China as portrayed in 18th and 19th century western magazines

Colorful pictures of Qing China in 18th and 19th century settings



京城西边的城门-阜成门或德胜门刊印年代1796年 作者威廉•亚历山大 出处《英使谒见乾隆纪实》



进出城门的车水马龙 刊印年代1894年 出处《伦敦新闻画报》



华洋杂陈街景1 刊印年代1880年 作者M.莫林出处《世界画报》



女孩子的学堂作者SEM 出处《伦敦新闻画报》



码头市场刊印年代1843年 作者托马斯•阿罗姆出处《图解中华帝国——社会建筑风俗》



北海湖中景象刊印年代1796年 作者威廉•亚历山大 出处《英使谒见乾隆纪实》



冰上童趣与北京出租车刊印年代1861年 出处《伦敦新闻画报》



在北京南郊的赛马场2 刊印年代1867年 出处《伦敦新闻画报》

Beijing receives the earliest snowfall in 22 years

BEIJING — Government scientists in Beijing have been pilloried for inducing a recent heavy snow fall that jammed traffic, delayed air travel and left city residents shivering, state media said Wednesday.

Sunday's snowfall dropped more than 16 million tonnes of snow on the Chinese capital, blanketing a city where winter heating services have yet to be switched on and leading to howls of public protest, the China Daily reported.

The Weather Modification Office shot massive amounts of chemicals into clouds over the city the night before to provoke the snowfall, which it said was needed due to a lingering drought in the region, the paper said.

Heating in most Beijing buildings was due to be turned on November 15, but city officials were forced to move the timetable forward and were working Wednesday to bring buildings onstream ahead of schedule.

"This arbitrary government decision had disregarded the interests of the people... we should (have) considered the potential hazards of cloud seeding," said one commentary carried in the paper.

Sunday's snowfall, the earliest to hit the capital in 22 years, delayed 200 flights stranding thousands of passengers, led to traffic accidents and disrupted electrical services dozens of times, it added.

"(This) shows there is a lot of room to improve the national weather manipulation warning system for the public," the paper quoted Chen Zhenlin, spokesman of the China Meteorological Administration, as saying.

Chinese meteorologists have for years sought to make rain to reduce an ongoing drought.

But ahead of the massive celebrations marking the 60th anniversary of communist rule in China on October 1, cloud dispersal chemicals were used in the Beijing area to ward off unwanted rain clouds.

People's Republic of China marks 60th anniversary with grand parade and celebration

BEIJING — The colorful military parade held on China's 60th anniversary of communist rule Thursday was a show of strength by a nation that has rarely been more confident, analysts say.

China used the celebration to showcase its first military parade in a decade with an arsenal of fighter jets, tanks, ballistic missiles and armored personnel carriers. The choreographed display included 100,000 marchers, 80,000 children, 8,000 military servicemembers and 151 planes.

President Hu Jintao, who is also head of the military and ruling Communist Party, told the watching nation that the Chinese people were "full of confidence" about the future.

"Today, a socialist China geared to modernization, the world and the future has stood rock-firm in the east of the world," he said.

After the parade, a pageant highlighted China's dramatic achievements in recent years. Floats depicted sending men into space and the country's transportation network that will carry 565 million people over the next eight days of the public holiday, the state-run Xinhua News Agency said.

The celebration marks the day in 1949 when Chairman Mao Zedong's revolution overthrew Chiang Kai-shek's Nationalists, establishing the People's Republic of China and one-party communist rule. In the decades since, the nation has grown into the world's third-largest economy and a global power.

People's Republic of China prepares its 60th anniversary

Chairman Mao proclaimed the founding of People's Republic of China on October 1, 1949.
Now Chinese people welcome and prepare the incoming the nation's 60th anniversary.


A man rides a bicycle past the National Unity Poles, which have been named and decorated for October's 60th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, in Beijing's Tiananmen Square September 17, 2009.


A Chinese military tank heads towards Tiananmen Square where a rehearsal for China's 60th anniversary will be held in Beijing, Friday, Sept. 18, 2009. Authorities shut down a major part of central Beijing to conduct the rehearsal for the parade.


Chinese military vehicles are parked on Changan Ave. near Tiananmen Square during a rehearsal for a ceremony marking China's 60th anniversary in Beijing, China, on Friday, Sept. 18, 2009.


Participants rehearse on one of the National Day floats in Beijing on September 16, 2009.


Workers sew Chinese national flags at a factory on the outskirts of Beijing, September 4, 2009. Demand for the flags is increasing as people prepare for the 60th anniversary celebration.


Participants stand in form in a boulevard leading to Tiananmen Square in Beijing during a rehearsal for the 60th anniversary parade August 29, 2009.


A couple take wedding pictures in front of the Tiananmen Gate on September 8, 2009 in Beijing, China. Many people are expected to hold their wedding on National Day.


Chinese hairdresser Huang Xin works on his latest art piece, a replica of The National museum of China, made from human hair, at his barbershop in Beijing September 9, 2009. Huang uses human hair to make replicas of iconic Chinese buildings and items, such as the Tiananmen gate and The Great Hall of The People, since early 2008.


Pupils create the national flag on a canvas by using their hands dipped in red paint at a primary school in Jinan, Shandong province September 14, 2009.


People's Liberation Army (PLA) soldiers perform a dance featuring Long March during a rehearsal of a musical drama entitled "The Road of Revival" at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing September 14, 2009.


Chinese military singers take part in a chorus performance of patriotic songs involving 10,000 participants held at a gym inBeijing, China, Wednesday Aug. 26, 2009.


A couple kiss as workers test the lights at the Great Hall of the People at the Tiananmen Square on September 8, 2009 in Beijing, China.

Tibetan Mastiff 藏獒

Tibetan Mastiff's Tibetan name is Tsang Khyi (large mastiff variety) and Do-khyi (generic for the mountain type) meaning 'tied dog', reflects its use as a home guard, much as the old English ban-dog (also meaning tied dog) was a dog tied outside the home as a guardian. 'Bhote Kukur' in Nepali means Tibetan Dog. In Mandarin Chinese, the name is 藏獒 (Zang'Ao), which literally means Tibetan Mastiff or Tibetan big ferocious dog. In Mongolia it is called "bankhar", meaning "guard dog". The molosser type with which the modern Tibetan Mastiff breed is linked was known across the ancient world by many names.

Tibetan Mastiff descended from very early large Tibetan dogs from which many of today's Molossuses are descended. The first known record of a Tibetan mastiff was in 1121 BC, when a dog trained for hunting was given to a Chinese emperor. Marco Polo encountered the large Tibetan dogs in his travels and described them as "tall as a donkey with a voice as powerful as that of a lion." They were used as guard dogs outside the sacred city of Lhasa. In the early 19th century, King George IV owned a pair, and there were enough of the breed in England in 1906 to be shown at the 1906 Crystal Palace show. However, during the war years, the breed lost favor and focus and nearly died out in England. Gaining in popularity worldwide, there are more and more active breeders, although the breed is still considered somewhat uncommon. Initially the breed suffered because of the limited genepool from the original stock, but today's reputable breeders work hard at reducing the genetic problems through selective breeding and the international exchange of new bloodlines.

The Tibetan Mastiff is among the largest breeds. It is found in a heavier mastiff "Tsang Khyi" type and a more moderately sized mountain "Dokhyi" type. Its sturdy bone structure and large, wide head and profuse mane and coat make it appear considerably more massive than other dogs of a similar height. It can reach heights up to 31+ inches (80+cm) at the withers, although the standard for the breed is typically in the 25 to 28 inch (61 to 72 cm) range. History records the largest of the breed weighing over 110 kg but dogs bred in the West are more typically between 100lb (45kg) to 160lb (72kg). The Tibetan Mastiff is considered a primitive breed and is one of the few primitive dog breeds that can retain a single oestrus per year instead of two in a native climate. This characteristic is still found in more primitive canids species like wolf. Since their oestrus usually takes place during late fall, most Tibetan Mastiff puppies are born between December and January.

Like all flock guardian breeds, they are intelligent and stubborn to a fault, so obedience training is recommended (although only mildly successful) since this is a strong-willed, powerful breed. Socialization is also critical with this breed because of their reserved nature with strangers and guarding instincts. They are excellent family dogs.Newspaper reports have suggested that a pair of these Mastiffs have killed tigers while guarding sheep in the highlands of Nepal.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tibetan_Mastiff

Solar eclipse of 2009 across China 日食

Solar eclipse - 日食 in Chinese










The solar eclipse of July 22, 2009 is the "longest total solar eclipse of the 21st century," exceeded only by the record-setting solar eclipse of July 11, 1991, and not to be surpassed until 2132. It lasted as much as 6 minutes and 39 seconds in parts of Southeast Asia,causing tourist interest in eastern China, India and Nepal.This was the second in the series of three eclipses in a one-month period, being book-ended by two minor penumbral lunar eclipses, the first was on July 7 and second will be on August 6.

A partial eclipse was seen from the much broader path of the Moon's penumbra, including most of Southeast Asia (all of India and China) and north-eastern Oceania.

The Chinese government used the opportunity to provide scientific education and to dispel any superstition.