Thursday, April 27, 2006

Chinese Clothing History

Climate and Chinese Clothing

China's climate ranges from year-round tropical heat in Hainan to Siberian conditions in the far north and typical desert weather in the far west. What to wear usually depends on the weather where you are at.

In winter, most parts of China would be in a cold spell , especially more so in the northern part .
So it is advisable to wear layers of garments, normally, thermal or silk underwear with a sweater and padded jacket outside.

Padded jackets and wool-lined boots are one of the best buys in China, you could easily buy one when you need.

For travel during spring or summer, your clothing should be casual and designed for comfort, without being too revealing. Take light cotton clothes that are easily washed and not too delicate. Trousers are still necessary for women traveling to China, since many temples are forbidden to those who wear skirts.

For travel during the rainy season, from May to August, a raincoat is necessary.

Ancient Chinese Clothing

People in China generally wore tunics (like long t-shirts). Women wore long tunics down to the ground, with belts, and men wore shorter ones down to their knees. Sometimes they wore jackets over their tunics.

In the winter, when it was cold, people wore padded jackets over their tunics, and sometimes pants under them. In early China, poor people made their clothes of hemp or ramie. Rich people wore silk.

Most people in China, both men and women, wore their hair long. People said that you got your hair from your parents and so it was disrespectful to cut it.

During the Sui Dynasty, in the 500's AD, the emperor decided that all poor people had to wear blue or black clothes, and only rich people could wear colors.
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Thursday, April 20, 2006

The Ancient Trade Road : The Silk Road China

During the Tang (618-906 A.D.) and Yuan (1279-1368 A.D.) Dynasties, Changan, the capital of China was a major destination for most Western travelers. Sogdians*, Turks, Persians, Indians, Arabs,
and other peoples of Central Asia and Europe crowded into a section of the city called the Western Market, where they traded and sold their wares at innumerable bazaars.

A large volume of goods traveled along the Silk Road. Successful trading meant high profits for the trader and also for the towns along the Silk Road trade routes. Local townspeople profited from trade by catering to the needs of the passing traders.

Each route had advantages and disadvantages. Some routes were more dangerous; other routes took longer to travel.

Deciding on the routes was very important to the success of the trade expedition. If one section of the route fell prey to bandits or was impassable because of the weather, then the trader would have to alter his plans and would lose valuable time and energy.

Sometimes, traders would exchange their goods for other goods without the use of money. This is called "bartering". For example, a Middle Eastern trader might set out on an eastward trade route with goods he knew were unavailable farther east, such as colored glass or white jade.

He would trade these goods for a profit and then buy other goods, such as silk, that could be sold for a high price in Europe.

Source by : newton.mec.edu
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Monday, April 17, 2006

The Lotus Flower Temple : Kaiyuan Temple Quanzhou China

Have you been in China before? There are a ton of tourist attractions in China because of the widest country in the world and if you would like to travel all around China you would spend a year to travel in China. Today we will go to travel one famous temple in China, Kaiyuan Temple in Quanzhou China

One of the most interesting sites of this ancient port, the temple, first constructed in 686, was originally named the Lotus Flower Temple.

The temple is one of the outstanding examples of Chinese architecture and art. Flying musicians are carved on pillars that support the roof of the Hall of One Hundred Pillars.

The two pagodas that stand opposite each other in front of the main hall in the temple, Purple Cloud Hall, are octagonal five-tier stone buildings with exquisite carvings.

Two images of Buddha are carved on each of the eight sides. Forty ancient Buddhist tales are inscribed on the walls of one of the pagodas.
There are numerous other stone carvings in the temple -- figures resembling the Sphinx, animal heads and birds, dragons and tigers.

Interestingly there are columns here in ancient Greek style. Many of these rare art works were once religious decorations on other buildings in Quanzhou, later moved to Kaiyuan Temple.

Address : No. 176, West Street, Quanzhou City, Fujian, China

Entry fee : 10 yuan per person

Working hours : 7:30 - 17:30 hrs.

Transportation : Bus No.2 or Tourist Bus No. 601

Source by : china.org.cn
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Tuesday, April 11, 2006

One World One Dream : Olympic Games Beijing 2008 China Part 1

There are 850 days for the game which has long life in the world, Olympic Games, will be held from Aug 8th to Aug 24th 2008. This turn to Beijing China, the biggest country in the world.

Facts of Olympic Games Beijing 2008 China

- Opening Ceremony : Aug 8th 2008
- Closing Ceremony : Aug 24th 2008
- Sport : 28
- Medals : 303

Olympic Games Beijing 2008 China : National Stadium

- Venue: National Stadium
- Location: Olympic Green
- Total land surface (10,000 sq. m.): 25.8
- Seats: 91,000
- Functions during the Games: Athletics, Football
- Post-Games use: The Stadium is to stage sports events at national and international levels, as well as cultural and entertaining activities
- Groundbreaking date: Dec. 2003
- Designer: Herzog & DeMeuron (Swiss) and China Architecture Design Institute

Olympic Games Beijing 2008 China : Symbol

The official symbol of Olympic Games Beijing 2008 named "Chinese Seal-Dancing Beijing" which combines the Chinese seal and the art of calligrphy with sporting features, transforming the elements into a human figure running forward and encircle of triumph.
The artwork embodies four messages :
- Chinese culture
- the color of red China
- Beijing welcomes friends from all over the world
- to challenge the extreme and achieve the perfect and promote the Olympic motto of "Citius, Altius, Fortius (Faster, Higher, Stronger)
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Wednesday, April 05, 2006

World Biggest Country : China

Everybody would know China, the biggest country of the world, China is one country which has many cultures and people in the world. If you would like to travel China all over, you may spend time in China over a year because of the wide area of China and there are many small provinces which physical features are pure and natural.

China General Infomation

Population: 1.26 billion

Time Zone: +8 GMT/UTC

Driving side: Drivers drive on the left hand side of the road

Languages: Mandarin is the official language but 8 main diale

Religion: The Chinese government professes atheism but has freedom of religion in its constitution.
The three main religions are Taoism, Confucianism and Buddhism.
Small groups of Muslim and Christianity adherants are also present even though Christianity

Most Attraction Place in China

There are many man made splendours to be seen in China, one of which is the Great Wall of China which stretches from Beijing to the Gobi Desert.

The Forbidden City in Beijing is a fascinating ancient complex of buildings - and is happily not forbidden to visitors! Another must - see are the 2000 year old Terracotta Soldiers, a major archaeological find of life sized warriors and horses found in 1974.

The beautiful peaks of Huang Shan mountains and the purity of the Tibetian natures reserves are a couple of natural destinations that are waiting to be explored, as is the great Yangzi River, down which a leisurely cruise can be taken.
Visit the scenic province of Kunming or take a pilgrimage to the legendary Kathmandu.
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Tuesday, April 04, 2006

Dazhongsi Big Bell Temple China

About The Dazhongsi Big Bell Temple in China


The temple was first built in 1733, it was called the Temple of Righteous Awakening. In 1743, during the reign of Emperor Qianlong (China), a giant bell was transferred from the Temple of Longevity China(Wanshousi) to this temple. From then on, it has commonly been referred to as the Big Bell Temple (Dazhongsi) of China.


It is said that Yao Guangxiao cast the bronze bell during the Yongle period (1403-1424) of the Ming Dynasty (China). The bell is 6.87 meters high, 3.3 meters in diameter, 0.22 meter thick and weighs 46.5 tons. Known as the "Huayan Bell."

The Dazhongsi Big Bell Temple is situated in Beisanhuan Xilu China (western section of the North 3rd Ring Road), approximately two kilometers east of Haidian Road.

Address : No.31, Western Section of the North 3rd Ring Road China

Entry ticket : 10 yuan

Opening hours : 8:30-16:30

Traffic : Bus No.s 300, 302, 367 and 718
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