Drinking of Green Tea

I grew up drinking green tea. My hometown Hangzhou is famous for its Long Jing green tea (of course, among many other famous things). It is said that in ancient time, Long Jing green tea is only for the Emperor to drink. So, it's also called imperial tea.

Not much known to the west only a couple of decades ago, green tea has gained such a popularity in recent years because of its health benefits. Many scientific researches indicate that green tea contains powerful anti-oxidant ingredients that not only inhibit the growth of cancer cells, but also actually kill the cancer cells without harming the healthy tissue. A recent article of LifeExtension magazine says green tea can also help to prevent heart disease, protect bones and boost immune system.

I drink green tea with organic Sweet Osmanthus flowers (which is very difficult to find in this country). My hometown Hangzhou is full of Sweet Osmanthus trees. When the fall comes, you can smell the fragrance of Sweet Osmanthus everywhere. It is said that drinking green tea with Sweet Osmanthus flowers has special beauty effect for ladies.

For me, drinking green tea is refreshing, cleansing and uplifting. A few cups of green tea in the morning help to brighten my days!

healthy diet, wellbeing, health, antioxidant, green tea

Impression Liu Sanjie

Talking about making a difference, one of the most creative social entrepreneurial projects I have ever seen is the "Impression Liu Sanjie" in Guilin in the southern part of China. It is a grand musical show directed by Zhang Yimong, the famous director in China, on the largest natural theatre in the world consisting of area of 2 km long Li Jiang river and 12 peaks as stage setting.

The magnificent background setting, artistic neon lighting, and celestial beauty of the show took my breath away. The story is about a legendary figure Liu Sanjie who represents the beauty, love, and courage. Much has changed in the outside world, but people in this remote village are still singing the old songs... Time seems stopped here.

What's different about this musical show is that it's actually a poverty-alleviation project. The average income for the farmers there is less than $10 a month. Thousands of people from the surrounding villages participated in the show. Each show employs 600 local village performers. Each person received $3 for the performance he/she attended. It attracts the significant amount of tourists to the area. The tickets cost anywhere between $20 - $80. This is absolutely a world-class show - as someone said: "a masterpiece by the Creator and man."

I was deeply moved and inspired by the show. It taught me that there are many different ways to make a difference, and you just have to be creative!

China, musical, tourism, entertainment, creativity

Baby Taj

The Taj Mahal is such a symbol of unfailing love and magnificent architecture in India. As a member of TheatreWorks, I instantly purchased the tickets of the Baby Taj without even further looking into the details of the synopsis as I normally would do.

As many of the TheatreWorks shows, Baby Taj is another outstanding play. It tells a story of love and relationships in two very different cultures and environments. Having been through the cultural differences of the east and west, I can particularly relate to the characters in the play. What interests me the most is the human nature depicted in the play that constantly searches for love in spite of many disappointments and difficulties. Besides, it's very well-done!

[entertainment] [creativity]

If you want to live a good life...

When I first got married, on our honeymoon trip, a very wise-looking man of 75 years old told my husband and me:"my grandpa told me long time ago: 'if you want to live a good life, listen to the women - they will show you the way'." I don't know whether my husband's ego got hurt or not, it certainly tells the age-old truth.

An old saying goes: "behind every great man, there is a great woman - either his wife or his mother." We are living in an age that the feminine energy of the universe is surpassing the masculine energy . I can also safely say: if you want live a good life, listen to the woman!