Category Archives: China

The Great Wall of China

Last Friday was the official start of the Chinese New Year celebrations. The holiday is a week long, and consists of festivals, traditional food, cleaning the house in preparation for the coming of the New Year, and the giving of gifts to family members and business partners. The Lunar Festival is a fantastic celebration that occurs every year in China, rocking the rest of the world by storm in a celebration that puts our New Years Parties to shame. So what better place to visit at this time of year, than the Great Wall of China?

great-wallFamous for its intense length, the original construction of the Great Wall of China was thought to be as early as the 7th Century BC. It is located across the hysterical northern borders of China and was constructed as a means to protect China from invaders. The Great Wall is a staggering 13,171 miles in length, and much of the original construction still remains standing today, although in various states of disrepair.

The Great Wall is a legendary hiking trail, as walking even part of the length of the Wall is considered to be a great feat, with certain sections of the wall thinning perilously out to only a few feet wide. Thousands of tourists attempt the walk every year, and there is even an annual event that has taken place since 1999, dedicated to running a marathon atop the Wall. It has also been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1987.

great-wall-2It is fascinating to see what areas of the Great Wall are oldest, as the Wall has been constructed of a variety of material, including bricks, and earth wood and stone, when bricks had not yet been discovered.  Later on larger stones cut into rectangular shapes were used, as they can hold under their weight for longer than brick. Walking across the Great Wall allows us to see the progression of construction types used in the history of China.

As well as being a rich cultural experience, walking the Wall is also a great way to see China from above, and a way to take in the stunning view of rugged mountains and beautiful woodland. The Mutianyu section of the wall is the most popular amongst tourists, and the walk across this section takes about a day. So why not? Next time you plan a holiday in China, definitely try to hire a car and visit the Great Wall!

 

Happy Chinese New Year!

January 31st marks the official Chinese New Year 2014. It is widely known as one of the most important traditional Chinese Holidays throughout and marks the first day of the Chinese calendar. The Chinese New Year festival celebration is known as the longest in the Chinese calendar, as it lasts from New Years Eve to the 15th of the first month, otherwise known as the Lantern Festival. That is over two weeks of celebration!chinese-new-year-celebration

There are a number of activities that most Chinese families partake in when celebrating the New Year. The coming of the New Year is a big event, one of new beginnings and of getting rid of the old, evil spirits in order to make way for better, brighter days ahead. If you’re planning on visiting China at all this year, make sure it is during this holiday! Or if you simply want to have a go at celebrating the Chinese New Year, why not try some of these to help bring in the New Year!

Cleaning

Chinese families give their homes a thorough cleaning in preparing for the New Year as this serves to ‘sweep’ or clean away the bad luck gathered over the preceding year, and to make their homes ready for good luck. Sweeping and cleaning instruments like brooms are kept locked away after the clean to ensure that the good luck is not accidentally swept away. Home altars and statues are also cleaned, and if any are adorned with decorations from the previous year, these are taken and burned as a way of cleansing the house of the bad luck of the previous year.

chinese-new-year-decorationsDecorating

Often Chinese Families will decorate their home with lanterns and paper cut-outs depicting Chinese good luck sayings and phrases to welcome in the New Year. Decorators and paper cutters are in high demand in the days preceding New Year, as many people also opt to give their homes and windows a coat of new paint, washing their windows and making sure that everything looks up to date and new.

Primping

chinese-good-luck-charmsFollowing on from the ‘new beginnings’ theme, purchasing new clothing and shoes in lieu of the New Year can also symbolise a new start, and many Chinese people also opt to get their hair cut before the New Year. Cutting hair on the New Year is considered bad luck because of the connections between the Chinese word for ‘hair’ and the word for ‘prosperity’. It is customary for families to send each other gifts of food to extended family members and business partners, and business partners will often endeavour to clear the debts that they have accrued over the course of the year.

Eating!

chinese-dumplings

And now the fun part! No Chinese New Year Festival would be complete without a selection of delicious traditional dishes. A fish dinner is normally eaten to bring in the New Year, considered as important as a Christmas dinner in the west. In Southern China they make a Niangao, a New Years cake, which is sent to friends and family, whereas in Nothern China, jiaozi or dumplings are popular to eat after midnight. After the meal the family will normally visit the local temples to pray for a prosperous year.

Penguin’s Bucket List – Things to do and see before you die

By definition a bucket list is a list made by people – mostly when you reach your midlife crisis – who want to do certain things or visit certain places before they die. The phrase ‘bucket list’ takes inspiration from the saying ‘to kick the bucket’ because your bucket list wants to be complete before you ‘kick the bucket’. These lists can comprise of anything; see a long lost loved one, travel the world, even spend a day doing absolutely nothing. It all depends on the individual. However most people worldwide have a list of places they would like to see before they died. Other people want to make a bucket list, but aren’t quite sure what to put on there. Why don’t we help? With a collection of truly magnificent, memorable and beautiful places that you should really visit before you die.

Zhangye’s Colourful Rock Formations

zanghye-danxia-formationsKnown as the Zhangye Danxia, these mountains consist of over 24 million years worth of laying down different mineral deposits. The creation of these landforms is something so perfect, so beautiful, that only nature could have done it by accident. Over time the layers of mineral deposit were compressed into rock, and then undulations were caused by the collision of the Eurasian and Indo-Australian tectonic plates, resulting in the stunning landforms we see today. These collisions made by the same two tectonic plates would also create the Himalayan Mountains.

The contrasting layers of different mineral rock make the formations look as if bright white lines have been painted across the landscape. Considering that these fantastic mountains were once just sand blowing in the wind, the Zhangye Danxia formations serve as a great representation of the magic of time.

The National Park where these formations are located is about an hour’s drive from the city of Zhangye, and although no tour buses or coaches normally go there, it is easy to hire a car and drive to see these fantastic formations for yourself!

The Mysterious Moai Statues of Easter Island
easter-island-heads-stone

These statues were thought to be a monument to the seafaring skills of ancient Polynesian peoples, however little to none oral or written history has survived regarding the Moai statues. They were painstakingly carved and sculpted, then moved to the location in which they now stand, by the ancient people of Rapa Nui. Each head averages around 4 metres in height and weighs a staggering 14 tons.

The statues are situated in a nearly unbroken line around the island, and a further 600 more have recently been discovered in a quarry, all in various stages of completion. The overwhelming sense of mystery that accompanies this island is what makes Easter Island a frequent subject among historians. Nobody quite knows why the Moai statues exist or their relevance to ancient culture, but the stalwart design and eerie frequency of these statues makes Easter Island a must see on bucket lists worldwide.

Want to create your own Bucket List?

We will be focusing on ‘places to visit before you die’ throughout the coming months, so why not check back regularly for ideas?