Chongqing is a port city with the largest municipal area and population in China. It is situated in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River at the confluence of the Yangtze and Jialing Rivers in southwest China. With an area of 82,400 square kilometers (31, 800 square miles), Chongqing shares borders with the provinces of Hubei, Hunan, Guizhou, Sichuan, and Shaanxi. Besides the Han who form the majority of its total population of 30.9 million, numerous ethnic groups reside in Chongqing, including Yi, Tibetan, Miao, Qiang, You and Tujia.

Since its founding 3,000 years ago, Chongqing has been called Jiangzhou, Yuzhou, and Gongzhou, before getting its present name nearly 800 years ago. Since the Qin Dynasty (22 BC-206 BC), many dynasties have set up administrative institutions that have endowed the city with brilliant cultures. Perched beside the Yangtze, the "Golden River," Chongqing symbolizes Yangtze River civilizations and is the cradle of Bayu culture.

Today, Chongqing is a modern city, China's fourth municipality after Beijing, Shanghai, and Tianjin. Within its borders Chongqing encompasses a wealth of water reserves, mineral resources, dense forests, and abundant flora and fauna. The focal point of the unique Yangtze Three Gorges Dam, Chongqing is a tourist attraction as well as a commercial city.

Chongqing attracts visitors from home and abroad for its cultural heritage and other tourist attractions. The city is the starting point for the Yangtze River Cruise, which explores the stunning scenery of the Three Gorges. Other attractions include the Dazu Grottoes , valuable works of art carved during the Ninth Century, Gold Buddhist Mountain, a rich repository of diverse animals and plants; and Fishing Town, one of three ancient battlefields in China. Ancient Ci Qi Kou village lures tourists to linger in its streets to buy handicraft souvenirs.

Chongqing is famous for its hot Sichuan cuisine and world-famous hotpot dishes. Street vendors as well as restaurants feature exciting spicy delicacies for the adventurous.

Servicing western China, Chongqing provides convenient water, land, and air transportation. Hundreds of star-ranked hotels provide excellent facilities and services. Chongqing is ready to be the pilot in the Western China Development to usher in more investors and visitors.

Chinese calligraphy (Brush calligraphy) is an art unique to Asian cultures. Shu (calligraphy), Hua (painting), Qin (a string musical instrument), and Qi (a strategic boardgame) are the four basic skills and disciplines of the Chinese literati.

Regarded as the most abstract and sublime form of art in Chinese culture, "Shu Fa" (calligraphy) is often thought to be most revealing of one's personality. During the imperial era, calligraphy was used as an important criterion for selection of executives to the Imperial court. Unlike other visual art techniques, all calligraphy strokes are permanent and incorrigible, demanding careful planning and confident execution. Such are the skills required for an administrator / executive. While one has to conform to the defined structure of words, the expression can be extremely creative. To exercise humanistic imagination and touch under the faceless laws and regulations is also a virtue well appreciated.

By controlling the concentration of ink, the thickness and adsorptivity of the paper, and the flexibility of the brush, the artist is free to produce an infinite variety of styles and forms. In contrast to western calligraphy, diffusing ink blots and dry brush strokes are viewed as a natural impromptu expression rather than a fault. While western calligraphy often pursue font-like uniformity, homogeneity of characters in one size is only a craft. To the artist, calligraphy is a mental exercise that coordinates the mind and the body to choose the best styling in expressing the content of the passage. It is a most relaxing yet highly disciplined exercise indeed for one's physical and spiritual well being. Historically, many calligraphy artists were well-known for their longevity.

Brush calligraphy is not only loved and practiced by Chinese. Koreans and Japanese equally adore calligraphy as an important treasure of their heritage. Many Japanese schools still have the tradition of having a student contest of writing big characters during beginning of a new school year. A biannual gathering commemorating the Lanting Xu by Wang Xi Zhi (The most famous Chinese calligrapher in Jin dynasty, ) is said to be held ceremonially in Japan. There is a national award of Wang Xi Zhi prize for the best calligraphy artist. Not too long ago, Korean government officials were required to excel in calligraphy. The office of Okinawa governor still displays a large screen of Chinese calligraphy as a dominating decor.

In the West, Picasso and Matisse are two artists who openly declared the influence by Chinese calligraphy on their works.

Beijing, a municipality directly under the Central Government is the capital of the People's Republic of China and the country's political, economic, cultural and transportation center as well as a famous historic city. Geographically located in the northwest part of the North China Plain, and covering an area of 16,800square km. Beijing is the second largest city in China with a population of more than 11 million. It has a semi-humid continental climate in the warm temperate zone. With an annual average temperature of 12 degrees Centigrade and rainfall of 641 millimetres, Beijing is neither cold in winter nor very hot in summer. The best seasons in Beijing are Spring and Autumn. Beijing is indeed an ideal place to visit all round the year.

Beijing is the political center of China where the Party's Central Committee, the State Council, ministries and commissions under the government, and more than 140 foreign embassies are located. It is also an international exchange center.

Beijing is an economic center of China Being one of the biggest industrial bases in China, Beijing's industrial production is the second largest in value among all Chinese cities. An industrial system with iron and steel, coal, machinery, chemical and petroleum, textiles, electronics and other industries as its mainstays has already taken shape. Beijing's arts and crafts are famous for their long history, great variety, and superb workmanship. The most popular ones among them are cloisonne, ivory carving, jadeware, carved lacquer ware, snuff bottles, silk flowers and Beijing's embroidery etc.

As the country's center of culture, education, science and technology Beijing has more than forty state scientific research institutions, over thirty universities and the greatest number of professional and technical personnel.

In Beijing, there are numerous museums and libraries with the largest collection of books in china. Beijing also serves as a center for international exchange in culture, science and technology.

It is a hub of communications, with good railroad and air links with all parts of China, as well as with major cities of the world, thus facilitating the rapid development of tourism as an important industry in Beijing.

Beijing is an ancient city with a long cultural history. The four feudal dynasties--Jin, Yuan, Ming, and Qing had all set up their capital here. That's why it became a most concentrated place of the country's scenic spots and historical sites. Among them, the best known are the Palace Museum, the Summer Palace, the Great Wall and the Temple of Heaven.

Beijing aims to develop into a modern international metropolis.

How to wear Qipao(Cheongsam)

As for daily casual wear, in summer, you can choose some thin fabrics such as pure cotton delaine printed with little flowers, sack and yarn cloth, silk, and poplin.

In spring and winter, there is chemical fiber or blended cloth like gleaming silk and thinner woolen cloth.

If for formal affairs like ceremonies or performances, in summer, you should select pure silk crape de Chine, thin silk, which are soft, light and cool since it won't stick to your body.

For spring and winter, satin and velour are the best: tapis, treasures, crape and spun gold damask.

For wearing a Qipao / Cheongsam pay attention to the whole appearance: Hairstyle, jewelry, stockings, and shoes should match to the design and colour of the Qipao / Cheongsam and should be presented as an unit.

Getting the best fit

The Qipao / Cheongsam is normally designed to flatter the feminine body. But not everyone has the figure of a model. How then should you choose a Qipao / Cheongsam that would accentuate your assets and hide your fatal flaws? The following guidelines may help you make the right choice. 

For short women, avoid boxy cuts with shoulder pads as they weigh you down. Too long a dress will also have the reverse effect and make you look shorter.

Women with broad shoulders should avoid shoulder pads as they will make them look top-heavy. Instead, opt for softer fabrics like silk to soften the silhouette.

Skinny women can go for brocade which can give more form and curves to their body structure. A brocade is a heavy silk fabric with a raised design on it, often sewn on with gold or silver threads.

For those with flabby arms, choose a Qipao / Cheongsam with three-quarter sleeves to hide the excess flesh.

Women with short necks should pick a Qipao / Cheongsam with a lower collar so that it helps make the neck look longer. On the other hand, women with longer necks can look stunning in a Qipao cut with a high collar.

For those who are disproportionate in shape, with either a heavy top or a heavy bottom, wear Cheongsam separates.

Top-heavy women should avoid big, contrasting prints on the Qipao top. Choose a simple one-colour top.

A straight-cut skirt with a side slit is ideal for women who have large bottoms.

Cheongsam  ŠøåÚ (qi2 pao2)

The cheongsam is a female dress with distinctive Chinese features and enjoys a growing popularity in the international world of high fashion.

The name gcheongsamh, meaning simply glong dressh, entered the English vocabulary from the dialect of China's Guangdong Province (Cantonese). In other parts of the country including Bejing, however, it is known as gqipaoh, which has a history behind it.

When the early Manchu rules came to China proper, they organized certain people, mainly Manchus, into gbannersh (qi ) and called them gbanner peopleh (qiren ), which then became loosely the name of all Manchus. The Manchu woman wore normally a one-piece dress which, likewise, came to be called gqipaoh or gbanner dressh. Although the 1911 Revolution toppled the rule of the Qing (Manchu) Dynasty, the female dress survived the political change and, with later improvements, has become the traditional dress for Chinese women.

Easy to slip on and comfortable to wear, the cheongsam fits well the female Chinese figure. Its neck is high, collar closed, and its sleeves may be either short, medium or full-length, depending on season and taste. The dress is buttoned on the right side, with a loose chest, a fitting waist, and slits up from the sides, all of which combine to set off the beauty of the female shape.

The cheongsam is not too complicated to make. Nor does it call for too much material, for there are no accessories like belts, scarves, sashes or frills to go with it.

Another beauty of the cheongsam is that, made of different materials and to varying lengths, they can be worn either on casual or formal occasions. In either case, it creates an impression of simple and quiet charm, elegance and neatness. Not only of China but also foreign countries No wonder it is so much liked by woman as well.

The Yangzi River and the Huai River flow through the province and divide it into three parts: Huaibei, Jianghuai, and Jiangnan. The topography of the three regions is different. Huaibei is flat. Jianghuai is a hilly area. Jiangnan is mostly covered with mountains.

The climate of the province is varied on each side of the Huai River. The northern area has a temperate monsoon climate, and the southern area has a subtropical monsoon climate.

The main mineral deposits of the province are coal, iron ore, and copper ore.

The chief farm products include rice, wheat, cotton, vegetable oil crops, tea, jute, silkworm cocoons, and tobacco. The province is very prominent in China for its production of vegetable oil crops and tobacco.

Anhui is a major source of coal of southern China. Its industries are metal making, power, mechanical engineering, petrochemical, textiles, food processing, and papermaking.

Transportation in this province depends to a great extent on its railways, but roads and waterways are also quite convenient.

Anhui is famous for its picturesque mountains and rivers. Huangshan, Jiuhuashan, Tiazhushan, and Qiyunshan are well-known mountains, and the region's premier tourist attractions. The special locally-made products include Xuan paper, Chinese paint-brushes, Gujinggong liqueur, and the Huaibei Kouzi liqueur.

The categories of embroidery

Embroidery is an excellent traditional technology with a long history in China. It is a handicraft to embroider various designs with different kinds of threads and materials on fabric. The unearthed silk painting and embroidery prove that as early as more than 3000 years ago, there was already splendid silk with veiled design and of various colors . At present, the piece of embroidery of the Shang Dynasty found in Henan Province is the earliest embroidery handicraft in China. The rhombus, folding waves design with twisted thread at the edge show that the technology had reached a rather developed level. In a Western Zhou Tomb in Baoji, Shaanxi Province, a piece woven by the braid-strand method was found, which is still used today. The smooth lines and neat stitches showed the skill.

The production of embroidery products has not only promoted the productivity in China, but also influenced the international cultural life. In the Qin and Han dynasties ( 221 B.C. -220 A. D.), it had reached a fairly high level and had become an important mechandise for export. Being the homeland of silk, there was an old custom in China that the rich people took the "embroider boudoir" as their proof of loyalty and chastity while the poor people took the skill of embroidery and weaving as their profession. In the Qing Dynasty ( 1644-1911 A. D.), the folk embroidery of different provinces all had their own characteristics and formed the four famous categories of embroidery, i.e. suxiu in Suzhou, xiangxiu in Hunan, shuxiu in Sichuan and yuexiu in Guangdong. Beside these, there were jingxiu in Beijing, ouxiu in Wenzhou, guxiu in shanghai, miaoxiu of the Miao nationality, etc. Each had its own distinct styles. The methods included crisscrossing, mixing, netting, scattering, etc. The flowers, birds and beasts on the embroidery were all as vivid as real living ones.

Since 1949, the art of oil painting, Chinese painting and photography have been applied to embroidery at such a terrific effect that they look like paintings from distance and embroidery at close range. The scope of usage also has expanded from theatrical costumes to pillow cases, table cloths, screens, wall hangings, clothes, etc. It is also a traditional exporting product, which is of high economic value.

The four famous categories of embroidery embody the characteristics and artistic value of Chinese embroidery.

Suxiu is famous for its neat stitches, elegant colors and fine quality. Smooth, bright, neat, even, fine and tight are its features. The subjects are mostly little animals like cats, fish and shrimps. The double-sided embroidery, with the two sides either identical or different, is of exquisite workmanship. For example, the cat's eyes are of different colors on the two sides, which is done by superb skill.

Xiangxiu has bright colors. With Chinese paintings as its background, clouds, mountains, rivers, pavilions, birds and animals are embroidered realistically. The techniques of xiangxiu is manifested fully especially in the embroidery of tigers and lions , with their hair embroidered in fine bold lines. There goes a saying: On xiangxiu, birds can sing, tigers can run, flowers are fragrant and people are lifelike.

Shuxiu is characterized by its simple structure, bright colors, well-knit stitches, smooth surface and traditional decorator designs like squares and stripes. Its subjects are mostly butterflies, carps, pandas, etc.

Yuexiu is done by embroidering with gold and silver threads, which are neat and bright. It has a tight layout, decorator designs and a gorgeous surface. Yuexiu is mostly used in theatrical costumes and wedding gowns. Lychee and peacocks are its traditional subjects.

In the following days, I'll introduce more embroidery details to you!