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History

Schoolyard Archaeology

People assume that you need loads of cash to set up a proper history museum filled with an extensive collection of artifacts and antiques. Wilven Infante, a 49-year-old school teacher at the Pedro Guevara Elementary School on San Fernando Street in the San Nicolas district in Manila, is one person who disproves that assumption. Pedro […]

Categories
History

The Alcaiceria de San Fernando

In 1752, the Spanish monarch issued a royal decree mandating the Governor General Pedro Manuel de Arandia y Santisteban to construct warehouses within the cannon firing range of Manila. It was more than just a place to store goods – it was a place where Chinese traders could stay and sell their goods. The site […]

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Life

My journey to Chinese painting

I’ve always thought of myself as creative. My constantly restless hands have this urge to do some kind of aesthetically productive work. That search for an artistic endeavor led to my discovering Chinese painting. Most Chinese painting exhibited in museums and Chinese homes are typically scrolls of landscape in black and white, or with minimal […]

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Health

Best reasons to stop smoking

Each year, smoking-related diseases cause the most number of deaths in the Philippines. What is worse is that smokers actually hurt the non-smokers around them by letting them inhale its toxic fumes. A study by the Food and Nutrition Research Institute shows that 47 percent of Filipino males and 16 percent of females are smokers: […]

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Culture

The lance-bearing poet

Few ancient Chinese rulers are worthy of the title of poet or man of letters. Yet Emperor Wu Du of Wei, Cao Cao by name, who was an outstanding statesman and strategist, was a distinguished poet as well. Su Shi, a famous man of letters in the Song Dynasty (960-1279), admired him so much that […]

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Idioms...Hokkien style

When words fail, use idioms… Hokkien style (40)

Hokkien, on the tongues of Tsinoys, has grown and evolved, taking on a life of its own. Sometimes words simply fail us. With some creativity, Tsinoys have strung together words to form colorful phrases that simply hit the bull’s eye. Here are some expressions unique to Hokkien as favored by Tsinoys. 糊里糊塗 ho di ho […]

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Uncategorized

Rare wild panda eats goat in Sichuan

Pandas love to eat bamboo – save for one wild panda in Sichuan province who was spotted exploring new tastes. A villager in Leshan, Sichuan province discovered the panda foraging away from its mountainous habitat area, enjoying a goat meal.  The panda lingered for a while after its meal before returning home. Though bamboo is the […]

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Global users access China’s free digital academic resources

Scholars, researchers and students in the humanities and social sciences were thrilled by news- that China’s National Center for Philosophy and Social Science Documentation will provide article download services – free of charge, Thepaper.cn reported. The center’s rich resources offer free access to almost all core journals in the humanities and social sciences. Registered users […]

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Suzhou moves to protect ancient walls

New rules are being proposed to protect Suzhou City’s 2,500-year-old walls. The legislation includes a ban on advertisement boards, high-rise buildings and industrial and commercial structures being built next to the walls or in nearby neighborhoods. Experts will be invited to study the 15.5-km walls and repair brickwork. The city will also pay for the area’s […]

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Uncategorized

Cooperage: a hidden treasure

Cooperage, or barrel-making, is a traditional Chinese trade. Formerly regarded as an essential trade like carpentry and stonemasonry, it is now mostly known as an intangible cultural heritage. Qi Jianfei is one of just a few people who is still in the cooperage trade. “To me, cooperage is a family business. My father did it […]