Happy The Thanksgiving Day! - 8 Ways to Stay Thankful in Hard Times

Being thankful is especially valuable in challenging times. Gratitude is actually medically proven to lift our spirits and improve our health. Discover how a little gratitude can create a lot of happiness in our lives.

1. Find What You're Grateful for

The real uncertainty we face about our economic future can make us quite fearful and sad. Locating those things for which we can still be grateful, brings joy even in the face of those challenges without pretending they are not real.


2. Articulate it

Tell a friend or loved one a story about something for which you are grateful. Don’t be surprised to find yourself smiling by the end of that story.


3.There's Always More to be Grateful for

Consider the difference between wealth and value. While material wealth is important, it is not the only source of real value in our lives. We can all celebrate value, even when the material wealth in our lives is taking a beating.


4. Wealth Begins within

An ancient rabbinic teaching reminds us that we are wealthy when we are happy with what we possess.


5.Happiness and Satisfaction are Different

We can want more than we currently have and still be happy with what we've got. Wanting more does not have to get in the way of enjoying what we already have. If it does, we will never have enough.


6. It's All Relative

A person who lives in a $100,000 house in a neighborhood of $75,000 homes experiences living in a mansion. The same house in a neighborhood of $500,000 homes may feel like a hovel.


7. Help yourself by Helping Others

The holidays are a great time to reach out to other people in need. And helping others address their needs is one of the best ways to relieve the anxiety we may feel about our own.


8. We all have Something to Give

No matter how difficult our circumstances may be, we can all offer support to those around us. Whether it’s a penny, a dollar, or much more, the act of giving always makes us feel as if we have more than we thought we had.


ps: Dear All here, Happy The Thanksgiving Day!

* Original address of this China gift post: 8 Ways to Stay Thankful in Hard Times

Happy Halloween!

The Candy King


There was a king who loved Halloween


He waited each year for this scary scene.


He sneaked out to hang on his door


Black bats and witches and spooks galore.


The midnight hour was his favorite time


With monsters covering snakes with slime.


As twelve o'clock chimed through the stars


He opened up his snickers bars.

The Cats and The Bats


The cats scare me and so do the bats

And both of them wear funny hats.

The bats hang upside down at night

They are a silly crazy sight.


The cats all like to hiss and fight.

They sit on the steps in the bright moonlight.

My favorite creature is a ghost

Because he's so spooky on a post.




Happy Halloween all my dear friends!:)

* Original address of this China gift post: Happy Halloween!

A Healing Cuisine – The Eating Art in China

Chinese cuisine is widely known and enjoyed in all four corners of the world. Who could not confess to longing for a favorite Chinese dish? But there is one interesting concept concerning Chinese food which is almost unheard of in the West, and which is becoming increasingly ignored by the youth of the East—the ancient custom of "tonic food."

Tonic food is food which is consumed to improve one's well-being, or stave off sickness, particularly at times when one is more prone to illness. For instance, it was once the custom for new mothers to eat a sesame- oil hot pot every day for the first month after giving birth. It was believed that this dish would benefit the muscles, reduce pain, improve circulation, stimulate sweating, and warm the body.




In fact, these Chinese beliefs parallel some Western theories of health, although each takes a different path toward the very same goal. Western medicine actually recommends some of the exact same ingredients that make up the chicken hot pot dish. Sesame oil has been found to promote contraction of the womb while providing lots of calories, and chicken meat is particularly high in protein. Any Western doctor should be happy to suggest such a Chinese dish after childbirth.





The elderly, weak, and young can also benefit greatly from tonic foods, especially during the winter. Some foods, such as goat meat and spinach, are seen as "hot", while others, such as Chinese cabbage and radish, are seen as "cold".

One should be careful not to eat too much of either "hot" or "cold" food. However, how much "hot" or "cold" food one should eat depends on the time of the year, how the food is prepared and what it is prepared with, and the individual’s health.




"Warm" or "cool" tonic foods are strongly recommended. The choices for "warm" and "cool" foods range from simple sea cucumber to the delicacy of bird’s nest soup, depending on the individual’s economic circumstances.

The concept of tonic food is far from losing credibility, either with Westerners or practitioners of modern medicine. For example, up until two years ago, tonic foods were added to the meals served at a renowned hospital.





The custom of prescribing tonic foods for a healthier life also spills over into the catering industry. Although tonic foods themselves are losing popularity among the younger generation, Chinese herbal medicines, such as wolfberry fruit, can be found on many a restaurant menu, either added to fruit tea or as a beneficial addition to a dish. These herbs attract customers, such as over-worked office staff, in need of a modest pick-me-up.

So, whether you need to boost your masculinity with a large helping of bull penis, or increase your mental powers with a serving of pig's brain soup, you may find that this ancient Chinese custom could be just the tonic you were looking for.

* Original address of this China gift post: A Healing Cuisine – The Eating Art in China

Wish You Have a Happy Mid-Autumn Festival Travel in China

China's Mid-Autumn Festival is traditionally celebrated on the fifteenth day of the eighth lunisolar month (see Mid-Autumn Festival Dates), which is in September or October. The festival is the second most important festival after the Spring Festival to Chinese people. Every year, when the festival comes people go home from every corner of the country and the world to meet their family and have dinner with them.


China's Mid-Autumn Festival 2011

The festival is celebrated extensively across the country, and is one of the few reunion holidays for Chinese families. (see Chinese public holiday schedule 2011). On that day, Chinese family members stay together, admiring the full moon and eating mooncakes.

Recommended Places to Celebrate the Festival in China

The Mid-Autumn Festival is a family celebration and usually many outdoor activities are arranged especially for the event. On the evening of a Mid-Autumn Festival, families stay up late and get together eating moon cakes and gazing at the moon. If you want to take part, invite a few friends and check out places to celebrate the festival in the following cities: Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Shenzhen, Guangzhou and Hangzhou, to celebrate the festival. China Highlights' Mid-Autumn Festival tours allow you to have an authentic Chinese festival as the Chinese people do.

Places to Celebrate the Festival in Beijing



1. Lugou Bridge

Temple fairs are held at Wanping Town east of Lugou Bridge each year to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival.

2. Beihai Park

Beihai Park was chosen by generations of Chinese emperors and high officials to watch the moon during the Mid-Autumn Festival

3. Dajue Temple

During the Mid-Autumn Festival visitors can enjoy themselves with good food and sweet tea in Dajue Temple under the full moon.

4. Yangtaishan

Yangtaishan is well-known for its full moon during Mid-Autumn Festival evening. Friends and family can walk along the trees-lined path and enjoy the fresh air.

Places to Celebrate the Festival in Shanghai



1. Oriental Pearl TV Tower

The tower is 468 m high, the highest in Asia and the third highest in the world. On almost any level above the base of the tower, one can get a fabulous view of the city as it stretches out toward the horizon.

2. The Bund

The Bund is probably the most popular place to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival, partly due to its relatively tranquil atmosphere, and partly due to the many restaurants and tea houses along it.

3. Sheshan

Locals like to enjoy a fun day time at Happy Valley, stay at the Le Royal Meridien Shanghai, and watch the moon at the lakeside at night. In addition, there is an observatory at the top of the mountain for astronomy lovers to have a closer and clearer look at the moon.

4. Zhujiajiao

The town is lit by lanterns hanging by old houses on Mid-Autumn Festival nights. Spend a quiet Mid-Autumn Festival by sipping tea at one of the small riverside tea houses with family or friends.

Places to Celebrate the Festival in Hong Kong



1. Victoria Peak

Victoria Peak is the highest peak on Hong Kong Island with an altitude of 554 meter. On festival night, viewed from the peak, the island becomes a fairyland with the spectacular lights of its immense towers setting a stage for the rising moon.

2. Avenue of Stars

Avenue of Stars is a good alternative, if you do not want to ascend Victoria Peak. It is a wonderful place to view the night scenery of Hong Kong Island.

3. Repulse Bay

It is considered as one of the most romantic places in Hong Kong by young people because of the young Chinese writer, Zhang Ailing (Eileen Chang).

4. Lantau Island

Lantau Island is a sparsely populated island of mainly theme parks, tourist sites, parks and natural areas. It has become a refreshing destination for local Hong Kongers who come here for a weekend's rest.

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

Chinese Valentine's Day - Double Seventh Festival is Coming!

In China, the Double Seventh Festival, or Ingenuity-begging Festival (the festival to plead for skills) falls on the seventh day of the seventh month of the lunar calendar. The festival originates from the legend of the loyal love between Niulang (cowherd) and Zhinv (weaving girl).

The Double-Seventh Day refers to the seventh day of the seventh month on the Chinese lunar calendar. The day is not as well-known as many other Chinese festivals. But almost everyone in China, young and old, is very familiar with the story behind this festival.

In ancient times, the Double-Seventh Day was a festival specially for young women. Girls, no matter from rich or poor families, would put on their holiday best to celebrate the annual meeting of the cowherd and the Girl Weaver. Parents would place an incense burner in the courtyard and lay out some fruit as offerings. Then all the girls in the family would kowtow to Niulang and Zhinu and pray for ingenuity.

On the festival in China, girls beg for bright heart and knitting and needlecraft skills from the goddess in heaven. There are various folk customs of ingenuity tests in ancient China. And the maids in palace also paid great attention to the activities, which are usually supported by the emperor.

Celebrations are also held in the theme of the Double Seventh Festival everywhere in China, such as the customs of "seed plant for child", "catch dew" and "sworn sisterhood under the moon". In the romantic evening, girls prepare melons and seasonal foods under the moon before worship and prayers for skills and a good marriage.

In the Tang Dynasty about 1,000 years ago, rich families in the capital city of Chang'an would set up a decorated tower in the courtyard and name it :Tower of Praying for Ingenuity. They prayed for various types of ingenuity. Most girls would pray for outstanding sewing or cooking skills. In the past these were important virtues for a woman.

Girls and women would gather together in a square and look into the star-filled night sky. They would put their hands behind their backs, holding needle and thread. At the word,Start,they would try to thread the needle. The one who succeeded first would be granted her wish by Zhinu, the Girl Weaver.

The same night, the girls and women would also dislpay carved melons and samples of their cookies and other delicacies. During the daytime, they would skillfully carve melons into all sorts of things. Some would make a gold fish. others preferred flowers, still others would use several melons and carve them into an exquisite building. These melons were called Hua Gua or Carved Melons.

The ladies would also show off their fried cookies made in many different shapes.They would invite the Girl Weaver to judge who was the best. Of course, Zhinu would not come down to the world because she was busy talking to Niulang after a long year of separation. These activities gave the girls and women a good opportunity to show their skills and added fun to the fesstival.

Chinese people nowadays, especially city residents, no longer hold such activities, Most young women buy their clothes from shops and most young couples share the housework. More and more men are learning to cook, so it is perhaps not so important for the woman to develop her cuisine skills. In fact, many men can cook better than their wives.

The food customs in each place for the festival are not necessarily the same but are all called having propitious food. Dumplings, noodles, deep-fried twisted dough sticks and wontons are mostly included, among which the most famous is the Qiaoguo (Fried Thin Paste).

The Double-Seventh Day is not a pulic holiday in China. However, it is still a day to celebrate the annual meeting of the loving couple, the Cowherd and the Girl Weaver. Not surprisingly, many people consider the Double-seventh Day the Chinese Valentine's Day.

In the Chinese cities, the Western Valentine's Day is more favored than the Double Seventh Festival by young people. They spend the latter as the Valentine's Day. Although some traditional customs have been changed or been lost, the legend of Niu Lang and Zhi Nu is still passed down from generation to generation. Like the presents of Valentine's Day, flowers and chocolates are also the popular ones.

Whatever way the festival is spent, great love is expressed between the young.

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

West Lake(Hangzhou), The 41th World Heritage Site in China

On June 24, 2011, The 35th World Heritage Committee held in Paris(France) include China's "Cultural Landscape of West Lake in Hangzhou” in the "World Heritage List" officially.



West Lake (Chinese: Xi Hu) is a famous fresh water lake located in the historic center of Hangzhou, the capital of Zhejiang province in eastern China. The lake is divided by the causeways of Sū Tí, Bái Tí, and Yánggōng Tí. There are numerous temples, pagodas, gardens, and artificial islands within the lake.

Now, today, after a 12-year wait, West Lake,Hangzhou, has finally made the list of World Heritage Sites. UNESCO recognized the West Lake as a classic landscape reflecting traditional Chinese esthetics.

The West Lake of Hangzhou in East China has been named as a World heritage site. The 35th UNESCO World Heritage Committee made the unanimous decision on Friday to approve the area, bringing to an end the long application process, that began in 1999. This is China's 41st World Heritage Site, and the 29th Cultural Heritage Site.




As part of the recognition process, Chinese officials have made 6 promises to preserve the authenticity, integrity and outstanding universal value of the West Lake.


Wang Guoping, Director, West Lake Heritage Committee, said, We will not change our objective of returning the lake to people; we will not increase ticket prices, or charge for gallery entries; we will not sell any land that belongs to the heritage site, nor will we damage any cultural relics, or use any as public resources. I believe people in Hangzhou are certain to keep these promises.
Francesco Bandarin, the director of the WHC, encouraged the on-going protection of the heritage site.



Francesco Bandarin said, The city of Hangzhou has already realized the importance of protecting the West Lake, it has also protected the environment well. This effort needs to be continued, and we will continue the protection work together with you.

The West Lake landscape was initially developed in the 9th century during the Tang Dynasty. Now, after 12 centuries, it has finally become a treasure for the whole world. For a nation that recognizes 12 as a cycle of heaven and earth, maybe it's appropriate after all that the nation waited 12 years for the West Lake to get the recognition it deserves.

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