There are numerous ways to enjoy tea and the Southern Chinese Gongfu Tea is the most sophisticated of them. It’s not only a way of preparing the beverage but a whole ceremony with numerous distinct steps, each of them described by a different and often metaphorical four-character phrase. Continue reading
Tea has always been a serious business in China. In his Tea Classic dating from the 8th century, Lu Yu describes 28 essential items required to brew a decent tea. If that feels a little excessive, don’t give up just yet! Here’s a guide that will walk you through what’s really necessary and get you started into the world of Chinese tea. Continue reading
Batch-describe your images. Store the descriptions in Exif fields. Then, when you upload the images as WordPress attachments, all the metadata gets populated automatically. No need for any extra edits. Here’s how to do it. Continue reading
Petrified wood rocks. It’s like wood, except it’s not: bazillions of years ago it became fossilized. The result are ridiculously sturdy, heavy, and garishly colorful objects that resemble tree trunks or bark popping up from the ground. Continue reading
There are five principal religious systems in Taiwan: ancestor worship, Buddhism, Daoism, Confucianism, and folk beliefs. These do not function in isolation but actually mingle together, creating a very interesting mix. Never having been oppressed and always able to flourish freely, religion is an important part of daily life for most contemporary Taiwanese. Continue reading
