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Let's do Tae Kwon Do!
Lifestyle / Fitness
Written by : Sammi Zhou
Feb 4, 2008
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| It's fast as lightening, and a little bit frightening . . .
In the Bruce Lee movie "Fist Of Fury"（精武门）, the Little Dragon leaps up and gives a beautiful flying kick to a tablet, shouting the hilarious (and now immortal) phrase: "We Chinese are not oriental sick men!" Such a
spell-blinding kick is Tae Kwon Do. We all know the name, but what exactly is it?
"Tai Kwon Do has two aspects," says trainer Stanislaw Zurkiewicz of the Guangzhou Wenxian Tai Kwon Do Association (WTKDA). "One is an Olympic standard and the other is a martial standard. Among all the martial arts, it's the most dynamic, with flashing kicks and marvelous speed. And it wows audiences from start to finish. "
Tae Kwon Do is a free-fighting combat sport where the
individual uses bare hands and feet to repel an opponent. At the Olympic Games, we usually see athletes fighting
using mostly their legs and seldom their fists, yet according to Stani ... ... |
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How to play Mahjong?
Lifestyle / Local Customs
Written by : Lena Gidwani
Feb 4, 2008
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maghjong
game
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| When it comes to Chinese games, nothing else matters.
Most people think of Mahjong as "that Chinese game with the noisy tiles." And they'd be right. Mahjong, which literally means "the game of a hundred intelligences", involves a combination of mental skill, estimation, luck and, of course, noisy tiles.
It's common to find scores of devout locals sitting in parks and teahouses playing intensely for hours without end. But just because Mahjong can be intense doesn't make it impossible to figure out. In fact, you can learn the basics of how to play simply by reading our quick guide.
The Traditional Rules
Mahjong is generally played by four people. A full game of either 136 or 144 tiles has 13 or 16 hands of play in four rounds named after the East, South, West and North. A Mahjong player's set of tiles is called a "hand". The game goes in a circle so each player gets their turn to
organize their tiles into a winning hand. ... ... |
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Top Secrets(08-02)
Lifestyle / Top Secrets
Written by :
Feb 4, 2008
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| Things about you nobody knows back home . . .
VITAL STATS
Name: Aisling Gormley
Where I'm from: Northern Ireland
Where I live: Futian, Shenzhen
What I do: Senior Director of Studies for English First Shenzhen
How long I've been in China: Two years and continuing.
What is your favorite restaurant?
Punjabi Indian Restaurant because it offers really authentic Indian ingredients. For bars, I like C:Union for good live music and also 3D Bar for the quality beer.
Describe your ideal Saturday in Shenzhen . . .
It has to be going to the Xiao Mei Sha Beach and relaxing with my friends over a good barbecue.
What do you love most about Shenzhen?
I love the temperature here and, of course, the local culture, the people and all the children that I teach.
What do you hate most about Shenzhen?
I have a love/hate relationship with taxi drivers!
What is your favorite Mandarin phrase?
Ting bu dong!
What is the greatest lesso ... ... |
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Bag ladies
Lifestyle / Buy the Way
Written by : Sammi Zhou, Photos by Joe Chen
Jan 28, 2008
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| 5 Luxurious handbags for 2008.
Celine: Nautil bag
Celine unveil a new player in the luxury universe - the Nautil bag. It has Celine's DNA running through its veins: chic, functional and sophisticated, yet causal. Inspired from a Celine creation from the early 1970's, combining contemporary and vintage style, the Nautil bag comes in seven hues of cracked patent leather: white, blcak, camel and dark olive for the classic shades; ruby, sunflower, and denim for the softer shades.
Louis Vuitton: Monogram Rubis Canvas Neo Bucket bags
Inspired by Marc Jacobs, the combination of red vinyl and Monogram canvas, which is enhanced by a magnificent network plaits, gives these delicious LV handbags a colorful and stylish charm.
Swarovski: Deluxe Evening bag
These very luxurious evening handbags will complete your party look for 2008. The Deluxe limited edition black satin bag (warning: only 150 available!) features a clear ... ... |
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Killer coats
Lifestyle / PRD Fashion
Written by : Sammi Zhou, photos by Joe Chen
Jan 28, 2008
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| Winter warmers can work womanly wonders . . .
Romance is finally in the New Year air and the cold(ish) winter days are a perfect time to dress up in your finest coats and outer wears. Besides the usual "thick" and "heavy" styles, always remember that the layers between your coat are also very important. Underclothes can certainly push out with boldness this season. Breaking through the traditional styles, more unique concepts and combinations are waiting to be explored. So why not mix up your wardrobe with some extra special creativity? We have four essential styles of wearing your winter coat with panache and style.
Coats are everywhere this season, from fresh newly-designed numbers to shorter lengths and exquisite cuttings on sleeves. The umbrella-like sweet cape and the refined belted-style are especially attractive. As for Tartan, well, that is forever trendy. Enormous soft tartan has been applied to the Fall & ... ... |
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How to survive...a taxi ride
Lifestyle / Local Customs
Written by : Lena Gidwani
Jan 28, 2008
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| Scream all you want, but it won't get you anywhere.
As the taxi veers away from the curb, a recorded voice reminds you to fasten your seat belt. This is excellent advice, except there are no seat belts in the back seat to fasten.
After five years of being an honorary Guangzhou-ren, I must admit this is the first time I've noticed this blunder. I have, however, noticed the traffic jams, insane shift changes, and the crowding of taxis at popular areas.
But, these aside, taxis are affordable luxuries and I kowtow the authorities for not raising the flag fall fare of 7RMB since 1997, making Guangzhou one of the cheapest cities for taxis in the world.
And yet, most of us still fail to look beyond the steel bars when it comes to making the taxi driver work for you. So here are the ins and outs of surviving a decent taxi ride:
There are 17,000 cabs in the City of Flowers, including 700 new yello ... ... |
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Top Secrets(08-01)
Lifestyle / Top Secrets
Written by :
Jan 28, 2008
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| Things about you nobody knows back home . . .
VITAL STATS
Name: Adam Warner
Where I'm from: Australia
Where I live: Panyu, Guangzhou
What I do: Business and Development Training Manager for JETT Training
How long I've been in China: About 4 years, off and on.
what is your favorite bar or restaurant?
1920's restaurant because the food and location are simply great.
Describe your ideal Saturday evening in Guangzhou?
Easy. Meeting up with friends at The Paddy fields then heading out to some mad club to check out the nightlife.
How do you relax on Sunday?
I sleep all day! Then I tell myself that I will never, ever go out drinking again.
What do you love most about China?
The different kinds of food - you never have to cook! Also, no two days are ever the same. I also love the shopping.
What do you dislike about China?
When you cross the street, you have to look 360 degrees because traffic lights don't mean a damn ... ... |
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Sword fencing for the people
Lifestyle / Fitness
Written by : Sammi Zhou, photos by Joe Chen
Jan 28, 2008
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| Once the sport of kings, now you can dual too.
Can you believe there is sword fencing in a civilian city like Guangzhou? And yet, why not? As many know, horsemanship, sword fencing, tennis and golf are famous around the world for being the "four noble sports". And as all know, tennis and golf are well popularized around the region because of the increasing skill of Chinese players. However, horsemanship and sword fencing - come again?
You may have the same astonishment, but it is quite true: Sword fencing is here at last. When we first met fencing trainer Hujo Feng, we were even more surprised to learn that he is a local Guangzhou citizen with more than 18 years' experience in fencing, and has twice won the China Fencing Tournaments. "I started sword fencing in 1990 on the Guangzhou Sword Fencing Team," he explains. "I retired when in 2000 and then started to teach the sport at universities and gym centers.
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