Heaven On Earth II: Suzhou: Beat Your Heart

In last article, we have talked about the West Lake in Hangzhou. Its charming scenery should attract you beyond question. And another city, part of the heaven on earth, which is called Oriental Venice, can't be missed in your journey.

Chapter Two

Suzhou: Beat Your Heart

Suzhou is located in the center of the Yangtze Delta, in the south of Jiangsu Province, with Shanghai to the east, Zhejiang Province to the south, Wuxi City to the west and the Yangtze River to the north. Since 42% area of the city is covered by water, including a vast number of ponds and streams, Suzhou is praised as the 'Oriental Venice'. 

Sunset of Taihu Lake

Taihu Lake, four fifths of which is in the territory of Suzhou, is one of the four largest fresh lakes in China, with East Hill, West Hill and other scenic spots in its vicinity. The city is cut by the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal from north to south. Together with its mild climate, making it an available destination all year round, fertile landscape and abundance of produce, it is no wonder that Suzhou is called 'paradise on earth'.a

Built in 514 BC, Suzhou is an ancient city with a 2,500 years' history. The unique characteristics of the past are still retained in present-day Suzhou. The double-chessboard layout of Suzhou, with 'the streets and rivers go side by side while the water and land routes run in parallel', are preserved basically intact. Strolling the streets, you can feel the unique lingering charm of this landscape left by its long history.

In its many beautiful gardens and courtyard parks, Suzhou's ancient heritage has been preserved. This ambitious city, however, is not going to trade upon its past in order to meet the future. A wander off the beaten path and into some of the old neighborhoods can be quite a treat, but their seediness and crowded conditions provide a stark contrast to the endless billboards at the edge of the city advertising Orange County like suburban developments. Suzhou is a bustling city, though you can still see traces of a very old lifestyle centered around the canals.

Suzhou Canal

So come prepared to feel a bit betrayed by the guidebooks singing the praises of a quaint thousand year old city. On XiBei Road thoroughfare, every other storefront advertised foot massages. It seems that half of the city is masseuses and the other half are potential clients.

At the same time, Suzhou has grown into a major center of joint-venture high-tech manufacturing and currently boasts one of the hottest economies in the world. It is the world's largest single producer of laptop computers. The Suzhou Industrial Park (SIP) in the east, and the Suzhou New District (SND) in the west, is home to factories from numerous North American, European, East Asian, and Australian companies. Major industrial products include microchips, flash memory systems, electronics, computer equipment, telecommunications components, power tools, specialty chemicals and materials, automotive components, pharmaceuticals, and much more. This makes for a sense of stark contrasts, the outskirts of town were farmland just ten years ago. Now there are four lane highways connecting the city to Shanghai...four lane highways with pedestrians, bicyclists and pedicabs using the breakdown lanes.

Guan Qian Street

Today, Suzhou has become a core city of China's Yangtze River Delta economic zone, given its high GDP contribution to China. More recently, it has been a center of the silk trade and a place of gardens and canals. Suzhou has long been a heaven for scholars, artists, and skilled craftsmen, and this is still the case today.

As one of the famous tourist cities in China, Suzhou has made a great improvement to its basic facilities and tourist functions. Suzhou is accessible by plane, train and bus. Star-rated hotels with good services and reasonable guesthouses and hostels provide a range of lodging. 

Of course, tasting local delicacies should not be forgotten in your journey. Authentic Suzhou cuisines and snacks can be found in Guan Qian Street, where delicious food and friendly service are memorable. When night falls, Suzhou City is quiet and peaceful. You can enjoy it while sipping a cup of tea in any teahouse.

Heaven On Earth I: West Lake

There is an old saying in China:"Up above there is Paradise, down here there are Suzhou and Hangzhou." As you know, they are famous for the charming natural beauty and cultural heritage. There is no doubt that the West Lake is one of the typical representatives. In the article, we will talk about the West Lake.

Chapter One 

West Lake

The most famous attraction in Hangzhou is West Lake. West Lake is man-made and created after the Chinese love for garden style parks for recreation.

West Lake is a place of tranquility where urbanity becomes a silhouette on the northeast horizon and mountains near and far surrounds it on the other three sides. The occasional pagoda and Chinese-style arched bridge add atmosphere to the tree-lined walkways, verdant islands and hills.

West Lake

To admire the beauty of West Lake, visitors can leisurely bike around the lake, walk around the lake or take a short cruise on the lake. Travelers can take a boat cruise to visit some of its islands. There are many kinds of boats including large painted boats, small rowing boats and even self-rowing boats. See our West Lake Cruises.

The lake has a diameter of about 3 kilometers (2 miles) and a circumference of 15 kilometers (9 miles). There are three causeways or bridges across the lake and three man-made islands named San Tang Yin Yue (Three Pools Mirroring the Moon), Huxin Ting (Mid-Lake Pavilion) and Ruan Dunhuanbi (Ruan’s Mound, after the Governor of Zhejiang in 1800, Ruan Yuan).

Scenic Sites of West Lake

1. Spring Dawn at Su Causeway

Spring Dawn at Su Causeway tops the list of the ten best known sights in Hangzhou. The causeway was built during the Northern Song Dynasty by Su Dongpo (1037-1101), a great scholar and famous poet, and was named after him. Stretching 2.8 kilometers (1.7 miles), it includes six bridges and is heavily sheltered by green vegetation. When spring comes, the whole causeway is blanketed by peach blossoms and weeping willows, creating an especially charming scene.

2. Melting Snow on Broken Bridge

The most romantic, in origin, of the ten scenic sites is surely the one called Melting Snow on Broken Bridge. According to legend, Broken Bridge, which is not really broken, but is a traditional arched stone bridge, is the site where two lovers, Xu Xian and a beautiful maiden, who is actually a white snake, met and fell madly in love.

Melting Snow on Broken Bridge

In early spring, when the snow begins to melt, it melts on one side of the bridge first, due the fact that the other side is in shade, which gives the bridge a split image. Viewed from a distance, it looks as if one half of the bridge has been ripped off, since the snowy side blends perfectly in with the surrounding landscape (hence the bridge's name)

3. Listening to Orioles Singing in the Willows

During the Southern Song Dynasty, an imperial garden, featuring especially weeping willow trees - which is almost always the perfect complement to a seascape - was built on this site. The imperial garden has since become a public park, replete with pavilions, bridges and lawns, and of course the orioles still visit the willows, where they sing as beautifully as when the emperor came here to listen to their song.

4. Viewing Fish and Lotus Fronds at Flower Pond

This spot is located at the southern end of Su Causeway. A clean stream flows from Huajia Hill to join West Lake here, and many flowers grow where the fresh water flows in, so it called "Flowery Harbor". This area now has been made into a 22 hectare (54 acre) park with many varieties of trees and flowers, featuring a peony garden which blooms in April and a goldfish pond which is the famous site for viewing fish.

Viewing Fish and Lotus Fronds at Flower Pond

5. Sunset Glow over Leifeng Pagoda

The stone arched bridge is at the eastern end of the Bai Causeway. The legendary tale of Lady White Snake took place here. After a snowfall, the snow on the sunny side melts first, while snow on the shaded side still lingers. Looking from afar, the bridge appears to be broken, thus the name.

6. Twin Peaks Piercing the Clouds

Most visitors to West Lake are so fascinated by the lake itself that they often don't notice the surroundings. At the site called Twin Peaks Piercing the Clouds, visitors are advised to also lift their gaze from the lake's surface and behold the view on the other side of the lake, where one is rewarded by the sight of two mountain peaks, separated by the short distance of about five kilometers, at the northern rim of the lake. On certain days with low-lying clouds, or on other days when a low-lying fog is present, it is as if these twin peaks pierce through the clouds, the fog, etc., hence the site's name.

7. Evening Bell Ringing at Nanping Mountain

This site, like most of the other sites at West Lake, is to be enjoyed to its fullest under certain specific conditions; Evening Bell Ringing at Nanping Mountain, as the name suggests, is to be enjoyed at dusk, when the sun slowly sets, its softened rays casting their multi-colored reflections on the surface of the lake. At this hour the huge bell of Jingxi Temple peals, it’s clear, forceful sound reverberating across the lake, as if amplified in the still evening air, calling for humility and reminding Buddhists of their age-old religious heritage - and indeed, reminding anyone who experiences this beautiful setting of his or her ultimate smallness within the larger scope of things.

Sunset Glow over Leifeng Pagoda

8. Three Pools Mirroring the Moon

Three miniature stone pagodas, which act like beacons, built over 800 years ago and 2 meters in height, are the centerpiece of the scenic spot called "Three Pools Mirroring the Moon". To the west of Three Pools Mirroring the Moon Island stand rounded hollow stone pagodas with five round holes like windows around the top and bottom levels. On the night of the Mid-Autumn festival, when the moon shines full and bright in the sky, a candle is lit inside each of the pagodas. The light from the holes and the moon cast their reflections on the water, hence the name.

Picturesque Guilin V: Guilin Snacks

If you have visited Guilin, You must taste the most famous snack-Guilin Rice Noodles, which is a staple of Guilin people's diet and is a wonderful and cheap dish. Besides of it, whether do you know other snacks in Guilin? In the article, we will talk about the Guilin snacks.

Chapter Five

Guilin Snacks

Guilin's central location in Ling Nan has given it a cuisine that is influenced by the food of Canton, Sichuan, Hunan, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, and Fujian. In recent years, however, Sichuan and Cantonese dishes have become the most popular. The development of tourism, too, has had an effect on eating habits, as local snack foods are enjoyed by tourists from around the world.

Guilin Rice Noodles

Guilin Rice Noodles, which can be either round or flat, are the most popular snack in Guilin. The thing that sets one dish apart from another is the soup, which is made of pork, steak, Lo Han Kuo, and various seasonings. Depending on the ingredients used in the soup, rice noodles can be divided into vegetable, three-fresh, original soup, spicy and sour, beef, and horse meat rice noodles. The horse meat rice noodles of Huixian Lou are the most famous.

Beside Guilin Rice Noodles, nun noodles, chestnut glutinous rice dumplings (banli zong), stewed duck with gingko, lotus-leaf duck, and stewed duck with ginger are also famous and popular in Guilin. Some of the specialties of the region are described below.

Lipu Taro Pork

① Stewed duck with gingko is a traditional dish thought to be a remedy for lung problems. Gingko, cubes of duck meat, ham slices, and other ingredients are steamed in braising cups. The result is light but savory soup in which the tender duck meat contrasts pleasantly with the smooth, slightly slimy texture of the gingko.

② Lipu taro pork is made up of Lipu taro, pork, Guilin preserved bean curd, and various other ingredients. The pork and taro cubes are fried separately and then steamed together, so each piece is golden on the outside and soft and flavorful on the inside. Health benefits of this dish include extinguishing any "fire" (inflammation) in your body and improving your complexion.

③ Stewed clams and chicken is an award-winning dish of the region. A chicken, a pair of clams, preserved longan, and slices of ham are stewed with other ingredients in a covered porcelain pot for two hours. This mellow-flavored dish has many healthful benefits.

④ Lo Han boiled chicken, as the name implies, is steamed with traditional Chinese herb like Lo Han Kuo, astragalus, and codeonopsis pilosula. This refreshing soup can help to lower blood pressure.

Lo Han Boiled Chicken

⑤ Fried chicken with water chestnut uses Guilin water chestnut, quality chicken, fresh mushrooms, and other special ingredients. This dish is delicious and beautiful as well.

⑥ Duck wrapped in lotus leaf is very tasty and healthful. First, the duck is fried to a golden brown. Then cubes of lean pork, bamboo shoot, ham, taro, and mushroom; green beans; and shrimp are stir-fried with seasonings and stuffed into the duck, which is then wrapped with a lotus leaf and steamed. The unique fragrance of the lotus leaf permeates the tender duck meat, making this dish especially delicious.

⑦ Steamed pork with rice flour wrapped in lotus leaf is a traditional homemade dish. The pork is boiled and then stir-fried with soybean sauce, dipped into mung bean flour, wrapped in a lotus leaf, and steamed. The dish is rich but not greasy and helps to lower cholesterol.

Following are list the top 10 guilin snacks and some good dining places as your travel tips.

TOP 10 Guilin Snacks

TOP 1 Guilin Rice Noodles
The main feature of Guilin Rice Noodles is its sauce which is made from more than 36 Chinese medicine and special herbs. 

Fried Chicken with Water Chestnut

TOP 2 Duck wrapped in lotus leaf 
The unique fragrance of the lotus leaf permeates, making this dish especially delicious.

TOP 3 Fried chicken with water chestnut  
It uses Guilin water chestnut, quality chicken, fresh mushrooms, and other special ingredients.

TOP 4 Nun noodles 
The soup is then poured over the noodles, vegetables, and seasonings.

TOP 5 Stewed clams and chicken 
A pair of clams, preserved longan, and slices of ham is stewed with other ingredients.

TOP 6 Lipu taro pork 
It is made up of Lipu taro, pork, Guilin preserved bean curd, and various other ingredients.

TOP 7 Steamed pork with rice flour wrapped in lotus leaf 
It is boiled and then stir-fried with soybean sauce, dipped into mung bean flour.

Nun Noodles 

TOP 8 Sour fried dried fish 
Its smoked with fruit peels and then dried in the sun.

TOP 9 Fried meat floss with sweet-scented osmanthus 
It is a good appetizer with a glass of wine and is the highlight of this dish.

TOP 10 Stewed duck with gingko
Stewed duck with gingko is a traditional dish thought to be a remedy for lung problems.

Good Dining Places

Guilin Bravo Hotel Restaurant
Location: No.14 Rong Hu South Road
Style: Sichuan cuisine

Tong Lai Guan
Location: No. 4, Zhongshan Middle Road, opposite to Guilin Hotel

Guilin Ren Chain Restaurant

Style: Local snacks and traditional dishes

Lao Xiang Qin Restaurant
Location: southeast of Shizijie Square

Style: Beijng and Tianjin cuisine

Guilin Ren Chain Restaurant
The leading caterer in Guilin. The chain restaurants are spread throughout the city.

Hao Da Ma Cate Square
Location: Fl. 4, Bagui Building
Style: Buffet featuring a variety of snacks. Also from here, you can enjoy the bustling Center Square and Zhongshan Road.

Picturesque Guilin IV: Impression Sanjie Liu

If you have a tour of Guilin, the Impression Sanjie Liu should be a must-see attraction, which is directed by the famous director, Mr Zhang Yimou. I'm sure you will be impressed by the performance. In the article, we will talk about the Impression Sanjie Liu.

Chapter Four

Impression Sanjie Liu

Comments from the audiences on some travel blogs about Impression Sanjie Liu

I was deeply moved and inspired by the show. It taught me that there are many different ways to make a difference, and you just have to be creative!
-----Helen Wang May 7, 2007

I watched the performance last week when I traveled to Guilin. I was shocked by the beauty of the moving picture in front of me, but failed find a single suitable word to describe it to my students. I showed them your article, and the students love it very much. It's good description and comment on Impression Liu Sanjie.
-----Veronica Lee May 10, 2007

Singing

The large-scale performance The Impressional Sanjie Liu is the core project of The Li River Mountain-Water Theatre, it was invested by GuiLin Guangwei Wenhua Tourism and Culture Co.Ltd.，and took 5 years to completed．

This performance expresses the beautiful scenery of the Li River，the colorful culture of the ethnic groups in Guangxi and the brave imagination of the excellent artists in China，it is the first of its kind the word.

The performance regards the Impression Sanjie Liu as the general theme，and creatively combines the classical Sanjie Liu's Songs，ethnic groups’ culture and the fishing lights together，to reflect the harmonious atmosphere between human beings and the nature．The performance lasts for 70 minutes and 600 plus actors and actress are involved．

Impression Sanjie Liu is a sensational night show performed in the largest natural theatre in the world. Boundless sky and 12 peaks about 2km along Li River compose the stage of mountain and river backdrops.

Show on the River

This is a totally different performance from the conventional form. The theater is the nature itself. The sceneries of the four seasons are changing, the weather is changing, so does the performance is changing to match up with the changeable nature. 

In this stage, only the half of the performance is created by man, and the other half is belonged to the mysterious nature.

If it were raining during the performance, you can put on the raincoat that we prepare for you, if you came here in the hot summer, you have to take the anti-mosquito spray with you, if there were flood, half of the auditorium probably could be under the water, and if there were thunderstorm, the performance could be ceased. This is our performance—a performance interacting with the nature.

Sanjie Liu is the singing goddess in the legend of ethnic group of Zhuang. In 1961, there was a film made with the same title as her name "Sanjie Liu" which has been a classic and popular music film in China from then on. 

In the play “Impression Sanjie Liu”, you won't see the plots, the characters and the usual scenes, but rather a series of impressions, and those impressions are got from the landscapes and the ordinary life of the place, Because Sanjie Liu was born and bred from this magic land, her legend radiates the wonderful atmosphere of this place and naivety of the local people.

Fisherman/Hillman/Actor

There are more than 600 people involved in this play. Most of them are fishermen from the 5 villages along the river. They work in the river in the daytime, and participates the performance in the evening with their bamboo rafts. 

Torch

Some of the performers are the little singers from the villages of ethnic group of Dong and the young girls of other ethnic minorities group .They sing with the nature and untrained voices and dance with spontaneous style. In the gorgeous landscape, they are extraordinary beautiful and brilliant.

The play was presented to the audiences formally on Mar.20.2004.After saw the play, the officers of the world tourism organization commended. "This is a unique play, you can't see it nowhere the world but here. And it's worth to buy a round-trip air ticket from anywhere in the world only to see the play."

Above all, the fantastic night entertainment show-Impression Liu Sanjiein has been performed in the natural scenic setting in Yangshuo these years. It is popular with tourists across the world. The "Legend of Liu Sanjie" is well-known amid Chinese people. That is what let the legendary Liu Sanjie come out from a story, from a movie and be performing on a real stage.

The performance has paid much attention to environmental protection and offer portable toilets at the venue. Ever since the premiere on March 20, 2004, the performance has been performed every two or three days. What's more different is that this creative musical show is actually a poverty-alleviation project. The average income for the farmers there is less than $10 a month. 

Dancing

Thousands of people from the surrounding villages participated in the show. Each show employs 600 local village performers. Each person received $3 for the performance s/he attended. It attracts the significant amount of tourists to the area. The tickets cost anywhere between $20--$80. This is absolutely a world-class show - as someone said: "a masterpiece by the Creator and man."

Travel Tips for Watching Impression Sanjie Liu

Plan A - Take a golf car: a type of public transportation service in old town of Yangshuo, pickup place for the show is at the front door of Yangshuo Pradise Ressort, the golf car can take 9 persons one time, and it cost RMB 20-30 one way to the show place, you can pay the driver RMB 20-30, ask the driver to go right away; or you might wait for other passengers, and share the cost together.  When the show finishs, it will be difficult sometimes to find a golf car to go back to the hotel, you might need to walk 40 minutes. 

Plan B - Show + round trip transfers: ask your tour consultant or your tour guide to reserve the ticket, and the cost is USD 33 per person,  the tour guide will find the seat for you, escort you to find the car when the show ends, and driver will be waiting for you to take you back to the hotel.  It is expensive because you have to pay the overtime work cost for the tour guide and driver.

Picturesque Guilin III: Legend of Sanjie Liu

Some Days ago, Super models Hannah Davis, Jessica Gomes and Anne V were photographed by Derek Kettela in Guilin, Guangxi Province, China. Swimsuit by Kate Swim for Sports Illustrated. I am sure they are considered to be dream lovers of a lot of men. And, do you know, Liu Sanjie, the famous singer and dream lover of many men in Guangxi. In the article, we will talk about the legend of Liu Sanjie.

Chapter Three

Legend of Sanjie Liu

A melodious song breaks the silence of a serene morning on a green river. The song comes from a young girl on a fishing boat. She is Liu Sanjie or The Third Sister of the Liu Family.

Liu Sanjie is a legend of the Zhuang people. Zhuang is one of the 56 ethnic groups in China and, with a population of 15 million, is second only to the Han people, who account for more than 91 percent of the nation's total population of 1.3 billion. 

Liu Sanjie

Thanks to an eponymic movie produced in color in 1961, the story of Liu Sanjie became known throughout the country. An instant hit, the movie also helped spread the legend to the entire Southeast Asia.

The Zhuang people believe that the legendary Liu Sanjie actually existed. The Middle Jian Village on the Lower Jian River at the foot of the Lower Jian Mountain in the Yizhou Town of Guangxi Autonomous Region professes to be her birthplace. Her original name is said to be Liu Shanhua. Since she was the third child of her family, she was given the nickname of "Liu Sanjie," meaning "Sister No. 3 of the Liu Family." 

Orphaned at an early age, she was raised by her brother Liu Er, honest but meek. Sanjie is a girl of beauty, intelligence, and courage. She is well-known for using her singing talent to celebrate freedom and honesty while castigating abuse and injustice. Therefore she is cherished by the common people but hated by those lording over them.

An incarnation of a lark, as the Zhuang people so believe, Sanjie started speaking eloquently when she was only one. At the age of three, she already had a melodious voice. In her teens, she was regarded as the top singer of folk songs—songs in an antiphonal style, typical of the ethnic people in South China. 

Liu Sanjie

She can recite the Chinese traditional poems at the age of 12. She was so good at creating folk songs that she can sing immediately when she saw scenery. Her songs were so beautiful that everyone was attracted by her tone. She was invited to many places in Guangxi to teach singer skills. Her songs were so many that no one can compete with here in singing match.

At the age of 17, Liu San Jie fell in love with a handsome young man who was also a good folk singer. They lived in the beautiful and harmonious landscape enjoying the green mountains and clean rivers. The two swore never separate in their lives.


Coveting her beauty and talent, a local tyrant named Mo Huairen wanted to have her as his concubine. Rejected, the angry Mo plotted to murder her. With the help of her boy friend and fellow villagers, she managed to escape. The two lovers traveled as they sang, and eventually found their ultimate freedom by turning themselves into a pair of larks.

Liu Sanjie

She has just been involved in a singing duel with a local despot where she and her brother lived miles away. The despot suffered an heart attack and died during the confrontation where Sanjie relentlessly chastised him for his villainy. Blaming his death on Sanjie, the tyrant's family bribed the local authorities in the hope of having her pay for his life. Sanjie and her brother Liu Er are now on their way to their grandma’s home to seek refuge.

The time she and her brother set foot on their grandmother's village, Liu Sanjie encounters a bully looting a hunter. The bully is Mo Fu, a henchman of a local tyrant named Mo Huairen. She also witnesses a young man trying to reason with the henchman. 

When challenged to a physical fight, the young man simply threw him to the ground. Liu Sanjie learned that the young man's name is Li Xiaoniu and felt drawn to him. As Liu Sanjie and the others are amused at the embarrassed and exasperate henchman, there comes Mo Huiren's butler Mo Jincai. 

A Niu

Brand his fist at the hunter, Mo Jincai fumes: “Since every single blade of the grass and every single twig of the trees on this mountain belong to my master Mo Huairen, he certainly owns whatever you catch! If you dare to challenge my authority, I will have him bar you from hunting at all!” Liu Sanjie can no longer restrain her indignation and begins to chastise the bullies with her song.

When the day comes for the contest, all the villagers turn out. Mo Huairen has hired three pedants, who claim to know all the songs in the world. The books they brought with them fill an entire boat. Knowing that their opponent is but a country girl, they are more than confident about their victory.
Equally confident, Liu Sanjie starts the contest by singing:
“No matter how much you've read,
If you can glide, then I can wing;
A wasp hovering above a tortoise head,
Dare you stick it out and I will sting."

After a few rounds, the pedants begin to know the girl's strength, but they won't take it lying down. Racking their brains and leafing through their books, they are looking frantically for a song that they hope can help them turn the table. Eventually, one of them seems to have found a lifesaver:
“Tell us, you smart girl, without delay:
How many nails you can find on our boat,
How much the mountains yonder weigh,
How many grains there are in a basket of oat.”
Liu Sanjie answers effortlessly:
....
Knowing that Mo Huairen will surely get the magistrate’s support and attempt at Liu Sanjie’s life, the villagers urge her to keep herself from harm’s way for the time being. Liu Sanjie says goodbye to them and embarks on her journey with her lover Li Xiaoniu. Liu Sanjie leaves a trail of her songs wherever she travels. In no time, they spread all over the region where the Zhuang people live.

March 3

The peaceful happiness was, however, broken by a hooligan in the village who had been for a long time attracted by Liu's beauty. This evil man decided to take Liu San Jie by force. He got his chance on a moonlight night when Liu and her lover were sitting on a big rock at riverside to enjoy the beauty of the moon. Suddenly, a gang of hooligans surrounded them. Liu San Jie and her lover had no way to escape, with no hesitation, the couple jumped into the roaring Liujiang River, hand in hand.--Liu Sanjie's efforts to fight against the landlords were remembered by many Chinese. 

The legend of Liu Sanjie was originally an oral tradition and later found itself in romance, drama scripts, and county annals in Guangxi. Studies show that the legend is not exclusively of the Zhuang people. Its spread turns out to be more ethnically and geographically diversified. For, similar stories can be found among the Miao, Yao, Buyi, Mulao and Han ethnic populations in Guangdong, Hunan, Yuannan and Guizhou provinces as well.

Nowadays, on the day of March 3, local people will gather along the riverside of the Liujiang River, organizing a folk-song competition to mourn Liu San Jie.

Today, the Great show in Yangshuo, which was called The Impression of Liu Sanjie, was a very popular night show in Yangshuo, Guilin. There are thousands of tourists coming to Yangshuo to see the life of Liu Sanjie. Her folk songs were also sung from generation to generations.  

My dears, may be a show watching of the Impression of Liu Sanjie could bring you close to the life of Sanjie Liu and listen to her beautiful voice.

Holiday in Hainan V: Welcome to Hainan: a land of unique gourmet

As you know, there is four major styles of cooking in China-- Guandong cuisine, Shandong cuisine, Sichuan cuisine and Jiangsu cuisine. And, Hainan cuisine is similar to Guangdong cuisine. Have you heard the four famous dishes in Hainan. We will talk about it in the article.

                                                                     Chapter Five 


   Welcome to Hainan: a land of unique gourmet

Hainan Cuisine or Qiong Cuisine originated from the ancient central plains of the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River and has a history of more than two thousand years. It absorbs the dietary customs of Miao and Li ethnic minority groups and combines the cooking techniques of Fujian and Guangdong Cuisine introducing cooking styles form Southeast Asian countries. 

Hainan Cuisine

Now, it has already evolved into a young, unique and promising local cuisine. Hainan Cuisine is based on Guangdong Cuisine and combines special local characteristics with the application of well known raw materials. For example, sea food and game are frequently used whereas the selection of poultry and livestock is very strict. In most cases, the addition of local Hainan fruit is always considered. 

Wenchang Chicken, Jiaji Duck, Dongshan Lamb and Hele Crab are the four great dishes of Hainan and are known throughout Southeast Asia. Naturally, the seafood on this tropical Island is superb with incredibly value for money. Various local snacks, full of unique Hainan flavors, including Hainan Noodles, Hainan Chicken Rice, and Dongshan Pancakes, etc.

Now, let’s begin our Hainan eating feast!

Wenchang chicken

This dish is the top one of the “Four Most Famous Hainan Traditional Dishes”, utilizing one of China’s best chickens, Wenchang chicken. In Hainan, People always say that a feast without Wenchang Chicken can’t be called a real feast. 

Wenchang Chicken

The key of this dish is the main material - the chicken. Different from the traditional chicken which is raised by rice, the chicken eats the banyan seed but is fatty, put to feed for 8 to 9 months, then put them in the pacific place of avoiding the light, feed them with the peanut cakes, coconut meat silk, Fanci, hot rice...etc. to become fatty. Thus when eating, you can find the chicken very delicious, crisp and fresh.

First a Wenchang Chicken is boiled then cut into pieces. The diced chicken is dipped in mixtures of chopped ginger, salt and other spices then eaten. Wenchang chickens are small, fed a diet of coconut and peanut bran, and raised in coops high above the ground. As a result the meat is tender and succulent with smooth skin. Plump but not greasy, Wenchang Chicken served with fragrant Hainan Chicken Rice is a tasty delicacy.

To boil in the water, then cut into pieces, and eat with the mixtures of sauce, salt, garlic and other spices. Boiled chicken with flavored sauce is the most popular way to cook this Wenchang chicken and people also make Stewed Chicken with Coconut Juice or Deep Fried Chicken which culminates in the creation of very unique flavors. The finished dish is golden and crispy, tender and tasty and the bones are deliciously soft, nobody could forget the daintiness of Wenchang Chicken.

Jiaji Duck

The nickname of Jiaji Duck is “Fan Duck”. This kind of duck contains rich protein, low fat, rich amino acid and vitamins as a healthy diet. 

Jiaji Ducks are raised along the Wanquan River in Jiaji Town, Qionghai County. As they grow this special breed is kept in coops and fed with rice grain, sweet potato, and chaff. This means the duck develops thick meat, thin skin, soft bones and little fat. 

Jiaji Duck

The cooking way of Jiaji Duck is particular. The traditional way to prepare which it is to boil it in water, dice it, then eat with mixture of vinegar, chopped ginger and sesame oil. Stewed Jiaji Duck with Chinese caterpillar fungus is said to make one strong and healthy. What distinguishes this variety of duck from others is that the fat between the skin and flesh has a special fragrance.

The folks of Hainan take the Jiaji Duck to be as the medicine food of repairing falsely and tired, boil them with the insect grass that is in winter together, they can nourish the body. Boil the duck porridge with duck and the sticky rice together, it has the larger nourishing of effect; Such as the effect that have already kept the stomach and increase the blood, promote the body fluid.

Dongshan mutton

As one of the “Four Most Famous Hainan Traditional Dishes”, Braised Dongshan Lamb is very unique. It’s a black-wool mountain goat fed camellias and orchids on Dongshan Mountain, Wanning City, which is good at jumping and climbing hills: it drinks in springs; it sleeps in caves. Thus the lamb is famous for natural nutrition.

Dongshan Lamb

Normally, the sheep weighs around 35 to 40 kilograms and are fairly stout. Dongshanling mountainous area is rich in Ganoderma, Zhegu Tea and other rare plants and herbs withwhich the sheep feed upon. This causes the soup to be strong, oily but not odorous. 

The delicacy is known for its tender meat and savory soup. Various cooking methods are employed in making the dish including stewing, roasting or braising in coconut milk. The meat is cooked with individual seasoning and ingredients. The finished course is appealingly red in color and savory to taste.

Hele crab

Hele Crab is a traditional dish originating from Hele Town, Wanning County in Hainan. Autumn is the best season for eating crab. In this time, nobody can resist to eat the rich fat and loose meat of Hele Crab.

Hele Crab

Hele Crab is famous for its hard shell, rich meat and full crab roe. There are various cooking skills to make this dish. The most commonly used is steaming. Guests are encouraged to eat the steamed crabs with the mixed flavorings of ginger, garlic and vinegar to enjoy the original crab taste whose flavor is marvelous. 

Eating Hele Crab is considered to be beneficial to nourishing the bone marrow and liver, muscles and tendons, and promoting good blood circulation. 

Hainan Native Snacks

A diversity of local snacks can be found in Haikou Tourism Belt, different cities and counties have different dainty snacks that are also very famous. There are the baked porker in Lingao, the water spinach in Duowen, the goose in Chengmai, the lamb in Shishan, the Honey Sliced Pogeon, the fish and ostrich in Nanli Lake of Dingan, the carp of Wanquan River in Qionghai, the deer in Fengmu of Tunchang, the glutinous rice dumpling wrapped in bamboo leaves in Danzhou, the meat of dog in Nada, etc.

Wenchang Chicken Rice

In addition, anything you can find in Haikou where various kinds of restaurants and hotels serve almost all kinds of food in China.

Tropical Fruits: there are 53 famous tropical fruits growing in Hainan Island in four different seasons. However, the coconut has the greatest reputation. Foodstuff made of coconuts, natural bananas, pineapples, mangoes and watermelons sell well throughout China and in Japan, South Korea, Russia and other countries and regions. 

Haikou Aquatic Products: as a city surrounded by sea, Haikou benefits from extremely abundant marine resources with more than 800 precious fishes. Good fingerlings include Lutianus sanguineus, Spanish mackerel, abalone, hairtail, grouper, peneus, blue, crab, cockler, clam, oyster, etc. Abalone is the most precious seafood in China for it contains a variety of vitamins which have special effects in treating liver diseases. On any bazaar in Haikou Tourism Belt, fresh and dry seafood can be found to meet visitor's demands. 

Baisha Green Tea

Hainan Chicken Rice: it originated from wenchang, Hainan. The local people there will be white cut chicken practices and match with chicken oil and water extraction cooked chicken rice, so in Hainan Island called Wenchang Chicken Rice. The major raw materials of this dish are rice and chicken. The weight of the selected chicken is about 1 to 1.5 Kilograms and uses fresh top quality rice. The chicken is chopped into pieces and boiled producing a golden skin and a savory tender meat. It’s trulty a delicious dish. 


Baisha Green Tea: Baisha Green Tea grows in a special environment with unique faint scent and moist green color. People favor it not only for the scent, but also for the effect in maintaining health such as resisting cancer.

--All in all, cuisine forms part of a culture, blending food and drink together through a mixture of science and art. Hainan cuisine reflects Hainan culture which in turn determines the characteristics of Hainan vegetable and meat dishes.

Holiday in Hainan IV: Hainan— where the Li Ethnic Group lives

There is a a minority ethnic group, the vast majority of whom live off the southern coast of mainland China on Hainan Island-Li Ethnic Group. The Li nationality is just distributed in Hainan Province, and it is very different from other ethnic groups in China. We will talk about it in the article.

                                                             Chapter Four


           Hainan— where the Li Ethnic Group lives

Li ethnic group is not only one of the oldest nationalities in China, but also the earliest natives in Hainan Island as well. As early as 10,000 years ago, the forbears of Li people had labored and lived on Hainan Island. Over the years, the Li people have created rich and varied material and cultural wealth and have formed a historical and cultural legacy unique to their own nationality.

What’s the folk customs of the Li ethnic group? Let’s probe into it with topics below.

The Customs of Li

According to the customs of Li nationality, children, both boys and girls, should not live together with their parents when they reach 12 years old. Instead, they live in small houses put up by the side of their parents’ house or by the side of the village. This is called Longgui in the Li language, which is the place for young men and women playing music, singing in antiphonal style and falling in love.

Wedding

Li nationality follows monogamy. Marriage with blood relationship within four generations is strictly prohibited. Intermarriage is not allowed among members of the same clan. A marriage is based on equality between man and woman with respect shown for both of them. Marriageable young man and woman take the night tour method of courting. For example, singing in antiphonal style and palying Dongxiao (a vertical bamboo flute) and Bixiao (nose flute) to express each other’s tender feelings in Longgui. After they fall in love with each other, they respectively tell their parents to the girl’s home to present an engagement ring. The dowry for the girl includes a cow and two silver dollars and the bride and her mother will each have a suit of jacket and skirt made.

Li people hold impressive wedding ceremonies with exciting wedding procedures. The bridegroom takes a procession band to the bride’s home and escorts her back. The bride’s escorting procession forms a long queue. Crowds of people come from all directions for congratulations at the wedding ceremony and toasting and singing last throughout the night. 

Harmony among Li people

Weaving

The Li people advocate equality among men and women as well as the virtue of mutual help. They care for both the elderly and the young. They are also a warm-hearted and hospitable people who keep their promises, In their social contact, the Li people emphasis on affection for one another and courtesy. When a man and a woman come across each other in the street, the man should make way for the woman. When pestilence hits a village, in order to prevent the spread of disease, a branch of green tree leaves is hung up above the entrance of the village informing outsiders not to enter the village. When a Li family gives birth to a child, they hang up a branch of tree at the gate to forbid outsiders from entering the house and whoever violates the rule is condemned by the public. 

Li nationality attaches importance to friendship and moral justice. When one family puts up a house, people of the whole village will lend a hand. When a person captures a boar, those who see this will have a share of the pork. The Li people make friends with those of other ethnic groups by becoming sworn brothers or sisters. They entertain their guests by killing chickens and serving wine. One when both the hosts and guests are drunken can they be called true friends.

Houses Style of Li

House of Li

Since ancient times, Li nationality has lived in thatched cottages. After liberation, the Li residences in Tongshi and Nankai of Baisha County still retain balustrade houses. The house is 25 meters long and 9 meters wide with coupled doors. People live in the house with their beds erected above the ground and poultry and animals live under them. Such cottages are very form and will not collapse easily even in time of storm. Living in a balustrade cottage, one feels warm in winter and cool in summer. 

Festivals of Li People

The traditional festivals of Li nationality include the Spring Festival, January 15th of lunar Month, March 3rd, Cattle Day and Rice Festival. They also adopt some holidays from the Han people such as New Year’s Day, Pure Brightness Festival, Dragon Boat Festival, Ghost Festival, Mid-autumn Festival and the Double Ninth Festival. 

March 3rd Festival

January 5th of Lunar Month is a festival of Li nationality. In the evening, chickens are killed for a family dinner, an occasion for family members, old and young, gather to discuss production plans for the New Year or other matters of the family.

March 3rd Festival is a traditional holiday of the Li nationality since ancient times. It is a time in memory of ancestors, congratulating the newborn, in praise of life and singing odes to heroes. Because the festival is celebrated on the third day of the third lunar month, hence it got its name. On that day, men and women of Li nationality, in their holiday best, dance, exchange toasts and sing in antiphonal style, making a jubilant atmosphere that prevails throughout the night.

Pounding Rice 

In addition, the Li nationality worships cattle as a symbol of good luck and wealth. On the Cattle Day Festival, each family sets up a“cattle spirit treasure basin” and hung an ox horn in the house. A cattle god temple is built in the village. During the Cattle Day in July each year, a ceremony of calling back the spirit of cattle is held. On that day, a cattle pen is built in the village. Cattle are let to drink wine to build up its body. In the evening, people are gathered together playing gongs and beating drums, accompanied with dances to call back the spirit of the cattle. They wish that the cattle would grow into herds and the family become rich. On the Cattle Day, the slaughter of cattle is prohibited. 

--Are you interested in ethnic groups of China? Then the folk customs of the Li ethnic group in Hainan will be your ideal choice to seek into the ethnic life of them. Varied and special ways of life styles are laid in their daily life. Why not get close to Li people in Hainan to take a glimpse of them to widen your sights of ethnic people?