Happy Chinese New Year

Chinese New Year, 2012

I went to Kaohsiung for Chinese New Year, have 9 days holiday in this dragon year. I spent time with my parents, grandmom, mother-in-law and husband's relatives, for the most of time, we just ate, chat, slept, watch TV, went outing, or did nothing together, this is the perfect day for family members indulge ourselves and not feel any guilt at all.

"RED" is the most popular color in the festival, everyone is busy buying for red envelopes, couplets, lanterns, firecrackers, even red underwears, underpants. In Chinese culture, red means "lucky", "auspicious", "propitious", I pasted the couplet which written out "Happy New Year" to the front door, hope this year would be spendid.

Grassland and Autumn Snow

Mt.Hehuan (2008) 

Mt. Hehuan is the most accessible and popular mountain above 3,000 meters higt in  central Taiwan, people who like outdoor activities come here for hiking, climing and camping in the beautiful grassland. If it snows, a stream of tourist come here for seeing silvery-white world, which is a uncommon scenery below 3,000 meters. 

Me and my friends came here for 3 days hiking, we never expected could see snowing in autumn, but it was just happened. I was standing opposite of Mt.Hehuan north peak, it covered with thin white color, snow made yellow grassland and dark green trees look like a illution, only I was hearing - wind wispering, montain singing. Everyone was intoxicated, and enjoy quietly the beauty of this moment.   

Moon Cake

Moon Cake, produced by Lee-Cake store.(2011)

I went to Lee-Cake before mid-autumn festival in September, every employees were so busy stacking up thousands of moon cake gift boxes from ground to ceiling.
Most people in Chinese culture eat moon cakes for celebrating the festival, this is the day for family reunion, also is one of the most important holiday in a year.
Lee-Cake is a century-old store, it located in Dadaocheng, where is used to be a lively trading port in the 19th century, and still a historical tourist site in Taipei. The Lees' is making Chinese style confectionaries from Ching dynasty, famous for a kind of moon cake called "Pinsi", and that is the reason I came here. In stuffring of Pinsicakes is made from white beans, sweet but not greasy, melt in mouth instantly. 
It is fun seeing bakers making Pinsicakes, I like the step of stamp the name "Pinsi" on cakes, that make them look more attractive. 

Wine Factory in 1920's

Huanshan1914, Creative Park.(2011)

This is not my first time to come to Huanshan, but the first time I notice the beautiful flagging.
Built in 1914 by Japanese, Huanshan used to be a wine factory which produced the largest amount of saki, rice wine, fruit wine and so on. In prosperous 1920's, there was about 400 employees busy for wine producing everyday.  
However, it was abandoned from 1987 to 1997, a decade cordoned off from all people, every stories were hidden behind the growing tree banks. 
Today, the old factory is still standing in the heart of Taipei, but different from before. In 2007, the Taiwan cultural-creative development company renovated it, and renamed as Huashan1914, Creative Park. Now it serves as a creative arts center and hosts for cultural activities regularly, with originality, innovation and pleasure.
Huanshan is alive and full of energy, ready to make another history.

IRONMAN



 I went to a stithy to interview the 3rd generation of blacksmith in Sinjhuang old street, Taiwan.
It is truely a hard, exhausting work in the world, everytime he raised his hammer punching the metal, or put steel into a extremly high temperature stove with a clip, I could feel the sweat bucketing down of my face.
The Wangs' family had made agricultural implements such as chopping knifes, sickles for about 100 years. Today, the 3rd generation become a artist, he works not just for living, but also for fun.    
Ironman, you are a hard-core guy!