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Chinese New Year, Spring Festival, Lunar New Year

By inChina Festivals Tag , , ,

The Spring Festival is a traditional Chinese festival and the most important one of the whole year. In 2020 Chinese New Year festival falls on Jan. 25. It is the Year of the Rat according to the Chinese zodiac, which features a 12-year cycle with each year represented by a specific animal.

History

Chinese New Year has a far-reaching history of over 3,800 years. The origin of the festival can be traced back to the worshiping activities in China’s ancient agrarian society. The date for the ceremony wasn’t fixed till the Han Dynasty, when Emperor Wudi commanded to use the lunar calendar.

The historical reason for beginning the new year in such a time is that it is the time between autumn harvest and spring plowing and planning. In other words, it is the time for rest, relaxation and celebration after a year’s toil.

Except this practical reason for celebrating the Spring Festival, a popular Chinese legend offers another explanation, which is affectedly known in China.

In ancient time, a mythological demon called” Nian” that lived under the sea would plague people once a year on the even of the new year. It jumped out from the sea, attacked villages, devouring people, animals and plants.  Could no longer bear Nian’s brutal persecution, the villagers gathered to discuss how to deal with” Nian” and some people suggested that the demon was afraid of loud noises, red color and flame.

So people lighted firecrackers, put on red couplets on their gates, lit firework and beat gongs and drums to drive Nian away. The idea worked and Nian ran away.  Since ever, the custom and tradition of celebrating the Spring Festival born and the practice of putting red couplets on gates, setting off firecrackers, etc have been passed down.

Custom

1.Sweeping the dust

“Dust” is homophonic with “chen” in Chinese， which is means old and past . In this way, “sweeping the dust” before the Spring Festival means a thorough cleaning of houses to sweep away bad luck in the past year. This custom shows a good wish of putting away old things to welcome a new life.

2.Pasting spring couplets

“The spring couplet is a special from of literature in China. the spring couplet is composed of two antithetical sentences on both sides of the door and an inscription, usually an fortunately phrase, above the gate. The sentences pasting on the right side of door is called the first line of the couplet and the one on the left is the second line. On the eve of the spring festival, every household will paste on doors a spring couplet written on red paper to give a happy and prosperous atmosphere of the festival.

3.Pasting paper-cuts and “up-sided Fu ”

Paper-cuts, usually with lucky patterns, give a happy and prosperous atmosphere of the festival and express the good wishes of Chinese people looking forward to a good life. In addition to pasting paper-cuts on windows, it is common for Chinese to paste the character “fu”， big and small, on walls, doors, and doorposts around the houses. “Fu” shows yearning toward a good life. Some people even invert the character “fu” to signify that blessing has arrived because “inverted” is a homonym for “arrive” in Chinese

4.Stay up late on New Year’s Eve

The tradition of staying up late to see New Year is originated from an interesting folk tale. In ancient China there lived a monster named Year, who was very terrible. Year always went out from its burrow on New Year’s Eve to eat people. Therefore, on every New Year’s Eve, every household would have supper together. After dinner, no one dared go to sleep and all the family members would sit together, chatting and emboldening each other. Gradually the habit of staying up late on New Year’s Eve is forward. Thus in China, “Cerebrating the Spring Festival” is also called “passing over the year”.

5.The CCTV New Year’s Gala

The New Year’s Gala is a variety show held by China Central Television since 1983. For every year at the turn of the Lunar New Year, the program begins at 8:00PM and lasts five or six hours. For over twenty years, its value has gone far beyond a variety.

6.Giving Red Envelopes

From newborn babies to teenagers, luck money will be given by seniors, wrapped in red packets in the hope of dispelling evil spirits from the kids. CNY 100 to 500 notes are commonly sealed in a red envelope, while there are big ones with up to CNY 5,000 especially in the rich southeast regions. Besides a small disposable amount, most of the money is used to buy the kids toys, snacks, clothes, stationery, or saved for their future educational expenditure. Read more about Red Envelope.

Food

Dumpling

For people from northern China, the dumpling is a must-have on the dinner table on Chinese New Year’s Eve. The shape of the dumpling resembles the gold ingot from ancient China. So eating dumplings means a wish for treasure and good fortune.

Rice Cake

Made of glutinous rice flour, rice cake has been in Chinese cuisine since the Spring and Autumn Period (770-476 BC). Gold and white rice cakes become the symbols of gold and silver. And the Chinese character for cake is gao whose homophonic means growth, improvement or greater accomplishment.

Whole Fish, whole Chicken

On Lunar New Year’s Eve, all family members get together to have a big meal. The way of cooking fish and chicken may vary across China, but the symbolic meaning of these two dishes is always brimful happiness and good fortune.

White Cloud Mountain National Forest Park

By inPopular Spots Tag , , ,

Baiyun mountain national forest park was established in September 1992. It is located in the southern song county seat of luoyang, the hinterland of foulu mountain ridge, with a total area of 168 square kilometers (64.9 square miles). It invites visitors to refresh themselves in its natural beauty.

The forest coverage rate is 98.5%, which is in the transitional zone between warm temperate zone and subtropical zone. The vegetation of north and south China coexists here. In baiyun mountain national forest park, 204 species of animals, 1991 species of plants, 3000 species of insects. For example, there are ancient and rare plants: dendrobium and alpine rhododendron, as well as some rare animals: giant salamanders, leopards and golden eagles. It is a good place to appreciate the original beauty of nature. Water curtain cave, folding waterfall and fairy pool are all here. The scenery is beautiful beyond description.
At 2,150 meters (7,054 feet) above sea level, baiyun peak is one of the main peaks of funiu mountain. It is shrouded in clouds all year round, just like a fairyland on earth. There are folk songs and proverbs that say mountains can indicate changes in weather through the position of the surrounding clouds. Dazzling and fascinating, it’s the perfect place for climbers to find something new.
This is the highest point of the funiu mountain ridge, considered the highest point in central China, rising 2,216 meters (7,270 feet) above sea level. The mountain peak is shaped like a crown and seems to reach straight into the sky. From the top of the mountain, visitors can enjoy magnificent panoramic views of the vertical distribution of vegetation, as well as the fascinating sunrise and sea of clouds.
Small huangshan is called small huangshan because it reminds people of the famous huangshan in anhui province, which is famous for its strange rocks. The beauty and strangeness of small huangshan are fascinating. Various rocks have been given strange names, such as the sea fairy, the twin stone and the bird’s nest stone.
These waterfalls are formed by the white river, which rises from the peak of the jade emperor. It has a constant supply of water, rushing down, washing out the scattered waterfalls and deep pools. The jiulong waterfall, qinglong waterfall and the amur pool are the most attractive attractions in the area. In addition, there is an 814-foot bungee jump, considered the highest in Asia, offering visitors a chance to challenge their metter.
The park’s average summer temperature is below 18 degrees Celsius (64.4 degrees Fahrenheit), with the highest temperature below 26 degrees Celsius (78.8 degrees Fahrenheit). It is a magnificent summer resort, but the blooming flowers in spring, the clear sea of water and clouds in summer, the deep red leaves in autumn and the majestic baiyi mountains in winter make baiyun mountain national forest park a year-round Chinese resort.

Chinese Paper Umbrellas, Beautiful and Elegant

By inArts & Crafts Tag , , ,

In addition to the most basic function of sunshade, the traditional paper umbrella has many other USES, which are deeply rooted in Chinese traditional culture. The Chinese paper umbrella originated in China and has been developed and popularized in several Asian countries over the years, but the Chinese paper umbrella is colorful, almost like gauze, and still has typical Chinese characteristics like chopsticks.

Although the foldable Chinese paper umbrella is thought to have existed at the beginning of the Christian era, the first historical reference to the Chinese paper umbrella comes from 21 AD, referring to a four-wheeled “chariot” of paper umbrellas by emperor wang mang (royal officials of the han dynasty usurped the throne in a short period — often referred to as the wang mang transitional period — creating the short-lived xin dynasty.

Although it only consists of five parts, the production of Chinese paper umbrella involves 80 working processes to complete the finished product. In this sense, the craft of Chinese paper umbrella can be compared with Japanese lacquer art.

A typical Chinese umbrella is made of two materials: silk or paper. Silk umbrellas are the most expensive and considered to be the most delicate, but also the most difficult to fashion and maintain. Paper umbrellas are easier to make, can be treated with oil to make them impermeable, or waterproof, and they are perfect for art deco. Most paper umbrellas produced today are made from sticky tung oil (also known as Chinese wood oil, derived from the euphorbiaceae tung tree found throughout central Asia). The main producing areas of China’s impermeable paper umbrellas are fujian and hunan.

The decorations range from solid colors to flower-and-bird paintings, flower-and-bird paintings, landscapes, and calligraphy. As one of the highlights of Chinese paper umbrella, a lot of work has been devoted to the art decoration of paper umbrella. In addition to waterproof, paper curtain still needs to withstand the destruction of wind and rain, like its decoration can resist the fading over time.