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.