Beijing

Weee~ English Presentation is finally over. As promised, it’s time for crys to share some information on Beijing, starting with the travel destinations.

 The Great Wall of China.

The Great wall of China is a significant symbol of the nation. It was built centuries ago to protect China against the intrusion of other nomadic groups. It is made up of discontinuous network of wall segments instead of long continuous ones. These segments combine to form the longest man-made structure in the world. The Great Wall of China is approximately 8850 kilometres long. In 1987, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has listed the Great Wall of China among the prestigious World Heritage sites. Although it wasn’t included in one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, but it was announced as one of the Seven Wonders of the Medieval World on the 7th of July 2007.

 

The Temple of Heaven.

There are Four Great Temples in Beijing which are the Temple of Heaven, the Temple of Earth, the Temple of Sun and the Temple of Moon. The Temple of Heaven, being the grandest among the four, was completed in the year 1420. It was originally used for imperial ceremonies. Commoners were forbidden to enter the temple until it was opened as a museum for public visit in October 1912. In 1998, the Temple of Heaven was registered on UNESCO’s World Heritage List.

The Forbidden City.

The Forbidden City was originally the home for the emperors. Commoners were forbidden to enter the building, which was how the name of the building came about. Now, the Forbidden City is no longer forbidden and tourists are allowed to enter for visit. Besides, the Forbidden City is also a famous place used in shooting for movies and dramas.

The Bird’s Nest Stadium.

The Bird’s Nest Stadium is the national stadium of China. It has a unique physical appearance of a bird’s nest. The construction of the Bird’s Nest Stadium started in December 2003 and took about 5 years to complete in April 2008. There are 91000 seatings in the stadium where 80000 are permanent and the remaining 11000 are temporary. There are hotels, restaurants and a twin-level shopping centre underneath the stadium. The Olympic 2008 was held here.

The Hanging Temple.

Wooo… Crys wonders how the temple was built. But anyway, crys didn’t really do much research on this unique building. The Hanging Temple leads crys's thought to the Avatar animation. Airbender, Waterbender, Earthbender and Firebender. LOL ! If crys was to choose for either one, crys would have chosen airbending because then, crys can fly. XD

Panda.

This cute little animal here is the symbol of the country China, too, together with the legendary Dragon. It is called the Panda, or more precisely, the Giant Panda. [According to a website, there’s another type of panda looking like a raccoon. o.o wooo~ crys learnt something new. :D] The Chinese calls it the ‘Nation’s Treasure'. Pandas can be found in the Beijing Zoo. Before the year 1997, death sentence was actually given to people who kills a panda. After the year 1997, the sentence was reduced to 10 years imprisonment.

Weee~ Next up is food ! :P Not much description about food. o.o

The Peking Duck.

The Peking Duck has been a famous dish since the imperial era, Famous for its thin, crispy skin and flavourful meat, it is often eaten with pancakes, spring onions and hoisin sauce or sweet bean sauce.

The Soup Dumpling.

The soup doumpling, also called the Xiao Long Bao, was originated from one of the China’s province named Shanghai. The soup dumpling is a steamed bun traditionally steamed in small bamboo baskets which why it has the name ‘Xiao Long’ that literally means ‘small steaming basket’. Its smooth, tender and translucent flour skin is neither too thick nor too thin, but just enough elasticity to hold the delicious soup in it without breaking. The soup dumpling is traditionally filled with pork but it may also be filled with other meats, seafood and also vegetarian fillings depending on the consumer.

The Spicy Bean Curds.

The Spicy Bean Curds, or more commonly known as the Mapo Tofu, is also one popular Chinese dish. It was originated from a province in China called Sichuan which is famous for its spicy dishes. The Mapo Tofu dish is a combination of bean curd set in a spicy chilli-and-bean based sauce topped with minced meat, usually pork or beef.

Lastly, the snacks-on-sticks in the Beijing market. The snacks-on-sticks are made out of a huge variety of unique food, including the silkworms. Some may be disgusted by the snacks (definitely crys) but some may love it.

Silkworms snacks-on-sticks.

Ever wonder why silkworms are chosen? Well, here’s some explanation. Silkworm consumption has a long history in China. They have been used as an animal fodder, food and medicine by the Chinese for a long period of time. Records of silkworm consumption were even recorded in the book ‘Qi Min Yao Shu’ which was written 3000 years ago. Silkworms have been considered the healthiest insect one can get for diet because of its high sources of nutrition compared to the other insects. Healthy, but gross too. Ewww~ Crys would never want some of these. =X

Well, that’s part of crys’s English assignment. XD Just sharing the quite interesting ones. The boring ones shall just be kept in a corner. Teehee~ The main difference between writing a report and blogging is… You don’t have to source every information you get from the internet ! And crys loves the difference. :D So much time saved for not sourcing. LOL ! XD

Lulux - 314

English Assignment + Presentation *Tick*