The BBC documentary “Secrets of China’s Forbidden City” released last July, examines the technical expertise that made possible one of the greatest wonders of the medieval world. The Forbidden City, with its warrens of buildings and pathways, home to the biggest wooden structure on Earth and a place of staggering wealth and power, was built […]
Sandalwood, with its fine grain and lasting fragrance, is very much a part of Chinese culture. It has been made into furniture, its oil extracted for various uses. Its popularity has led to over-harvesting, decimating the number of sandalwood trees. In response, the private China Red Sandalwood Museum in east Beijing opened in 1999 to […]
To encourage reading, a popular bookstore lets customers take out books for a small deposit, instead of buying them outright. The Sanxiaokou Xinhua Bookstore (合肥三孝口新華書店) in Hefei, eastern China’s Anhui province, has styled itself a “shared bookstore.” Open 24 hours every day, it lets customers bring home up to two books worth under RMB150 (P1,140) […]
There is a revival of interest in Nüshu (女書), a syllabic writing system developed from Chinese characters and once used only among women in Jiangyong county, Hunan province in central China. As recently as this past August, the crew of a popular reality television show went to Jiangyong to find out more about Nüshu. The […]
Manggao (芒篙) is a legendary god in the Miao (苗) ethnic minority culture. He drives out evil spirits and brings good fortune. During each Spring Festival, many Miao villages hold Manggao festivals, where performers dress up as the god to bring good luck. The Manggao Festival is an intangible cultural heritage. The performer wears a […]
Many Chinese travelers faced a smoother travel experience during the National Day holiday, thanks to pilot programs using facial recognition in place of IDs checks at railway stations, hotels, banks and restaurants. Passengers at the entrances to Jinan railway station, capital of Shandong province, put their ID cards and tickets on the gate machines and […]
There is much in Nanjing City – China’s capital in ancient times – to celebrate the life and achievements of Zheng He, the great explorer, mariner, admiral of the royal fleet and diplomat. Parks and halls abound to remind the present generation of his legacy. Yet it is only fitting that the new 1,600 square […]
Discussing the rice traders of 1862 in his great work Feeding Manila, in Peace and War: 1850-1945 (Ateneo Press, 2016), professor emeritus Daniel F. Doeppers narrates: Doña Cornelia Lao Chanco (1819-1900) was one of the Manila consignees in 1862. Born to Chinese mestizos in Binondo, Manila in 1836, she was married to Tomas Ly-Chauco, an […]
A friend forwarded to me a post from the Pinoy Ako Blog. In “Ako si PAB, eh ano ngayon (I am PAB, so what)?” Maria Josephina Vergina Laurio admitted that she is behind the blog, that she is PAB. I was awed by this brave act. It takes courage to reveal her true identity, knowing […]
Around P2 billion worth of counterfeit goods, including gadgets, soaps and other household items, were seized by the Bureau of Customs from a storage facility in Sta. Cruz, Manila. BOC Commissioner Isidro Lapeña said the goods were found inside three units of Huang Lim Hong Lian Building in Binondo. Fake electronics, cell phone accessories, GoPro […]