Discover the expert in you.
Discover the expert in you.
Singapore is a dizzying blend of ethnic neighborhoods, religious buildings and nature. Since temperatures throughout the year are in the 70s and 80s, prepare for plenty of sun and dive into air-conditioned museums when afternoons become stifling. A smart way to take in this sprawling city and nation is to focus on a different aspect of Singapore each day, mixing and matching sites in accordance with how many days you spend here.
People generally think of orchids as tropical plants that thrive in the moist environment of a tropical rain forest. This is true of roughly two-thirds of known epiphyte orchid species in the world. Epiphytic orchids do not grow in soil, but rather attach themselves to other structures, such as trees, for support. Chinese ground orchids (Bletilla striata) are unique in that they are neither epiphytic nor tropical. They grow in the ground in regular garden soil. These cold-hardy orchids are suitable for growth in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 6 through 9.
Broiled Chinese eggplant always needs to be prepared in a very particular way to unlock the maximum amount of flavor. Make a broiled Chinese eggplant with help from a multicultural marketing consultant, writer and entrepreneur in this free video clip.
Garmin GPS models support a wide variety of different languages for you to choose from. Change Chinese to English on a Garmin GPS with help from The GPS Wizard in this free video clip.
For anyone in the West, India is either a country you dream to visit, or mortally fear. Get tips for Americans traveling to India with help from a travel expert in this free video clip.
Chinese brushstrokes in watercolor require a very particular techinque in order to be as accurate as possible. Find out how to do Chinese brushstrokes in watercolor with help from an experienced traditional and digital artist in this free video clip.
Chinese sauteed mushrooms need to be prepared in a very specific way for the best possible results. Learn to prepare Chinese sauteed mushrooms with help from a celebrity chef in this free video clip.
The Chinese snowball (Viburnum macrocephalum) is a viburnum variety native to China, and it is winter hardy in USDA Zones 6 to 9. This deciduous shrub features deep green leaves and clusters of showy white flowers that bloom in May and June. Mature shrubs range from 6 to 20 feet in both height and width, making the Chinese snowball a suitable screening or hedge plant. This hardy shrub requires very little maintenance, but the occasional pruning can help keep the plant in optimal health and form.
Concrete construction is a very common practice in China. In many areas of the world timber-based frames are used for houses, but in China much of the construction uses concrete or brick instead of timbers. Because this is the traditional method of construction for most Chinese buildings, a large amount of concrete is used, even in detached homes. Safe concrete is safe concrete around the world, but Chinese foundations tend to follow basic guidelines for support and durability.
Cut open a Chinese gooseberry (Actinidia arguta), and you will find the deep, emerald flesh and tart, black seeds common to kiwifruit (Actinidia deliciosa). But Chinese gooseberry, also called hardy kiwifruit, looks more like grapes, producing clusters of grape-sized, smooth-skinned fruit. The fruit tastes like regular kiwi, but slightly sweeter. Chinese gooseberry plants are more tolerant of cold weather than their larger cousins, and are not difficult to grow. Chinese gooseberry grows well in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 3 to 8.
Chinese cookware can present many problems if you’re unfamiliar with its correct use and care, leading to ruined dishes, ruined cookware and a bad reputation for the products. At times, your technique may be to blame, but sometimes the cookware may be at fault.
Fencing is a sword fighting art that relies on a thin blade with a sharp point called the rapier. The rapier is lightweight and able to strike quickly with stabbing or whipping motions to the face or vital organs. Learning fencing requires dedication and care to prevent injury. One way of accomplishing this is using practice weapons during the learning process. Chinese kung fu relies on an assortment of weapons in its training and one is the stick. A Chinese stick is usually heavier than a rapier but allows you to practice basic fencing techniques with less risk of injury.
When the Martin Luther King memorial was unveiled in October 2011, it was made mostly of Chinese granite. China is, by far, the largest producer of granite. At the same time, China, in its three eastern provinces of Shandong, Guangdong and Fujian, has the largest reserves of granite in the world. There is little difference between Chinese granite and granite mined anywhere else in the world. However, there are some minor differences as well as one major difference that leads to problems using Chinese rather than European or American granite.
Since the fifth century BC, the Chinese have been using the sap from a native sumac tree to make a protective coating, called lacquer, for furniture and decorative items. Lacquer items were highly prized by the Chinese because of the beautiful gloss and the intensive workmanship needed to create them. According to Karen Mazurkewich and A. Chester Ong in "Chinese Furniture: A Guide to Collecting Antiques," more than 14 different ways of applying lacquer to furniture have been identified. Chinese lacquerware is fragile, so you'll need to use special care to use it as a decorative design element.
Porcelain and bone china are both materials manufactured from clay. However, it is the materials with which the clay is combined that determine the respective form it takes, porcelain or bone china. Both materials are used to make tiles, dinnerware services and decorative ornaments. Both are hard, white, vitreous elements that are considered to be highly durable.
Chinese parchment paper, also known as rice paper in English, has been used by artists for literally thousands of years. According to the website Asia-Art, this practice began at the end of the first century, when parchment was made from materials including pulp, fishnet and bark. Parchment paper today is typically machine made, although there are many artisans who craft their own paper. The art itself, whether landscape or figural, is traditionally meant to follow a Chinese tenet of beauty which, according to the website Chinatown Connection, defines the artist's goal as “painting in poetry, and poetry in painting."
Standing at 40 to 80 feet with a spread of 25 to 30 feet, the northern Chinese red birch (Betula albosinensis var. septentrionalis) is a large tree with showy spring flowers. Certain animals, pests and diseases attack birches; however, the Northern Chinese red birch is a deer resistant species. Maintaining a healthy tree helps prevent the spread of pests and diseases. Growing a hearty birch starts with selecting an appropriate location and monitoring for pests.
Even if you installed Skype in English, there is no need to always use this language. If you are trying to learn Chinese or are simply more comfortable reading Chinese than English, change Skype's language accordingly. You can also set Skype to display in Arabic, Bulgarian, Czech, Danish, Estonian, French and more, all the way to Ukrainian or Vietnamese. If Skype fails to display the language you want, some troubleshooting may resolve the problem.
Variegated Chinese privets, a variety of ligustrum, produce gray-green leaves with creamy white edges. The leaf variegations add a bright touch to the landscape, standing out against the darker green of the lawn and surrounding plants. The shrubs reach up to 4 feet tall at maturity and require pruning and cutting back to maintain their shape and to prevent overgrowth. The shrub may produce branches with dull gray, non-variegated leaves. These branches require cutting out so the entire shrub doesn't revert to this dull foliage color.
According to an article in The New York Times, the government of China is fast gaining a reputation as one of the most oppressive when it comes to censoring Internet usage for its citizens. Sites containing information about the Dalai Lama, for instance, cannot be viewed from Chinese Internet service providers, and popular sites such as Facebook and YouTube have been blocked in the past as well. However, it is possible to access those sites from within Chinese borders, using proxy servers.
Chinese chestnut is the common name for Castanea mollissima, a deciduous species of tree native to temperate areas of northeastern China. It's sometimes cultivated as a shade tree for its broad, spreading crown of leaves, which are ovate in shape with lightly toothed edges. Chinese chestnuts produce a crop of large, spiny fruit in summer, each of which contains two light-brown nuts that can be germinated and used to grow new trees. Germinating Chinese chestnuts takes little effort since they sprout effortlessly if planted when fresh, but the seeds must be protected from foraging animals during the winter.
The Chinese evergreen (Aglaonema modestum) is a tropical plant ideal for the home or office. It thrives in USDA zones 10B to 11 and is tolerant of low light, dry air and standard office temperatures. As long as you keep the soil evenly moist, the Chinese evergreen will happily grow up to 3 feet tall and 3 feet wide. There are several cultivars commercially available with striking foliage of green, dark green and variegated silver or gray. However, if you receive a Chinese evergreen cutting from a co-worker or friend, it is easy to root and grow a new plant…
The Chinese elm is a fast-growing, adaptable tree that thrives best in loamy, well-drained soil. A tolerant tree, the Chinese elm responds well to all levels of sunlight, from full sun to partial shade. It is highly drought tolerant and adapts to its climate by being deciduous or semi-evergreen. As a bonsai, the Chinese elm requires the same loamy, well-drained environment that has the ability to retain water and nutrients without promoting saturation and rot.
Chinese forget-me-nots (Cynoglossum amabile) originate in the Far East and only superficially resemble the common forget-me-nots (genus Myosotis). Chinese forget-me-nots’ care requirements are somewhat different, although they are tolerant and not difficult to grow, especially in cooler regions. In fact, the plant is so hardy that in parts of the United States it has become an invasive species. For this reason, an important part of their care involves removing spent flowers to prevent self-seeding.
No universal standard exists for main electrical currents, but most countries adhere to one of two power standards. Global travelers can encounter problems when they take an appliance designed for the power standard used at home to a country that uses the other standard. The appliance won’t run right and could be ruined if plugged into the wrong type of current outlet. But some devices, known as dual-voltage appliances, can handle both types of current.
Also called foo gwa, mo gwa, karela, pare, ampalaya, balsam pear or bitter gourd, Chinese bitter melon is a popular vegetable in tropical areas, used in a variety of ways. Botanically known as Mormodica charantia, it is native to India and thrives in the heat of the tropics and subtropics. The warty fruits grow about the same size as summer squash but, unlike summer squash, must be peeled before they are eaten.
To someone who is unfamiliar with the world of tropical perennial herbs, plants from the genus Alocasia look very similar (if not identical) to those in the genus Colocasia. Descriptive common names for each genus include elephant ears and taro. Both Alocasia and Colocasia belong in the aroid family, Araceae, revealing that they share many common characteristics. Only after looking closely at physical features or more deeply into diversity or distribution does a dichotomy arise.
The Chinese ground orchid (Bletilla striata) offers stalks of elegant purple, pink or white flowers from spring to summer. It grows readily in containers and spreads if planted in the ground, carpeting partly shaded gardens with orchids. Gardeners in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 5 to 8 can grow this orchid as a perennial; those in cooler locations can grow it as an annual and replant the tuber each year.
Apple monitors iPhone app sales continuously, and uses the data to compile charts of the best-selling software for the iPhone. These charts are compiled independently for different regions -- such as the US, UK, Germany and Hong Kong -- allowing you to view which are the top apps in your locale. The charts cover all genres of iPhone applications and can be viewed through the iTunes multimedia management software on your computer. These charts are updated in real-time and are constantly changing; here the top apps are represented as they appeared at the time publication in September 2011.
If you're looking for a long-lasting flower for your cutting garden, consider the China aster (Callistephus chinensis). Depending on variety, the plant grows 1 to 3 feet in height with a 1- to 2-foot spread and is versatile enough to be grown in beds, borders or containers. China asters don't get off to a good start indoors and the roots aren't tolerant of disturbance. For your best chance of success, therefore, sow the seed directly into the garden in spring after the last frost date in your area, when the air temperature warms to at least 65 degrees Fahrenheit.
Weed control is critical to the success of any gardening project. Invasive species can move into a growing area and threaten the health and lives of the plants you're trying to cultivate. Chinese privet hedge is just such an invasive weed, common in low-lying wet areas, such as river and stream floodplains, lake shores and the edges of swamps and marshes. When this species is found in your lawn or garden, you can remove it with a few simple steps.
Chinese handkerchiefs are very similar to any other type of handkerchief, with the main distinction being that they often have classic Chinese designs of dragons or flowers and that they are often made out of silk. If you have a Chinese handkerchief made of silk, you can use it to do any type of handkerchief tricks specifically designed to be performed with silk handkerchiefs.
Chinese swamp cypress (Glyptostrobus pensilis) is also known by the scientific names G. heterophyllus, G. lineatus and G. sinensis, as well as the common name Chinese water fir. Though once widely established across much of Europe and Asia, native populations of G. pensilis are now only found in the tropical regions of southeastern China and two areas in Dac Lac, Vietnam.
The Chinese polar bear lives in an arctic climate. These animals are known for their cute, cuddly appearance, but are not actually friendly and loving animals. Polar bears are strong, intelligent animals. They are survivors that cannot be scared or dominated by other animals, so it is best to stay out of their path if one is nearby.
Laos is a country in Southeast Asia. The region mostly comprises tribal cultures, which live in forests, fields and villages. One of these tribal cultures, the Akha, is particularly well-known for the elaborate headdresses that women prepare for personal wear and sale. An original tribal headdress, made from genuine tribal materials, is very expensive. But you can prepare a replica of the headdress at home.
Learning characteristics of the Chinese fireworks industry takes you on a wild ride throughout history. From 457 B.C., according to Big Fireworks, early signs of the exploding atmospheric decorations were well in the making. The Chinese continue to blaze trails in firework creation and manufacturing, while suffering continual rebuke from observers.
The Chinese zodiac was introduced in 2637 B.C. Following the oldest lunar calendar in history, the zodiac consists of 12-year cycles, each represented by a corresponding animal. In China, the characteristics of the animal under which you are born are believed to hold power in your life. The rat occupies the very first position in the Chinese lunar calendar. It is an honor to hold this first position, as the rat is viewed as a symbol of power and privilege.
Rattan palms cut a striking figure in their numerous incarnations: They are familiar worldwide as the source of intricate wickerwork furniture and baskets, while in their native rain forests they snake through the canopy with their barbed stems and spear-like leaves. Their morphology and growth habits set them apart from most other genera in the family Palmae.
The U.S.-China Income Tax Convention is an international tax treaty adopted in 1987. The 1987 tax treaty covers U.S. citizens living in China and Chinese citizens living in the United States. Although the treaty contains multiple tax articles, Article 22 contains the agreement by both countries to eliminate double income taxation. Thus, Americans living in China, including those living in Hong Kong, may not have to pay income taxes to the U.S. government.
If you're looking for a tough shade tree that requires minimal maintenance, Chinese pistache (Pistacia chinensis) just might be that tree -- if it's a male. Females can get a bit messy, because if there's a male anywhere nearby to contribute pollen, they'll produce clusters of berry-like fruits. With finely divided lacy-looking leaves, this long-lived China native is heat- and drought-tolerant and also withstands cold (down to Zone 6), poor soils and strong winds. Trees feature glorious fall color. Females generally have less attractive forms than males, but even males may need careful pruning to establish sound structure.
Throughout history, China has incorporated religion into daily life, family and survival. "Attempts to manipulate the forces which shape the human and natural worlds have been a key element in all China's religious traditions," according to Bob Whyle in an article published by the Society for Anglo-Chinese Understanding. Taoism originated in China but merged with Buddhism in some regions, altering some of the original teachings. Taoism also moved to new countries through migration, resulting in various forms of the tradition that is both a religion and a philosophy.
Owning a designer dog is a pet trend that began in the late 20th century. Designer dogs are simply the breeding result of two purebred dogs. The miniature schnauzer and Chinese crested cross is an example of a designer dog.
Nexon's "MapleStory" is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG). Like many MMORPGs, a key element of "MapleStory" is the accumulation and use of "loot." Loot comes in many forms, but is often integral to the "MapleStory" experience. Those unfamiliar with how looting works in "MapleStory" may find themselves at something of a minor disadvantage early in the game.
Fireflies, also known as lightning bugs, are actually beetles with a fluorescent organ in their abdomen. Not all adult species glow, but all glow as larvae. The yellow flash of light lasts less than a second. Fireflies are found in all parts of the world, gathering in thousands to light up the night sky. In a colony of insects, the members cooperate in building the nest and finding food. Fireflies do not qualify as a colony under this definition.
"SD Gundam Online" is a massive multiplayer third-person shooter based on the "Mobile Suit Gundam" Japanese anime series. You must complete multiple levels, each of which has a unique difficulty. When you begin playing SDGO, only the beginner levels are available. More difficult levels, the hardest of which is expert, must be unlocked. Along with unlocking missions, expert level weapons and armor upgrades must also be unlocked.
The Republic of Korea, also known as South Korea, is a democratic country located in northeast Asia. It has a population of over 48 million people. It became the world's 12th largest trading partner in the early 2000s, with an industrial base in services. Korean is the primary language, and English is rarely spoken outside of major tourism centers. Each year, there are nearly 120,000 United States citizens traveling, living and working in Korea.
The Chinese have been known throughout history as global exporters of their ceramic art. One staple Chinese export is the typical teapot with ancient Chinese motifs. A few Chinese motifs are the lotus flower, the scaled roaring dragon and the bamboo pagoda. Many Chinese teapots come in a milk white body with the motifs in a monotone deep blue. Thanks to cheap imports, local craft stores market blank teapots and it is easy to duplicate the Chinese motif of a roaring dragon to transform the teapot into a copy of what was once categorized as a collectible.
Chinese Hawthorn (Crataegus pinnatifia) is a large deciduous tree that reaches a final average height of 25 feet. Chinese Hawthorn is hearty and thrives up to U.S. Department of Agriculture hardiness zone 6. Aside from providing shade, the Chinese Hawthorn also produces edible berries that you can consume raw or cooked and used for preserves, pies and other desserts.
A woman's hairstyle is often considered her crowning glory. A treasured facet of her appearance which must be carefully maintained and cared for. The Chinese empresses of ancient time were religious in regard to their hair, and considered it holy. Although the Chinese empresses seldom cut their hair during the course of their lives, the styles they sported were dictated by the aesthetic standard of each successive dynasty. The hairstyle of the empresses governed the look that other women in ancient China would later adopt.
Distinguished by their intricate gold detailing, Chinese lacquer desks add Oriental-style elegance to homes. Chinese desks are generally finished with black lacquer to provide a durable coating that protects the desks from damage. Although low maintenance, Chinese desks require regular cleaning as dust and oily smudges are very apparent on the black lacquer. Properly caring for lacquered Chinese desks is imperative to maintaining their visual appeal and overall lifespan. Caring for lacquered Chinese desks involves only basic supplies.
