Only in China. . . The Construction Bank was closed today with a sign in the door. I asked some students to read the sign and tell me if the closing was for a reason. . . “They’re taking a rest day. They decided everyone needs a rest.” 0_0 Can you imagine a US bank just closing the doors one Saturday for a “rest day.”?
How? ~ Fly into Zhengzhou (an international airport). Grab the train or a bus to Kaifeng (takes about 2 Hours)
Recommendation ~ Don’t go later in the winter than November 20th or so. All the cultural sites will be winding up their activities and events, so you’ll miss all the fun things to do there. For example, we caught the last showing of the Millennium Park War (a major thing to see).
Cost ~ Please note that the costs below are what was reported to me. To be honest, costs vary from week to week here. So it could be as much as 20CNY higher or lower (about $4) for each place, or it could be what I told you. It really depends on the day.
Why?
The Ancient City of Kaifeng 开封 (kI fuhng) lies in the heart of central Henan Province, China and trails just south of the Yellow River. The local Henan people speak of Kaifeng, the capital of six different dynasties and a town filled with beautiful flowers and famous dishes, with the greatest respect and awe.
“Open and Shut”
Dating to 364BC, a small city of canals and waterways linked to the Yellow River was created. This little town would eventually morph into a thriving business and merchant city, now home to almost 6 million people. The city would be destroyed, abandoned, and re-built many times in the following centuries, and remnants of these cultures can still be seen at the local cultural sites and the city museum. In fact, for about 114 years, Kaifeng was the largest city in the world! The tour guide compared it to Tokyo, New York, and Paris in its time.
The characters in the name Kaifeng represent the phrase “Open and Shut.” Officially, this name represents the fact that Kaifeng represents open and shutting doors. Kaifeng has always been open to new ideas, new theories ~ a center of business, technology, and politics. But it is also closed, remaining true to the traditional values and beliefs of its ancient inhabitants. This is why when you visit, you can find both Ancient villas that appear unmarked by the intervening centuries and modern Shopping.
Secretly, our guide says “Open and Shut” is the name because if you open up the windows in Kaifeng, you’re blown away by the winds. Perhaps true, it was seriously freezing and the wind could have cut through a sheet of glass. Continue reading →
This beautiful statue of the Buddhist Goddess of Mercy lies in Daxiangguo Temple in Kaifeng, Henan, China. Gold-plated, it is a memorial to both propriety and filial piety, two of the great Chinese Confucian virtues. The story below is a combination of the story told by the tour guide and some local conversationalists who were happy to relate the story to me.
Many centuries ago,
An old emperor of China grew very, very ill and saw that his country was suffering as well. Realizing that the country was troubled and needed heavenly assistance, the worried king called out to Buddha and asked for guidance on how to appease the heavens and reclaim the blessings from above.
Buddha responded that the country and its king had done some very wicked things in the past and that now a sacrifice would be required to repair the damage. Buddha asked that the Emperor offer up to the heavens one arm and one eye from someone within his family. If he did so, Buddhas said, the country and emperor would be healed and would live in peace once more.
The Emperor was very saddened and worried, because the only family he had left were his three young daughters. The Princesses though were very concerned about their father and finally convinced him to share what Buddha commanded. Upon hearing of the sacrifice required, the sisters were quite upset.
The eldest daughter went to her father ~ “My king, although I love you and would do anything else that you asked of me, I cannot do this for you. I am a new mother, my baby is still nursing. If I only have one arm and one eye, how could I possibly care for my baby the way a good mother is supposed to?”Continue reading →
The Yomiuri ShimbunThree long-lost paintings believed to have been produced by the popular picture book author Chihiro Iwasaki (1918-1974) are on display at her namesake museum in Tokyo.The works were discovered last year at the Nippon seinenkan (foundation of Japan-youth center) in Tokyo. One of the three works is making its public debut at the ongoing exhibition, titled “Commemorating 70 Years of Non-war — Chihiro’s Wish for Peace,” at the Chihiro Art Museum Tokyo in Nerima Ward.
The discovery was significant because many of the artist’s works created before and during World War II were lost in air raids.
“We want people to think about the war through Chihiro’s works, which were produced at a time when people were not allowed to freely create art,” said a museum official. . . . .
Plants we grow in the home are not only deserving for more oxygen, but some of them have the ability to clean the air of toxins and mold, and therefore it is less likely to be inhaled by the residents, which is certainly great for health.
After studying domestic plants NASA came to the conclusion. They found that some species filter the air and remove the organic compounds that evaporate better than others.
Also, they filter the air from various building materials, dust, paint etc.
Top 6 plants to have in your home:
Aloe
This plant is great for raising the oxygen level in your home. Also it absorbs carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide and formaldehyde. A single aloe plant can achieve what nine biological air purifier can.
Ficus (FicusElastica)
This plant is very easy to maintain because it does not need a lot of light. It is effective when it comes to cleaning the air of formaldehyde. But be careful if you have small children or pets because the leaves can be poisonous.
Ivy (Hedera Helix)
Everyone should definitely have this herb at home. Ivy removes 60% of the toxins in the air and 58% of particles of feces within six hours since it is brought in that area.
Spider plant (ChlorophytumComosum)
This plant has the ability to make photosynthesis under minimal light. It excellently absorbs toxins from the air such as formaldehyde, styrene, and carbon monoxide, as well as gasoline. One herb effectively purifies air in 200 square meters space.
Snake plant (SansevieriaTrifasciata “Laurentii”)
This plant is almost indestructible and is great for having it at home. It is very resistant and needs very little light for photosynthesis. Besides removing toxins, it is great for the bedroom because it produces oxygen at night.
Peace lilies (Spathiphyllum “Mauna Loa”)
It is excellent for removing chemical toxins from the air. This homemade herb filters formaldehyde from the air as well as trichloroethylene.
NASA says you should have between 15 and 18 of these plants in an area of 500 square meters. Meaning, 3 to 4 plants are enough in 80 square meter area. Do not forget to put one of the plants in your bedroom, because you probably spend some time there. . . . . .
Deceptively Blonde 