China Strives to Develop its Own Wine Industry

Brief: Times are changing, though, and more Chinese people are developing a taste for Western food and wine.

This area around the Helan Mountains is a key part of Ningxia's government’s five-year plan to make this an official wine-growing region.

The area is home to a host of wineries, such as Jiabeilan and Domaine Helan Mountain. One of the smaller wineries is Silver Heights, which was started in 2007.

Winemaker Emma Gao grew up in the area, but is one of the few Chinese to hold a French national certification for winemaking.

"When I was growing up in the 1980s, the wine we drank was sweet, which is how we thought all wine was. We would even add some other beverages to it, so that it would be more palatable. If it was like a proper red wine, very tannic, we would not like it very much," said Gao.

Changing Tastes

Gao says times are changing, though, and more Chinese people are developing a taste for Western food and wine.

"There is already a huge potential market of 1.3 billion customers. Even if just one percent of the population drinks a glass of wine a day, the result you get from this is pretty clear," she said.

Wines from Ningxia, including one from Silver Heights, caused a small stir last December when they beat similarly-priced wines from Bordeaux in an informal blind-taste test in Beijing. One of the contest's organizers, Jim Boyce, runs a Chinese wine blog called grapewallofchina.com.

"The reality was five French and five Chinese professionals picked Ningxia, the top four wines of the 10 were from Ningxia. Does that mean Ningxia is better than Bordeaux? No, of course not," he said. "The best Bordeaux wine is still better - but it does mean there is a capability here to make wine that can compete at a certain level."

Father's Pressure

Silver Heights is largely the realization of a dream - cherished by 70-year-old wine lover Gao Lin, who funded his daughter's wine education in France.

"I told her if you study wine-making, the goal is very clear - we can have some fields here and we can cultivate grapes," she said. "Afterwards, you can come back and work here. So, I can give you money to pay for your education. If you study other subjects, then I will not provide any financial assistance. You will have to support yourself."

Emma Gao acknowledges her father's strong influence in her choice of careers, but says she also had an epiphany moment - when she began to love wine too.

"I was tasting 13 or 14 different kinds of chardonnay," she said. "It was all excellent and I tasted a blooming spring flower, different kinds of fruits, a nutty taste, all of these tastes were delightful. Afterwards, I did a lot of other tastings, in places like Burgundy, the Loire Valley - every area has its unique wines and tastes."

Gao says Ningxia wines also have distinctive characteristics. Her winery produces only red wines, which judges have described as spicy, and reminiscent of roses, tomatoes and black fruits.

* Originally archive: China Strives to Develop its Own Wine Industry

Meet Excellent Chinese Athlete Liu Xiang at the 2012 London Olympics

With the London Olympics fast upon us, WSJ.com introduces the athletes selected to compete at the Summer Games. Check back as CRT profiles athletes from China, Chinese Taipei and Hong Kong.

Name: Liu Xiang

Event: Hurdles

Born: July 13, 1983

Career

As a world record holder, a world champion, and an Olympic medal winner, Liu Xiang is one of China's highest-profile athletes. The Shanghai-native first earned his now heroic fame in his home country when winning his first gold medal in Athens in 2004, setting a record time of 12.91 seconds in the 110-meter hurdles.

Track and field watchers expect Mr. Liu to be a top contender for a gold medal at London's summer games, helping the 6-foot-2 star avenge a disappointing performance on his home turf in 2008. It was then at the Beijing Olympics that Mr. Liu, bearing national expectations to dominate, withdrew from the competition, pointing to a painful Achilles tendon injury and disappointing many.

Now Mr.Liu is back on the winning track, having recently won the Seiko Golden Grand Prix in early May.

Quote:

"There are a lot of strong rivals so you just have to concentrate on your own conditioning and training."

* Original address of this China gift post: Meet Excellent Chinese Athlete Liu Xiang at the 2012 London Olympics

Top 10 Father's Day Gift Ideas -The Most Classical Gifts for Your Dad

Here is a list of Top 10 Father's Day gift ideas in 2012, they are also the most classical gifts for your dad anytime any occasion indeed! Love your parents, Love your father, we are always too busy growing up yet we forget that they are already growing old...

1. Sports Tickets

It sounds sappy, but often great experiences and the memories they create are the only gifts that matter. A pair of tickets for you and your dad to go to a game and support his favorite team is a gift that will wow him and give him something to look forward to once Father's Day is over.

2. Grilling Tools

The grill, like a man's office, is a personal sanctuary where mastery means everything. Your dad may not realize just how many useful tools exist now to help make the grilling experience that much better, so providing him with this Park-Style Charcoal Grill will impress him.

3. Fine Drink

Sometimes, nothing can take the edge off of a day of stress and work like a nice, stiff drink. Buy your dad top-shelf booze like a bottle of Glenlivet Single Malt Scotch Whisky aged 15 years, and you'll be able to enjoy it with him on Father's Day.

4. A set of Fishing Tackle

The traditionalist in your dad may lead him to believe that fishing is only about a rod, a reel and some line. Once he opens the luxurious handcrafted George Lawrence Creel, or even the more reasonably compact fishing-rod tote, you're likely to see his vision of this age-old pastime expand to include his new toys.

5. Golf Equipments

If your father considers a round of golf the closest thing he's found to heaven on earth, then enhancing his equipment to improve his game is an obvious Father's Day gift idea. Wow him with a new set of workhorse Ping G15 irons, or add yards to his drive with the Callaway FT-IZ, and he'll ime he hits a great shot.

6. A Personalized Gift design for your Father specially

A man rarely thinks about the events of the day he was born. But this reproduction of the entire edition of The New York Times printed on the day your dad was born, or any other date, contains all of the news the "Gray Lady" saw fit to print.

7. Books

Eating like a man doesn't mean pounding down pizza and beer in front of the TV. Eat Like A Man: The Only Cookbook A Man Will Ever Need includes 75 recipes from such renowned chefs as Mario Batali, Michael Symon and Tom Colicchio.

8. Digital Gadgets

The GL1 Vehicle Diagnostic Tool for iPhone will directly connect your vehicle's engine On Board Diagnostics (OBD) data to your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch, letting you run an app to find out what your car's actually up to. As a bonus, it will charge your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch at the same time.

9. High-quality meat

Most men associate the chance to dine on high-quality meat as a luxury only provided by restaurants. There are some excellent mail-order meat establishments such as Omaha Steaks or Prime Chops that can deliver the same level of quality for your dad to use in his own special recipes to make grilling at home that much more of an experience.

10.Landscaping services

The notion that a man enjoys mastering his domain by slaving away in the hot sun to cut grass, trim hedges and plant becomes less true as guys get older. But frugal dads who never like to ask for help may not be too keen on admitting they'd rather have someone else step in. Give your dad the gift of a prepaid landscaping service, and it will save his ego as well as his back.

I love you, Dad!

* Original address of this China gift post: Top 10 Father's Day Gift Ideas -The Most Classical Gifts for Your Dad

A Bite of China - Tasting China

Brief: Recently, the TV documentary "A Bite of China" became popular quickly on the internet since it on broadcast during late-night time on CCTV in China. The program not only demonstrates a variety of Chinese delicacies , but also probe into the philosophy of life and social changes deeply that embodied in many dishes.

 There are many TV programs on Chinese cuisines, but few are like "A Bite of China". The latest seven-part high-definition documentary offers insights into the geographical, historical and cultural dimensions of what Chinese eat.

Helmed by award-winning documentary maker Chen Xiaoqing, A Bite of China is filled with mouthwatering images of food ranging from haute cuisine to local delicacies, the documentary captures the beautiful and refined process of food-making. The program is sure to attract both food buffs and ordinary audiences.

Television is filled with food these days, especially introductions by top-notch chefs and close looks at the complicated and refined cooking processes of haute cuisine, Chen says.

"We have some appetite-boosting shots of food-making, but how to create dishes is only one aspect of food culture," Chen says.

"The program tries to bring something new by presenting more cultural elements related to dishes, such as eating habits and the ethics of eating."




Each episode lasts 50 minutes. Themes range from ingredients to preserved food.

One episode, for example, centers on the staple foods.

It recounts China`s history of paddy cultivation to explain why rice is the mainstay of the southern Chinese diet, while wheat flour is the foundation of the northern diet. But it goes further to break down every staple food into its various styles, such as the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region`s naan (flat bread) and Jiangsu province`s Huangqiao sesame cakes, both of which fall under the wheat category.


The bonus is, the show is not only about dishes. Every episode will highlight different people, who will tell stories about their adventures with food.

"As a saying goes, `you are what you eat," Chen says. "Food is always connected with people. Behind the documentary`s eye-popping and mouthwatering images are personal stories that reflect people's living situations and attitudes. That`s another component that makes it distinctive."

To get enough good stories, the production team spent three months doing research and interviews in about 60 cities before they started shooting last July. Filming lasted about nine months.

An episode about pickles, for instance, revolves around a white-collar woman in Beijing, who returns to her hometown in Jilin province and makes pickles for the first time for her lonely mother.

Another episode captures joyful moments of sons and daughters making New Year cakes (rice pudding) after they return home from various metropolises to celebrate with their parents, who have been staying in their hometown in Zhejiang province.

* Original address of this China gift post: A Bite of China - Tasting China

Chinese People are Sweepping Tombs and Expressing Grief to Ancestors Today

Today is the traditional Qingming Festival in China, also known as Tomb Sweeping Day. The festival is a time to remember loved ones who have passed away or pay respects to ancestors, and to enjoy Spring and nature. 

Today people in most of areas in China all take a variety of ways to pay homage to the martyrs as well as mourning their ancestors and died friends.

From the capital Beijing, Taiwan province,  from the tomb of Emperor Huang in Shaanxi province, to the Sichuan earthquake disaster area, people from all parts taken in various ways to sacrifice their ancestors, martyrs and express their deep memories to them, and funeral parlors and memorial parks in everywhere now has cater a peak of the activities of tomb sweeping. 

Babaoshan Public Cemetery and Revolutionary Cemetery in western Beijing are two major cemeteries in the capital.

The municipal transportation department estimated that the pedestrian traffic in this section of the city reached a peak of about 3.5 million.

Gu Jing is an official from the local traffic police department.

"The 3,000 parking places were not enough according to the current situation, and we have had to open up all the backup parking lots. And our policemen will also focus on this area, helping to ease the traffic jams."

Many visitors brought flowers or cards to the graves of family members instead of lighting firecrackers and burning fake money, the two traditional ways of remembering the dead.



Wang Qi was one of the visitors at the Public Cemetery.

"Now the government has banned lighting firecrackers and burning fake money, so we decided to bring flowers to the graves of our deceased relatives. We can also express our love to them."

Similar events took place in localities nationwide, and the number of people visiting cemetaries and tombs is estimated to be in the hundreds of millions.Saturday also marked the 25th tree planting day in Beijing. Environmentalists and volunteers in the capital city held various activities to promote environmental protection and a green, healthy lifestyle.

Beijing Environmental Volunteers Promote Idea of Green and Healthy Lifestyle

In the Olympic Park near the iconic "Bird's Nest" National Stadium, student volunteers from 30 colleges across China conducted surveys among passersby, testing them on their environmental knowledge. They also offered some environmental tips to onlookers, such as the basic skills of planting flowers.

Wang Leiming, a volunteer from Beijing Forestry University, said they aim to promote the idea of a green lifestyle through the activities.

"We have held three kinds of activities. One is arranging quizzes for citizens to get some environmental knowledge. The other is displaying indoor green plants topassersby. The third is showing environmentally-friendly gadgets made of waste discs, boxes and newspapers. Through this, we want to encourage the public to make use of waste materials in their daily life."




The activities aroused the interest of many onlookers who offered their support.
Ding Yanjuan was one of them.

"I think the activities are very good. Through doing the quizzes, I have obtained some knowledge, such as how to grow indoor plants. The activities are very useful."

In addition, volunteers from 50 colleges nationwide began a nationwide environmental tour from Beijing Forestry University. Participants in the campaign will promote awareness of environmental protection throughout their trip across China.

* Original address of this China gift post: Chinese People are Sweepping Tombs and Expressing Grief to Ancestors Today

Traditional Chinese Paintings & Modern Chinese Paintings

Traditional Chinese Paintings

Traditional Chinese paintings are the art of imagism. They are the manifestation of the painter's spirit and temperament rather than the imitation of nature.

The images in the paintings are like the characters in calligraphy, both of which are highly abstract symbols but easy to convey meanings, and are always integrated with conventional artistic formalities. In this way, the ancient masters created the unique images and formulas in their minds, diverse in style and vivid in content.

However, most people got accustomed to imitating these ancient paintings, at last, most paintings later on were nothing but copies. These copies are flooded everywhere, as a result, they undermines the elegant of art and encourages the vulgarity.

Modern Chinese Paintings 

Modern Chinese painting is still caught in a dilemma--- struggle to survive the downward vulgarity. Luckily, A Wen and some of his fellow artists are bent on breaking the mold.

They want to find their individual identities to create new imageries and new styles of their own and in line with the modern times.

Meanwhile, they continue to be inspired by the elegance of the past.

* Original address of this China gift post: Traditional Chinese Paintings & Modern Chinese Paintings