Archive for 'Culture'
Kunming Expo Gardens Posted by sasha on Apr 10, 2017
With a full day at your disposal, you can easily tour the Golden Temple and the World Horti-Expo Gardens outside of Kunming. This makes for an incredible day trip out in nature, with a nice dose of Chinese culture for good measure. Take a tour of the Kunming Expo Gardens with us in this short…
Kunming Day Trips – World Horti-Expo Gardens Posted by sasha on Apr 6, 2017
After exploring the tranquil and scenic Golden Temple Park in Kunming, you can catch a cable car over to our next great day trip destination. Here, you’ll be able to enjoy nature, stop to smell the flowers, and take a world tour all while remaining in the Spring City. Kunming World Horticultural Expo Gardens 昆明世界园艺博览园…
History and Customs of Tomb Sweeping Day Posted by sasha on Apr 4, 2017
Today is the Qing Ming Festival (清明节 – qīng míng jié)) in China. More commonly referred to in English as Tomb Sweeping Day, it’s a day to honor the deceased by visiting and cleaning tombs as well as leaving offerings. As with most Chinese holidays, there’s an interesting story behind the Qing Ming Festival and…
Book Review: Shanghai Girls / Lisa See Posted by Ayana on Apr 3, 2017
Shanghai Girls is a 2009 novel by Lisa See. As the title suggests, the book is composed of two protagonists: a girl named Pearl and the city Shanghai. The narrator of the book is Pearl, and while she is telling the story of her and of her sister, Shanghai embodies the story of all China…
Better Know a… Municipality (Tianjin) Posted by sasha on Mar 30, 2017
China is a massive country composed of provinces, autonomous regions, Special Administrative Regions, and municipalities. If that sounds confusing, that’s because it is. We’ve been working our way around the country one area at a time here, introducing each and every single one. There are four municipalities in China, and we’ve already covered the two…
Peking Opera Posted by sasha on Mar 23, 2017
The Chinese capital is famous for lots of things – the Great Wall, roast duck, and of course, Peking opera (京剧 – jīng jù). It has a long history and is thought of as a cultural treasure of China. Performers wear elaborate and colorful costumes and face paint and put on an impressive show featuring…
Baozi vs. Jiaozi Posted by sasha on Mar 20, 2017
Life is full of difficult choices. Tea or coffee, chicken or fish, but most of all, baozi (包子 – bāo zi) or jiaozi (饺子 – jiǎo zi). Both are cheap, delicious little bundles of joy, so you really can’t go wrong either way. Let’s take a closer look at these two famous Chinese dishes and try…