Archive for March 2nd, 2010

« Older Entries
Newer Entries »

Learn Chinese Podcast – Fish Cubes with Pine Nuts

Tuesday, March 2nd, 2010

Fish Cubes with Pine Nuts
Fish Cubes with Pine Nuts

Taste: It tastes salty and refreshing but has a slight spicy flavor. It also has the fragrance of pine nuts.

Features: The color is pure white.

Ingredients:

500 grams (1.1 Ib) freshwater fish (preferably grass carp) meat

50 grams (0.1 lib) pine nuts

6 grams (Itsp)salt

1 gram (l/4tsp)MSG

20 grams (0.7oz)scallions

20 grams (0.7oz) ginger slices

2 grams (0.07oz)hot chilli

10 grams (2tsp) cooking wine

60 grams (4.5tbsp)cooking oil

1 egg white

10 grams (1.5 tsp) mixture of cornstarch and water

25 grams (1.6tbsp) water

10 grams (1.5tbsp)dry cornstarch

Directions:

1．Cut the headless, tailless, boneless and skinless fish into slices 2 mm (0.08 in) thick and cut along the grain into shreds of 2 mm width. The shreds are further cut cross ways into small cubes the size of pine nuts. Make a batter of 2 grams (l/3tsp)of salt, 1 egg white and 10 grams of (1.5tbsp) cornstarch-water mixture to marinate the fish cubes. Cut the hot chillies into the size of the fish cubes.

2．Pour 50 grams (4tbsp)of oil into the wok and when the oil is hot, throw in the pine nut kernels and deep-fry them until they are well done. Take them out and put them on a plate to cool off.

3．Use a hot fire to heat the oil in the wok to about 110- 135 ℃(230-275　) .Put in the fish cubes and stir-fry. Put them on a plate and leave 10 grams (2 tsp) of oil in the wok to further heat. Throw in the scallion shreds, ginger and chilli and quickly stir-fry. Add in the cooking wine, water, 4 grams (2/3tsp)of salt and 1 gram (l/4tsp)of MSG.Also put in the pine nuts and fish cubes to stir-fry. Add in the cornstarch-water mixture and spread some more oil on top of the ingredients and the dish is done.

(Source: culture.chinese.cn)

Posted in Learn Chinese Podcast, learn Chinese | No Comments »

Chinese Culture – Painter Fu Baoshi(1)

Tuesday, March 2nd, 2010

Fu Baoshi and his wife Luo Shihui had a picture taken at their home in Naning in 1947.

Credited with revolutionizing Chinese ink painting, Fu Baoshi (1904-1965) is considered one of the most important Chinese artists of the last century. From an apprentice in a painting shop to an art-history student in Japan, and later an diligent artist who traveled all over China to capture the country’s landscape, forming his own style based on traditional artistry, Fu Baoshi continued his quest for artistic adventure throughout his life.

Fu Baoshi was born in Xinyu, Jiangxi Province. He went to Japan to study the History of Oriental Art in the Tokyo School of Fine Arts in 1933. He settled in Nanjing after he returned to China and was recruited by Xu Beihong to teach art history and painting at the National Central University. He translated many books from Japanese and carried out his own research. In painting itself, he brought Japanese visual elements to the Chinese ink painting tradition.

Fu had strong feelings towards the land of China. During his travel to many places, he recorded the splendors of the rivers and mountains, drawing inspiration from nature and becoming the representative landscape painter of his time. His name will be remembered forever for his depictions of Chinese landscapes.

Fu wrote numerous fine arts theses, the earliest of which, “On the Evolution of Chinese Paintings“, was written at the age of 25. He also carried out in-depth research into the history of landscape painting at the end of the 4th century BC, including the works of Gu Kaizhi of the Eastern Jin Dynasty (317-420), Zhan Ziqian of the Sui Dynasty (581-618) and Jing Hao of the Five Dynasties Period (907-960), as well as Wu Douzi, Li Sixu, Li Zhaodao and Zhang Yanyuan of the Tang Dynasty (618-907). He worked very hard to imitate paintings by Gao Kegong and Ni Zan of the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368) Chen Hongshou of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), and Cheng Sui, Kun Can, Zha Shibiao, Gong Xian, Mei Qing, Wui Li, Yun Shouping and Shi Tao of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), finally becoming one of the master painters of his ageIn this capacity he succeeded Huang Binhong, who had created a new style of landscape painting called “Baoshi wrinkle” basing on the cattle-hair wrinkle of Wang Meng of the Yuan Dynasty.

（Source: chinaculture.org）

Posted in Chinese Culture, learn Chinese | No Comments »

China Travel – Fuchun River

Tuesday, March 2nd, 2010

The Fuchun River is the upper reaches of the Qiantang River in central Zhejiang Province, and has a total length of 110 kilometers. The river connects the West Lake in Hangzhou and Huangshan Mountain in Anhui Province. The Fuchun River, the Three Gorges of the Yangtze River and the Lijiang River in Guilin are collectively called as the three most famous river sightseeing routes in China.

The Fuchun River has two sections, the upper reaches from Tonglu to Meicheng Town in Jiande City and the lower reaches from the Wenjia Weir to Tonglu. The most beautiful scenery in the river lies in the upper reaches and the section stretches 23 kilometers from the Wushi Pass at Meicheng Town of Jiande City to the Fuchun River Hydroelectric Power Station. It is characterized by lofty hills, limpid stream, long history and tranquil environment, and reputed as the Little Three Gorgers along the Fuchun River.

The Little Three Gorges Along the Fuchun River consist of the Wulong Gorge, the Zixu Gorge and the Hulu Gorge. The Wulong Gorgee was named after the pass formed by the winding Wulong Mountain that reaches the Fuchun riverside. In the gorge, precipitous hills stand on both sides, the water surface is quite narrow, and the river course has many blends. On the two sides there are the Lingshi Temple built in the early Five Dynasties Period (907-960), the Lingshan Peak and other scenic spots.

The Zixu Gorge got its name for Wu Zixu fled from a calamity by taking a ferry here in the Spring and Autumn Period (770-476BC). On the two sides stand the Zixu Ferry, the Magnolia Garden, the Dragon Gate Ridge and the Lion Peak, etc. The Hulu (gourd) Gorge was named after its gourd-shaped terrain, and the river stretches itself through the green and luxuriant hills in this section, taking on enchanting scenery. In the gorge there are scenic spots like the Gourd-Shaped Bay, the Gourd-Shaped Waterfalls, the Peach Blossom Water Fall, and the Yan Ziling Angling Terrace.

The Little Three Gorges Along the Fuchun River lure numerous visitors home and abroad for its fantastic mountains and water and unique characteristics. More than 1,000 poets in the past dynasties not only visited here but also left over 2,000 poems that have won universal praise. Therefore, the Little Three Gorges Along the Fuchun River are also called as the Tour Route of Tang Poems in West Zhejiang.

(Source: chinaculture.org)

Posted in China Travel, learn Chinese | No Comments »

« Older Entries
Newer Entries »