Chinese Fine Food (1) --- La Mian

We all know that Italian pasta is Garfield's favorite food, which is also the favorite of many people, but do you know La Mian, a type of hand-made or hand-pulled Chinese noodle is also very delicious?

Lanzhou La mian

Actually, when speaking of noodle, Chinese noodles have to be mentioned, and the world's oldest noodles was discovered by an archaeologist in Qinghai China.

Today in China, maybe many foreigners are very familiar with the "Lanzhou La mian" which can be caught at streets here and there, but does anyone know how "La mian" is made of?

There are several styles of twisting the dough but they all employ the same concept: a piece of dough is repeatedly stretched and folded onto itself in order to align the glutens and warm up the dough for stretching.

This dough is then pulled to about an arm span's length. The puller then makes a loop with the dough, joining the two ends into one clump of dough, and inserts his fingers into the loop to keep the strand from sticking to itself. Doing this, the pull has doubled the length of the dough while fractioning its thickness. This process is repeated several times until the desired thickness and quantity is achieved.

Daoxiao mian

The category of Lanzhou La mian is also includes "Daoxiao mian"（a type of knife-sliced noodles), and "Pao mo" (a type of steamed bread dipped in soup) as well.

He Fen (Thick rice noodle)

At the same time, Chinese noodle is also includes thick rice noodle ("He fen" in Chinese pronunciation), rice vermicelli or thin rice noodles("Mi fen" in Chinese pronunciation), and cellophane noodles or sweet potato vermicelli ("Fen si" in Chinese pronunciation).

* Original address of this China gift post: China Gift and Fine Arts & Crafts in China

The Mid-Autumn Festival in China is Coming soon！

Every year the day on August 15 of Chinese lunar calendar is the traditional Mid-Autumn Festival in China. At that time the season comes to mid-autumn of the year, so it is called Mid-Autumn Festival.

Happy Mid-Autumn Festival!

In China's Lunar Calendar, the year is divided into four seasons, each season is divided into three parts as ‘Meng’, ‘Zhong’ and “Ji”, so the Mid-Autumn is also known as Middle Autumn or ‘Zhong-Qiu’ pronounced in Chinese.

The moon on August 15th in Chinese lunar calendar is always more fuller and more bright than that in other months, so it is also known as "the Eve of Month", "August Festival". On this night, people looking up at the bright moon just like a fine jade, also like a disc in the sky, will naturally look forward to family reunion. Emigres far away from home will also used to express their thick homesick to their family members and hometown on the moon. Therefore, the Mid-Autumn Festival is also known as "Reunion Festival".

Since ancient times Chinese people has the custom of "Worshipping the goddess of the moon at the end of Autumn". In the Zhou dynasty, every year in the night of Mid-Autumn people will hold ceremonies of ‘Welcome Coldness’ and ‘Worship The Goddess of the Moon”, at the ceremony, a big size of incense table will settles, moon cakes, watermelons, apples, dates, plums, grapes and other offerings will placed on the table, among which, moon cakes and watermelons are necessary. And the watermelon should be cutted into lotus shape.

In the moon light, the statue of goddess of the moon will be placed toward the direction of the moon, with burning candles, the whole family will worship the moon one by one, then the housewife of the family will cut out the reunion moon cake into several parts. The number of divided moon cake parts always has been calculated before, which covers all members of the family, includes ones at home, and the members outside home. More or less is not allowed, and the size of parted moon cakes should be same.

Moon Cakes

As said in a legend that in ancient times there was an ugly girl named ‘Wu Yan”, who was accustomed to worship the goddess of the moon piously during her childhood, when she has grown up, she was been selected to enter the palace for her outstanding characters and virtues, but as for her ugly appearance she had not been favored by the emperor for a long time.

Later on the night of August 15 one year, when she worshipping the moon, the emperor seen her in the moon light and found her is very beautiful, then chose her as his queen, which is the origin of the custom of worshipping moon at the mid-autumn.

Fairy Chang-e, who is living in the moon, was known for her beauty, so young girls worship moon will willing to "look like the goddess of Chang’e, face as bright moon."

Fairy Chang-e - The Goddess of The Moon

During the Tang Dynasty of ancient China, the custom of admiring and enjoying the glorious full moon on the Mid-Autumn Festival is quite popular. On the night of August 15 in Chinese lunar calendar, peoples in the whole city, no matter they are poor or rich, old or young, will all wear on adult clothing, burn incenses and worship moon and tell out their wishes, and pray for blessing of the goddess of the moon.

During the South-Song dynasty in ancient China, people were accustomed to present moon cakes to each other, as to admire the auspicious connotation of reunion. In some area there will hold many activities as playing grass weaved dragon dance, building pagodas and so on.

Since the Ming and Qing dynasty in ancient China, the custom of celebrate the Mid-Autumn festival is become more popular in folk, there formed many special customs such as burning incenses, tree mid-autumn, light pagoda lights, play sky lights, walking with the moon, playing fire dragon dance and etc. in many local areas in China.

There are many customs of the Mid-Autumn Festival in China, as well as many forms, but all of them are repose trust of people’s infinite love and yearning for a better life.

Today, the custom of playing under the month has been far from popular than which ancient times in China, but the custom of host a banquet to enjoying the full moon is still very popular in China, people are still like to drinking wines to ask after the moon, celebrate the good life, or wish distant relatives good health and happy, share the moon with family members in common.



Now, as the traditional Mid-Autumn Festival in China is coming soon(will fall on September 22), I wish all lovers each other a long life so as to share the beauty of this graceful moonlight, even though miles apart.

* Original address of this China gift post: China Gift and Fine Arts & Crafts in China

Introduction of 2010 China World Expo Pavilions X - German Pavilion

German Pavilion at 2010 Shanghai World Expo - Balancity

Theme: Balancity

National Pavilion Day: May 19

Pavilion Area: Around 6,000 Square Meters

Location: Within Zone C of the Expo Site


Pavilion Features:

The theme of the pavilion is "Balancity." It demonstrates the importance of balance between modernization and preservation, innovation and tradition, community and the individual, work and leisure, and between globalization and national identity. Visitors will gradually explore various places typical of a city -- a harbor, a factory, a garden, a park and a depot where exhibits and urban projects from Germany will be on show.

Highlight 1: Metal Sphere



The highlight of the pavilion is a cone-shaped structure housing a revolving metal sphere, three meters in diameter and covered with LEDs, which will be activated by the noise and movement of spectators.

Highlight 2: Virtual Narrators

Germany Pavilion's virtual narrators Jens and Yan Yan will guide visitors to tour the pavilion. According to the plot, Jens, a male mechanics student in a German university, met female Chinese architect student Yan Yan in China. During the following parts of the exhibition, Yan Yan went to German and Jens introduced his lifestyle and the country to her. Visitor will follow the tour of the "narrators" to complete the visit of the pavilion.



Highlight 3: Performance

Visitors will be able to experience the youth culture of Germany. The hip-hop culture is so vigorous that it has gone beyond the national and language barriers, spreading around the world and coming into the Germany Pavilion. Visitors will see the street dance, and a type of "graffiti art" based on the urban culture.Another great show is the vocal percussion, relying on nothing but artists' mouths and microphones in creating wonderful rhythms.

Previous series of 2010 World Expo: Japan Pavilion
Next series of 2010 World Expo: China Pavilion

* Original address of this China gift post: China Gift and Fine Arts & Crafts in China