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Much less complicated than female hairstyles, traditional Chinese male hairstyles have generally remained unchanged throughout Chinese history; except during the Qing dynasty (1644-1912) when the Queue (a hairstyle where the front half of the hair is shaved off and the rest braided) was popularized. Men let their hair grow out and bounded it into a style called 结发(Jie Fa) or a top knot. The knot is either covered with a piece of cloth or a headdress such as a cuff and/or a hairpin through the knot. The design and material of the headpieces vary depending on the individual's wealth and social status.

A traditional sight in China, snuff boxes have been around since the Ming Dynasty. Now they are exhibited more as an art than for actual use. Snuff boxes are painted internally and require a transparent pot, a hook shaped brush, and a careful hand. Since they were originally created on smooth surfaces and making the ink stick was a difficulty, the earlier designs of snuff boxes tend to be simpler. Later on, artists began mixing iron sand and emery with water, which when added to the inner surface of the snuff box, formed milky, frosted glass that ink could easily adhere to. With this development, the art within snuff boxes became more elaborate, and calligraphy came into use as well. 

My Hanfu favourites, green edition. Being the color of jade, a precious ornamental mineral, and the color of nature, green is associated with health, prosperity, and harmony.  

 The Mogao Caves, Dun Huang, China.

Located on the west wall of Dun Huang Cave 257, is the painting of the “Nine-Colored Deer Scripture” (九色鹿经图).

The tale begins by the Ganges River in ancient India, where there lives a beautiful deer. Her coat bears nine colours and her antlers are snowy white. One day, the nine-colored deer saw a man who was drowning in the river. Despite the danger, she jumped into the river and saved the man. 

The man wanted to thank her but the deer only told him, “I didn’t save you just for you to thank me. Go home, as long as you tell nobody about our encounter.” The man fervently agreed and set off on his return.

The queen of that country dreamt of a strange dream one night. In it, she saw a deer, with fur in nine colors and antlers as white as the snow. When she awoke, she told the king, that she wanted the nine-colored deer and wished to make something out of her fur. After many pleas, the king gave in. He told the people that whoever could find the deer will be rewarded half of the country and a pot full of gold. Under the lure of this reward, the man who was previously saved shared his secret with the king and led him and his soldiers on their journey to catch the deer.

Before the king and his men arrived, the crow, a good friend of the nine-colored deer, warned her of incoming danger. However, the deer did not have time to escape, and when she saw the drowned man, she cried tears of grief and anger. Using human language, she told the king everything that had happened, and moved by her story, the king released her and put orders in place that would prevent anyone from hurting or hunting the deer in the future. As for her betrayer, some say sores appeared all over the man’s body and his mouth became foul-smelling. Other say the king captured him and tied him up. Nevertheless, he got the punishment that he deserved.

The Fengguan (凤冠) is a masterpiece of ancient Chinese jewelry that was worn by noblewomen and the empress as a ceremonial headdress. In Chinese culture, the dragon represents the emperor and the phoenix, the empress, hence the literal meaning of Fengguan: Pheonix (凤)  crown (冠).

Though there are many variations, the crown is traditionally decorated with beaded pheasants, pearls, gold, and gemstones, and most highly prized of all, kingfisher feathers. The art of making ornaments from the iridescent blue feather of kingfisher birds ( Tian-tsui ) has been mastered for over 2000 years and the creations are used as prestigious adornments for hairpins, headdresses, fans, and panels and screens. 

The Reverse Teapot (倒流壶) does everything that a regular teapot does...backwards. Located in the Shaanxi History Museum in China, this fascinating artifact was once most popular during the Song Dynasty.

Unlike most teapots, the Reverse Teapot has its lid and body connected, therefore it cannot be opened from above. Instead, there is a hole at the bottom in which water can be poured into. During this process the teapot is turned upside down, and when the pot is filled, it is righted again. When tilted, water will flow from the spout, similar to other teapots. The interesting part is that during this entire process, neither the spout (when the teapot is turned upside down) nor the hole on the bottom (when the teapot is turned right side up) will drip water. Here is where the magic comes in.

After an X-ray inspection of the Reverse teapot, the complex inner workings of it were discovered. Ultimately, the teapot consists of two essential pipe-like structures. First, is the one that is connected to the spout, and in charge of letting the water out. When the teapot is upside down and water is poured in, as long as the water does not exceed the height of this pipe, water will not flow into the spout. Second, is the pipe that connects the hole to the body of the teapot. This pipe lets the water in when the teapot is upside down, but when the teapot is righted, the water flows into two sections that the pipe divides the pot into. As long as the water does not exceed the height of this pipe, it cannot escape from the hole at the bottom.

Jia Yu Guan, Gansu, China.

This is the city where the end of the Great Wall is located. On one side of the wall visiters can spot an extra brick, which has bewildered many. The story behind it is no less interesting. 

In ancient China, architecture construction was not prepared beforehand and the process of building was disorganized. However, when building the Great Wall, one man managed to create a smaller scale model, and predicted that the wall was going to take 99,999 bricks to build. The man brought his findings to the leader in charge and together they made a bet. If the wall took one brick more or one brick less, the man was to be punished. On the other hand, if the wall took exactly 99,999 bricks, the man would be awarded 500 taels of gold. 

Upon the conclusion of the Great Wall, the leader realized that the man was going to be correct and unwilling to lose the bet, he took an extra brick and placed it against one side. When he met with the man, the leader pointed out that there was a brick leftover. The man, however, appeared not to be flustered and cleverly remarked that the one brick must be a sign that good fortune will be brought to the people. Unable to match the man’s ingenuity, the leader could do nothing but award him the predetermined prize.

More gorgeous red themed traditional Chinese clothing (Hanfu)!

Alongside, here is a comforting Chinese idiom to keep in mind as you go about your day :D

知我者                            谓我心忧

Those who know me      believe my sorrows

不知我者                         谓我何求

Those who don’t              believe I am seeking for something

Lintong District, Xi An, China.

My Hanfu (汉服) favourites！

琵琶 (Pipa) a Chinese pear-shaped string instrument that originated over 2000 years ago during the Qin Dynasty.

The name 琵琶 "Pipa" comes from the characters 批把 (Pi Ba) which describes the two basic plucking techiniques. 

批 describes the action of "pushing” the hands 

把 describes the action of “drawing” the hands 

Nanaimo, British Columbia.

A plane is mumbling overhead, filling in the words unsaid.

The leaves lay hanging by a thread, and the clouds grow restless in their bed.

Motionless they gradually shed, raindrops held with thinning light, dwindling in the sky so bright, but now they lay enclosed in dew that plunges forth so as to spread, its limbs over the flowers red.

Have you ever heard of Hotpot? This wonderful Chinese cooking method has existed for thousands of years and has grown exceedingly popular in the last few decades. Think of it as an upgraded fondue where everyone cooks their own food in a communal pot of simmering broth. There are dozens of broths flavours to choose from; often times, the pot is divided into two or more sections to suit everyone’s palette. There is no limit to what you can cook in a hot pot-thinly sliced meats, mushrooms, seafood, tofu, fresh noodles, and more- Hotpot is popular because "it is less than a dish than it is an experience." The fact that all the cooking is done at the table means less time in the kitchen and more time to connect with family and friends.

Hotpot has grown so popular that restaurants have opened in some urban areas and Chinatown. I highly recommend the restaurant HaiDiLao if you got one near you. If not, it's just as easy making it at home; I have it all the time. Here's a helpful guide:

Telegraph Cove, British Columbia.

Slowly, Slowly, the tide recedes, carrying with it, specks of weed.

Slowly, Slowly, the ripples flow, gathering in numbers as they grow.

Slowly, Slowly, the sea line entrances, dribbling forth in its placid dance.

Slowly, Slowly, the pebble sinks, into the darkness of the ocean's brink.

Slowly, Slowly, the waves lick shore, brushing away earth's scars, seen no more.