Jiefangjun

Everything Chinese

The Rise of Chinese Food —

China has fast become one of the world superpowers, with an expanding economy that knows no bounds. It is now the world’s second biggest economy behind the US. It is also the largest exporter of goods in world, but judging by the wealth of much of the nation, you wouldn’t think things are so fruitful. They ranked 90th in terms of money per capita but this may change as the health and condition of industry changes in the country.

It was in the late 1980s where growth in investment really took off, but by 2009 it was reported that many Chinese people only earned around $1.25 a day. 70% of the country’s workforce is involved within the agriculture or industry sectors, which shows just how reliant the rest of the world is on the exports. You only need to look at where half the clothes and products you own were made to see that it was probably China.

Chinese Food around the World

Chinese food has taken off around the world as a number of people have left China for a new home. The Chinese Dublin population in Ireland is a good example where immigrants are setting up and finding a new home for themselves. This has diversified the eating culture of many countries, with a lot of people trying new food made with exotic ingredients.

These dishes are extremely popular with takeaway/takeout restaurants who deliver the food to you on request. Lately technology has allowed this sort of food to be ordered on the Internet from directory sites to make the process even easier. Just Eat Chinese takeaways are a good example of this in action. You can choose the place you want to order from, and choose the exact items you want. You pay online and then the food comes to you.

Popular Chinese Meals

Chinese food comes in many varieties and the main two staple carbohydrates of the cuisine come from rice and noodles. Noodles are created through the addition of flour to egg, which is then rolled out and dried repeatedly to create long strands which can be boiled or fried.

Chinese food has been heavily influenced by surrounding countries and provinces such as Hong Kong and Malaysia, creating a fusion of exciting flavours and textures. The traditional takeaway food we know is usually Canton, hailing from Hong Kong. Dishes like sweet & sour chicken, crispy duck and black bean beef come from this part. Dishes such as satay and curry tend to come from a different heritage, such as Malay.

You can even find Chinese style ingredients appearing in other cuisines, for example if you are in Canada and you order food delivery then it would be common to see Peking duck on a pizza. This just demonstrates how far the flavours have made it around the world, and how these ingredients have been embraced in other world food.

Chinese Culture

The culture of China is diverse, and the people are slowly learning what life is like being part of a superpower. The conditions of life are slowing improving and there are many prospects for the people in terms of life ambition. The culture heavily surrounds food though, where many social events take place over informal lunch consisting of steamed treats. This is traditionally called ‘Dim Sum’, where families and friends gather to share central tapas dishes using ingredients such as pork, seafood and chicken. Typical Dim Sum dishes included barbeque pork buns, steamed prawn and crab dumplings, and a sticky rice steamed in a lotus leaf with mixed roasted meat.

It will be interesting to see where China goes next and how the food will continue to influence the world. As new dishes are being created, and China is getting more coverage in the media, this will surely influence the way we see and eat their food.


Five Status Symbols For A Modern China —

China has money, and it really isn’t afraid of flaunting this fact to the international community. After all, elements of the west are almost entirely propped up by Chinese wealth. But as the money finds its way into an increasingly large middle class, Chinese citizens are consuming more and more of the world’s luxury items to claim their place on the social ladder. Here are just five things that will make you look a little bit more flash from Beijing to Shanghai.

Diamonds

Diamonds remain one of the world’s most expensive commodities. And whilst us westerners buy silver gemstone jewellery from value for money outlets like Silver Island, the Chinese are spending $1.5 billion a year and above. Sales rose 16.9% in 2009 alone, usurping Japan’s second place position and putting it behind only the United States. What makes the shift significant isn’t just the numbers – culturally, Diamonds don’t have the same traditional social prestige that westerners associate them with. Jade and gold are far more popular in a traditional viewpoint, but diamonds indicate a growing westernisation trend.

Wine

China could potentially have the climate for growing great wine locally, but the prestige of importing wine from Europe has already taken flight. The wine world is one that is centred on the ‘old world’, despite the outstanding quality of wines made in many American and Australasian countries. Whilst you can buy fantastic tasting wine from many nations, only the traditional few – France and Italy certainly, Germany, Spain and Portugal to a slightly lesser extent – have real prestige and the sticker price to boot. Reports of Chinese socialites ordering Bordeaux at significant mark-up, primarily to have the bottle turned towards a neighbouring table don’t seem entirely far-fetched. And the investment market is making Hong Kong significantly richer with every major new auction.

Apple Products

Chinese tastes aren’t a lot different to the rest of the world, and it’s not surprising that they’re as keen on Apple products as the rest of us. What is more notable perhaps is that the lengths they’ve gone to in order to bring the brand into public life. Whilst piracy and knock-off goods are hardly new in the nation, the fact that several fake Apple stores have sprung up in several developing cities indicates a demand that Apple isn’t entirely bothered about feeding. In one city, Kunming, no fewer than three fakes were discovered!

Pilot Licenses

Luxury cars are all well and good, but why drive when you could be flying? Only 100 jets are registered in China at the moment, but the demand is apparent. More lessons are being booked, 1,600 pilots have been issued and small air-strips suitable for personal jets are springing up around the country.

Tibetan Mastiffs

Considered an ancient breed, the Tibetan mastiff is a long-living breed that doesn’t seem all that attractive and isn’t even all that friendly. In fact, many of its characteristics are positively wolf-like, adapted to survival in mountainous Tibet. Nevertheless, these big pedigree dogs are a sign of good standing in China right now. For instance, it was claimed that one was sold for 10 million yuan (1.58 million US Dollars) in March last year. A more widely reported claim is that one Chinese woman purchased a dog in September 2009 for 4 million yuan. Either way, it is clear that these dogs are expensive and ideal to “be seen with”.


Chinese WusShu —

If you are a fan of martial arts films, Jet Li, or have seen the Shaolin Monks perform one of their stage shows, you will have seen the Chinese martial art of “Wushu”. Although the official line is that this is a “traditional” form of combat, the current practice of wushu is actually a hybrid form constructed of various styles, some documented historically in ancient manuscripts, others passed through various iterations of specific styles. Initially a generic Mandarin terms for “fighting arts” (the term “kung fu” simply meaning excellence through hard work), wushu was largely introduced as a formalised style in response to political concerns stemming from the Cultural Revolution.

Although the history of Chinese martial arts, in particular the legendary Shaolin Monastery (which may have in fact been a number of different monasteries which all taught Buddhism) has been fraught with conflict and destruction, it was the Communist Revolution that went the furthest in extinguishing traditional martial arts in China.

Prior to the ascendency of the Maoist regime, there were uncountable styles and variations taught throughout China. Early “internal” systems such as Tai Chi, Ba Gua and Hsing-I predated the Shaolin monks and were based on a Taoist principle. The Shaolin monastery was Buddhist, and became famous for the animal styles it taught there. Following the destruction of the monastery (or monasteries, depending on which historical tales you look at), the surviving monks went into hiding, teaching their styles which became subject to further modification and variation by successive generations. Added to this were the infinite number of “family” styles which developed almost independently of each other in the thousands of villages and towns, all of which used different methods of combining strikes, kicks, holds, grappling and joint locks to form a style that was usually a closely-guarded family secret, taught only to family members when they came of age.

Unfortunately, the idea of soldiers, priests and peasants alike training to become proficient in armed and unarmed combat did not appeal to many of the ruling classes. Popular legend has it that the monks who survived the destruction of the Shaolin monastery went into hiding as beggars, travelling performers, acrobats and the like, in order to train up a militia in their combat style and overthrow the Qing dynasty who ordered the destruction of the Temple. These combat-proficient groups formed secret societies which, although they never did organise to overthrow the Qing, did go on to become the basis of the Triad gangs, many of whom used their martial training for criminal activities.

With the ‘cultural revolution’, fighting styles that had at their base religious doctrine such as the Buddhist Shaolin or the Taoist Hsing-I and Ba-Gua were anathemic to the Communist principles. Also regarded as potentially threatening were the traditional family styles that placed value on genealogical inheritance, rather than the State. Shaolin monks were whipped through the streets of Chine, wearing placards denouncing their “crimes” and many martial art masters who taught their own traditional styles were either rounded up and executed, or simply fled China to Hong Kong, Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore where many continued to teach to keep the style alive.

Others were forced to keep their knowledge secret, and unable to teach their inherited knowledge to successors for fear of being denounced to officials, their art died with them.

Fast forward to the early eighties and the Chinese government realised that it had committed a serious blunder, and a large part of its cultural heritage had been destroyed. A survey was commissioned to audit the existing surviving styles and document through video recordings the varieties that were still extant in the country. This may have been influenced by the Western writer and martial arts enthusiast Robert W. Smith, who had travelled extensively throughout China filming, photographing and interviewing surviving masters of different styles. His books, largely published by Pitman press, were some of the first introductions a Western audience had to eastern martial arts, and his cine-film footage of some of the practitioners is the only surviving record of many of them.

Reviewing the assembled material, the Chinese government codified the set of movements into a system they called Wushu. As well as preserving some of the more spectacular and traditional forms practiced in various styles, it also set an authoritarian standard, so the art could be practiced and perfected without need to involve aspects which were problematic to Party Ideology.

As a fighting art, some would consider Wushu as somewhat impractical and traditional practitioners have a phrase “flowery fists and embroidery kicks” that is often applied to other styles that look spectacular, but lack practical force and application.

One the one hand, there is much to be said for the demonstration value of Wushu. Like any physical art it requires a high degree of physical training and flexibility in order to excel, making it at least as effective as any other combat discipline in promoting physical strength, stamina and overall health. Traditional arts too, had their demonstration aspects. Although it was important to “toughen up” in order to be able to take a punch or kick in a fight, some styles would go to extremes and practice “iron shirt” methods that were used in public displays to break bricks and poles, or bend steel rods or even have the master press their bodies against spear points or broken glass. Such demonstrations continue to be a huge crowd-drawing spectacle and are a good method of demonstrating a style’s effectiveness and drumming up trade for recruits.

The physical spectacle of Wushu with its dramatic jumps and flying kicks certainly lends itself to display. Jet Li was a teenage champion in competition demonstrations, and most forms of kung fu that are used in the movies these days are heavily derived from Wushu techniques. As for the practical application of it,. I’m not sure how long in a real fight you have to perform a spin kick, but you certainly don’t want to be on the receiving end of a spinning foot . . . even as a “flowery” style of kung fu it carries enough impact force to still break something important!

Robert W Smith and footage of Chen Man Ching

Wushu demonstration

“Iron shirt” breaking demonstration

Trevor Munday works for a credit card company and has studied traditional Chinese martial arts for several years.


Things To Know Before Purchasing A Television —

Before buying the best TV set, people have to know the essential things that can help them to choose the right one. They should know that these days, there are lots of manufacturers that can offer great support for people who want to take advantage of their viewing pleasure. However, they should have the utmost care in choosing the best TV set. There are several things to consider in order to help them take advantage of their time in having the television set that they want.

Here are the most essential pointers that they should consider:

  • Choose a TV set that is appropriate at home – Most homeowners want to optimize their home by having the best set of furniture and appliances. It can give comfort to them and their visitors. In this case, they have to consider the place where they will put a Samsung led TV that they want. If they will opt for LCD or Plasma screen TV, they should check if their wall can handle its weight. Mostly, those types of TV are wall-mounted, so people should know if it will fit their home.
  • Know the most important aspect of television – There are lots of things that made up a great TV set. Nevertheless, it is a must to know the most important feature that is present in every television. In that way, they will never go wrong regardless of what TV set they will choose. The top three factors to be considered are contrast, brightness and resolution. If all of those three are of topnotch level, they will be sure that they can get a great television set.
  • What are the accessories included – These days, the most common accessory that is included in almost every TV set is a TV tuner. It comes with either analog or digital tuner. If a TV set offers other accessories, it is a plus factor that everyone should consider.
  • How much does a TV cost – Arguably, the most essential pointer to be deemed before buying Sony TVs for example, as they cost a lot. Today, HDTV, LCD TV and 3D TV come with a price that is close to each other. The only thing people have to know is if it can have all the factors they need in a television set.

Overall, the things that are mentioned above are the ones that should be asked before buying a TV set. It can help people get the best way in order to have the greatest television set ever. All they have to do is to look on different manufacturers and consider all the essential things before they get a particular one.


What To Expect During And After Having Laser Eye Surgery —

As laser technology continues to develop, people are turning to laser eye surgery as a way of improving their vision on a permanent basis. Laser eye surgery has been around for a number of years, but has due to its original expense it was a surgery limited to those who were wealthy or who were in the military. In fact Chinese military members and astronauts were the some of the first to trial laser eye surgery as a permanent solution to improve vision without the need for glasses.

Laser eye surgery is suitable for people with short sighted, long sighted and other eye health problems such as cataracts or astigmatism. There are several different types of laser eye surgery but the most well known procedures are known as Lasik and Lasek eye surgery. These treatments are a permanent solution to vision problems though they slightly vary in the way in which the laser penetrates the eye.

The First Steps

Regardless of whether you have LASIK or LASEK eye surgery, you will always have a consultation first before any surgery is agreed. This consultation will take into consideration your overall eye health, any genetic eye conditions and usually the pressure of your eye and the thickness of your cornea. Those with thin corneas are usually recommended to have LASEK eye surgery as this procedure ensures that less tissue around the cornea is removed to create the ‘flap’. The process of reshaping the inner cornea is the same for both procedures, however in LASIK surgery the flap of tissue is replaced and left to heal whereas for LASEK, no flap is created and instead a thinner layer of tissue is simply put to one side before it is replaced. Both of these procedures take roughly the same amount of time (usually the procedure is completed within 10 minutes) and generally both procedures cost the same amount of money. As numbing drops are put in the patients eyes, no pain is experienced, though it may feel a little unusual having someone touch your eyes.

Most notably, patients tend to report slightly more pain or discomfort following the LASEK procedure and the recovery times can be slightly slower. LASIK patients report a quicker recovery time with most being able to get back to their working jobs within a 48 hour period. From this time, the eye gradually heals naturally and the vision improves every day. Vision improves every day following LASEK treatment, though the initial 7 days post-treatment can be a little uncomfortable.

Post Surgery

Following laser eye surgery, most patients report the feeling of being able to see without glasses as like ‘having a new pair of eyes’. Some patients experience ‘dry eyes’ but most opticians will provide eye drops free of charge to combat this. A course of anti-inflammatory tablets are also provided for patients to take 7-14 days after having laser surgery. Patients also experience an itchy and dry feeling in their eyes which can affect sleep for a few nights.

Other short term results of laser eye surgery includes patients experiencing halos, which are almost like glares or sparks which occur when the patient is exposed to bright lights, such as street lamps or car headlights. As the surface of your cornea settled, these reduce and around 18 months later you won’t notice these much at all. Vision at night time is also affected in the short term but gets better day by day and after 6 months you probably won’t notice any difference.

You will notice in the first 6 months an increase in your sensitivity to light and you’ll probably learn to care for your eyes a little extra than normal. This is where it’s important to invest in a few good pairs of sunglasses with UV protection.