Chinese Famous & Classic Novel - Dream of the Red Chamber

Dream of the Red Chamber, The Red Chamber Dreams or A Dream of Red Mansions (Traditional Chinese: 紅樓夢; Simplified Chinese: 红楼梦; pinyin: Hónglóu mèng), also known as The Story of the Stone (Traditional Chinese: 石頭記; Simplified Chinese: 石头记; pinyin: Shítóu jì) is one of the masterpieces of Chinese fiction. It was composed sometime in the middle of the 18th century during the Qing Dynasty. The novel's authorship is attributed to Cáo Xuěqín (Cao Zhan).

The novel is usually grouped with three other pre-modern Chinese works of fiction, collectively known as the Four Great Classical Novels. Of these, Dream of the Red Chamber is often acknowledged to be the zenith of Chinese classical fiction by scholars.

Plot summary

A scene from the story, painted by Xu Bao (born 1810).

Other scenes.The novel is believed to be semi-autobiographical, mirroring the fortunes of Cao Xueqin's own family. As the author details in the first chapter, it was intended to be a memorial to the women he knew in his youth: friends, relatives and servants. However, the time mark of the story itself is blurred, with characters' costume style shifting between various dynasties, and the reference of home location keeps changing.

The novel itself is a detailed, episodic record of the lives of the extended Jia Clan, made up of two branches, the Ning-guo and Rong-guo Houses, which occupies two large adjacent family compounds in the capital. Their ancestors were made Dukes, and at the novel's start the two houses were still one of the most illustrious families in the capital. Originally extremely wealthy and influential, with a female member made an Imperial Concubine, the Clan eventually fell into disfavour with the Emperor, and had their mansions raided and confiscated. The novel is a charting of the Jias' fall from the height of their prestige (which is described in great naturalistic detail), centering on some 30 main characters and over 400 minor ones.

The story is prefaced with supernatural Taoist and Buddhist overtones. A sentient Stone, abandoned by the Goddess Nüwa when she mended the heavens aeons ago, enters the mortal realm after begging a Taoist priest and Buddhist monk to bring it to see the world.

The main character, Jia Baoyu, is the adolescent heir of the family, apparently the reincarnation of the Stone (the most reliable Jiaxu manuscript however has the Stone and Jia Baoyu as two separate, though related, entities). In that previous life he had a relationship with a flower, who is incarnated now as Baoyu's sickly cousin, the emotional Lin Daiyu. However, he is predestined in this life, despite his love for Daiyu, to marry another cousin, Xue Baochai. This love triangle against the backdrop of the family's declining fortunes forms the most well-known plot line among the others in the novel.

The novel is remarkable not only in its huge cast of characters — over 400 in all, most of whom are female — and its psychological scope, but also in its precise and detailed observations of the life and social structures that are typical in the 18th-century China.

Chinese Famous Woman - Chang Xiangyu - Empress of Yuju Opera

Zhang Miaoling (later Chang Xiangyu), who's father was a popular Yuju Opera actor in their hometown who left the stage due to a throat complication, was born to a poor farming family in Henan Province's Gongxian County in September 1923.

When Zhang was nine years old she was spared from becoming a child-bride, which would have secured her own family a life with her future husband's relatives. Having seen so many child brides living miserable lives, Zhang's father encouraged his daughter to learn opera instead. Zhang changed her name to Chang Xiangyu when she began learning Yuju Opera since opera performers had a very low social status in feudal China.

Chang first learned Yuju Opera from her father and achieved fame at 12 years of age in her role as a lively maid in the Romance of the West Chamber ("Xixiang Ji").

"I liked to watch Yuju Opera when I was very young, but I had to learn to be an actress because of poverty," Chang said in an interview two years ago. "My family was so poor that sometimes we had nothing to eat for one or two days when I was young. And I started to follow my mother to beg in the streets when I was six."

To gain stage experience, Chang's father insisted she perform various roles from a young age, which contributed significantly to her later innovations. According to Chang, learning opera was a path "full of tears." Beatings were seen as the simplest and fastest way to teach opera techniques.

"Although my father loved me dearly, he was very strict with me because it was the only way he knew how to help me master more skills. I understood him and I tried hard," she recalls.

When Chang was 19 years old she met her future husband, Chen Xianzhang, who also made great contributions to Chang's artistic achievements. Chen had written a number of scripts for Chang, among which the most famous one is Hua Mulan. With Chen's help, Chang enriched Yuju Opera and expanded its appeal by adapting performance skills and vocal techniques from other local Chinese operas. Chang also created a Yuju school of her own. In 1948, she established the Xiangyu Opera Troupe in Xi'an, capital of northwest China's Shaanxi Province, and worked very hard on training young opera students.

People remember and adore Chang not only for her superb Yuju Opera performances but also for her devotion to the art and her great contributions to China.

In 1951, when China entered the Korean War, Chang donated a fighter plane to the Chinese volunteers on behalf of her drama troupe. She raised funds by performing Hua Mulan all over the country in more than 180 performances; after two years, Chang had fulfilled her promise.

Over the past decades, every time a disaster struck the country, Chang would always donate money and lend a helping hand. She had always regarded the people's concerns as her own.

Chang's outstanding achievements both in art and daily life are highly praised by both the nation and her fans. She was also elected as a deputy of the National People's Congress from the 1st to the 7th sessions, except the 4th.

Chang passed away June 1, leaving two of her wishes unfulfilled. One was for her school to be kept alive by her children, which, unfortunately, was not the case; and the other was to have time to look after her family. "I gave all my life to my career and I owe too much to my husband and children," Chang often said in her last days.

Chinese Treasure --- the giant panda

The giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) first appeared in the evolutionary record during the late Pliocene or early Pleistocene, some two to three million years ago. Panda fossils have been found in Burma, Vietnam, and particularly in eastern China, as far north as Beijing. Pandas were once widespread in southern and eastern China and in neighbouring Myanmar and north Vietnam. Today, however, there are only around 1,000 left. All of these are found in one geographic region - the bamboo forests of southwestern China.

Giant pandas are classed as bears by most scientists. Unlike other bears, they vocalize by bleating rather than roaring. Until recently, giant pandas were grouped with raccoons and lesser pandas (i.e., the Procyonidae (raccoon) family). This decision was based primarily on physiological evidence. In the late 1980's, DNA/serological studies clearly established that giant pandas are clearly more bear than raccoon. Some scientists want to place giant pandas in their own grouping; but for most bear researchers, this does not seem warranted.

The giant panda only exists at present in six small areas located in inland China. The habitat, suitable for the bamboo on which it survives, is a cold, damp coniferous forest. The elevation ranges from 1,200 to 3,400 metres ( 4,000 to 11,000 feet) high. In most of the areas in which they still roam wild, they must compete with farmers who farm the river valleys and the lower slopes of the mountains.

Adult pandas weigh 165-353 pounds. Their body length is 4-5 feet, with a 5 inch tail. Males are slightly larger than females. They have stronger forelegs, wider muzzles and are 10-20% heavier. Pandas have stout, powerful limbs. Their hind feet lack a heel pad.
Pandas have scent glands positioned under the tail. Their head is relatively massive with well developed chewing muscles. Unlike other bears, they have well-developed premolars.

Their molars are broad and flat and adapted to chewing bamboo. Their digestive system is typical of a carnivore; only slightly adapted for processing bamboo: tough esophageal lining, pyloric region of stomach thick and muscular, small intestine shortened, colon surface area enlarged.

Male genitalia is similar to red panda. Vision is poor. Their pupils have a vertical slit like many nocturnal animals. Sense of smell is very good.

A panda's coat is thick and wooly. It is white with black eye patches, ears, legs, band across shoulders and sometimes tip of tail. Fur is slightly oily preventing water penetration. Their striking coloration is thought to be an important signal to other pandas ( They avoid contact and have poor vision). Brown-and-white pandas exist but are extremely rare. Black and white and bear璴ike, the panda roams in a well璬efined home璻ange of between 3.9 and 12 km.

Much research on pandas has been conducted at the Wolong Nature Reserve in Sichuan. Studies here showed that the panda lived a solitary existence, meeting only occasionally with other pandas, except during the very brief mating season in late spring or early summer when several males come together and compete for a female. A female is on heat for two to three days. New research from Shaanxi Province's Qinling Mountains now presents a different scenario. Far from living alone, it claims, pandas in Qinling live and travel in groups of at least two, and sometimes in groups of up to 28.

Giant pandas have a massive head, heavy body, short tail, rounded ears and plantigrade feet (i.e., both heel and toe make contact with the ground when walking in a manner similar to humans).
A sedentary bear who usually stays in a selected feeding area eating large amounts of bamboo, giant pandas generally move in a slow, determined manner. When startled, they will move at a slow trot to escape danger. Giant pandas, with their short claws, are capable of climbing trees very easily.

The head of the giant panda is very large and has developed large molars which are specifically designed to crush fibrous plant material. It has powerful muscles which extend from the top of its head to the jaws giving it the capacity to crush tough stalks.

Even the throat of the giant panda has undergone significant evolution as the esophagus has a tough, horny lining to protect the bear from injury due to bamboo splinters. The stomach is similarly protected with its thick muscular wall linings.

Giant pandas have forepaws which are extremely flexible. Evolution has given them a enlarged wrist bone (the radial sesamoid) that works in the manner of an opposable thumb. This highly functional adaptation allows the giant panda to manipulate their primary food source, bamboo stems and leaves, with dexterity and precision. The hind feet of the giant panda lack the heel pad found in the other seven bear species.

While members of the order Carnivora , giant pandas have evolved almost exclusively into vegetarians with accompanying changes in their dental structure and, also, to a lesser degree, their digestive tract. Their short intestine is still not sufficiently developed to remove all of the available nutrients from the fibrous bamboo on which they feed.

The basic fur colour of the giant panda is white with black eye patches, ears, legs, feet, chest, and shoulders. Within its natural environment ( the deep forest and, at upper elevations, snow and rock) , its mottled colouring provides camouflage. There is also speculation that its striking colour pattern may be a clear message to other pandas to stay away as the giant panda is an extremely solitary animal.

The fur of the giant panda is thick and coarse. It consists of a coarse outer layer and a very dense, wooly-like underfur. To the touch, the fur feels oily. This oily protective coating helps protects giant pandas from the cool and damp climate in which the bear lives.

Destruction of the panda's natural habitat is now a major threat to the survival of the species. In the eleven years from 1973 to 1984, suitable habitat for the animal shrunk by 50 per cent in six isolated, but previously ideal, areas.

Pandas face the problem of the bamboo flowering cycle. At regular intervals (ranging from 10 to 100 years depending on the species), bamboo plants flower over large areas and die. Although they regenerate from seed within a year, it can take up to 20 years before the bamboo can support a panda population again.
When the bamboo in one area flowers, pandas have to move to other areas where this has not happened. Historically, this was easy, but as the human population expanded, more forests have been cleared for agricultural purposes, or for the collection of fuelwood and timber. At the same time, more human settlements and roads have been built. Together, they make panda migration much more difficult, leaving pandas restricted to islands of forest.

Although giant pandas will eat a large variety of plants, the overwhelming bulk of their diet, over 99%, consists of bamboo leaves, stems and shoots. Over fifteen different varieties of bamboo grow within the region.
Because of the giant pandas still quite inefficient intestinal system, it must eat great amounts of bamboo each day in order to get sufficient nutrition to survive. Feeding for 12 to 16 hours each day, giant pandas will consume 10 to 18 kilograms (22 to 40 pounds) of bamboo leaves and stems. When consuming fresh bamboo shoots, the necessary intake rises to approximately 38 kilograms (84 pounds) each day.

The size of the home range of an giant panda is quite small when compared to the home ranges of other bear species.
In general, a home range will vary from 3.8 to 6.5 square kilometers (1.5 to 2.5 square miles). The range of an individual giant panda is shared with other bears. Females have been found to stay in quite small, discrete ranges only 30 to 40 hectares (75 to 100 acres) in size. Males have larger home ranges which overlap the home ranges of several females.

The habitat of the giant panda, suitable for the bamboo on which it survives, is a cold, damp coniferous forest. The elevation ranges from 1,200 to 3,400 metres ( 4,000 to 11,000 feet) high. In most of the areas in which they still roam wild, they must compete with farmers who farm the river valleys and the lower slopes of the mountains.

Ancient Chinese history and writings abound with mention of the Panda. They were kept by emperors and their hides were highly valued. They carried a mystique and were believed to be able to ward off evil spirits and natural disasters.

The giant panda is a large mammal which, overall, has the same general size and shape of the American black bear and the Asiatic black bear.
In general, adult giant pandas and have a length of 160 to 180 centimeters (5 1/4 to 6 feet). The weight of a adult male giant panda is normally between 80 and 125 kilograms (176 and 276 pounds) with males typically weighing about 10% to 20% more than females.

With few natural enemies other than man, the lifespan of giant pandas in the wild is thought to be twenty-five years or more.

The panda has the digestive system of a carnivore. Long ago, however, it adapted to a vegetarian diet and now feeds almost exclusively on the stems and leaves of bamboo. Hidden in the dense foliage of the forest, the panda eats for up to 14 hours a day, consuming 12 to 14kg of bamboo.

The panda is omnivorous. While bamboo represents 99% of their diet they have also been known to eat fish, pikas, rodents, vines, irises, crocus, mushrooms and rice grass. The panda assumes a sitting position to eat. Their unique forepaws have an enlarged wristbone that they can flex like a thumb. This allows them to direct bamboo stalks to their mouths where they strip off bites with their incisor teeth.
Pandas digest about 20% of what they eat. (Cattle, for example, digest 60% of their intake) To compensate for their low quality diet pandas select only the most nutritious parts of the bamboo, they eat rapidly and they eat a lot. About 12 hours each day are spent feeding and they consume 12-15% of their body weight each day. During this time they consume between 23 and 36 pounds of bamboo shoots and leaves. They have been known to consume as much as 84 pounds of "new" bamboo shoots at one sitting. Special adaptations for digestion include large molars. 25 species of bamboo are eaten by pandas in the wild. Captive pandas will eat only 9 of these. Only a few bamboo species are widespread at the high altitudes pandas now inhabit: Fargesia spathacea, Sinarundinaria chungii, Sinarundinaria nitida, and Sinarundinaria fangiana.

Bamboo leaves contain the highest protein levels, stems have less. Because of the synchronous flowering, death and regeneration of all bamboo species, pandas must have a least 2 different species available in their range to avoid starvation.

Throughout most of the year pandas have a water imbalance because their feces eliminate more water than the food brings in. They usually drink at least once each day.

In the wild, adult female pandas give birth once a year and usually produce two cubs in the litter. Normally only one will survive. A newborn cub will weigh around 5 ounces is all white and blind at birth. The black spots develop after about a month.
A cub will begin to eat bamboo at about six months and be fully weaned after nine months. At the end of the first year they are about 70 to 80 pounds. The cubs will stay with their mother for about 1 1/2 years.

Giant panda cubs are extremely vulnerable while the mother is away feeding on bamboo. During this time, the newborn is subject to predation by any number of predators.
The cubs will stay with the mother for the entire first year to year and a half. Normally they are driven off by their mother as she prepares to breed once more.

The survival of giant panda cubs is totally dependent on the skill of the mother in both protecting them and teaching them the basics of what to eat, where and how to get it, how to cope with danger and all the other skills of living in the wild.

Female giant pandas do not normally mature until they are 5 to 7 years of age. Copulation normally takes place in a manner similar to members of the canine (dog) family.
Mating begins in late-March and continues on into May. Similar to other bear species, the female stays in heat for only a short time, normally two to seven days. Unlike any other bear, males will often roar to announce their presence to receptive females. Females may mate with several males during the breeding season.

Through a remarkable process referred to as delayed implantation, the fertilized ovum divides a few times and then floats free within the uterus for a few months with its development arrested. Sometime around June or July, the embryo will attach itself to the uterine wall and after a gestation period of eight weeks (August or September), the giant panda female will enter a rock cavity or hollow tree to deliver one or two cubs.

At birth, the cubs are blind and very tiny. They weigh from 90 to 130 grams (3 to 4 1/2 ounces). This is about the size of a chipmunk. The newborn cubs are covered with a fine white fur but will have acquired the typical giant panda fur colouration within a month of their birth.

The mother will use the maternity den for a month to a month and a half. Cradling the newborn cub in her forepaws, the mother will hold the cub so that it is able to suckle similar to a human mother nursing her child. The female regularly leaves the den for two to three hours to forage on nearby bamboo. Giant panda cubs are eating bamboo by the time they are 6 months old and are fully weaned by the time they are 9 months of age. At one year of age, the cubs normally weigh about 35 kilograms (75 pounds).

Wild giant pandas are found only in southwestern China. They occupy 6 small forest fragments in the provinces of Sichuan, Gansu and Shaanxi. (5,400 square miles).
They inhabit damp, misty forests of bamboo and conifers. Their preferred habitat has dense stands of at least one species of bamboo (preferably more).

They are found at high altitudes (4,000-11,500 feet). They migrate higher in the summer, lower in the winter, preferring areas that are undisturbed by human activity and with access to clear mountain streams.

Summers are cool with Monsoon (torrential rains) occurring from June to October. Snow and hail are common in winter.

Unlike some other bears, the panda does not hibernate. Its cubs are fairly small at birth, weighing only 90 to 130 gm, but, fully grown, it can weigh 100kg and over. New璪orn cubs have little fur and are very delicate. Infant mortality is also high. The average life span is 18 to 20 years in the wild, and up to 30 years in captivity.

Da xiong mao, the Chinese name for the giant panda means "great bear cat". Chinese books, written over 3,000 years ago, talk of the giant panda. Even then, it was believed to be endowed with mystical powers capable of warding off natural disasters and evil spirits. The scientific name for giant pandas, Ailuropoda melanoleuca, simply means black and white bear.

Guess, how much is a bowl of beef noodle?

The Most Expensive Beef Noodle in Tanwan

I heard this from TV and knew the most expensive beef noodle in Tanwan a few months ago . It might be the most expensive noodle in the world.

I tell you now, how much it is. Please read carefully,

Taiwan Dollar 10,000.00 = RMB 2, 500.00 = USD 357.00.

You must be amazing why it is so expensive? According to the chef of this restaurant introduced, the high price is because there are many kinds of beefs in it. All the beefs are imported from all over world. Some come from US, some come from Australia, and some come from Japan etc. So the cost is high, but beefs are qualified, delicious and with wealthy nutrition.

It deserves you to pay USD 357.00 to have only one bowl of beef noodle. But I will not to eat it, because USD 357.00 can let me to have 500 bowls of beef noodle in my hometown!

Mahjong, the most popular game in China

Mahjong in China
One of the myths of the origin of Mahjong suggests that Confucius, the great Chinese philosopher, had developed the game in about 500 BC. This assertion is likely to be apocryphal. According to this myth, the appearance of the game in the various Chinese states coincided with Confucius' travels at the time he was teaching his new doctrines. The three dragon (Cardinal) tiles also agree with the three Cardinal virtues bequeathed by Confucius. Zhōng (中 , lit. middle) the Red, Fā (發 , lit. prosperity) the Green, Bái (白 , lit. white) the White represent Benevolence, Sincerity, and Filial piety respectively, again under this myth. In fact, the "middle" is likely a reference to 中国 (zhōngguó) — China's name in Chinese.

Also, this myth claims that Confucius was fond of birds, which would explain the name "Mahjong" (sparrow). However, there is no evidence of Mahjong's existence before the Taiping era in the 19th century, which eliminates Confucius as a likely inventor.

The general consensus is that the game was developed from existing Chinese card and domino games sometime around 1850. Many historians believe it was based on a Chinese card game called Mádiào (馬吊) (also known as Ma Tiae, lit. Hanging Horse; or Yèzí (葉子), lit. Leaf) in the early Ming dynasty. This game was played with 40 paper cards similar in appearance to the cards used in the game Ya Pei. These 40 cards, numbered 1 to 9 in four different suits along with four extra flower cards, are quite similar to the numbering of Mahjong tiles today.

There is still a healthy debate about who created the game. One theory is that Chinese army officers serving during the Taiping Rebellion created the game to pass the time. Another theory is that a noble living in the Shanghai area created the game between 1870 and 1875. Others believe that around 1850 in the city of Níngpō two brothers had created Mahjong from the earlier game of Mádiào.

This traditional Chinese game was banned in its homeland in 1949, when the People's Republic of China was founded. The new Communist government forbade any gambling activities, which were regarded as symbols of capitalist corruption. After the Cultural Revolution, the game was revived, and once again Mahjong has become a favorite pastime of the Chinese, as well as in Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan and elsewhere.


Mahjong in the Western world

Students in the United States learning how to play MahjongBy 1895, Stewart Culin, an American anthropologist, wrote a paper in which Mahjong was mentioned. This is the first known written account of Mahjong in any language other than Chinese. By 1910, there were written accounts in many languages including French and Japanese. In 1920, Abercrombie & Fitch became the first ever American brand to introduce the game. It became a success in New York, and owner of the Company, Ezra Fitch, sent emissaries to Chinese villages to buy every set of Mahjong they could find. In the end, Abercrombie & Fitch sold a number of 12,000 sets. Later, an important English book was Joseph Park Babcock's Rules of Mah-Jongg, which, simplified in 1920, was simply known as the "red book". Although this was the earliest version of Mahjong that had been introduced to America, many of Babcock's simplifications were abandoned when the 1920s fad died out.

The game was a sensation in America when it was imported from China in the 1920s, as the same Mahjong game took on a number of trademarked names, such as Pung Chow or the Game of Thousand Intelligences. Part of Mahjong nights in America was to decorate rooms in Chinese style and dress like Chinese. Several hit songs were also recorded during the mahjong fad, most notably "Since Ma is Playing Mah Jong" by Eddie Cantor.
American Mahjong, which was mainly played by women during the time, grew from this craze. By the 1930s, many revisions of the rules developed that were substantially different from Babcock's classical version (including some that were considered fundamentals in other variants, such as the notion of a standard hand). Standardization came with the formation of the National Mah Jongg League (NMJL) in 1937, along with the first American mahjong rulebook, Maajh: The American Version of the Ancient Chinese Game.

While Mahjong was accepted by U.S. players of all ethnic backgrounds during the Babcock era, many consider the modern American version a Jewish game, as many American Mahjong players are of Jewish descent. (Also, the NMJL was founded by Jewish players and considered a Jewish organization.) In addition, players usually use the American game as a family-friendly social activity, not as gambling.

British author Alan D. Millington revived the Chinese Classical game of the 1920s with his book, The Complete Book of Mah-jongg (1977). This handbook includes a formal rules set for the game. Many players in Western countries consider Millington's work authoritative.


Current development
Today, the popularity and the characteristics of players of Mahjong vary from country to country. There are also many governing bodies, which often host exhibition games and tournaments. It remains far more popular in Asia than in the West.

In Japan, there is a traditional emphasis on gambling and the typical player is male. Many devotees there believe the game is losing popularity and have taken efforts to revive it. In addition, Japanese video arcades have introduced Mahjong arcade machines that can be connected to others over the Internet.

Mahjong culture is still deeply ingrained in the Chinese community: Sam Hui wrote Cantopop songs, using Mahjong as their themes. Hong Kong movies have often included scenes of Mahjong games. Gambling movies have been filmed time and again in Hong Kong, and a recent sub-genre is the Mahjong movie.

A recent study by doctors in Hong Kong concluded that the game can induce epileptic seizures.

Variants

Beijing residents play Mahjong in public. There are many variations of mahjong. In many places, players often observe one version – and are either unaware of other variations or claim that different versions are incorrect. Although many variations today differ only by scoring, there are several main varieties:

Chinese Classical Mahjong is the oldest variety of Mahjong, and was the version introduced to America in the 1920s under various names. It has a small, loyal following in the West, although few play it in Asia.
Hong Kong Mahjong or Cantonese Mahjong is possibly the most common form of Mahjong, differing in minor scoring details with the Chinese Classical variety.
Sichuan Mahjong is a growing variety, particularly in southern China, disallowing eating, and missing the "fa", "zhong", and other pieces. It can be played very quickly.
Taiwanese Mahjong is the variety prevalent in Taiwan and involves hands of 16 tiles, as opposed to the 13-tile hands in other versions. It also features bonuses for dealers and recurring dealerships, and allows for multiple players to win from a single discard.
Japanese Mahjong is a standardized form of Mahjong in Japan, found prevalently in video games. In addition to scoring changes, the rules of riichi and dora are unique highlights of Japanese Mahjong.
Western Classical Mahjong is a descendant of the version of Mahjong introduced by Babcock to America in the 1920s. Today, this term largely refers to the Wright-Patterson rules, used in the U.S. military, and other similar American-made variants that are closer to the Babcock rules.
American Mahjong is a form of Mahjong standardized by the National Mah Jongg League and the American Mah-Jongg Association – and makes the greatest divergence from traditional Mahjong. It uses Joker tiles, the Charleston, plus melds of five or more tiles, and eschews the Chow and the notion of a standard hand. Purists claim that this makes American Mahjong a separate game. In addition, the NMJL and AMJA variations, which differ by minor scoring differences, are commonly referred to as Mahjongg or Mah-jongg (with two Gs, often hyphenated).
Malaysian Mahjong is a simplified 3-person Mahjong which involves hands of 13 tiles, and total tiles of 84 on the table and uses Joker tiles as well. It only includes the tong zhi tiles or circular shapes of patterns on the tiles for which is different from the conventional Chinese mahjong which has bamboo patterns, 10-thousand and the tong zhi tiles. It has jackpot or Royal Flush rules of winning, in which whoever accumulates a point of 10 is considered to hit the jackpot, with that some would double the winning stake. There are advantages of playing this version of game because you need fewer people to start a game and the turnaround time of a game is short, hence it is considered a speedfast game.
Singapore Mahjong is a variant similar to Cantonese mahjong played in Singapore. Unique elements of Singapore mahjong are the four animal tiles (cat, mouse, cockrel and centipede) as well as certain tweaks in the scoring rules, which allow payouts midway through the game if certain conditions, such as a kang are met.
Other variants include Fujian Mahjong (with Dàidì Joker 帶弟百搭), Vietnamese Mahjong (with 16 different kinds of joker), and Filipino Mahjong (with the Window Joker). In addition, Pussers Bones is a fast-moving variant developed by sailors in the Royal Australian Navy; it uses a creative alternative vocabulary, such as Eddie, Sammy, Wally, and Normie instead of East, South, West, and North.'


Mahjong Competition Rules

The top three of the World Championship in Mahjong, Tokyo, October 2002. In the middle: world champion Mai Hatsune from Japan.
The first Open European Mahjong Championship, Nijmegen, the Netherlands, June 2005.
The winners of the second Open European Mahjong Championship, Copenhagen, Denmark, June 2007. From left, Kohichi Oda (2), Martin Wedel Jacobsen (1), Benjamin Boas (3)In 1998, in the interest of changing mahjong from an illegal gambling game to an approved 'healthy sport', the China State Sports Commission published a new set of rules, now generally referred to as Chinese Official rules or International Tournament rules. The principles of the new, ‘healthy’ mahjong are: no gambling – no drinking – no smoking. In international tournaments, players are often grouped in teams to emphasize that mahjong from now on is considered a sport.

The new rules are highly pattern-based. The rulebook contains 81 combinations, based on patterns and scoring elements popular in both classic and modern regional Chinese variants. Some table practices of Japan have also been adopted. Points for flower tiles (each flower is worth 1 point) may not be added until the player has scored 8 points. The winner of a game receives the score from the player who discard the winning tile, plus 8 basic points from each player; in the case of zimo (self drawn win), he receives the value of this round plus 8 points from all players.

The new rules were used in an international tournament first in Tokyo, where in 2002 the first World Championship in Mahjong was organized by the Mahjong Museum, the Japan Mahjong Organizing Committee and the city council of Ningbo, China, the town where it is believed mahjong most likely originated. One hundred players participated, mainly from Japan and China, but also from Europe and the United States. Miss Mai Hatsune from Japan became the first world champion. The following year saw the first annual China Majiang Championship, held in Hainan. The next two annual tournaments were held in Hong Kong and Beijing. Most players were Chinese, but players from other nations attended as well.

In 2005 the first Open European Mahjong Championship was held in the Netherlands, with 108 players. The competition was won by Masato Chiba from Japan. The second European championship, in Copenhagen, Denmark, 2007, with 136 players, was won by Danish player Martin Wedel Jacobsen. First Online European Mahjong Championship was held on MahjongTime server in 2007 with 64 players and the winner was Juliani Leo from USA and the best European Player was Gerda van Oorschot from Netherlands. The next European Championship will be held in Austria, 2009.

In 2006, the World Mahjong Organisation (WMO) was founded in Beijing, China, with the cooperation of, amongst others, the Japan Mahjong Organizing Committee (JMOC) and the European Mahjong Association (EMA). This organization held its first World Championship in November 2007 in the Chinese town of Chengdu, which was won by Li Li, a Chinese student of Tsinghua University. There were 144 participants, from all over the world.

Critics say that the new rules are unlikely to achieve great popularity outside of tournaments. They argue that regional versions are too well-entrenched, while the Mahjong Competition Rules use many unfamiliar patterns. The new mahjong's advocates claim that it meant to be a standard for international events, not to replace existing variations.

The Chinese Traditional Art --- Beijing Opera

Beijing Opera (or Peking Opera) has existed for over 200 years. It is widely regarded as the highest expression of the Chinese culture. It is known as one of the three main theatrical systems in the world. Artistically, Beijing Opera is perhaps the most refined form of opera in the world. It has deeply influenced the hearts of the Chinese people. Although it is called Beijing Opera, its origins are not in Beijing but in the Chinese provinces of Anhui and Hubei. Beijing Opera got its two main melodies, Xi_Pi and Er_Huang, from Anhui and Hubei operas. It then absorbed music and arias from other operas and musical arts in China.

It is regarded that Beijing Opera was born when the Four Great Anhui Troupes came to Beijing in 1790. Beijing Opera was originally staged for the royal family and came into the public later. In 1828, some famous Hubei Troupe players came to Beijing. Hubei and Anhui troupes often jointly performed in the stage. The combination gradually formed the mainstream of Beijing Opera's melodies. One of the rare forms of entertainment, it was favored by people from all walks of the society, from the high-ranking government officials to the lower levels of society. There are thousands of pieces covering the entire history and literature of China, even including revised stories from the west.

There are as many kinds of Chinese Opera as there are dialects. It has been estimated that there are thousands branches of Chinese Opera. Most of them are local, dominating a region within a province and its surrounding area. However, Beijing Opera is the national standard, and has a higher reputation than any of the other branches of Chinese Opera. Almost every province of China has more than one Beijing Opera troupe. Beijing and Tianjin are respected as the key base cities in the north while Shanghai is the base in the south.

During the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976), Beijing Opera suffered along with other kinds of theatrical arts in China. All the traditional pieces reflecting the Old Societies were banned from performance. The famous Eight Model Plays, featuring the communist activities during the anti-Japanese war and the civil war with the Nationalists, as well as the class struggles after the founding of the People's Republic, were then developed. Many outstanding Beijing Opera and Kunqu Opera actors and actresses performed in these operas. Although "Class Struggle" was the theme of most of these plays, these plays introduced some new forms of stage performances. Many people who grew up during the Cultural Revelution are still in favor of the music and singing from the Eight Model Plays.

Traditional Beijing Opera was allowed to be shown again in 1978. But due to the threat from other entertainments, Beijing Opera's out-of-date styles and the lack of historical and theatrical knowledge of the young, this art had lost a lot of its audiences. Most of the audiences are old people, who were children when Beijing Opera was at its peak. The art is dying.

There have been campaigns and efforts to rescue this and other theatrical arts. The Chinese Opera journal has sponsored the annual Plum Blossom Award for more than ten years. Each year, the journal invites dozens of opera and drama players to perform in a Beijing theater. The award goes to those who top the poll conducted by the journal. Winners, who must be younger than 45, include actors and actresses from all around China. A Plum Blossom Chinese painting was selected as the Award's offical logo. Other performance competitions among the young actors and actresses have been screened live and aired in China Central Television (CCTV), the largest TV network in China, and national radio stations. A so called Beijing Opera Month just finished lately in Beijing.

Yao Ming, the Chinese Giant!

Yao Ming (Chinese: 姚明; pinyin: Yáo Míng) (born September 12, 1980, in Shanghai, China) is a Chinese professional basketball player who plays for the Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is currently the tallest player in the NBA, standing at 7 ft 6 in (2.29 m).

He started playing for the Shanghai Sharks while he was still a teenager, and played on their senior team for five years in the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA), winning a championship in his final year. He entered the 2002 NBA draft, and after negotiating with the CBA and the Sharks to secure his release, he was selected by Houston as the first overall pick of the draft.

He has been selected to start for the Western Conference in the NBA All-Star Game in all six of his seasons, and has been named to the All-NBA Team team three times. However, the Rockets have not advanced past the first round of the playoffs since he has joined the team, and he has missed significant time due to injury in each of the past three seasons.

Career in China

Early life and pre-CBA career
Yao was the only child of his parents, 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) Yao Zhiyuan and 6 ft 3 in (1.90 m) Fang Fengdi. His father played for the professional basketball team of Shanghai, and his mother was the captain of the women’s national team that won the first Asian Championship in 1976. Yao, who weighed eleven pounds at birth, twice the average size in China, grew to be 5'5 by age ten, and 6 ft 7 in (2 meters) by age thirteen, and doctors predicted that he would grow to the height of 7 ft 3 in.

Yao first started playing basketball at age nine, and he went to a junior sports school at the same age. He made the Sharks junior team when he was thirteen, after practicing for ten hours a day to make the team.

Career with the Sharks
Yao joined the senior team at age seventeen, and averaged 10 points and 8 rebounds a game in his rookie season. However, his next season was cut short when he broke his foot for the second time in his career, which Yao said decreased his jumping ability by four to six inches.

The Sharks made the finals of the CBA in Yao Ming’s third season and again the next year, but lost both times to the Bayi Rockets. When Wang Zhizhi left for the NBA the following year, the Sharks finally won their first championship. During the playoffs in his final year with Shanghai, Yao averaged 38.9 points and 20.2 rebounds a game, while shooting 76.6% from the field, and made all 21 of his shots during one game in the finals.


Entering the NBA Draft
Yao was initially pressured to enter the NBA draft in 1999 by Li Yaomin, the deputy general manager of the Shanghai Sharks. Li also pressured Yao into signing a contract with Evergreen Sports Inc. for them to become his agent. The contract stated that Yao would have to give Evergreen 33% of his earnings, but Yao later terminated the contract after it was determined invalid.

When Yao decided to enter the 2002 NBA draft, a team of advisers was formed that was collectively named “Team Yao”. The team consisted of Yao’s negotiator, Erik Zhang, his NBA agent, Bill Duffy, his Chinese agent, Lu Hao, a professor at the University of Chicago, John Huizinga, and the vice president for marketing at BDA Sports Management, Bill Sanders. Yao was widely predicted to be picked number one overall. However, some teams were concerned about Yao's NBA eligibility due to uncertainty over whether the CBA would let Yao play in the United States.

Shortly after Wang ZhiZhi refused to return to China to play for the national team and was subsequently banned from playing for China, the CBA stipulated that Yao would have to return to play for the national team. They also said they would not let him go to the United States unless the Houston Rockets would take him first overall. After assurances from Team Yao that the Rockets would draft Yao with their number one pick, the CBA gave permission on the morning of the draft for Yao to play in the US. When the Rockets selected Yao with the first pick of the draft, he became the first international player ever to be selected first overall.


NBA career

Initial years (2002-2005)
Yao did not participate in the Rocket's pre-season training camp, instead playing for China in the 2002 FIBA World Championships. He played his first NBA game against the Indiana Pacers, going scoreless with a point and a rebound. His first NBA basket came against the Denver Nuggets. After averaging only 14 minutes and 4 points in his first seven games, Yao scored 20 points on a perfect 9-of-9 from the field and 2-of-2 from the free throw line against the Lakers, who were playing without Shaquille O'Neal. Two games later against the Dallas Mavericks, he scored 30 points and took 16 rebounds, both career highs up to that point.

Before Yao Ming’s first meeting with Shaquille O'Neal on January 17, 2003, O'Neal said, "Tell Yao Ming, ching-chong-yang-wah-ah-soh", prompting accusations of racism from the Asian American community. O'Neal denied that his comments were racist, and said he was only joking. Yao also said he believed O'Neal was joking, but the comments led to increased media coverage in the buildup to the nationally-televised game. In the game, Yao Ming scored six points and blocked O'Neal twice in the opening minutes, as well as having a game-sealing dunk with 10 seconds left in overtime. Yao finished with 10 points and 10 rebounds; O'Neal scored 31 points and 13 rebounds.

Yao finished his rookie season averaging 13.5 points per game and 8.2 rebounds per game, was second in the NBA Rookie of the Year Award voting to Amare Stoudemire, and a unanimous pick for the NBA All-Rookie First Team selection. He was also voted the Sporting News Rookie of the Year, and won the Laureus Newcomer of the Year award.
Before the start of Yao's sophomore season, the Rockets' head coach Rudy Tomjanovich resigned due to health issues, and long time New York Knicks head coach Jeff Van Gundy was brought in. After Van Gundy began focusing the offense on Yao, Yao averaged career highs in points and rebounds for the season, and had a career-high 41 points and 7 assists in a triple-overtime win against the Atlanta Hawks in February 2004. He was also voted to be the starting center in the 2004 NBA All-Star Game for the second straight year. Yao finished the season averaging 17.5 points and 9 rebounds a game.

The Rockets made the playoffs for the first time in Yao's career, as they claimed the seventh seed in the Western Conference. But eventual NBA finalists Los Angeles Lakers eliminated Houston in the first round, with the Rockets winning only one game. Yao averaged 15 points and 7.4 rebounds in his first playoff series.

In the summer of 2004, the Rockets acquired Tracy McGrady from the Orlando Magic in a seven-player trade that also sent Steve Francis and Cuttino Mobley to Orlando. After the trade, it was predicted that the Rockets would be title contenders. Both McGrady and Yao were voted to start in the 2005 NBA All-Star Game, and Yao broke the record previously held by Michael Jordan for most All-Star votes, with 2,558,278 total votes. The Rockets won 51 games and finished fifth in the West, and made the playoffs for the second consecutive year, where they faced the Dallas Mavericks. The Rockets won the first two games in Dallas, and Yao made 13-of-14 shots in the second game, the best shooting performance in the playoffs in Rockets history. However the Rockets lost four of their last five games and lost Game 7 by 40 points, the largest Game 7 deficit in NBA history. Yao's final averages for the series were 21.4 points on 65% shooting and 7.7 rebounds.


Injury-plagued seasons (2005-2008)
Yao had missed only two games in three years up till 2005, but 22 games into his fourth season he was forced onto the inactive list for an extended period for the first time in his career due to a case of osteomyelitis in the big toe of his left foot. On December 18, 2005, he had surgery performed on the toe, and missed a total of 21 games. In the 2006 NBA All-Star game balloting, Yao again led all NBA players in voting, and was named the starting center for the Western Conference for the fourth consecutive year.

In 25 games after the All-Star break, Yao averaged 25.7 points and 11.6 rebounds per game, while shooting 53.7% from the field and 87.8% at the free throw line. His final averages in 57 games were 22.3 points and 10.2 rebounds per game. It was the first time that he ended the season with a "20/10" average. However, Tracy McGrady played only 47 games in the season, missing time because of back spasms. Yao and McGrady played only 31 games together, and the Rockets did not make the playoffs, winning only 34 games. With only four games left in the season, Yao suffered another injury in a game against the Utah Jazz on April 10, 2006, which left him with a broken bone in his left foot. The injury required a full six months of rest.

Early into his fifth season, Yao was injured again, this time breaking his right knee on December 23, 2006 while attempting to block a shot. Up to that point he had been averaging 26.8 points, 9.7 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game. and had been mentioned as an NBA MVP candidate. Yao was not able to play in what would have been his fifth All-Star game, but was medically cleared to play on March 4, 2007 after missing 34 games.

Despite Yao's absence, the Rockets made the playoffs with home court advantage against the Utah Jazz in the first round. The Rockets won the first two games, but then lost four of five games, and were eliminated in Game 7 at home, despite Yao's 29 points, 15 in the fourth quarter. Although he averaged 25.1 points and 10.3 rebounds for the series, Yao said afterwards “I didn't do my job”. At the end of the season, Yao was selected to the All-NBA second team for the first time in his career, after being selected to the All-NBA third team twice.

On May 18, 2007, only weeks after the Rockets were eliminated, it was announced that Jeff Van Gundy had been dismissed as head coach. Three days later, former Sacramento Kings coach Rick Adelman was signed to replace Van Gundy. It was predicted the Rockets would focus more on offense under Adelman than they would under Van Gundy's defensive-based system.

In the 2007-08 NBA season, Yao was once again voted to start at center for the Western Conference. After a poor start, the Rockets went on a streak of 22 consecutive wins. But on February 26, 2008, it was reported that Yao would miss the rest of the season with a stress fracture in his left foot. He was expected to miss the 2008 NBA playoffs but Daryl Morey said he did not expect him to miss the 2008 Summer Olympics at Beijing, China in August. Yao underwent a successful operation on March 3, which placed screws in his foot to strengthen the bone. Recovery time was estimated at four months, but Yao was not expected to miss the 2008 Summer Olympics. He said if he could not play in the Olympics, "it would be the biggest loss in my career to right now." Yao's final averages in 55 games were 22 points, 10.8 rebounds, and 2 blocks a game.

International career

Early years and 2004 Olympics
During the 2004 Athens Olympics, Yao carried the Chinese flag during the opening ceremony, which he said was a “long dream come true”. He then vowed to abstain from shaving his beard for half a year unless the Chinese national basketball team made it into the quarter-finals. After Yao Ming scored 39 points in a win against New Zealand, China lost 58–83, 57–82, and 52–89 against Spain, Argentina and Italy respectively. But in the final group game, a 67–66 win over reigning world champions Serbia and Montenegro moved them into the quarterfinals. Yao scored 27 points and had 13 rebounds, and hit two free throws with 28 seconds left that proved to be the winning margin. He was selected to the All-Olympics team with his performance, averaging 20.7 points and 9.3 rebounds per game while shooting 55.9% from the field.


2006 World Championships
Yao’s injury at the end of the 2005–06 NBA season required a full six months of rest, which left some doubt as to whether Yao would play in the 2006 FIBA World Championship. However, he recovered before the start of the tournament, and in the last game of the preliminary round, he had 36 points and 10 rebounds in a win against Slovenia to lead China into the round of 16. But in the first knockout round, China was defeated by eventual finalists Greece.

Yao Ming averaged 25.3 points, the most in the tournaments, and nine rebounds a game, which was fourth overall.


Off the court

Personal life
In early 2007, an internet hoax reported that Yao was dating 5 ft 2 in (1.57 m) American actress Nia Long, but Yao rejected the allegations. He is married to Ye Li, a Chinese women's basketball player, whom he met when he was seventeen. Ye was not fond of Yao at first, but finally accepted him after he gave her the team pins he had collected during the 2000 Summer Olympics. Their romance was first made public when they appeared together during the 2004 Olympics closing ceremony, and on August 6, 2007, Yao married Ye in a ceremony attended by close friends and family that was closed to the media.

In 2004, Yao published an autobiography entitled "Yao: A Life in Two Worlds", which was written by Ric Bucher. In the same year, he was also the subject of a documentary film, The Year of the Yao, which focuses on his NBA rookie year, and is narrated by his friend and translator for his first three season, Colin Pine.


Public life
Yao is one of China's most recognizable athletes, along with Liu Xiang. He has led Forbes' Chinese celebrities list in income and popularity for five straight years, earning 54.6 million US dollars (387.8 million yuan) in 2007. A major part of his income comes from his sponsorship deals, as he is under contract with several major companies to endorse their products. He was signed by Nike until the end of the his rookie season, when they decided not to renew his contract, and he instead signed with Reebok. He also had a deal with Pepsi, and he succesfully sued Coca-Cola in 2003 when they used his image on their bottles while promoting the national team. However, he has since signed with Coke for the 2008 Olympics. His other deals include partnerships with McDonald’s, which he said was his favorite restaurant when he was young, Visa, Apple, and Garmin.

Yao has also participated in many charity events during his career, including the NBA’s Basketball Without Borders program, and its NBA Cares program. During the NBA's offseason in 2003, Yao hosted a telethon, which raised $300,000 to help stop the spread of SARS. In September 2007, he held an auction that raised 6.75 million yuan, and competed in a charity basketball match to raise money for underprivileged children in China. He was joined by fellow NBA stars Steve Nash, Carmelo Anthony, and Baron Davis, and Hong Kong-born movie star Jackie Chan.

Swiss Speciality --- Fondue

Eating cheese fondue is a very old tradition in Switzerland. Originally a poor mountain people's food using old, ripe cheese and leftover bread, fondue parties eventually became a frequent and beloved social event all over Switzerland.

For most people, growing up in Switzerland means growing up with fondue. Swiss learn at very young age how to eat fondue: how to put the little bread cubes on the special three-tined fork without pricking your finger, how to stir the ready-to-eat fondue with the fork and bread for a moment before pulling the bread out again, in order to keep the consistency of the cheese creamy and prevent the cheese from burning on the bottom of the caquelon. The caquelon, by the way, is the special earthenware pot used only for cheese fondue.

To make a great fondue dinner actually takes little effort. A mix of two or three hard or semi-hard cheeses (personally I prefer a mix of Vacherin Fribourgeois, Gruyére, and Appenzeller), any kind of bread (I recommend a rather heavy and dense kind, as it tends to fall off the fork less), some good quality dry white wine (Fendant, for example), garlic cloves (in my opinion the more the better), and some Kirsch (cherry brandy) to drink after eating, as it helps the digestion process. For a non-alcoholic alternative, black tea is often served with cheese fondue. To make sure the fondue stays creamy and does not separate, add a little cornstarch (about 2 tsp) and a few drops of lemon juice. Freshly ground pepper and a pinch of nutmeg will add some extra flavor.

While cheese fondue is typically Swiss and often eaten during winter time, broth or oil fondues are less common and considered more of a festive meal. In our family, for example, Fondue Chinoise, the broth fondue, is the traditional Christmas Eve dinner. Both the Fondue Chinoise as well as the Fondue Bourguignonne, which is made with oil, feature pieces of meat (mostly beef) cooked in the broth or oil, then dipped in a variety of dipping sauces (curry, garlic, tartar, etc.), and eaten with bread and/or mixed pickles. The broth and oil are not cooked in a caquelon but a metal pot. The meat fondue forks typically have two tines instead of three, and should have some color code. As one lets the fork with the meat sit in the broth or oil for a while, until the meat is cooked, the color code will help you find your fork again, especially if several people eat together.

The meat fondues allow for a lot of creativity with the side dishes. While in Switzerland the cheese fondues are basically eaten with bread only, the meat fondues can be accompanied by rice, steamed vegetables, garlic bread, potato chips, etc.

Classic Movie: Roman Holiday (1953)

When Roman Holiday was in the planning stages William Wyler envisioned either Elizabeth Taylor or Jean Simmons in the role of the princess. When neither proved available, he and Paramount studios decided to do a Scarlett O'Hara type search for an unknown for the part.

The film then would only have Gregory Peck as the star to draw the people in.

But when Peck saw the screen test and also realized the film would rise and fall on the performance of the princess part, he insisted on top billing for Audrey Hepburn. Audrey had only done a few small bit parts in some English films up till then, however Peck insisted on the billing of her right after him with 'introducing Audrey Hepburn' as her title credit.

In the same way that William Holden credited Barbara Stanwyck with helping him get through Golden Boy, Audrey Hepburn credited Gregory Peck with her performance in Roman Holiday.

As well as William Wyler who still has a record of more people getting to the Oscar sweepstakes for his films than any other director.

Roman Holiday is simple and delightful film about a young princess of some unnamed European country who gets tired of her programmed routine and wants a break from it. In Rome while on a European tour, princess Audrey fakes an illness and runs off for a day of fun.

An American wire service reporter Gregory Peck finds her and realizes he's got an exclusive. So he chaperones her around without letting her know she's on to him. He even gets photographer Eddie Albert to help him out.

Eddie Albert got the first of two nominations for Best Supporting Actor for Roman Holiday, the second one being The Goodbye Girl. He lost to Frank Sinatra for From Here to Eternity. Though Albert is funny in this film, for dramatic work I never understood why he was not nominated for Attack or for Captain Newman, MD.

If you're thinking that the film is starting to bear a resemblance to a continental It Happened One Night you would be right. And if that's your thinking it will come as no surprise to learn that Frank Capra originally had the idea to film this. The property reverted to Paramount as part of his settlement to leave that studio after doing two Bing Crosby films.

I wish Paramount had done Roman Holiday in color though. Darryl F. Zanuck over at 20th Century did Three Coins in the Fountain in gorgeous color and later on MGM did The Seven Hills of Rome also in color. Still the Roman locations really add a lot to Audrey's adventure.

When Oscar time Audrey Hepburn in her first starring role and really first role of any consequence won an Oscar for Best Actress. Until the day she died Audrey Hepburn had charm enough for ten, you can't help but love her in anything she ever did. Even if the film she did was not that great, Audrey sparkles through.

Even in black and white, the Eternal City with Audrey and Greg make anyone young at heart.

Making sushi and sashimi at home

For an excellent sushi and sashimi web-site, visit the Sushi Page. What follows on this page is really just an outline of our weekly sushi ritual. Suppliers mentioned here are in the South East area of Melbourne, Australia.

Buying fish

We buy our fish from Ocean World at Chadstone Shopping Centre. They always have excellent salmon and tuna, and there is usually a white fish suitable for sashimi (i.e., freshly caught, not frozen). The white fish is usually orange roughy (sea perch). We usually get some king prawns to put in California Roll, because we like them better than seafood stick, and prawns are easier to handle than crabs.

We tend to buy our fish from Ocean World because they make their own sushi and are aware of the importance of freshness for sashimi. We always bring an esky or cool-bag with ice, or ask them to pack the fish with ice because the fish will be eaten raw. They also sell sheets of nori (roasted seaweed), wasabi in a tube and sometimes, Japanese mustard. The sushi bar outside Myers sells all sorts of Japanese products including mayonnaise.

OTHER INGREDIENTS

Along with fish, we also need to have:

nori sheets - we use 2 packets of 10 for 3 adults and 2 (incredibly greedy!) children
wasabi - we buy the tins of powder which is mixed with water to form the wasabi paste
avocado for the California roll
Rice - we used to buy Nishiki sushi rice which always works better than the long-grain rice we normally eat, but Calrose medium is much cheaper and works beautifully
Japanese rice vinegar for the sushi rice
soya sauce

leaves to put in rolls - usually these come from my herb garden, but if the pickings are slim, we usually at least buy rocket/arugula or basil, and spring onions for the salmon-and-spring-onion rolls. We also enjoy garlic chives (instead of spring onions), sorrel, shiso leaf (I found a plant once, but sadly it is an annual, and I haven't found it again), vietnamese mint and baby spinnach.
Most of the ingredients are available at big supermarkets, but are cheaper and fresher at Asian Supermarkets. We often buy things at the Asian Grocery Store at Monash University, Clayton Campus in the Union Building.

The preparation for our family meal involves

Preparing the rice

We use 2.5 cups of rice and just under 3 cups of water. We don't rinse the rice but let it soak in the water for about 20 mins before cooking. We microwave the rice for 18 minutes on high and then let it stand for 5 mins.

Meanwhile we prepare 5 tablespoons of rice wine vinegar mixed with 2 tablespoons of sugar and 1 tablespoon of salt, heated until the sugar and salt are dissolved.

We spread the rice in a shallow baking dish (bamboo is better ...) and coerce a child into fanning the rice while we fold the vinegar mixture through the rice. We start at one end working the rice into a pile, and then turn the dish around and gradually work the pile to the other end.

The rice is then covered with a damp cloth. This description is our ideal - in fact, we sometimes don't fan and don't meticulously work the vinegar through, but the finished product always reflects the amount of preparation.

Preparing the seaweed - we generally break the seaweed sheets into quarters so that each person can make their own mini hand rolls to their own individual taste. If the seaweed is not superbly fresh and crisp, we freshen it by lightly toasting it over a gas jet on the stovetop.

Preparing the fish - I usually wear gloves when handling the fish, and prepare the work area meticulously between each fish type.

I trim the (skinned) salmon fillets into a rectangular block which should yield lovely rectangular slices of sashimi.

I use all the trimmings (and more) to make a salmon and garlic-chives mixture. I chop a bunch of chives into small pieces, squeeze lemon juice on the salmon, then chop the salmon and chives in together. This mixture is one of my all-time favourite sushi roll fillings.

I prepare a block of tuna from which to cut sashimi. The preparation involves finding the section of tuna which melts and offers no resistance to a knife. The sections that have thicker membranes through it, I put aside for spicy tuna mix.

I use the sharp edge of a chopping knife to scrape the flesh from the membranes into a sort of fish paste with small lumps. To this I add Japanese mayonnaise, Japanese mustard (or French mustard), a small amount of crushed garlic, some chilli paste (Sambal Oelek), and some wasabi. I mix it all up into a scrumptious filling which varies in flavour depending on the mix. It is delicious with added rocket or vietnamese mint or sorrel.

I chop the prawns into small pieces and mix them with avocado, lemon juice and Japanese mayonnaise.

The fish and leaves are then arranged on a huge black platter with the seaweed piled in the centre. John is going to build a Lazy Susan to allow equal access to all fish from anywhere at the table !!! The rice is served separately, and we have little bottles of soya sauce at each end of the table.

We make our own sushi hand rolls on wooden boards, and each have a plate of rice, a pile of seaweed, some soya sauce and wasabi and pickled ginger for those who want it.

We all make our own rolls, adding cucumber or leaves or avocado to the various fish. Basil goes particularly well with white fish, but we usually stick to our family favourites of tuna and salmon.

We always eat all the fish on the day it was bought, and in the rare case of leftovers, they are cooked into an omelette or spaghetti sauce.

This is our family favourite meal, and although there are many other delicious Japanese treats, a number of which we have made at home, we seem to have settled on the above as the best of everything.

World Classic: The Phantom of the Opera

Prologue

It is 1911 and the contents of the Paris Opera House are being auctioned off. Present are the auctioneer, porters and bidders. Raoul, now seventy years old and in a wheelchair, buys a poster and a music box. As the auctioneer displays the Opera House chandelier, he explains that it is connected with the legend of The Phantom of the Opera. With a flash of light, the audience is flung back in time, when the Paris Opera was at its height.

Act 1

We are thrust in the middle of a rehearsal for the opera Hannibal. Monsieur Lefèvre, the retiring manager of the Opera, is showing the new managers, Monsieurs Firmin and André, the great stage. As the prima donna, Carlotta, is singing, a backdrop falls to the floor, nearly killing her. The cry is raised, "It's The Phantom of the Opera!" Upset, Carlotta refuses to sing.
Meg Giry, daughter of the ballet mistress, Madame Giry, suggests her friend, Christine Daaé, take Carlotta's place. Christine has been taking lessons from a mysterious new teacher.
At her triumph in the Opera, is Raoul, a nobleman and patron of the Opera. Raoul recognizes Christine as a childhood friend. He comes backstage after the performance to escort her to dinner, but Christine tells him she cannot go, because her teacher, "The Angel of Music," is very strict.

When Raoul leaves Christine's room, the Phantom appears. Christine is lured into the bowels of the Opera House, where the Phantom will continue her lessons.
He leads her to his underground lair, where she sees a frightening vision of herself in a wedding gown. She faints, only to be awakened several hours later by the Phantom's music on the organ. Creeping up behind him, she rips off his mask. Horrified, he takes her back to the surface.
The Phantom has sent notes to both the managers of the Opera, as well as Raoul, Madame Giry and Carlotta, which give instructions that Christine will have the lead in the new opera, Il Muto. The manager's refuse to give in to the Phantom's demands.
Il Muto proceeds as planned, with Carlotta in the lead, and Christine in a secondary role. As promised, disaster strikes - the stage hand, Joseph Buquet, is killed, and Carlotta's voice is stolen.

In the confusion, Raoul and Christine escape to the roof of the Opera House. There, with all of Paris around them, they pledge their love to one another. They cannot see the Phantom overhearing their vows of love. Enraged at Christine's betrayal, the Phantom causes the final disaster of the night - the mighty chandelier comes crashing to the stage floor.

Act 2

The second act opens at a grand Masquerade Ball, held on the steps of the Paris Opera. No one has heard from the Phantom in six months. Christine and Raoul are engaged, but are keeping it a secret; Christine keeps her engagement ring on a chain around her neck.
Suddenly, the Phantom appears, disguised as The Red Death, and delivers to the managers a score from his opera, Don Juan Triumphant.

At first, the managers refuse to perform the strange, disturbing opera. Then, with the help of Raoul, they devise a plan to trap the Phantom, using Christine as bait. Plans for Don Juan Triumphant, and the trap, are made.

Christine visits the grave of her father. There on the grave stands the Phantom, beckoning her to join him. Raoul appears and takes her away.

At last, the opening night of Don Juan Triumphant arrives. The theater is surrounded by guards and police, eager to catch the Phantom. As the opera comes to its end, the Phantom takes the place of Piangi, the lead singer. He confronts Christine on stage during the performance, and escapes with her once more to his labyrinth below the Opera House.
In a last confrontation, the Phantom gives Christine a choice: stay with him forever, or he will kill Raoul. Her decision brings to an end the story of The Phantom of the Opera.