ll see what I mean when you have bought some yourself :) . 

But now I love eating it because it is actually made from sticky rice.

The packaging of the candy have changed over years, and nowadays they have developed a variety of flavours to pick from: chocolate, coffee, toffee, peanut, coconut, lychee, strawberry, mango and red bean.

Today these White Rabbit sweets are one of China’s top brands of candies! In the UK, you can get them in any Asian store. Yummy!

 

~*Second National Emblem: the Giant Panda*~ Friday, May 2 2008 

Culture and Nature , fablala 9:58 am

The Giant Pandas are one of many animals that are classified as endangered species. If their homes continue to get destroyed, the less of them there’ll be (and their birthrate is pretty low). Most are kept in zoos with a habitat that are as close as they can be to their natural environment.   

I think they are one of my favourite animals because they look exactly like a huge teddy bear. When you look at them, it makes you want to go over and hug it. They are very cute animals.

Even though the dragon is China’s national emblem, the Giant Panda can be seen as a second national emblem for the country.

The Giant Panda can be found in mountain ranges in central China. The used to stay in lowland areas but because of deforestation, farming and other land developments, it restricted the areas for them to live in.    

WWF is an organisation that have been active to conserve Giant Panda’s since 1980. They have been helping the government of China with the National Conservation Programme for the Giant Panda and their habitat. The programme has shown significant progress. 

 

~*Traditional Chinese Medicines*~ Thursday, May 1 2008 

Culture and Medicine fablala 10:02 am

In this world, many medicines that we use are from China and are originally created from herbs.

Traditional Chinese medicine is considered a complementary and alternative medicine in the Western part of the world. 

The Chinese believe that the life and activity of an individual human being have an intimate relationship with the environment around them. 

“Traditional Chinese medicine is largely based on the philosophical concept that the human body is a small universe with a set of complete and sophisticated interconnected systems, and that those systems usually work in balance to maintain the healthy function of the human body.”

The famous Yin and Yang is one of the five models of the body. The other four are Five elements theory, Zang Fu theory, Meridian and Three Jiaos. 

The Chinese model focuses primarily on functions of the body whereas in the Western anatomical model, the body is divided into separate parts. 

Theories, diagnosis and treatments for example, herbal medicine, acupuncture and massages all belong to the traditional Chinese medicine practices.  

Acupuncture is one of the most common used medicine that we find more often today. It has proven in many cases as very efficient. Basically thin needles are being put into the body to relieve you the pain that you may have.  

 

 

~*Architecture*~ Wednesday, Apr 30 2008 

Art and Culture , , fablala 2:00 pm

The Great Wall of China is considered one of the world’s medieval wonders along with the Stonehenge, Colosseum, Catacombs of Kom el Shoqafa, Porcelain Tower of Nanjing, Hagia Sophia and the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

There are more wonders, which include the Taj Mahal, Cairo Citadel, Ely Cathedral and Cluny Abbey.

I have never been to the Great Wall of China yet. It’s definitely on my list of things to see! It is one of the largest constructions ever done.  

The Great Wall was built around 2000 years ago and stretches just over 6,700 km long, which is about 4,163 miles. It stretches across the mountains of the northern part of China, winding north and northwest of Beijing. 

The Wall was built in the Spring, Autumn and Warring States Periods as a defensive fortification by the three states, which were Yan, Zhao and Qin. It was first built as independent walls until the Qin Dynasty. Emperor Qin Shihuang joined the walls together. Only then was the wall called “Great”. 

The Great Wall has been often included in Chinese mythology. 

Even if you won’t manage to walk along the entire wall, it’s been said that it’s spectacular to even just experience one part of the wall. 

It appears to be a fantastic tourist attraction! The part of the Wall that lies north-east of Beijing is still in it’s original state. It is recommended to see that if you can’t decide which area of the Wall you want to see.  

It sure has attracted me!

 

~*Feng Shui*~ Tuesday, Apr 29 2008 

Culture and Religion fablala 5:00 pm

Some of you might be wondering what ‘Feng Shui’ is. Well, it is a Chinese practice believed to utilize the Laws of both Heaven and Earth to help improve life by receiving positive Qi (flow of energy).

The main theories of Feng Shui are Qi, Polarity, Magnetic North and Luopan Compass and Bagua.  

It’s interesting that you can find schools that teach Feng Shui. You learn the practice of arranging your furniture, for example, in your house. You do this in order to achieve harmony within your own environment.

It has been researched that the lunar cycle, weather, seasons and colours alter our emotions and our behaviour.

Luckily Feng Shui consultants are there to help determine what kind of atmosphere a person will flourish in. They then create an environment for you to feel comfortable in and help you succeed. They will look at colours, art, plants, lighting, the type of furniture etc.

I’ve been fascinated about Feng Shui for a while and do share some belief in it.  

 

~*Chinese Weddings*~ Monday, Apr 28 2008 

Culture , fablala 9:41 am

When I hear about Indian weddings, they last for a couple of days, and preparation is done many months ahead. They are very bright and colourful. A friend of mine went to two weddings within the same month. I always love to hear her stories. When it’s her wedding, I’ll be able to experience one for myself.

So I was wondering what a traditional wedding might look like in China because I’m not familiar with marriage rituals, or weddings in general. Here’s what I’ve found out.

In China, marriage became a custom between 402 – 221 B.C. On the whole there are six rituals known as “three letters and six etiquette”.

There are three letters: request letter, gift letter and wedding letter. The request letter is given to the bride’s family from the groom’s family to formally request a marriage. The gift letter accompanies the gifts of the groom’s family to the bride’s family before the wedding. Last but not least, the wedding letter. This is given on the actual wedding day, which is an official acceptance of the bride into the groom’s family. 

The “six etiquettes”  are the proposal, birthdates, bride price, wedding gifts, arranging the wedding and the wedding ceremony. 

Some of the preparations are for example, the bride-to-be will be put in a separate part of the house with her closest friends, but away from her family. During this time, they sing laments to mourn the bride’s separation from her family. 

Another is the installation of the bridal bed. On the day before the wedding, a new bed is purchased. Children are invited onto the bed as an omen to fertility. So the more children there are on the bed, the better. Red dates, oranges, lotus seeds, peanuts and pomegranates are put on the bed. 

The actual day of the wedding is divided up into 5 parts. There is a “hair dressing ritual” for the bride and a “capping” ritual for the groom. This symbolises their start into adulthood and are very important to wedding preparations. Red, which is a symbol of joy, is predominantly in their clothing. 

The other parts are the procession from the groom’s house to obtain the bride, then the bride’s journey to the groom’s house and lastly, arriving at the groom’s house.

The wedding ceremony is fairly simple in comparison to the preparations. At the family alter, the bride and groom pay homage to Heaven and Earth, the family ancestors and the kitchen God. Tea, with two lotus seeds or two red dates are put into a cup and offered to the groom’s parents. Then the bride and groom bow to each other. This completes the marriage ceremony. 

 

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