{"id":14994,"date":"2014-01-23T05:03:51","date_gmt":"2014-01-23T13:03:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/shescookin.com\/?p=14994"},"modified":"2021-02-11T09:04:02","modified_gmt":"2021-02-11T17:04:02","slug":"chinese-new-year-2014-year-of-the-horse","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/shescookin.com\/chinese-new-year-2014-year-of-the-horse\/","title":{"rendered":"Chinese New Year 2014 – Year of the Horse"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/a><\/p>\n I am excited to be in Shanghai, China to experience the energy and excitement of preparations for the Lunar New Year, also known as Chinese New Year and Spring Festival. Much like our New Year, it is a time of celebration and an occasion for joyous family reunion to welcome a new beginning. Eastern culture follows lunar cycles – the 28 day cycle of new moon to full moon, versus our solar focused calendar – thus the difference in dates; specifically, Chinese New Year is a spring festival that begins on the second new Moon after Winter Solstice, with the Sun and Moon in Aquarius, 2014 welcomes the Year of the Horse.<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n School girls walking in Zhouzhuang water village decorated for Chinese New Year<\/p>\n Those born in the year of the Horse (1918, 1930, 1942, 1954,1966, 1978, 1990, 2002, 2014) are considered to have an amazing capacity for hard work and are very independent. While intelligent and friendly, you have a strong streak of selfishness and sharp cunning and should guard against being egotistical. Your sign suggests success as an adventurer, scientist, poet, or politician\u00a0{Source: China Today<\/a>}<\/p>\n The spirit of the Horse is recognized to be the Chinese people’s ethos \u2013 making unremitting efforts to improve themselves. It is energetic, bright, warm-hearted, intelligent and able – a good sign to be born in. While in Shanghai, my husband hired a promising young bilingual Chinese man whose wife is expecting their first child any day now, and every day he urges her to hang in there so their baby can be born a Horse and not a Snake! To read more about the sign of the Horse, click\u00a0here.<\/a>\u00a0Not sure of your Chinese zodiac sign? Click on the link and enter your birth date.<\/p>\n According to astrologer Susan Levitt, this\u00a0year is a time of fast victories, unexpected adventure, and surprising romance. It is an excellent year for travel, and the more far away and off the beaten path the better. Energy is high and production is rewarded. Decisive action, not procrastination, brings victory. But you have to act fast in a Horse year. If you are not 100% secure about a decision, then don\u2019t do it. Events move so quickly in a Horse year that you don\u2019t want to gallop off in the wrong direction<\/em>.<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n Zhouzhuang water village<\/p>\n This was the third time I’ve traveled with my husband to Shanghai and, unfortunately, it was particularly smoggy this time around. There were two days when I didn’t venture out of the hotel without a protective mask because the Air Quality Index (there’s an app for that) was hovering between 252 and 284 which is “very unhealthy, protection recommended”. For anyone who travels frequently to China on business (or pleasure), you should have this app on your phone. Most Westerners have read or heard about the horrid pollution in Beijing, but Shanghai has had its share this year as well. China Air Quality Index apps have raised public awareness and, from what I read in the Chinese newspapers, provincial governments have finally started levying fines against regulatory agencies and indicated that legislation will be stepped up. “The government’s drive to improve the environment has become one of the major themes of this year’s round of official debates” {Source: China Daily<\/a>}<\/p>\n We got home last night and, in the spirit of Chinese New Year, I’d like to share a few of the scenes I captured along with a simple recipe for celebrating Chinese New Year. Highlights of the trip included a Night Markets Tour<\/a> to experience some of the local street eats from hawker stalls to dingy “hole in the wall” cafes; a half-day trip to Zhouzhuang – an ancient water village on the outskirts of Shanghai, and shopping the artsy, boutique galleries and stores tucked in the alleys of Tianzifang.<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n Travel to Shanghai is all business for my husband; I go along to keep him company and indulge my adventurous side while he’s hammering out deals and working on relationships. We visited Zhouzhuang on Sunday – the one day he took off to be a tourist. Zhouzhuang is one of the most famous water townships in China and is known for its profound cultural background, the well preserved ancient residential houses, elegant watery views, and strong local traditions. Most of Zhouzhuang’s structures were built during the Ming and Qing Dynasties, which spanned 1368 to 1911.<\/p>\n Zhouzhuang is a very popular tourist attraction – there is an admission fee of 100 yuan (about $16 US) – and a wonderful escape from the bustling city. \u00a0The serene, picturesque landscape of Venice-like canals and bridges evokes ancient China, especially in the winter with the barren trees and gray skies. The lush, colorful foliage and flowers of spring and summer are prettier, but there are also more tourists. There are many artisan craft and curio shops featuring everything from combs made from ox horns, handmade baskets, loomed rugs and fabric, calligraphy, and Japanese painting brushes, to loose tea and portrait painting. After walking the town and taking a gondola ride where your driver will sing a beautiful Chinese song for a tip, stop at one of the numerous tea houses or waterside restaurants. I even spotted a bar that has entertainment if you’re there later in the evening.<\/p>\nWhen is Chinese New Year?<\/h2>\n
Characteristics of Those Born in the Year of the Horse<\/h2>\n
Traveling in China During Chinese New Year<\/h2>\n
Visit to Zhouzhuang Fishing Village<\/h2>\n