18th of February 2011
The Lion Awakes
Daily News, Culture & Current Affairs about China
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China Daily
The Lantern Festival
17th February 2011
Ancient text marks modern Lantern Festival
Children wearing hanfu, a traditional robe from the Han Dynasty (206BC-220AD), read Dizigui (an ancient book of Confucius teaching proper behavior) at a Confucius Temple in Hangzhou, Feb 15, 2011. The temple held a ceremony where 80 youths and grown-ups dressed in hanfu and read Chinese classic texts ahead of the Lantern Festival, which falls on Thursday, Jan 15 on the Chinese lunar calendar.
Celebrations ahead of Lantern Festival in China
A child views rabbit-shaped lanterns at Baibuting Community in Wuhan, capital of Central China's Hubei province, Feb. 16, 2011, one day prior to the Chinese Lantern Festival, which falls on the 15th day of the first month of Chinese lunar calendar.
CCTV Chinese celebrate traditional Lantern Festival VIDEO
A festive vibe is building around China as the Lantern Festival falls on Thursday. Attending lantern shows, solving riddles, and making lanterns, people are making the most of the last days of the Spring Festival.
In Jiangyin city of Jiangsu Province, a local park has been decorated with one thousand lanterns. Each lantern has a riddle attached.
Solving riddles is a long-standing tradition with the Lantern Festival. In the Song Dynasty, people wrote riddles onto lanterns for visitors to guess for fun. These were later handed down as a kind of brain teaser enjoyed by people from all walks of society.
See Kaixin's - The Lantern Festival
Beijing tightens restrictions on flat buying
Non-locals have to pay income tax for 5 years before purchasing home
BEIJING - The Beijing municipal government released a package of rules on Wednesday to restrict home purchases in the capital and rein in soaring property prices.
See Kaixin's - CHINA REAL ESTATE
China faces critical pediatrician shortage
China has a critical shortage of 200,000 pediatricians after 12 years of insufficient training for doctors, the Beijing Times report on Thursday.
The great gap highlights three major pitfalls in children's medical services: shortage of pediatric medical personnel, the absence of relevant planning and lack of government investment, the Beijing Times said in its report.
Australia treading a fine line between US, China
SYNDEY - With China becoming Australia's largest trading partner and being the second largest economy in the world, Australia seems a bit difficult to keep balanced relations with both traditional ties of Washington and the new business partners in Beijing.
"It is very important to Australia that the US and China build a new relationship which accommodates China's growing power and maintains a strong role in Asia for America, while at the same time avoiding destabilising strategic competition between them."
China to better regulate social financing
BEIJING- China is looking to establish an effective regulatory system for total social financing, an official with the country's central bank said Thursday.
China's social financing, which covers financing from institutions like banks and security firms, had reached 6.33 trillion yuan ($962 billion), excluding new yuan-denominated loans last year, he added.
China reports $35.5b of hot money inflow in 2010
China's State Administration of Foreign Exchange (SAFE) announced Thursday that $35.5 billion of hot money flowed into the country in 2010, accounting for 7.6 percent of the increase in its foreign reserves for that year.
See Kaixin's - ECONOMIC CHINA
China's high-speed trains enter British market
Britain will rent or purchase high-speed bullet trains produced by the CSR Corporation, the 21st Century Business Herald reported Thursday.
A senior executive of a high-speed bullet train producer told the newspaper that Britain is considering adopting Chinese high-speed technology.
Gao Hucheng, China's international trade representative, who accompanied Vice-Premier Li Keqiang during a recent visit to Europe, disclosed on Jan 12 that British Prime Minister David Cameron showed willingness to cooperate with China in Britain's infrastructure construction and high-speed railway construction. China has a positive attitude toward this.
Suntech Power wins $80m UN contract
Suntech Power Holdings Co announced that it signed an agreement on Wednesday with a Chinese supplier of the United Nations for producing more than $80 million worth of solar power equipment.
This is the largest contract the United Nations has signed with a Chinese company. The solar panels will be used by UN peace-keeping forces.
CCTV
Interview: How to meet stiff demand for housing
For more on Beijing's new measures to rein in the city's skyrocketing housing prices, we are joined on the line by Professor Xiao Geng, from the Columbia Global Center in Beijing. Hello, Professor Xiao.
Q1. The new rules limit the purchase by non-Beijingers who need a house for living in as well as those buying for investment reasons. How will this affect the stiff demand for housing?
Major Chinese cities implement property purchase limits
Under the new measures issued by the central Government, provincial capitals and other major cities with skyrocketing housing prices must institute purchase limits to rein in the property market.
Qingdao, Shanghai, Chengdu and Beijing are the first major cities to implement the policy.
Registered residents in these four cities are prohibited from buying a third home and non-registered residents will not be allowed to buy a second. But details differ in these cities. The purchase limits in Chengdu only apply to homes within the downtown area.
In Shanghai, residents without the city's residency certificate can only purchase a home after submitting proof of a year of paid taxes. But in Beijing, this policy has been extended to five years.
CCTV Drought affects tea production in Shandong VIDEO
A severe drought is hampering tea farmers in east China's Shandong Province. CCTV reporter Shen Le went down to a major tea production base in the region to find out more about how the tea growers there are coping with the dry spell.
CCTV Phone interview: Primary contributor to inflation VIDEO
For more insight on China's January CPI figures, we're joined on the line by Tang Min, executive chief at social entrepreneur organization, You Change Foundation.
CCTV Actions speak louder: Building irrigation facilities out of own pocket VIDEO
East China's Shandong province is bracing itself for its worst drought in a century. A local village head is building irrigation facilities out of his own pocket to help people cope with the dry spell. Our reporter, Shen Le, went to find more about his motives and deeds.
Building dams on the river bed. When I meet him at Lijiahu village, Han Bangtai is supervising an irrigation project. He left the village when he was young and built up a small fortune running a construction company. In 2007, he returned and became the village chief.
Han tells me the new project will catch more water for irragation purposes.
CCTV Beijing auto market drops 60% in Jan VIDEO
Chinese car sales in January were solid overall, but there was a dramatic drop in Beijing, down 60 percent compared with the same period last year.
The drop is likely a result of Beijing's license plate lottery, that only allows a certain number of car buyers to register their cars. But experts say overall, the policy will only have a limited impact. Around half a million cars are sold in the capital every year. But last year that figure almost doubled due to preferential policies.
CCTV Japan confirms China as 2nd largest economy VIDEO
Japan has confirmed that China's economy surpassed its own as the world's second largest economy in 2010. It also says a late-year downturn was its first quarterly contraction in more than a year.
CCTV Cross over: How is water supplies affected by drought? VIDEO
Shandong province is among the regions suffering the most from the severe drought. Our reporter Shen Le has just arrived in Gaoxing county, near Rizhao city, to follow the latest developments there.
Q1. Could you brief us on the situation there? What impact is the drought having on water supplies for residents and livestock?
Q2. Is there enough water for agricultural irrigation? What measures have the local authorities taken to ensure the water supply for crops?
CCTV Fighting drought at village level VIDEO
Severe drought is affecting agricultural production in East China's Shandong province. Our reporter Shen Le went down to a parched village near Rizhao city to find out more about how people there are coping with the dry spell.
Growing wheat is the main livelihood for people living in Qianshanqian village.
Li Qiyun is a local farmer, he has come to the field to examine his wheat.
He tells me the drought is unprecedented.
China plans to dig over 1,000 wells to ease drought
China plans to dig more than a thousand wells in 8 major wheat-growing provinces. The Ministry of Land and Resources said the move was in response to the ongoing drought threatening the country's grain harvest.
CCTV Taipei Lantern Festival gets underway VIDEO
The Taipei Lantern Festival has kicked off with rabbit-themed beacons decorating the city, in celebration of the Lunar New Year. Crowds were hopping on the first day, with technology adding new twists to the showcase on Taiwan Island.
Hundreds of people braved the drizzle, to view the opening ceremony of the Taipei Lantern Festival.
CCTV Coastal firms upgrade manufacturing to cope with shortage of workers VIDEO
China's vast number of migrant workers - as many as 200 million - have begun heading back to the factories that line the country's east coast following the annual Spring Festival. But this year the shortage of workers has become even more acute as many of them are staying near their homes to seek job opportunities. As our reporter Guan Xin finds out, enterprises in coastal manufacturing cities are trying to upgrade their manufacturing to become less-labor intensive to cope with the shortage of workers.
Migrant workers, once largely ignored as merely the backs creating Chinese cities' ever expanding prosperity, are now being fought for by labor-hungry enterprises.
CCTV Phone interview: Future for Freddiemac & Fanniemae VIDEO
For more analysis on the matter, we are joined on the phone by Professor Xiang Songzuo, deputy director of the International Monetary Research Institution at Renmin University.
CCTV Beijing embraces second Snowfall VIDEO
Beijing's record period without snow is well and truly over. After clouds were seeded by related departments fresh snowfall has been seen across the Chinese capital for the second time in a week, and is getting increasingly heavier.
CCTV Public libraries open free of charge VIDEO
Public libraries in Shanghai have taken the initiative to open free of charge to the city's readers. Local authorities are also working to accelerate the program, and ensure that residents can enjoy all available services on a complimentary basis in the near future.
Global Times
The UK taught the world how to produce in the 19th century, the US showed the world how to consume in the 20th century, and China needs to demonstrate how to develop in a sustainable way in the 21st century.
The Internet belongs to all, not just the US
On February 15, the US government announced that it would increase its research into Internet penetration tools, in order to exert pressure on "authoritarian states," including China. Driven by the United States, ideological attacks reminiscent of the Cold War have appeared on the Internet.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton delivered an impassioned speech, saying that the US aims to promote "absolute freedom" of the Internet information flow and that whoever prevents it is "antidemocratic."
The US has forgotten that in 1992 when China first applied for access to the Internet, it was rejected for fear that socialist China would gain information about the West. The selfishness of the US has not changed in adopting this strategy.
The US attempts to control the Internet's direction, constantly committed to transforming the rapid development of Internet technology into a shaping tool for other countries.
It is indisputable that the freedom of information flow in China and other non-Western countries is not as good as that in the US and Europe, but this has changed bit by bit over the past 30 years. China is no longer a country shrouded by the information iron curtain. Increasing freedom to information is a goal for Chinese society.
However, China is clearly unable to remove all the "firewalls" at the moment. All countries consider national security above all.
The US Patriot Act allows the government to monitor citizens' online communications, including their browsing history. The grandstanding of the US about information freedom is fundamentally insincere.
The unfriendliness of the US government in the information field will force China to adopt temporary response measures, which may cause each side to develop the Internet separately. For example, Americans are using Twitter, while Chinese favor micro-blogs. The distance between the two sides is gradually being widened.
At least in the beginning, the US will remain superior but this is not immutable. China is under rapid development, and its number of Internet users has greatly exceeded the entire population of the United States.
The spread of online information in Chinese is also expanding. Although English-language information is still dominant in the world, it cannot dominate the lives of Chinese people today and may not always be able to dominate the future of mankind.
In the future, with the increasing tolerance of information for Chinese society and gradual introspection of the West, the integration of the two sides may begin anew, based on mutual respect and equal access.
Some scholars have said that, when the United States tries to promote soft power, it is when hard power alone has failed. In fact, the power of the Internet is not as large as Hillary Clinton images. It was just the last straw for the regimes in Egypt and Tunisia.
China may not achieve political stability only by monitoring the Internet, and the US cannot play tricks on the Internet and expect to turn China into another Middle East.
Democracy is more colorful than imagined
The worldwide shift toward democracy is unstoppable. However, with globalization, democracy has become more like a Russian doll: you always see the one on top, but not those hidden inside.
From the perspective of history, the global wave of democratization will remove a Western-focused center of interest.
The beginning of the Egyptian revolution is like a constitutional revolution. There seems to be a wide gulf between Egypt and Western cultures, with some external influences blocked out and some allowed in.
In the future, the US-backed Egyptian military and democrats will compete with the Muslim Brotherhood. It is still too early to assert that Egypt and the Middle East will embark on an anti-American road.
But it is even more foolhardy to conclude that the Egyptian revolution was a victory for the West. The current world order is unfair, just as a nation's richest city is filled with affluent Western influences while many live on in poverty. They will ask: Why?
The late American scholar Samuel P. Huntington wrote in The Third Wave: Democratization in the Late Twentieth Century that elections in non-Western countries often induce politicians to come up with the claims that can win the most votes. These often have racist, religious and nationalist hues and will aggravate divisions, leading to more support for anti-Western rhetoric and policies.
For some Muslim countries, Huntington's conclusion is that people there can only choose between anti-democratic secularism and anti-Western democracy.
Huntington's judgments will undergo testing in decades to come. In the past few years, a sweep of left-wing governments have been elected in Latin America, in Venezuela, Bolivia, Ecuador and more. They are more anti-American and anti-Western than previous military governments.
Many pro-Western regimes brought by democratization occurred in former Soviet Union countries, such as Ukraine, Georgia and the Baltic countries, which were under Russian influence in the last century. Democracy in East Asia did not bring anti-American regimes and the rise of China and India seems to ease the pressure on the West.
The more globalized democracy is, the more complex its performance will be and the more difficult to distinguish its benefits and drawbacks. But one point is certain: democratization will not lead to global "Westernization."
The attractiveness of Western countries is not their political program, but their lifestyle, partially obtained on global resources.
However, the dream of imitating emulating Western countries will shatter for many. The ballot box must reflect the characteristics of different countries, lands, regions and nationalities.
After the Egyptian revolution, the West joined in cheers with Iran and Hamas, an all too rare phenomenon. But history will prove that some of them were laughing bitterly.
Kaixin OpEd - As Kaixin has constantly argues, Democracy is neither generally understood or defined in the 'west'. It is seen as a political utopia.
Just what does the right to vote deliver to the average person in the west?
At the beginning of the 20th century it gave a voice to the man on the street in the west. It delivered real power to the man on the street.
By the end of the 20th century that power had been highjacked and the man on the street was once again without effective power.
The right to vote is not democracy, though used properly it can be very effective. It theoretically allows for a revolution, a change of government, with bloodshed.
Now, the voice of the people being heard by the powers that be, is closer to real democracy.
For democracy, however defined, to succeed in a nation it must grow out of the very soil of that nation. It cannot be imposed, and the western model of democracy evolved for those countries. Not for China, not for Iraq, not for Afghanistan …
The ‘Street’ is calling for democracy in Egypt. However, it is likely that if you asked the average person on a Cairo street what he or she means by democracy and just what they want democracy to achieve, you would be many different answers.
Cautious steps to land reform 
Chengdu, the capital city of Sichuan Province launched an ambitious reform of its hukou household registration system in November.
If successful, the reform will free tens of thousands of rural residents to enjoy the same social benefits as their urban counterparts.
All Chinese on the mainland are classified as either rural or urban via their hukou household registration, a document that records a person's home, name, parents, spouse and date of birth.
Beijing officially promulgated this family registration system in 1958 as a means to control movement between urban and rural areas. Hukou plays a decisive factor even today in marriage, education, employment, grain rations, employer-subsidized housing, healthcare, unemployment benefits, pensions and other urban perks.
Chengdu plans to integrate urban and rural hukou by 2012, allowing rural residents to register according to their actual place of residence and update that registration if they move. The same will apply for urban residents.
Apart from providing better social benefits, the reform has another bigger purpose.
"We can see that behind this hukou reform is actually land reform," said Qiao Xinsheng, director of the Social Development Research Center at Zhongnan University of Economics and Law in Hubei Province. "If a city wants to keep up its economic development then it needs extra land to build and group factories together in an industrial park for more efficient productivity and management," Qiao said. "But there isn't enough land in urban districts so the rural residents' land is a good option.
"But obviously in China acquiring land from farmers is a very difficult, long-term task."
By offering the improved social welfare benefits that come with urban hukou residency, Chengdu hopes rural residents will be willing to hand over their land.
The central government picked Chengdu as a pilot city alongside China's biggest city - Chongqing - for two slightly different types of hukou/land reform.
Rural land ownership and usage in China is extremely complicated. Basically, China has two kinds of land zoning: arable and land available for construction.
The first kind cannot be legally built on at all, and the latter is the location where rural residents usually build their houses.
Rural residents cannot rent or sell either type of land. That's because despite appearances, they don't actually own their own land.
One of the hangovers of socialist land reform implemented after 1949 is that nobody really owns their land in the People's Republic of China.
Dialogue
A 30 Minute Current Affairs Programme on CCTV - 9 (In English) where current issues are discussed by experts from China and Internationally:
Security adversity on China's periphery
See Kaixin's - Tiger Mum - Amy Chua 'Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother'
Prospects for the Year of the Rabbit
International News Sources
The Wall Street Journal
WTO to Fault China on Raw-Material Exports
BRUSSELS—The World Trade Organization on Friday will issue a preliminary report concluding that China has no legal right to impose export restrictions on nine raw materials, say trade diplomats and lawyers familiar with the case.
China Reports $75.5 Billion in 'Hot Money' Inflows
BEIJING—China released new data on Thursday that offered a more accurate picture of the huge volumes of liquidity surging through the economy, highlighting the difficulties that the government faces in reining in mounting inflation.
China Resists French Currency Plan
PARIS—French President Nicolas Sarkozy's ambitious plan to get the Chinese government to discuss its exchange-rate policy with other world leaders this year is getting off to a rough start, according to several international officials.
See Kaixin's - YUAN REVALUATION & INTERNATIONALISATION
China Seeks Transparency in U.S. Review Process
BEIJING—China said Thursday it wants the U.S. to make the process of reviewing investment on national-security grounds more transparent, following news earlier this week of concerns surrounding an acquisition by China's Huawei Technologies Co.
China Urges Banks to Curb Reliance on Rating Agencies
SHANGHAI—China's banking regulator on Thursday urged banks to reduce their reliance on reports from credit-rating agencies when issuing loans and making investments, after the global financial crisis fueled questions about the credibility of Western rating firms.
Kaixin OpEd – Big Questions ….. VERY big Questions …
Toxic real estate debt?? = AAA+++
Now, that will be a fee from you … and you … oh yes, and you …
China Gold Demand Skyrockets
BEIJING—Gold is making headway in China as rising inflation and currency appreciation risks make the metal a more attractive alternative for investors, placing the country in a position to challenge India as the world's top gold consumer.
U.S. Boosts Web Freedom Efforts in China, Iran
Amid turmoil in the Middle East, the U.S. intensified efforts to pierce government barriers to social networking in China and Iran.
A day after Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's pledge to promote Internet freedom, efforts by U.S. diplomats to generate debate on the issue on Twitter-like microblogs in China—which has the world's most Internet users—ran up against the country's sophisticated censorship system.
Kaixin OpEd - … and Egypt?
Oh, that’s right, Egypt is a friend of America, or at least the democratically elected military leaders are.
Woops, sorry …
Oh yes, where was I?
All our friends in China, yes all, have absolutely no problem using Chinese social networking sites.
Their interest in American networking sites …. nil
Our 16 year old son uses these networks from Australia constantly and into the wee small hours … issues arise with sleep, school and homework, but never censorship.
Not that we look too closely at what 16 year old boys say to each other.
The tinsy minority of earnest Chinese who are angling for the million bucks from the Nobel Prize Committee might bitch and moan, but it is best to look for their hidden agenda.
Oh yes, and America, the brave, the free, the uncensored …. that would be a good title for a book by Julian Assange. He could write it when he holidays at Guantanamo Bay.
Glass houses, stones and all that …
See the Global Times Editorial above, 'The Internet belongs to all, not just the US'
The Diplomat
China, What's Next?
China’s Bumpy Ride Ahead
Unfortunately, the structural reforms required to rebalance the Chinese economy and address the underlying causes of inflation will be politically impossible in 2011. They will hurt interest groups that have influence during leadership transition. Many top executives of state-owned enterprises and provincial leaders are members of the Central Committee of the Communist Party and senior leaders in Beijing need their support in gaining coveted seats on the Politburo for themselves or their protégés. Such reforms were deemed too difficult when the Chinese economy was in much better shape and the leadership transition was a dormant issue. Today, they are simply out of the question.
Caixin Online
Tahrir Square Draws a New Middle East Map
Democracy's victory in Egypt has given the people reasons to embrace regional stability as well as political change
Events in Egypt have aroused worldwide concern. The country's development will have a significant impact not only on the stability in the Middle East, but also on international geopolitics and the global economy.
The wave of popular demand for democracy in the Arab world is not accidental, nor is it the work of hostile foreign powers. Rather, it is an inevitable outcome tied to the evolution of political, economic, social, cultural and other factors in the region.
One Man's Risky Cry for Active Citizenship
Why does venture capitalist Wang Gongquan challenge authority by getting involved in sensitive rights issues?
Successful businessman Wang Gongquan is a serious advocate of citizen involvement. The Jilin Province native says every citizen should contribute to society's progress, and he's proud to do his part in ways great, small, often controversial and sometimes downright risky.
In business and privately, the 50-year-old promotes "civil society," and says he lives by a personal motto prominently displayed on his personal website: "Improve and witness the progress of Chinese society through citizen efforts."
China to Launch Yuan Option Trading
The launch of the yuan option trading will offer additional risk-hedging tools and pave the way for a more flexible Chinese currency
(Beijing) -- China's foreign currency regulator has decided to launch the trading of yuan options against other currencies on the interbank market from April 1, in an effort to push forward the internationalization of the Chinese currency.
New Policy to Cool Beijing Housing Market
The Beijing municipal government has issued a set of 15 measures to further adjust the property market, but has already come under criticism for possible violation of property rights for migrants
(Beijing) -- The newly implemented housing purchase restrictions in Beijing are expected to rein in the city's housing transactions in 2011 by 50 percent, according to property market research agency, Centaline Property.
China Seeks New Normal for Export Tax Rebates
Tax policies that helped exporters bounce back from the global financial crisis are being readjusted
(Beijing) - The value of China's foreign trade in 2010 exceeded US$ 2.97 trillion, according to government statistics, rising nearly 35 percent from 2009 and far exceeding the 8 percent growth target set early in the year.
Goldwind Blows Open Door to U.S. Wind Profits
A wind farm near Chicago has given a Chinese company a U.S. foothold and a business model worth imitating
The push began with an office in Chicago, the launch of a U.S.-based subsidiary, an initial public offering on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, and a single wind turbine contract.
And now, Chinese wind turbine manufacturer Xinjiang Goldwind Science and Technology Co. Ltd. is working to fill a major order for its biggest U.S. market break to date: A long-term contract to supply power to the Chicago-area utility Commonwealth Edison from a 106 megawatt wind farm in Lee County, Illinois.
See Over for the 17th of February 2011
CULTURAL CHINA
Articles of interest from the week's news
Insights into China's Society & Cutlure
Ancient text marks modern Lantern Festival
Children wearing hanfu, a traditional robe from the Han Dynasty (206BC-220AD), read Dizigui (an ancient book of Confucius teaching proper behavior) at a Confucius Temple in Hangzhou, Feb 15, 2011. The temple held a ceremony where 80 youths and grown-ups dressed in hanfu and read Chinese classic texts ahead of the Lantern Festival, which falls on Thursday, Jan 15 on the Chinese lunar calendar.
Celebrations ahead of Lantern Festival in China
A child views rabbit-shaped lanterns at Baibuting Community in Wuhan, capital of Central China's Hubei province, Feb. 16, 2011, one day prior to the Chinese Lantern Festival, which falls on the 15th day of the first month of Chinese lunar calendar.
Lantern Festival celebration: spraying molten iron
A performer sprays molten iron against a concrete wall to celebrate the Lantern Festival in Nuanquan town of Yuxian County, Hebei province, February 16, 2011. For over 300 years, the town has carried out the tradition of spraying molten iron at 1,300 degrees Celsius (2,372 degrees Fahrenheit) against a cold concrete wall to form sparks-like fireworks during the Lantern Festival, which falls on Thursday Feb 17.
Lantern makers keep flame alive
Falling demand for ancient craft may lead to a dying of the light, reports Zhou Wenting in Fujian.
Li Zhuqin and her daughters have been burning the midnight oil making lanterns over the past two months. Days and weeks were consumed by the task and holidays sacrificed but they did it without complaint as this is the peak time to display their craft.
Sun Shulan, 67, joins friends adorned in traditional costumes in a parade in Bozhou, Anhui province on Wednesday to celebrate the upcoming Lantern Festival, which falls on Thursday. The festival officially ends the Chinese New Year celebrations.
Riddler strives to revive art
It is a common trend that most festivals worldwide adapt to the times and they sometimes become thinner. While the opportunities for fun remain or even enhance, the associated history is often sacrificed.
When asked for a description of Lantern Festival, most responses will state it is the last chance for fireworks, the end of the Spring Festival and an opportunity to consume vast numbers of delicious tangyuan.
But Wang Qian wants the public to remember another point of the Lantern Festival, namely the tradition of gathering together to solve riddles.
Wang, a retired professor who lives in Beijing, aims to achieve this by hosting a lantern riddle guessing party at the flagship store of Wuyutai, Beijing's famed teashop, on Feb 17, with around 100 of his own riddles.
Chinese riddle creator Wang Qian will hold a lantern riddle guessing party on Feb 17 at Wuyutai's flagship tea shop in Beijing.
Tea culture comes to life at Wuyutai + VIDEO
Wuyutai is a name known to almost every tea lover in Beijing. First established in 1887, Wuyutai enjoys fame as one of the Time-Honored Brands of China, and is well-known for its high-quality tea products and hospitable service.
The history of the teahouse is encapsulated in its name. Wu Xiqing, its founder, came from Anhui province to open a tea store in Beijing during the late Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). Wu named the shop Yutai, which was later updated to include his family name.
Wuyutai is most famous for its secret jasmine tea recipe - a sought-after mixture of green tea and jasmine that rings the right note for tea lovers. And it is in the process of applying to make jasmine tea part of Beijing's intangible cultural heritage.
After over a century's development, Wuyutai Tea House, which was renamed Beijing Wuyutai Tea Co in 2005, has more than 190 chain stores, two tea houses and two stylish tea cuisine restaurants.
For over 120 years, Wuyutai has been holding up its traditional tea producing methods and has won high reputation and credibility among generations of tea lovers.
People in Beijing like to go to tea houses. In olden days, they used to be the center of social activity. Nowadays, tea houses are still considered an ideal venue for socializing. The preparation of tea is an important part of the Chinese tea culture. Different kinds of tea require different methods of preparation. Offering tea is considered a sign of respect, courtesy and gratitude.
Along with Wuyutai's renowned traditional tea products, the company has developed various new products to expand its market share; namely, tea-flavored moon cakes, ice cream, candy and cuisines.
At the end of 2006, Wuyutai recovered an old tea cuisine recipe that belonged to Wu Xiqing, who was also a gourmet cook and was keen on introducing tea elements to traditional Chinese cuisines.
At the Refreshments and Cuisine of Wuyutai Court (Wuyutai Nei Fu Dishes), you can not only enjoy tea beverages, but also taste tea-related cuisines. Wuyutai advocates a healthy and natural way of eating. The dishes on its menu are mouthwatering and creative.
For instance, Puer Tea with Natural Fried Chrysanthemum is cooked so delicately from fresh chrysanthemum flowers without losing the natural shape or color of the flower. And the Puer tea on the side neutralizes the flower's coolness with its warmth.
Fresh Shrimps with Biluo Tea is quite fun to eat. The teapot alongside the shrimp is an automatic dark-red enamel pot, which pours tea automatically as soon as a cup is placed on the base.
And the "brushes" on this pallet are not made for Chinese calligraphy but for your stomach. This snack is made of wheat flour mixed with cubilose, shark's fin, snow clam and papaya. The ink-like stuff on the inkstone is actually blueberry sauce. You can also choose chili sauce if you prefer.
And one appetizer is made from French goose liver and green tea pudding. There's a piece of Kuding tea leaf on each cube of pudding. The appetizer combines the bitterness of Kuding tea with the scent of green tea, as well as the creamy texture of goose liver.
Eating at the Wuyutai theme restaurant is more than just a tea banquet. While you are dinning here, you can also feel the traditional Chinese tea culture and see how it was rejuvenated under Wuyutai's business philosophy.
History of the Shop
Wuyutai Tea Shop was first established in 1887 (the 3rd year of Emperor Guangxi's reign in the Qing Dynasty), Its original name was Wuyutai Tea House.Wu Xiqing, the founder, was a native of Xicun Village, Shixian County, Anhui Province who died in 1930. Wuyutai Tea Shop has been located in No.44 Dongsi North Street since its inception.The teas supplied by Wuyutai Tea Shop directly came from the tea-producing areas of Anhui, Zhejiang and Fujian provinces. And the scented Jasmine teas were specially made in the cells of Fuzhou and Suzhou and then were transported or shipped to the capital city and pieced together at different grades.The teas produced by Wu family tea house enjoyed good fame in the Northeast District of the city as well as in the distant suburban areas such as Changping, Shunyi, Pinggu and Miyun. They were the favorites of various professions and trades.At the time of public-private joint ownership operation after liberation, Wuyutai Tea House was renamed "Wuyutai Tea Shop". And the horizontal inscribed board carrying the green characters of "Wuyutai" in black setting was done by Feng Yiwu, a noted scholar.During the ten years of turmoil (1966-1976), Wuyutai Tea Shop was renamed as "Red Sun Tea Shop". On its 98th Anniversary in 1985, the time-honored brand of "Wuyutai Tea Shop" was restored.
A chef makes yuanxiao (tangyuan), or rice glue balls, at Laoshuku Yuanxiao Shop in Taiyuan, capital of Shanxi province, Tuesday Feb 15, 2011. Yuanxiao is a traditional food for the Lantern Festival on the fift eenth day of the first lunar month, which falls on Thursday this year.
See Xiaosui's Chinese Home Cooking - Tang Yuan
CCTV How ancient lantern making skills passed down generations VIDEO
Lanterns are the main focus in marking the end of the Spring festival holiday. The Lantern Festival which falls on Thursday, is like many traditional holidays, as artisans try to show off their ancient handicraft skills that have been passed down generations.
82-year-old Wang Fuxin is renowned for his unique talent in making palace lanterns in Luoyang, the capital city of 9 ancient Chinese dynasties. More than ten people in Wang's family are able to help with lantern making, but only Wang Fuxin can finish the whole process all by himself.
Wang Fuxin’s son Wang Jianyong said, "There are 72 procedures in all to make a palace lantern. If the number is reduced any less, the style will change. It's not easy to make a Luoyang palace lantern."
The family has been making palace lanterns for more than 200 years. This photo was taken when Wang Fuxin was young. He says this kind of lantern is called Pai Lantern, which is very hard to make.
Dragon dance livens up S China
Creating Beijing enamel art
Cloisonné, or enamel art, is internationally considered a traditional Chinese art form, but according to Mao Jinfu, manager of the Beijing Enamel Factory, the materials were brought from Europe in the 1300s.
Cloisonné is French for "cell", and refers to the technique of applying thin wires to form raised barriers on different areas of enamel on top of the original metal form. An ancient metalworking technique, it is a multi-step process used to produce jewelry, vases, and other decorative items. Objects produced by this process are also called cloisonné.
Cloisonné first developed in the Near East. The technique reached China in the 13-14th centuries from Byzantium or the Islamic world. The first written reference is in a book of 1388, where it is called "Dashi ('Muslim') ware". No Chinese pieces clearly from the 14th century are known.
The earliest datable Chinese pieces are from the reign of the Xuande Emperor (1425-35), which however show a full use of Chinese styles suggesting considerable experience in the technique. It was initially regarded with suspicion by Chinese connoisseurs because it was foreign and appealed to feminine tastes.
Chongqing Hotpot
Hotpot is the most famous and favorite dish in Chongqing. Chongqing local people consider the hotpot a local specialty, which is noted for its peppery and hot taste, scalding yet fresh and tender. Nowadays, as a matter of fact, Chongqing hotpot is famous and popular all over the country. Chongqing hotpot was first eaten by poor boatmen of the Yangtze River in Chongqing area and then spread westwards to the rest of Sichuan Province. Now it is a very popular local flavor and can be found at every corner of the city.
People gather around a small pot filled with flavorful and nutritious soup base. The pot may be boiled by various means, such as charcoal, electric or gas. You have a choice of spicy, pure or combo for the soup. There are a great variety of hotpots, including Yuanyang (Double Tastes) hotpot, four tastes hotpot, fish head hotpot, tonic hotpot, entire sheep hotpot, etc. Chongqing hotpot is characterized by its spiciness, but to suit customers of different preference, salty, sweet or sour flavors of hotpot are available. As long as you can stand the spiciness, you are advised to try the spiciest one to ensure an authentic experience.
Thin sliced raw variety meat, fish, various bean curd products and all kinds of vegetables are the main ingredients for this cuisine. All of these are boiled in the soup, and then you can dip them in a little bowl of special sauce.
CCTV Valentine's Day for singles VIDEO
As couples are enjoying Valentine's Day together, there are many singles hoping to end their lonely days as soon as possible. As the number of single women above 28 and single men older than 30 is on the rise in China, Zhang Ni takes us a look at how these singletons are searching for love.
Yu Bo, boss of a culture company in Beijing, is going to be her own boss today -- by spending Valentine's Day alone.
Desperate and dateless,men learn new tricks
BEIJING - Finding one's better half can be a tricky business in modern China, with hectic work schedules, nagging parents and a gender imbalance conspiring to make selecting a partner a nightmare for single men.
According to the "2010 China Marriage and Relationship Survey Report", released on Monday, 260 million Chinese are looking for love - 180 million singles and 80 million concerned parents.
Eager singles swamped matchmaking events held in Beijing during the Chinese New Year holidays, with an estimated 50,000 people attending a week-long event in the capital's Ditan Park, according to organizer Jiayuan.com, a popular matchmaking website with more than 40 million registered members.
"I am the third oldest in my family, and everyone has a girlfriend except me," said 29-year-old insurance worker Chen Nan, who said he felt pressure to step up the search for a wife.
People taking part in the event, mainly white-collar workers in their late 20s and early 30s, flirted and exchanged phone numbers and pieces of paper.
According to Jiayuan.com, more than 70 percent of participants were in fact anxious parents hoping to fix up children too busy or shy to meet members of the opposite sex.
See Kaixin's - Marriage in China
Centenarian couple celebrates Valentine’s Day
104-year-old Huang Desheng and his 99-year-old wife Cheng Yinzhi receive a heart-shaped rose bouquet on Feb 14, in Leping city, East China’s Jiangxi province. The city’s Working Committee Office on Aging send the bouquet to the couple as they celebrate their first Valentine’s Day.
Studio interview: Changing view of love
Romance is in the air as people marks Valentine's Day in China. Love birds looking to celebrate are being offered all kinds of treats by retailers and restaurant owners. Roses are proving to be the number one necessity as bouquets are flying off the shelves at flower markets, despite a 10 percent price increase.So how is love and marriage perceived in China? To help answer that, we're joined by our current affairs commentator, Professor Teng Jimeng.
Museum worships poet on 'Day of Humans'
A grand ceremony was held in the Du Fu Thatched Cottage Museum in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, to worship Du Fu (712-770AD), one of the greatest Chinese poets, on February 9 which was the seventh day in the first month of the lunar Chinese calendar.
Tofu culture in China
Tofu, or literally translated as bean curd, is a food of Chinese origin and known throughout the world. It is made from soy milk, water and a coagulant. The production of tofu from soy milk is similar to that of cheese from milk. It is made by coagulating soy milk, then pressing the resulting curds into blocks.
Tofu is said to originate in the Western Han Dynasty (206BC-AD 24). At the time, Liu An, the grandson of Emperor Liu Bang, was eager to learn the magical art of immortality, so he went deep into the mountain to refine immortal pills. He failed in his efforts to produce immortal elixirs; instead, he created pile of white and tender material with enticing fragrance after mixing the bean juice with gypsum. The brave local peasants tried to taste the product, only to find that it was delicious. And it was named “bean curd” or “tofu”. Liu An became an unexpected inventor of tofu, and his hometown, Shouxian county of Anhui province, has been dubbed the “hometown of tofu”.
Chinese New Year
2011
The Year of the Rabbit
CCTV Ancient Peking Opera theater thrives VIDEO
Want to watch an old-style Peking Opera performance? Then the Chinese capital's ancient Zhengyici Theater might be a good place to check out. The facility boasts a history dating back 300 years, and has experienced the evanescence of social change, from the Qing Dynasty to modern times.
CCTV Temple fair attracts visitors in Taiwan VIDEO
Let's head to Taiwan Island, where an original Beijing Temple Fair is being held in the city of Taichung for the first time. For some local residents, a top item on their Spring Festival "to do" list, is getting a taste of the old style flavor on display.
CCTV Visitors flock to free museums VIDEO
Chinese libraries and museums have begun a free access campaign to encourage greater public patronage. Libraries' borrowing fees have been axed and admission fares waived at all national and provincial art museums. As Jie Bai finds out, the campaign has attracted a surge of visitors.
The National Art Museum in Beijing has been crowded with visitors during its week-long free admission.
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