Archive for March, 2010

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Giant Panda


2010
03.21

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Though I wouldn’t consider myself a true environmentalist, I am growing extremely concerned about the future of the planet that we live on. With the exponential growth and industrialization of China, they now possess 16 of the top 21 most polluted cities in the world. With the increased construction of new factories and buildings, deforestation is becoming a key issue in the preservation of animals and their habitats.

With less than 1,000 Giant Pandas remaining in the mountain ranges in the provinces of Sichuan, Shaanxi, and Gansu of Western China, they have become the internationally recognized symbol of endangered species. This adorable 275-pound mammal is a small white bear that appears childlike when compared to other bears and is clearly identifiable by its black fur eye patches. In China, the Panda are called “Xiongmao” or Giant Cat Bear and were believed to have magical powers that could ward off natural disasters and evil spirits. Kept as pets by Chinese Emperors, it was first introduced to the Western world in 1869 by a French missionary.

Subsisting solely on a diet of bamboo, the Panda consumes roughly 33 pounds a day. Though deforestation is the Panda’s largest threat, aggressive poaching has also helped to limit its numbers in the wild. The fur of the giant panda consists of a coarse outer layer and a very dense, wooly-like under fur. To the touch, the fur feels oily. This oily protective coating helps protects pandas from the cool and damp climate in which the bear lives. Unfortunately, these hides can be sold for $100,000 dollars.

Of the many zoo programs that have been implemented to restore the Giant Panda’s depleted numbers, only a few have been successful because they do not breed well in captivity. There are currently about 110-120 giant pandas in captivity with the majority of those in China. In North America only two zoos, San Diego and the National Zoo in Washington, currently have Giant pandas.

Fortunately, the Chinese government has recently approved a 10-year plan to enhance existing reserves, build new reserves and create habitat corridors between reserves. This program was developed by World Wildlife Fund and the Ministry of Forestry and is estimated to cost $50 – $100 million. However, the plight of the Panda is still dubious unless there is a united effort to help their cause. To find out more about the Giant Panda, take a look at the links below:

https://secure.worldwildlife.org/forms/panda_adopt_1.cfm

http://nationalzoo.si.edu/Education/ConservationCentral/default.cfm

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Shangri-La


2010
03.20

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Shangri-la, a popular word after World War II and one frequently adopted by stores, hotels and restaurants, signifies a “heaven away from the turmoil of the mundane word”. Actually, “Shangri-la” is a Tibetan word, which means “land of sacredness and peace.”

The word “Shangri-la” first appeared in its westernized form in James Hiltom’s novel The Lost Horizon. This book tells the story of three American pilots who, when flying over the Sino-Indian air route during World War II, crash-land in the midst a beautiful landscape. This place of tranquility and peace is described as having “snow mountains, grasslands, Tibetan people, red soil plateaus, with three rivers flowing traversing the landscape”. After being rescued by the local Tibetan people, the three American pilots finally return home.

Zhongdian Shangri-La tour Yunnan travel trip.

According to the historical record, in 1944 there was indeed an American transport plane which crashed in the town of Zhongdian within Yunnan province while flying over the Sino-Indian air route. After a careful investigation into these events, it was determined that the beauitful “Shangri-la” described in “The Lost Horizon” is, in fact, the city of Zhongdian, located in the Deqen Tibentan Autonomous Prefecture of Yunnan Province.

Even Today, Zhongdian County remains an untainted natural paradise which retains a mysterious and bewitching quality.

Visitors to the Deqen Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture are sure to find themselves in a land where mysterious tranquillity pervades every inch of the ever-changing scenery. Zhongdian Shangri-La

Three snow-capped mountains, Meili, Baimang and Haba, tower magnificently over the landscape. The region is crisscrossed by the Golden Sand, Mekong, and Yangtze Rivers. These snowy peaks form a beautiful backdrop whose beauty is a feast to behold. Mirror-like lakes, scattered across the vast expanse of grassland, look like rich jewels inlaid on a beautiful tapestry.Cattle graze leisurely in the meadows, where exotic flowers and luxuriant grass wave at the request of the gentle breeze.In the depths of the surrounding forests is an exotic world of rare birds and animals.

Mother Nature has endowed Shangri-la with bountiful natural wealth, making the land a happy home for the 100,000 Tibetans, Lisus, Naxis and Yis who call the area their home. As is this pristine natural enviroment, these nationalities are all kind, honest, extremely hospitable to outsiders.The lamasery of “Shangri-la” is Guihua Temple, or Songzanlinbu Lamasery in Tibet. The lamasery, with 800 lamas, resembles Butala Palace of Lasha in its layout. The five-story Tibetan style building is covered with wooden carvings and gold-plated copper tiles. You may have a look at the Gallery of Tibetan Religion and Culture in Deqen.

In 1933, English novelist James Hilton wrote a captivating tale of an idyllic settlement high in a secluded mountainous valley. Entitled Lost Horizon, it describes a world often chanted pavilions perched between the high mountains and the fertile Blue Moon Valley. Today, even those who have never heard of Lost Horizon, the words “Shangri-La” evoke images of utopia. Hilton said his readers would not find Shangri-La on any map but suggested that Shangri-La was located in a long valley with “rounded, sad looking hills on either side” and capped by the “loveliest mountain on Earth”.

It was almost a perfect cone of snow, simple in outline as if a child had drawn it. “Italian-American film director, Frank Capra snapped up the tights to Lost Horizon and cast Ronald Coleman and Jane Wyatt in the 1937 film version. “I’m sure there’s a wish for Shangri-La in everyone’s heart Oh, I just wish the whole world might come to this valley, “crooned Wyatt. The film won the 1937 Academy Award for Columbia Pictures . Ronald Coleman and Jane Wyatt in de 1937 film, Lori orison. photo and above South China Morning Post, 29, 1997 Though neither Hilton or Capra ever stepped foot in the region, many speculate that Hilton’s Loa Horizon was inspired by a series of articles published from 1924 to 1935 by National Geographic magazine – that included accounts of Joseph F. Rock’s expedition of North west Yunnan Province.

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Nepal


2010
03.20

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A country of central Asia in the Himalaya Mountains between India and southwest China. Site of a flourishing civilization by the 4th century A.D. , the region was later divided into principalities, one of which, Gurkha, became dominant in the 18th century. Gurkha’s expansion into northern India led to border wars with Great Britain. A 1923 treaty affirmed Nepal’s full sovereignty, and a constitutional monarchy was established in 1951. Katmandu is the capital and the largest city. Population: 28,900,000.

The ancient history of Nepal has still not been fully researched but it seems that the Katmandu Valley was in early contact with Buddhism through its proximity to India. The Licchavi dynasty was founded around 300 ce and ruled until the 9th century. Buddhism was likely to have been systematically introduced into Nepal during the reign of King A??oka and has continued to flourish there to the present day alongside Hinduism. The location of Nepal between the Buddhist heartland of India and Tibet meant that it was frequently visited by travelling Tibetan and Indian monks, with the Nepalese at times acting as interpreters. Present-day Nepal has a strong Tibetan Buddhist presence alongside the traditional supporters of Buddhism among the native population. As it was never subjected to the devastating destruction wrought on Buddhist establishments by early Muslim invaders in India, large quantities of Buddhist manuscripts have survived there which have received careful attention from scholars.

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25 Minorities of Yunnan


2010
03.20

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Yunnan is a microcosm of China in the areas of minority affairs and nationality relations. The province has 25 minority groups, nearly half of the country’s total ( 56 ethnic groups ) . With such ethnic diversity it is important to ask the question: what criteria are used to determine minority status and classification? Basically, there are five ways: Race , Language, Culture, Religion, History.

In Yunnan race is not a major consideration, as it is in northwest China where caucasian exist, Language and culture, however, are of primary interest because they are the basis for classfying most minority nationalities. Religion plays a role in groups such as the Hui ( Muslims ) who, to all intents and purposes, are Chinese except for their faith. Historical background can sometimes tip the balance in determining the status of a people. The Bai , who have a high cultural level and speak a language closedly related to Mandarin, are clearly not Chinese on the basis of their long, well-recorded and independent history .

25 Minorities in Yunnan

The Bai Nationality     The Hani Nationality     The Dai Nationality
The Pumi Nationality     The Bulang Nationality     The Lisu Nationality
The Wa Nationality     The Jingpo Nationality     The Lahu Nationality
The Nu Nationality     The Jinuo Nationality     The Naxi Nationality
The Deang Nationality     The Achang Nationality     The Dulong Nationality
The Tibetan Nationality     The Shui Nationality     The Bouyei Nationality
The Miao Nationality     The Mongol Nationality     The Zhuang Nationality
The Hui Nationality     The Yao Nationality     The Yi Nationality
The Manzu Nationality

The Peoples in Yunnan
Mosuo people    Shani people     Aini people

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Characters and Augury


2010
03.20

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The story-telling method is also calledCe Ziand is a traditional Chinese method of fortune telling by analyzing the parts and number of strokes in Chinese characters of personal names. If the fortune-teller finds that the combination of characters, number of strokes, etc. used in your name is unlucky, then you should think of changing it!

Ce Ziwas prevalent in ancient China and this way of augury is still practiced in some rural areas in China nowadays. In the augury, a fortuneteller breaks a Chinese character down into smaller, simpler components, analyze them and then tell the fortune or misfortune of the person who wants to know his/her fate throughCe Zi.

There is another augury related to Chinese characters. It is a fortune telling tool that is able to predict whether you are born with a fortunate life (living comfortably) or a poor and hard life. It uses your date of birth and hour of birth to generate eight characters using fourCelestial Stemsand fourTerrestrial Branches. With the eight different characters many different readings can be performed to check for wealth, marriage and so on.

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Silver Ornaments of the Miao Ethnic Group


2010
03.18

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Miao Ethnical Groups Girl

Miao Ethnical Groups Girl

The Miao ethnic group’s silver ornaments are second to none, both in terms of quantity and variety. Miao women’s festive attire includes a variety of silver decorations, weighing as much as 15 kilos! The purpose of wearing all this silver is of course primarily aesthetic, but it also shows affluence and is thought to wards off evil spirits.

While usually worn by women, theMiao ethnic minority’s silverware is made by men. Categorized by functions, there are hats, clothing, necklaces, bracelets, and rings. The level of craftsmanship ranges from relatively basic styles seen in some of the bracelets and neckbands to very delicate skilful work used to make silver bells, flowers, birds, butterflies, needles, bubbles, chains, and earrings.

There are three basic varieties of Miao silverware distinguished by area. The first type is represented by easternGuizhou Provincewhere people wear silver ornaments made with a high degree of craftsmanship. The main works are silver hats and clothes. The hats are made of dozens or even more than a hundred parts, topped by tall horn-like decorations. The second style is from the Songtao andTongrenregions, and features silverware inlaid on kerchiefs, shawls, and clothes. Delicate earrings are also made with a high degree of craftsmanship although there is now less silver decoration than before. The third type, from theregions west of Guiyang, capital of Guizhou Province, features comparatively few varieties of silverware. Only hairpins, combs, and flower decorations are made there. All three areas make earrings, neckbands, and bracelets.

There is a great demand for Miao silverware but all the craftsmen are amateurs who can often only work during the farming off season. Then in some regions unique “silver villages” or large compound silver workshops appear.

Because the Miao silverware producing regions have no natural silver resources, the hardworking Miao people used to melt almost all the silver coins and ingots they earned. This led to different levels of silver purity as currencies differed from region to region. From the 1950s, the government began to regularly allocate special silver to the Miao people to as a sign of respect for their tradition and customs.

The design of the silver decorations is largely inspired by other art forms such as embroidery andwax printing. The silversmiths consistently improve and enrich the patterns while keeping the traditional designs.

The rich varieties, elegant patterns, and exquisite craftsmanship not only demonstrate the colorful world of Miao people’s art, but their spiritual life as well.

Headwear

The Miao ethnic minority mainly lives in the border areas of provinces in southwest China where they speak their own language. Farming is their main source of income supplemented by hunting. Their cross-stitch work, embroidery, brocade, batik,papercutouts and handmade ornaments, etc are world-famous for their elegant techniques. The headwear of the Miao ethnic minority is made entirely of silver, with many varieties.

Their headwear includes silver horns, fans, caps, kerchiefs, silver hairpins, pins flowers, chains, combs, earrings, and bonnet ornaments.

Silver Horns

Silver horns are usually decorated with a raised pattern of twodragons playing with a ball. Girls put chicken feathers on the two ends of the silver horns which look beautiful blowing in the wind and increase the height of the wearers.

Silver Caps

Elegant silver caps are used by the Miao ethnic minority for dressing up. They are made from numerous silver flowers and silver bells with various patterns such as birds, butterflies and animals, giving an impression of pearls and jadeall over the head.

Silver Kerchiefs

The Miao sew five hollow silver flowers onto red and green striped kerchiefs. The middle one is bigger and placed on the forehead; the other four are smaller and placed in front of and behind the ears. The flickering silver and the flowery colors of the cloth complement each other beautifully.

Silver Clasps

The Miao ethnic minority’s silver hair clasps have many different designs although most of them feature flowers, birds or butterflies. Their themes are very varied; for example flowers may be single or double-lobed, in bunches or bundles, dense or sparse, and in various designs and sizes. The style may be fine, slim and delicately beautiful, or more classically simple and heavy.

Silver Pins

The Miao people wear silver pins in various ways. The Miao who live in Longli City wear pins made of three silver balls, with three silver bells hanging off each ball. The whole pin is inserted behind the bun. In Shidong City their pins are shaped like dragonheads in various sizes. Big pins are worn during festivals, and small ones are used in daily life. They are inserted horizontally right through the top bun, with a section of the clasp protruding sideways.

Silver Chains

The Miao people’s silver chains are a kind of hair clasp. Typically, they are made of a five-stranded net chain, fixed by pins. The five silver chains spread out like a net, covering the bun.

Silver Combs

Silver combs are both a tool to comb and flatten the hair and an adornment. They are usually wooden and covered with silver – except for the comb prongs – with various decorative silver patterns on the back. The style may be complex or simple with elegant patterns such as flowers, birds, dragon, and deer.

Silver Earrings

There is a much greater range of silver earrings than any other type of Miao silverware. The Museum of Guizhou Province alone has, nearly one hundred kinds in its incomplete collection. There are four types of earrings: drop, circle, hook and wheel. Drop and circle types are the most popular types and earrings use other patterns besides the usual flowers, birds, butterflies and dragons.

Silver Bonnet Ornaments

The Miao people regard silver as talisman against evil spirits, so people living around the Qingshui River have a custom of decorating their children’s bonnets with silver ornaments. Traditional bonnet ornaments include lions, fish and butterflies.Chinese characterssuch as fu (prosperity), lu (high position), shou (longevity), xi (happiness) and changming fugui (longevity with wealth and honor) are also used because of the influence of dominant Han Chinese culture.

Chest and neck decorations

Silver Neckbands

The Miao people have always attached great importance to neck embellishments. Chains and loops are the two basic kinds while some pieces combine the two, for example the chained rings in some regions.

Silver Collars

Silver collars are popular in the south ofHunan Provinceand the Qingshui River delta area of Guizhou Province. They evolved from the longevity clock, and retain the original rectangular shape with inscriptions like “Chang Ming Fu Gui” (longevity and wealth). They are usually worn with necklaces.

Silver Chest Bands

A popular silver chest decoration, the bands are usually rectangular or semicircular and evolved from longevity locks . Some smaller ones are made of single pieces, and bigger ones are made up of two or three pieces, covering almost the whole chest and abdomen with a highly decorative effect.

Silver Hanging Decorations

The most common hanging decorations are shaped like butterflies, birds, fish, coins, and riding figures. They usually consist of chains, brands, and pendants arranged in as many as four to five levels, and the longest can be up to 85 cm long.

Hand Decorations

Silver Bracelets

Bracelets are an important part of the Miao people’s silver decorations. There are many variations in shape and different styles represent the diversified tastes of various Miao group branches. People usually wear four or five pairs of bracelets at a time up their forearms.

Silver Rings

Miao silver rings are usually large and wide featuring birds, flowers or vines. There is no specific restriction on how many or where to wear rings. The Miao people near Guiyang sometimes wear eight rings at one time – one on each finger except the two thumbs. In comparison with other silver Miao ornaments, there are few patterns and styles for rings, and they are only popular in a small number of regions.

Clothing Decorations

Silver Patches

People of the Miao branch near the Qingshui River delta area traditionally wear clothes with silver patches. The most common patches are square, rectangular or round and usually feature reliefs of lions, tigers, phoenixes,golden pheasants, dragons, cranes, butterflies, flowers, children and arhats (enlightened Buddhists). Butterfly-shaped bells decorate the bottom of gowns and wristbands, ringing melodiously when the girls walk.

Silver Waist Chains

Silver waist chains are mainly shaped like plum blossoms, with single or double layers.

Silver Clasps

Silver clasps are most common in the Duliu River delta area. These clasps are highly decorative.

Back Decorations

Back decorations can be functional or purely for ornamental purpose. These decorations are usually shaped like butterflies or gourds, and are mostly worn by girls and women.

Others

Waistbands and foot decorations are popular in some regions.

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