Harbin Siberian Tiger park

About the Tiger Park:

Siberian Tiger park covers an area of more than 250 acres in an area just to the North of Sun Island park,Harbin.It is the 2nd largest natural park for wild Siberian Tigers in China. at present. The park enjoys a favorable foundation for Ecotourism and splendid scenery. There are over 500 purebred Siberian Tigers here, with 100 visible to visitors. In addition, visitors can also see White Tigers, Lions, Lynx, Leopards, and Black Pumas as well as Bengal Tigers. It is a large park divided into ten areas, including the young Tiger area, the mature Tiger area, the King Tiger area, a walking area and a platform for viewing the Tigers. The mature Tiger area has an area of 89 acres with 30 Siberian Tigers wandering there.
The Tigers in this area are all about 7 or 8 years old. And in the young Tiger area, there are over 40 young lovely, active Tigers about 2 years old. The park also houses some Lions which coexist peacefully with the Tigers.
In addition to viewing the Tigers walking leisurely in the open-air, visitors can buy poultry or animals to feed them, including Ducks, Chickens, and even Cows. Park employees will set the living animal free among the Tigers, and Visitors can see the unique live action of Tigers preying upon it.
Some distinct features of Siberian Tiger are:
Siberian Tigers are the largest surviving breed of Tigers, and are the biggest of the big cats.Males are commonly about 22.5kgs. They used to range in the Northeastern part of Asia,Russia and Central Asia.

A very unique experience.
Went in a bus with a load of tourists.We traveled around the Tiger pens in a caged bus.It was kind of boring bus ride at the beginning, but then Tigers appeared everywhere ! it was very interesting to see these beasts roaming freely in their natural habitat! I’ve seen many places in china but this is definitely a Unique experience.
The Best Part :
The highlight for me was tossing a live Chicken to the Tigers. It was 50 yuans Where else can you engage in that type of primeval activity?? More interesting than any other typical zoo enclosures.

Lantern Festival

The Lantern Festival falls on the 15th day of the 1st lunar month, This year it is on February24.
We Had a delicious meal at ‘Laochang chunbing(老昌春饼)’. We Spent this Evening at Culture square(文化广场) by taking  pictures while Watching the lanterns&fireworks, which created a perfect back drop to our delicious meal.

Origin of Festival:

After the Buddhism flourished in China. One emperor heard that Buddhist monks would watch sarira, or remains from the cremation of Buddha’s body, and light lanterns to worship Buddha on the 15th day of the 1st lunar month, so he ordered to light lanterns in the imperial palace and temples to show respect to Buddha on this day. Later, the Buddhist rite developed into a grand festival among common people and its influence expanded from the Central Plains to the whole of China. Till today, the lantern festival is still held each year around the country. Lanterns of various shapes and sizes are hung in the streets, attracting countless visitors.
Guessing lantern riddles”is an essential part of the Festival. Lantern owners write riddles on a piece of paper and post them on the lanterns. If visitors have solutions to the riddles, they can pull the paper out and go to the lantern owners to check their answer. If they are right, they will get a little gift.. As riddle guessing is interesting and full of wisdom, it has become popular among all social strata.

A young couple trying to fly their lantern at culture square,Changchun

People will eat yuanxiao, or rice dumplings, on this day, so it is also called the “Yuanxiao Festival.”Yuanxiao also has another name, tangyuan. It is small dumpling balls made of glutinous rice flour with rose petals, sesame, bean paste, jujube paste, walnut meat, dried fruit, sugar and edible oil as filling. Tangyuan can be boiled, fried or steamed. It tastes sweet and delicious. What’s more, tangyuan in Chinese has a similar pronunciation with “tuanyuan”, meaning reunion. So people eat them to denote union, harmony and happiness for the family.

Yummy yuanxiao

On the night, except for magnificent lanterns, fireworks form a beautiful scene. Most families spare some fireworks from the Spring Festival and let them off in the Lantern Festival. On the night when the first full moon enters the New Year, people become really intoxicated by the imposing fireworks and bright moon in the sky.

In the daytime of the Festival, performances such as a dragon lantern dance, a lion dance, a land boat dance, a yangge dance, walking on stilts and beating drums while dancing will be staged.

Chinese Zodiac

Origin of Chinese Zodiac(Shēngxiào):

A systematic plan of future action, that relates each year to an animal and its reputed attributes, according to a 12-year cycle.In Ancient China,People counted the years with 10 celestial stems and 12 terrestrial branches.Although this was scientific,most People were illiterate and could not memorize or calculate easily.Thus the animals that influenced people’s lives were chosen to symbolize the terrestrial branches the Rat,Ox, Tiger,Rabbit,Dragon,Snake,Horse,Sheep,Monkey,Rooster,Dog&Pig.

 

Tales behind the selection of Animal signs:

One day Jade Emperor order all the animals for a meeting & he had also decreed that the years on the calendar would be named for each animal in the order they arrived to the meeting.At that time,Cat and mouse were good friends and neighbors.When they heard of this news, the Cat said to mouse,’We should arrive early to signup,but I usually getup late’. The mouse then promised to awaken his friend and went directly to the gathering place.On the way the mouse encountered the tiger,Ox , horse and the other animals that ran much faster. In order not to fall behind them,he thought up a good idea. He made the straight forward OX carry him on the condition that he sang for the ox. The Ox and mouse arrived first the ox was happy thinking that he would be the first sign if the years but the mouse had already slid in front and became the first lucky animal of the Chinese zodiac.meanwhile his neighbor the cat was too late;/when it finally arrived the selections were over. That’s why other animals appear behind the little mouse and why the cat hates mice so much that every time they meet the cat will chase and kill the mouse.

It is also said that this order of the zodiac originated in the Han dynasty(206 BC-220) according to the 12 time periods of a day.
The 1st  period is from 11 pm to 1 am,the time rats actively seek food.
The 2nd period is from 1 to 3 am, A time Ox regurgitates
From 3 to 5 am tigers Hunt prey and display their fiercest nature,
From5 to 7 am, based on tales the jade Rabbit on the Moon was busy pounding medicinal herb with a pestle
From 7 to 9am,Dragons were said to hover in the sky to give people rainfall
From9 to 11am,Snakes start to leave their burrows
From 11am to 1pm the day is flourishing as vigorous as an unconstrained Horse
From 1to 3pm,it was said that if Sheep ate grass at this time,they would grow stronger
From 3 pm to 5 pm Monkeys become lively to guard entrances
From 5 pm to 7 pm Rooster return to their roost as it is dark.
From 7 pm to 9 pm Dogs begin to carry out their duty to guard entrances
From 9 to 11 pm all are quiet and Pigs are sleeping soundly.

For a longtime on wards there has been a special relationship between humans and the 12 zodiacal animals.

Characters of persons under Each sign

1. Year of Rat – 鼠 (子)-1948,1960,1972,1984,1996,2008,2020                                                          Best match: Dragon,Monkey,Ox.                Avoid:Sheep,Horse,Horse,Rabbit,Rooster
2. Year of Ox – 牛 (丑)-1949,1961,1973,1985,1997,2009,2021                                                              Best match: Rat,Snake,Rooster                   Avoid:Dragon,Horse,Sheep,Dog,Rabbit
3. Year of Tiger – 虎 (寅) 1950,1962,1974,1986,1998,2010,2022                                                        Best match:Horse, Dog          Avoid:Snake,Monkey                                                        
4. Year of Rabbit – 兔 or 兎 (卯) 1951,1963,1975,1987,1999,2011,2023                                           Best match: Tiger, Goat, Dog, Pig                              Avoid: Rat, Rooster
5. Year of Dragon – 龍 / 龙 (辰)-1952,1964,1976,1988,2000,2012,2024                                          Best match: Rat, Monkey, Snake                          Avoid: Dog
6. Year of Snake – 蛇 (巳) 1953,1965,1977,1989,2001,2013,2025                                                       Best match : Ox, Rooster, Dragon                        Avoid:Pig
7. Year of Horse – 馬 / 马 (午) 1954,1966,1978,1990,2002,2014,2026                                              Best match : Tiger, Goat, Dog                                      Avoid: Rat, Ox
8. Year of Sheep– 羊 (未)1955,1967,1979,1991,2003,2015,2027                                                         Best match : Rabbit, Horse, Pig                           Avoid: Rat, Ox
9. Year of Monkey – 猴 (申)1956,1968,1980,1992,2004,2016,2028                                                    Best match : Rat, Dragon, Rooster                        Avoid:Tiger
10. Year of Rooster – 雞 / 鸡 (酉)1957,1969,1981,1993,2005,2017,2029                                            Best match : Ox, Snake, Monkey, Dragon                Avoid: Rat,Rabbit
11. Year of Dog – 狗 / 犬 (戌) 1958,1970,1982,1994,2006,2018,2030                                                   Best match : Tiger, Horse, Pig                             Avoid: Ox, Dragon
12. Year of Pig – 豬 / 猪 (亥) 1959,1971,1983,1995,2007,2019,2031                                                      Best match : Goat, Rabbit, Dog                          Avoid: Snake

Year of Birth:

The distinctive zodiacal way of calculating years decides that every 12 years is a circulation.People will meet the year of their birth(benming nian) considered in relation to the 12 terrestrial branches which starts with the Chinese lunar new year.
It is said that in one’s year of birth, he will offend ‘Taisui’ a mysterious power or celestial body that could control people’s fortune. That is,he will meet either exultation or misery during that year. The best way to avoid miserable events is to wear clothes,writs bands or decorations such as red bracelet and necklace as a talisman that must be purchased by others.If the person himself buys them,the function is greatly lessened.
This may be from Chinese people’s special affection for the red since Han dynasty . In the Han people’s wedding ceremony, the bride was picked up by her bridegroom’s red sedan, the new couple wore red clothes,and their rooms were decorated with red candles,red carpet and red lanterns. When an army won a battle.victory would be reported with a red flag; and when a candidate passed the imperial examination,he would wear red flowered clothes.Thus redness has become the token of festivities,success bravery,righteousness and exorcism.
Currently there are new viewpoints about one’s birth year and offending ‘Taisui’ there are just more and greater changes in the birth year than other years, which are not always ominous. If he makes an effort. Holds his belief firmly and does not harm others,he will change his fate to predominance,so there is no need to be anxious…………..Comment back with your Chinese Zodiac sign

Spring Festival 2013

I wish everyone happy and prosperous New year 2013，This is the year of Snake. Great people like Maozedong,Xi jinping(current president of china) belong to the year of snake.More interestingly even I belong to the year of Snake ;).
My last celebrations of this festival in China.

Wishes in all the possible ways i know ‘恭喜发财 Gōngxǐ fācái’ which means “Congratulations and be prosperous”. ‘春节快乐 chun jie kuai le , “Guò Nián Hǎo 过年好” or “Xīn Nián Kuài Lè 新年快乐”,”吉祥話 Jíxiánghùa”
About Spring Festival:
Held on the 1st day of the 1st lunar month and lasting for 2weeks,Being one of the traditional Chinese festivals, it is the grandest and the most important festival for Chinese people.
It is also the time for the whole families to get together, Among all the customs and activities that people kept held,pasting spring festival scrolls the character ‘Fu’ and paper cut pictures,setting off firecrackers and fireworks, paying New year visits,and eating jiaozi(dumplings) have been handed down by chinese people from generation to generation.To everyone the festival is of great significance.

Customs and Practices:
Paper Cut of Character ‘Fu’ Meaning Happiness and ‘Feng’ Meaning Harvest Every family does a thorough house cleaning and purchases enough food, including fish, meat, roasted nuts and seeds, all kinds of candies and fruits, etc, for the festival period. Also, new clothes must be bought, especially for children. Red scrolls with complementary poetic couplets, one line on each side of the gate, are pasted at every gate. The Chinese character ‘Fu’ is pasted on the center of the door and paper-cut pictures adorn windows.
Superstitious beliefs:
The Spring Festival is a new start for a new year, so it is regarded as the omen of a new year.
People have many taboos during this period. As breaking objects during the new year is considered inauspicious, one may then say 歲歲平安 (Suìsuì píng’ān) immediately, which means everlasting peace year after year. 歲 (Suì, meaning “age”) is homophonous with 碎 (meaning “shatter”), in demonstration of the Chinese love for wordplay in auspicious phrases.
Many bad words related to “death”, “broken”, “killing”, “ghost” and “illness” or “sickness” are forbidden during conversations. In some places, there are more specific details. They consider it unlucky if the barrel of rice is empty, because they think they will have nothing to eat in the next year. Taking medicine is forbidden on this day, otherwise, people will have sick for the whole year and take medicine constantly.

Festival Food:
Food during this festival has its characteristics, which is the representative of Chinese festival food culture. Dumplings and the reunion dinner are indispensable at this time. Cold and hot dishes are all served. Fish is always an important dish then, which expresses people’s hope of having a wealthy new year.
年年有餘 (Niánnián yǒuyú), a wish for surpluses and bountiful harvests every year, plays on the word yú to also refer to 魚 (meaning fish), making it a catch phrase for fish-based Chinese new year dishes and for paintings or graphics of fish that are hung on walls or presented as gifts.

Health benefits of Mangoes

1.Cancer protection: polyphenolic antioxidants in Mango will provide protection against breast,colon &prostate cancer &Leukemia.

2.Improves vision: Mangoes are rich in Vitamin-A.

3.Improves sex-drive: Abundant Vitamin E in Mangoes boosts sex drive and regulates sex hormones.

4.Improves memory and concentration: Rich in Glutamic acid,which helps in boosting the concentration in children who cannot concentrate.

5.Lowers Cholesterol: Vitamin-C,Pectin and soluble dietary fibres are abundant in mangoes.These compounds lower serum cholesterol levels especially LDL cholesterol(which is the bad cholesterol)

6.Improves Digestion: Mangoes are good for the people with indigestion and individuals who are suffering with acidity.

7.High in Copper:Red blood cells depend on Copper for their production.

8.Alkalizes the whole body

Pictorial representation