2012/1/31 0:00:00
So you've been invited to a traditional Chinese wedding and you're all excited. It's an exotic experience that few in the West have the opportunity to attend, and you're already mentally fitting yourself into a slinky red dress (or cool Sun Yat Sen suit) when suddenly the question comes up: What kinds of gifts do people bring to these things anyway? While there is no unified set of rules for...
2012/1/13 0:00:00
China is a very fascinating country that presents a few drawbacks, mostly because of the language and of the communist regime. Still, there is something about this country that makes is unique and particularly fascinating to many travelers. Some may say it’s an entirely different culture than what we’re used to, with a long history and interesting people. So here’s a few particularities...
2012/1/12 0:00:00
As China's sole tropical island province, Hainan is gaining wider popularity as a hot tourism resort among foreign tourists who come to enjoy the sunshine and avoid the winter chill.
Sources with the provincial tourism commission said Hainan received more than 800,000 overseas tourists in 2011, up 21 percent from 660,000 registered in 2010.
Russian tourists constituted a major group traveling...
2012/1/11 0:00:00
Instructions
Step 1Try to go to bed early each night and wake up early to get a jump on your day. Aim for 8 hours of quality, undisturbed sleep. Try walking or stretching before you get in bed to get more sleep.
Step 2Avoid unneeded stress in your life and complications that bring about negative emotion. They will drain you of your energy levels. This is not good as you naturally have less...
2012/1/11 0:00:00
Canada Post began selling its Year of the Dragon stamps Tuesday and officials with the national carrier expect the latest release from the popular Chinese Lunar New Year series to sell out quickly following the success of 2011' s sold-out Year of the Rabbit issue.
At a ceremony in Vancouver, one of several held across the country on the same day, Canada Post unveiled its two dragon offerings i...
2012/1/7 0:00:00
Harbin's annual Snow and Ice Festival is now a globally established tourist attraction, with thousands of domestic and foreign visitors. But what exactly is the essence of the festival, and how and why did it all begin? Let's find out more about this annual celebration of all things frozen.
It all started with the athletic spirit of Harbin's people.
In a winter lasting up to five months, ice s...
2012/1/6 0:00:00
More than 20 million people hit the rails during the past three-day New Year holiday, up 2.2 percent year-on-year, the Ministry of Railways said Wednesday.
In order to accommodate travelers' needs, 529 temporary trains were put into service during the holiday, which lasted from Sunday to Tuesday, representing a rise of 349 trains from one year earlier, the ministry said in a statement posted o...
2012/1/5 0:00:00
According to an old Chinese custom, on occasions such as birthdays, marriage or birth, friends and neighbors present pastries to the family concerned, as a token of congratulations. There are set rules for the type and form of the pastries to give. Pastries are also used as gifts on festivals and holidays, when people visit relatives, friends or elders.
Pastry shops make and sell an...
2011/12/31 0:00:00
Ritualized gift exchanges have been a part of Chinese culture for centuries. When visiting someone's home, you traditionally take a gift. Many of those same gifts may work well during a western-style gift exchange. In other cases, Chinese gifts may be more appropriate.
Fine FruitA traditional gift is very high-end fruit. This includes exceptionally large apples and Asian pears, boxed and indiv...
2011/12/30 0:00:00
For more than 2000 years, the Chinese people have used brilliant colors. Today in modern China, red is a very popular color. However, contrary to popular belief, ancient peoples did not pay special attention to the color red.
Traditional Chinese physics taught that the five elements are water, fire, wood, metal and earth, in that order. They correspond to black, red, blue-gr...