Element of life: Culture
16 Oct 2016
Stamp Carving Initiation
a half day full of hands on experience,
the cutter silently slides the stone surface,
it cuts also the urban life with its culture enrichment...
Thanks all for coming and dedication to the culture encounter of Chinese Seal Carving!
19 Dec 2015
Jinze old town explore
A quiet day walk into an old street, having a family lunch with the local, and listen to their stories...
Jinze old town explore
A quiet day walk into an old street, having a family lunch with the local, and listen to their stories...
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Agriculture Day
- Tree planting and chrysanthemum flow harvest work
Working as a farmer actually needs patience and sincerely devotion to the LAND!
Taking part in this activity, makes us understand better the farmers' everyday life
and allows us to appreciate what nature gives us.
- Tree planting and chrysanthemum flow harvest work
Working as a farmer actually needs patience and sincerely devotion to the LAND!
Taking part in this activity, makes us understand better the farmers' everyday life
and allows us to appreciate what nature gives us.
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Chinese calligraphy
dates back 6000 years ago, it is still the artistic way to express life.
We found out what is the meaning of each tool and what are they made of.
Learning Chinese calligraphy allows us to feel the culture and experience the way of writing in the ancient time.
dates back 6000 years ago, it is still the artistic way to express life.
We found out what is the meaning of each tool and what are they made of.
Learning Chinese calligraphy allows us to feel the culture and experience the way of writing in the ancient time.
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Stamp carving
2015 March 21
Chinese seal carvings are an ancient art that combines calligraphy and engraving.
2015 March 21
Chinese seal carvings are an ancient art that combines calligraphy and engraving.
Jinze watertown
2015 Jan 25
“I've known rivers: I've known rivers ancient as the world and older than the flow of human blood in human veins.
My soul has grown deep like the rivers.”
― Langston Hughes
My soul has grown deep like the rivers.”
― Langston Hughes
There are quite a lot of Watertown's spread around Shanghai. So what makes Jinze old watertown so special? Is it really worth the trip? The answer here is simple: 'Don't judge a book by it's cover.'
Even though Jinze might not be as well known as Suzhou or Hangzhou; this hidden gem, one hour away from Shanghai, has its own uniqueness which is it's real peace and serenity.
After arriving at the Jinze watertown with a group of 10 people, the entrance needed to be found. A warm hearted Ayi named, Shilingyong, was waiting for us. The Ayi turned out to be this 'super ayi'!
Jinze watertown has 42 different bridges which are all connected with a temple and the classical black/white houses along the shore. It gives you this feeling of 'being in a painting'. The special thing about Jinze town was that we were the only people walking around in this watertown with the exception of some local people who were looking to us very curiously.. and invited us for a cup of tea in their house.
After a nice stroll along the streets we were invited by Shilingyoung to help her make dumplings for the lunch. After finishing the dumplings she arrived with a basket full of delicious local dishes. After the meal it was time to take a trip on the water, and there is no one better than our super aiyi to row the boat. Some of us gave it a try, but due to a lack of strength and technique we weren’t getting far. While we were gliding down the stream Shilingyoung asked if she could serenade us a song she wrote herself. This moment was breath- taking and difficult to imagine if you weren’t there.. Image you are floating on a boat surrounded by the typical black and white houses that you can find in most watertowns and the only thing you hear is a magical song about this wonderful town, once the song stopped.. The only thing you could hear is absolute silence. We got back to the shore to explore the Jinze, with similar picturesque scenes and surprises when you look inside the houses to see what the people are doing. We found the inevitable mah-jong and card players and even a local clothing factory. To finish this relaxing day there is no better way than to celebrate with a warm cup of tea in a traditional Chinese boat.
Even though Jinze might not be as well known as Suzhou or Hangzhou; this hidden gem, one hour away from Shanghai, has its own uniqueness which is it's real peace and serenity.
After arriving at the Jinze watertown with a group of 10 people, the entrance needed to be found. A warm hearted Ayi named, Shilingyong, was waiting for us. The Ayi turned out to be this 'super ayi'!
Jinze watertown has 42 different bridges which are all connected with a temple and the classical black/white houses along the shore. It gives you this feeling of 'being in a painting'. The special thing about Jinze town was that we were the only people walking around in this watertown with the exception of some local people who were looking to us very curiously.. and invited us for a cup of tea in their house.
After a nice stroll along the streets we were invited by Shilingyoung to help her make dumplings for the lunch. After finishing the dumplings she arrived with a basket full of delicious local dishes. After the meal it was time to take a trip on the water, and there is no one better than our super aiyi to row the boat. Some of us gave it a try, but due to a lack of strength and technique we weren’t getting far. While we were gliding down the stream Shilingyoung asked if she could serenade us a song she wrote herself. This moment was breath- taking and difficult to imagine if you weren’t there.. Image you are floating on a boat surrounded by the typical black and white houses that you can find in most watertowns and the only thing you hear is a magical song about this wonderful town, once the song stopped.. The only thing you could hear is absolute silence. We got back to the shore to explore the Jinze, with similar picturesque scenes and surprises when you look inside the houses to see what the people are doing. We found the inevitable mah-jong and card players and even a local clothing factory. To finish this relaxing day there is no better way than to celebrate with a warm cup of tea in a traditional Chinese boat.
The old traditional kitchen
“Cooking is like love - it should be entered into with abandon, or not at all.”
― Harriett Van Horn
Old kitchens are a traditional element of the countryside lifestyle; let’s see how this is present around Shanghai…
In the old days of China, we emphasize very much that the whole family should live together, so each family should have a big kitchen to serve all the family members.
It’s amazing that a kitchen is not only used to cook, but also that there is “a kitchen god” that lives with the big family. Especially the old people believe that apart from working in the farm, eating is the second important thing in daily life. For sure, if a family is not doing well, the “god in the kitchen” will send a bad report to the god who lives in the heaven at the end of a year.
That’s why to cook well through making good food and to please the kitchen god is very important. First it is to set up a place for the kitchen god to live and paint the kitchen with beautiful colors. Then, after the dishes are ready, a full bowl of food is offered to serve the god.
Normally, there are always two big pots that are made of iron with the round shape of a deep wok (sometimes of more than 80 cm diameter). For functionality, depending on the family size, different kitchen have different numbers of them and with different size.
How to cook? It’s heated by wood fire, so the whole kitchen is very hot when you are cooking and the heat transfers to the rest of the house, often you sleep just above it. For make good use of the fire, people also build some small holes with the shape of a cylinder inside the kitchen structure to store and boil water that is used to drink, wash dishes and clean the woks. When the meals are ready, water is also ready.
Beside the kitchen, there is always a room to store the wood, it should be convenient to access fast. As sometimes only one person is in charge of having the fire ready and cook the dishes at the same time. Inside the kitchen room, you can also find some interesting things inside. Sometimes, people use a basket to hang the food on the roof, this keeps the animals away and with the heat and wood fire helps to preserve very dry.
A kitchen is the reflection of a family’s life, their attitude, personality and status; you will find more information once you walk into it!
In the old days of China, we emphasize very much that the whole family should live together, so each family should have a big kitchen to serve all the family members.
It’s amazing that a kitchen is not only used to cook, but also that there is “a kitchen god” that lives with the big family. Especially the old people believe that apart from working in the farm, eating is the second important thing in daily life. For sure, if a family is not doing well, the “god in the kitchen” will send a bad report to the god who lives in the heaven at the end of a year.
That’s why to cook well through making good food and to please the kitchen god is very important. First it is to set up a place for the kitchen god to live and paint the kitchen with beautiful colors. Then, after the dishes are ready, a full bowl of food is offered to serve the god.
Normally, there are always two big pots that are made of iron with the round shape of a deep wok (sometimes of more than 80 cm diameter). For functionality, depending on the family size, different kitchen have different numbers of them and with different size.
How to cook? It’s heated by wood fire, so the whole kitchen is very hot when you are cooking and the heat transfers to the rest of the house, often you sleep just above it. For make good use of the fire, people also build some small holes with the shape of a cylinder inside the kitchen structure to store and boil water that is used to drink, wash dishes and clean the woks. When the meals are ready, water is also ready.
Beside the kitchen, there is always a room to store the wood, it should be convenient to access fast. As sometimes only one person is in charge of having the fire ready and cook the dishes at the same time. Inside the kitchen room, you can also find some interesting things inside. Sometimes, people use a basket to hang the food on the roof, this keeps the animals away and with the heat and wood fire helps to preserve very dry.
A kitchen is the reflection of a family’s life, their attitude, personality and status; you will find more information once you walk into it!