Ningbo Food

Posted by admin on September 20, 2011 Comments Off

Ningbo Cuisine

The dishes are called the Yongbang Dishes again, it is good at boiling the seafood, fresh and salty unity as one, take the skill methods of steam, roast, braise etc. as main, pays attention to fresh, delicate, soft and slippery, original juice and flavor, the color is thicker. Like the Fupibaohuangyu, Taicaixiaofangkao, Xuecaichaoxiansun, they are cheap and delicious. If eating snacks, you should go to the Chenghuangmiao, it is since noisy and has the special features again, there are the small steamed bun of Xiefen, Tiegoumixian, Zhuyoutangyuan, Jiuniangtuanzi.. etc. While walking and eating, keeping support the belly break. You must go to the Kouzijiyao which is the famous stone for one hundred years in Chenghuangmiao.

Ten famous dishes: Rock Sugar Turtle, Goushaoheman, Fupibaohuangyu, Taicaixiaofangkao, Huonijinji, Heyefenzhengrou, Cailiujinhuangyu, Wangyoubaoegan, Huangyuyudu, Taicaituohuangyu.

Ten famous snacks: Longfengjintuan, Doushababaofan, Zhuyouyangshuhui, Xianrouxiaolongbaozi, Shaomaishuijingbaozi, zhuroutangyuan, Sanxianyan, Xianrouzhenghundun, Doushayuanzi.

The local special products of Ningboregard the seafood article as principle, mainly have: Grouper, Xinfengmanjuan, Mingfujuan, Juejuan, Shuozixie, Qingxie, Changjieshengzi, Oyster in Xidian, Haiting in Elephant Mountain, shrimp skin in Elephant Mountain, Dancai in Ningbo, Tantu Fish etc.

Rock Sugar Turtle
It is the most famous dish in the ten famous dishes of Ningbo, it is smooth of soft, sweet, sour and salty to eat, the taste is special. This dish is a kind of nourishing article, the turtle and rock sugars are braised together, it has functions of reinforce body fluid, adjust medium, repair falsely, the benefit spirit, dispel hot etc.

Taicaituohuangyu
Choose the meat of the yellow fish and the stems of Taicai as the raw material to go into the pot and fry to become, the form likes loquat, the color is golden, it is soft, fresh and delicate, if adding the vinegar to eat, the flavor is better. Adopt the big yellow fish that are produced in the Boat Mountain Fishing Ground and Xueligong in Ningbo to make, it is the first-class food of persons’ banquet in Ningbo.

Xuecaidahuangyu
Adopt the big yellow fish that are produced in the Boat Mountain Fishing Ground and Xueligong in Ningbo to make, it is the first-class food of persons’ banquet in Ningbo.

Niangao in Ningbo
It is white and long form, don’t add the condiment, so someone call it the Jiaobanniangao, it sounds very interesting. The tenacity of Niangao is very strong, however fry, boil, or roast to eat, all has the different taste.

The dumplings served in soup of Ningbo
It is known for Chinese and Foreign and began from the Song Dynasty, has already been more than 700 years’ history. Different from Northerners, the persons in Ningbo all have the traditional custom that is whole family gather to sit and eat the Tangyuan together in the morning of Chinese New Year. The dumplings served in soup of Ningbo take the white water mill glutinous rice powder as the skin, use the lard, refined sugar, black sesame powder as farcing, the skin is thin and slippery, its white likes suet, and it is bright, don’t glue.

The pastries of Ningbo’s type
The pastries of Ningbo’s type are the traditional snacks in the region of Ningbo, the history is long, it is one of the 12 big factions of national pastry. The pastries of Ningbo’s type choos to anticipate to pay attention to, the nourishment is abundant, the shape is interesting and novel, and become to regard Shu as principle, the characteristics of Shu, soft, clear, its species can be divided into dry cake, tide cake, sugar, oil shrimp, cake, peach Shu, shortcake, moon cake etc. In addition to having special features very much of Taishengpian, Taicaiqianchengshu and Taicai Mooncake etc,, there are still the soft, frailty, sweet Ousi of Sanbei and small such as Yinyuan, the color of Yangtiebing is yellow and bright, the Mafenpian is thin and soft, the Dayou Cake is loose soft and tasty, the Doushu Sugar has the heavy soybean joss-stick etc.

Qianchengbing
It is the special products of Xikou, has more than 100 years’ history, began from the period of Guangxu, adopts the first-class white wheat flour, sugar, Dongtaicai, sesame refined to make, likes the joss-stick stem, the quality is loose and frailty, is subtle fragrance and tasty, has the taste.

Yurengtou in Fenghua
Yurengtou which has the long negative great reputation is produced in Qiange of Fenghua, is enrich to contain no machine salt compositions like the starch, vitamin C, calcium, Li, iron…etc. The edible methods of the Yurengtou are many. You can braise in soy sauce, the white slice, the salt roast or the salty vegetables juice roast to eat, can also braise the sparerib to eat, Yurengtou has already become a famous dish in Ningbo, eating it to have a distinctive flavor.

Gancaishun
It is made of Xuecai, Maoshun to pickle, it goes together with the delicate Xucai and the fresh, beautiful and pure Maoshun, the flavor is positive and fragrant, can eat with various meat and vegetables.

Gonggan
It is called Kecai again, is the thin vegetables stem, not only the meat flavor is fresh and beautiful, but also the nourishment value is very high. The fresh food can cook firstly, throw away the both sides lock hull and hairs, then join the turnip, laver to boil together, it is very tasty. The meat of the Dabcai in Ningbo is big but fatty, process to dry in the sun and then call it Dry Meat. Because it is a deluxe nourishment, have already been taken as the contribution of dedicate to the emperor from Tang Dynasty, the name of Gonggan is from here.

Oyster
The region of Xidian in Ninghai Contury which has the name of the country of the oyster has already had the farming history for 700 years. Oyster produce here, the meat is delicate, the flavor is beautiful, and the protein content is rather high.

Grouper
Grouper get the name because their bodies contain different color and spots, its meat quality is thick and solidly, is likeness the chicken, the flavor is fresh and beautiful, and the fat contention is low, the protein contention is high, produce in the region’s waters of Yushan Island in Shipu Town in Xiangshan County.

Fruit

Peach
The peach in Fenghua is push for the head of peaches because the skin is thin, the meat is delicate, the juice is many, the flavor is sweet, it has already had the planting history for a hundred years up to now, the Yulu Peach which is called Qiongjiangyulu and Yaochizhenpin by people are the best ones, is famous of Chinese and Foreign.

Red bayberry
The meat quality of red bayberry is thin and soft, the sweet is thick, the shape kikes pearl and the colors likes agate, belongs to the best fruit. The mound district in the region from Ling Lake in Cixi Country to Mazhu in Yao Country is about 40 kilometers long, is rather the concentration production area of red bayberry. The red bayberries in Ningbo have four major types which are White, Pink, Red and Brown, each of them has special features. Red bayberry is processed to make into the red bayberry can, the stem, red bayberry sauce, the Mijian red bayberryetc., they are liked by the Chinese and foreigners deeply.

Nagami kumquat
Nagami kumquat likes the litchi’s size, it is circle and yellow, sweet and tiny sour, subtle fragrance overflow, is rated as the good product of fruit, Nagami kumquat which are produced in the region of Caiqiao in Beilun are the best. The Nagami kumquat contain several species like Jindan, Luowen, Jinzao, Jindou etc., particularly with the Jindan is the best in the Nagami kumquat, the fruit is big and the skin is thin, the meat is delicate and the juice is sweet, the fresh food is proper. The Nagami kumquat not only eats of fresh and beautiful, and but also has the effects of the stomach of promote the body fluid, opening and managing of the spirit, is liked by people deeply.

Chinese Tatoos

Posted by admin on September 9, 2011 Comments Off

Chinese tattoos have become a raging phenomenon among tattoo enthusiasts of the western world. Chinese tattoos offer beautiful characters with a sense of the exotic and often much deeper meaning than that which lies on the surface.

Ci Shen – Chinese Tattoos

The art of tattooing has been known in China for thousands of years. Tattooing in China is called Ci Shen (Or Wen Shen), a term that means literally “puncture the body.” Although the art has been known in China for ages, it has for the most part been an uncommon practice. Throughout Chinese history tattooing has been seen as a defamation of the body, something undesirable.

Water Margin, one of the four classical novels of Chinese literature, does reference tattooing. Water Margin tells the stories of bandits of Mount Liang area of China during the early 12th century. The novel talks about the 108 companions of the historical bandit Song Jiang. Three of these characters are referenced as having tattoos covering their entire bodies.

The most famous tattoo in Chinese history comes from the legend of the Chinese general Yueh Fei. Yueh Fei served the South Song Dynasty. During battle with northern enemies the Field Marshall under whom Yueh Fei served betrayed the South Song and went over to the enemy.

In protest Yueh Fei resigned and returned home. His mother grew angry with him, telling him that his duty was first and foremost to his country, despite all else. To remind him of this fact she tattooed four characters on his back with her sewing needle. These characters, jin zhong bao guo, are difficult to translate but mean something like “Serve his country with ultimate loyalty.”

At some points in Chinese history Chinese tattoos were also used to mark criminals. Criminals convicted of a severe crime would be ordered to have a tattoo printed on their face and exiled into a faraway land. Even should the criminal ever return the tattoo would mark them forever as a criminal? This form of punishment was known as Ci Pei (Tattoo/Exile).

In modern China Chinese tattoos have grown somewhat of a stigma as being affiliated with organized crime and the criminal underworld.

Chinese Tattoos among Chinese Minorities

Although tattooing does not have a strong tradition among mainstream Chinese, many Chinese minority groups have much stronger tattooing traditions. Strongest among these are the Dulong and Dai tribes, along with the Li people of Hainan Island.

Dulong Tattoos

Tattooing among women of the Dulong group, who live along the Dulong River, dates back to the Ming Dynasty some 350 years ago. During this time the Dulong were under attack from many of their neighbors, and the women would often be taken as slaves.

The Dulong women began tattooing their faces in reaction. It was thought that the tattoos would make them uglier and less likely to be raped. This tradition has continued into modern times despite the fact that the Dulong are no longer under attack from neighboring tribes.

At the age of 12 or 13 all Dulong girls are tattooed on their faces. This is a rite of passage among Dulong women and is seen as a sign of maturity.

Dai Tattoos

The Dai people of China have an ancient tattooing tradition. Both men and women among the Dai are tattooed. Dai women are generally tattooed on the backs of their hands, their arms or have a small dot tattooed between their eyebrows.

Among Dai men tattoos are seen as a sign of strength and virility. Generally tattoos will be made in such a way as to accentuate and draw attention to their muscles. Although there are no fixed traditional designs among the Dai people, most commonly the tattoos will be of a ferocious beast such as a dragon or a tiger.

In ancient times Dai tattoos were given to young children of the ages of 5 or 6, however it grew to be more common to be given about the ages of 14 or 15, sort of a rite of passage into adulthood. Tattooing among the Dai is still practiced to this day.

Li Tattoos

Tattooing also has a long standing tradition among the Li people of Hainan Island. Most commonly tattooing among the Li people, like those of the Du Long, are practiced among the women. Men have been known to have three blue circular rings tattooed on their wrists for medicinal purposes, but other than that the tattooing is among women.

Like both the Du Long and the Dai, the art of tattooing among the Li is seen as a rite of passage into maturity and adulthood. A Li girl is tattooed sometime during the ages of 13 or 14. The girl would first be tattooed on the nape of the neck, the throat and on the face. This process would take about four or five days.

Over the next three years, the girl would then have her arms and legs tattooed. Her hands were not tattooed. Among the Li only married women could have their hands tattooed, it was not appropriate for single women to wear them.

Li tattoos differed greatly among the different Li tribes, and could be easily used to differentiate between a woman of one tribe and another.

During the 1930′s a German ethnologist Hans Stubel studied the Li people, and wrote extensively of their tattooing practices. It is mostly from his work that our understandings of their tattooing customs come from. During his day few still wore facial tattoos, tattooing was primarily of the arms and legs. Today hardly anyone in Hainan sports the traditional tattoos of the Li people save a few elderly women.

Chinese Tattoos in the West

The west’s fascination with Chinese tattoos has little to do with the history of Chinese tattoos and Chinese tattooing traditions, however. It is not an outgrowth of any strong Chinese tattooing tradition but is rather a testament to just how perfectly Chinese characters mesh with the art of tattoos. It is for the most part a recent phenomenon, but one that continues to grow.

If you are planning on getting a Chinese tattoo, or even multiple Chinese tattoos, you should make sure that your tattoo is what you think it is. Too often there are stories of people getting Chinese tattoos that say something completely different from what they thought it would say. There is the story of a young man in England who thought he was having the Mandarin characters for “Love, honor and obey” tattooed on his arm. He later found out from a Chinese woman that what he actually had tattooed on his arm said “At the end of the day, this is an ugly boy.”

Chinese tattoos can be beautiful and powerful tattoos, but you should do thorough research before getting any Chinese tattoo put on your body. It is, after all, going to be with you the rest of your life.

Things to do for children in Xian

Posted by admin on August 25, 2011 Comments Off

Xian can be a wonderful place for a family vacation and has plenty to offer in terms of kids friendly attractions. So if your kids need some kid-centric time for a Xian Tour,  now follow me to search and explore these top 10 things to do for kids in Xian.

Terra Cotta Warriors and Horses
The well-known Terra-cotta Museum is located east of Emperor Qin’s Mausoleum, which covers a total area of 20 hectares. The scenery in the museum looks quite elegant and delightful, about 30km east of the downtown Xian.
Three main buildings of the museum, which were named Pit 1, Pit 2, Pit 3, were constructed on their original sites in different periods of time. Now the Museum is well-known widely as a huge modern on-site museum and it is going to be one of the best in the world.
Entrance Fee: CNY 90 (Mar. to Oct.); CNY 65 (Dec. to Feb.)
Opening Hours: the whole year
Tel: 029-83912542
Bus Routes: take tourism bus no.5 (306) from the east square of Xian Railway Station or 307 from the south gate of Tang Paradise and get off at Bing Ma Yong station.

Botanical Garden
Xian Botanical Garden is located in the southern suburb of Xian (next to the Big Wild Goose Pagoda). Covering an area of 20 hectares, it is one of the eight botanical gardens that were built in the early years of New China.
With over 3,400 kinds of plants, Xian Botanical Garden leads the northwest China in plant diversity. Walking in the Aromatic Plants Garden, visitors will be greeted by the fragrance of flowers.
Entrance Fee: CNY 10
Opening Hours: 08:00-18:00
Tel: 029-85245058
Bus Routes: take Bus No. 5 from the Train Station to Cuihua Road, and transfer Bus No. 27 to Xian Botanical Garden

Shaanxi History Museum
The Shaanxi History Museum is situated on Yan Ta Road in Xian City, Shaanxi Province. It covers 65,000 square meters, with a building area of 60,000 square meters. The newly built modern building recreates Tang-dynasty architecture and successfully symbolizes the great extent of Shaanxi history and its remarkable culture.

The Shaanxi History Museum contains 115,000 objects in its collections. Exhibited in the main exhibition hall are 2,700 works of art, with an exhibition line that extends 2,300 meters.
Entrance Fee: free
Opening Hours: 08:30-18:00
Tel: 029-85266247
Bus Routes: Buses No. 5, 19, 24, 26, 27, 30, 34, 401, 521, 527, 610, 701, 710…

Huaqing Hot Springs
Situated at the northern foot of Mt. Lishan in Lintong County to the east of downtown Xian, Huaqing Hot Spring is famed for both its dainty spring scenery and the romantic love story of Emperor Xuanzong and his concubine Yang Guifei in the Tang Dynasty.
Huaqing Pools is fascinating for its exquisite and picturesque scenery characterized by pink peach blossoms, green willows, dense foliage, beautiful pavilions and terraces, magnificent halls, rolling towers, winding corridors and long verandas.
Entrance Fee: CNY 70 (peak seasons); CNY 40 (low seasons)
Opening Hours: 08:00-16:00
Tel: 029-87630166
Bus Routes: take Buses No. 306 and 307 at the Train Station

Tang Paradise
Tang Paradise is a large theme park near the city of Xian. The park is at or near the site of an earlier garden complex in the Tang Dynasty, but consists almost entirely of modern construction.
The park features numerous buildings, squares, and gardens, all incorporating features of traditional Chinese architecture, such as eaves and cornices. Some features are named after historical sites or buildings.
Entrance Fee: CNY 90
Opening Hours: 09:00-21:00
Tel: 029-85511888
Bus Routes: Buses No. 21, 24, 44, 212, 224, 237, 501, 601, 609, 610, 715, 720, 721…

Qujiang Pool Park
Located in southeast Xian, Qujiang Pool Park is 6 kilometers (3.7 miles) from the city center of Xian. It has become a popular scenic spot by its natural beauty and abundant history.
Walking through the west gate of the park, the first thing you see is the pool, which covers an area of 82 acres. At the end of the landing stage is the Yunge Pavilion, where you can rent a boat and take a visit on the lake.
Entrance Fee: free
Opening Hours: 09:30-18:30
Bus Routes: take Bus No. 715, or Qujiang Xinjing Line and get off at Qujiangchi Yizhigongyuan (Qujiang Pool Park) station

Qujiang Ocean World
Qujiang New District of Xian City is located in the south-east, five kilometers from the city center. For Qujiang, the Qujiang Ocean World enriches the tourism items, advances the culture of the city, and impact the blue of the yellow land.
The Qujiang Ocean World is a largest modernized education base for ocean science and technology in northwestern region, a window for communication between human and nature, and a bridge for people to get knowledge of ocean, to understand life, to concern nature, and to love life.
Entrance Fee: CNY 100
Opening Hours: 08:00-17:00
Tel: 029-87630166
Bus Routes: take Buses No. 21, 501, 601, 610 or 715

Weiyanghu Amusement Park
Weiyanghu amusement park in Xian used to be a lake, as a result, water plays an important role in the park. It offers the service of tourism, vocation, leisure and entertainment.
The amusement park covers an area of almost 1000 mou, including the largest artificial lake in the northwest with water area of 480 mou. Being a paradise for all the children, Weiyanghu amusement park also tends to be such a place where you can enjoy yourself by wandering in the attractive scenery, going on a holiday and joining in recreational activities.
Entrance Fee: CNY 30
Tel: 029-86671776
Bus Routes: take Buses No 209 or 509 to Weiyanghu Amusement Park

Xian Qinling Zoological Park
Qinling Zoological Park is the first park of its kind to be established in the northwest region in China. It is 28 kilometers south of the downtown area of Xian City, Shaanxi Province.
The zoological park has more than 300 species of animal, with many different types of birds, mammals, amphibians and reptiles. Strolling into the park, the first thing that catches your eyes is a group of wooden sculptures facing the gate. The animals’ exhibition area is divided into two parts: the walking area and car-riding area.
Entrance Fee: CNY 80
Opening Hours: 07:00-18:00
Tel: 029-85670035
Bus Routes: take Bus No. 320, 321 or 322 to  Xian Qinling Zoological Park

Mt. Huashan
Mt. Huashan is situated to the south of Huayin County, 120 kilometres east of Xian City. Huashan is literally translated as Flower Mountain.
Mt. Huashan is one of China’s five holy mountains, or called Western Mountain ( Xiyue ) due to its geographical location in relation to the others, is famed as the most precipitous of the five. It is the highest among the five great mountains. It is famed as the most precipitous of the five.
Entrance Fee: CNY 100
Opening Hours: 08:00-18:00
Tel: 0913－4365088
Bus Routes: take Tourist Line 1 from East Square of the train station to Mt. Huashan

Yangzhou Travel Guide – Brief Information on Yangzhou

Posted by admin on August 22, 2011 Comments Off

Yangzhou Travel Guide – Brief Information on Yangzhou

Yangzhou is located at the middle part of Jiangsu Province. With a population of 4.59 million people, Yangzhou contains 3 districts, 3 county-level cities and 1 county covering an area of 6,634 square kilometers. The suburbs comprise of Guangling, Weiyang and Hanjian. The outer suburban areas consist of: Baoying, Jiangdu, Yizheng and Gaoyou.

Yangzhou’s downtown area is not very large, with an area only 980 square kilometers. Yangzhou has subtropical humid weather. January is the coldest month with an average temperature of 35 degrees Fahrenheit. At an average temperature of 81 degrees Fahrenheit, July stands out as the hottest month. The best time to visit is March, April and May; although September is also a good time to visit, because there is a moonlight cultural festival from 8th September to 8th October, in commemoration of the nascent full moon.

With a history about 2,500years, Yangzhou has been bestowed with many names, such as Han, Guangling, Jiangdu, Nanyanzhou and Wuzhou.

Yangzhou,  a tourist city for its many places of interest, including ancient architecture, gardens and temples. Most buildings in Yangzhou not exceed 6 floors in height. These buildings all have a long history.

Muslim Halal Food in Shanghai

Posted by admin on August 18, 2011 Comments Off

Don’t worry about dining if you are a Muslim. There are many Islamic halal restaurants in Shanghai offering delicious beef and mutton dishes. Many of the Uygur restaurants are your good choices, including Qiu Ci Gu li, Dongfang Yakexi, Ani Bayi, Ye Li Xia Li, Shanghai Xinjiang Fengwei Restaurant, and Jin Sa Dao Islamic Restaurant. Also you can go to the strict Islamic restaurants below:

Recommended Muslim Restaurants:

Qing Mei Ju
Chinese Name: 清梅居 (qīng méi jū)
Specialties: Qing Mei Ju is an old restaurant in Shanghai famous for its superb fresh mutton hot pot. The mutton tastes delicious after being boiled in the special copper pot. The big mutton and egg dumplings are also recommended.
Address: No. 131, Fengyang Road, Huangpu District (near Xinchang Road)
Operating Hours: 10:00 – 24:00
Average cost per person: CNY 50 – 80

Sai Liang Mu Restaurant
Chinese Name: 赛俩目清真餐厅 (sài liǎng mù qīng zhēn cān tīng)
Specialties: This restaurant serves mutton and beef dishes with dainty appearances and excellent taste. The shashliks, grilled mutton chop, grilled gigot and Dapan Chicken are worth trying.
Address: No. 106, East Nandan Road, Xuhui District (near Tianyaoqiao Road)
Operating Hours: 11:00 – 14:00, 17:00 – 22:30
Average cost per person: CNY 50

Hong Chang Xing Mutton Hot Pot
Chinese Name: 洪长兴羊肉馆 (hóng cháng xīng yáng ròu guǎn)
Specialties: This restaurant opened in 1891 is famous for its fresh mutton hot pot. The fresh mutton and other food materials are boiled in the plain water in a copper boiler and then dipped into the sauce before being eaten. The shashliks and mutton dumplings are also recommended.
Address: 10F, No. 288, North Guangxi Road, Huangpu District (near East Nanjing Road)
Operating Hours: 11:00 – 14:00, 17:00 – 22:00
Average cost per person: CNY 70 – 80

Yu Xiang Zhai
Chinese Name: 豫香斋牛羊肉馆 (yù xiāng zhāi niú yáng ròu guǎn)
Specialties: Yu Xiang Zhai is an old Islamic restaurant. Common beef and mutton dishes are available here such as fresh mutton hot pot and beef noodles.
Address: No. 48, South Yunnan Road, Huangpu District (near East Yan’an Road)
Operating Hours: 10:00 – 4:00 (the next day)
Average cost per person: CNY 30 – 50

A Fan Ti
Chinese Name: 阿凡提 (ā fán tí)
Specialties: It is decorated with a typical Islamic style. There is Uygur music and dance performance every night. You can try the shashliks, grilled mutton chop, mutton rice, Dapan Chicken and stir-fried Nang. If you have less than ten people, you’d better give up the idea of ordering the roasted whole sheep. You will be surprised by the huge size of the dish!
Address: B1, Tianshan Hotel, No. 775, Quyang Road, Hongkou District (near East Tiyuhui Road)
Operating Hours: 7:00 – 23:00
Average cost per person: CNY 50 – 100