The Passing Over Marriage in Sub-urban China

Confucian principles taught the Chinese people many things about the highest way of life that they kept in practice regardless of how modern the world came to be. Such is the folk belief called Minghun, which shows the high value placed on marriage and the passing over in China, prompting parents of dead bachelors to find suitable, recently dead women and marry them as a real couple to ensure both their souls' contentment. The |belief rooted from strong beliefs that unmarried life is incorrect and that people continues to exist even after death. Thus, arranged marriages between dead people are done to take away the worries of the living that their beloved may be sorrowful.

As usual, the parents of the dead son, who is twelve years old or older, looks for the girl to suit through their network of family, friends, and even fixers. When they find the girl they deem right, the corpse, in exchange of money regarded as dowry, will be buried with their son just like married couples. Buying corpses in China is forbidden, so this kind of transaction is discreetly arranged between the families concerned, adhering to the Confucian family morals of dutifully satisfying a child's wants and needs even after he or she is lost to death.

China's Civilization Still Keeps Its Resplendence

Speculated as one of the archaic living cultures prior to the civilizations of Greece, China remains one of the culturally vibrant countries in the world. Breakthroughs such as paper, writing, and gun powder are attributed to China, which makes it one of the most refined and advanced civilizations during the early times. With a multitude of cultural breakthroughs discovered by China, I would't be at all surprised if China really is the first established civilization before the archaic Greeks.

My trip to China further boosts my perception that I've come to know weeks before I set foot on Chinese soil. Upon arriving at Beijing, the capital of China, a plethora of disparate fragrances already assaulted my olfactory sense. Various aromas from wanton noodles to steamed dumplings reek the streets of Beijing. I always welcome this kind of set-up because it gives you maximum sensory pleasure, plus it gives you a firm grasp of the set-up you're in. China possesses ancient and elegant shrines that still boast with resplendence. Always remember to keep a camera at hand because these vigorous and massive shrines prove to be perfect photo subjects!

Of course, a trip to China won't be ideal without going to its Great Wall. This long-spanning wall is the only human edifice visible from the moon, and to think that it was just produced manually! Apparently, this positively is the living proof of the advancement of early Chinese civilization.

Appetizing Dim Sum Menu To Go

Wherever you go today, there is often a high plausibility of encountering Chinese-influenced food even in the far-most corner of the world. This is mainly due to the fact that the Chinese prominently amounts to more than half of the global population, so it is of no wonder that they affect us in different ways. In terms of food, the Dim Sum is just as famed as the appetizing hamburger, or the hot pizza. In ancient Chinese history, Dim Sum was clearly taken as a leisurely feast either during midday or late afternoon

Traditionally, dim sum is comprised of tempting dumplings, siu maai, congee, healthy rolls, sesame seed balls, and appetizing steamed buns. Made from pork, prawn, beef, or chicken, these are often served in petite bamboo steamers in portions that is enough for one or in grandiose elegant plates good enough for a family. It is a norm to serve (dumplings, siu maai, congee, healthy rolls) together with a pot of green, oolong, or Chrysanthemum tea, thus creating the term 'tea house.' The petite servings makes it ideal for one to try unsimilar kinds of dim sum without feeling full immediately. In a certain country's Chinatown, hustling people can get dim sum from stalls and cart vendors, or they may purchase them frozen and microwave-ready in certain convenience stores.

Classical Chinese Suit for the Modish Man

A lot of people must be familiar with a few recognized traditional Asian clothing, such as the Cheongsam and the Sarong, but may not be aware of their seemingly intriguing histories. The classical Mao suit, for example, could look like an ordinary two-piece of men's clothing nowadays, but it definitely has a story behind it, as most things do.

These uncomplicated Chinese tunic suits, as they are known in the west, are called Zhongshan suits, which were coined after one of China's prominent political leaders Sun Zhongshan. In other close-by locations, such as Hong Kong, Mao suits are often called People's suits, mainly because of their simplistic structure and uncomplicated design. They only became known as Mao suits after Chinese Marxist dignitary Mao Zedong made them so popular when he used them. Mao suits are said to be the product of a hybridization of various design elements from other supreme countries during the early 1900's; the four individual symmetric pockets and the turn-down collar came from the German military uniform while the basic structure was inspired by early cadet uniforms of Japan. When Sun Zhongshan died in 1925, Zhongshan suits started to epitomize patriotism and revolutionary mind sets. Today, countless versions of these Mao suits are fashioned all across China and the world, giving people a little taste of classical Chinese fashion.

The Summer Olympics and Beijing Inns

A pal of mine who is a sports fanatic told me the other day that the 2008 Summer Olympics will be held in China. He also added that the two cities that will serve as settings for the 2008 Summer Olympics will be Beijing and Qingdao. I'm sure that with China hosting the prominent sports event, hotels there are already doing major refurbishment and redecoration to prepare their establishments for the invasion of vacationers from all over the world. By next year, I'm moderately sure that almost all inns in Beijing and Qingdao will be fully booked in conjunction with the Summer Olympics.

The truth is, Beijing is already flocked by thousands of vacationers every year even without much anticipation for a mammoth event like the Summer Olympics. Since Beijing is near tourist spots such as the world-renowned Great Wall of China, the Forbidden City, the Ming tombs, and the Tiananmen Square, one can find hundreds of inns within the city. Just some of the select inns that can be found in China's capital are the Beijing Hotel, the Prime Hotel, the Plaza Royale Hotel, the Grand View Garden Hotel, and the Loong Palace Hotel & Resort. All these hotels offer outstanding services and extravagant amenities that will surely make the Summer Olympics tourists' stay a pleasant experience.