1.) The Great Wall in the East:
Laolongtou (Old Dragon's Head), Shanhaiguan Great Wall and Jiaoshan Great Wall composed the most eastern section of Ming Great Wall. Laolongtou, with one end sinking into the sea, is the eastern starting point of Ming Great Wall, while Shanhaiguan Pass is considered to be the First Pass and Jiaoshan Mountian boasts the First Mountain of Great Wall.
*****See Corresponding Photos*****
2.) Hefei History:
Hefei city located at the top of Wu state and the bottom of the Chu state played a very important role in the economy and military affairs. At the beginning of West Han dynasty, Hefei was a well known commercial center; an important grain and oil distribution center during Northern Song dynasty; a place for silk and knitting handicrafts and, printing industry etc. Hefei city maintained its reputation as a distribution center and by the end of 19th century it became one of the largest trading ports.
Excavations prove that people lived in Hefei even during Neolithic period. Stone axe, stone arrowhead, stone shaver, spinning wheel and spicule etc excavated from Hefei throws light on the life of ancestors and their occupation as farmers, craftsmen, fishermen and hunters.
Hefei was coveted by militaries throughout during early time and many wars were fought to possess the land. During Three Kingdoms, Caowei and Sunwu fought for 30 years to capture the place and 100,000 soldiers were joined in the war.
3.)Hefei Facts
Abbreviation: Lu (庐，in Chinese)
Coordinates: 32° N 117°E
Country: China
Mayor: Wu Cunrong
Population: 4.86 million people with 0.4 million non-permanent residents at the end of 2007.
Currency: Yuan (Renminbi)
Language: Hefei Dialect, on which Mandarin Chinese is based on.
Time Zone: China Standard Time (UTC+8)
Area: 7,266 square kilometers
Administrative Divisions: 4 districts and 3 counties.
Altitude: .29.8 m
City Flower: Osmanthus fragrans and pomegranate flower
City Tree: Magnolia grandiflora
GDP (2008 estimate): Total - CNY 166.5 billion; Per capita –CNY 34,482
Sister Cities：
Kurume, Japan (May 20, 1980)
Freetown, Sierra Leone (March 20, 1984)
Bujumbura, Burundi (July 7, 1986)
Columbus, Ohio, U.S. (November 17, 1988)
Aalborg, Denmark (April 22, 1989)
Lleida, Spain (April 4, 1998)
Wonju, South Korea (June 20, 2002)
Darebin, Australia (October 29, 2003)
Belfast, Northern Ireland (December 26, 2003)
4.) The Terracotta Warriors:
Discovered in 1974 when a local farmer was digging a well, the terracotta army, buried in 210 BC with the first emporer of the Qin dynasty, is a breathtaking site. The thousands of life-size figures have individually unique faces and hair and armor styles appropriate to their rank. The museum of the Terracotta Army is located in Xi'An, Shanxi province.
In 221 B.C., Emperor Qin Shi Huang of the Qin dynasty established the first centralized feudal dynasty in China. After his death, he was buried at the northern foot of Lisan Hill in the east of Lintong county. The tomb is a rammed-soil mound, occupying an area of eight square kilometers. This is the first and the largest imperial mausoleum in China still remain to be excavated.
The well-known Terra cotta Warriors and Horses Museum is located about 1.5 k.m. east of Emperor Qinshi Huang's Mausoleum, Lintong County, Shaanxi province, which covers a total area of 20 hectares. It is a sight not to be missed by any visitor to China, Rarely is an archeological find actually a "discovery," as often labeled. Triumphs, when they come at all, follow years of careful research, exploration, and just plain dirty, dusty digging. But what happened in 1974, a few miles outside of Xian, China, was very different. While digging a well, three brothers accidentally came upon one of the 20th century's greatest archeological treasures. There, buried just a few feet below the surface, were found the first of over 8,000 life-size terracotta figures of armed warriors, horses and chariots. After archaeological excavation and careful research, it turned out to be a pit in which were buried terra-cotta warriors and horses from the Qin Dynasty. In 1976, after drilling, another two pits were found one by one nearby. It's a series of attendant pits of the mausoleum. They were named Pit 1, 2 and 3 according to the timing of discovery with a total area of 22,780 square metres.
The scenery in the museum is quite elegant and delightful. Among the three pits, Pit 1 is the largest one. More than 6,000 clay warriors and horses could be unearthed from Pit 1. All of them are life-like. Pit 1 is in an oblong shape of tunnel. It is 230 metres long from east to west and 62 metres wide from north to south. It is 5 metres deep, which occupies an area of 14,260 square metres. Inside the tunnel, there are ten earth-rammed partition walls. The floors are bricks-paved. The terra-cotta warriors and horses in Pit 1 are arrayed in an oblong battle formation of the Qin Dynasty, facing east, they look healthy , strong and have different facial expressions, showing Emperor Qingshihuang's strong determination of wiping out the other six states and unifying the whole country. To the east end of the pit stand facing east three rows of terra-cotta warriors in battle tunics and puttees, 70 in each row with total number of 210 put altogether. Armed with bows and arrows, they form the vanguard. The ten rammed partition walls cut Pit 1 into eleven latitudinal passage ways. There are 38 columns of warriors in the east with horse-drawn chariots in the centre. The armour-clad warriors carrying long-shaft weapons are probably the main body of the formation and show the main force.
Coordinates: 32° N 117°E
Country: China
Mayor: Wu Cunrong
Population: 4.86 million people with 0.4 million non-permanent residents at the end of 2007.
Currency: Yuan (Renminbi)
Language: Hefei Dialect, on which Mandarin Chinese is based on.
Time Zone: China Standard Time (UTC+8)
Area: 7,266 square kilometers
Administrative Divisions: 4 districts and 3 counties.
Altitude: .29.8 m
City Flower: Osmanthus fragrans and pomegranate flower
City Tree: Magnolia grandiflora
GDP (2008 estimate): Total - CNY 166.5 billion; Per capita –CNY 34,482
Sister Cities：
Kurume, Japan (May 20, 1980)
Freetown, Sierra Leone (March 20, 1984)
Bujumbura, Burundi (July 7, 1986)
Columbus, Ohio, U.S. (November 17, 1988)
Aalborg, Denmark (April 22, 1989)
Lleida, Spain (April 4, 1998)
Wonju, South Korea (June 20, 2002)
Darebin, Australia (October 29, 2003)
Belfast, Northern Ireland (December 26, 2003)
4.) The Terracotta Warriors:
Discovered in 1974 when a local farmer was digging a well, the terracotta army, buried in 210 BC with the first emporer of the Qin dynasty, is a breathtaking site. The thousands of life-size figures have individually unique faces and hair and armor styles appropriate to their rank. The museum of the Terracotta Army is located in Xi'An, Shanxi province.
In 221 B.C., Emperor Qin Shi Huang of the Qin dynasty established the first centralized feudal dynasty in China. After his death, he was buried at the northern foot of Lisan Hill in the east of Lintong county. The tomb is a rammed-soil mound, occupying an area of eight square kilometers. This is the first and the largest imperial mausoleum in China still remain to be excavated.
The well-known Terra cotta Warriors and Horses Museum is located about 1.5 k.m. east of Emperor Qinshi Huang's Mausoleum, Lintong County, Shaanxi province, which covers a total area of 20 hectares. It is a sight not to be missed by any visitor to China, Rarely is an archeological find actually a "discovery," as often labeled. Triumphs, when they come at all, follow years of careful research, exploration, and just plain dirty, dusty digging. But what happened in 1974, a few miles outside of Xian, China, was very different. While digging a well, three brothers accidentally came upon one of the 20th century's greatest archeological treasures. There, buried just a few feet below the surface, were found the first of over 8,000 life-size terracotta figures of armed warriors, horses and chariots. After archaeological excavation and careful research, it turned out to be a pit in which were buried terra-cotta warriors and horses from the Qin Dynasty. In 1976, after drilling, another two pits were found one by one nearby. It's a series of attendant pits of the mausoleum. They were named Pit 1, 2 and 3 according to the timing of discovery with a total area of 22,780 square metres.
The scenery in the museum is quite elegant and delightful. Among the three pits, Pit 1 is the largest one. More than 6,000 clay warriors and horses could be unearthed from Pit 1. All of them are life-like. Pit 1 is in an oblong shape of tunnel. It is 230 metres long from east to west and 62 metres wide from north to south. It is 5 metres deep, which occupies an area of 14,260 square metres. Inside the tunnel, there are ten earth-rammed partition walls. The floors are bricks-paved. The terra-cotta warriors and horses in Pit 1 are arrayed in an oblong battle formation of the Qin Dynasty, facing east, they look healthy , strong and have different facial expressions, showing Emperor Qingshihuang's strong determination of wiping out the other six states and unifying the whole country. To the east end of the pit stand facing east three rows of terra-cotta warriors in battle tunics and puttees, 70 in each row with total number of 210 put altogether. Armed with bows and arrows, they form the vanguard. The ten rammed partition walls cut Pit 1 into eleven latitudinal passage ways. There are 38 columns of warriors in the east with horse-drawn chariots in the centre. The armour-clad warriors carrying long-shaft weapons are probably the main body of the formation and show the main force.
Pit 2 is situated 20 metres to the north of Pit 1. The Pit is L--shaped and composed of four different mixed military forces in four rows. It is recorded that there were more than 1, 000 pieces of pottery figures, 500 horse-driven chariots and saddled horses. The pit is about 6,000 square metres.
Pit 3 is situated 25 metres to the north of Pit 1 and to the west of Pit 2. Tthe pit is in the concave shape with 520 square metres. From the pit were discovered one chariot, four terra-cotta horses and 68 clay armoured warriors. In Pit 3 were only unearthed one kind of weapon called "shu", which had no blades and are siad to be used by the guards of honour. Discovered also in this pit were a re- maining deer-horn and animal bones. This is maybe the site where sacrificial offerings and war prayers were practiced.
The Terra cotta Warriors and Horses is the most magnificent archaeological discovery in the 20th century. It is also a reflection of Chinese people's wisdom and artful skill two thousand years ago. Thousands of real weapons were unearthed from these terra-cotta army pits. These weapons were exquisitely made. Some of them are still very sharp since their surface were treated with chromium. They are as bright as new, though buried underground for more than 2,000 years. This indicates that Qin Dynasty's metallurgical technology and weapon-manufacturing technique already had reached quite a high level. In 1980, two teams of large painted bronze chariots and horses were unearthed 20 metres west of the mausoleum. Together with Terra cotta Warriors, they are called the eighth wonder of the world. The Terra Cotta Warriors and Horses was listed by UNESCO as one of the world cultural heritages in December, 1987. It has put Xian on the map for tourists. It is a sensational archeological find of all times.
The third dig
The soldiers up close
A view across the room from above
5.) Some Fun Facts:
***Ice cream was invented in China around 2000BC
when the Chinese packed a soft milk and rice mixture
in the snow....Marco Polo took the recipe of Ice Cream and Noodles back with him to Europe.
***It is considered good luck for the gate to a house to face south.
***The Chinese language has over 20,000 characters. The average Chinese only learns about 5,000 of these in his lifetime.
***The Great Wall of China is also known as the "Ten Thousand Li Wall", one Li is equal to 500 meters. The wall is over 1500 miles in length.
***In Hong Kong , cars are driven to the left side of the road, following the British way, but the rest of China drives on the right side.
***If something, (eg..a plate) is broken, it is vital to say sui sui ping an, which means "peace throughout the year," immediately.
6.) Chinese New Year...2011: The Year of the Rabbit
It is exciting to know that we will actually be in China for their Chinese New Year in 2011. The dates are going to be February 3rd through February 18. Keep a watch for pictures...which you KNOW will come when we are there!
A History of the Chinese New Year:
The Chinese New Year has a great history. In our past, people lived in an agricultural society and worked all year long. They only took a break after the harvest and before the planting of seeds. This happens to coincide with the beginning of the lunar New Year.
The Chinese New Year is very similar to the Western one, rich in traditions, folklores and rituals. It has been said that it is a combination of the Western Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year. This is hardly an exaggeration!
The origin of the Chinese New Year itself is centuries old - in fact, too old to actually be traced. It is popularly recognized as the Spring Festival and celebrations last 15 days.
Preparations tend to begin a month before the date of the Chinese New Year (similar to a Western Christmas). During this time people start buying presents, decoration materials, food and clothing. A huge clean-up gets underway days before the New Year, when Chinese houses are cleaned from top to bottom. This ritual is supposed to sweep away all traces of bad luck. Doors and windowpanes are often given a new coat of paint, usually red, then decorated with paper cuts and couplets with themes such as happiness, wealth and longevity printed on them.
The eve of the New Year is perhaps the most exciting part of the holiday, due to the anticipation. Here, traditions and rituals are very carefully observed in everything from food to clothing. Dinner is usually a feast of seafood and dumplings, signifying different good wishes. Delicacies include prawns, for liveliness and happiness, dried oysters ( ho xi), for all things good, fish dishes or Yau-Yu to bring good luck and prosperity, Fai-chai (Angel Hair), an edible hair-like seaweed to bring prosperity, and dumplings boiled in water (Jiaozi) signifying a long-lasting good wish for a family. It is customary to wear something red as this colour is meant to ward off evil spirits. But black and white are frowned upon, as these are associated with mourning. After dinner, families sit up for the night playing cards, board games or watching television programmes dedicated to the occasion. At midnight, fireworks light up the sky.
On the day itself, an ancient custom called Hong Bao, meaning Red Packet, takes place. This involves married couples giving children and unmarried adults money in red envelopes. Then the family begins to say greetings from door to door, first to their relatives and then to their neighbours. Like the Western saying "let bygones be bygones," at Chinese New Year, grudges are very easily cast aside.
Tributes are made to ancestors by burning incense and the symbolic offering of foods. As firecrackers burst in the air, evil spirits are scared away by the sound of the explosions.
The end of the New Year is marked by the Festival of Lanterns, which is a celebration with singing, dancing and lantern shows.
At the Festival, all traditions are honored. The predominant colors are red and gold. "Good Wish" banners are hung from the ceilings and walls. The "God of Fortune" is there to give Hong Baos. Lion dancers perform on stage continuously. Visitors take home plants and flowers symbolizing good luck. An array of New Years specialty food is available in the Food Market. Visitors purchase new clothing, shoes and pottery at the Market Fair. Bargaining for the best deal is commonplace!
People Born Under The Sign of The Rabbit:
- People born under the sign of the rabbit are traditionally thought to be gentle, sensitive, modest, and merciful and have a strong memory.
- They like to communicate with others in a humorous manner.
- They cannot bear dull life, so they are good at creating romantic or interesting situations but they lack meditative abilities and often sink money into ideas that may cause failures in their career.
- People born in the Year of the Rabbit are articulate, talented, and ambitious.
- They are virtuous, reserved, and have excellent taste.
- Rabbit people are admired, trusted, and are often financially lucky.
- They are fond of gossip but are tactful and generally kind.
- Rabbit people seldom lose their temper.
- They are clever at business and being conscientious, never back out of a contract.
- They would make good gamblers for they have the uncanny gift of choosing the right thing. However, they seldom gamble, as they are conservative and wise.
7.) Tai Chi:
I have practiced Tia Chi, in the past, while living in Pennsylvania and I enjoyed it very much. One of the things I am very excited about doing in China is continuing....and thereby improving....my Tai Chi experience. Where better to practice/study Tai Chi than in its birthplace....and yes there will be pictures to follow! :-)
There are five major styles of tai chi chuan, each named after the Chinese family from which it originated:
- Chen-style (陳氏) of Chen Wangting (1580–1660)
- Yang-style (楊氏) of Yang Lu-ch'an (1799–1872)
- Wu- or Wu/Hao-style (武氏) of Wu Yu-hsiang (1812–1880)
- Wu-style (吳氏) of Wu Ch'uan-yu (1834–1902) and his son Wu Chien-ch'uan (1870–1942)
- Sun-style (孫氏) of Sun Lu-t'ang (1861–1932)
The study of tai chi chuan primarily involves three aspects:
- Health: An unhealthy or otherwise uncomfortable person may find it difficult to meditate to a state of calmness or to use tai chi as a martial art. Tai chi's health training, therefore, concentrates on relieving the physical effects of stress on the body and mind. For those focused on tai chi's martial application, good physical fitness is an important step towards effective self-defense.
- Meditation: The focus and calmness cultivated by the meditative aspect of tai chi is seen as necessary in maintaining optimum health (in the sense of relieving stress and maintaining homeostasis) and in application of the form as a soft style martial art.
- Martial art: The ability to use tai chi as a form of self-defense in combat is the test of a student's understanding of the art. Tai chi chuan is the study of appropriate change in response to outside forces, the study of yielding and "sticking" to an incoming attack rather than attempting to meet it with opposing force. The use of tai chi as a martial art is quite challenging and requires a great deal of training.
8.) Ever played Mahjong?
I learned to play Mahjong many years ago and I am sooooo excited to know that I will be getting a new set, when we move to China, for my birthday. Can't wait to teach Jake and Bob how to play!
Mahjong (Chinese: 麻將; pinyin: má jiàng) is a game that originated in China, commonly played by four players (with some three-player variations found in Korea and Japan).
The game is played with a set of 152 tiles based on Chinese characters and symbols, although some regional variations use a different number of tiles. In most variations, each player begins by receiving thirteen tiles. In turn players draw and discard tiles until they complete a legal hand using the fourteenth drawn tile to form four groups (melds) and a pair (head). There are fairly standard rules about how a piece is drawn, stolen from another player (melded), the use of basic (numbered tiles) and honours (winds and dragons), the kinds of melds, and the order of dealing and play. However there are many regional variations in the rules; in addition, the scoring system, the minimum hand necessary to win varies significantly based on the local rules being used.
Because of the solid form of the tiles, mahjong is sometimes classified as a domino game. However, it is much more similar to Western-style card games such as rummy.
Simples
There are three different simple suits numbered 1-9. They are bamboo, circles (or dots) and characters (or myriads).
Circles or Dots Numbered 1 to 9
Characters Numbered 1 to 9
The circles, characters and bamboo are called simple tiles (they are numbered 1 to 9 and only tiles 1 and 9 are used in the bamboo suit). Of the dragons and winds (called honours) there are three kinds of each with no numerical value. Of both simples and honours there are four matching tiles for each value (i.e. there are four red dragons and there are four II dots).
Honours
There are two different honour suits. The winds of which there is north east south and west and the dragons of which there are Red, Green and White. They have no numerical sequence.
The East, South, West and North
The White, Green and Red Dragons
Bonus Tiles
There are 8 bonus tiles. Four flowers and four seasons (winter, spring, summer and autumn).
The four seasons (there is only one of each)
The four flowers (there is only one of each)
9.) Public Holiday Calendar for 2011/2012:
China has 7 legal holidays in a year, including New Year's Day, Spring Festival, Qingming Festival, May Day, Dragon Boat Festival, Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day. At the festivals, all Chinese people will be on vacation. The table below provides detailed information of 2011 / 2012 public holidays.
Besides the 7 legals festivals on which all people can enjoy days off, Chinese people celebrate four other festivals on which some people have a half day off - Women's Day, Youth Day, Children's Day and Army Day. Many other festivals and anniversaries are celebrated even without days off, such as Arbor Day and Teachers' Day.
Festival | Date | Legal Holidays | Holidays of 2011 | Holidays of 2012 |
New Year's Day | Jan. 1 | 1 day | Jan. 1- 3 | Jan. 1- 3 |
Spring Festival | subject to the lunation | 3 days | Feb. 3. The holiday is Feb. 2 - 8 | Jan. 23. The holiday is Jan. 22 - 28 |
Qingming Festival | Apr. 4 or 5 | 1 day | Apr. 5. The holiday is Apr. 3 - 5. | Apr. 5. The holiday is Apr. 5 - 7. |
May Day | May 1 | 1 day | Apr. 30 - May 2 | May 1 - 3 |
Dragon Boat Festival | the 5th day of the 5th lunar month | 1 day | Jun. 6. The holiday is Jun. 4 - 6. | Jun. 23. The holiday is Jun. 22 - 24. |
Mid-Autumn Day | Aug. 15 according to the lunar calendar | 1 day | Sep. 12. The holiday is Sep. 10 - 12. | Sep. 30. The holiday is Sep. 30. |
National Day | Oct. 1 | 3 days (Oct. 1 - 3) | Oct. 1 - 7 | Oct. 1 - 7 |
QINGMING FESTIVAL:
The festival is known as tomb-sweeping day.
DRAGON BOAT FESTIVAL:
NATIONAL DAY:
10.) Confucious Says......
**** It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop.
**** Silence is a true friend who never betrays.
**** The more man meditates upon good thoughts, the better will be his world and the world at large.
**** The will to win, the desire to succeed, the urge to reach your full potential... these are the keys that will unlock the door to personal excellence.
**** To see the right and not to do it is cowardice.**** When anger rises, think of the consequences.
**** Wisdom, compassion, and courage are the three universally recognized moral qualities of men.
**** You cannot open a book without learning something.
**** Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.
**** Faced with what is right, to leave it undone shows a lack of courage.
11.) Beijing, China:
Beijing (pronounced /beɪˈdʒɪŋ/, Chinese: 北京; pinyin: Běijīng, [peɪ˨˩ t͡ɕiŋ˥]), also known as Peking (pronounced /piːˈkɪŋ/ or /peɪˈkɪŋ/), is a metropolis in northern China, and the capital of the People's Republic of China. Governed as a municipality under direct administration of the central government, Beijing borders Hebei Province to the north, west, south, and for a small section in the east, and Tianjin Municipality to the southeast. Beijing is one of the Four Great Ancient Capitals of China.
Beijing is divided into 14 urban and suburban districts and two rural counties. Beijing is a major transportation hub, with dozens of railways, roads and motorways passing through the city. It is also the destination of many international flights arriving in China. Beijing is recognized as the political, educational, and cultural center of the People's Republic of China, while Shanghai and Hong Kong predominate in economic fields. The city hosted the 2008 Olympic Games.
Few cities in the world besides Beijing have served as the political and cultural centre of an area as immense as China for so long. The Encyclopædia Britannica describes it as "one of the world's great cities," and declares that the city has been an integral part of China’s history for centuries; there is scarcely a major building of any age in Beijing that doesn't have at least some national historical significance. Beijing is renowned for its opulent palaces, temples, and huge stone walls and gates. Its art treasures and universities have long made the city a centre of culture and art in China.
The city's climate is a rather dry, monsoon-influenced humid continental climate (Köppen climate classification Dwa), characterised by hot, humid summers due to the East Asian monsoon, and generally cold, windy, dry winters that reflect the influence of the vast Siberian anticyclone. Spring can bear witness to sandstorms blowing in from the Mongolian steppe, accompanied by rapidly warming, but generally dry, conditions. Autumn, like spring, sees little rain but is crisp and short. January averages −3.7 °C (25.3 °F), while July averages 26.2 °C (79.2 °F). Annual precipitation is around 570 mm (22.4 in), and the majority of it falls in the summer months. Extremes have ranged from −27.4 to 42.6 °C (-17 to 109 °F).
Beijing Financial Street, the economic center of Beijing
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