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We will certainly go to eat Peking Duck when we visit Beijing. We will probably go to Quanjude Restaurant. The original Quanjude was established in 1864. It is located south of Tiananmen Square. The last time we went to Beijing we visited the branch located at Wangfujing which opened in 1959. The area around Wangfujing Avenue near Tiananmen Square is the central business district and shopping area of Beijing.
Quanjude uses the traditional method of roasting duck that they learned from imperial chefs from the Forbidden City. The duck is rubbed with salt, sugar and spices. The skin of the duck is inflated like a balloon to separate it from the fat underneath. It is then hung on a pole over a non-smoky hard wood fire (such as date, peach, and pear trees) until the skin turns golden brown and crisp. When the duck is served, a cook comes to the table to carve the duck by cutting off slices of crispy skin and tender meat.
The dish is eaten by placing some crispy skin and duck meat on a bao bing, a thin small tortilla-like wrapping. A slice of scallion and some sweet paste made of hoisin sauce.
At the end of the meal a bowl of duck broth is served.
Last time we just ordered Peking Duck. Next time I hope we order a couple of additonal dishes. Other duck dishes available are: duck foot webs with mustard, Brine duck liver, stewed duck liver and gizzard, duck rolls in Maotai wine, duck slices in wine essence, duck with all flavours, duck wings in brown sauce, assorted four delicacies from the duck, deep-fried duck liver and gizzard, grilled duck heart, four delicacies from the duck in hot sauce, three delicacies of duck in rice wine, white grilled three delicacies of duck, duck tongues with egg-white, Beijing duck rolls, egg custard with duck grease, shark’ fin with duck, steamed duck, steamed duck breast in unglazed pot, mushroom stewed with duck wings, snow mushroom soup with duck tongues, bird’s nest and duck tongues, duck hearts with chrysanthemum, sauted duck intestine, fresh mushroom with duck slices, duck-like pastry, stuffed dumpling with duck meat and crepes with vegetables oil.
One restaurant that I really hope that we can visit in Beijing is the Fangshan Restaurant located in Beihai Park. The restaurant is located in Yilantang Hall on the north side of the Jade Isle. The Empress Dowager Cixi(1835 – 1908) used to take her meals in Yilantang Hall after sight – seeing in the park, which was once an imperial garden. Fangshan Restaurant is well-known because it serves imperial court cuisine from the Qing Dynasty. The restaurant was opened in 1925 by chefs of the imperial court. This was a year after Puyi, “the Last Emperor,” was driven out of the Forbidden City. The restaurant is known for their “ManHan” banquet which is composed of Manchu and Han dishes. Stewed camel’s hump and deer tendon are some of the exotic dishes that they offer. They are also known for their pastries such as the Empress Dowager Cixi’s favorite sesame buns stuffed with minced pork and wan dou huang, a sweet made from dried peas and sugar.
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We have two friends who are both doctors (one a pediatrician and the other a pediatric oncologist) and both are named Dave. Hua Mei calls both Dr. Dave and Dr. Dave the pediatrician is Hua Mei’s doctor. They have become the words of authority for our family. For instance, when we want Hua Mei to eat vegetables, we say Dr. Dave said that you need to eat your vegetables. Or Dr. Dave said that you can only eat a treat after you eat your dinner. It has worked really well for us, actually maybe too well. When we tell Hua Mei not to do something, some times she’ll ask, did Dr. Dave say that? Or if she doesn’t want us to do something, she’ll say, “The doctor said you shouldn’t.” Oh, well.
The funniest time was when her pediatrician Dr Dave came over for a party. When Hua Mei saw him, she stopped in her tracks. The expression of shock on her face was priceless. It didn’t take long for her to warm up to him once she was sure that he wasn’t there to give her an examination. She was pretty taken aback. I hate to think what her reaction would have been if Dave gave Hua Mei her shots rather than his nurses.
Anyway, now they are our voices of authority. I can’t wait until she starts asking them permission to do things or starts to question their authority. My apologies to both Daves.
Huaren is a term usually meant for a foreign citizen of Chinese descent. The term zhongguoren is used for someone who is Chinese but often is used for someone born in China, rather than a huaren who may not be a native. For instance my parents would probably be considered zhongguoren more than huaren. I’m not sure that there is a similar distinction for, say, Italian-Americans or Swedish-Americans.
Most often, someone like me is called an “ABC” or American-born Chinese. Other terms I’ve heard are “banana” and “twinkie,” as in yellow on the outside and white on the inside. This differentiation is a very charming feature of the Chinese culture.
Often when I meet native Chinese or Taiwanese here in the States, they are often surprised that I like Chinese food or even can understand some Chinese. In many ways we are looked down upon as being somewhat inferior. This is particularly interesting since we were raised by our parents to be proud of our Chinese heritage and our family history.
I really enjoyed visiting China. When I first got there, it was obvious to most that I was a foreigner. Most people thought that I was either part Chinese or that I was Japanese. No doubt my clothing and the way I carry myself made it clear that I was foreign to China. When I spoke some Chinese or when I told them that my parents were both from China, I was quickly accepted as a zhongguoren. I’m kind of surprised how important that level of acceptance is to me.
I think that this might be a big reason why I call Hua Mei by her Chinese name at home and try to speak as much Chinese as I can to her. I really want both her and Xia Mei to maintain their cultural identity. I hope that they will be fluent in Chinese. When I ask Hua Mei where she is from, she says, “I’m from China.” I’m glad for that. She is an American but she is also from China. I’ll let others decide if she is a huaren or a zhongguoren but she’ll enjoy the benefits of being a Chinese American.
This weekend we are going to see Cirque du Soleil perform Saltimbanco.
This will be the second time that Karen and I have seen them. We saw Alegria a few years ago when they performed that show in Minneapolis. This will be the first time for Hua Mei but she has had experience with the circus. For the past year she’s been taking classes at Circus Juventus.
They have classes for kids from age 2 to 18. The coaches are great with kids and the kids gain confidence and learn discipline. Plus they have a lot of fun.
I have to admit that I learned something new watching the Olympics this summer. I gained an appreciation for rhythmic gymnastics. See for yourself.
It’s like watching the circus. I don’t think it’s a sport but they are great athletes and it’s amazing to watch. Okay, I’m still not sure about synchronized swimming.
Update: Saltimbanco was great. We all had a really good time. Karen and I both were surprised at how different it was from Alegria. My favorite routine was the duo trapeze:
Grace liked the Chinese poles the best:
Karen liked the duo trapeze but she and Hua Mei also really liked the strongmen. They were pretty amazing.
It was a really fun show.
We’ve had Hua Mei use Chinese names to call us at home. I’m “baba” and Karen is “mama” (okay, maybe I shouldn’t claim that mama is Chinese though the term is used in China too). When Xia Mei arrives, Hua Mei will be “jiejie,” older sister, while Xia Mei will be “meimei” or younger sister. An older brother would be called “gege” and a younger brother would be “didi.” For instance, I am Grace’s didi but Emily’s gege.
The word for paternal aunt is “guma” so the kids call my older sister “daguma,” big aunt and they call my mei mei “sanguma,” third aunt since she is the third sibling. “Da” means big and “san” means three. Here are other names for aunts:
bomu: father’s older brother’s wife
shenmu: father’s younger brother’s wife
yimu: mother’s sister
jiumu: sister’s brother’s wife
These are the names for uncles:
bofu: father’s older brother
shufu: father’s younger brother
gufu: father’s sister’s husband
jiufu: mother’s brother
jifu: mother’s sister’s husband
jiuma: mother’s brother’s wife
Obviously, extended families are a big part of the Chinese culture. When we were growing up, we called all adults either uncle or aunt. The Chinese words for an unrelated uncle is shushu and for an unrelated aunt, ayi.
Hua Mei calls my father yeye for grandfather. My mother would have been called nainai. The word for maternal grandfather is waigong and for maternal grandmother it’s waipo.
btw Hua Mei calls Karen’s mom “mormor” which is the Danish word for maternal grandmother (mother’s mother) while she calls Karen’s dad “Bumpa” which is how she used to pronounce grandpa.
The Chinese name for China is Zhongguo.
Zhong means “center, middle” and guo means “country.” Literally Zhongguo means “middle kingdom” or “central country.” No self-esteem problems there. But the real question is, why is the country called China by the rest of the world?
One explanation is that it comes from Jingdezhen, originally known as Changnan. Since Changnan was the source of the porcelain that was exported to Europe in the 16th century, the type of porcelain and hence the country of its origin came to be known by a mispronunciation of the name of the town Changnan or “China.”
It is a good story. However, more likely the name China comes from the word Qin from the Qin dynasty (221 BC – 206 BC). Then again, it is also posited that it comes from the Indian word “sina” which means silk. Or perhaps it is the Qing Dynasty (1644-1912) which also coincides with the major porcelain trade with Europe. I’m glad that I was able to clarify that.
I created a new blog for the superstruct game. The superstruct game website has posted videos and they also have a Facebook group.
Here’s some info from the FAQ:
SUPERSTRUCT LAUNCHES OCTOBER 6, 2008
Q: What is Superstruct?
A: Superstruct is the world’s first massively multiplayer forecasting game. By playing the game, you’ll help us chronicle the world of 2019–and imagine how we might solve the problems we’ll face. Because this is about more than just envisioning the future. It’s about making the future, inventing new ways to organize the human race and augment our collective human potential.
Q: What does “superstruct” mean?
Su`per`struct´ v. t. 1.To build over or upon another structure; to erect upon a foundation.
Superstructing is what humans do. We build new structures on old structures. We build media on top of language and communication networks. We build communities on top of family structures. We build corporations on top of platforms for manufacturing, marketing, and distribution. Superstructing has allowed us to survive in the past and it will help us survive the super-threats.
Q: How do I play Superstruct?
A: Superstruct is played on forums, blogs, videos, wikis, and other familiar online spaces. We show you the world as it might look in 2019. You show us what it’s like to live there. Bring what you know and who you know, and we’ll all figure out how to make 2019 a world we want to live in.
Jingdezhen is a city in the northest of Jiangxi Province.
It is known as the “Porcelain Capital” of the world. The most famous types of porcelain from Jingdezhen are the blue and white porcelain, which has been produced since the Yuan dynasty (1280-1368AD) and the rice-patterned (linglongci) porcelain that was introduced in the Song dynasty (960-1279AD). Some think that the rice-shaped translucent patterns in linglongci china results from rice grains placed in the clay before it is fired. Actually, small holes are carved in the soft porcelain and it is the glaze that fills the holes and results in the translucent pattern after it is fired. Jingdezhen porcelain was described as being “as white as jade, as thin as paper, as sound as a bell, as bright as a mirror.” The city continues to be a major source of fine porcelain.
The major styles of Jingdezhen porcelain are:
Yaobian Porcelain
Yaobian vases feature a simple, natural shape combined with sophisticated colors. Their dominant purple-red glaze flows into cyan and moon white in a pattern that takes on a life of its own and enhances the beauty of the vase. Glazing the fired body of the vase multiple times, then baking at a low temperature creates such patterns. The copper, cobalt, titanium, manganese, and iron coloring elements combine to produce a variety of shades, mingling with the red glaze on the porcelain to create striking hues.
Celadon/Yingqing Porcelain
The production of monochromatic ceramics matured over several centuries in Northern China, achieving particular success with green-glazed “qingci” or “celadon” pieces. These were developed as Ru, Guan, Ge, and Jingdezhen ware to a high level. The delicately lobed and rounded bodies of these porcelains reflect the mastery of the artisans from this period.
Blue and White Underglaze/Qinghuaci Porcelain
Drawing the design with cobalt pigment onto the stoneware body, and painting over it with a transparent glaze creates the blue-white style, also known as “underglaze blue”. The piece is then fired at a high temperature. Blue-white porcelain was introduced during the Yuan Dynasty and has been continuously in production ever since, thanks to is bright colors, simple yet elegant patterns, and smooth glaze that never fades.
Wucai Porcelain
Wucai is a type of overglaze decoration. After firing the piece at a low temperature; red, green, yellow, blue, and purple enamels are applied to the white ware. Wucai has been popular since the early Qing Dynasty.
Doucai Porcelain
Doucai Porcelains feature an unusual combination of exquisite patterns, color coordination, and well-executed color filling. It reached its height in the Yonzhen and Kangxi reigns during the Qing Dynasty. The blue-white color is first applied under the glaze. Then red, green, and yellow are filled over the glaze and the piece is fired at low temperatures.
Famille Rose/Fenaici Porcelain
Famille Rose was developed during the Kangxi reign of the Qing Dynasty, and is based on the Wucai and Doucai styles. Famille rose porcelains feature complex, ornate patterns with a balanced tone, detailed drawing, and steady color.
We are putting together a small package to send to Xia Mei at her orphanage. CHSFS has sent us a bilingual letter to the orphanage staff, instructions in Chinese on how to use a one-time use camera, a bilingual list of questions about our child, and an address label that we can affix to the package for mailing to China.
We will be sending a disposable camera for pictures of Xia Mei and her foster parents. When we received Hua Mei, we were given a small photo album with the pictures from the camera we sent to the orphanage in Wu Xue City.
Hua Mei still loves to look at it. We will also send Xia Mei a photo album of us, our home, her room and her grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. CHSFS sent us bilingual labels for the photo album. I can create any additional labels using the nciku web site. We will also send her a small blanket that we bought at Target earlier this year, specifically for this purpose. I had to buy it. It had her name on it.
We’ve washed it a few times so that the blanket may get her familiar to the scent of our clothing. Hopefully the blanket and photo album we send her will prepare her for our first meeting.
