2013年7月30日星期二

A bite of Chongqing--Spring Rolls

In Chinese cuisine, spring rolls, or Chunjuan , are pastries filled mostly with 
julienned vegetables(such as cabbages, carrots, agaric and so on). Some 
include strips of meat, usually beef and chicken; others have seafood. The 
filling is wrapped in a thin, flour wrapper, and usually deep fried. Chongqing
spring rolls are crispy.
First Published by cqnews


http://www.yourmandarin.org

2013年7月29日星期一

A bite of Chongqing--the hot pot



Hotpot is the most famous and favorite dish in Chongqing. Chongqing local 
people consider the hot pot a local specialty, which is noted for its peppery 
and spicy, scalding yet fresh and tender. People gather around a small pot 
boiled with charcoal, electric or gas filled with flavorful and nutritious soup 
base. You have a choice of spicy, pure and combo for the soup base. Thin 
sliced raw meat, fish, various bean curd products and all kinds of vegetables 
are boiled in the soup base. You then dip them in a little bowl of special 
sauce. Be carefulwhenthe spicy soup base is burning hot.
Hotpot first eaten by poor boatmen of the Yangtze River, and then spread 
westwards to the rest of Sichuan. Now is a very popular local flavor and can
 be found of every corner of the city. There are a great variety of hotpots,
 including Yuanyang Hotpot, Four Tastes Hotpot, Yaoshan Hotpot and 
Fish Head Hotpot. If you are adventurous enough, you can basically cook
 anything with hot pot, e.g., pig's brain and duck's kidney.
Chongqing people love their hotpot, especially when the weather is steamy.
 The fire dances under the pot, the heavily oiled and spiced soup boils with 
hazy steam, and the people are bathed in sweat. Although hotpot can be found
 wherever there are street vendors or small restaurants, Chongqing hotpot has
 the greatest variety and is known for its delicious soup base and dipping sauce.

First Published by cqnews

http://www.yourmandarin.org

Culture of Chingqing as a Temporary Capital


With the outbreak of the Anti-Japanese War (1937-1945), on October, 1938,
the Japanese army occupied Guangzhou and Wuhan. Then, the government
 of the Kuomintang (KMT) party withdrew to Chongqing from Nanjing, and 
made Chongqing the temporary wartime capital. As a result, Chongqing 
became the political, military, economic, and diplomatic center of China 
at that time.
Chongqing, together with Washington in America, London in England, and 
Moscow of the former Soviet Union, are recognized as the four famous historical
 cities of the Allies in World War II. In addition, Chongqing played a significant 
political role in the construction of the united line between the KMT and CPC.
During the 7 years of the Anti-Japanese War, many historic people, events, and 
places were pushed onto the historical stage of China, reserving many peculiar 
human cultural scenes for Chongqing.
As the temporary capital during the Anti-Japanese War, many historical places
 were built in Chongqing and over 400 relics have survived, according to 
incomplete statistics. However, due to the fast rate of construction in Chongqing,
 many relics have been lost. Presently, the representative relics include the former 
residences of such important persons as Chiang Kai-shek and Soong May-ling, 
as well as the memorial museum for the second cooperative agreement between
 the KMT and CPC, which held such documents as the Chongqing Negotiation 
and the Double Ten Agreement.
The Huangshan Official Residence for Chiang Kai-shek on the South Mountain
 in Chongqing has been better preserved for its incomparable integrity. During 
the peace negotiation between KMT and CPC, Mao Zedong, the leader of 
the CPC, accompanied by Zhou Enlai and Wang Ruofei, the representatives
 of the CPC, flew to Chongqing and negotiated with the KMT in Hongyancun and 
Guiyuan, etc. Guiyuan, originally the residence of General Zhang Zhizhong (KMT),
 was prepared for Mao Zedong’s stay in Chongqing. On October 10, 1945, the Talk 
Summary for the peace negotiation between KMT and CPC was signed exactly 
at the living room of Guiyuan.
As the temporary capital during the Anti-Japanese War period, many industries 
and schools were marshaled in Chongqing. Many famous enterprises today in Chongqing 

developed from wartime initiatives. At the same time, many young, 
patriotic students flooded into Chongqing to fight against the invasion of Japan.
 Many cultural celebrities like Guo Moruo, Liu Yazi, Ma Yinchu, Tao Xingzhi,
 Liang Shuming, Xu Beihong, and Lao She settled and worked in Chongqing.
 Therefore, the culture in the temporary capital Chongqing was flourishing and 
Chongqing became the cultural and educational center for the Sichuan province. 
The cultural district Shapingba, gathering a lot of schools and universities, 
became the famous “cultural dam” at the southwest and northwest area 
during that time. The former building of the state-run Central University is 
still standing on the campus of Chongqing University today.
First Published by cqnews

http://www.yourmandarin.org

2013年7月25日星期四

Haozi--Work Song of Chongqing



With many visible and invisible reefs and numerous torrents and dangerous
 shoals, the river-route between Chongqing and Wushan is quite narrow and

winding.
The boats traveling in the river in the old society were mostly pulled by 

manpower and required anywhere from ten to 100 people or more. The 

workers developed a song to unite them under a single rhythm while they 

pulled, and so the Work Song of the Chuanjiang River came into being.
Resounding long in the air, the melody of the Work Song of the Chuanjiang 
River is penetrating, and was created to coordinate the action and emotion of 
the boat pullers. Now, the Work Song of the Chuanjiang River has been 

added into the first national intangible cultural heritage list.
First published by cqnews

http://www.yourmandarin.org

Chongqing Dock Culture


With a lot of docks along the river, busy business boats, and 
throngs of travelers, Chongqing has always been the water 
transportation hub at the upper reaches of the Yangtze River. 
Inter-mingling the city culture of Shuzhong (middle of Sichuan),
 the southwest China, and even the whole Yangtze River area, 
the dock culture has been cultivated based on the unique local 
culture of Chongqing.
The dock culture of Chongqing mainly consists of Paoge culture 
and Teahouse culture. The Paoge culture comes from the influence 
of the Jianghu brotherhood advocated in such secret folk organizations 
as Gelao Society, Tiandi Society, and Paoge Society.
Furthermore, Shu embroidery, Longmenzhen, the Chongqing 
dialect, and Sichuan dishes also represent Bayu culture. Such 
special Bayu culture has fostered the rich civilization for the 
land of Chongqing.

First published by cqnews.net

http://www.yourmandarin.org

2013年7月22日星期一

Chinese Calligraphy Activity at YourMandarin!

                                         Gifts for the lucky draw winner!

                                             An elegant tea party before we get started^ ^

                                          Lecturing...
                                         Lecturing...
                                          Tutoring...
                                         Tutoring...
                                          Tutoring...

                                          And...Bam! We can write Chinese calligraphy!





Learn Chinese at YourMandarin!
http://www.yourmandarin.org