Do you Know the Double Ninth Festival in China Really?

As the annual Double Ninth Festival in China is coming, as for this traditional Chinese festival, how much do you know about?

The 9th day of the 9th lunar month is the traditional Chongyang Festival, or Double Ninth Festival. It usually falls in October in the Gregorian calendar. In an ancient and mysterious book Yi Jing, or The Book of Changes, number "6" was thought to be of Yin character, meaning feminine or negative, while number "9" was thought to be Yang, meaning masculine or positive. So the number nine in both month and day create the Double Ninth Festival, or Chongyang Festival. Chong in Chinese means "double."

Also, as double ninth was pronounced the same as the word to signify "forever", both are "Jiu Jiu," the Chinese ancestors considered it an auspicious day worth celebration. That's why ancient Chinese began to celebrate this festival long time ago.

The custom of ascending a height to avoid epidemics was passed down from long time ago. Therefore, the Double Ninth Festival is also called "Height Ascending Festival". The height people will reach is usually a mountain or a tower. Ancient literary figures have left many poems depicting the activity. Even today, people still swarm to famous or little known mountains on this day.

On this day, people will eat Double Ninth Gao (or Cake). In Chinese, gao (cake) has the same pronunciation with gao (height). People do so just to hope progress in everything they are engaged in. There is no fixed ways for the Double Ninth Cake, but super cakes will have as many as nine layers, looking like a tower.

The Double Ninth Festival is also a time when chrysanthemum blooms. China boasts diversified species of chrysanthemum and people have loved them since ancient times. So enjoying the flourishing chrysanthemum also becomes a key activity on this festival. Also, people will drink chrysanthemum wine. Women used to stick such a flower into their hair or hang its branches on windows or doors to avoid evilness.

In 1989, the Chinese government decided the Double Ninth Festival as Seniors' Day. Since then, all government units, organizations and streets communities will organize an autumn trip each year for those who have retired from their posts. At the waterside or on the mountains, the seniors will find themselves merged into nature. Younger generations will bring elder ones to suburban areas or send gifts to them on this day.

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

Introduction of 2010 China World Expo Pavilions XI - China Pavilion

China Pavilion at 2010 World Expo - Chinese Wisdom in Urban Development

Theme: Chinese Wisdom in Urban Development

National Pavilion Day: October 1

Location: Within Zone A of the Expo Site

Pavilion Features:

The appearance of China pavilion to be designed with the theme of "Oriental Crown, Splendid China, Ample Barn, Rich People," thus to express the spirit and temperament of Chinese culture.

The show of China pavilion is followed the main line of "Seeking", to lead visitors to walk through three areas of "Oriental Footprint", "Seeking Tour" and "Low-carbon Activity," and to find and feel the Chinese wisdom existed in urban development during the “Seeking” course.

The pavilion is cut-in from contemporary times, reviewed China's urbanization process over three decades, highlights the scale and achievement of China’s civilization over three decades, and retrospect, explore the inside heritage and traditions of China cites. Subsequently, a stretch of the "wisdom of the trip" guide visitors into the future, to nourish the developing route of future cities based on Chinese values and development.


Highlight 1: The “Chinese Red” picked out carefully from more than one hundred of red color samples

The “Chinese Red” decorated China Pavilion was picked out from one hundred of red color samples one by one, which was combined by from 7 kinds of red colors. Colors of the pavilion is turn to shallower from top to bottom, with conditions of different sun reflections in daytime and lights projection in night and different visual levels and so on, the color of China pavilion body will formed into an uniform deep and sedate red with classic visual effect.

In addition, red plates of China pavilion is made of metal material, with corduroy-like texture, not only put a piece of more quality ‘outerwear’ on China pavilion, but also endowed more steady and generous impression to the red color which originally a little more stink and jumpy.


Highlight 2: National Treasure 'Riverside Scene During The Qingming Festival' come out again on a one hundred meter long Wall


In the core area of China National Pavilion, which is also the highest level (49 meters high) exhibition area, a 100 meters long wall is covered with the famous painting in the Song Dynasty “Riverside Scene During The Qingming Festival” wholly. At the same time, the original copy of National Treasure “Riverside Scene During The Qingming Festival” will also come out in the China Pavilion during the Expo.


Highlight 3: Try all current high-tech means, Enjoy the civilization essence of five thousand years in 45-minutes

Visitors will firstly see a huge size Ring Theater and watch an eight-minute movie, to feel and touch the wisdom of China’s urban development. Then, people will look back the history, from the earliest module-like city development relic, to view the prosperity of the Bian city in the ancient Song dynasty through the enlarged painting “Riverside Scene During The Qingming Festival'”, finally entered into a stretched space with white basic design and full of future feelings, thus to find the Chinese-type answer to the future urban development.

From modern to ancient times, then to the future, the China Pavilion will show you a wonderful presentation concentrated five thousand years of Chinese civilization, the whole tour may takes about 45 minutes.

Highlight 4: "New Jiuzhou Qing Yan” depicting the typical Chinese landscapes, inspired from the Yuanmingyuan Park

On the roof platform of district of China Pavilion, the 2.7 million square meters urban sky gardens "New Jiuzhou Qing Yan will assumed several tasks of crowds evacuation, public recreation for the China pavilion. Among the ‘New Jiuzhou Yan Qing’, there are not only enriched the traditional Chinese garden and modern landscaping techniques, but also bears the Chinese wisdom and oriental charm. On each continent there are landscape arrangements of typical Chinese topographic feature. Visitors walk shuttled in, just like stroll on the miniature country of China, watching all wonderful natural creations, and the unique Chinese culture have a long history as well as the splendid sights showed in the garden is also an important part of the theme “Chinese Wisdom in Urban Development” of China pavilion.



Highlight 5: Focus on "Low-Carbon Action."

Focus on the future urban development in China with the core element of low-carbon, showing how the Chinese people through ”modern pursuit learn from nature“ to face challenges of urbanization in the future, and provide a “Chinese-style answer” for achieving global sustainable development.

Highlight 6: Transfer Chinese Temperaments, Seal Characters Wall composed of the Twenty-Four Solar Terms

In addition to the shape of China National Pavilion integrated elements of traditional Chinese architectural culture, the design of China regional pavilion is also rich in Chinese artistical Temperaments, which used a lot of experience ancient Chinese traditional elements. On the exterior wall of China regional pavilion, the designer used the ancient Chinese text - Seal as a decoration. The architecture surface of China regional pavilion decorated with “Overlapped Seal Characters” passing human geography information of twenty-four solar terms in China.

Highlight 7: Folk Workmanship "Three-Cut Ax" which is at the Verge of Extinction Reappeared

The seemingly simple steps of China Pavilion contained countless hidden wonders, there are total of 76 steps, whose quality and craftwork level is comparable to the big stage of the Great Hall of the people. At the same time, it reused the folk skill “Thee-Cut Ax” which is at the edge of extinction, on a piece of 1 square meter stone, the ax cutting times could be counted up to ten thousands, and to the whole China pavilion big stage need 54,000 thousands cuts.

All big stages of China pavilion are made of granite “China Ash”, showing a black and white visual effect.

Previous series of 2010 World Expo: German Pavilion

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