A Bite of Haidian - Beijing Food - Hot Pot

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"A Bite of Haidian"

7 Tips For Visiting The Summer Palace

　　Source: http://www.beijing-haidian.com/2016/0113/35296.html

　 Plan your Beijing Tour? Summer Palace was a royal palace in later Qing Dynasty, only secondary to the Forbidden City (now the Palace Museum). Summer Palace is actually not just a royal palace where once Princess Dowager Cixi and the emperor lived and handled court affairs, accepted laudations and received foreign diplomats during their stay in the Summer Palace. It also epitomizes classical Chinese architecture, in terms of both garden design and construction. It is the largest royal garden in Beijing, now a good retreat for holiday makers.

　　Tip # 01: How to time your visit

　　Normally 2-3 hours are needed to walk around Summer Palace itself. With your time on the city transportation included, you are advised to have allocate at least half day in visiting Summer Palace. Summer Palace presents itself with different views for different seasons.Winter sees people skiing on the Kunming Lake; Spring time finds people breathe under fresh trees and flowers; Summer time often sees Summer Palace in a foggy day like a beautiful “water and mountain” Chinese scroll painting. Autumn is the best time walking around Summer Palace, clear and blue sky with comfortable weather.

　　Tip # 02: How to get to Summer Palace Metro Line

　　1. Subway Line 4:

　　Take subway line 4 to the northest direction and get off at the last but one of Beigongmen (北宫门) and exit from Exit D and walk to the west, soon you will see the north gate ( Beigongmen Gate )to Summer Palace 颐和园 (entrance fee:RMB30) on your left side.

　　2. Subway Line 10

　　Take subway line 10 to Bagou station at the end of Line 10, and then get a taxi from outside the station to the New Palace Gate (新建宫门). Or you may just walk for about 1.5km from Bagou Station to the New Palace Gate. Get off Bagou Station, follow your nose, you will meet a river, then turn right and walk along the river bank till the New Palace Gate of Summer Palace. If confused upon which way to go upon leaving the subway, just follow the crowd.

　　Public Bus:

　　Buses via the East Gate of the Summer Palace (颐和园正门, 东宫门)

　　Bus 330、331、332、346、394、712、718、726、732、737、801、808、817、826

　　Buses via the North Gate of the Summer Palace (北宫门)

　　Bus 303、330、331、346、375、384、393、634、716、718、737、801、808、817、834、Express 5

　　Buses via the South Gate of the Summer Palace (新建宫门)

　　Bus 374、437、481、952、704、992

　　Taxi Fare:

　　A taxi from Beijing city center will cost about RMB 80 and take about 50 minutes without much traffic. As you finish your tour and exit, you will find some taxi drviers are reluctant or even refuse to use the meter, only do a set rate, and most don’t want to go all the way back to Beijing at all, so this can be troublesome.

　　Tip # 03: Buy a correct entrance ticket

　　There are two kinds of tickets – Entrance ticket for the garden-like complex and through ticketboth for the complex itself also attractions inside the Summer Palace complex.

　　The ticket prices are divided onto two categories – Low Season ad Peak Season.

　　Note:

　　1. You are advised to buy entrance tickets instead of through tickets.

　　2. Once you enter the park of Summer Palace and are also interested in some of the paid attractions inside the park, you may purchase a separate admission ticket one by one.

　　3. Students enjoy half prices.

　　4. Children under 1.2m high are free of charge.

　　Tip # 04: Choose the right entrance gate and tour route

　　So there are three main entrances to Summer Palace – East Palace Gate (the main gate), North Palace Gate and New Palace Gate (south gate). You should get to know the gate you will go through, especially when you take a taxi or bus. Entering Summer Palace via the different three gates, you will have three different tour routes visiting Summer Palace.

　　Starting from New Palace Gate (south gate) Loop Line Route: New Palace Gate – Walk north along East Dyke – the former Court Area (the East Palace Gate, the Hall of Benevolence and Longevity…) – Long Corridor – Longevity Hill – Marble Boat – Ferry Boat and back to New Palace Gate (loop line)

　　Starting from East Palace Gate Route: East Palace Gate – the former Court Area (the East Palace Gate, the Hall of Benevolence and Longevity…) – Long Corridor – Longevity Hill – Marble Boat – Ferry Boat – New Palace Gate

　　Starting from North Palace Gate: North Palace Gate – Suzhou Street – Marble Boat – Longevity Hill – Long Corridor – the former court area – East Palace Gate

　　Tip # 05: Familiar with its 3-part layout

　　The three tour routes are centered around the three main parts in Summer Palace:

　　The Former Court Area; a royal palace where once Princess Dowager Cixi and the emperor lived and handled court affairs, accepted laudations and received foreign diplomats during their stay in the Summer Palace.

　　Long Corridor and Longevity Hill; The second part features the Long Corridor, the Hall of Dispelling Clouds, the Tower of Buddhist Incense, the Hall of the Sea of Wisdom, the Back Lake, the Suzhou Market and Longevity Hill.

　　Kunming Lake and Nanhu Isle: The last part is Kunming Lake, which consists of the Marble Boat, Nanhu Island, the Bronze Ox and the beautiful 17-Arch Bridge.

　　Tip # 06: Prepare for a 2-3-hour outdoor sightseeing

　　Visiting Summer Palace needs some a little bit strong legs with a lot walking since Summer Palace is huge. Dress for the Hot or cold weather. The summer in Beijing could be humid and closed, sometimes extremely hot.

　　Also winter could be very cold. So be well prepared for the uncomfortable weather both in winter and summer. You are advised to wear your most comfortable shoes. It’s a long walk! Food choice in the complex is poor – typical fast food and snacks. So bring your own.

　　Tip # 07: Get to know the official notice to the visitors

　　1. No visitors are allowed to cross, climb, smoke, swim, skate, fish, spit, foul and litter and so on.

　　2. No visitors are allowed to camp, cook, fish, capture animals and dig plants inside.

　　3. No visitors are allowed to paint and carve on the buildings, ground, stone, facility and tree, and to pick the flowers and spoil the lawn and trees.

　　4. The north of pavilion of Wenchang and the east of Jiehu Bridge are fist-level fire-proof non-smoking

　　5. Expect for hand-powered wheelchairs and baby carriers used by the aged, the disabled, and children, any other vehicle are not allowed to enter without any permission.

　　6. The professional camera equipments are not allowed to use inside without any permission.

　　7. Without any permission, don’t perform, sing and make a noise so as to influence and disturb other visitors.

　　8. The tour guides inside must have guide qualification.

　　Tip # 08: Opening Time:

　　High Season (From April 1 to Oct. 31)

　　Open: 6:30

　　Tickets stop selling at 18:00;

　　Close: 20:00

　　Low Season (From Nov. 1 to Mar. 31 next year)

　　Open: 7:00

　　Tickets stop selling at 17:00;

　　Close: 19：00

　　After the tickets stop selling, the visitors are not allowed to enter, and to leave on time.

Discover more about Haidian District and Beijing's imperial gardens, please visit → http://www.beijing-haidian.com

【Chinese Tradition】Snakes in Chinese Mythology

　　Snakes (also known as serpents) are an important motif in Chinese mythology. There are various myths, legends, and folk tales about snakes.

　　Discover more about Chinese tradition→http://www.beijing-haidian.com/travelinfo/

　　Snakes often appear in myth, religion, legend, or tales as fantastic beings unlike any possible real snake, often having a mix of snake with other body parts, such as having a human head, or magical abilities, such as shape shifting.

　　One famous snake that was able to transform back and forth between a snake and a human being was Madam White Snake in the Legend of the White Snake.

　　Other snakes or snakelike beings sometimes include deities, such as Fuxi and Nüwa and Gong Gong. Sometimes Fuxi and Nuwa are described as snakes with human heads and sometimes as humans with dragon or serpent tails.

　　In ancient China, some of the river gods which were worshiped were depicted in the form of some sort of snake or snakelike being.

　　In Chinese culture mythologized snakes and snakelike beings have various roles, including the calendar system, poetry, and literature.

　　Zodiacal snake

　　In Chinese culture, years of the Snake are sixth in the cycle, following the Dragon Years, and recur every twelfth year. The Chinese New Year does not fall on a specific date, so it is essential to check the calendar to find the exact date on which each Snake Year actually begins.

　　Snake years include: 1905, 1917, 1929, 1941, 1953, 1965, 1977, 1989, 2001, 2013, and 2025. The 12 "zodiacal" (that is, yearly) animals recur in a cycle of sixty years, with each animal occurring five times within the 60-year cycle, but with different aspects each of those 5 times.

　　Thus, 2013 is a year of the yin water Snake, and actually starts on February 10, 2013 and lasts through January 30, 2014. The previous year of the yin water Snake was 1953.

　　In Thai culture, the year of the Snake is instead the year of the little Snake, and the year of the Dragon is the year of the big Snake.

　　According to one mythical legend, there is a reason for the order of the 12 animals in the 12-year cycle. The story goes that a race was held to cross a great river, and the order of the animals in the cycle was based upon their order in finishing the race.

　　In this story, the Snake compensated for not being the best swimmer by hitching a hidden ride on the Horse's hoof, and when the Horse was just about to cross the finish line, jumping out, scaring the Horse, and thus edging it out for sixth place.

　　The same 12 animals are also used to symbolize the cycle of hours in the day, each being associated with a two-hour time period. The "hour" of the Snake is 9:00 to 11:00 a.m., the time when the sun warms up the earth, and Snakes slither out of their holes.

　　The reason the animal signs are referred to as "zodiacal" is because a person's personality is said to be influenced by the animal sign(s) ruling the time of birth, together with elemental aspect of that animal sign within the sexegenary (60 year) cycle.

　　Similarly, the year governed by a particular animal sign is supposed to be characterized by it, with the effects particularly strong for people who were born in a year governed by the same animal sign.

　　The "sudden striker" snake of Sunzi's Art of War that was supposed to be able to fight with both head and tail, and was used as a simile for how a general who is expert at military deployment does so. The Sudden Striker snake supposedly lived on "Mount Ch'ang": (Roger T. Ames believes this to have been Mount Heng, but written with a different character to avoid a naming taboo on the given name of Han Wendi).

Chinese Tradition Art: Lion Dance

　　Discover more about Chinese tradition, please visit→http://www.beijing-haidian.com

　　Lion dance，also known as playing lion, is a form in which performers mimic a lion’s movements in a lion costume. Unlike dragon dance, a lion is often operated by two people and the performers' faces are often covered during the dance while a dragon dance needs more people and the performers can be seen since the dragon is held upon poles.

　　There is a legend about lion dance. Once upon a time a monk had a dream in which there were many sorrows and evils plaguing the land. The monk prayed and asked the gods how he could prevent these evils from occurring. The gods told him that a lion would protect them and fight back the evils.

　　The Chinese people had never seen a lion before, but had heard stories that the lion was the king of all the other animals, so the monk combined all the lucky or magical animals he could think of and so made a lion. If you look closely at any lion, you can see a red sash tied on its horn.

　　It is told that the lion was disrespectful to the Jade Emperor. This of course caused the Jade Emperor to get very angry, so as a punishment he chopped off his horn (The source of his life) and the lion died.

　　The Goddess of Mercy (Guan Yin) felt bad for him so she tied his horn back on with a red sash with golden leaves and chanted to the lion and he came back to life.

　　Actually, according to textual research, lions in China were originally introduced from West Asia through the “Silk Road”, since sending lions to China wasn’t an easy job accompanied by hardships, very few lions finally arrived at the destination.

　　Therefore, the real breathtaking lion dance was only limited to the imperial palace and wealthy families, and common people never had the chance to watch it. Therefore, the folk artists created lions through imagination according to records or legends.

　　They highlighted the broad forehead, upturned nose and open mouth with traditional divine and auspicious decorations, presenting the mighty force and liveliness of lions. In the lion dance, people perform the role of lions.

　　The performance is divided into civil lion and martial lion according to the performing styles. Civil lion, in which the lion player always wears a mask, has a docile and funny image.

　　For instance, there are the Luohan (Arhat) playing with Lion in Sichuan and Hunan provinces and the Laughing Monk Playing with Lion in Shanxi Province. While martial lion portrays the power of the lion, besides the usual jumping, falling and tumbling, performers will also show their excellent techniques by climbing upon a high table or stepping on five wooden stakes.

　　For instance, the Gaotai (High Terrace) Lion Dance of Sichuan Province has to be performed on seven high tables, which makes the performance highly difficult.

　　The performance is also divided into Northern Lion Dance and Southern Lion Dance according to the factors of geography.

　　The Northern Lion Dance has a longer history that in the Northern Wei Dynasty (386-534), the Emperor Wu launched an expedition Hexi Corridor (used to be a vital passageway of the Old Silk Road) to Gansu Province, and took captive of more than 100,000 Mongols.

　　The emperor ordered the Mongols to perform dance and other entertainment. More than 30 Mongolian warriors held wood carved animal heads and wore animal skins, dancing before the emperor.

　　The emperor was very pleased and named it Northern Wei Auspicious Lion, and allowed the captives to return home. The legend about the Southern Lion Dance is said that in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), Emperor Qianlong dreamed about the pilgrim of an auspicious animal in colorful hair on his inspection tour south of the lower reaches of the Yangtze River. More→http://www.beijing-haidian.com/

　　After his return to Beijing, the capital, the emperor ordered his men to make one according to the image of the auspicious animal he dreamed about.

　　He ordered some people to perform whenever there was a festival or a ceremony, indicating to make the state prosperous and people peaceful.

Legend of Zhen Huan (甄嬛传英文介绍)

Few people in china haven’t heard of the famous TV series legend of zhen huan, but do you know who she is? 

Check this out to discover more about the life of Zhen Huan.

Zhen Huan in history

http://www.beijing-haidian.com/2016/0606/36365.html

2016 The North Face 100 Ultra Trail Challenge Beijing

　 About TNF100

　　In 2008, the North Face® launched The North Face 100® ultra-trail series in Asia-pacific area.

　　In 2011, the North Face 100® became the "Dakar " in China among running races as the challenges of race tracks elevated each year.

　　In 2013, the Fifth North Face 100® Ultra Challenge Beijing moved to Mentougou District in Beijing. The competition focused more on 50 kilometers and 100 kilometers competitors and the track experience is totally different from previous.

　　In 2014，the sixth “the North Face 100® Ultra Challenge Beijing” moved to Fenghuangling resorts in Haidian district. Meanwhile， Yanqiao Yun，who attended lots of major cross country matches and was sponsored by the North Face®， also joined tracks designing. The designing connected all the mountains and rivers of west Beijing，which made up one of the most challenging matches of the same kind in Asia-pacific area.

　　In 2015 , the Seventh " the North Face 100® Ultra Challenge Beijing" added 10 kilometer and 25 kilometer groups, and readjusted the starting time and finishing time of all games. In particular, the starting time was adjusted to midnight which emphasized the effects of night running skills and equipment in cross country race.

　　In 2016, with Marathon and trail race blossoming, the eighth "the North Face 100® Ultra Challenge Beijing" will add groups of trail relay race, which intends to involve more attendants and make The North Face 100® the first trail race for more new runners.

　　As a top outdoor sports brand worldwide, The North Face ® has been always following the concept of "never stop exploring" and put it into practice by hosting cross country races worldwide. In the past 10 years , the North Face Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc which runs across three countries in Europe and which has been sponsored by the North Face®, is the ultimate dream for many cross country race runners. Each year, it attracts abundant runners joining in from European and American countries. In Asia-pacific area, the North Face 100® has developed into one of the largest cross country race serials, which covers six countries including China, Australia, Philippine, Japan, Singapore and Thailand and so on.

　　Discover more about this year's Beijing TNF100 Ultra Trail Challenge,official site:

    http://www.beijing-haidian.com/2016/0419/35991.html

Story of the Seventh Night Festival

　　>Discover more about chinese culture<

    Article from http://www.beijing-haidian.com

　　Qixi, or the Seventh Night Festival, falls on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month, which is usually in early August. This year it falls on Thursday, August 11.

　　As the story goes, once there was a cowherd, Niulang, who lived with his elder brother and sister-in-law. But she disliked and abused him, and the boy was forced to leave home with only an old cow for company.

　　The cow, however, was a former god who had violated imperial rules and was sent to earth in bovine form.

　　One day the cow led Niulang to a lake where fairies took a bath on earth. Among them was Zhinu, the most beautiful fairy and a skilled seamstress.

　　The two fell in love at first sight and were soon married. They had a son and daughter and their happy life was held up as an example for hundreds of years in China.

　　Yet in the eyes of the Jade Emperor, the Supreme Deity in Taoism, marriage between a mortal and fairy was strictly forbidden. He sent the empress to fetch Zhinu.

　　Niulang grew desperate when he discovered Zhinu had been taken back to heaven. Driven by Niulang's misery, the cow told him to turn its hide into a pair of shoes after it died.

　　The magic shoes whisked Niulang, who carried his two children in baskets strung from a shoulder pole, off on a chase after the empress.

　　The pursuit enraged the empress, who took her hairpin and slashed it across the sky creating the Milky Way which separated husband from wife.

　　But all was not lost as magpies, moved by their love and devotion, formed a bridge across the Milky Way to reunite the family.

　　Even the Jade Emperor was touched, and allowed Niulang and Zhinu to meet once a year on the seventh night of the seventh month.

　　This is how Qixi came to be. The festival can be traced back to the Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 220).

　　Traditionally, people would look up at the sky and find a bright star in the constellation Aquila as well as the star Vega, which are identified as Niulang and Zhinu.

　　The two stars shine on opposite sides of the Milky Way.

　　In bygone days, Qixi was not only a special day for lovers, but also for girls. It is also known as the "Begging for Skills Festival" or "Daughters' Festival."

　　In the past, girls would conduct a ceremony to beg Zhinu for wisdom, dexterity and a satisfying marriage in the future.

　　This was not the case all over China, as the festival varied from region to region.

　　In some parts of Shandong Province, young women offered fruit and pastries to pray for a bright mind. If spiders were seen to weave webs on sacrificial objects, it was believed the Waving Girl was offering positive feedback.

　　In other regions, seven close friends would gather to make dumplings. They put into three separate dumplings a needle, a copper coin and a red date, which represented perfect needlework skills, good fortune and an early marriage.

　　Girls also held weaving and needlework competitions to see who had the best hands and the brightest mind, both prerequisites for making a good wife and mother in ancient China.

　　Young women in southern China used to weave small handicrafts with colored paper, grass and thread.

　　Afterwards, they competed to pass a thread through the eyes of seven needles in a single breath.

　　Nowadays, however, these ancient customs are in danger of being forgotten. More and more young people celebrate Qixi in the same way that Valentine's Day is celebrated in western countries. Hotels, restaurants and flower shops capitalize on this by offering special sales on "Chinese Valentine's Day."

　　If it rains on the day, older people might say that Zhinu is crying on the day she meets Niulang and her family again. Maybe she'll also be shedding tears over the customs and traditions that are slowly being lost.