Ruins of an ancient temple of over a thousand years’ age emerged in Mingtang Village, Wuxiang County, Yinzhou District, Ningbo City after Typhoon Krosa caused a local mountain massif to cave in.

Consequently, a mysterious veil has in the past few days spread over this ordinary little village, while many villagers employed their free time to wander in the hill, in hope of bumping into some treasure.

A 325 years’ disappearance

Mingtang Village is surrouned by hills from three sides. It rained for a whole day when Typhoon Krosa attacked it, and the stream which had been dry to the bottom was flooded over. The next day, Li Xinguo, a member of the Village Committee, found that the only path uphill had caved in at the western col. The 20-meters’ long path was now a 2 meters deep hollow.

“We can’t go uphill if thep path is left like this.” thought Li Xinguo. Therefore, he cut down the bamboos growing densely along the path with a hatchet in order to open up a new path.

“The moment the bamboos were cut down, a tremendous pillar foundation hit my eyes. It has grown a little black. There are many black tiles down in the hollow.”

At sight of this, Li Xinguo recalled that the elders in the village had mentioned that “there was a big temple in the village”. “This must be part of the ruin of the temple.” And he immediately reported this to the Cultural Relics Committee of Yinzhou District.

The temple

Having examined the stone foundation and the rubble layers, the archaeologists determined that it is an ancient temple ruin and the temple should have been built before the Ming Dynasty.

Later the same day, the archaeologists determined that this temple is probably Mingjue Temple. According to , Mingjue Yuan was originally named MingTang Yuan, and built in the second year of Baoli (title of the emperor’s reign) period of Tang Dynasty (826 A.D.). It covered 94 mous (1 hectares = 15 mous) of farms and 980 mous of hills. There are relevant records under the register of “ruined temples” in .

Xie Guoqi, the director of the Cultural Relics Committee, said: “It is inferred that Mingjue Tang was the precursor of Mingjue Temple (Mingjue Village was probably named after the former), built 1181 years ago in 826 A.D., and renamed as Mingjue Temple 943 years ago.

Many older villages can still remember their forefathers’ description of the temple as “a thousand of monks together in the hall” and “three halls within the temple” — the size of the temple can be easily imagined.

The tale

According to , Mingjue Temple was built in the second year of Baoli period of Tang Dynasty (826 A.D.), and renamed as Mingjue in the first year of Zhiping period of Song Dynasty (1064 A.D.) by the emperor. It was destroyed during Qinding period of Yuan Dynasty and was later rebuilt by the Monk of Ziqi, for which event was erected a monument and an essay by Song Lian was engraved upon it. It was abandoned later, and rebuilt in the cole of Baiyun hill in the 21st year of Kangxi eriod of Qing Dynasty.

According to the above record, the archaeologists inferred that the temple has been buried for around 325 years. Li Xinguo said that he had seen a monument near the hollow about 20 years ago, but it was gone by now.

There was a tale in relation to the destroy of the temple.

Mingjue Temple faced north with three sides surrounded by hills which had nine hilltops, thus the tale of nine dragons dwelling on the nine hilltops.

The tale goes that, one day, a young monk washed a urine basin with the water from the well beside the wingrooms. The Dragon King was infuriated with this irreverent behavior and ordered a flood which destroyed the temple, hence the so-called Drought Dragon Stream in the village.

The archaeologists are doing textual research about the real reason why the temple was buried.

Before going to China, the following documents should be prepared:

1. Your non-spouse certificate which indicate your name, sex, date and place of birth, nationality, personal identification document number, marital status (never married or divorced or widowed) and the name of your fiancee/fiance. The divorced or widowed shall have divorce certificate or death certificate of ex-spouse.

The above-mentioned documents are invalid unless they are first notarized by a local notary public/lawyer and then legalized by the local provincial authority (valid for 3 months since the date of legalization) and finally authenticated by the Chinese Embassy or the Chinese Consulates-General (valid for 6 months since the date of authentication).

2. Certificate of your employment or reliable income.

After entering into China with the above said documents and a valid visa, you should together with your fiancee/fiance, submit in person your marriage application to the marriage registration office of the local government above county level where the Chinese fiancee / fiance resides and, have your medical examination by a designated hospital. Marriage can be registered only after the application is ratified, and Marriage Certificate is issued upon registration.

3. Fees for authentication:

US$30 per document for normal service which takes 4 working days;

US$50 extra per document for the rush service if you wish the authentication done the same day (application should be submitted before 11:00 AM);

US$35 extra per document for the second or third day rush service.

Source: Chinaembassycanada.org

1.) Fu - Blessing, Good Fortune, Good Luck

Fu is one of the most popular Chinese characters used in Chinese New Year. It is often posted upside down on the front door of a house or an apartment. The upside down fu means good luck came since the character for upsite down in Chinese sounds the same as the character for came.

2.) Lu - Prosperity

It used to mean official’s salary in feudal China. Fengshui is believed to be the Chinese way to health, wealth and happiness. If you are interested in Fengshui, you may check out the book ‘The Feng Shui Kit.’

3.) Shou - Longevity

Shou also means life, age or birthday.

4.) Xi - Happiness

Double happiness is usually posted everywhere on Chinese weddings.

5.) Cai - wealth, money

Chinese often say money can make a ghost turn a millstone. It is to say money really can do a lot of things.

6.) He - harmonious

‘People harmony’ is an important part of Chinese culture. When you have harmonious relations with others, things will be a lot easier for you.

7.) Ai - love, affection

Don’t need to say any more about this one. Just want to point out ai is often used with ‘mianzi’ together. Aimianzi means ‘be concerned about one’s face-saving.’

8.) Mei - beautiful, pretty

The United States of American is called Mei Guo in the short form. Guo means country so Meiguo is a good name.

9.) Ji - lucky, auspicious, propitious

Hope all is well.

10.) De - virtue, moral

De means virtue, moral, heart, mind, and kindness, etc. It is also used in the name for Germany, i.e., De Guo.

Resource: About.com

The most popular theory of the origin of the festival is that it was derived from the activities of commemorating a great patriot poet, Qu Yuan. The story about Qu Yuan has been deeply rooted in Chinese culture and this festival, so it is definitely a very important factor for the origin of the festival.

But since some of the well-known traditions of the festival already existed even before Qu Yuan, other origins of the festival were also suggested. Wen Yiduo suggested that the festival may be associated with dragon closely because two of the most important activities of the festival, dragon boat racing and eating zongzi, are related to dragon. Another view is that the festival is originated from the taboo of evil days. The fifth month of the Chinese lunar calendar is traditionally considered an evil month and the 5th of the month is particularly a bad day, so a lot of taboo had been developed.

Most likely, the festival was gradually derived from all of the suggestions and the story of Qu Yuan is certainly the driving power to make it a great festival today.

Like other Chinese festivals, there is also a legend behind the festival. Qu Yuan served in the court of Emperor Huai during the Warring States (475 - 221 BC). He was a wise and erudite man. His ability and fight against corruption antagonized other court officials. They exerted their evil influence on the Emperor, so the Emperor gradually dismissed Qu Yuan and eventually exiled him. During his exile, Qu Yuan did not give up. He traveled extensively, taught and wrote about his ideas. His works, the Lament (Li Sao), the Nine Chapters (Jiu Zhang), and Wen tian, are masterpieces and invaluable for studying ancient Chinese culture. He saw the gradual decline of his mother country, the Chu State. And when he heard that the Chu State was defeated by the strong Qin State, he was so despaired that he ended his life by flinging himself into the Miluo River.

Legend says after people heard he drowned, they were greatly dismayed. Fishermen raced to the spot in their boats to search for his body. Unable to find his body, people threw zongzi, eggs and other food into the river to feed fish, so hoped to salvage his body. Since then, people started to commemorate Qu Yuan through dragon boat races, eating zongzi and other activities, on the anniversary of his death, the 5th of the fifth month.

Zongzi is the most popular food for the festival. Zongzi is a special kind of dumpling. It is usually made of glutinous rice wrapped in bamboo leaves. Fresh bamboo leaves are the best for the wrapping since the taste and smell of the fresh bamboo leaves is part of zongzi. Unfortunately fresh bamboo leaves are hard to find.

Today you may see zongzi in different shapes and with a variety of fillings. The most popular shapes are triangular and pyramidal. The fillings include dates, meat, yolk of egg, etc. The most popular fillings are dates. The festival is closely associated with zongzi and dragon boat races. More importantly this is also a national patriot festival through commemorating the great patriot poet, Qu Yuan. People are reminded that the importance of loyalty and commitment to the community in the festival.

Nationwide, 280 high-speed trains left stations on their first high-speed runs on Wednesday. By the end of the year there will be more than 500 high-speed trains in service.

Train D460 left Shanghai at 5:38 a.m. and arrived in Suzhou 39 minutes later, cutting travel time for the 112 km journey almost in half.

“It felt like we were traveling on an airplane,” said 78-year-old Chen Lijuan, a native of Suzhou who lives in Shanghai.” In the past it took more than an hour to get here.”

Liu Dongwei, the 38-year-old driver of the train, has seen six “speed boosts” on Chinese railways since 1997.

“The speed limit for trains has risen dramatically, from 40 to 50 kilometers per hour to the current 250 kilometers per hour,” he said.

When Liu started his career in 1993, he shoveled coal into a steam locomotive.

“My job has become easier as it’s more like operating an airplane,” Liu said proudly of his train, which is powered by multiple electric engines.

Chinese railway officials said last year that China accounted for a quarter of the world’s total railway transport volume, while its total rail lines were only 6 percent of the world’s total length.

“The sixth speed lift will boost passenger and cargo capacity by more than 18 percent and 12 percent respectively,” said Hu Yadong, vice-minister of railways.

Source: chinaview.cn

Liu made the remarks after the U.S. police issued a statement on the case Tuesday night.

In two shootings with a two hour interval, 33 people, including a gunman, were killed at Virginia Tech university on Monday. It is described as the worst campus shooting in modern U.S. history.

U.S. police identified the gunman, who committed suicide after the attacks, as Cho Seung-Hui, a 23-year-old from South Korea studying at the university.

Liu said China expresses deep condolences to the dead and sincere sympathy to the US government and the people, especially families of the victims and those who were injured in the shootings.

He also wished the injured people an early recovery.

Earlier on Tuesday, Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing sent a telegram to U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, expressing “shock, condolences” and “sincere solicitude” to the U.S. government and those affected by the shootings.

13 provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities, including Beijing, Hebei, Shanxi, Inner Mongolia, Shandong, and Gansu, will join hands in the survey.

The field work will begin this April, with the basic results to be announced in the second half of 2008. Measures to be taken include cartographic data and accurate length of how much of the Great Wall remains.

Compiled results of parts of the Great Wall built in the Qin Dynasty (221-207 BC) and Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 220) will be revealed in 2009, while compiled figures of what remains from other historic periods will be released in 2010.

In recent decades, the Great Wall has been facing severe challenges, both natural and man-made. Building up an up-to-date database of the relic will help the nation better protect its heritage.

Source: CRIENGLISH.com

These 10 significant finds were selected from 24 nominations in an annual competition held by the Chinese Society of Archaeology and the administration’s newspaper, China Culture Relics News.

All archeological excavation and investigation projects in China over the previous year, which were published in China Culture Relics News before the end of February, were eligible to be candidates.

The selected top 10 archaeological discoveries, dated back from the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368) to the Paleolithic Age, included the Dahe Paleolithic cave relics at Fuyuan in Yunnan Province, the Xiantouling Neolithic remains at Shenzhen in Guangdong Province, and the Xipo Neolithic graves at Lingbao in Henan Province.

Careful not to be driven by a “treasure” principle, the selections were made based on whether an excavation had been properly conducted and the advancement of scientific knowledge about the past, experts on the panel said.

The Top 10 Archaeological Discoveries of 2006, in chronological order:

1. The cave relics found at Dahe, Fuyuan County, Yunnan Province.

This Paleolithic cave, under excavation since 2002, offers evidence of the cultural exchanges between the East and West, which happened earlier in southern China than in northern China. Experts believe that the finding also indicates the existence of different communication routes.

2. The Xiantouling Neolithic remains found at Shenzhen, Guangdong Province.

The remains, which date back 6,000 to 7,000 years, provide an important criterion for archaeologists to divide historical periods during the 1,000 years at Pearl River Delta. They may also help solve the archaeological problems in Lingnan pre-history culture.

3. The Neolithic graves found at Xipo Village of Lingbao City, Henan Province.

The excavation of the graves has advanced archaeologists’ understanding of the society and economy during the Middle Yangshao Culture (5000-3000 BC). During the fifth and sixth excavation conducted in 2005 and 2006, 34 tombs were found with a vast array of funerary objects.

It was the first time that graves from the Middle Yangshao Culture were discovered in Lingbao, Henan Province.

4. The remains of a coconut shell mound at Gaoming, Foshan city, Guangdong Province.

The late Neolithic site, dated back 4,500 years, is now known as China’s best preserved, most informative and representative coconut shell mound.

5. The relics of Shang Dynasty found at Gaohong, Liulin County, Shanxi Province.

It is the first discovery of the late Shang Dynasty (c.16th century-11th century BC) bronze culture site in the Luliang Mountain region, Shanxi Province, where 20 ramming sites were found. The discovery is of great value to the study of the unique Luliangshan bronze culture.

6. Mound tombs found in Guanjiu Village, Pucheng County, Fujian Province.

Mound tombs are considered one of the significant characters of Wuyue Culture during the Spring and Autumn Period (770-476 BC) and Warring States Period (475-221 BC).

The mound tombs found at Guanjiu, Pucheng in 2006, were the first discovered in Fujian Province. Seventy-two bronze funerary articles were excavated from the tombs, making the excavation the biggest harvest of bronze items in Fujian archaeological history.

7. The graves of Warring States Period found at Majiayuan, Zhangjiachuan County, Gansu Province.

The value of excavating the tombs, which had been stripped by robbers, lies in their special structure and the five chariots found inside (four in burial chambers and one in the tunnel). The heavily decorated chariots are a rare find for Chinese archaeologists.

8. The musical instruments pit of the Qin Dynasty found at Dabaozishan relics, Li County, Gansu Province.

The discovery of the musical instruments pit may help unveil the identity of the main tomb’s owner, believed to be one of the kings of the Qin State. It also provides rare source materials for research into the rites and music system, the sacrifices system and the techniques of bronze casting and foundry of early Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC).

9. The Shuangdun cemetery at Liu’an City, Anhui Province.

The discovery of this tomb of the Han Dynasty (260 BC- AD 220) and the royal cemetery of the Liu’an Kingdom may help reveal secrets surrounding the period and is of great scientific, historical, and artistic value.

10. The remains of a water gate of Yuan Dynasty at Zhidanyuan, Shanghai.

The Zhidanyuan water gate, located at the cross of Zhidan Road and Yanchang Road in Putuo District, Shanghai, has a history of 700 years. It has been confirmed to be a water facility of the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368). Compared to similar relics, the Zhidanyuan water gate is the largest, most exquisite and well preserved.

Source: China Daily

Long time ago, a poor boy lived with his elder brother and sister-in-law. But he was driven out of home in his early twenties. Having nothing but an old cattle, he moved into a cottage and was called Cowboy (Niulang) by people. One day, the cattle suddenly said to him, ‘You are a good boy. If you want to get married, go to the brook and your wish will be realized.’

Cowboy did so, and after a short while, he saw seven pretty fairies coming and taking a bath in the water. Fascinated by the youngest and also the most beautiful one, he took away her clothes in secret. The other six fairies went away after bath, so the youngest was left alone. At that time, Cowboy appeared from behind a tree and asked her to marry him. He looked so sincere and handsome that she nodded.

They lived a poor but happy life and two years later, they had a son and a daughter. But the Jade Emperor (the dominant god in heaven in Chinese folktales) heard it and was annoyed, for the fairy turned out to be the weaving girl (Zhinv) to weave clouds and rainbows. Without her, the sky was dull, so the queen Wangmu forced her back. Cowboy took his children in two bamboo baskets and ran after her with the old cattle’s help. Just then the Queen drew a line between them with her hairpin and it became the Milky Way. Pied magpies were moved by their cries and lots of them gathered and formed a bridge for the couple. And the Queen finally agreed their meeting on every July 7th.

“Communication is vital to our daily lives. In this age of globalization, translation has indisputably played a crucial role in China’s communication with the rest of the world,” said Huang Youyi, vice president for both the International Federation of Translators and forum organizer the China International Publishing Group, on Wednesday.

Some of China’s most famed translators, such as Shi Yanhua, a former ambassador and interpreter for late Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping, and Lin Wusun, who translated the Sun Tzu’s Art of War (Sun Zi) into English, will raise the level of debate at the “Forum on Translating from Chinese into Foreign Languages — A Bridge to the World”.

The forum will not only draw on China’s talent pool but see revered sinologists from around the world congregate in Beijing. For example, President of the American Literary Translators Association John Balcom and British professor Bonnie McDougall will participate in the forum, speaking on how to best introduce Chinese literature to foreign audiences. Professor McDougall is best known for her translation of the love letters between Lu Xun, one of the greatest Chinese writers of the 20th century, and his wife Xu Guangping into English.

The forum will be the first of its kind in China, and will also attract delegates from the key media outlets, such as China Daily, China Radio International, and officials from the translation departments of prime academic institutions.