| |
Hi Colly,
I sent an email before we left China but I'm not sure if you received it. I just wanted to thank you for organising our tour in Beijing. We had a wonderful time and think Kathy was a great guide, with very good English.
We will certainly recommend your company to any friends who visit Beijing.
Regards
Lynn Porus and family (from New Zealand)
|
|
|
|
| |
|
Silk |
 "A
silkworm spins all its silk till its death
and a candle won't stop its tears until it
is fully burnt." This Tang poem accurately
describes the property of the silkworm. Despite
technological development, a silkworm can
only produce a certain amount of silk---942
meters in its lifespan of 28 days. The rarity
of the raw material is the deciding factor
of both the value and the mystery of silk.
Legend came from ancient times, Lei Zu, the
wife of Huangdi, taught people how to raise
silkworms and how to extract the silk. That's
the start of silkworm and silk.
The Warring States Period, the beginning of
feudalist society in Chinese history, witnessed
a prosperous time. The development of productivity
popularized silk and it was no longer a luxury
just for aristocrats. The pattern, weaving,
embroidery and dyeing skills were all improved
as they were influenced by the free ideology
of the time, while the silk designs had sense
of a free and bold air about them.
 The
silk products excavated from Mawangdui Han
Tomb are proof of the advanced skill and artistry
of silk at this time.
Silk production peaked during the Han Dynasty
when the manufactured goods were transported
as far away as Rome from Chang'an (today's
Xi'an). The overland trade route was to become
well-known as the Silk Road. However, there
was also a Marine Silk Road extending from
Xuwen, Guangdong or Hepu, Guangxi to Vietnam.
An outward bound voyage lasting five months
would arrive in Vietnam; it would take another
four months to reach Thailand; while a further
twenty days would carry the merchants on to
Burma. Two months later they would arrive
in India and Sri Lanka, from where the silk
would be eventually transported to Rome via
the Mediterranean. After such a long journey,
the price of silk was equivalent to that of
gold. Legendary as it seems, tender silk connected
China to the rest of the world.
During subsequent dynasties, professional
designers created novel patterns and improved
the machines.
 The
Marine Silk Road took supremacy over the land
Silk Road following the Song Dynasty extending
the trade to Southeast Asia which became fully
developed in the Yuan Dynasty. Besides Chinese
exports, foreign businessmen also came to
China to buy silk and china wares.
During the Ming and Qing Dynasties silk was
transported to Europe and America from Manila
and this meant that China dominated the world's
silk market until 1908.
Chinese characters including the component
"silk" have the intonation of silk
or its implication of fine and deep. The richness
of color, texture, strength and beauty of
silk make it the means to imply something
is fine and impeccable. A woman's raven hair
is referred to as 'black silk' ; tender feelings
are 'feelings of silk' and the Chinese word
for a lingering and emotive feeling contains
the component of "silk", and even
a flavor can be silky and smooth.
|
|
|
|
|
| |
(24 Hours Service, Also on Holiday)
TEL: 0086-10-52632700 & 0086-10-89198277
FAX: 0086-10-52632701
Mobile: 0086 13718410220, 13701334090 (24 Hours Service, Also on Holiday)
MSN: familytourbj@hotmail.com ( MSN Only ) Yahoo ID: familytourbj
Emergency Call(Mobile): 0086 13718410220 (24 hours) Office Hours: 8:30-18:00 ( GMT+0800 ) Monday - Friday
License NO. L-BJ-GJ00104 E-mail: familytourbj@yahoo.com.cn , sales@familytourbj.com
Address: Room 735 Great Wall Building A, No.22 Shijingshan Road, Shijingshan District, Beijing, China
P/C : 100043
For any questions or suggestions about website tech, please contact:
familytourbj@yahoo.com.cn
|
|
|
|
|
