Contents Wave Rock-Australia, Thousand Islands Lake, Cappadocia-Turkey, Walking Marriage-.China Cliff coffin-China. How Female Panda selects husband, Body painting. Crying fish.
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Wave Rock It has been there for 2700 million years Wave Rock is believed to have formed over 2700 million years ago. It is one of Western Australia’s most treasured natural attractions; it lays 340km south east of Perth in the eastern wheat belt. Just 3km from the town of Hyden (western Australia) and a comfortable day trip from Perth. The Wave Rock Area with its neighboring outcrops and blankets of colorful wildflowers attract thousands of visitors each year. It is a natural rock formation. Its name is from the fact that it is shaped like a large, smooth wave. The total outcrop covers several hectares. The "wave" part of the rock is about 15 metres high and approximately 110 metres long. The unusual shape of the rock is greatly highlighted by vertical darker streaks of algae, which grow on the surface of the 'wave', and by dark black stains which change to brown during the dry season. At different times of the day,
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Reservoir--- artificial lake with thousand of Islands The Thousand Islands Lake
Thousand Islands Lake situated in Chun'an county 100 miles west of Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, is presently China's biggest national park. It is an artificial lake created as a reservoir for constructing Xin'an River Waterpower Plant in 1959. The water is crystal clear . It covers a face area of 143, 321 acres. The water storage capacity of the lake is 17.8 billion cubic meters. The average depth of water is 112 feet. It is beautiful not only the lake itself; it has a total of 1,078 big and small islands, these are rarely found in any other lake alone. Thousand Islands Lake is known for its clear, and in some areas, drinkable water, and lush forestation. Its more popular attractions include the Bird Island, the Snake Island,the lock Island as well as the monkey Island The lake is an important tourist attraction of Zhejiang. At one time Taiwan tourists took it as their first priority to visit and travel among all other scenic places in China. The lake area is divided into five parts After large-scale reconstruction works in recent years in the area, the lake has developed into six sections containing 14 scenic spots, including the Screen Peak, the Plum Peak, the Dragon Hill , the wildlife zone and the Stone Forest. Fishing is another popular activity as the lake is home to 87 varieties of freshwater fishes. The annual fish catch is more than 4,000 tons. The lake is largely dominated by mandarin fish, an aggressive breed that feeds on smaller fish and other aquatic life. Travelers used to float about in a boat after the morning mist has lifted. This is one of the most enjoyable experience on Thousand Island Lake. Visitors who are fond of watching wild animals will have plenty to see. There are around 90 species of birds made up of thousands and thousands inhabit in the islands and their morning songs always mark the beginning of each day on Thousand Island Lake. Wild animals living in the surrounding mountains of the islands will come down to the lake side to drink It has become an open zoo for the tourists. Although West Lake of Hangzhou is ranked high among the top scenic spots of East China, Chun'an County, less than three hours away by bus from it, is also famous for its Thousand Island Lake. GE ---------------------------- Cappadocia-Turkey
Four thousands years ago, the eruptions of two now-extincted volcanoes destroyed the whole area in the Cappadocia plateau with ashes and soft rocks. Over years of erosion by the rain and wind the ashes and soft rocks were transformed into haunting surrealist landscape of cones and columns as what the images shown. Travelers who are interested in searching for wonders and beauty of our Earth may like to know more about the underground cities in Cappadocia, (Turkey) Cappadocia is bounded by the towns of Aksary, Kayseri and Nige. The strange and spellbinding world of Cappadocia has become the most attractive spot in Turkey for the past hundreds of years. The best known so transformed site is now called Goreme. Where you will find great number of rock churches, tombs and frescoes. All these are still perfectly intact as original. In two other places: Kaymakli and Derikuyu visitors will find the underground cities and can walk into the cities. They can find them honeycombed with rooms that occupied seven stories down into the earth. The cities were as a matter of fact so large they went as deep down as twenty stories . Although they are not ready for visitors. These cave constructions were grouped around aeration chimney which was capable of supplying enough air for the people dwellings below. Chambers are linked with each other by narrow corridors through the gentle slopes or stairs. . The cities housed the Christian refugees who were persecuted thousand of years back. With God’s bless the dramatic cones and columns or cliffs of Cappadocia is formed by tufaceous rock which were soft and easy to dig .The deeper it went down the earth the easier to excavate. So it posed no problem for the refugees to construct wide rooms horizontally. So far it is confirmed that the most famous underground cities are in Derinkuyu and Kaymakli, The rock-cut cities, which extended for several kilometers in different directions. Certain part of the cities have from eight or nine levels up to twenty levels underground and formed a veritable labyrinth of narrow tunnels leading to rooms of various sizes numbering in the thousands, The tunnels meet at intersections where they from the city squares. These cities are almost perfect on system of defense. In times of danger very large slabs of rock resembling millstones were placed at the entrances to the tunnels .Everything required for life underground was carved from the rock: defense post for the guards, escape tunnels, and rooms of various sizes furnished with beds, tables, storage areas, stable and chapels. An efficient man-made system of air shafts provided ventilation even at the deepest levels of the underground cities. The underground city are useful for storage because, while the outside temperature can vary from minus 20 to 40 degree C, the internal temperature of the sites remains constant throughout the year at 7 to 15 degree, depending on its proximity to the air shafts. Several underground cities are open to visitors now; the largest of these at Derinkuyu.It has 8 levels open to the public. There may be as many as 12 more levels as yet unexcavated. There are about 600 doors leading to the outside openings, which are hidden in the courtyards of surface dwellings. The underground cities accommodated up to 20,000 people at one time. GE -------------------------------- The walking marriage
Mosuo is one of the minority ethnic groups of China. They live in the areas scattering around Lugu Lake which straddles between Yunnan and Sichuan Provinces. Lugu Lake is an incredibly beautiful lake nestled high in the Himalayan mountains (at bout 3500 meters above sea level ) Lugu although is a huge Lake but the name Lugu Lake has gradually known to be called the “country of women”. This is because there are more females than males living in the villages. The main feature is that some of the female Mosue practiced “walking marriage”. What is walking marriage? It seems that traditionally a Mosuo girl who is interested in a particular man will invite him to her house to spend the night with her in her room. This generally conducted secretly, sometimes with tacit agreement with the family. The man will walk to her house after dusk, spending the night with her, and left early in the next morning. , According to the Mosuo Cultural Development Association. This is not always the case. They admitted that Mosuo women are sexually promiscuous .They are free to have different sexual partners, It can be also true that may have multiple lovers, or having children by different man. It had been a traditional practice and was not considered unethical.
But the Association strongly objects to the wide spreading rumor about the Mosue girls are prostituting. It is just because their cultural value on marriage is different and they have different way of family life. Some of the relationships between male and female are on short term basis, but most of the cases can also be long term, where the couple end up by marrying each other. But custom is such that even it is a long term marriage; the man will never live with the woman’s family, or vice versa. He will continue to live with and be responsible to his family he came from. She will also continue to live with her parents and be responsible to support her parent’s family. There will be no sharing of property between the couple. Most significantly, when children are born, the father may have little or no responsibility for his offspring (in fact, some children my not even know who their father is ).If a father does want to involved with the upbringing of his children, he will bring gifts to the child’ mother’s family, and state his intention to do so. He will be given some kind of official status within that family, but does no actually make him part of the family. Regardless of whether the father is involved or not, the child will be raised in the mother’s family, and take on her family’s name. This does not mean, however, that the man get off scot-free, with no responsibilities for children. Quite the opposite, in fact, every man will share responsibilities in caring for all children born by the women within their own family, be they a sister, niece, aunt, etc. In fact, children will grow up with many aunts and uncles as all members of the extended family share the duties of supporting and raising the children. It is true that traditionally, Mosuo women tend to take on most of the labor duties at home; They take care of the animals, tend the fields etc. However, this is due to historic division of responsibilities where Mosuo men were mostly traders, traveling long distances by caravan to trade with other group, Since the man were frequently gone from home, the women were left behing, taking care of the home However when the men were at home they would also share in the duties in a small way. Mosuo women take a leading role in the family (owning property, making business decisions etc.) Women have more power, autonomy in many regards than in many other cultures.GE
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Today, it is a common practice that when a person passes away, he or she will be put into a coffin and the coffin will be buried underground. To dig a burial pit is rather easy and modern man always prefer to take the easy way out. However, a group of people in a certain part of China uses an alternative approach to burying their love ones. More than 3000 years ago, these people placed their dead into sturdy coffins, but instead of burying deep underground, the coffins are hung and suspended high on a cliff. Sometimes these cliffs rises more than a thousand feet above the ground level, and the coffins are visible from the river side. One explanation is that, they wish to ensure ‘these love ones are nearer to heaven’. Being hung so high, the distance to paradise is shorter from the cliff, the love ones can enjoy afterlife happiness faster and easier. It is really a marvel how the people managed to raise the coffin so high up and then to suspend them there. In ancient times, there were no elevators nor any long-armed mechanical cranes like those we used in constructing highrise buildings today Suspending the coffins on the cliffs is an age-old burial custom during the Zhou Dynasty, the ruling dynasty, about three thousand years ago. The practice was gradually extended to the Changjang valley and the southern province. The research into its history has important scientific value. Gong county in Sichuan province, has already been designated as a protected cultural area. Here, 41 sites with some 288 suspended coffins can be found, mostly overlooking the rivers and cliffs. Various guesses have been made about the nationality and the time period of the decease. The first guess is that these were the Bo people, who live there about two thousand years ago before the Han Dynasty. However, succeeding generations of the Bo people and related people did not seem to follow such a practice. Another guess is that these could be the Liao people, whom according to the historical records, lived in the Gong County after the Jin Dynasty. The Liao people practised a custom of breaking the two front teeth as a mark of adulthood at the age of 14 or 15. This custom corresponded to the phenomenon of the missing front teeth in the buried adult. Hence, this suggestion is more likely to be the case. Relics found in these coffins like copper coins, indicates that the time period is around that of the Ming Dynasty era. A check with history reveals that the Duzhang people lived in Gong country during the Ming Dynasty. Other matching clues include the patterns found on copper drums of that age. These patterns are similar to those edged on the coffins. Thus all the clues seem to indicate that such a custom belonged to the Duzhang people of the Liao nationality.
As to the reasons for the suspension of coffins or the social significance, some even suggested that it could be made to show off one's wealth, or to prevent animals from attacking or because there were nomadic hunting tribes living in the hills who also buried their dead in the hills, or as mentioned earlier - to help the dead to get closer to heaven. However, the real reason of this practice still remains a mystery. GE ====================================================
Do you know how panda selects her husband ?
Male panda : Have you received my calling card ? Lady Panda : So many calling cards,You fight out with them first ,before we talk. The male panda leave his calling card to the lady panda. The courting begins In spring, when the flowers start blooming, giant pandas mate.
Weeks before, each mature adult male will begin leaving female his calling card-- sharp, smelly secretion around his quarter. He rubbed the trees, stumps, and rocks with his scent, on top of his urine. As the time for mating arrives, his urination became more frequent and the deposit provides stronger signal to alert a female that he is in the neighborhood.
Meanwhile female panda also work hard to attract the male with her scent-marking and loud moans. It is difficult to differentiate the female from the male panda. Though the males are bigger with stronger teeth and have brighter color to his fur. But the genitals of both sexes are hidden and embedded. It is funny that the males’ scrotum is exposed at breeding time.
As many as three or four males may come to woo a female panda. This competition and courtship process turn the normally quiet and reclusive pandas into sometimes aggressive and often noisy animals. Courting panda employ a wide range of sound, in all manner of combinations, to attract the attention of the female panda and wards off rivals.
When males approach a female in eagerness, they may make chomping sounds, opening and closing their mouth, rapidly half a dozen times or more, panting and gasping. The clicking and smacking sound produced is a sign of anxiety, a mild and non aggressive noise.
Males and females often bleat like goats to each other in a close up communication that is an apparent signal of friendship and reassurance. Since each individual panda has its own characteristic bleat, the sound may help potential partners recognize each other. The most common of mating calls is a moan, a sound that varies from a low moo, to a whine that rises and falls in pitch, to a soft ”bu-bu-bu sound, or to a sharp hoot. The moan appears to be a mild warning, but it may also serve as an announcement for a successful mating. Pandas will also bark like dogs when courting, they also roar at mating time, a harsh groan that is their most aggressive sound: male roar at each other and females roar at persistent suitors. The fight When males fight each other for female, they may circle each other, then push, swat with their forepaws, lunge, and finally wrestle either in a standing or squatting position. If one battling panda turns its head, the other may bite it in the neck or shoulder. The aggressor tries to push its opponent onto its back or side, in which position the battle continues with much flailing of limbs.
As the males fight, the female watches, crouching on the ground nearby and moaning.
Many males may battle over a single female. On < xml="true" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" prefix="st1" namespace="">April 13, 1983 observers saw five male pandas fighting over a female in the Wolong Natural Reserve Centre.
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waiting for the winner. On April l8.1986, in the same area four male pandas were seen competing for a female The victor in this competition customarily wins the female and they mate.”
Giant pandas reach breeding maturity between four to eight years of age. They may be reproductive until about age 20. Calls and scents draw males and females to each other. Ha Ha, Learn from the ancient Chinese tradition. According to the Chinese legend, female pugilist who excelled in martial arts, will only willing to take in husband who was the best fighter in the town. Therefore their parents will openly invite young unmarried pugilist to compete on stage with other pugilists for the lady pugilist. The victor will win the heart of the beautiful lady. (Sometimes not so beautiful but she was also a good fighter. Only with this they thought it is a good match. So one must fight for a good wife.
Based on official report, giant pandas live in the mountains in central China, particularly in Sichuan, Shaanxi and Gansu . At one time, they lived in lowland areas, but due to the nation’s modernization policy, farming, forest clearing, and industrial development, Giant Panda were inevitablydriven out form the lowland and self restricted in the jungles.
They live in broadleaf and coniferous forest with a dense understory of bamboo, at elevations between 5000 to 10,000 feet. Adult giant pandas are generally solitary, but they do communicate periodically through scent marks, calls, and occasional meetings.
Baby panda is always under the care of the mother.
Sources:
Body Painting in China Art or Sex
Different people look at things in Different ways.
Some said Body painting is a form of Body art. Some said this is yellow culture, and actually a form of nudity. It is sex and obscene.
Anyway, body painting is the most ancient form of art .Unlike tattoo and other forms of body art, body painting is temporary, painted onto the human skin, and lasts for several hours or at most a couple of weeks.
Body painting with clay and other natural pigments existed in most, if not all tribal cultures, often worn during ceremonies. It still survives in this ancient form among the indigenous people of Australia, New Zealand and particularly Africa.
A semi-permanent form of body painting known as Mendi using dyes made of henna was and is still practiced in India and Middle East, especially on brides. Since the late 1990s.Mendi has become popular amongst young women in the Western world
Today body painting is popular in both amateur and professional circles. Body painting festivals happen annually across the world bringing together professional body painters as well as keen amateurs. Body painting is not always on full nude bodies. It includes smaller designs on one area of the body. Some years back People in Beijing, staged the first body painting show and had attracted a great number of visitors. The activities however had slowed down. Recently in Shanghai and in a number of cities, similar shows were organized. These were staged by commercial firms promoting their businesses. Of late, many artists begin to work professionally as body painters across the world; their works regularly appe in television commercials, glossy magazines, and pin-up calendars.
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Crying fish
The salamander is treasured and rare specie of amphibian found in many parts of the world, with a characteristic call resembling the crying of a baby. Hence, it is sometimes called “wa-wa fish”, which in Chinese, means “baby fish” < xml="true" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" prefix="o" namespace=""> Some ten over years ago, on < xml="true" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" prefix="st1" namespace="">9th April 1994, a huge salamander was discovered in a river in Lan Zhou city, located along the upper reaches of the Yellow river. It was 0.9 m tall and weighing 5.65 kg, this “giant” attracted a crowd of several hundred spectators. According to a professor, this creature is normally found in clear waters. Its recent appearance in the upper reaches of the Yellow River indicates an improvement in the water quality there.
In Zhuxi County, Hubei province, a peasant, Yuan Zhichun was cited as model worker of the county for his achievement of breeding more than 1,200 giant salamanders in his home-run farm. The salamanders have four legs, a flat body and a big flat head.
In China, the salamanders lives mainly in the tributaries of the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze, Yellow and Shooing Rivers. Their habitat stretches across more than 10 provinces and autonomous regions. They feed mainly on small fishes, shrimps, crabs, snakes and insects. During the day, they stay in crevices and nooks and emerge to hunt during the night. One unique known fact is their ability to survive in clear waters for two to three years
Widely exhibited in the zoos, the salamanders are awesome creatures to see. Their skin and gall bladder are used in Chinese medicine and their flesh is tender and delicious. For a taste of this creature, try the mouthwatering dish - ‘Eight treasure salamander’.
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Architecture without Architects
In a village,you see no tree,no house, you hear people talking, singing,but see no people. Let’s go back to the year 1970, 30 over years ago, long before the opening and modernization of < xml="true" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" prefix="st1" namespace="">China .If you were at that time invited to go Henan Province, China for a. visit to the yellow plateau in the region of San Men Straits. In one of the villages in that region, you would be astonished to see there were trees “but no village”, in the so called village there was without a single house. Most strange was you heard voices but saw no people”
You found square or rectangle openings here and there; they were 10 to 15 meters in length and 6 to 7 meters deep. Ha, the houses were sunken underground... < xml="true" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" prefix="o" namespace=""> From the opening you peeped down you will see the underground courtyard, with trees and flowers planted all round, just like what we would see in the open space of our modern open air above ground courtyard
It was not only the courtyard, you would also find cave rooms dug deep inside the premises. The number of underground rooms can be as many as 7 to 8, big and small. They included the master bed room for the family’s elders, children’s room, store room, cooking area, toilets, even area to keep animals and poultries.
The international renown German architect, designer and critic Mr. Bernard Rudofsky wrote in his famous book ”the architecture without architect” commented on the underground courtyard in China as ”a bold creation, excellence method of Presentation and solid construction” With admiration he took some pictures from the air on the underground courtyards village. It was in the year 1964...
It is said the sunken courtyard is closely related to the tradition of the primitive ancients cave dwelling .with a history of 4000 years, the sunken courtyard is a kind of common residence in China’s hilly and plateau areas, .
Mr. Ivana who wrote for China culture. org.said: Building an underground courtyard is not a simple matter. Before constructing a courtyard, people usually first invite a geomancer, a spiritual ecologist who explores and fosters the harmony between the physical and spiritual environment. The geomancer would then find a good site for the dwelling according to the traditional Eight Diagrams (Ba Gua) signs used by Chinese feng shui. In these cases, placing of beds, tables and many openings like doors facing directions have to be observed.
According to reports that within the province’s boundaries of San Man Straits, we still can find some sunken courtyards scattered in the area. In fact, several dozens of families remained living in these kinds of dwellings, but such dwellings are gradually vanishing. Due to the development of the nation.
The Chinese are getting richer since the nation adopted policy on market economy, As the upper ground land that cover the underground household can be used to put up high-rise buildings,. The value of land increases many times more then the value of the underground courtyard... The rich families began to abandon the tradition underground premises to surface themselves on the earth.
So it is said Since the 1980s, many people who lived in the sunken courtyards moved away. The courtyards were buried. in many villages. At present, only limited numbers of such courtyards can still be found in Shan County. It can be foreseen that, the ancient underground dwellings are doomed to sink out of sight.
Source::XINHUAnewsagency.CNTO.Singapore 02 TKE database. China Culture org.cn.**
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