The Year of the Water Dragon

Gong Xi Fa Cai! .... or Happy Chinese New Year ..... the Year of the Water Dragon is upon us. 

Chinese New Year is the most important of the traditional Chinese holidays. In China, it is known as "Spring Festival," the literal translation of the Chinese name 春節, since the spring season in Chinese calendar starts with lichun, the first solar term in a Chinese calendar year. It marks the end of the winter season, analogous to the Western carnival. The festival begins on the first day of the first month in the traditional Chinese calendar and ends with Lantern Festival which is on the 15th day. Chinese New Year's Eve, a day where Chinese families gather for their annual reunion dinner, is known as Chúxī (除夕) or "Eve of the Passing Year." Because the Chinese calendar is lunisolar, the Chinese New Year is often referred to as the "Lunar New Year".

Chinese New Year is the longest and most important festivity in the Chinese calendar. The origin of Chinese New Year is itself centuries old and gains significance because of several myths and traditions. Chinese New Year is celebrated in countries and territories with significant Chinese populations, such as Mainland China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Macau, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, and also in Chinatowns elsewhere. Chinese New Year is considered a major holiday for the Chinese and has had influence on the lunar new year celebrations of its geographic neighbors. These include Korean (Seollal), Bhutanese (Losar), and Vietnamese cultures.

Within China, regional customs and traditions concerning the celebration of the Chinese new year vary widely. People will pour out their money to buy presents, decoration, material, food, and clothing. It is also the tradition that every family thoroughly cleans the house to sweep away any ill-fortune in hopes to make way for good incoming luck. Windows and doors will be decorated with red colour paper-cuts and couplets with popular themes of "good fortune" or "happiness", "wealth", and "longevity". On the Eve of Chinese New Year, supper is a feast with families. Food will include such items as pigs, ducks, chicken and sweet delicacies. The family will end the night with firecrackers. Early the next morning, children will greet their parents by wishing them a healthy and happy new year, and receive money in red paper envelopes. The Chinese New Year tradition is to reconcile, forget all grudges and sincerely wish peace and happiness for everyone.

Although the Chinese calendar traditionally does not use continuously numbered years, outside China its years are often numbered from the reign of the Yellow Emperor. But at least three different years numbered 1 are now used by various scholars, making the year beginning in AD 2012 the "Chinese Year" 4710, 4709, or 4649.

Spiral Joss Sticks

Joss sticks are a type of incense used in many East Asian and Southeast Asian countries, traditionally burned before a Chinese religious image, idol or shrine. They can also be burned in front of a door, or open window as an offering to heaven, or devas. In modern days, joss sticks can be used for any purpose, such as to enhance the smell of a room, or to light fire crackers.

Joss sticks are religious materials in China, India, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Thailand, Taiwan, Myanmar, Cambodia, Philippines, Korea, and Japan.

The word "joss" is derived from the Latin deus (god) via Portuguese.

Chinese Door

This lovely old Chinese door is located at the Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion (or Blue Mansion) in Georgetown, Penang, Malaysia. This heritage building has been beautifully restored revealing intricate details of workmanship and attention to detail in the design of the architecture.

Heritage Buildings of Georgetown, Penang

Backstreets and lanes of historic towns like Georgetown, Ipoh and Malacca are a wonderful place to find some colorful old heritage style houses and shops. This corner house has had some rather unique renovation carried out as you can see with the tacked-on extra room made from corrugated iron. Of course I'm sure that proper planning permission was granted here and that these modifications adhere to good building practice and regulations!

Final Resting Place

This Chinese grave in the Birch Road Christian Cemetery in central Kuala Lumpur offers a very peaceful resting place beneath a lovely old tree. This small graveyard has been left abandoned for many years and is a wonderful place to capture these atmospheric images. The rich tropical greens of the trees, the overgrown undergrowth and the dilapidated grave stones adds to the overall atmosphere of the place.

Kalsang Friend's Corner

This small restaurant in Mussoorie, North India specialised in Tibetan, Chinese and Thai cuisine .... an interesting mix to say the least and have to admit I did not have the opportunity to try the delights of the restauarant. This part of India has many Tibetans and in hill towns such as Mussoorie you see them working as labourers or porters.

Water Calligraphy

As I walked around the perimeter of the West Lake in Hangzhou I started to notice some strange markings on the tiled pathway. At first I thought it was just water marks but then recognised these as Chinese symbols. Further down the path I eventually found the source of these marks, a man with an oversized calligraphy brush and a can of water was meticulously practising his Chinese calligraphy in each square of the tiled pathway. 

Three Umbrellas

These brightly coloured Chinese umbrellas were hung from the roof of a shop in Huangzhou as decoration. Always remember to look all around you and especially up as you never know what you may find to photograph.

Szechuan Cuisine

Szechuan cuisine, Szechwan cuisine, or Sichuan cuisine is a style of Chinese cuisine originating in Sichuan Province of southwestern China famed for bold flavors, particularly the pungency and spiciness resulting from liberal use of garlic and chili peppers, as well as the unique flavour of theSichuan peppercorn. Peanuts, sesame paste and ginger are also prominent ingredients in Szechuan cooking. Although the region is now romanized as Sichuan, the cuisine is still sometimes spelled 'Szechuan' or 'Szechwan' in the West. There are many local variations of Sichuan cuisine within Sichuan Province and Chongqing Municipality, which was politically part of Sichuan until 1997. The four best known regional sub-styles are Chongqing style, Chengdu style, Zigong style, and Buddhist vegetarian style.

KKB Shophouse Black & White

This is a typical Chinese shophouse in Kuala Kubu Baru. Kuala Kubu Bharu (alternately known as Kuala Kubu Baru, Kuala Kubu Bahru or Kuala Kubu Baharu; commonly referred to as KKB), is a town in Hulu Selangor district, Selangor, Malaysia. It was built after the town of Kuala Kubu was destroyed in a flood in 1883. Kuala Kubu Bharu is located on top of a hill. It is the district capital of Hulu Selangor.

This Chinese shophouse belongs to Lim Guan Joo and going by the sign below the name deals with ginseng and most likely other herbal remedies.

Yuewang Temple

The Yue Fei Temple or commonly known in Chinese as Yuewang Temple is a temple built in honor of Yue Fei, a general of the Southern Song dynasty when the capital of China was in Hangzhou. The temple ground is located near the West Lake, in central Hangzhou.

The temple was first constructed in the during the Song Dynasty in 1221 to commemorate Yue Fei. The site includes Yue Fei's Temple, Loyalty Temple and Yue Fei’s Mausoleum inside. The temple was reconstructed several times in later date. The tombs and the tomb sculptures in the temple all dates from the 12th century, and have been meticulously restored.

Raise The Red Lantern

This photo taken in Shanghai, China reminds me of the famous Chinese movie Raise The Red Lantern, which is one of the very few Chinese movies I have watched and enjoyed.

Raise The Red Lantern is a 1991 film directed by Zhang Yimou and starring Gong Li. It is an adaption by Ni Zhen of the 1990 novel Wives and Concubines by Su Tong. The film was later adapted into an acclaimed ballet of the same title by the National Ballet of China, also directed by Zhang.

Set in the 1920s, the film tells the story of a young woman who becomes one of the concubines of a wealthy man during the Warlord Era. It is noted for its opulent visuals and sumptuous use of colours. The film was shot in Qiao's Compound near the ancient city of Pingyao, in Shanxi Province. Although the screenplay was approved by Chinese censors, the final version of the film was banned in China for a period. Some film critics have interpreted the film as a veiled allegory against authoritarianism.

Chinese Firecrackers

Today I'm hearing many firecrackers go off as the Chinese celebrate the start of the New Year. A firecracker (also known as a cracker, noise maker, banger or bunger) is a small explosive device primarily designed to produce a large amount of noise, especially in the form of a loud bang; any visual effect is incidental to this goal. They have fuses, and are wrapped in a heavy paper casing to contain the explosive compound. Firecrackers, along with fireworks, originated in China.

These decorative red crackers are very popular Chinese New Year decorations and were seen in a small market in Shanghai. You can also see the decorative red chillies which are also very popular. 

The Year of the Rabbit

Gong Xi Fa Cai .... It's Chinese New Year .... and the start of the Year of the Rabbit. The Rabbit (also translated as Hare) is the fourth animal in the 12-year cycle of the Chinese zodiac. The Year of the Rabbit is associated with the earthly branch symbol.

In the related Vietnamese zodiac, the cat takes the place of the rabbit. The Chinese symbol 卯 for the Rabbit sounds like (mão, mẫu, méo, mẹo, mẻo); the word "mèo" is cat in Vietnamese. Therefore, cat was translated from Chinese to Vietnamese as fourth zodiac sign instead of Rabbit.

These colourful red rabbits were seen in a market in Shanghai which was full of New Year decorations.

Chinese Art Brushes

I was in Shanghai over Christmas and the old city and back streets of Shanghai provided some great photo opportunities. This image shows some traditional Chinese art brushed used for watercolours and calligraphy and come in a large variety of sizes, designs and colours.

Chinese Altar

It always amazes me where you find Chinese altars. This one was spotted in the middle of a palm oil plantation close to Batang Berjuntai in Malaysia. 

Chinese people use altar tables in homes, businesses and temples to give offerings to religious deities or ancestors. People also use these ornate constructions as non-religious decorations.

In Chinese Culture

The Chinese people believe that ancestors live on after death, watch over their descendants and influence their daily lives, according to the British Museum. Family members use altars to give offerings to dead ancestors.

In Taoism

Religious Taoists in China use the altar for ceremonies and for presenting offerings to their deities and immortals.

In Buddhism

Unlike Taoists, Chinese Buddhists do not use the altar table to give offerings to Buddha; they believe he is enlightened and is in no need of symbolic gifts. The offerings are given in remembrance of his teachings and as a symbol of respect.

Occasions

The rites and rituals that require an altar table often coincide with holidays or particular times of the day. Buddhists often give offerings in the mornings, while veneration of the dead can happen any time or on Chinese holidays.

Offerings

Believers typically choose incense, fruits, vegetables and other foods as offerings when using the altar table for rituals. Traditionally, after the ceremony is complete, the participants take away the food so they can eat it, leaving the altar table mostly clear until its next use.

Disappearing Heritage

Even in the rapidly developing and modern city centre of Kuala Lumpur you can still find some wonderful backstreets with great examples of colonial Chinese architecture. This old abandoned house in Jalan Panggong (Theatre Street) in Chinatown is a good example of this and it is a shame that in a few years time many of these old houses and shophouses will be pulled down to make way for new high-rise developments.

Kwong Tong Cemetery

The Kwong Tong Cemetery is a Chinese cemetery located in central Kuala Lumpur which covers around 343 acres and houses the largest number and oldest graves in the city. It has been in existence for 112 years and is the final resting place of the prominent city pioneer Yap Ah Loy.

In 2007 the Kwong Tong Cemetery was renamed “Heritage Park” and landscaping turned the park into one of the few city’s “green lungs”. In addition a cultural museum was built housing a comprehensive collection of information related to the prominent Chinese pioneers.

Shophouses of Ipoh

Ipoh lies around 200km north of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and straddles the Kinta River which splits Ipoh into what's known as the Old Town and the New Town. The Old Town of Ipoh has some wonderful examples of pre-World War II heritage buildings, Government buildings, colonial buildings and shophouses displaying classic and significant architecture.

A shophouse is a 2 or 3-story building with a kaki-lima or "five-foot-way" on the street front providing an open arcade and walkway. Traditionally the shop is on the ground floor with the residence above, the top floor of the shophouse extending out over the five-foor-way. The shophouses are attached therefore a continuous arcade is created along the street providing an ideal venue for trading or serving food.

The shophouse architecture results from the ingenious design of the builders to cope with the tropical climate. The verandah shaded the front rooms, thick brick walls helped to insulate the rooms from the heat, strategically placed light wells brought light and air into the house and the roof with a raised mini-gable at the peak increased air flow. Shutters and grills on the windows and doors also allowed free circulation of air as well as privacy.

Shophouses in Penang have been built for two hundred years and their unique structures clearly show the influence of the Chinese, Malay and Indian and European styles merged to the local environment. The pillars at the entrance to the shophouses advertise the shop owner with large embossed Chinese characters. One can also see some highly decorated shophouses with stucco figures, ceramic and glass decorations as well as other decorative plasterwork.