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Ginseng - Ginseng is a plant from China. It has an aromatic root which is used in medicine by the Chinese. The Chinese believe it cures many ills. A favourite way of staying healthy is to drink ginseng tea.
Gwai-lo-(female, gwai-paw) - This is the name given to Caucasian men by the Chinese. The term means "Foreign Devil" in Chinese. In years past, gwai-lo was considered an unpleasant name to call someone, but it is now an accepted word without causing bad feelings.
Fung Shui - "Fung Shui", translated as, the influences of wind and water, is the Chinese science of "reading" nature in order to ward off evil spirits and bad luck. By the twelfth century, fung shui played an important role in all aspects of Chinese life, from birth till death. A compass with a magnetic centre and seasonal markings is used by an accomplished fung shui artist to choose the site of a person's new home or burial place. This is done to avoid offending demons, invisible ones of course, who inhabit the earth. Offending nature will cause great ills to fall upon you and your descendants, according to Chinese belief. Now, this practice is most popularly applied to graves. If a grave is placed in the wrong area or facing in the wrong direction, ill fortune will follow the family members of the deceased. A fung shui specialist is often called to a building site to assure the...
Eggs - "100 year old eggs", is a term referring to aged eggs, by no means 100 years old! The eggs sold in the markets and restaurants are usually a few days old. They are duck eggs which are soaked for a few days in a solution of tea leaves, lime, soda and rock salt. These eggs are eaten with ginger and are considered a delicacy among the Chinese.
Dynasty - A dynasty is a group of rulers from the same family who succeed one another in power. This group usually has great wealth and power for several generations. China is the home of great dynasties, dating back centuries. This form of rule in China ended with the overthrow of the Manchu Dynasty in 1912.
Dragon - The dragon is a mythical monster in fairy tales and legends. For a long time the dragon stood for evil. Tales of serpent monsters roaming the earth devouring everything in their paths have been recorded for centuries. However, the Chinese adopted the dragon as a symbol of nobility. Until 1912, the dragon was the national emblem of China. Many Chinese consider the dragon a god, one to be worshipped. Therefore, dragons appear in every area of Chinese culture. They decorate colourful lanterns at festival time, shop fronts at Chinese New Year and are delicately embroidered on silk clothing and wall hangings. The dragon has always played a major role in Chinese literature. Children's books are full of the legendary appearances of dragons and, frequently the dragon is found helping a poor or unfortunate victim overcome his enemies. During Dragon Boat Festival, giant heads of the...
Chopsticks - The Chinese eat their food with chopsticks. Chopsticks are a pair of slender sticks made of wood, ivory, bamboo or plastic. It does not take long to learn to use chopsticks, just patience. Trial and error is the best method of mastering the sticks.
Acupuncture - Acupuncture is the centuries old Chinese method of piercing the body with needles to relieve aches and pains. Chinese legend holds that over 5,000 years ago a soldier was struck with an arrow. He felt a numbing sensation in a different part of his body. The Chinese tell that from this incident came the art of acupuncture. This method treats malaria, high blood pressure, appendicitis and, acupuncture is also used as anaesthesia. The acupuncturist is trained to insert needles painlessly into certain points of the body. The needles are placed in very specific points, depending on the sickness being treated. The instruments and rubber dolls, complete with the proper "points" outlined in colour, are sold in Hong Kong. It takes great skill and years of training to become an acupuncturist.
Abacus - An abacus is a calculator, rectangular in shape. It has an outside frame with sliding beads strung on thirteen wires or wooden slats. The abacus was used widely before the nine plus "O" counting method was adopted. The Chinese have used it for hundreds of years and still use it today. You will see it used in some Chinese shops. It can somewhat confusing for the observer as the seasoned user quickly slides the beads back and forth, doing the calculation quickly on the abacus. An abacus can be purchased very inexpensively at any Chinese department store complete with an instruction booklet which shows you how to use this ancient calculator.
In the north is the city of Taipei, the capital. (`Taipei' means `North Taiwan'.) In the south are the cities of Kaohsiung and Tainan (`Tainan' means `South Taiwan'), with Kaohsiung a little farther north. Halfway between is the city of Taichung. (`Taichung' means `Middle Taiwan'.) These four cities are the four largest in Taiwan and are spread along its west coast.Most of Taiwan's cities and agriculture are on the west coast, because Taiwan is mountainous and the mountains go more or less the whole length of the island along the Pacific (east) coast. The weather is bad there; hurricanes come by and ravage the east coast but are stopped by the mountains. On the East coast is the city of Hualien.
Shangri La Far Eastern Plaza Hotel Taipei
4 Reviews and 227 Opinions We lived on the 33rd floor where has good view over busy streets in Taipei city. The room has the...
Ambassador Hotel Kaohsiung
5 Reviews and 70 Opinions We stayed in the Ambassador Hotel, Kaohsiung which is located on the Love River. This was a good...
Grand Formosa Taroko Hotel Hualian
1 Review and 118 Opinions I've known this hotel since I was a high school student, with its astonishing location, I made up my...
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Q: my husband and I will be visiting taiwan on feb 11-17, 2012. there are a number of places our friends have recommended we should...
A: I spent one day in sun-moon lake area after Lunar New Year last month. Depending on your travel sytel, you can either take train to Tai-Chung city and transfer bus to...
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