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Hard Work Can Turn An Iron Rod Into A Needle

铁杵成针

tiě chǔ chéng zhēn

Li Bai (李白) was one of the greatest poets in China's Tang Dynasty, which is often considered China's ‘golden age’ of poetry. Approximately 1,100 poems attributed to him remain today, including thirty-four in the popular anthology, 'Three Hundred Tang Poems'.

Legend has it that Li Bai was originally the God in charge of poetry in Heaven, but he offended the Heavenly Emperor and thus was exiled to Earth where he became a son of a rich merchant.

Brilliant and talented as he was, little Li Bai disliked studying and often skipped class to play. One day, when he was fishing by a river, he saw a white-haired old woman grinding an iron rod on a big stone.

Out of curiosity Li Bai came up and asked: "What are you doing, Ayi? "

"I'm grinding this iron rod," the old women said kindly, but did not stop her work.

"Why are you doing that?" Li Bai asked.

"I want to make a sewing needle," was the reply.

"What?!" exclaimed Li Bai, surprised, "You want to grind such a thick rod into a tiny needle? It is impossible!"

"Anything is possible, as long as you stick to it." The old woman looked at Li Bai, her eyes shining with intelligence, "I know it may take me decades to make a needle from this rod, but it doesn't matter. As long as I persevere in grinding, I will definitely make a needle. Remember there is nothing you cannot achieve as long as you stick to it."

Li Bai was deeply moved by the old woman's words. He went back to his school and from then on he studied diligently and became a great poet and scholar.

Later, Li Bai travelled to Tai Mountain (Tai Shan), where he visited the temple of Bi Xia Yuan Jun (a goddess in Chinese myth). He found the statue of the goddess looked very familiar. That night he dreamed that he saw the old woman again. She introduced herself as Bi Xia Yuan Jun and told Li Bai that many years ago she saw him neglect his studies, so she turned into an old woman and taught him a lesson.

The saying Hard Work Can Turn An Iron Rod Into A Needle, tiě chǔ chéng zhēn, refers to being extremely talented but realising that it requires hard work and dedication to fully develop that talent.

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Beijing

The Cities of China

Beijing

Shanghai

Guang Zhou

Beijing

"Beijing" means "Northern Capital", in line with the common East Asian tradition whereby capital cities are explicitly named as such. Other cities that are similarly named include Nanjing, China, meaning "southern capital"

Beijing, formerly known as Peking, is a metropolis in Northern China, and the capital of the People's Republic of China. Governed as a municipality under direct administration of the central government, Beijing borders Hebei Province to the north, west, south, and for a small section in the east, and Tianjin Municipality to the southeast.Beijing is one of the Four Great Ancient Capitals of China.

Beijing is divided into 14 urban and suburban districts and two rural counties. Beijing is a major transportation hub, with dozens of railways, roads and motorways passing through the city. It is also the destination of many international flights arriving in China. Beijing is recognized as the political, educational, and cultural center of the People's Republic of China, while Hong Kong and Shanghai predominate in economic fields. The city hosted the 2008 Olympic Games.

Few cities in the world besides Beijing have served as the political and cultural centre of an area as immense as China for so long. The Encyclopædia Britannica describes it as "one of the world's great cities," and declares that the city has been an integral part of China’s history for centuries; there is scarcely a major building of any age in Beijing that does not have at least some national historical significance. Beijing is renowned for its opulent palaces, temples, and huge stone walls and gates. Its art treasures and universities have long made the city a centre of culture and art in China. (Wikipedia)

Old Beijing

This amazing DVD covers the magnificent culture, history and beauty of China. This is your one-stop guide to China -one of the world's oldest civilizations and an extraordinary travel destination. And the videos are indexed so you can plan your tour.

SPECTACULAR SCENES - You will visit dramatic sites including the Great Wall of China and the Temple of Heaven. Explore its leading cities with their incredible shopping and nightlife. Beijing is its capital and site of the 2008 Olympics and here you will see its most famous sites including the Forbidden City, where the emperor ruled the Middle Kingdom. See Hong Kong from Victoria Peak, the famous Terracotta Warriors near Xian and the remarkable city of Shanghai, which has more skyscrapers than New York. See cute Pandas, explore its vast countryside including beautiful Guilin and take a soul-searching trip to mysterious Tibet.

ONE OF THE WORLD'S TOP TOURIST DESTINATIONS - China has a treasure-chest of stunning historical sites, a rich culture, breathtaking scenery, and it is poised to assume a key role in the 21st century.

INCREDIBLE TRAVEL PLANNER - Watch the videos and then plan a spectacular vacation. Even learn to speak some Mandarin.

Review

I greatly enjoyed this video. It was professionally done with beautiful crisp clear photography and interesting commentary. The whole country was well covered and I really enjoyed the section on Tibet as well as Shanghai. I hope to visit this beautiful country some day, and will use this video as my reference guide.