Sichuan Spicy Pork w/ Rice noodlesServes 5Sichuan spicy Pork comes from the Sichuan region in China and can be cooked in chilli oil, and lots of added chillies to give it extra kick. This version is a little tame, but feel free to add extra spice.Prep time: 20minsCooking Time: 15minsYou Will Need:75g Cashew Nuts700g Pork3tbsp Groundnut Oil1 Red Bell Pepper1 Yellow Bell Pepper100g Bean sprouts2 Carrots4 Cloves Garlic2 slices of gingerPak...

The Chinese National Population and Family Planning Commission today admitted that over 13 million abortions a year are conducted in China.Wu Shangchun, a division director of the National Population and Family Planning Commission's technology research centre, told China Daily that research shows nearly half of the women who had abortions had not used any form of contraception.Research in China regarding this statistic has said that inadequate...

"Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it."Confucius or Kung zi (551 B.C. - 479 B.C.)zhǐ yào qù tàn sǔo měi wú sǔo bú zài / zhi3 yao4 qu4 tan4 suo3, mei3 wu2 suo3 bu2 zai4Photo source:Fli...

I have been trying out several different ways of learning Mandarin as I set upon this language-learning journey. There is a multitude of different ways you can go about learning any language, and it can be overwhelming.The language is of course overwhelming itself. No alphabet, 56,000+ characters, it looks wildly different from western languages and over a billion people speak it as their first language. The amount of people you can then...

The English Football Premier League's bid to expand is well placed with a new deal that will see matches broadcast on free to air television, by Guangdong TV. This move sees football moving into China (the world’s most populated country), aiming to dislodge the NBA as the biggest sport industry in China.Many Premier League executives arrived in Beijing for the Asia Trophy. Pay TV group WinTV currently own the rights to all premier football...

Presidents of Taiwan and China exchanged telegrams today for the first time in 60 years, in the latest sign of their thawing relations. President Ma Ying-jeou received a message of congratulation from Chinese President Hu Jintao following the former's election as chairman of the Kuomintang, party officials said yesterday.Ma won Sunday's election as the sole candidate with 93.87 percent of the vote with a turnout of 57.79 percent of the...

Chinese State media will now reach an extra 300 million people, having started a 24-hour Arabic language channel. CCTV will now be broadcast in 22 Arabic-speaking countries in Africa and the Middle East having started on Saturday 26th July.Jiao Li, president of China Central television, said, "The launch of the Channel is a great step forward in the process of strengthening CCTV's international communications capacity. The channel, covering...

The húlúsī (葫芦丝) is a Chinese flute like instrument made from the gourd of the cucurbit plant. The hulusi is so named from húlú; a gourd and sī meaning silk.This instrument is made of up to four bamboo pipes, which include brass or silver reeds, and is enclosed by a wind chamber. The Dai people also know the hulusi as the bilangdao. Often only one bamboo pipe will be used for the drone, whilst one is just for ornamental value.The hulusi...

This is a quick guide through the minefield that can be using chopsticks. This is a beginers guide to learning the do's and don'ts of Chinese chopstick etiquette. There are many types of Chopsticks which range from disposable wooden ones at Chinese take-aways and restaurants, Re-usable Bamboo Chopsticks right through to the higher standard, though harder to use Porcelain Chopsticks. You could also buy an entire chopstick set to get you...

There are three things that makes Mandarin hard to learn for westerners, and these three seem to be the biggest reasons that put people off learning Mandarin or as it is in Chinese pinyin Pǔtōnghuà ('common speech').1. The Look of Romanised PinyinFor English speaking people who are not as willing to learn, the Romanised pinyin uses many characters that are barely used in the English language the majority of the time. Many people are dismissive...

A panda at Wolong national nature reserve in Sichuan province, China, called You You has given birth today to the first ever IVF panda cub named LuLu.Artificial insemination is commonly used for breeding pandas. In 2006 there were 30 cubs born from donor sperm. However, using panda sperm that has been frozen earlier - instead of from an immediate donor - had not been successful before.Baby Panda cub being measured.News Source:TelegraphVideo...

An aging Chinese population has made Shanghai's Population and Family Planning Commission launch a campaign to encourage eligible couples to give birth to a second child .Population officials have started to inform families about their decision about the second child policy, according to Xie Lingli, director of the commissionShanghai has about 3 million people aged 60 or older, 21.6 percent of the population," the commission director said."The rising number of retirees will put pressure on the younger generation and the social...

Sweet and Sour Chicken (Ku Lou Yok)Serves 4 hungry menThis is a hybrid version of Chinese Sweet and Sour Chicken, not quite the usual western take-a-way take on it, where it is often served as an appetiser, though not either quite the full Chinese experience either.It is a filling and delicious meal that will leave everyone wanting more. Sweet and Sour Chicken is equally good with Pork making it 'Ku Lou Yok' and is enjoyable whilst sharing...

A Chinese artist named Liu Bolin has taken street art to hidden depths. After having his studio pulled down, he decided to take his personal sculptures to the people. When performing often people do not notice him until he moves and is about to leave.He said the inspiration behind his work was a sense of not fitting in to modern society and as a silent protest against the Government's persecution of artists.Liu says this type of work takes...

In Chinese pinyin, the most popular Romanisation style (now that the Wade Giles [link] system has been shown to be less helpful to Westerners learning the language) has six vowels, though each vowel has five potential ways of being written depending on the tone of the syllable and the positioning of the vowel itself. Table of Chinese Pinyin Vowels a á ā à ă e é ē è ě i í ī ì Ǐ o ó ō ò Ǒ u ú ū ù Ǔ ü ǘ ǖ ǜ Ǚ I have...

China and Asia experienced the longest solar eclipse of the centaury, which lasted 6 minutes and 39 seconds at its longest. Large areas of India and China plunged into darkness this morning.In China, Shanghai, together with Wuhan and Chongqing further to the West, was set out by enthusiasts as one of the best spots to watch the occurrence of the eclipse.Though there was not a perfect sky for viewing the solar eclipse, in some areas the...

A Chinese boy from Xingwen in eastern China aged 9 has been admitted to hospital after drinking petrol in order to become a Transformer robot.Xiao Fang, sipped petrol as he ate food in the belief that it could help him emulate the powers of robotic superheroes such as the Transformers. However, he has been left critically ill and has suffered serious nerve damage.The Doctor treating Xio Fang says he is surprised the boy managed to keep...

The first photos that went around the world last week showing bloody ethnic riots in China were shocking. One memorable photo depicted two Chinese women, dripping with blood, reaching out to comfort each other.Here in China, people understood the women were Han Chinese, victims of an attack by rioting ethnic Uighurs. State-run television endlessly ran film of the women, dazed and stumbling on the streets of Urumqi.But by the time that image...

Similiar to David Blaine's infamous sit in, in London, an Artist at the Venice Biennale has locked himself in a box in protest of China's one child per family policy. The box is 6 1/2 feet long by 3 feet high and 3 feet wide and Xing Xin is staying there for 49 days. It features special contraptions to allow Xing to be fed and to relieve himself.To take up his time he has decided to count the characters used in all 150 books used in China's...

A rare admission from the Chinese government sees officals acknowledging having shot dead 12 Uighur protesters in last week in Urumqi, Xinjiang province.Police shot dead 12 armed Uighurs attacking civilians and ransacking shops after they ignored warning shots fired into the air, said Nuer Baikeli.Of the 12, three were killed on the spot, while nine died either on their way to or after arriving at hospital.“In any country ruled by law, the use of force is necessary to protect the interest of the people and stop violent crime....

NASA says suburban Shanghai will be one of the best spots in the world to catch Wednesday's astronomical phenomenon, reports Tan Weiyun. Jinshan City Beach may be the best spot in Shanghai to catch the total solar eclipse next Wednesday. According to a report from the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration, one of the better places to catch the eclipse is in Shanghai's suburban Jinshan District, which is along the Hangzhou Bay....

Sichuan Mandarin Beef (with Noodles, mushrooms and cashew nuts)Serves 4 hungry menAn Authentic Chinese meal, slightly adapted by the limitations of an English supermarket. However still remains a filling and tasty meal accented with mandarins, honey, rice wine and cashew nuts to give a fuller sweet flavour. Prep time: 30mins Cooking Time: 10minsYou Will Need:2 tbsp Shaoxing rice wine4 tbsp light soy sauce4 tbsp clear honey2 small squeezed...