restaurant culture is vibrant and exotic anywhere you go, marketing strategies are endless fun
Places of worship are full of young people
Chinese parks and gardens are very pretty
The lion or the dog?
Getting your nails done after the hot pot experience, feeling great after eating, watching the noodle dance and Chinese opera ‘mask man’ perform.
tea after the whole prelude done for us, first tea ceremony that satisfied my curiosity about the real traditional performance preceding the tea drinking
breakfast at the fast food chain, spicy egg soup and gyoza dumplings
sichuan cuisine with my students after karaoke
Guardians at the museum
dragon on the roof fiercely looking forward
farewell concert on the last day
seafood restaurant I still have to try because they promise sour kraut as a bonus
lotus plant, symbol of spiritual enlightenment, beauty and prosperity.
we had some tea tonight at the Chinese gardens, such a romantic place it turned out to be. Lanterns were up for the new year celebration, the line was long but we waited patiently to get in. We didn’t regret signing up for the event, in the tea house they had a musician playing live. The tea was truly amazing, they served there different kinds with a few pastry options. We get lucky to find a table on the second floor, where tea tasting was in progress.
At the entranceIn the gardensFloating FirebirdShow of lightsWork in progressReflections
the gardens offered a great experience of tea drinking and lantern viewing in downtown Portland. Some visitors dressed up which was another entertainment we didn’t expect to see. The atmosphere was very friendly and nostalgic, I was so happy to be there. It felt like I have been there before but I know for a fact it’s not the case. Maybe in my dreams only…
When new life begins you have no time to dwell on old grudges, stirring the cup and inflicting suffering on someone else. When a new chapter is here you couldn’t care less about what others think it should be like or it should develop into, the world is YOUR oyster, don’t let other people decide what it’s going to be/look like. You only have one life to live, so do it well and stop trying to indulge every creature under the sun. It’s not happening… unless you are chocolate, even then… even then someone might object.
The new year of Dragon is coming to bring peace, prosperity, success… I want you to make it happen today as if there is no tomorrow. Your future is in your hands. Good fortune to you and yours in 2024! Live long and prosper every day in every way.
Chinese New Year – Year of the DRAGON, Due February 15, 2024. 24th Annual Chinese New Year Swap.
The date of the Chinese New Year is determined by the lunar calendar. The holiday falls on the second new moon after the winter solstice. Each year the New Year in China falls on a different date than on the Gregorian calendar. Dates range between January 21 and February 20. The Chinese New Year 2024, Year of the DRAGON begins on February 10, 2024 – the second New Moon after the Solstice.
The “Spring Festival”, beginning on the new moon, is the start of Chinese New Year, and is China’s longest and most important traditional festival. It is celebrated at the turn of the traditional lunisolar Chinese calendar, which consists of both Gregorian and lunar-solar calendar systems. Chinese New Year can begin anytime between late January and mid-February. The Chinese New Year’s festivities end two weeks later on the 15th day of the first month (Full moon) and is celebrated with what is known as the Lantern Festival. The Chinese horoscope predicts that the Year of the Dragon in 2024 will bring luck, wealth, and power.
There are many traditions/beliefs associated with the New Year: The Chinese believe that as they enter a new year, they should start a new beginning. They pay off all of their debts, purchase new clothes, paint their doors, and even get new haircuts in order to have a fresh start. The night before the New Year begins, it is important to completely clean the house and sweep it. If you sweep or clean on Chinese New Year Day, it is bad luck, because you are sweeping out your good luck from the New Year. The same goes for bathing/showering. Instead of washing the morning of Chinese New Year, you are supposed to bathe the night before, then wait until the day after to shower again. Otherwise, all your (New Year) good luck gets washed away. New Year day is spent with family and friends, and usually there is a big family dinner. Flowers on the table each flower has meaning, fruit in bowls, and each traditional dish made, symbolizes something.
For this swap, your cards can be depictions of this year, 2024, which is the Year of the Dragon. But you may also depict any Chinese New Year Animal, and there are 12 Chinese New Year animals to pick from. Usually the U.S. post office (as well as the Canadian Post Office) releases a stamp to celebrate Chinese New Year. This year the post office is offering a blue rat. This stamp calls to mind the elaborately decorated masks used in the dragon dance often performed in Lunar New Year parades. This three-dimensional mask depicting a rat is a contemporary take on the long tradition of paper-cut folk art crafts created during this time of year. It is not available yet, but I will post a link when it is.
You can have the the Spring Festival, or the Lantern Festival, or red envelopes, or peonies, pineapples, mandarins, kumquats, or koi. You can create cards about New Year beliefs/celebrations/traditions regards things to do, and other items which are BAD LUCK to do.
You can have celebrations such as Lion Dancing, Dragon Dancing, Dragon Boat Races, parades and/or fireworks. The dragon is a very popular symbol for the Chinese New Year. It is a symbol of strength and good luck. A Chinese New Year celebration would not be complete without a giant dragon parading down the street. The dragon costume is always very colorful and can be up to 100 feet long. People inside the costume make the dragon move up and down as it zigzags past the spectators.
You can have Chinese New Year traditions, like the gifting of money in red envelopes/red pockets. On Chinese New Year, it is good to be a single person because all the married people give unmarried people red pockets with lucky money inside. Others say red envelopes are only for children.
Fish, which are synonymous with Chinese New Year, Koi in particular. Koi are very positive symbols and the different colors all have their different meanings! So when you fill you Koi pond, make sure you get the right color mix! All very feng shui!
You can depict flowers. Flowers are great alone, and can also make excellent backgrounds. The Peony is known as “flower of riches and honor” or “king of the flowers”, and is used symbolically in Chinese art. It is a flower much favored for Chinese New Year. The Narcissus is a symbol of the beginning of a new year. It is a symbol of good fortune and prosperity in Asia. Cherry Blossoms symbolize spring, the new year, and new beginnings. Daffodils are for luck. Peach Blossoms feature in the Lunar New Year celebrations.
You can depict fruit such as mandarins or kumquats, symbolizing good fortune and prosperity. In Lam Tsen there is a Wishing Tree where people throw Wishes tied to Mandarins into the Wishing Tree. Pineapple is considered a auspicious fruit for festive season. There are always pineapple tarts in every home during the Chinese New Year. Red Lotus seeds mean fertility. And pistachio nuts are lucky.
You can add Lucky Coins. Tie the coins together by red or gold string/ribbon to activate them. Group them in 3s, 6s or 9s. They obviously attract wealth! Odd numbers are better than even numbers. You can have fireworks or firecrackers. There are many beliefs about why fireworks are used. One belief is that the noise of the fireworks is supposed to scare away all evil spirits, allowing the new year to begin without misfortunes. ( Taken from https://atcsforall.com/ )
Why I quit my job 