Deep-fried Fish Fillets

Taste: They are crispy outside and tender inside.

Features: They have a nice golden color.

Ingredients:

350 grams (0.77 lb) freshwater fish (preferably grass carp)

100 grams (0.22 lb) dry cornstarch

5 grams (5/6 tsp) salt

1 gram (1/4 tsp) MSG

1 egg

500 grams (2 cups) cooking oil (only 100 grams or 8 tbsp to be actually consumed)

10 grams (2 tsp) cooking wine

Direction:

1. Cut the headless, tailless, boneless and skinless fish into large slices of about 0.5 cm (0.2in) thickness.

2. Mix the cooking wine, MSG and salt with the fish slices and let the mixture rest for half an hour. Crack the egg and mix fish in the yolk. Then spread the cornstarch on the fish slices.

3. Use a hot fire to heat the oil in the wok to about 180-2000℃ (355-390℉) , put in the fish slices and deep-fry them until they are golden brown in color. Put them on a plate to be served either with pepper salt or tomato sauce.

Lai Tangyuan

Lai Tangyuan

This is another snack in Chengdu that has been named after its inventor. In 1894, a person named Lai Yuanxin sold balls made of glutinous rice flour in the street. His recipe featured thin skin, delicious stuffing, a sweet taste and a good smell. Later he ran a store named as “Lai Tangyuan”. Rice ball served by this store have been well received by the local people in Chengdu.

An old Chinese saying, “Gold has a price, but jade does not,” so in traditional Chinese literature, gold and jade are often mentioned together and are seen as symbols of wealth. Even today the price of high quality jade is no less than a piece of gold of the same weight, and it has stepped down from its ancient sacred altar and has come into the lives of ordinary people. 

(Source: ancienthistory.mrdonn.org)

The ancient Chinese also believed that jade staved off corrosion and evil spirits. Many jade burial objects have been found in tombs that date as far back as the Zhou Dynasty (11th Century BC). The Zhou people began using flat pieces of jade to cover corpses. In the Han Dynasty (206 BC-220) this custom developed even further. Flat and square jade pieces were sewn by gold thread into burial suites for rulers so that their physical beings would never vanish. In 1971, the tombs of Prince Jing of the Western Han Dynasty and his wife were excavated, yielding two jade suits. However, the bodies inside had vanished a long time ago.

Myths about jade faded with the passage of time. However, many people today still believe that wearing jade is good for one’s health. Face massagers made of jade have been used since the Qing Dynasty. There are also jade pillows and seat mats. Plum Blossom Jade produced in Henan Province is black in color and has many blue, red, white, yellow and green dots, just like plum blossoms. Emperor Guangwu of the Han Dynasty named this jade a state treasure. Modern tests show that it contains trace elements needed by the human body.

The ancient Chinese valued jade very much, as evidenced by the extensive use of the material. The unearthed artifacts of the Hongshan Culture (5,000 to 6,000 years ago) fall into two broad categories: pottery and jade. The jade ware of the period includes ornaments, ritual artifacts, and divination vessels. Ritual jade battle axes and hatchets symbolized power. Divination vessels were carved in the shape of small animals, such as birds and silkworms. The totem jade of the Hongshan people is a pig with a dragon’s head.

Jade was dominant in China prior to the Bronze Age. The original ancient pictographic character for jade was composed of three horizontal pieces of jade stringed by a central, vertical stroke. Later a dot was added to the character to stand for the word, jade. The one without the dot changed pronunciation, and the three horizontal jade pieces became simply three horizontal lines. This character now stands to mean “king” or “monarch” in Chinese.

(Source: ancienthistory.mrdonn.org)

For a long time, wearing jade ornaments was in vogue. Ornaments were either a single piece of jade or comprised of as many as nine pieces strung together. People used the ornaments to symbolize their social status. The ornaments were carved with auspicious designs and words that wished good luck and happy lives. Wearing jade ornaments was most popular during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). Those who did not wear them were considered improperly dressed, and houses without jade decorations were not considered homes. For poor and ordinary people who could not afford real jade, they would put up a few couplets that said something like “the hall shines with gold and jade.” For women, jade bracelets took up most space in their jewelry boxes. Bracelets received as engagement and wedding gifts were as precious as today’s diamond wedding rings. The Chinese describe a good marriage as a “gold and jade marriage.”

(Source: ancienthistory.mrdonn.org)

During the Shang Dynasty (B.C. 1600–B.C. 1066,) craftsmen used metal tools to make new progress in jade ware models and sculpture. Round jade articles increased in number and jade ware was often given as gifts. The jade-carving technique developed fast in the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods (B.C. 770–B.C 221.) The Spring and Autumn period was known for its well- carved and exquisite jade ware. The coherent and undulating patterns of dragon, phoenix and Panli (a figure of Chinese folklore) on the jade decorations are still treasured today.

In the periods of the Qin and Han dynasties (B.C221–A.D220), jade ware became more practical and objects such as jade tablets fell out of use. At that time, people began to believe in the power of jade ware to increase longevity. They thought they would live forever like gods if they had jade ware. Therefore, the practice of burying the dead with jade ware became common. Invaluable jade figures and clothes sewn with gold threads have been found in tombs dating back to the Han dynasty.

During the periods of the Three Kingdoms (AD 220–280) to Song and Yuan dynasties (AD 960–1368), there was no great development in the jade-carving technique. This changed in the Ming Dynasty when many still famous craftsmen emerged. White jade vessels with gold holders and white jade bowls with gold covers, which were unearthed in the Ming Tombs, reflected the dynasty’s peak level in jade carving. The jade ware technique peaked in the Qing Dynasty ( AD 1644–1911) under the advocacy of Emperor Qianlong .

The patterns of China’s jade ware have rich connotations showing strong auspicious colors. Bats and gourds were often used as a basis for more than 100 patterns because the Chinese words (bat and gird) sound like “good fortune” in the Chinese language. When a bat was carved on an ancient coin with a hole, it meant fortune was at hand. When many bats were put with birthday peaches, they referred to fortune and longevity. If bats were mixed with sika, birthday peaches and magpies, they also had a good meaning. All these reflected the ancient Chinese people’s yearning for a happy life and revealed the essence of China’s traditional culture.

Jade in China is varied and can be divided into two categories: hard and soft. Good materials provide strong basics for jade ware carving, but the value of a jade object depends on the skills and reputation of craftsmen, the dates of carving, peculiar modeling and the owner’s status. Certainly, different people will have various views on the value of the same jade object. It is difficult to have a unanimous standard. Due to the high value of ancient jade ware, there is an equally long tradition of fake jade ware, which looks much like the real thing. Jade ware collectors should be careful and seek the opinions of professionals before making any major purchases.

Jade carving appeared first in the Shang and Zhou dynasties about 3,000 years ago when it had become a separate profession and excavations have shown the fine workmanship of that time. The materials used included all kinds of hard stones, such as jadeite, nephrite, red agate, white agate, crystal, amethyst, coral, ruby and sapphire. It is a special skill to exploit the natural color of a piece of jade to create an effective design. So the most expensive ones are not those of one single color, but those of multiple colors, the carving skillfully enhancing the different colors in an object. The Han scholar, Xu Shen, described that: “Jade is the fairest of stones. It is endowed with five virtues. Charity is typified by its luster, bright yet warm; rectitude by its translucency, revealing the color and markings within; wisdom by the purity and penetrating quality of its note when the stone is struck; courage, in that it may be broken, but cannot be bent; equity, in that it has sharp angles, which yet injure none.”            

(Source: ancienthistory.mrdonn.org)

The tri-colored glazed pottery flourished during a rather short period of time (the 8th century) of the dynasty, when pottery pieces of this kind were used by the aristocracy as funerary objects. Those in existence today are limited in number and are considered to be rare treasures, valued for their brilliant color and life-like shapes.

Excavated tri-colored Tang pottery are usually horses, camels, female figurines, dragon-head mugs, figurines of musicians and acrobats, and pillows. Of these, the tri-colored camels have won the greatest admiration. They are presented as bearing loads of silk or carrying musicians on their backs – their heads are raised as if neighing; the red-bearded, blue-eyed drivers, clad in tunics of tight sleeves and hats with upturned brims, represent true-to-life images of men from Central Asia of that time, as they trudged along the Silk Road.

(Source: ancienthistory.mrdonn.org)

It has several hundred years of history.   Beijing is where Cloisonné making originated. The earliest extant Cloisonné was made in the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368). The best was made during the Xuande period (1426-1456) of the Ming dynasty. During the Jingtai period (1426-1456) of the Ming Dynasty, it became more popular, handicraftsmen found a dark-blue enamel which gave Cloisonné a gorgeous, solemn look, the technique turned to be quite mature. As the blue color was mostly used, so it is called Jingtai blue, and is still used today.

In Beijing as well as other cities, most shops in hotels as well as tourist stores sell Cloisonné articles, which can be as big as sacrificial utensils, screens tables and chairs, and as small as chopsticks, earrings, candy boxes, toothpicks and smoking tools. They are works of art as well as articles with use value. Handicraftsmen have of late developed a multi-coloring technique for the making of Cloisonné which has resulted in more refined and gorgeous products.

(Source: ancienthistory.mrdonn.org)

At the beginning, craftsmen painted on the inside surface of the transparent glass or crystal snuff bottle. Because of its smooth surface, craftsmen could only painted simple pictures, such as, grasshopper, Chinese cabbages, landscapes only with a few touches, simple figures, etc. Later, craftsmen learned to filled the bottle with iron sand and emery, then shake it and rub it smooth just like Xuan paper. Then they can paint with more detail.

(Source: ancienthistory.mrdonn.org)

Tobacco originated with the Indians of North America and has a long history of over 2,000 years. Long ago the Indians lived a hard life, often walking long distances or migrating to look for food. During this process, they often smoked tobacco to make themselves forget starvation and weariness. They used the tobacco to offer sacrifices to the Gods, and sometime even to treat diseases. They used tobacco when they were offering sacrifices to the gods. Tobacco was also used for some social activities such as, wedding, birthdays, funerals and visiting etc.. In social activities, tobacco was regarded as a noble and precious gift. In 1492, Columbus discovered the new world, resulting in the spread of American tobacco all over the world.

One kind of pipe, whose surface was decorated with beautiful feathers, was made from red clay by the American Indian, symbolizing peace. The tribal chieftains passed the pipe to express friendship and respect. Even today some tribes still have this tradition.

Snuff is a kind of pharmaceutical preparation in which the perfectly ground tobacco power is put with some rare medicinal herbs such as musk, etc. They are sealed into the wax pills and then stained several different colors, such as dark purple, deep yellow, pale yellow, etc. It tastes mellow and sharp. It is said that it can make the eyes bright, exorcise epidemic disease, and invigorate blood circulation.

In the late 16th century, tobacco was circulated from America to Luzon, Philippines and Luzon to Fujian, China. Then it was spread from the Philippines to Japan by Portuguese and Spanish sailors, traders, missionaries. Later, Japanese tobacco was spread to Korea and the northeast of China, especially Manchuria and Inner Mongolia. In a short time, snuffing became customary in China At the same time, tobacco, snuff and snuff bottles came to China from Russian traders.

After coming to China, snuff was filled with the traditional medicine bottle. Later, people used more materials and making technology to consummate it. During the course, they found that this kind of bottle was best whose mouth is bigger and stomach is smaller. This is Snuff Bottle. All smokers are like it. In Qing Dynasty, snuff was spread all over the country, not only the emperor, but common people. The feudal nobles, led by the emperor, looked for precious materials and let the craftsman make Snuff Bottle. The collectors of the world think that Snuff Bottle absorbs all kind of Chinese arts and crafts. According to the materials, Snuff Bottle is divided into six kinds. They are metal, jade, organic matter, ceramics, glassware and inside painting.

(Source: ancienthistory.mrdonn.org)