Eastern Elegance

When I was little, my grandfather used to tell me fairy tales that were popular at his youth. They were fascinate and mysterious and shared the same beginning "long time ago". My most memorable one, of course, begins in the same way: 

Long time ago, there was a gorgeous fisher woman lived by the Jingbo Lake. She was not only beautiful but also clever and skillful. When fishing, she always felt hindered by her long and loose dress. Therefore, this intelligent woman decided to design a practical dress for her work. She got down to sewing and produced a gown with slits of both sides, which enabled her to tuck the front piece of her dress, thus making her job much easier. One day, the emperor visited Jingbo Lake and encountered this fisher woman. He fell in love with this woman at the first sight because of her beauty and wisdom. Later the fisher woman became the empress and brought her dress with her to the palace. Soon all Manchu women followed this fashion trend and that is how Qipao became popular. 

I was attracted by this story because I saw one picture of my grandmother wearing Qipao in my grandfather's desk. The Qipao was emerald with flower patterns in the front, and she looked elegant and graceful. So I was interested in the design of Qipao, the fashion from Qing Dynasty. 

Qipao is one of the most typical and traditional costumes of Chinese women, also known as Cheongsam. In the past, the collar was high and tide to keep warm. It was meticulously improved into the shape of a semicircle with both sides being symmetrical for an aesthetic purpose. It is generally short, however unlike a short skirt, Qipao displays Chinese women's modesty and softness. 

Easy to slip on and comfortable to wear, Qipao fits well the female Chinese figure. Its neck is high, collar closed, and its sleeves may be either short, medium or full length, depending on season and personal preference. The dress is buttoned on the right side, with a loose chest, a fitting waist, and slits up from the sides, all of which combine to set off the beauty of the female shape. 

The modernized version is noted for heightening the figures of women, and was popular as a dress for high-class society. As Western fashions permeated into Chinese culture, the basic design of Qipao changed as well, introducing high-necked sleeveless dresses, bell-like sleeves, and the black lace frothing at the hem. By the 1940s, Qipao came in a wide variety of fabrics with an equal variety of accessories. 

I love Qipao not only because the romantic fairy tale of it, but also because my grandfather loves the story. As he is telling the story, he is always holding the photo of my grandmother in Qipao. Every time the story ends in "Your grandma looked gorgeous in Qipao when she was young, and I really wish I could see her dress like that again." I saw my grandmother's Qipao well kept in her closet just like she accompanied my grandfather as always. 

A Sweet Art

Every time after school when I was a little kid in China, I would always stop at the corner of the street and got the sweet sugar painting. The old man was sitting in front of a wooden stand where there was a polished slab of marble in the middle. On the side of the stand were a rotatable bamboo arrow and a wooden plat painted with various patterns in a circle. I turned the arrow and waited it to stop. The pattern that the still arrow pointed at would be made with sugar. 

This is one of my most precious memories from my childhood in China. When I was holding the shinning sugar painting walking under the sunshine, the sweetness and vividness made my days full of happiness. 

As I shared my childhood story so far, I am sure you must be wandering what is a sugar painting. Is it another fantastic Chinese art? Or is it just a sweet snack for children? Sugar painting is a Chinese folk handicraft, which uses brown sugar as the material for creation. The artists first cook the sugar until it melts. Then they use a small spoon to scoop up the sugar melted, spread rapidly back and forth on the slab of the marble, drawing shapes of an animal, or a solid bike, or even a flower basket. Then they use a small shovel separate the sugar panting from the marble, putting a wooden prod on the painting or wrapping it with a transparent plastic bag. 

Producing aesthetic pieces with sugar made sugar painting a unique art. It is different from ordinary painting since the hot melted sugar can freeze in a second which acquires the painter to paint quickly. Besides, painters have to follow some orders of strokes and draw a continuous line into a picture of an animal or other pattern. In order to be deft with the entire process, painters have to practice skills of normal painting primarily. 

Sugar painting may have originated during the Ming dynasty when small animal patterns made of sugar were created in molds for religious rituals. This art form then became more popular during the Qing dynasty. Techniques had been improved during that period of time, and a more diverse range of patterns emerged. In Sichuan, further developments were made in production, seeing the replacement of the molds with the ladle often made of bronze or copper. 

Although fewer and fewer people learn the skill of sugar painting, a certain number of artists are making sustained efforts to preserve this unique art by offering classes and holding relevant activities. Nowadays, this art has gained support form both the general public and the government. It has been listed as Provincial Non-Material Culture Heritage by the Sichuan Government. Moreover, the sugar painting artists have gained increasing recognition. 

The City in Favor of History and Food

Last week we discussed two main tourist attractions in Xi'an, the City Wall and the Terracotta Army, and they are of great significance in history of Xi'an, and even of China. Besides these two major historical spots, I mentioned about the Bell Tower, and it plays an essential role in the city as well. However, it is not famous for its historic appeals (well it does have an important history background); it is the landmark of the beginning of our food tour on the Muslim Snack Street in Xi'an. 




















Praised as 'the capital of table delicacies', Xi'an has been rich in the delicious Shanxi snack, delicate Guangdong Cuisine, various kinds of fashionable foreign delicacies, and popular Sichuan Cuisine such as the hot pot. Among all the delicacies, the most famous and popular one is the Muslim Snack Street. 

Walking along the Muslim Snack Street, I tried hundreds and thousands dishes that some of them I couldn't even say their names. From my personal perspective and also according to the research I did among my friends from Xi'an, I listed the following top three dishes: 

1. Rou Jia Mo (Chinese Hamburger)

Are you looking for a meaty snack that you can hold in your hands when browsing on the street? Well, Rou Jia Mo would definitely be your favorite choice. Unlike the burgers served at Burger King which you are familiar with, Rou Jia Mo is something to be relished——the bread is chewy, and the meat inside is soft. When I finished one, I could still taste the endless savor in my mouth. 

Typically this popular snack has two parts: the Mo, "a round wheat bread baked over a fire that originally hails from Xianyang City in Shaanxi Province" (He), and the meat inside. Traditionally the type of meat is found in two varieties: lazhirou jiamo, which is made with pork in gravy, and yangrou roujiamo, which is made with lamb. The former is more ordinary and popular in Xi'an.

2. Liang Pi (Cold Skin Noodle)
















Every time I can't help myself mouthwatering when I recall this signature dish of Xi'an. Liang Pi is usually made from flour or rice flour. But the ones made from flour is much chewer and the ones made from rice flour is much softer. It has a diversity of ways to make, yet the Qinzhen style is the most prominent which has been well-known for more than two thousands years in history. The well-mixed noodles reveal a palatable red color, shocking you with the refreshing spicy taste, and making you addict to it.


3. Ba Bao Fan (Eight Delicacies Rice)

Ba Bao Fan is a traditional dessert in Chinese New Year. The soft rice and sweet fruits are combined together to serve for a nutritious purpose. The origin of the name "Eight Delicacies Rice" is that it is often made of eight specific materials representing viable meanings. Lotus seed implies bringing felicity to a marriage; longan and orange stand for unity and luck respectively; red dates symbolize having a baby as asoon as you wish; cherry represents sweet love; perl barley is the symbol of elegance; melon seed means a safe trip; red plum and green plum are the meaning of smoothly life and longevity each.

This one is actually my favorite because the flavor is similar to South part of China where I come from. Moreover, it always reminds me of my grandmother who used to make Ba Bao Fan for me in my childhood; the taste is indelible for me.

Merely listing those three dishes can not portray the image of a food paradise in Xi'an. There are many more delicious food on Muslim Snack Street, such as Yang Rou Pao Mo(Pita Bread Soaked in Lamb Soup), Feng Zhen Rou(Steamed pork with rice and flour), and Qiaomian(Buckwheat Noodle). If you ever visit Xi'an, you will never be hungry because Xi'an is never lack of luxury for your tongue.

Work Cited

He, Juling. "The World of Chinese." The World of Chinese. N.p., 3 Mar. 2012. Web. 05 Oct. 2016.

The City in Favor of History and Food

Have you ever been asked about which city do you know in China? And the top answers come up to your mind is Beijing, or Shanghai. Well, if you would visit China, I would definitely take you to Xi'an. Not Beijing, not Shanghai, not Hongkong, but the city in favor of history and food, Xi'an.

Xi'an, located in the north-east of China, is a place with beautiful scenery and fertile land. It has a history of more than 3100 years. In ancient time, Xi'an had been the capital of China for 13 times. It is definitely a city of historical legacy with numerous significant architectures fascinating hundreds and thousands of tourists every year. Therefore, I am going to introduce two main attractions explaining why Xi'an is the city in favor of history.

       Initially, let's have a look at the City Walls. It was built to fortify the city and unify other states during the old Tang Dynasty. Every 120 meters there is a rampart which extends out from the main wall. The 98 ramparts together were built to prevent enemies from climbing up the wall. Besides, the distance between every two ramparts is just within the range of an arrow shot from either side, so that they could shoot the enemy (Lu). 

On the outer side of the city, there are battlements for soldiers to outlook and shoot enemies. On the inner side of the city, parapets were constructed to protect the soldiers form falling off. 

That the ancient weapons did not have the power to break through a wall and the only way to enter the city was to attack the gate of the City Wall is the reason that complicated gate structures were built within the wall. 

Secondly, we are stepping into the Terracotta Army. It is also known as the Terracotta Warriors and Horses because it is a collection of 8,099 terra-cotta figures of warriors and horses located in the Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor. 

The Terracotta Army was discovered in March 1974 by local farmers drilling a well to the east of Mount Li. Mount Li is the name of the artificial necropolis of the First Emperor of Qin dynasty: Qin Shi Huang. The tomb had been constructing in 240 B.C. and it is believed to have taken 700,000 workers and craftsmen 36 years to complete (Roach). 







The Mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang is established to serve as an imperial compound or palace. It is comprised of several offices, corridors and other structures. 








Although there are way more historical attractions such as the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, the Bell Tower, the Lotus Palace of Tang Dynasty and so on, they are not that famous and essential as the City Wall and the Terracotta Army. Xi'an is not only a city of fascinating scenery but also is a city of various palatable dishes. Next week, I would take you to a tour of food in Xi'an. Hope you enjoy! 

Big Wild Goose Pagoda

Big Wild Goose Pagoda

The Bell Tower

Lotus Palace of Tang Dynasty

Work Cited 

Lu, Shen. "Xi'an City Wall: The Most Complete City Wall in China." CNN. Cable News Network, 6 Dec. 2015. Web. 29 Sept. 2016. 

Roach, John. "Emperor Qin's Terra Cotta Army - National Geographic." National Geographic. National Geographic Partners, LLC., n.d. Web. 29 Sept. 2016. 

All the photos are allowed to use by my friend Elly Zhou. 

Fold The Luck

I bet food is an significant part of one's culture no matter where you go. In fact, one of the best ways t truly experience the local culture when you travel is to try the food. Nearly every culture has its own food, and its customs associated with eating food. Among thousands types of traditional Chinese food, I would like to introduce the most essential one—Chinese dumplings.

Broadly speaking, dumplings are made of various kinds of fillings wrapped with dough. As a traditional Chinese food, dumplings symbolize the reunion of families and represent respect and enthusiasm to the guests. They are conventionally used as festival food, especially for Chinese New Year's Eve. In Chinese culture, dumplings are particular about the fillings, the shapes, and the ways to eat.

First, I would like to illustrate how we make the filling of dumplings. The fillings usually combine meat and vegetables, as a homophone for "having money" in Chinese. During the process of preparing fillings, the major part is to chop all the materials. Chopping the meat and vegetables into slices, then shreds, finally minces, you will make a "bang bang" sound. Because of constantly changing in your strength, it sounds melodic, with beauty in rhythm and rhythmic scheme. In ancient times, people preferred to make the longest and the loudest sound because it means "long-term wealth" for their families.

Fillings

In the past, people of the north part of China would put coins in the fillings. On New Year's Eve, if one ate the dumpling with coins, one would gain good luck for the following year. However, in today's society we put candy instead of coins in the fillings because obviously it is not sanitary to put money in your food.


Second, here comes to the shapes. Customarily, the dumpling is half-moon-shaped, displaying a ingot shape. Chinese regard this shape as a symbol of wealth. Some farmers prefer to fold the side with wheat-like patterns, meaning a bumper harvest in new year.

Dumplings of the South

Dumplings of the North 

Finally, the most interesting part is the way to eat dumplings. The first bowl of dumplings is to worship ancestors, showing respect and concerns to the passing elderly. The second bowl is for Chinese deities such as "Zaowangye" (the god of kitchen) to pray for fortune of the family. Families begin to eat at the third bowl. When eating, you should eat even numbers of dumplings, with the meaning of "gain more than you wish for every year".

In the present life, people barely make dumplings on their own; instead, they buy frozen dumplings. Even though many details relating to dumplings have changed through times, I think the atmosphere of reunion of families lasts forever.

Here is a tutorial video of home-made dumplings:

Flowers On Paper And Scissors

Last post about Chinese Spring Festival is more based on my personal emotion and experience, which I reconsidered that it might be difficult to resonate with you from disparate cultural background. Therefore, in this post, I would like to work hard on a more documentary or introductory context about Chinese paper-cutting art, emphasizing on its history and other related interesting facts.

The paper-cutting is a traditional art in China, which has been making its way along the route of the long history of paper. The kind of art went after the invention of paper in Song Dynasty, once became one of the main form of arts, and was popular to the people of the time; even in royal families ladies were also judged by the ability on paper-cutting.

Paper-cutting prevails in countryside, and the majority of paper-cutting artists are women. Ordinarily, on Chinese New Year's Eve, people decorate the doors and windows (usually windows) with paper-cutting crafts. The bright color of red paper cuts provides a strong foil to set off a festival atmosphere, symbolizing auspicious wishes to the new year. In Chinese, paper-cutting is called "chuang hua", which is translated as "flowers in the window", and that is the reason why Chinese conventionally stick paper cuts on the window, representing family harmony. People like to decorate their windows using colorful paper cuts of various shapes and sizes whether they can be animals or flowers. In ancient time, if you discovered a house without red paper cuts, it might stand for a dismal condition of that family.

The main tool for paper-cutting is the scissor. Once a pair of scissors is owned by a master of paper-cutting, it will do so well that it becomes supernatural and the works are beyond imagination flowing out of his/her hands in the chattering of a common pair of scissors. Another tool for paper-cutting is engraving knives which are necessary to enhance a sharpened effect or to establish a refined job.

The themes of paper cuts vary from meaningless patterns to historical characters. For instance, for a wedding ceremony, red paper cuts are a required decoration on the tea set, the dressing table glass, and on other furniture. A big red paper character "Xi" (happiness) is customary on the newlywed's door. Upon the birthday party of a senior, the character "Shou" represents longevity and delight to the whole celebration. Moreover, a pattern of a plump child cuddling fish means that every year you will get more than you wish for. In different parts of China, people express hope and blessing with paper-cutting.

"Shou" (Longevity)

"Xi" (Blessing for newlywed)

"Niannianyouyu"(A plum child cuddling fish)

Nowadays, fewer and fewer families living in metropolis use paper-cutting as decorations. This art work can sometimes be found in countryside. However, my family still keeps the tradition to decorate our house with red paper-cutting during festivals because my grandparents believe that red paper-cutting on the door can bring good luck and happiness to the whole family. I hope more and more young generations can learn how to make paper cuts because this art reflects many aspects of Chinese culture such as prosperity, health, and harvest.

Time To Go Home

From my memory, Spring Festival (Chinese New Year) is the most solemn and joyful celebration. It holds a meaning similar to what Christmas means to westerns. Spring Festival reminds me of time to go home. My memory about the festival all starts from the smell. The smell from grandmother's kitchen, from the large silver pot, with the sweet aroma of maltose and candied lotus root (I hope the translation is correctly). Surrounded by the pleasant smell, it seems to be the happiest time in my childhood.

Candied Lotus Root

"Maiyatang"
(a kind of candy but I got the translation of maltose and I don't think that's correct)

The morning of New Year's Eve is filled with hope and vividness. I always get up early, and can't help jumping on my bed. My parents usually stand in front of our house, holding the spring festival scrolls that they bought earlier in the market, and deciding the most appealing way to hang them. Talking about those scrolls, I have to mention the small market beside my house. Starting from the week before Spring Festival, the market is crowded with various stores, selling assorted spring festival scrolls, happy-word crafts, and all kinds of deft designs. My parents like to join the morning market, choosing carefully from hundreds of scrolls for the one with the most profound meaning, searching elaborately from thousands of happy-word crafts for the most gorgeous one. It turns out that every year we receive numerous eulogies from our neighbors for the decoration. Every time I can't help myself smiling for that praise; it feels like I win the whole world.

Spring Festival Scrolls(left and right sides) and Happy-word Craft(center)
It means "we sing for the past year, and we celebrate for the upcoming year".

At night, there comes to my favorite and most exciting one—fireworks show. Traditionally, everybody goes outside with their fireworks, and lights them in a huge square. The reason that Chinese like to display fireworks comes from a fairy tale. In Chinese, Spring Festival is called "nian". Long time ago, there is a monster named "nian", and it intrudes a village and kidnaps children every year. Then one day some villagers find out "nian" is afraid of fire and light, therefore they invent fireworks to fight the monster. Eventually "nian" does not bother the villagers any more. That is why Chinese people like lighting fireworks during Spring Festival. With the incessant sound of fireworks, I walk into my grandparents' house, saying "Happy New Year". My grandmother then gives me some snacks from her three-stores snack box at the corner of the dinning table. First store cookies, second store candies, and third store dim sums (a kind of Chinese cakes). It is the box of fortune, the one that contains her blessing and expectation. Our family then sit around the table, and enjoy grandmother's home-make dishes, cheering and laughing. The house is always bright and cheerful.
Time flies. I grew up, and became even taller than my grandmother and my mother. I can help them hang the lanterns with ease, and stick the happy-word craft in a breeze. I can even pick up the most absorbing spring festival scrolls by myself. However, it has been a long time since last time I celebrated Spring Festival with my family. Along with the growth of age, Spring Festival symbolizes not only candies and fireworks to me, but also implies memories of reunions in that small house filled with fun. Since the year I went abroad to study, I have celebrated Spring Festival in silence, without fireworks, without the smell of grandmother's food. Nevertheless, thanks to the technology, I can video chat with my families and friends even though there is time difference.

Fireworks in Shanghai

 When the clock strikes twelve at Chinese New Year's Eve, I hear the voice deep down my heart,

"it's time to go home."