The Terracotta Warriors and Horses

    

Emperor Qin Shihuang (259-210B.C.) had Ying as his surname and Zheng as his given name. He name to the throne of the Qin at age 13, and took the helm of the state at age of 22. By 221 B.C., he had annexed the six rival principalities of Qi, Chu, Yan, Han, Zhao and Wei, and established the first feudal empire in China's history.

In the year 221 B.C., when he unified the whole country, Ying Zheng styled himself emperor. He named himself Shihuang Di, the first emperor in the hope that his later generations be the second, the third even the one hundredth and thousandth emperors in proper order to carry on the hereditary system. Since then, the supreme feudal rulers of China's dynasties had continued to call themselves Huang Di, the emperor.

Emperor Qin Shihuang, for his own pleasure, conscribed several hundred thousand convicts and went in for large-scale construction and had over seven hundred palaces built in the Guanzhong Plain. These palaces stretched several hundred li and he sought pleasure from one palace to the other. Often nobody knew where he ranging treasures inside the tomb, were enclosed alive.

Emperor Qin Shihuang's Mausoleum has not yet been excavated. What looks like inside could only be known when it is opened. However, the three pits of the terra-cotta warrior excavated outside the east gate of the outer enclosure of the necropolis can make one imagine how magnificent and luxurious the structure of Emperor Qin Shihuang's Mausoleum was.

No.1 Pit was stumbled upon in March 1974 when villagers of Xiyang Village of Yanzhai township, Lintong County, sank a well 1.5km east of the mausoleum. In 1976, No.2 and 3 Pits were found 20m north of No.1 Pit respectively after the drilling survey. The terra-cotta warriors and horses are arrayed according to the Qin dynasty battle formation, symbolizing the troops keeping vigil beside the mausoleum. This discovery aroused much interest both at home and abroad. In 1975, a museum, housing the site of No.1 and covering an area of 16,300 square meters was built with the permission of the State Council. The museum was formally opened to public on Oct.1, the National Day, 1979.

Chinese Costume

China is a historical country with splendid civilizations,in which the Chinese costume is an important part. From the change of Chinese costumes,we can see the political change,economic development and customs evolvement through the long history. The Chinese costume,which has over 5000 years’ history,is just like a long river.And today I’ll introduce them in three parts,namely Han Dynasty,Tang Dynasty and Qing Dynasty.

Han Dynasty

China’s complete code of costume and trappings was established in the Han dynasty.The costume code of the western Han dynasty follow the one established in the Q in dynasty,which featured a cicada-shaped hat,red clothes.In addition,people of that time wore jade articles and red shoes

Tang Dynasty

From the Sui to the Tang,the ancient Chinese clothing developed to its peak.The political stability,economic develpoment,manufzcturing and tectile technology,and the frequent foreign relations contributed to the development of clothing.The clothing in this period had formed the most fantastic chapter in the clothing history.

Qing Dynasty

During the Qing dynasty,clothes were elegant and poised.People at that time wore clothes befitting their social status ,officialranks and lifestyle according to the regulations of the Qing government.As Manchu is the minority in power of Qing danasty,the Qing shows a strong nomadic characteristics.

Cantonese tea（yum cha)

The  tradition of drinking morning tea is the most distinct characteristic of GuangDong’s tea culture,and also an important part of daily life for many local. GuangDong morning tea can be traced back to more than 150 years ago. There was a type of simple teashop, offering tea and snacks for those seeking refreshment.Later on, with boom of commerce in GuangDong ,more and more businessmen needed a place for social activities.Teahouses soon began to emerge and developed gradually into tea reataurants

  There are morning tea,afternoon tea and night tea.Cantonese are used to chat with the family members and friends in the restaurant.In recent years,business tea becomes more and more popular in Guangzhou.Having a business meeting with the clients while enjoying the delicious Dim Sum and a cup of tea,people find that may be the best way be the best way to reach the deal with their partners.This kind of business tea will normally continue until the afternoon.No wonder there is a saying that the real working hours of Cantonese start from noon.The afternoon tea means business activities while the night tea,is the family hour.But apparantly,more and more businessmen having their appointments with their clients in the tea restaurant at night

Delicious dishes

 --Dim sum

 Dim sum is a Cantonese term referring to small Chinese dishes.Classical GuangDong dim sum include buns,dumplings and rice roll in a variety of ingredients such as beef, chicken,pork,shrimp or vegetable.In GuangDong,dim sums are ususlly small and served as 3 or 4 pieces in one portion .Each portion is served in a small steamer basket or plate which is about the same size as the palm of an adult.

（dim sums）

My favorite


（Steamed Shaomai）

（Egg Tart）