Tag: China

Peasant Art Building – one of the strangest buildings in China

Robin

A small town in Guangxi, China, is home to one of the strangest-looking buildings in all of country, a 10-storey behemoth that combine an assortment of architectural styles from all over the world. In recent years, Xinxu Town, a small settlement close to Beiliu City, has become popular for a strange building that towers over the dozens of predominantly commercial buildings in the area. Not only it is much taller than most other structures, but it also doesn’t adhere to any particular architectural style! Most of its several spire-like towers…

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The Wall of Hives: the “home of Chinese bees”

Robin

A near-vertical cliff wall in the mountains of Shennongjia Nature Reserve, China’s Hubei Province, is home to over 700 wooden boxes which make up one of the country’s last sanctuaries for native wild bees. Beekeeping has been carried out in China since at least the 2nd century AD, and about half of the world’s supply of honey comes from the Asian country but, sadly, over 80% of the native bee population is now extinct. The introduction of the European honey bee (Apis Mellifera) is considered the main cause of the…

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The mystery of Lady Dai, one of the world’s most preserved mummies

Adam

Despite her quite macabre appearance, Lady Dai is considered to be one of the world’s best preserved mummies. If others tend to crumble at the slightest movement, she is so well-kept that doctors were even able to perform an autopsy more than 2,100 years after her death, probably the most complete medical profile ever compiled on an ancient individual! But not only, as they were able to reconstruct her death, as well as her life, even determining her blood type, Type A. Despite her face looks swollen and deformed, her…

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Sad Jelly Noodles: the spicy street food that has a reputation for making people cry.

Robin

Anyone brave enough to enjoy a mound of shangxin liangfen, which literally means “Sad Jelly Noodle”, or “heartbreak jelly” should expect to cry. Yes. Cry. Street vendors popularized these translucent noodles, made from green bean starch and hot water, or sweet potato starch, throughout the Sichuan province of China. Despite It was rumoured that this dish was made by a person who missed home, isn’t jelly that makes these delicacy “sad”, but the heap of hot chili peppers and oil that covers them. Either way, everyone eaters seems to agree…

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Dujiangyan Zhongshuge: a surreal bookstore that look like endless in China

Adam

For a book lover, stepping into a bookstore is always exciting, but a bookstore in China makes the experience absolutely amazing. Dujiangyan Zhongshuge, a bookstore in Dujiangyan, Sichuan Province, relies on strategically placed mirrors and gleaming black tile floor to create a stunning illusion that makes the place look like an endless bookworm’s paradise. The roughly 3,200-square-meters bookshop was designed by Li Xiang, founder of Shanghai-based architecture studio X+Living, and inaugurated in the Fall of 2020. Using elements like spiraling staircases, curved archways and strategically-placed mirrors, the designers of this…

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The chinese man who used Lamborghini exhaust to cook world’s most expensive skewered meat

Robin

Recently a young Lamborghini owner in China got his own minute of internet fame by trying to barbecue some skewered pork with the car’s fiery exhaust (and incurring about $80,000 in repair costs). The curious “cooking show” took place when a group was gathered around an orange Lamborghini in an underground garage in Changsha, Hunan Province. Out of nowhere, the sports car owner and his friend decided it would be pretty cool if they could cook their skewered meat using their car’s exhaust, in what many have called the world’s…

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Cheese Tea: bitter, sweet, and salty collide in this cool Asian treat.

Robin

Cheese tea is iced tea, often black, matcha, or oolong, that gets topped with a foamy mixture of cream cheese, whipping cream, milk, and salt. It’s true, the concept sounds horrible, but in this case, the cheese topping is more like a thick layer of creamy, salted foam that tops each drink, that found a fanbase among the late-night crowd. The trend then spread to Asian countries and apparently it had its roots from China. A few years ago, HEYTEA (喜茶) (previously known as Royaltea (皇茶) ) claimed to have…

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Wang Lang: the “Super Grannie” who has completed over 100 marathons in the last 20 years

Robin

Wang Lang is a 70-year-old Chinese woman has been dubbed “Super Grannie” after it was revealed that she is an avid runner, with over 100 marathons completed in the last two decades! If most people choose to take it easy after they retire, Liaoning-based woman is definitely not one of them. She started running at the tender age of 50, as a way to keep in shape, but soon realized it was her passion. She ran her first marathon in 2004 and hasn’t stopped since, racking over 100 completed marathons…

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Bao Bing: the sweet treat that has been cool for more than 1,000 years

Nathan

When Richard Nixon visited Beijing in 1972, he ate shaved ice, locally know as bao bing, with Mao Zedong during a state dinner. Bao bing (pronounced bow-BING) has been a ubiquitous part of Asian cuisine for hundreds of years, and it’s been traced back to China as early as the seventh century A.D. There is nothing more cooling in the heat of summer than enjoying into an ice-based dessert. Made with thin sheets of ice covered in sweet, Southeast Asian toppings, bao bing is as visually stunning to first-time tasters.…

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Mao Mao, the feline car model that earns more than most humans

Robin

Mao Mao, a two-year-old British Shorthair from Chongqing, China, works as a professional cat model and earns between 5,000 yuan ($775) and 10,000 yuan (1,550) per appearance. Mao Mao’s rise to fame was somewhat of an accident: her owner, a man surnamed Zheng, works in the automotive industry, and during an auto show he had the brilliant idea of putting his pet cat into one of the cars. That immediately drew a crowd of people who couldn’t wait to take a photo of the cute feline and share it on…

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Maxus V90 Life Home Villa Edition: the van Camper that comes with a second storey and an elevator

Robin

If you’re in the market for the most sumptuous motorhome money can buy, and a luxury truck-shaped camper is not for you, how about a villa on wheels with a second storey and even a built-in elevator? It is the Maxus V90 Life Home Villa Edition, that may look like your everyday modern van camper on the road, but when parked it can transform into a futuristic two-storey villa at the press of a button. That’s right, with a single finger press you can become the envy of your friends…

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A Moldy-Looking Bun or a Creamy Delicacy?

Robin

Photos of a moldy-looking bun sold on Chinese online marketplace Taobao have been getting a lot of attention on Asian social media recently, because of its unappetizing appearance: matcha and cheese bun that looks a few months past its expiration date. Underneath its light brown exterior, the treat has a light green appearance that looks just like the food mold that develops on old bread. Only it’s worse than that, as squeezing the bun causes the green matcha and cheese mixture to ooze out of it! Photos of the unusual…

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12 Ways Halloween is celebrated around the globe

Ivan

In America, people associate Halloween with pumpkins, costumes, candy, and spooky stories or ghosts but, around the world, it could be a little different. The holiday might look slightly different this year since we are still in the midst of a global pandemic, but we can reminisce on years past. If most places in the U.S. celebrate Halloween in much the same way, one city that stands apart is New Orleans. This town loves both to party and voodoo, so one can find things here they couldn’t anywhere else, from…

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Qiyi City Forest Garden: the “Vertical Forest” in Chinese residential complex that becomes a mosquito-infested jungle

Robin

The Qiyi City Forest Garden residential complex in Chengdu, China, was supposed to be a green paradise for its residents…however, two years on, the pictoresque vertical forest concept has turned literally into a nightmare. Back in 2018, the idea of living among dozens of exotic plants proved very exciting for the people of Chengdu, one of China’s most polluted cities, and in fact by April of 2020 all 826 units in the complex had been sold. Apparently, a dream: each unit had up to 20 types of plants growing on…

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Harvest Moon: September’s Full Moon

Leo S

September is the month of the Harvest Moon, sometimes also referred to as the Wine Moon or the Singing Moon. This is the time of year when the last of the crops are being gathered from the fields and stored for the winter. It can occur in either September or October, depending on how the lunar cycle lines up with the Gregorian calendar. There’s a chill in the air, the earth is slowly beginning its winter rest as the sun pulls away from us, and It’s the season when is…

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Yangzhou Zhongshuge: this Chinese library’s interior is designed to look like an infinite tunnel of books

Ivan

We are in Yangzhou. The Chinese city is known for its graceful arched bridges, proximity to the Yangtze River and the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal. Architects kept these local features in mind while designing Zhongshuge Yangzhou, a new bookstore that features something unique, and a real dream for every reader: black mirrored floors shimmer beneath arched shelves that stretch to the ceiling, creating an optical illusion that turns an ordinary, rectangular room into a cylindrical never-ending tunnel of books. A zig-zagging gap prevents the top of the shelves from touching. When…

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The unsolved mystery of Ding Wuling, China’s mosquito-free village

Robin

Surrounded by lush vegetation and dotted with ponds and pools of water, the Chinese village of Ding Wuling should be a paradise for mosquitoes, especially during the summertime. However, the tiny annoying bloodsuckers allegedly haven’t been seen here in almost a century… Located in the hills of China’s Fujian province, 700 meters above sea level, the village of Ding Wuling is home to the hakka minority, a people with a very rich history and culture evidenced by the unique architecture of their stone houses. But in recent years, culture, history…

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Hong Kong shop sell “tear gas” flavor Ice Cream in memory of recent protests

Robin

The pro-democracy demonstrations that filled the streets of Hong Kong last year have decreased in both number and intensity, because even the shared anger of the protests was temporarily stopped by stay-at-home orders and the spread of COVID-19 pandemic. Last week, however, demonstrators again filled a luxury shopping mall after 15 high-profile activists were arrested and accused of coordinating three massive protests last fall. Although the city isn’t echoing with the sound of defiance right now, the owner of one ice cream shop in Hong Kong has come up with…

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China: woman sends to her faithless boyfiend 1,000 Kilos of onions because “It’s his turn to cry”

Danijel90

Chinese media recently reported the bizarre case of a heartbroken young woman who took revenge on her faithless boyfriend by sending a ton of onions to his doorstep so he could cry as much as she did over his treason. Maybe you didn’t know that, for most young Chinese couples, May 20 is a very special day, the equivalent of the western Valentine’s Day, but for a heartbroken woman who recently caught her boyfriend with another, the day could become really terrible! Reportedly, Miss Zhao, a young woman from Zibo,…

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The haunted Fox Tower at Dongbianmen – China

Ivan

We are in Beijing, China. The Fox Tower at Dongbianmen (chinese 东便门 ) has been said to be haunted from pretty much the moment it was founded in 1564. Initially the tower was said to be inhabited by deadly fox spirits, but by the 20th century the historic fortification was haunted by the very real specter of a grim murder. Built by meanie isolationist emperor Jiajing, a man so cruel his own concubines tried to strangle him en masse, Dongbianmen’s probably seen more than one murder, and It’s one of…

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Coronavirus: ESA shows the recovery of pollution in China

Pavel

On March 5, NASA and ESA (European Space Agency) satellites showed a drastic reduction in air pollution in China, the precursor country of the Coronavirus pandemic. Carbon dioxide levels had fallen due to the total blockade of the social and economic world, not only limited to the epicenter of the epidemic but extended to various centers in the country. It was perhaps the only positive consequence of this pandemic, but unfortunately it did not last long. Below, the carbon dioxide pollution in early March: The new images of the Copernicus…

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The Terracotta Army: history of a legendary army

Adam

On 29 March 1974, a group of farmers who were digging a water well just outside the city of Xi’an found about two meters deep a terracotta soldier the size of a real man, who seemed ready to fight, along with arrowheads and spears. That statue was the first of thousands of others, an entire army, a faithful replica of the army that had allowed the great conqueror Qin Shi Huang to unify China. Until then it was thought that his mausoleum was lost forever, but the unexpected discovery of…

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Chinese New Year 2020: the year of the Golden Rat. History and traditions of a millenary festival.

Pavel

Two days ago, on January 25, the new year began according to the traditional Chinese calendar, a holiday period that will end on February 8, with the start of the Lantern Festival. This is the year of the Metal Rat (associated with gold), and according to Chinese astrology, those born under this sign are meticulous, intelligent and charismatic and, combined with the element of Metal, also controlled, ambitious, energetic and resolute. I asked myself, what are the ancient roots from which current traditions such as red color, fireworks, famous ravioli…

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How to predict winter weather using a persimmon seed: a curious peasant legend

Pavel

According to weather folklore, you can predict winter weather with a persimmon seed. The seeds of the persimmon, scientifically known as Diospyros kaki, are small grains of a few centimeters in length. If you find a locally-grown persimmon (a locally-grown persimmon is necessary because it will reflect local conditions!), all you have to do is cut open the seed and observe: inside the seed may appear the shape of a cutlery such as a fork, a knife or a spoon. According to peasant tradition, the presence of cutlery was a…

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Fengdu: the Chinese Ghost City

Nathan

High on the Ming Hill, Fengdu, or the “City of Ghosts,” is situated at the northern end of the Yangtze River, China. It attracts tourists from all over the world, and even many visitors from within China as it is the place to learn about local ghost culture and the afterlife. Visitors to the area find that they are moved by the ancient craftsmen, the unique styles of architecture, and the nagging lesson that good is rewarded with good, and evil with evil. Having nearly two thousand years’ history, the…

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The incredible Chinese Ghost Festival (Ghost Month) in Taiwan~

Leo S

If you’ve ever been to China or Taiwan or read about Chinese society, you’ve probably come to realize that Chinese culture abounds with the most unusual and macabre customs and rituals. There are, for example, men who hit themselves with axes on the skull for spiritual healing purposes, to shooting fireworks on people to scare away disease-spreading ghosts. Traditional Chinese rites and ceremonies are always certain to shock, and the Ghost Festival in Taiwan is no exception! Would you ever have said that? If you were in Taiwan, at this…

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Dìxià Chéng: the “Rat Tribe” who lives in the Underground City under Beijing

Pavel

The Rat Tribe: this is the name given to thousands of people (estimates vary between 150,000 and a million) living under the ground in Beijing, in what is called the Great Wall of the Underground. Dìxià Chéng, the Underground City, stretches under the heart of Beijing for 85 square kilometers, at a depth that varies between 8 and 18 meters, even if the real size of this huge complex of tunnels and bunkers has never been made Note. It must have been the safe haven for all six million inhabitants…

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Gold Rush: the story of the Chinese man who got rich washing free the clothes of the Seekers.

Adam

A popular folk tale from the Gold Rush era has it that a Chinese laundryman got rich not from searching for gold in the American River but from washing. He was the laughingstock of all the gold diggers who were staying in Weaverville, when California had become the new Eldorado: he was a little Chinese boy named John John (moniker reserved for all the Chinese immigrants during the gold rush) who for months washed miners’ clothing, never earning a penny for his labors. Obviously, the cunning seekers took advantage of…

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