MERRY X'MAS 2014

BETROTHAL（过大礼）

Time flies, in 4 days' time my eldest girl will be somebody's wife and daughter-in-law.  It is hard to describe my feeling now - happy that she had found a comparable match whom I very much hope that he will be able to go through "thin and thick" with her.  At the same time feel sad as I have lost a child after nearly 30 years of together.

A week before the wedding day, the groom delivered the betrothal gifts to the bride's family on an auspicious date.  The betrothal (過大禮, also known as 納彩) is an important part of the Chinese wedding tradition.  The gifts are often in even number for the meaning of in couple and in pairs. Food items include wine, oranges and jewelry for the bride while jewelry includes gold earrings, necklaces, bracelets, and rings.

During this exchange, the groom's family presents the bride's family with betrothal gifts (聘礼) to symbolize prosperity and good luck. Moreover, the bride's family receives the bride's price (娉金) in red envelope.

The bride's family also returns (回禮) a set of gifts to the groom's side.  A pair of trousers were presented to the son-in-law by bride's mother to symphonic prosperity. Additionally, the bride's parents bestow a dowry (嫁妝) to the bride.

MUTTON MEAL

We were brought to a traditional courtyard house for dinner.  This unique house is turned into a restaurant and the vegetables are self supplied.  The vegetables are pluck from their backyard garden which they farmed themselves.

The big courtyard, in the middle of the house, surrounded by dining rooms are used to cater performance for dinners.

Braised mutton with red dates in claypot

Stir fry mutton with onions and vegetables and peppers

Bittergourd salad is so fresh and sweet.  Served raw with salt and sesame oil

Mutton soup is favorable on a cold weather but too oily

Sweet Hami melon at the end of the meal.  So happy able to taste the ones with orange flesh

ENCHOING SOUND MOUNTAIN（鸣沙山）

We enjoyed the wonderful spectacle of the Echoing-Sand Mountain at Dunhuang, Gansu Province.  The mountain is five kilometers (about three miles) away from the city of Dunhuang.  It so claims that the mountain echoes to the sound of sand as you slide down its slopes.  The sand has many colors ranging from red to yellow, green, black and white. On days when a strong wind blows, the fast shifting sand roars; but when the wind is little more than a light breeze, the sand produces gentle, dulcet sounds akin to music.  We traveled the sand by camels and we did not experiment the mountain echoing as so claim.

It was blasting hot and to avoid sunburn we had put on heavy sunscreen and cover from head to toe.  We rode on the camels to go round the desert for 45 minutes.

The camels are docile and obedient animals.  When they were ordered to sit and wait for further instructions, they took a light nap.  The camels with their herdsman works from 4am till 11pm during the summer months.

The splendid environment consisting of golden sand, a wondrous mountain and a beautiful sunset.

LUMINOUS CUP（夜光杯）

Our meals served were more on meat and buns as we traveled further in.  We had noodles besides rice as their staple food is noodles.

Bun to go with fried minced mutton with green peppers, chillie and onions.  An interesting dish

Spicy and sweet sour fish

Wild flower buds stir fry, not used to the taste

Body warming mutton soup with red dates and lotus seeds

Common dish - potatoe salad with szechuan peppers

La Mien in spicy broth

Vegetable beancurd soup

After lunch we visited the Luminous Cup Factory.  “Alcohol Spring” in Chinese history, the Suzhou region in Gansu province is a famous historically and culturally important city along the Silk Road.

The Jiuquan Luminous Cup is a renowned and costly alcohol-drinking vessel made of jade, so named because it sparkles when filled with alcohol and placed under the moonlight.

Since ancient times, the Qilian Mountains of Gansu have produced a beautiful jade of brilliant white, green, black and yellow colors.  Local artisans grind and polish it into wine cups either of a pure color or of mixed colours. They come in various shapes, including wine cups with stems, flat-bottomed cups, and cups with cut designs, all marked by their simple and elegant style.  They are all the more cherished because they stand in sudden contact with extreme heat or cold.

Folk art are on display and we can see their fine workmanship curved from stone and jade

HANGING WALL

The Hanging Wall lies on the side of the Black hill, which is 8 km away north from the fort of Jiayu Gateway, Gansu Province as part of the Jiayu Gateway defense system where the Great Wall ends.  Built in the year of Jiajing 18th, Ming Dynasty with the original length of 1.5 km.  Now there are only 750 meters remains with an inclination of 45 degrees.

From the distance, it seems that the wall has just been suspended on the back and is trying its best to break up the strains. The Great Wall winds its way thousands of kilo miles from east to west, passing many mountains. Gateways were built in the strategic places and soldiers garrisoned there to guard against enemy's invasion.

It was a pity that we do not have the time to climb to the top due to lack of time.  I would very much like to take up the challenge to compare the one in Beijing.