Chinesebox in Beijing

Beijing cuisine(chinese:京菜or北京菜;pingyin:jīngcài)is a cooking style in Beijing, China. It is also formally known as Mandarin cuisine.

wellknown Beijing food:

Meat:

• pecking duck (北京烤鸭)
• Peking Barbecue (烤肉/北京烤肉)
• Mutton Hot pot (涮羊肉)
• Sweetened Vinegar Spareribs (糖醋排骨)
• Stir Fried Tomatoes with Scrambled Eggs (西红柿炒鸡蛋 xīhóngshì chǎo jīdàn)
• Sweet Stir Fried Mutton/Lamb (它似蜜) (Ta Si Mi)
• Fried Small Meatballs (炸丸子) (Zha Xiao Wan Zi)
• Cold Pig ears in Sauce (拌双脆) (Ban Shuang Cui)
• Sauced Meat (酱肉) (Jiang Rou)
• Upper Parts of the Pork Hand/Leg (水晶肘子) (Shui Jing Zhou Zi)
• Three Non-Stickiness (三不粘 ; San Bu Nian)
• Wood shavings meat 木须肉 (Mu Xu Rou)
• Quick-Fried Tripe (mainly intestines) (爆肚) (Bao Du)
• Peking Dumpling (饺子/北京饺子) (Jiaozi/Beijing Jiaozi)
• Peking wonton(馄饨/北京馄饨) (Hun Tun/Beijing Huntun)
• Braised fish (酥鱼) (Su Yu)
• Meat wrapped in thin mung bean flour pancake (煎饼馃子) (Jian Bing Guo Zi)
• Egg and shrimp wrapped in corn flour pancake (糊饼) (Hu Bing)
• Fried tofu with egg wrapping (锅塌豆腐) (Guo Ta Do Fu)
• Wheaten cake boiled in meat broth (卤煮火烧) (Lu Zhu Huo Shao)
• Fried wheaten pancake with meat and sea cucumber fillings (褡裢火烧) (Da Lian Huo Shao)
• Fried butter cake (奶油炸糕) (Nai You Zha Gao)
• Fried cake with fillings (烫面炸糕) (Tang Mian Zha Gao)
• Fried dry soybean cream with diced meat filling (炸响铃) (Zha Xiang Ling)
• Dried Soy Milk Cream in Tight Roll with Beef Fillings (炸卷果) (Zhua Juan Guo)
• Beef wrapped in pancake (门钉肉饼) (Men Ding Rou Bing)
• Meatballs soup (清汤丸子) (Qing Tang Wan Zi)

Noodles (Can be either vegetarian or served with meat)

• Noodles with Thick Gravy (打卤面) (Da Lu Mian)
• Zhajiang Mian(炸酱面)

Vegetarian

• Mustardy Chinese cabbage (芥末墩) (Jie Mo Dun)
• Beijing preserved fruit (果脯) (Guo Pu)
• Beijing candied fruit (蜜饯) (Mi Jian)
• Hawthorn cake (京糕) (Jin Gao)
• Stir fried hawthorn (炒红果) (Chao Hong Guo)
• Almond drink (杏仁茶) (Xin Ren Cha)
• Beijng cheese (奶酪) (Nai LAO)
• Thin Millet Flour Pancake (煎饼) (Jian Bing)
• Thin pancake (薄饼) (Bao Bing)
• Pancake (烙饼) Lao Bing
• Deep Fried Dough Cake (油饼) (You Bing)
• Baked Sesame Seed Cake (烧饼) (Shao Bing)
• Shortening cake (牛舌饼) (Niu She Bing)
• Glutinous rice cake (切糕) (Qie Gao)
• Thousand-layer cake (千层糕) (Qian Ceng Gao)
• Lamma cake (喇嘛糕) (La Ma Gao)
• Proso millet cake (黄糕) (Huang Gao)
• Glutinous rice cake roll (卷糕) (Juan Gao)
• Glazed steamed glutinous rice cake (水晶糕) (Shui Jing Gao)
• Rice and white kidney bean cake with jujube (盆糕) (Pen Gao)
• Honeycomb cake (蜂糕) (Feng Gao)
• Buckwheat cake (扒糕) (Ba Gao)
• Rice and jujube cake (甑糕) (Zeng Gao)
• Mung bean cake (绿豆糕) (Lu Dou Gao)
• Soybean flour cake (豆面糕) (Dou Mian Gao)
• Bean paste cake (凉糕) (Liang Gao)
• Fried Cake (炸糕) (Zha Gao)
• Rice cake with bean paste (花糕) (Hua Gao)
• Chestnut cake with bean paste (栗子糕) (Li Zi Gao)
• Chestnut broth (栗子羹) (Li Zi Geng)
• Glazed/Candied Chinese Yam (拔丝山药) (Ba Si Shan Yao)
• Glazed thin pancake with Chinese yam and jujube stuffing (糖卷果) (Tang Juan Guo)
• Thin pancake of pork fat (油皮) (You Pi)
• Sweet hard flour cake (硬面饽饽) (Yi Mian Bo Bo)
• Sweet flour cake (墩饽饽) (Dun Bo Bo)
• Fried sugar cake (糖耳朵) (Tang Er Duo)
• Fried cake glazed in malt sugar (蜜三刀) (Mi San Dao))
• Chinese “fajitas” (春饼卷菜 — not to be confused with spring rolls [春卷])
• Chatang/ Miancha / Youcha (茶汤/面茶/油茶)
• Fermented Mung Bean Juice (豆汁) (Dou Zhi)
• Baked Wheaten Cake (火烧) (Huo Shao)
• Sweetened baked wheaten cake (糖火烧) (Tang Huo Shao)
• Bean Jelly (凉粉) (Liang Fen)
• Sweet Potato Starch Jelly (粉皮) (Fen Pi)
• Crisp Fritter (麻页) (Ma Ye)
• Crisp Fritter with Sesame (薄脆) (Bao Cui)
• Crisp Thin Fritter Twist (排叉) (Pai Cha)
• Crisp Noodle (馓子) (San Zi)
• Stir Fried Starch Knots (炒疙瘩) (Chao Ge Da)
• Fried Ring (焦圈) (Jiao Quan)
• Fried Dough Twist (麻花) (Ma Hua)
• Pea Flour Cake (豌豆黄) (Wan Dou Huang)
• Fermented Mung Bean Juice Dried (麻豆腐) (Ma Dou Fu)
• Jellied Bean Curd (豆腐脑) (Dou Fu Nao)
• Almond Tofu(杏仁豆腐)
• Glutinous rice ball (艾窝窝) (Ai Wo Wo)
• Kidney bean roll (芸豆卷) (Yun Dou Juan)
• Dried Soy Milk Cream in Tight Rolls (腐竹) (Fu Zhu)
• Sugarcoated haws on a stick (糖葫芦) (Tang Hu Lu)
• Millet Zongzi(粽子) (Zongzi)
• Tangyuan(元宵) (Yuan Xiao)

Peking Opera is the Chinese essence, it opens a path for foreigns to konw about Chinese tradional culture. As a tourist overseas visiting Beijing of China, Peking Opera is indespensible. It`s my pleasure to show you some famous showplace enjoying Peking Opera: 1. Chinese National Mei Lanfang Peking Opera Theatre Address: Southeast of Guangyuan bridge, Xicheng district, beijing Tel: 58331288 58331388 Tickets: from 80RMB to 1280RMB Website: www.cnpoc.cn 2. Huguang Huiguan Address: 3 Hufang Rd. Xuanwu district, beijing Tel: 010-63518284,63510019,010-63518284 Tickets:180,280,380 RMB Website: www.beijinghuguang.com 3. Chang`an Grand Theatre Address: No 7 , Jianguomennei Dajian, Chaoyang district, Beijing Tel: 010-65101307/09/10 Tickets:50,80,180,380,800 RMB Website: www.changantheater.com 4. Laoshe Teahouse Address: Qianmen west street, Xuanwu district, Beijing Tel: 010-63036830/63021717 Tickets: 40-130 RMB Website: www.laosheteahouse.com

 The Forbidden City (Imperial Palace) in the heart of Beijing is the largest and most complete imperial palace and ancient building complex in China, and the world at large. Its construction began in 1406 and was completed 14 years later, having a history so far of some 580 years. Twenty-four emperors from the Ming and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties lived and ruled China from there. Most of the buildings in the Forbidden City were rebuilt many times, although they maintained the original architectural style.

Today Art Museum is the first private nonprofit museum, located in the Apple residential area， Chaoyang District . I was so happy when told that Tim Yip’s solo exhibition will be open there.
Tim Yip was born in Hong Kong, he is an art director, costume designer and production designer. Since his early work on A Better Tomorrow (1986) with director John Woo, Yip has worked as designer of production and costumes in a handful of feature f

ilms. He was awarded the Oscar for Best Art Direction at the 2000 Academy Awards for his work on Ang Lee’s internationally successful romantic fantasy,Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.

The exhibition is a self-cleansing process, especially his sculptures: “Floating Leaf” and “Kui”. Yip has said:”Night is the shadow of day;

wind is the shadow of air; stones are the shadows of mountains; and mountains are also the shadows of stones. And yet dreams are the shadows of waking;dreams are the underlying currents. Ghosts are not the shadows of men, but variations of men. The created are the shadows of the creator.”

the sculpture ” floating leaf”

It is a kind of personification. The leaf wants to run forward, but it is too heavy; it seems vigorous, but it is corrupted

the sculpture “kui”

Kui, Actually, is a one-legged monster from a Chinese bestiary, which presents a fascinating pageant of mythical creatures from a unique and enduring cosmography written in ancient China.It is said that Huangdi the Yellow Emperor, the legendary ancestor of the Han Chinese, made nine drums from Kui’s skin and defeated Chiyou during the battle between the two chieftains around 2,500 BC.

Renovations on the 700-year-old Confucian Temple at the Guozijian Street in Dongcheng District drew to a close recently. The historic site will be ready to receive visitors in 2008.

The Confucian Temple is part of the Imperial College．Originally，it was called Confucian Temple of Imperial College or Capital Confucian Temple．Actually，the Beijing Confucius Temple is not the only Confucius Temple in China．There is one in Qufu，Shandong Province，which is Confucius’ hometown．The Confucius Temple in Qufu is much larger in size．yet the Social position of Confucius Temple in Beijing was much higher than the Confucius Temple in Qufu．This is because the Emperors of the Yuan，Ming and Qing Dynasties all came to Beijing Confucius Temple to pay homage to the ancient sage Confucius．So in hierarchal ancient feudal society，no other Confucius Temple could equal this one．

Construction of Beijing Confucius Temple started in 1302 and was completed in 1 306 during the Yuan Dynasty．The Imperial College was built to its west side where it was considered the highest educational college at that time．Later．it was rebuilt in 1411 during the Ming Dynasty，and in 1737，during the Qing Dynasty．From 1906 to 1916，ten years were spent to enlarge and renovate the temple to make it what we see today．The Confucius Temple houses many precious historical and cultural relics including the Qian Long stone drums，the inscribed boards，stone tablets inscribed with the full texts of the thirteen Confucian classics，and stone tablets bearing the names and origins of scholars who passed the palace examination．To better protect and utilize this historical site，in 1981，the Confucius Temple was turned into the Capital Museum，and in 1988，it was designated as one of the major national historical and cultural sites under the national protection of the State Council．

48 hours hiking along the footsteps of an Empire, two days through 276 years . Here buried 13 emperors, 23 Queens. either buried aspirations and legends. Those past years, Land and beauty, love and hate, countless stories waved in the wind...

Hiking along Ming Tombs one by one sounds a so good idear. One winter morning, I started my hiking along Ming Tombs.

First of all, here shows some imformations about Ming Tombs(Shisanling) :

The Ming tombs lie in a broad valley to the south of Tianshou Mountain in Changping County, about 50 kilometers northwest of Beijing . To the southwest of this valley, a branch of the Yanshan Range suddenly breaks off and forms a natural gateway to the 40-quare-kilometer basin in which the tombs were built. This gateway is “defended” on each side by the Dragon and Tiger hills, which are said to protect this sacred area from winds carrying evil influences. Thirteen out of the 16 Ming emperors are buried in this peaceful valley.

Although Beijing has been the capital of China for five dynasties, the only imperial mausoleums in the immediate vicinity of the city today are those of the Liao and Qing emperors are in the northeast China and in Hebei Province respectively. The tombs from the Jin Dynasty were destroyed at the end of the Ming Dynasty, and since the Mongol rulers of the Yuan Dynasty had no specific funeral rituals, there are no extant burial sites from this period.

Dec 1，Hiking beginned at Sacred Way (Shendao) at 8 a.m. , passing by Deling, Yongling, Jingxing, Changling, Xianling, Qingling, Yuling, Maoling, Tailing, then arrived Kangling at 6 p.m. Today we took up my quarters at Kangling village.

Dec 2，Starting from the Kangling village 9:00 a.m, passing by Dingling, Zhaoling, arrived the last SiLing about 12:30 p.m., ending about 30 kilometers walking.

In Central Mausoleum Road, looking back Yongling…

how many stories buried inside those past years …

Two donkeys guard the Mausoleum

the moat before Xianling dried up …