PAPER CUTTING IS A PART OF CHINA’S CULTURAL HERITAGE: The Chengde Mountain Resort is the main reason for our trip from Beijing to Chengde, however a surprise side-trip for us is a stop at the Junfeng Paper Cutting School to see some of the paper-cuts that Chengde is famous for. For anyone who’s lived in […]
The Art of Jade Carving
AT THE RUN-ZE JADE GARDEN WE SEE EXQUISITE PIECES OF JADE CARVINGS: An inevitable part of any organized tour of China is the stops at factories or showrooms to show visitors the local crafts and products, in the hope that visitors will be enticed into spending some money. After our tour of the Great Wall […]
A Beijing Hutong Experience
BEIJING’S HUTONGS ARE A PART OF CHINA’S CULTURAL HERITAGE: Modern Beijing impresses with its high rise apartment blocks, huge shopping malls, commercial towers and wide boulevards. But to experience the charm of old Beijing and the real soul of the city, we pay a visit to one of the Beijing hutong neighbourhoods. Our Beijing Hutong Experience […]
Meeting Mr. Liu and his Champion Fighting Crickets
A LUNCH MEETING IN THE HUTONG HOME OF MR. LIU, THE CHAMPION CRICKET TRAINER: One of our Beijing Hutong experiences is a visit to Mr. Liu’s courtyard residence to have lunch at his hutong home. We’re usually not keen on big lunches, and hesitate about joining this optional lunch excursion, but it turns out to […]
