Category: Chinese customs

Although the average Chinese citizen drinks one-third the beer a German drinks, the sheer size of the Chinese population makes China the largest beer market in the world. Tsingtao was founded in 1903 by Anglo-German settlers with a strict recipe to brew with water from Laoshan Spring. Tsingtao's volume and profits grew 13% and 14% respectively last year, and despite rising grain prices a liter of Tsingtao will only set you back around $0.80.

江苏东台，因其生产天下一绝的发绣而闻名中外。发绣色彩柔和，风格独特，比丝绣新颖，清隽高雅，耐腐防蚀，利于收藏。发绣用人发作“线”，用绸或绢作载体，利用头发黑、白，灰、黄和棕的自然色泽，以及细、柔、光、滑的特性，用接针、切针、缠针和滚针等不同针法绣制而成。Dongtai in Jiangsu Province is well-known both domestically and internationally for its unique hair embroidery.Hair embroidery has soft colors and unique styles. It's superior to silk embroidery for its novelty, freshness and elegance. In addition, it is corrosion resisting and good for collection. Hair embroidery is made with different stitch techniques (pinning, cutting, winding and rolling needle) by using human hair as the "thread" with silk or tough silk as the carrier while taking advantage of the natural color of hair: black, white, gray, yellow and brown, and the characteristics of hair: thin, soft, lustrous and smooth.
发绣的历史可追溯到唐宋年间。唐代佛教鼎盛时期，虔诚信女为表示自己对佛教的虔诚，剪下自己的长发，在丝绢上绣成观音或如来，这便是最早的发绣。但由于古时人们珍惜头发如生命，认为“肌肤毛发，受之父母，不敢损伤”。加之发绣技术要求高，制作困难，因而逐渐衰落。Hair embroidery can be traced back to the Tang and Song Dynasties. When Buddhism reached its peak in the Tang Dynasty, pious female believers cut off their long hair to embroider Avalokitesvara or Buddha on the silk to show their devotion to Buddhism, which is seen as the earliest hair embroidery. But ancient people regarded hair as life as "skin and hair come by the parents and they dare not to damage." Besides, hair embroidery calls for high techniques and is faced with many difficulties in production, so it was on the wane over time.
徜徉在“中国发绣艺术之乡”的东台大街上，处处可见发绣工艺品商店，欣赏选购发绣商品的中外游客络绎不绝。目前，东台从事发绣工艺设计、配色、勾绷、刺绣和装裱等的技艺人员逾万人。东台拥有发绣专业公司、专业厂家30多家，发绣工艺点和经销门市部400多处，在台湾、香港、东京等地都设有销售窗口。目前，发绣畅销美国、加拿大、欧洲、日本、新加坡及港澳台等50多个国家和地区，被国际友人称为“珍贵的收藏品”。Roaming the streets of Dongtai, the "home of China's hair embroidery", we can see shops selling hair embroidery works. Domestic everywhere and overseas visitors come to buy hair embroidery commodities in an endless stream. At the moment, over 10,000 people in Dongtai are engaged in the design, color matching, sketching on the embroidery framework, embroidering and mounting of hair embroidery works. Dongtai has more than 30 companies and plants, 400 centers and outlets specializing in hair embroidery, with sales outlets set up in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Tokyo and other places. For now, hair embroidery has hit the market in over 50 countries and territories, including the United States, Canada, Europe, Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan, and is dubbed as "a precious collection" by foreigners.
获得国际博览会大奖的发绣作品《清明上河图》是东台发绣的代表作之一，该作品摹绘了张择端的画意和神韵，用缕缕发丝把中国经典名画细致入微地展现出来，令人叹为观止。"Qingming Festival by the Riverside ", award winner of the World’s Fair, is one of the representative masterpieces of Dongtai hair embroidery. It traces the artistic beauty and charm of Zhang Zeduan and represents every vivid detail of this classic painting of China with fine hairs, truly an amazing work.
如今，东台的发绣艺人们创新手法，变双钩为晕色，开发出双面发绣和双面异色绣，使得发绣作品的表现力更为丰富。Now artisans of hair embroidery in Dongtai have made innovations in techniques, such as turning double hook into demitint, and developing double-faced embroidery and double-faced embroidery of different colors, making the expressive force of hair embroidery much richer.

Offering a fully integrated approach to the capital intensive oil industry, Sinopec's collection of fill stations, refineries, and associated production are currently valued at $13.8 billion. With an emphasis on sustainability and responsible business practices, Sinopec minimizes its image as a state-owned entity by demonstrating value in safety, price competitiveness, and international expansion.

每年5月6日前后太阳到达黄经45度时，为立夏节气开始。实际上，若按气候学的标准，日平均气温稳定升达22℃以上为夏季开始。立夏前后，我国只有福州到南岭一线以南地区真正进入夏季，而东北和西北部分地区这时则刚刚进入春季。Each year around May 6, when the sun reaches the celestial longitude of 45°, it marks the beginning of lixia, a solar term signifying the advent of summer. In fact, according to the standards of climatology, summer begins when daily temperatures stabilize at 22℃ or above. Only the region south of Fuzhou to Nanling in southern China actually enters summer around the time of lixia. While the regions in Northeast and Northwest China have just entered spring.
我国古代将立夏分为三候：“一候蝼蝈鸣，二候蚯蚓出，三候王瓜生。”即是说这一节气中首先可听到蜊蜊蛄（即蝼蛄）在田间的鸣叫声（一说是蛙声），接着大地上便可看到蚯蚓掘土，然后王瓜的蔓藤开始快速攀爬生长。In ancient China, people divided lixia into three periods—first period: the sounding of the crickets; second period: the earthworms coming out; third period: the budding of the cucumber blossom. From this description, we can see that when lixia begins, the first thing that occurs is the chirping of the crickets (or some people say frogs) in the fields, then the activity of the earthworms is seen and last the vine of the cucumber begins its rapid growth.
天文专家表示，立夏时节，夏收作物进入生长后期，冬小麦扬花灌浆，油菜接近成熟，夏收作物年景基本定局，故农谚有“立夏看夏”之说。Astronomers indicate that during the solar period of lixia, summer crops enter their final growth stages, the winter wheat begins its flowering and ripening stage, rape enters its final growth stage and the date of summer harvest is tentatively determined. As a result, the farmers have the proverb, “See the summer from lixia.”
据了解，我国自古以来就很重视立夏节气。据记载，周朝时立夏这天，皇帝要率领文武百官到京城外的南郊迎夏，举行祭祀炎帝、祝融的仪式。古时，迎夏的队伍穿的礼服、佩的玉、坐的马车和马、甚至于车上的旗帜都是红色的，这象征着炽热的夏天就要来了。As far as is known, the solar term of lixia has always been seen as very important in China since antiquity. According to historical records, during the Zhou Dynasty (1099-1050 BC), on the day of lixia, the emperor led all the civil and military officials to the southern outskirts of country’s capital city to welcome the summer by holding a sacrificial ceremony of offerings to the Yan Emperor (c. 25th century BC) and Zhu Rong (the fire god). In ancient times, the color of the ceremonial dress and the jade pendant worn by this party and even the carriages and horses which they rode and the flags on their carriages were all red. It signified the fiery summer that was about to arrive.
立夏这天，我国民间还有很多趣味习俗。立夏当天，我国南方很多地方的人们会用赤豆、黄豆、黑豆、青豆、绿豆等五色豆拌合白粳米煮成“五色饭”，俗称吃“立夏饭”。吃过“立夏饭”，还有“称人”的习俗。据说这一天称了体重之后，就不怕夏季炎热，不会消瘦。On the day of lixia, the Chinese have many other interesting folk customs. Many people throughout southern China during lixia will make what they traditionally call, “colorful rice.” It is made from many different kinds of beans, like red beans, soy beans, black beans, green beans and mung beans mixed together with white japonica rice. After eating the “lixia rice,” the people also had the custom of weighing themselves, for they say that those who weigh themselves on that day don’t have to be afraid of pining away during the sweltering heat of the summer.

Pairing wine with Chinese food can be quite challenging. Here's a few tips to make the task easier.

Chen Juanhong 陈娟红 Born: Feb. 6, 1969 Height: 179CM Measurements: 85/62/87CM The history of China's fashion modeling industry would not be complete without mentioning Chen Juanhong, who is seen as the first Chinese model to go global. Born in Tongxiang, Zhejiang Province, Chen is a basketball player-turned professional model. She rose to fame in 1991 when she was crowned at the 2nd China Super Model Contest. One year later, she placed fourth at the 12th World Super Model Contest, making herself the first international supermodel from China in a real sense. Chen dazzled the audience with her cool but charming style on the catwalk. Chen has worked with many major fashion labels at home and abroad. Chen is now running her own model training school and modeling agency.

2013年7月23日，第12届“汉语桥”世界大学生中文比赛15进10的决赛第二场的比赛在湖南长沙国际汉语言文化传播基地精彩上演。傅大江、宋安居、贝乐泰、鯡杰克、吉利、索兰、马正桦、李云龙、金恩智、林家豪成功晋级，向总决赛挺进。

Ma Yanli 马艳丽 English name: Mary Born: Nov. 25, 1974 Height: 178CM Measurements: 87/66/91CM