Epoch Times, Singapore Edition: Issue 495 Section B

22 SEPTEMBER 19 – OCTOBER 2, 2014

Epoch Times

Health

Beauty

Top 5 Health Benefits of Eucalyptus Oil

By Natural News www.healingthebody.ca

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ucalyptus oil has many properties that make it an attractive solution for many health ills. However, it was not always so popular. Until recently, many people did not know much about its use as an aromatherapy. Today, though, the use of eucalyptus oil continues to grow as more about it becomes known.

There are too many uses for this oil to name them all, so the following are the top five ways to use this oil to obtain the maximum health benefits.

Repel Insects Many people will instantly recognise the strong, but pleasant, scent of eucalyptus oil, as it continues to gain in popularity as a natural method to keep an area free of irritating and biting pests. Depending on the user, SHUTTERSTOCK

Eucalyptus oil—an attractive solution for many health ills.

This essential oil has also been directly used as a method to clear a stuffy nose. the oil can either be mixed with some type of cream and applied to the skin to keep insects, such as flies and mosquitoes, from biting or it can be used as a mist in a vaporiser to keep pests at bay.

how effective cineole is at keeping the mouth healthy. Cineole helps reduce the amount of plaque that builds up on the teeth and gums, reduces the bleeding of the gums and helps maintain the overall health of the mouth.

Respiratory Illnesses For a number of years, eucalyptus oil has been used as a remedy for colds and other respiratory illnesses. Popular as an additive to steam machines and vaporisers, this essential oil has also been directly used as a method to clear a stuffy nose. Because eucalyptus oil is antibacterial, it has been shown to be effective at wiping out the bacteria that causes respiratory illnesses. Additionally, when used with a vaporiser, the misting oil has been shown to be excellent as a decongestant and at clearing blocked-up noses.

Stop Skin Infections Due to its powerful antibacterial properties, eucalyptus oil can be used as a successful means of halting skin infections. The University of Maryland Medical Centre published a paper that cited the benefits of cineole, the strongest compound contained in Make the Immune System Stronger eucalyptus oil, to treat wounds.

BMC Immunology published a study which found that using eucalyptus Antiseptic Qualities oil strengthens the macrophages, the The cineole contained within euca- cells whose job it is to kill infections. lyptus also has powerful antiseptic In addition, the study showed that qualities that make it an ideal addi- the oil helped the body produce its tion to toothpastes, mouthwashes own protective mechanism. There are and other dental hygiene products. also some promising data emerging Cineole kills those bacteria that cause that point to eucalyptus oil as being bad breath. In addition to that useful effective at inhibiting the progression attribute, the Journal of Periodontol- of diabetes. More research is needed in ogy published a study which detailed this area, though.

SHUTTERSTOCK

health & beauty

Epoch Times

SEPTEMBER 19 – OCTOBER 2, 2014 23

10 Ways to Burn 100 Calories 123RF.COM

By Andrea Metcalf www.lifefitness.com/blog

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nything that gets you up and moving is good for your health, so try incorporating some of these 10 ways to burn 100 calories into your daily routine.

1. Vacuuming: 25 minutes Use good posture and stand tall instead of bent over to engage your tummy muscles. Alternate arms on the push and pulling of the movement.

Focus: Arms 2. Walking: 15 minutes Along with the calorie burn, taking a brisk walk 2-3 times a day can also help lower stress levels. Be sure to push off your big toe and take larger strides while swinging your arms.

Focus: Legs Going down the stairs is more challenging on the joints, so try side stepping.

3. Gardening: 15 minutes Bending, standing, pulling weeds

Taking a brisk walk 2-3 times a day can also help lower stress levels. and digging in the dirt is a great total body workout. Remember to use a knee pad while kneeling and avoid being bent over from the waistline to steer clear of back pain.

Focus: Total Body 4. Biking (16 km/h on a flat surface): 40 minutes Because you’re not bearing weight in your legs, you’ll burn less calories riding a bike than walking.

However, the time can really fly by on a bike outdoors and you might even use it to head to and from work or the grocery store to incorporate its benefits into your week.

Focus: Lower Body

5. Swimming: 15 minutes Swimming is great for the joints and can produce great toning effects.

Alternate strokes to change muscles group every five laps.

Focus: Total Body 6. Stairs: 20 minutes You’ll find that stair climbing can boost your cardiovascular conditioning faster than going out for a run. Remember to use your arms on the hand rails to pull your body up instead of just pushing up from each stair. Going down is more challenging on the joints, so try side stepping.

Focus: Legs and Hearth 7. Pushing the stroller: 20 minutes Take the baby out not only for the calorie burn, but for fresh air as well. Focus on lightly holding onto the stroller with a firm grip and standing upright.

Focus: Lower body

8. Dancing: 20 minutes Dancing has taken center stage with the celebrity competitions and classes like Zumba and Jazzercise, but you don’t have to be at the gym or on a reality show to benefit from dancing. Just put on some music and let your body start moving.

Focus: Total Body 9. Volleyball: 12 minutes Volleyball is a fun, outdoor activity that can burn calories too.

Play in the sand and burn a few extra calories!

Focus: Arms 10. Kissing: 90 minutes While kissing may improve your love life, it won’t burn calories as much as other activities you can do. But it’s at least nice to know you can still burn a few while igniting your life.

Source: lifefitness.com/blog Visit the Life Fitness blog for more health and fitness information.

24 september 19 – october 2, 2014

Health & Beauty

Epoch Times

Singapore Label Turning Scarves and Pocket Squares into Wearable Art Epoch Times Staff

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All Photos Courtesy of ERA ORA

his is how Euny L., the founder cum designer of ERA ORA describes herself, a charming lady who used to work in business development at an American law firm prior to establishing her own label.

ERA ORA, which means “Finally!” or “It’s about time!” in Italian, is a haute coutre label that specialises in stylish collections of scarves and pockets squares.

Her trendsetting designs include artistic prints of old world maps, the Hong Kong skyline, the buildings of New York City and the reflection of a river in Darwin, Australia, amongst others.

Euny’s inspiration comes from her wide travels and passion for art and photography. Influenced by artistic styles from Edgar Degas, Dali to Warhol, Euny designs to spark the imagination, and she likes exploring a broad range of themes that range from

Designer by day, Rebel by night, Artist by choice, Travelista by fate. the real to the surreal.

ERA ORA’s scarves and pocket square are eco-friendly as they are made using certified natural dyes. Manufactured in Shanghai and Kashmir, India, the pocket squares are predominately made from 100 percent silk while the scarves are made using either silk chiffon or cashmere modal.

Manufactured in limited quantities, each ERA ORA scarf and pocket square is a unique, special gift for the individual.

Why is your fashion label called ‘ERA ORA’?

ERA ORA means “Finally!” or

“It’s about time!” in Italian.

First, I liked the way it rolled off the tongue and more importantly it was symbolic to me as it was “about time” I started off my fashion business, after hesitating for so long.

What does it take to start your own label and make it as an independent designer?

To begin with, I researched several similar brands and saw what their brand strategy was like and how they made their product and brand work for them.

Because I didn’t come from a fashion school background, I had to learn a lot of things by myself (that they probably teach you in freshman year of fashion school!) and also singlehandedly source for good manufacturers with quality textiles that were capable of producing my designs.

I had to learn a lot of lessons along the way, and with each collection you gain more experience on how to make the product even better.

Epoch Times

Health & Beauty

september 19 – october 2, 2014 25

Brainchild of ERA ORA, artist and designer Euny L.

It takes both Fear and Courage to start anything new, I think, especially when your livelihood is on the line.

Fear because you need the fear of being broke to push you to create something that will be financially viable, and Courage because you need courage to persevere and believe that you can succeed, especially during the times when it doesn’t seem so.

What’s your personal aesthetic? What excites and inspires you?

I heard an italian word today that I really liked—“Spezzatura”.

According to Wikipedia, it is defined as “a certain nonchalance, so as to conceal all art and make whatever one does or says appear to be without effort and almost without any thought about it”.

Basically, an effortless aesthetic style. I like that.

I am inspired by people or institutions that are game changers. Reinventing the old, and creating something new and interesting, that excites me.

What are your favourite colours to work with and why?

For women’s scarves, I find that I tend toward black and white, as well as acid pink.

I am not sure why but I think those colours put together are edgy yet cool and feminine.

For menswear, I like darker tones with just a hint of bright colour to add some element of “Sprezzatura” to it.

What was the first article you ever designed? What is your favourite design so far?

I designed a pair of flying shoes when I was 8 years old in art class. But commercially, it would be a scarf.

My favourite design is the Dear Diamond. I wear it out all the time, it really adds an element of cool to my ensemble.

What is your advice for someone interested in setting up their own fashion brand?

Start saving. You’re gonna need all the money you can get to develop any business, but especially so to develop a fashion business which can be tougher than most.

Also, being commercial is very important in fashion, you can’t be too niche unfortunately.

The piece of clothing every woman should have in her wardrobe…

A good black dress that goes from day to night.

And the piece of clothing every man should have in his wardrobe…

A plain white pocket square.

Every man over 30 should have one. It’s that one male fashion accessory that takes you into full fledged manhood, even if you only wear it once a year.

What are your top career moments so far?

Getting commissioned by Ritz Carlton Millennia Singapore to design a special edition collection of scarves and pocket squares for their hotel. I was very honoured as it is a hotel that is very contemporary artcentric and I am a a huge fan of their well-known art collection.

What are your plans to grow your fashion label?

I plan to expand the product line in the coming year and also create a line of home décor items inspired by contemporary art.

To purchase ERA ORA scarves and pocket squares, visit www. eraora.com.

26 september 19 – october 2, 2014

Epoch Times

Home Décor

Design Tips for Children’s Bedrooms Poligonchik/Photos.com

By CHT Media Dear Marc: My daughter Laurie is turning 10 this month and she has been sharing a room with her sister Anna for the past few years. I have decided to move Laurie into her own room in our basement and surprise her with her new room on her birthday. I have been flipping through design magazines and looking online for design inspiration for Laurie’s new room. Is there anything I should know before I start?

—Marguerite Dear Marguerite: Designing a child’s room is quite different from that of an adult.

The biggest differences are colour selection, furniture placement, and the functionality of the room.

Kids’ rooms are not only used for sleeping as most adult’s bedrooms are; they are also used for doing homework, entertaining friends, and playing games. It is a child’s

Buy sturdy furniture that can take a little more wear and tear.

personal space, a design haven they can call their own.

A child might want to use certain vibrant colours that wouldn’t traditionally be used in a bedroom, but you’d be surprised at what works together when designing a kid’s bedroom.

The design is all about a fun, funky, energetic space. Choose a

design style that suits your child’s personality. Get inspiration from her favourite clothes, television shows, and toys.

Spend time watching Laurie play in her bedroom to see what function the furniture would have and which pieces are required in the final space. Also, I suggest using durable products

Designing a child’s room is quite different from that of an adult. The biggest differences are colour selection, furniture placement, and the functionality of the room. in your design as children are energetic and ready to test the life-span of these products.

When purchasing products, choose those designed for high traffic areas such as high-quality carpet. Resista is a wonderful line of carpets with stain-resistant fibre that is ideal for kids’ bedrooms.

Look for furniture that can stand a little more wear and tear, and invest in neutral-coloured furniture that Laurie can keep during her teenage years.

Your daughter might love pinks and purples right now but it doesn’t mean that she will in a few years, so I would stay away from the bright pink dresser.

For the walls, I suggest a neutral

Age-related accessories can easily be exchanged for a more mature decorating style as a child ages.

STEPHANIE SWARTZ/PHOTOS.COM

colour, with Laurie’s favourite colour as the accent colour.

This way, when the teenage years come along, she can just change a few accessories without repainting or getting rid of all her furniture because she got up one morning and decided pink wasn’t her favourite colour any more.

Consider adding a little memorabilia that can become keepsakes in her later years, such as funky height charts, black and white baby photos, and framed childhood paintings. While the colour scheme can be simple, you can add some childlike elements with fabric used in the bedding and in the draperies. This will create enough of an impact in the overall design and will also be easy and cost-effective to change in a few years.

Marc Atiyolil is a celebrity designer, the Editor-in-Chief of Home Trends Magazine, a design expert on CTV and co-host of the Marc and Mandy Show on www.

MarcAtiyolil.com. To submit a question, visit www.MarcAtiyolil. com COPYRIGHT 2012 Atiyolil Media Inc.

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Marc

HOME & DÉCOR

Epoch Times

Basics for Nontoxic Cleaning

Baking soda.

By Dr. Frank Lipman www.healingthebody.ca

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once had an editor write an entire magazine article about the cupboard under my kitchen sink because she was so impressed with its simplicity.

All it contains are these simple ingredients: Baking soda, vinegar, washing soda, a good soap and detergent, and tea tree oil. I find them the safest and most effective for cleaning….everything.

Using these materials and making my formulas with them dispels all the myths you may have heard about nontoxic cleaning taking too

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Using these materials and making my formulas with them dispels all the myths you may have heard about nontoxic cleaning taking too much time, or not working.

White vinegar and lemon juice.

much time, or not working. I can clean everything in the house using these five favourites, even peel wax off of the floor, and most of the formulas take seconds to blend. Or if they take time, it is to let the baking soda soak overnight, for example. They never take time because they need elbow grease to work, or because the formulas are hard to mix.

I’ll regularly put my cleaning formulas on GreenChiCafe. com, or you can find them in my GreenChiCafe.com ebook Cleaning for Pennies, or in Better Basics for the Home.

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www.secretlyhealthy.com

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september 19 – october 2, 2014 27

Baking Soda

A commonly available mineral full of many cleaning attributes, baking soda is made from soda ash, and is slightly alkaline (its pH is around 8.1; 7 is neutral). It neutralises acid-based odours in water, and adsorbs odours from the air. Sprinkled on a damp sponge or cloth, baking soda can be used as a gentle non-abrasive cleanser for kitchen counter tops, sinks, bathtubs, ovens, and fibreglass. It will eliminate perspiration odours and even neutralise the smell of many chemicals if you add up to a cup per load to the laundry. It is a useful air freshener, and a fine carpet deodoriser.

Washing Soda

A chemical neighbour of baking soda, washing soda (sodium carbonate) is much more strongly alkaline, with a pH around 11. It releases no harmful fumes and i s far safer

than a commercial solvent formula, but you should wear gloves when using it because it is caustic.

Washing soda cuts grease, cleans petroleum oil, removes wax or lipstick, and neutralises odours in the same way that baking soda does. Don’t use it on fibreglass, aluminum or waxed floors—unless you intend to remove the wax.

(Arm & Hammer is one brand that sells washing soda and the familiar yellow box is commonly found next to Borax in the laundry section of the supermarket.)

White Vinegar and Lemon Juice

Heinz company spokesperson Michael Mullen references numerous studies to show that a straight 5 percent solution of vinegar, the kind you can buy in the supermarket, kills 99 percent of bacteria, 82 percent of mold, and 80 percent of germs (viruses).

Heinz can’t claim on their packaging that vinegar is a disinfectant because the company has not registered it as a pesticide with the EPA. But it is common knowledge in the industry that vinegar is powerfully antibacterial, and even the popular CBS news show “48 Hours” had a special years ago with Heloise reporting on tests from The Good Housekeeping Institute that showed this.

White vinegar and lemon juice are acidic—they neutralise alkaline substances such as scale from hard water. Acids dissolve gummy buildup, eat away tarnish, and remove dirt from wood surfaces.

Mould Killers and Disinfectants

For a substance to be registered by the EPA as a disinfectant it must go through extensive and expensive tests. EPA recommends simple soap to use as a disinfectant There are many essential oils, such as oregano, cinnamon, clove, and tea tree oil (an excellent natural fungicide), that are very antiseptic, as is grapefruit seed extract, even though they aren’t registered as such. Use one teaspoon of essential oil to 2 cups (500 ml) of water in a spray bottle (make sure to avoid eyes). A grapefruit seed extract spray can be made by adding 20 drops of extract to a quart (1 litre) of water.

Sodium Percarbonate

And last but not least, is sodium percarbonate, a wonderful whitener. Ecover’s Laundry Bleach is 100 percent sodium percarbonate, and an easy find in health food stores. See my blog (www. greenchicafe.com/nontox icspring-cleaning-kit-diy-diva) for how to use.

Caution: Make sure to keep all homemade formulas welllabelled, and out of the reach of children.

28 september 19 – october 2, 2014

HOME & DÉCOR

Epoch Times

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An ideal kitchen design is when it respond to the dynamics attributed to its user rather than mere pursuance of theme-based treatment and furnishings.

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The Ideal Kitchen—

All Photo Courtesy of Atelier M+A

“Do You Cook?”

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By Ng Ai Hwa

henever we are tasked with the interior design of a residence, one of the first questions we ask the home owners is, “Do you cook?”

In our previous article we mentioned that most young home owners either do not cook on a regular basis or not at all, but nonetheless desire for a proper kitchen design fully equipped with appliances. This is because a kitchen brings a sense of completeness to a home.

It is no wonder most home owners have images of their ideal kitchens in mind when they approach us, but the underlying objective is the same: to create a place within home that offers warmth and relaxation.

What Is an Ideal Kitchen?

The answers to the question “Do you cook?” always inform us of the kitchen usage patterns, needs, lifestyles and cultures of the users. A follow-up of related questions will lead to our better understanding of what each kitchen means to its respective user. An ideal kitchen design is when it respond to the dynamics attributed to its user rather than

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4 mere pursuance of theme-based treatment and furnishings.

We always believe that, when we create the architecture and interior, we are creating the infrastructure. We term it the ‘white canvas’.

The owners, not designers, will be the ones to ‘paint’ on the ‘white canvas’ and create their own worlds true to their souls. Therefore while our kitchen designs appear dubiously identical and simple, they are the result of extensive discussions and cautious considerations. No one designed kitchen is identical to the others.

The Invisible Kitchen The owner of one HDB executive maisonette unit wanted to keep the visual clutter of his home to a minimum so as to rest better after work, especially the crockery and appliances in the kitchen. As the owner did not cook regularly, we designed the kitchen wall cabinets to be hidden behind full-height cabinets doors when not in use.

The white cabinet doors would merge with the walls and become one. Other than the island counter, the rest of the kitchen would become invisible (Photo 1,2).

5 We have also worked on a terrace house that had the challenging configuration of a tight, lengthy site with little natural light reaching the interior. Similarly, the owner cooks occasionally and would like the kitchen to also serve as an entertaining base and for other multiple functions when not in use. We merged the living room, dining room and kitchen together under one space without spatial definition.

The flow between each space was seamless and continuous. The kitchen appears to have merged and ‘disappeared’ within the space (Photo 3).

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Kitchen: Observation Windows One of the main concerns from owners who primarily prepare oriental food is the transmission of cooking fumes and oil into the other living spaces, thus adding to the load of cleaning and maintaining the household.

A common solution is what some call ‘fish tank’ kitchens, where the kitchen space is enclosed by fixed glass panels to address these concerns.

We enjoy adding a touch to such treatment by accentuating the frame around the glass panels and reinforcing their existence with a coat of black. The accentuation transforms the kitchen into a centrepiece. These are the kitchens I see as ‘observation windows’ of the house in a symbolic way: as one prepares meals, he or she also views the rest of the house through the frames (Photo 4, 5, 6).

Kitchen Duet The owners of another HDB executive maisonette unit had hired a helper who takes care of their young children and cooks on a daily basis. The lady owner requested for a separate kitchen corner, where she would personally prepare milk and the children’s belongings every morning while the helper prepares breakfast in the kitchen proper.

We placed a separate counter adjacent to the kitchen so that both the mother and helper could work together during the morning preparation schedule. The counter was also placed facing the entrance so that the mother could see to the final preparations before the husband and children leave home in the morning (Photo 7).

The kitchen is ideal when it energises you and it is where you feel most at home. When we draw inspiration from the home owners’ lifestyle and culture, the results always materialise into better design solutions.

Atelier M+A 89B Tanjong Pagar Road Tel: 6222 4405 www.atelier-ma.com www.facebook.com/AtelierMA

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Epoch Times

HOME & DÉCOR

september 19 – october 2, 2014 29

Garden Pond Plants: Which are Best?

By Mark Cropper www.bigblogofgardening.com

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ith garden temperatures reaching their annual peak, providing you have kept good care of your filtration system and water quality, your garden pond should now be looking its very best, with algae-free waters glistening in the summer sun. But as many pond owners soon learn, it sometimes takes more than just crystal clear water to make a truly beautiful garden pond— choosing the right pond plants makes a massive difference too!

Your pond plants don’t just perform an aesthetic function—if you choose the right aquatic flora you are not only enhancing the look of your garden pond, but its bio-functionality too!

Oxygenation

Unlike the non-reactive features of your pond like pebbles and pond liner, your pond plants contribute to the oxygenation levels in your garden pond. Whether this contribution has a positive or negative effect on oxygen levels often depends on your choice of plant and your management of them.

For most ponds, higher oxygen levels are preferable, helping to reduce algae levels and promote an oxygen-rich environment for your fish. Choose floating/submerged plants like a little Starwort (Callitriche Verna), which provides surface cover, depriving algae of their sunlight and helping to reduce waste accumulation in your garden pond. It looks very natural just below the surface, but it is still best to keep on top of its growth so that it doesn’t get out of hand, adding more detritus to your pond.

You can enjoy flowering varieties of oxygenators too, like Water Violets, a.k.a. Featherfoil (Hottonia Palustris), that produce a lilac-coloured flower from May through July, sprucing up your pond’s colour. You might also try Water Crowfoot (Ranunculus Aquatilis) which produces a similar flower to Water Violet, or Elodea Crispa, also known as Goldfish Weed, Curly Pond Weed, and Lagrosiphon.

Marginal Pond Plants

It’s not just about those plants that create a central feature in your garden pond—plants that border the edges can really add to the overall beauty and functionality of your garden oasis.

Usually planted in pots and submerged to a depth of 1 or 2 inches (5 or 10 cm) from the rim of the pot, these plants thrive in your pond water, injecting

colourful dynamics into your pond’s overall look. Take a look at great flowering plants like Water ForgetMe-Nots (Myosotis Scorpioides) that feature beautiful yet tiny flowers that compliment your garden pond.

Your marginal garden pond plants are likely to be the ones that provide the most year-round source of colour, like Bog Pimpernel (Anagallis Tenella) that flowers a beautiful pink-white from June through to September, or Marsh Marigold (Caltha Palustris) that explodes into a beautiful buttercup-yellow as early as March!

These marginal plants require a pond-shelf that holds them in position, so may require a little aquascaping before you can include them. But once they are in the garden pond, they not only look great but also help with biodiversity, becoming a safe haven for developing seedlings of various species that might otherwise get eaten if they were left in deeper water.

marginal plants, while also (in many cases) being great oxygenators.

Planted in pots like marginal plants, you can place these plant pots in deeper water. The stems of deep water plants are long and allow the flowering heads and leaves to float on the surface, but in a way that is secured under the water to prevent it from moving too far from your intended spot. Anchoring the deep water plant in this way maintains your desired look and helps absorb nutrients from the detritus at the bottom of your pond.

It is in this category that we find probably the most famous garden pond plant: The Water Lilly, simply beautiful. Try varieties like Nymphaea Shady Lady’s, a miniature pink water lily, or Nymphaea Aurora to give your pond some changing dynamics to watch and observe with pleasure.

When it comes to aquatic flora, the best results are

usually attained by those aquarists who use a balanced approach, taking advantage of a variety of plant types to create a functioning ecosystem. To achieve this, research is always advised so you can strike the right balance and create a truly stunning yet functional aquatic garden.

This article was originally written and published by Mark Cropper for Swell, UK. He is a guest author for bigblogofgardening.com.

Floating Pond Plants

As the title suggests, this flora is free-floating in your pond and helps not only to provide your fish with a little cover from potential threats like Herons, but also prevents algae blooms by intercepting sunlight before it can reach algae in the water.

Providing your garden pond isn’t too exposed to the wind (in which case you might find that floating plants clump together on one side of your pond), floating plants look calm and serene. Try plants like Fairy Moss (Azolla Caroliniana) to complete your pond’s floating look, but don’t forget to check the size of the leaves in floating plants—some can get pretty big and you wouldn’t want them to take over.

When it comes to floating pond plants, you can even get winter flowering varieties: try Water Hawthorn (Aponogenton Distachyos) which will be dormant in the summer and produce white flowers January through May to replace your disappearing Frogbit (Hydrocharis morsus-ranae) that flowers between June and September.

Deep Water Plants

Deep water plants are some of the most beautiful garden pond plants available, offering some of the same advantages as floating plants and

Water lily. http://freewallpapers4desktop.com

30 september 19 – october 2, 2014

Food

Epoch Times

Travel Peaceful and quiet, Pitigliano offers some kind of escape from the noisy tourist crowds.

Pitigliano, Italy:

The Medieval Village Where Time Stood Still

Pitigliano – surroundings.

Tomasz Lisowski, Adventurous Travels

By Tomasz Lisowski Adventurous Travels he whole region of Tuscany is without a doubt idyllic.

Picturesque villages, the most visited and historically important towns and cities in the world (for example: Florence, Siena, Pisa), beautiful beaches and coastal areas. There’s no need to add anything more.

However, in the middle of all this, a bit off the beaten path lies Pitigliano—a little village built atop of a massive cliff among the green rolling hills, fields and woodlands. Peaceful and quiet, it offers some kind of escape from the noisy tourist crowds.

there to visit this beautiful town going down south to Pitigliano.

I wasn’t lucky enough to be able to drive there so I had no other choice but to use the public transport. There is no direct connection from any of the above-mentioned cities, either by bus or by train.

My time was really limited in Tuscany but I was really stubborn to see Pitigliano at least for a couple of hours. The best option to visit Pitigliano is to go to the town of Grosseto. After all day that I spent in Siena, in the evening, I took a bus to Grosseto (around 8 EUR/S$13) and stayed there overnight. The next morning, I jumped on another bus directly to Grosseto.

How to Get to Pitigliano Europe has an excellent network of public transport connections, but Pitigliano seems to be an exception to this rule.

The best advice would be to drive there. It is located south of Florence (216 km/134 miles), 111 km from Siena (69 miles) and 240 km from Pisa (150 miles). Siena is on the way from Florence so you could stop

Visiting Pitigliano I arrived in Pitigliano very early morning, when the first sun rays started illuminating the village.

It looked really stunning. The mighty cliff seemed to have risen unexpectedly out of nowhere among the beautiful lush green scenery. The brownish houses, squeezed tightly on top, together with the rocky wall created a phenomenal contrast with the surroundings.

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The climate was clearly cooler than in the rest of Tuscany, and, even though it was June, I still felt cold until the sun heated up the air.

Pitigliano is really small and one day is more than enough to visit everything. There are two main streets around which all the buildings and houses are built.

Just follow one of them and you will reach the end of the village on the other side. If you have a chance, do stay overnight so you can admire both the village and the cliff beautifully illuminated after dark.

Buildings and Monuments You are in Italy, so it goes without saying that you will encounter numerous historical buildings, churches and monuments.

First of them, right at the beginning of Pitigliano, is the Medicean Aqueduct. It was constructed in the sixteenth century to get water to the town from the nearby river. Further on, right beside the Aqueduct you will find the Archeological Museum.

Just before you enter the village, note the Palazzo Orsini at the Piazza Garibaldi. It dates

back to the medieval ages with later influences of the following eras. Nowadays, the whole complex houses museums and a town hall.

Keep going on and now you can admire beautiful, narrow streets and alleys interspersed with little local shops and cafes.

There is also a Jewish Museum in the center of Pitigliano. It’s worth mentioning that Pitigliano was once called “Little Jerusalem”.

There are two parallel little streets that begin at the Piazza della Republica—Via Zuccarelli and Via Roma. Both lead to the other end of Pitigliano. Follow the first one and then do a loop and come back down the other street.

At the end of Via Roma, there is the beautiful church of Santa Maria with a fountain where you can refill your bottle of water or just drink it. Right after the church, you enter Piazza San Gregorio. The main cathedral of Pitigliano is situated here—The Saint Peter and Paul Cathedral.

In this piazza, you can find some of the best restaurants (cheaper than near Piazza della Rebublica). Try some wild boar dishes famous for this region!

The Best View of Pitigliano After a delicious meal in one of the medieval restaurants, and after doing the “loop walk”, come out of the old town and go to the new part of the village. It’s situated on the opposite side of the cliff and it offers the best views over Pitigliano from outside. I could sit on one of the benches and just stare at it forever.

Another great view point is alongside the main road to Pitigliano. Unfortunately, public buses don’t stop there, it’s quite far from the town centre and walking up that road is pretty dangerous—it’s steep, has many sharp turns and there is no pavement or sidewalk whatsoever. There is a cliff wall instead. In spite of all this, I ventured out of Pitigliano, got to that view point walking and took some amazing photos. However, if you want to spend your time in Pitigliano in peace, stress-free, I wouldn’t recommend such a walk.

Copyright © 2014 by Adventurous Travels. This article was written by Tomasz Lisowski and originally published at www.adventurous-travels.com

food & travel

Epoch Times

september 19 – october 2, 2014 31

All Photos Courtesy of Sheraton Imperial Kuala Lumpur

8

Sheraton Imperial Kuala Lumpur.

Outdoor swimming pool.

Reasons Sheraton Imperial Kuala Lumpur Is Your Ultimate Accommodation Choice in KL

K

Epoch Times Staff

uala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia, is the most visited city in the world, with an estimate of 8.9 million tourists per year.

Malaysia’s most vibrant and cultural diverse capital city is home to the magnificent Petronas Towers—a soaring 88-storey twin structure at a height of 451.9 metres.

Kuala Lumpur remains a favourite destination for Singaporeans with its wide spectrum of gastronomic food choices and variety of shopping options, which range from attractive bargains at Petaling Street, upmarket retailers in Bukit Bintang, to high-end malls such as Starhill Gallery, Pavilion Mall and Lot 10 Shopping Mall.

From now till 29 December 2014, the Sheraton Imperial Kuala Lumpur Hotel located in the heart of Kuala Lumpur offers Singaporeans a short getaway with an irresistible Family Holiday Package.

Below are 8 reasons why Sheraton Imperial Kuala Lumpur is your ultimate accommodation choice for your next trip to Malaysia’s most exciting city!

1. Sheraton Imperial Kuala Lumpur presents its “Family Holiday Package”, which offers complimentary High Speed Internet Access in the room, and a 50 percent discount off the food bill at Essence.

What’s more, kids aged between 4 and 12 years old get to eat free

when dining in with parents.

To ensure a restful and rejuvenating stay for its guests, Sheraton Imperial Kuala Lumpur offers a late check-out at 3pm (on Sundays) and complimentary parking (one car per stay).

This irresistible Family Holiday Package starts from MYR 325++ (S$128++) per night, and is valid for booking and stays from now till 29 December 2014.

2.

The light rail transit (LRT) and monorail are conveniently situated close by the five-star hotel.

Kuala Lumpur’s most splendid landmarks and shopping sites such as the Petronas Twin Towers, Kuala Lumpur Tower, Aquaria, Petrosains, and Lake Gardens are easily accessible within a short walking distance.

3. The Sheraton Imperial Kuala Lumpur is beautifully laid with elegant marble and decorated with plush wooden interior.

The majestic masterpiece worth mentioning is the sweeping staircase from the lobby to the mezzanine.

The hotel’s 385 guest rooms are a gracefully combination of authentic Asian architectural details and influences with modern comforts. Its designs are inspired by Malaysia’s colourfuldiversed landscape, culture and people.

4. As the official hotel for feel-good show, Mamma Mia!, Sheraton Imperial Kuala Lumpur Hotel is presenting a special room package that includes

complimentary breakfast, 30% discount off food & beverage and spa treatments at Mandara Spa, late check-out till 3pm, and of course 2 tickets to Mamma Mia! The Mamma Mia! ticket is valued between MYR 390 to MYR 590 each.

The package starts from MYR 590++ to MYR 1090++ per night.

Offer is valid from 1 October to 21 December 2014 for stays from 15 December to 22 December 2014.

5. Set in a landscaped terrace on the fifth floor, the Outdoor Swimming Pool offers guests a relaxing retreat after a long and tiring journey.

Choose to recharge yourself with snacks and beverages from the poolside bar/cafe, or rejuvenate in the jacuzzi at the award-winning Mandara Spa after a leisurely swim.

6. Relish an international food journey at Sheraton Imperial Kuala Lumpur Hotel.

Through its award-winning restaurants and cafes, guests can savour tempting pastries at Toastina Café & Bar, hearty Italian cuisine at Villa Danieli, all-day à la carte and international buffet at Essence, classic Chinese dishes at Celestial Court, and an evening retreat with a selection of light fare and hors d’oeurves at the Pavilions Lounge.

7. Complimentary shuttle services are offered for all guests at Sheraton Imperial Kuala Lumpur.

Shuttle services are available

from Monday to Sunday (excluding public holidays) to major landmarks such as the Sunway Tower, IMC Building , Kenanga International, Pavilion Shopping Mall, Petronas Twin Towers (KLCC), Menara Hap Seng, Menara Icon, Kuala Lumpur Tower and Berjaya Timesquare.

8. Looking to keep fit while on the road? Step on the treadmills, Smith machine, free weights and flat benches at the Sheraton Fitness.

All-day dining at Essence.

Going the extra mile, Sheraton also provides its guests with a custom training and nutrition programme.

Win a 2-Night Stay at Sheraton Imperial Kuala Lumpur Stand a chance to win a 2 nights stay at Sheraton Imperial Kuala Lumpur for two by participating in the contest below. Alternatively, wait no further and make your own booking today.

Book online at www. sheratonimperialkualalumpur. com, or contact the hotel’s reservation department by phone (603-2717-9900) or email (reservations.imperial@sheraton. com).

Sheraton Imperial Kuala Lumpur - Jalan Sultan Ismail, Kuala Lumpur 50250, Malaysia

32 september 19 – october 2, 2014

food & travel

Epoch Times

Fred Fan/Epoch Times

Hatter Street

Bakehouse & Cafe

If I had a world of my own, everything would be nonsense....

By Li Yen Epoch Times Staff

Fred Fan/Epoch Times

The famous Mad Hatter’s quote hand-painted on the wall of the Hatter Street Café.

Photo Courtesy of Hatter Street Bakehouse & Café

If I had a world of my own, everything would be nonsense.

Nothing would be what it is, because everything would be what it isn’t.

And contrary wise, what is, it wouldn’t be. And what it wouldn’t be, it would. You see?”

Lewis Carroll, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland

T

his famous quote by the Mad Hatter is handpainted on the wall of the Hatter Street Bakehouse & Cafe, a newly opened cafe situated in the Hougang neighbourhood.

Set up by four young and creative individuals who wanted to inject “a pinch of madness” into their cuisine, they dedicated their shop to the ‘Hatter’—a fictional character from Lewis Carroll’s novel Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and its sequel.

The Hatter is often described as ‘mad’ and thus the name ‘‘The Mad Hatter’.

Being fans of the Hatter and Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, the owners of Hatter Street love doing things out of the ordinary, and through this whimsical cafe they hope to promote creativity and spontaneity. They want to set up a cafe which they can call their own, in an absurd and

Yvette Chua is in charge of operations and is the Kitchen Alchemist.

unconventional way, instead of taking the mainstream route.

Hatter Street’s cuisine is characterised by Asian culinary traditions with the implementation of avant-garde techniques.

Glimpses of the Mad Hatter can be seen in the desserts they serve.

They love to break the rules, so be prepared for a quirky and amusing gastronomic experience in this out-of-place neighbourhood cafe.

Last week, we immersed ourselves in a wacky journey at Hatter Street, where waitresses dressed in playful cat costumes serve up a myriad of original and creative desserts.

The Chef Yvette Chua, the teacher-turnedchef and owner of Hatter Street, trained under the Demon Chef of Bo Innovation, a 3-michelin starred Chinese restaurant in Fred Fan/Epoch Times

The whimsical interior of Hatter Street.

The exterior of Hatter Street Bakehouse & Café, at Blk 212 Hougang Street 21.

Hong Kong that is famous for its extreme cuisine.

Chef Chua explored her professional development in the culinary arts through a degree majoring in professional studies in culinary arts management. She is inspired by the Demon Chef Alvin Leung, and crafts her desserts with influences from her Hong Kong’s learning experiences.

Her desserts are off the limits of what is accepted as the norm, and her original and unpredictable creations take diners on an

expedition that is as amusing as Alice’s in the Wonderland!

Smoked Sawdust Pudding (S$5) A signature dish at Hatter Street, this dessert is inspired by a popular Portuguese pudding known as Serradura (meaning ‘sawdust’) which originates from Macau.

To make the pudding, Chef Chua grinds cookie crumbs to look like sawdust, and a special gun is used to smoke the pudding before it is served.

The smoke—the highlight and

food & travel

Epoch Times

Photo Courtesy of Hatter Street Bakehouse & Café

Smoked Sawdust Pudding

novelty of this dessert—is an idea that Chef Chua got from visiting temples in Hong Kong.

Smoke poured out of the jar as I opened it, and added a lightly charred taste to this quirky dish.

The smell of incense filled my mouth on the first bite, but the aroma disappeared on the second bite, and I could taste the sweet-savouriness of this dessert after that.

Chef Chua was actually quite sceptical about the reception for this peculiar dish, and is pleasantly surprised that customers are actually coming back for it.

So folks, do try this unusual

mentioned in several food magazines as one of the best in Singapore.

There are many places serving waffles, so what’s so special about theirs?

Unlike the soft versions that most restaurants serve, Hatter Street’s waffles are beautifully crisp.

Chef Chua marries two unique Asian ingredients—pandan icecream and gula melaka with the waffle. These homely, traditional flavours, when combined with the crispiness of the waffle, make this dessert a yummy treat!

Kum Kuat (S$6) The Kum Kuat tart is akin to the dessert, which is guaranteed to Lemon Meringue Tart, except tickle your palate! that it is made with the puree of fresh Kum Kuat, a citrus fruit that Whoaffles (S$8.90) looks like a small, oval orange.

Hatter Street’s waffle has been “It’s so kumquat” was my first reaction when I dug into this Fred Fan/E poch sweet and sour dessert.

Times I love its strong citrus taste with a dash of sweetness!

Whoaffles.

Kum Kuat.

september 19 – october 2, 2014 33

Fred Fan/Epoch Times

Alice.

Alice (S$6.80) Alice is the main character of Lewis Carroll’s famous novel, and so is this dish, which was initially intended to be the signature dessert of Hatter Street.

Alice is a white chocolate brownie with salted caramel sauce and a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

This dessert is a masterpiece that juxtaposes many dimensions of taste, texture, and temperature, ranging from sweet to salty and warm to cold.

Oh-My-Tian (S$8.90) Oh-My-Tian, which literally translates as ‘Oh-My-God’, is a unique cookies and cream brownie topped with homemade Oreo ice cream.

With its generous helpings of crunchy Oreo cookies, this

At Malaysia’s Table, a Gathering of Cultures Malaysia Kitchen USA

By Channaly Philipp Epoch Times Staff Christina Arokiasamy grew up the daughter of two doctors in Malaysia. Her father was a naturopathic doctor, and her mother was known as “Doctor Masala”, a spice merchant who would hand prescriptions of spices along with her wares.

Arokiasamy, a chef, an author, and also Malaysia’s food ambassador to the United States, recalled, “She never just dished out the spices. [She’d say] ‘You’ve got to have this because ginger is good for you, it’s got antioxidants, it’s going to help you with cholesterol.’ I think she read a lot of my father’s naturopathic books.”

The rubs and spices, from a culinary standpoint, were literally transformative and essential in turning out dishes like chicken tikka masala, chicken tandoori, and countless others.

The food memories that stick with Arokiasamy are visual as

Christina Arokiasamy, Malaysia’s food ambassador to the U.S.

well as olfactory: the mounds of yellow and red spices.

She remembers the smells of drying spices permeating the air, especially the triad of cinnamon, cloves, and star anise, a combination often used together.

Arokiasamy calls them “three big partners that always come to assist, revitalise, and ignite meat dishes.”

She’s often asked: What is Malaysian food? Her answer is that Malaysia is all of Asia on a plate. There, cultures mingled throughout history.

“It began many centuries, many hundreds of years ago during the 15th and 14th centuries, history tells us,” Arokiasamy said. “Before the Portuguese came and conquered this area, the Chinese ships, the Arab ships, the Indian ships, the Javanese ships, all came to

converge. They bartered, and these people made Malaya at that time their home … So when you taste the food of Malaysia it’s as if you have taken a journey through Asia.”

Each culture brought their respective contributions to kitchen and table: the Chinese their sauces, the Indians their spices, and the Malays their aromatics. “It’s the whole of Asia coming together sharing, making

Oh-My-Tian.

delightful treat will undeniably be well-loved by Oreo cookies fans!

Hatter Street Blk 212, Hougang Street 21 #01-333

one dish. That’s high artistry,” she said.

In a dish of Malaysian chili sesame prawns, for example, sesame oil and soy sauce are mixed with curry leaves and aromatics like garlic.

Like the dishes, the patchwork of gardens and single dwellings in Malaysia reflect the same kind of mingling. “It’s such a give and take among the neighbours,” Arokiasamy said. For example, “A Chinese family will never plant curry leaf. They will plant maybe lemongrass, they’ll never plant curry leaf because they know they can just come across your garden and pluck it.

“With that knowledge, people grow enough to share,” she added.

“We normally say, ‘Hello Auntie, can we have lemongrass?’ ‘Go ahead, help yourself,’ but we already have the basket ready in our hands,” she laughed. “We love sugar cane and we know only the Chinese have pandan and sugar cane in the garden, and you know what—so why bother planting it?

Just go over and bring some back.

“It’s fun. We love to cook and we love to eat especially. It’s vibrant that way.”

34 september 19 – october 2, 2014

Epoch Times

Values

Virtues Confucius was the first teacher in Chinese history to provide private education to the public, based on the concept of “teaching according to natural aptitude”.

Happy Birthday, Confucius!

By Epoch Times Staff

I

t has been two and a half millennia since the birth of the great philosopher Confucius (515–479 B.C.) , yet his birthday continues to be celebrated on September 28 in China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong.

In these countries, the founder of Confucianism ( 儒家) is known as the “head teacher for 10,000 years” and the “teacher of all teachers”.

Confucius was not just famous for his teachings, but also for being a dedicated educator.

He was the first teacher in Chinese history to make

private education available to the public.

Despite his humble background, this extraordinary person preached a philosophy that—2,500 years later—continues to influence and shape modern society, politics, economics, and other realms.

Early Years

Confucius (551–479 B.C.) is known in China as Kong Zi ( 孔子), or Kong Fu Zi (孔夫子).

His name at birth was Kong Qiu (孔丘), styled Zhong Ni (仲 尼) (a traditional Chinese “style name” given after age 20 to mark the coming of age).

Confucius lived in the State

of Lu during the Spring and Autumn Period (770–476 B.C.) in the later part of the Zhou Dynasty (11th century B.C. to 221 B.C.) When Confucius was 3 years old, his father—an elderly official—passed away. He and his mother were very poor, and there were times he worked as a cowherd and a book-keeper.

But early in his life he obtained old scriptures from rich and educated people and acquired a large knowledge through diligence, humility, and intelligence. Therefore, despite his poor family background he became an official of the emperor.

The Hard Life of a Sage

At about age 51, Confucius was promoted to a high-level position. He saw many injustices and an absence of morality in politics. He advocated his benevolence principle for governance, but his political philosophy was not adopted by his monarch.

Confucius had no choice but to resign. He went into exile and travelled with his disciples from state to state across the Chinese empire to spread his teachings and belief in benevolent administration. There were times they almost starved to death, but despite their endeavours none of the rulers showed any interest.

36 september 19 – october 2, 2014

values & virtues

Epoch Times

Cultivating the Virtue of Benevolence Epoch Times Staff

B

enevolence is usually defined as the desire to do good things and show kindness to someone. It can be a silent act of goodwill, like the sun shining on a plant and nourishing it.

In ancient China, it originally referred to endearment between people, but eventually evolved into a profound moral value with infinite meanings.

The Five Constant Virtues Over the past five thousand years, the Chinese created a sophisticated civilisation and culture. They concurrently formed their own moral code, which has played an important role in social development and progress.

These have developed into traditional virtues, where the Five Constant Virtues—benevolence (rén 仁), righteousness (yì 义), propriety (lǐ 礼), wisdom (zhì 智) and fidelity (xìn 信) are the most profound.

The Five Constant Virtues are derived from Confucianism, and they are widely acknowledged by Chinese and East Asian societies around the world.

Fotolia

Benevolence is like the sun, whose light nourishes all the plants and living beings on Earth without intention of getting anything in return.

Of the five virtues, Confucius regarded benevolence as the ultimate moral principle and standard. He believed that benevolence dwelled in the nature of everybody and could be reached by anyone who devoted himself to it.

The Cultivation of Benevolence Benevolence manifests itself in the inner mind, as love and compassion for people, and as avoiding hatred, jealousy, and the intention to cause harm toward anyone.

Benevolence requires that one’s behaviour be amiable, and one should not engage in petty conflict

Benevolence is like the sun, whose light nourishes all the plants and living beings on Earth without intention of getting anything in return.

nor do evil deeds.

To cultivate one’s attentiveness to benevolence, one should understand and follow the law of forgiveness. He needs to see the goodness and potential in all by cultivating the reverence of life.

To cultivate the virtue to the highest level, one should also work on purifying and expanding his heart by overcoming all hatred, dislike, and hardness of heart.

Furthermore, one should also apply the Confucian version of the Golden Rule, as stated in Lunyu or the Analects: “What one does not wish for oneself, one ought not to do to anyone else; what one recognises as desirable for oneself, one ought to be willing to grant to others.”

Virtue, in this Confucian view, is based upon maintaining harmony with other people, and is fuelled by a growing self-awareness of others’ interests over one’s own interests.

In short, just as parents care unconditionally for their children, the benevolent person spares no effort to help others. He can even lay down his life to this end, with no thought of being repaid.

From Family to Society Benevolence arises from

being able to connect with human feelings and relate to human suffering.

In a benevolent society, the people are able to empathise with each others’ feelings, and relate to each others’ suffering, giving rise to a general sympathy and sense of justice in society.

The foundation of benevolence is filial piety, which requires one to love his parents, brothers and the whole family. He learns to place the needs of others closest to him before himself.

Subsequently, he extends his benevolence to the wider circle of people around him—to his friends, colleagues, the community, and to society.

The benevolence advocated by Confucius was especially aimed at officials and men of honour.

He required the integration of morality, talent, salary and status and the complementary functions of virtue and wisdom as well as internal benevolence and external beauty, thus promoting the happiness of ordinary people and social stability.

Han Xin Reciprocates the Kindness He Received Han Xin (Hán Xìn 韩信) was a military general who lived more than 2,000 years ago. He served Liu Bang (Emperor Gaozu of Han) and contributed greatly to the founding of the Han dynasty.

Han Xin was extremely poor

in his youth, and often couldn’t afford to eat. One day, while he was suffering from hunger, an old woman washing clothes beside a river offered him some food.

Han Xin was very grateful and said that he would reciprocate her kindness in the future. But the old woman said, “I offered you food not to obtain your repayment.”

The old woman did not even tell Han Xin her name.

Several years later, after becoming the King of Chu, Han Xin returned to his hometown.

He found the woman who fed him and rewarded her with 1,000 taels of gold.

Han Xin was also a man of excellent character with a very high level of benevolence and tolerance. Once, a hooligan saw Han Xin carrying a sword and challenged him to either kill him or crawl through between his legs.

Han Xin knew that he would become a criminal if he killed him, hence instead of responding to the taunts, he crawled through between the hooligan’s legs and was laughed at.

Many years later, when he became a general, Han Xin met the hooligan again. Instead of taking revenge, he appointed the hooligan as his lieutenant.

Moved by Han Xin’s forgiveness, the hooligan eventually became one of Han Xin’s best lieutenants, and served Han Xin loyally.

VALUES & VIRTUES

Epoch Times

ARTCHINA

So Confucius returned to his hometown in his 60s and dedicated himself to education.

At the time the common people had no opportunity to obtain an education, which was a privilege reserved for royalty and nobility.

Confucius was the first teacher in Chinese history to provide private education to the public, based on the concept of “teaching according to natural aptitude”.

He taught the classical traditions and the six arts: rites, music, archery, charioteering, calligraphy and mathematics, which formed the basis of ancient Chinese education.

But Confucius emphasised morality as the most important subject. He taught that the true gentleman (君子, jūn zǐ) is a person of good education and moral character who values selfimprovement.

A Legacy that Lives On

It was not until after his death that Confucius became famous, when his numerous disciples spread his teachings across China.

The discussions he had with his disciples were written down as recollections in various texts, of which the foundational ones are the Four Books and Five Classics. The most well-known of them all is “Lunyu” or the Analects of Confucius, which remains the most influential text in the history of China and East Asia.

Years after his death, his works became standard reading for the intellectual upper classes.

Throughout many centuries, applicants for official positions were measured by how well they understood the works of Confucius, and Emperors of many dynasties followed and applied his teachings.

Even today, Confucian values continue to have a strong influence on Asian society. For

september 19 – october 2, 2014 35

chinese classical dance ntd tv

Confucius (515–479 B.C.) is known as the “head teacher for 10,000 years” and “teacher of all teachers”.

Confucius emphasised morality as the most important subject. He taught that the true gentleman is a person of good education and moral character who values selfimprovement. example, filial devotion and ancestor worship, evident in the celebrations of the Ching Ming and Chung Yeung festivals, are cornerstones of Confucianism.

On September 28 each year, people continue the tradition

of celebrating Confucius’ birthday with a ceremony. The modern Confucian ceremony is 60-minutes long and is celebrated at Qufu (Shandong), the birthplace of Confucius, the Confucius Temple in Taipei, Taiwan, and at temples throughout China.

The Confucius ceremony begins at dawn, and consists of 37 precisely choreographed parts. These include a procession of attendants dressed in Ming Dynasty robes, a performance of an ancient dance from the Zhou Dynasty, and feasting on a “wisdom cake”. It is said eating the special rice cake will bring luck with one’s studies, so hundreds of students line up each year for a bite.

The moral values emphasised

by Confucius were “benevolence, righteousness, politeness, wisdom, and trust”. In later generations these won more and more meaning in all areas of society. On the next page, we elaborate on the concept of benevolence, one of the cornerstones of Confucianism.

Zi Jin Guan—an essential technique for female Chinese dancers to master.

Demystifying Classical Chinese Dance: Zi Jin Guan (紫金冠) Shen Yun Performing Arts One of the key essential techniques for female dancers to master is known in Chinese as ‘Zi Jin Guan’. As you can see in this picture, the dancer swings her back leg upwards, and holds that posture while staying perfectly still. Variations of this move include kicking the back

leg and catching it with both hands.

This technique is especially challenging—for a dancer to literally be able to touch her back leg with her head, she must have incredible flexibility, core strength and stability. Imagine the hours of excruciating training and stretching the dancers have had to undergo!

chinese characters

By Epoch Times Staff

Benevolence (rén)

仁

The character ‘ren’ means goodness of heart and wanting the best for others; simply, it means to have humanity.

仁 (rén) represents the Chinese character for goodness of heart, compassion and wanting the best for others. It consists of two components—the left side 亻 symbolises man, and is a radical appearing in many Chinese characters. In contrast, the right side 二 (er) is not just a component of 仁, but is also a character in its own right. The character symbolises on the one

hand dignity and ethics, and on the other hand earthly things. In its entirety, the symbol relates to the idea of a man, along with his earthly connections. 仁 represents the basis of Confucian teachings which permeated classical Chinese culture.

These teachings exhort people to conduct themselves virtuously and to practice habits such as compassion, kindness of heart, propriety, upright conduct, wisdom, faith and learning.

People in premodern times

saw compassion on par with morality, and saw compassion and wanting the best for others as typical attributes of noble men. Not merely should the citizenry raise their standards based on these attributes, but the teachings also enable politics to be carried out in the most humane manner.

Confucian philosophy teaches that only a morally upright, and at the same time compassionate, human being deserves to and is capable of governing.

values & virtues

Epoch Times

september 19 – october 2, 2014

37

借用人将 斗事 执缓勿步年对衣置冠晨朝 人人问入 闹勿 虚揭践从方饮贵冠必必起 物物谁门 场忙 器帘阈容少食洁服正盥早

及须对问 绝忙 如勿勿立勿勿不有纽兼夜 时明以孰 勿多 执有跛端饮拣贵定必漱眠 还求名存 近错 盈声倚正酒择华位结口迟 后倘吾将 邪勿 入宽勿揖饮食上勿袜便老 有不与上 僻畏 虚转箕深酒适循乱与溺易 急问我堂 事难 室弯踞圆醉可分顿履回至

謹

借即不声 绝勿 如勿勿拜最勿下致俱辄惜 不为分必 勿轻 有触摇恭为过称污紧净此 难偷明扬 问略 人棱髀敬丑则家秽切手时 *

* According to Dizi Gui, we should “avoid doing things in a hurry, as doing things in haste will lead to many mistakes. Do not be afraid of difficult tasks, or look down on asking questions and clarifying doubts. Where there is fighting and disturbance, don’t ever go near. Never say evil or deviant things.”

lessons from dizi gui

Guan Ning Cuts the Mat sref.cnki.net

By Ting Ting Epoch Times Staff “Dizi Gui” (Standards for Being a Good Student and Child) is a traditional Chinese textbook for children that teaches children morals and proper etiquette.

Conscientiousness and focus are important when doing tasks.

Dizi Gui emphasises this lesson by saying that we should avoid doing things in a hurry, as doing things in haste will lead to many mistakes. We should not be afraid of difficult tasks, or look down on asking questions and clarifying doubts.

In addition, where there is fighting and disturbance, we should not ever go near. We should never say evil or deviant things.

A good example is the historic figure Guan Ning, who was known for being very focused in his work and spiritual cultivation.

Guan Ning Throws Away Gold in the Paddy Field Guan Ning was a scholar during the Three Kingdoms period. From a young age, he developed the habit of doing things with great carefulness and concentration.

Guan Ning had a classmate called Hua Xin, and the two used to study and farm together. One day while Guan Ning was hoeing

When Hua Xin returned, Guan Ning cut the mat they had sat on together in half, saying, “We should no longer be friends.” the rice paddy, he hit upon a rock that turned out to be a gold nugget. He threw the gold out of the rice paddy and continued hoeing.

Hua Xin saw Guan Ning throw away the gold nugget and picked it up. He examined it from all angles and then looked at his classmate for a long time before he too decided to throw it away.

Why did Guan Ning throw away the gold nugget? This was because he was a man of virtue. He treated farming as part of his cultivation practice and welcomed the hardship of farming as joy. He viewed the gold nugget, which would provide him a comfortable life, as a test and distraction from his farming work, and thus from his cultivation practice.

Guan Ning Cuts the Mat On another occasion, the two friends were studying together when they heard the sound of drums and gongs outside their window. The noise was from a grand procession of highranking officials and their guards-of-honour passing by.

Guan Ning continued to focus on his book, but Hua Xin could hardly sit still. Finally, he could not resist but go outside to watch the procession, until the procession had walked far away.

When Hua Xin returned, Guan Ning took out a knife and cut the mat they had sat on together in half, saying, “We should no longer be friends.”

Confucius once said, “Do not work with people who has different values from yours.”

Mo Zi also once said, “One who stayes near ink gets stained black”, meaning that one will inevitably be influenced by the behaviour of one’s company.

After observing Hua Xin’s behaviour in various situations, Guan Ning realised that they differed too much in personality.

Hua Xin was easily distracted by money and power, and was careless in his attitude to studying, which would have made it more difficult for Guan Ning to maintain his own focus in his work.

Therefore, Guan Ning cut

Disappointed with his peer’s attitude, Guan Ning chose to sever ties with him.

the mat in half, and made the decision to stay away from Hua Xin. From then on, “breaking

up with a friend by severing the mat” became an idiom referring to the end of friendship.

values & virtues

38 september 19 – october 2, 2014

Epoch Times

Courtesy of Art Renewal Center

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why realism

A Life Mission part 11

By Frederick Ross

I

never dreamed I would get to see the recreation of a system that produced so many great artists, but it’s happening right now, and the yearly ARC Salon competition, which started in 2003, has grown year after year. It is now administered by my daughter Kara Ross, ARC’s managing director, of whom I could not be more proud.

In less than three years, it has more than doubled its number of participants, and this year we have nearly 2,200 entries. Every year, the winners are being picked up by galleries, and many of them are establishing successful careers.

Only when the best artists in the world compete nearly every year will the Salon once again take on the importance so long held by the Paris Salons.

Each year, seeing each other’s

“The Knight’s Dream” by Antonio de Pereda (1611–1678).

work and sharing technical and aesthetic knowledge creates a cross-pollination that challenges and ensures ever-greater art competitions.

We are actually already seeing this happen. In the past few years, I can finally say that the best artists today are within striking distance of painting masterpieces at the highest levels of art history.

Some are already doing it, and I invite you all to view last year’s results and the years before that.

With the power of the Internet, with credible organisations such as the network of associated

societies of portrait artists, with the Art Renewal Centre reaching countless millions of people, with the support now of six major art magazines all committed to reporting on the ARC yearly Salon winners, and with a vast growing array of other important developments in the realist art community, we are well on our way to a new birth of creativity and a vast new outpouring of human expression.

It is an explosive reinvigoration of the visual arts, but this time fully imbued with the true meaning of freedom of expression.

So long as most of humanity is permitted to compare and decide for themselves what constitutes great art, and with poetry, truth, and beauty as guiding lights, a full rebirth of the universal language of traditional contemporary realism is assured.

This is the final part of an 11-part series presenting the speech given

by Frederick Ross at the February 7, 2014, Artists Keynote Address to the Connecticut Society of Portrait Artists. Frederick Ross is chairman and founder of the Art Renewal Centre.

An art critique on Giant Panda artwork By world-class artist Mr. Huang Xiong Wen

By Howard Yu For the Epoch Times

Courtesy of Huang Xiong Wen

H

uang Xiong Wen is a successful professional painter, famous for his paintings of human figures, animals and landscapes. He graduated in 1992 from the faculty of Fine Arts in GuangXi Normal University, majoring in oil painting. Since then, Xiong Wen has created a number of renowned master pieces. Many of his paintings have been showcased in prestigious art exhibitions both in China and abroad. For Huang, painting nature is not about replicating nature, but working in harmony with nature.

Da Tang Fine Arts has hosted five solo exhibitions of Huang Xiong Wen in the past few years.

Many of his masterpieces have been acquired by organizations, public and private institutions as well as private collectors from various countries. He has also

Fun Time | Oil on Canvas | 50 x 90cm | 2014

been engaged to design and produce large-scale murals for luxury hotels in China.

As the name suggests, the theme of this art exhibition is giant pandas. With less than 1,600 giant pandas left in the wild, they are an endangered species and the rarest member of the bear family.

Xiong Wen spent countless hours in Sze Chuan observing the giant panda’s behavior and movement for this artistic endeavor. Through his keen observation and his

seasoned aesthetic judgment, he was able to bring out the true beauty and vitality of this lovely creature. With the gallerist, Howard Yu, being an ardent advocate of animal conservation, the gallery also features an educational aspect of animal and environment conservation.

Malaysia is famous for its pandas (Feng Yi and Fu Wa), who are currently living in Zoo Negara Malaysia. For the first time, panda lovers can escape

the outdoor heat and view these pandas in the indoor comfort of Art Expo Malaysia 2014.

Therefore, be enthralled by the aesthetic creation of Huang Xiong Wen. In this very first solo art exhibition in Malaysia, he presents to the public 20 oil paintings, gracefully depicting the life of the giant panda, the national treasure of China.

By Howard Yu, Diretor – Da Tang Fine Arts Enterprise Pte. Ltd. <www.datangfinearts.com> Tel: 6333 9628 or 9846 2098.

The Giant Pandas Art will be showcasing in the Malaysia Art Expo 2014 from 24 to 28 Sept 2014 at MATRADE Exhibition and Convention Centre (MECC) or visit Da Tang Fine Arts at 1 North Bridge Road, #B1-09, High Street Centre, Singapore 179094 from 19 Sept to 13 Oct.

Epoch Times

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40 september 19 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; october 2, 2014

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