china
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Dragon Boat Racing
The Dragon Boat Festival, or Tuen Ng Festival has been celebrated in China and its surrounding East Asian countries for the last 2,500 years. On the fifth day of the fifth lunar month of the Chinese lunar calendar, people from all over gather to celebrate the myth of Qu Yuan. (So if you’re interested in hopping on a plane and heading over to Mainland China or Hong Kong to check it out, it will be held the week of June 14, 2021!)This holiday and festival is characterized by dragon boat racing, in which teams race ornately decorated “dragon” boats to the finish line, and by a traditional Chinese sticky rice ball snack: 粽子 (Zòngzi) in Mandarin and 粽 (Jung) in Cantonese.
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The Great Silk Road
The first silkworm is said to have been discovered by the Chinese empress Leizu around 4000 BC when a silkworm’s cocoon fell into her teacup. The hot tea loosened the fibers, and Leizu was enchanted with the soft, strong thread as she wound it around her fingers. As if she were unwrapping a present, Leizu was rewarded at the end of the thread with a silkworm and learned for the first time the source of this remarkable material.
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Goodnight, World Fables Around the Globe
Where did China get its first cup of tea? Who invented boomerangs in Australia? How did African leopards get their spots? Though there are plenty of factual answers to these questions, we can often learn more about a country from its bedtime stories than its history books. After all, humans have used stories to explain their surroundings for thousands of years, passing legends down from generation to generation. Through these legends, we learn about the gods our ancestors worshipped, the traditions they held dear, and their relationships with the world and the people around them.
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Plum Crazy
Plums are one of the world’s most delightful fruits. They come in many varieties, and can range from mellow to tart. This versatile fruit is enjoyed by many cultures in both sweet and savory dishes. Here are some tasty examples!
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Taiwan | 台灣
In the shadow of the Great Wall of China and the Forbidden City lies a forgotten jewel: Taiwan.
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Highway to the Danger Zone
There is something irresistible about crossing dangerous ground. Humans are overcome with a desire to face danger and subsequently to overcome that danger, according to psychologist Saberi Roy. Throughout history, people such as Lewis and Clark and the Wright Brothers have become pioneers in their fields by crossing dangerous and uncharted ground.
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Four Corners of the Kitchen: Coconut
Coconut, fruit of the “tree of life,” is a super food. Although coconut trees grow only in tropical and subtropical regions, this tasty treat has reached every corner of the globe. Coconut is sold in many forms, from fresh coconuts to pressed coconut oil to shredded coconut, and it tastes delicious in both sweet and savory dishes.
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Tales from the Trip: Spring 2015
The Mountain and the Suitcase Growing up in Texas doesn’t give you a lot of experience with hiking enormous mountains, but my brother Jeremy and I were excited to hike Utah’s Mount Timpanogos (11,752 feet) one night in mid-October 2007. Hiking with us was a guy named Jeff, whose climbing pack was actually a rolling suitcase.
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Chinese New Year Celebrations around the World: Painting the Town Red
Chinese New Year celebrations vary around the world.Chinese New Year, a holiday steeped in folklore and tradition, originated from an ancient Chinese legend. As the story goes, the beginning of each New Year brought the Nian, a terrible beast that preyed on livestock and villagers alike. After much suffering, the villagers discovered that the Nian feared loud noises and the color red, so on the first day of the New Year, they lit firecrackers and red lanterns, and hung red paper throughout their village. From that day on, the Nian never plagued the villagers again.
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Tying the Knot: Weddings around the World
Intricate designs are painted on the palms and feet of Indian brides. Photo by Amar Javed. cc
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Rollerblading at Twilight
My friends and I are ready to call it a night and retire to our hostel on the last night of a two-week whirlwind vacation across China. We have been to the Forbidden City and have seen the Terra-Cotta Warriors. We’ve ridden double-decker buses and have been pulled in bike-drawn rickshaws. We’ve eaten at street vendors and in tiny restaurants. Our trip seems complete.
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Panda Paradise: Chengdu's Research Center
Despite being naturally found only in south-central China, pandas have endeared themselves to millions throughout the world—quite a feat for an endangered species that numbers only in the lower thousands. With so many things to see in China, many visitors overlook the pandas until they get back to a zoo closer to home. But for travelers interested in the natural wonders that China has to offer, the Panda Research Center (PRC) in Chengdu (sometimes called Sichuan) should become a priority.
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Stone Giants in China, Switzerland, India, and the USA
Stone giants reside around the world, waiting to be visited by tiny travelers. Whether in the form of an animal or a human, these giants humble their viewers. Each inspires awe for the unimaginable efforts of those who painstakingly carved these cliff colossi.
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China's Mid-Autumn Festival: The Light of the Moon
Long ago in ancient China, the sky held ten suns, which shone down all together and scorched the earth. A valiant but tyrannical man named Hou Yi shot nine of the ten suns out of the sky, saving the land from the heat and receiving a potion of immortality as a reward. His wife, Chang’e, hoped to save the world from the tyranny of her husband, so she drank the potion herself and became immortal. She floated up into the sky and joined with the spirit of the moon, and the Chinese have celebrated the Mid-Autumn Festival in her honor ever since.
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Starfish Foster Home Changes Lives One Child at a Time
“But young lady, do you not realize that there are miles and miles of beach and starfish all along it? You cannot possibly make a difference.” The young woman listened, paused and then bent down, picked up another starfish and threw it into the sea, saying, “It made a difference for that one.” —Loren Eiseley
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Dim Sum: Get Some! A Guide to Dim Sum
Though your first dim sum outing may be intimidating, servers are happy to answer any questions.
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Southeastern China
Lindsi Milligan of Sandy, Utah, says her hair grows fast. Though she has a pixie cut now, she claims that in a year and a half or so, it could be halfway down her back. But when Milligan traveled to China to teach English with the International Language Programs for six months, she found a village with incredible women who have been growing their sleek black hair since birth—and for 10 yuan they’ll undo their intricate buns to show just how long their locks have become.
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