Archive for 'Culture'
Kunming Day Trips Video Posted by sasha on Jan 17, 2018
There are plenty of awesome day trips from Kunming. Within an hour from the city center, you can be in ancient Buddhist temples, stunning gardens, or on top of a mountain looking out on the city. When you need a break from the hustle and bustle of the big city, you’ve got lots of options…
Harbin Ice and Snow Festival in 60 Seconds Posted by sasha on Jan 10, 2018
When it comes to winter fun in China, you just can’t beat the Harbin Ice and Snow Festival (哈尔滨冰雪节 – hā’ěr bīn bīng xuě jié). It’s the biggest ice and snow festival in the world, and it attracts millions of visitors every year to China’s “Ice City” (冰城 – bīng chéng) to see the incredible sculptures. See…
5 Awesome Kunming Day Trips Posted by sasha on Jan 4, 2018
The capital of Yunnan province, Kunming (昆明 – kūn míng) is known for its famous “Crossing the Bridge Rice Noodles” and spring-like weather. It’s even called the Spring City (春城 – chūn chéng) for this reason. While there’s plenty to see and do in the city to keep you busy for a few days, there…
Christmas Songs in Chinese Posted by sasha on Dec 21, 2017
Christmas (圣诞节 – shèng dàn jié) is right around the corner, and even in China you’ll hear carols throughout the month. Although most people in China don’t celebrate the religious side of Christmas, they sure love the commercial one. There are Christmas trees and lights in shopping malls all over the country, as people take…
Yunnan Cuisine Posted by sasha on Dec 20, 2017
Yunnan province is one of the most beautiful places to travel in China. In addition to amazing places like Dali and the Tiger Leaping Gorge, it’s also home to some pretty delicious cuisine. From the crossing the bridge rice noodles to the yummy old grandma’s potatoes, they’re cooking up lots of good stuff here. Let’s…
Warm Up with Chinese Hot Pot Posted by sasha on Dec 18, 2017
Winter is in coming, and temperatures are falling fast. This is especially true in the northern part of China – it’s already hovering around 0 degrees Celsius in Beijing and it’s far, far below zero in the provincial capital of Harbin. Coupled with the awful air pollution, this can lead to a serious sense of…
Chinese Bowed String Instruments Posted by sasha on Dec 13, 2017
In my first post about traditional Chinese instruments, I covered some of the history and background, along with the plucked string instruments. In that post, we learned about the guqin, pipa, ruan, and guzheng. Now, let’s focus on the Chinese bowed string instruments. Huqin Instruments The Er Hu belongs to a series of Chinese instruments known as…