This is Beijing-Beijing English blog

In 2005, i got a chance to go to Genmany. That was a business trip, we participated an exhibition in Germany. Before i went there, i have heared lots of the life in Germany: the beautiful enviroment, the good people, the better life. I went there with lots of imagination.

The life in Germany is very comfortble except a little busy. As expected.,the enviroment is very good. The photos are the hotel which i live in and around the hotel. Now i still miss the days when i was there.

Like the Five Olympic Rings from which they draw their color and inspiration, Fuwa will serve as the Official Mascots of Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, carrying a message of friendship and peace — and good wishes from China — to children all over the world.

Designed to express the playful qualities of five little children who form an intimate circle of friends, Fuwa also embody the natural characteristics of four of China’s most popular animals — the Fish, the Panda, the Tibetan Antelope, the Swallow — and the Olympic Flame.

Each of Fuwa has a rhyming two-syllable name — a traditional way of expressing affection for children in China. Beibei is the Fish, Jingjing is the Panda, Huanhuan is the Olympic Flame, Yingying is the Tibetan Antelope and Nini is the Swallow.

When you put their names together — Bei Jing Huan Ying Ni — they say “Welcome to Beijing,” offering a warm invitation that reflects the mission of Fuwa as young ambassadors for the Olympic Games.

Fuwa also embody both the landscape and the dreams and aspirations of people from every part of the vast country of China. In their origins and their headpieces, you can see the five elements of nature — the sea, forest, fire, earth and sky — all stylistically rendered in ways that represent the deep traditional influences of Chinese folk art and ornamentation.

Spreading Traditional Chinese Good Wishes Wherever They Go

In the ancient culture of China, there is a grand tradition of spreading good wishes through signs and symbols. Each of Fuwa symbolizes a different blessing — and will honor this tradition by carrying their good wishes to the children of the world. Prosperity, happiness, passion, health and good luck will be spread to every continent as Fuwa carry their invitation to Beijing 2008 to every part of the globe.

At the heart of their mission — and through all of their work — Fuwa will seek to unite the world in peace and friendship through the Olympic spirit. Dedicated to helping Beijing 2008 spread its theme of One World, One Dream to every continent, Fuwa reflect the deep desire of the Chinese people to reach out to the world in friendship through the Games — and to invite every man, woman and child to take part in the great celebration of human solidarity that China will host in the light of the flame in 2008.

In China’s traditional culture and art, the fish and water designs are symbols of prosperity and harvest. And so Beibei carries the blessing of prosperity. A fish is also a symbol of surplus in Chinese culture, another measure of a good year and a good life.

The ornamental lines of the water-wave designs are taken from well-known Chinese paintings of the past. Among Fuwa, Beibei is known to be gentle and pure. Strong in water sports, she reflects the blue Olympic ring.

Jingjing makes children smile — and that’s why he brings the blessing of happiness wherever he goes. You can see his joy in the charming naivety of his dancing pose and the lovely wave of his black and white fur. As a national treasure and a protected species, pandas are adored by people everywhere. The lotus designs in Jingjing’s headdress, which are inspired by the porcelain paintings of the Song Dynasty (A.D.960-1234), symbolize the lush forest and the harmonious relationship between man and nature. Jingjing was chosen to represent our desire to protect nature’s gifts — and to preserve the beauty of nature for all generations. Jingjing is charmingly naïve and optimistic. He is an athlete noted for strength who represents the black Olympic ring.

In the intimate circle of Fuwa, Huanhuan is the big brother. He is a child of fire, symbolizing the Olympic Flame and the passion of sport — and passion is the blessing he bestows. Huanhuan stands in the center of Fuwa as the core embodiment of the Olympic spirit. And while he inspires all with the passion to run faster, jump higher and be stronger, he is also open and inviting. Wherever the light of Huanhuan shines, the inviting warmth of Beijing 2008 — and the wishful blessings of the Chinese people — can be felt. The fiery designs of his head ornament are drawn from the famed Dunhuang murals — with just a touch of China’s traditional lucky designs. Huanhuan is outgoing and enthusiastic. He excels at all the ball games and represents the red Olympic ring.

Like all antelopes, Yingying is fast and agile and can swiftly cover great stretches of land as he races across the earth. A symbol of the vastness of China’s landscape, the antelope carries the blessing of health, the strength of body that comes from harmony with nature. Yingying’s flying pose captures the essence of a species unique to the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, one of the first animals put under protection in China. The selection of the Tibetan Antelope reflects Beijing’s commitment to a Green Olympics. His head ornament incorporates several decorative styles from the Qinghai-Tibet and Sinkiang cultures and the ethnic design traditions of Western China. Strong in track and field events, Yingying is a quick-witted and agile boy who represents the yellow Olympic ring.

Every spring and summer, the children of Beijing have flown beautiful kites on the currents of wind that blow through the capital. Among the kite designs, the golden-winged swallow is traditionally one of the most popular. Nini’s figure is drawn from this grand tradition of flying designs. Her golden wings symbolize the infinite sky and spread good-luck as a blessing wherever she flies. Swallow is also pronounced “yan” in Chinese, and Yanjing is what Beijing was called as an ancient capital city. Among Fuwa, Nini is as innocent and joyful as a swallow. She is strong in gymnastics and represents the green Olympic ring.

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With the coming of Olympic, there are lots of new things appeared. Below are some symbols for Beijing 2008 :

The shape of heart, composed of interweaved hearts, signifies that volunteers, athletes, the Olympic family, and all guests would render service and compassion in a joint effort to glorify the Olympic Movement.

The shape of a dancing human stands for volunteers with dedicated spirit. The sincere smiles, outstanding services, and friendly actions of the volunteers will evoke a strong echo in every participant of the Olympics.

Chinese unique artistic form — calligraphic art is adopted in the beaming design of the secondary mark, which sets off against the Olympic Emblem “Chinese Seal, Dancing Beijing.”

The symbol, which was created using a calligraphic art form, is composed of human and tree-like shapes. The logo consists of the crown of a tree and the shape of a human being, which are used to create the form of a large tree reaching the sky. The image represents harmony and unity between human beings and nature. Just like swinging coloured strips that encircle and cross each other, the green lines form a luxuriant crown of a tree and recall flowers in full bloom, embodying the sustainable development of nature.

The design of the Cultural Festival Symbol shows a human being and a lantern dancing joyfully. Lantern is used at every traditional Chinese festival. It symbolizes reunion and other happy occasions, and assembles the soul of the traditional Chinese culture.

The Beijing Olympic Cultural Festival is also one of the predominant cultural celebrations of mankind. The whole country is rejoiced at the occasion, while Beijing is decorated with lanterns and streamers to welcome guests from elsewhere.

Chinese unique artistic form – calligraphic art is adopted in the beaming design of the secondary mark, which sets off against the Olympic Emblem “Chinese Seal, Dancing Beijing.”

 Now we can feel the Spring Festival which falls on Feb.7 this year is coming. Some overseas students celrbrate the festival in all kinds of activity. This is a performentce in a gathing in Russia to celebate the forthcoming Spring Festival .About 700 overseas students attended the gathing.

The China Meteorological Administration (CMA) early Monday issued a red alert for severe snowstorms forecast for central and eastern China.

Heavy snow is set to blanket northern Hunan, eastern Hubei, southeastern Henan, northwestern Zhejiang as well as most areas of Anhui and Jiangsu provinces on Monday, while some of these areas will expect snowstorms, according to the CMA.  Meanwhile, freezing rain will pound some parts of Guizhou, Hunan, Jiangxi, Guangxi, Anhui and Zhejiang.

The snow, the worst in a decade in many places, has hit most of China since Jan. 12, leaving homes collapsed, power blackouts, highways closed and crops destroyed

In 2ed phase of ticket booking, only 450,000 tickets for this summer’s Olympic Games have been successfully allocated, accounting for about a quarter of the tickets available for sale in the second phase, the Beijing Olympics Organizing Committee (BOCOG) said on Sunday.

The BOCOG didn’t give a reason why about 75 percent of the tickets remain unsold, it is believed that it resulted from the fact that some popular events were extremely over-subscribed while the rest events had much less bookings.

More than 1.5 million tickets were allocated in the first stage of ticket sales last year.

There are lots of souvenirs for Olympic 2008. But i think the  most eye-catching of the recently displayed souvenirs are the gold and silver seals marking the 200 day countdown. The special seals are made of pure silver, gold, and other elements.

Talking about drinking in China, we can not miss the Chinese Tea. But do you know the legend of the Chinese Tea? Maybe not, it doesn’t matter. This article will help you know the Legent of tea:

The legend is that tea was discovered by the Chinese Emperor Shen Nung around 2,737 B.C. The emperor drank a potient made of boiling water and tea leaves. All tea is made from the Camellia sinensis plant. The Camellia sinensisplant is the source of all nonherbal teas.

Tea comes in black, green, oolong and rare white varieties, all produced from the leaves of Camellia sinensis, a white-flowered evergreen. Any other type of herbal tea must be labeled with the name of the plant the product is made from.

Since 2,737 B.C. tea drinking has been regarded as an aid to good health and invigoration. Researchers are now studying tea for possible use in the prevention and treatment of a variety of cancers, cholesterol control, weight loss and for its ability to increase insulin activity.

Now the tranditional Chinese Spring Festival is coming. And with the festival coming, the traffic problem coming too.During Spring Festival, which is China’s most important traditional festival, seemingly countless Chinese return to their home communities. That creates a transportation market with Chinese characteristics—the largest human migration in the world. No country can rival China in terms of the massive passenger flow—more than one billion people traveling by sea, land or air. That occurs one month every year. The Dunkirk Retreat was considered a great wonder, but such a “wonder” occurs in China every day during the annual Spring Festival.

There are many stories and fairy tales about hutong. Near the Forbidden City, in the heart of Beijing lies a hutong called “Girl Weaver,” which is named after a fairy from the Heavenly Kingdom, who descended to the human world and married a cowherd. Her enraged father, the Celestial Emperor, took the girl back and separated the couple with the Milky Way. Symmetrically, on the other side of the Forbidden City, there used to be a Cowherd Bridge. This arrangement seems to suggest that feudal emperors living in the Forbidden City are sons of Heaven. In the rich and historical culture of Beijing, the hutong has a very special and important position. It is not only a kind of architecture, but also serves as a window into Beijing folk life and the “encyclopedia of the history and culture of Beijing.” A standard siheyuan usually consists of houses on its four sides, and the house which stands at the north end and faces the south is called the “main house” or “north house,” the ones on both sides are called “side houses,” and the one which stands at the south end and faces north is called “opposite house” or “south house.” The siheyuan’s gate is usually at the southeastern corner according to the traditional concepts of the five elements that were believed to compose the universe, and the eight diagrams of divination. Normally there is a screen-wall inside the gate so that outsiders cannot see directly into the courtyard and it is also believed to protect the houses from evil spirits. Outside the gate of some large siheyuan, there is a pair of stone lions on each side. Such a residence offers space, comfort and quiet privacy. It is also good for security as well as protection against dust and storms. The gates are usually painted vermilion and have large copper door rings. Usually a whole family lives in compound. The elder generation lives in the main house, the younger generation live in the side houses, and the south house is usually their sitting room or study. All the siheyuans, from their size and style one could tell whether they belonged to private individuals or the powerful and rich. The simple house of an ordinary person has only one courtyard with the main building on the north facing, across the court, the southern building with rooms of northern exposure and flanked on the sides by the buildings of eastern and western chambers. The mansion of a titled or very rich family would have two or more courtyards, one behind another, with the main building separated from the view of the southern building by a wall with a fancy gate or by a guoting (walk-through pavilion). Behind the main building there would be a lesser house in the rear and, connected with the main quadrangle, small “corner courtyards”.

Not only residences but also ancient palaces, government offices, temples and monasteries were built basically on the pattern of the siheyuan, a common feature of traditional Chinese architecture.