When most of us live in the city, we miss and look forward to the countrylife more and more. We like the sweet smell from the soil of countryside, the close touch with the nature. More and more people like to “plant ” on the internet, they enjoy the feeling of working and harvest.Why not to taste the life of a farmer?

Sweat, bug-bites, a few skull-meets-falling-orange episodes later… and I’m now officially hooked. Why? It’s fun! Whether you’re a social type or more of a contemplative loner, it’s honestly a great way to spend a few hours. Sure, there’s the do-gooder feeling that comes from knowing you’re bringing previously-wasted produce to poor families in need of nutritious food. But there’s also something actually enjoyable about plucking ripe, orange spheres from the sky and delivering them into boxes where they sort of glow against their own greenery. Before I wax too poetic about the whole thing, I’ll stop and say: Just come on. You can meet great people and make friends, or just find your own tree and let your thoughts wander while you help feed people.

If you have young children, your trip to Genting Highlands would be more complete if you visited the Strawberry Farm in Genting Highlands. It is best to visit the Strawberry Farm on the way home rather than on the way to Genting. Well, that is only my personal opinion.

You see, on the way to Genting, the kids are so excited about the prospect of playing all the games and rides, they probably couldn’t care less about picking strawberries. lol. However, on the way home, they are disappointed and a bit down and the strawberry farm is the best place to pick up their spirits again before leaving Genting. All you need is another 20-30 minutes for a walkabout.

You can handpick strawberries at the Strawberry Farm, look at the mushroom farm, the flower farm and the organic bean sprouts. There is a little Strawberry Farmhouse Cafe if you need a little snack. They also sell pretty kites and strawberry print umbrellas.

Besides enjoying beautiful natural scenery in Hangzhou, we  tasted Hangzhou cuisine.Hangzhou food is representative of the southern style.Reminiscent of the romantic scenery around Hangzhou, these dishes are delicate, tender, refreshing and crisp. All ingredients used in the cooking come from the fertile land around the city, known as a land of plenty.Here I will introduce you some famous cuisine.

West Lake Fish
This dish chooses Kun fish in the West Lake as its raw material. When cooking it, fire and time is very strict. Within 3 to 4 minutes, the fish should be cooked well, and then, water some sweet and sour on the fish. It is very tasteful.

Dongpo Pork
It is very delicious. The soup is dense and the taste is great. The pork is fat but not greasy. It could arouse your appetite as soon as you see it. It is said that Dongpo pork is made by a famous poet Su Dongpo in northern Song Dynasty. In the year 1089, he was in Hangzhou to be in charge of dam-construction work. When the work was done successfully, he used pork and wine to cook the braised pork. Later, people call the dish Dongpo Pork.

You Zha Gui
The traditional snack ” You Zha Gui” has a legend that when the famous general Yuefei of Song Dynasty was persecuted and executed by wicked Qin’gui and his wife, an owner of a small shop who sold fried noodles and cakes saw Qin passed by the shop in his royal sedan everyday. He hated him so much. One day, he used wheat flour to knead into a shape of human figure which looked like Qin’gui, and put it into a cauldron of heat cooking oil. He shouted aloud: “You Zha Qin’gui (Oil Fried Qin Gui)!” So this is how the famed snack got its name.

Hangzhou enjoys a variety of local-flavor dishes, of which 26 are renowned local dishes such as Dongpo Pork, West Lake Carp in Sweet and Sour Sauce, Shelled Shrimps with Dragon Well Green Tea, Beggar’s Chicken, Jingle Bell, Honey Ham, All Birds Paying Homage to Phoenix and Quick-Fried Prawns. Later, some new-style Hangzhou dish has been appeared. They are distinguished for new tastes, new raw materials and new cooking methods.

Xixi Wetland Park is less famous than the West Lake. But After a movie called If you are the One(非诚勿扰)， more and more people got it, and travel to Xixi.We went there in the second day.

Situated in the western part of Hangzhou, less than 5km from West Lake, Xixi National Wetland Park is a rare urban wetland. With rich ecological resources, simple natural landscape and profound culture, Xixi is known as one of the Three “Xi’s” along with Xihu (West Lake) and Xiling (the Seal Engravers’ Society). It is the first and only wetland park in China combining urban life, farming and culture. Xixi has not only broad open views, but also a variety of water views. Warm and humid, the area enjoys a comfortable climate featuring abundant precipitaThis place is peaceful and I can’t believe my eyes when a road and massive complexes appear around the corner. As I turn my head the other side of the river shows a whole other panorama. White wooden houses with dark decorations in traditional Chinese style are spread out in harmony with the most beautiful of trees. The pink flowers covering the treetops make this scenery look just like those typical Chinese paintings my grandmother used to have on her wall. Put a warrior and his lover in the center and the scene is complete.

Reed, trees and bushes are what clean the water in this area, just like the massive mangrove further south. I imagine one of the trees as being part of The Lion King, with birds nest waiting for vultures to return, something I soon convince myself is not going to happen anytime soon. This place truly gets my fantasy going.

Last week, I went to Hangzhou with several of my friends for 2 days tour.It was a wonderful experience.As one of the most renowned and prosperous cities of China for much of the last 1,000 years, Hangzhou is also well-known for its beautiful natural scenery, with the West Lake (Xī Hú, 西湖) as the most well-known location.

We went to travel the West Lake  as soon as we got to Hangzhou.In Hangzhou, the term “West Lake” represents an elegant beauty, a lieu of romance and a place of leisure for people who are living here and tourists outside the city. As Hangzhou becomes a big tourism city in the Yangtze Delta, the West Lake is also a brand name besides Shanghai’s Bund and the Suzhou classical gardens in China tours.

Lei Feng Pagoda

The Leifeng Pagoda is an octagonal, five-storeyed brick and wood structure that was originally constructed in 975. The Pagoda was built by the King of Wuyue Kingdom, Qian Hongchu, to commemorate the birth of his son by Huangfei, his favorite concubine.

The Leifeng Pagoda was a national icon for the Chinese. In 1999, reconstruction efforts began. The Pagoda was completed in October, 2002, and provides a picturesque backdrop for West Lake and the surrounding hills.

Bai Causeway

Due to the foresight of Hangzhou’s governor (and resident poet) Bai Juyi, a new dam was constructed, and West Lake returned to its glory.

Su Causeway

Due to its shallow depth, the lake once again suffered a silting up. In about 1090 AD Hangzhou governor Su Shi (aka Su Dongpo) oversaw the dredging of West Lake, with the waste being used to construct a new causeway. Much longer than the Bai Causeway at 2.6 kilometers, the “Su Causeway” is also lined with weeping willow, hibiscus and magnolia trees, and is interconnected by six stone bridges.

Lesser Yingzhou Island

The islet of Lesser Yingzhou or “Fairy Island,” is one of the three main artificial islands on West Lake, and is situated at the southern end of the lake. Lesser Yingzhou is known as one of the “best scenic spots on West Lake,” and is commemorated on the back side of the 1 Yuan note.

Playing Kite with your families and friends in Spring is a good recreation way and sports. This is not only a chance to touch with the nature, but also a good way of enjoy life.

Kite as a Chinese invention, has been praised as the forerunner of the modern aeroplane.They began there use in the military’s of China and then became and intricate part of their arts and entertainment.Chinese kites became so popular they spread worldwide. Now they are used for art, competition and even sports like surfing.

Most ancient Chinese butterfly kites were made from carefully chosen bamboo and silk cloth. However, light-weight paper or tissue is sometimes used as a sail material.

The weight and strength of the sail material, whether tissue or silk, must be matched to the size of the kite being made. The sails are made slightly over-size, with the excess material folded over the outline of the kite frame and glued down.

With silk kites, the sail is generally painted after the kite is constructed. The kite frame conveniently holds the silk taut while the brush strokes are applied. However, mass produced silk kite sails are screen printed before being cut out and attached to the kites.

Paper lends itself to having the art work done first, before it is attached to the kite frame. This includes applique, where colored cut-outs are glued to the sail to form a design.

Summarizing the methods, a kite can be hand-painted, screen printed, appliqued, or even a combination of these.

My family and I enjoy the art of Chinese kite making. There’s nothing more gratifying that seeing the kite you made in flight. Kite Crafts teach kids construction abilities, problem solving, patience and art all in one easy to do project. Kites are the foundation for many great inventions we see today, such as the Airplane, ever heard of it? Chinese kites are where it all started!

Lantern Festival or Yuanxiao Jie is a traditional Chinese festival, which is fall on the 15th of the first month of the Chinese New Year. It is the last day of two week long Chinese New Year cerebration. People with their family will gather in the show place to enjoy the beautiful lanterns displayed by individuals or the local municipal. Kids will carry their own lanterns to participate in the showcase. Usually there is competition for the most beautiful lantern.

There was a beautiful bird flew down to the earth from the heaven. It was hunted by the village people. The Jade Emperor in Heaven was very anger, because the bird was his favorite one. He ordered to destroy the village and kill all people with a storm of fire on the 15th lunar day. The daughter of Jade Emperor heard of this act of vengeance, and warned the villagers to prepare for that. Everybody worried about it and no one had any idea to face the fact.

Luckily, a wise man past the village and made the suggestion that every house should hang red lanterns around the house, setup campfire on the street, explode the bamboo firecracker, made fireworks on 14th, 15th and 16th lunar days. In this way, Jade Emperor might think all village people die under fire and all the villagers can save their lives and properties.

On the night of 15th lunar day, the troop coming down from the heaven looked the village was ablaze and returned back to heaven to report the Jade Emperor. Satisfied with the result, the Jade Emperor decided not to burn down the village. From that day on, people celebrated the anniversary on 15th lunar day every year by carrying red lanterns on the streets and explode the firecracker and fireworks.

The lantern displays can be found in the town center square and temples. Usually. there is the lantern competition at the temple. Traditional lanterns are made by paper. They can make the lantern tuning around by the heat circulation from the candle inside. Today the light of the lantern is from the electricity. People like to design lantern using zodiac animals, historical figures, saint and gods of Taoism or Buddhism. Certainly, the current year’s animal symbol of the Chinese calendar is most popular subject. Using the computer tool today, they can design the lantern with different movements, the different colors of light and even using the laser light with special visual and sound effects.

Lantern Festival is also called. Yuan-Xiao Festival. This is because Chinese eat Yuan-Xiao on this day. This custom originated from the Eastern Jin Dynasty in the fourth century, then became popular during the Tang and Song Dynasty.

Yuan-Xiao just like Tang-Yuan . They are made of sweet rice flour into sticky glutinous balls. They can be filled in with sesame, red-bean or peanut butter paste. Usually, they are severed with sugar water. But some people still make salty Tang-Yuan.

The difference between Yuan-Xiao and Tang-Yuan is the way they are made and cooked. This is because that Chinese in different geographic area prepare the food in different way. Chinese call the one they eat on Winter Solstice Day is Tang-Yuan. The one they eat on the Lantern festival is called Yuan-Xiao.

There are two steps to starting skateboarding. Number one, get a board. Number two, ride it. If you know nothing about skateboards then you can use some of the articles on the site to help you out.

First you should get used to just riding the board. Being comfortable while pushing, standing, stopping, and turning are important skills to develop. You might not be sure which foot you should put in front while riding.

As a beginner, the chances are that the one you’ve got is pretty slow, with Abec ‘A’ bearings and a thick, heavy deck. Your deck won’t have much concave (meaning it won’t be very curved) but the good news is that this type of board is less likely to slip away from you so in fact is ideal to learn on.

Start pushing off up a shallow hill or on a level surface.Firstly, the skateboard tends to get away from them as they are pushing, because they tend to push from a position where their feet are level with each other or even with the pushing foot behind the front foot. Instead, you should imagine that pushing off is like walking – your pushing foot must step in front of the foot on the skateboard and then push back, just like taking normal steps. Your front foot should be just behind the front bolts.

When you’ve got some decent pace just practice gently leaning the skateboard to turn left and right. You don’t need to physically lean your body, but just put more of your weight into your heels or toes.

After a while try lifting the front wheels briefly as you lean to get a sharper turn. Do this by applying a bit more weight to the back tail until the front wheels are off the ground, then aim the nose a bit more towards whichever direction you are facing and put the front wheels back down again. Do this repeatedly while you turn to turn in as tight a circle as possible.

The obvious way for a beginner is what’s known as a tailstop. This is where you grind the tail of the skateboard into the ground, letting the friction slow you down. It works pretty well, although it’s not very efficient if you’re going really fast. You will also wear away the tail of your skateboard – personally I don’t mind this, but you might, depending on how precious you are about the board. Put it this way – it will take a hell of a lot of tailstops to wear the board down entirely, by which point you almost certainly will want a different one anyway.

Even though it wears your board out, it is a useful ‘trick’ to learn because it’s a start towards practicing your balance. When you first do one, you’re going to need the confidence to stomp the back down quite firmly and then ride out the tailstop at an unfamiliar angle (with the nose in the air) until you come to a halt. While you are doing this, try turning at the same time as well. All these little things will add up and be very useful later on.

Who wants a cup of tea? It’s not just Britons, old ladies and laborers enjoying a cuppa any more, with the world’s most consumed drink after water getting a make-over and attracting younger, more discerning fans.

The Chinese have a saying:”‘Firewood, rice, oil, salt, sauce, vinegar and tea”, They are the most important things in everyone’s life. If you notice that, you will find the tea is the seventh necessities to begin a day, Yes, we still can see the importance of tea in daily life.

Chinese tea culture not only expressing on drinking, but also in tasting.Tea drinking is for refreshment and tonic effect. but Tea tasting is a higher level drinking. it is not for satisfy one’s thirst, but a enjoying course.Tea tasting has cultural meaning. Tea and tea wares should match surrounding elements such as breeze, bright moon, pines, bamboo, plums and snow. All these show the ultimate goal of Chinese culture: the harmonious unity of human beings with nature.

Tea has also gained popularity in recent years due to a heightened awareness of its health benefits, with study after study praising it for helping to ward off diseases.

According to the United Kingdom Tea Council, an independent body set up to promote tea drinking, tea can help to reduce the risk of diabetes and heart disease while its high levels of antioxidants are also beneficial.

One of the latest studies, which emerged at the First International Congress on Abdominal Obesity, claimed tea could help slim the waistline. A recent Japanese study also found that elderly people who drink several cups of green tea a day are less likely to suffer from depression.