The Chinese character yu,which means fish with a plump body and round eyes.

丰满的鱼身，圆圆的眼睛，这就是鱼字。

Yu is related to special meanings and legends.

它在中国有着丰富的含义和传说。

There was a yu in the Yellow River. Yu wanted to jump over the Dragon Gate,so that he could become a dragon.

黄河里有条鱼，它想跳过龙门变成龙。

However,only quite a few yu could accomplish that feat in the turbulent river.

水流湍急，只有极少数的鱼可以跳过去。

People with great achievements in study or business are often compared to these yu who have turned into dragons.

后来，人们用这个故事比喻在学业、事业上的飞黄腾达的人。

Therefore,carps,a kind of yu,represent achieving prosperity through hard work.

因此有人也把鲤鱼当做勤劳致富的象征。

Yu is a word with the double meaning in China.

鱼，在中国是一个双关语。

A Spring Festival painting featuring a yu is a symbol of an affluent life.

年画《有鱼》象征富富有余。

Yu remind Chinese of prosperity and fortune.

中国人看到鱼就会想到富裕和财富。

Thus,people like to raise yu to pray for good luck.

因此人们都喜欢养鱼来增添喜气。

Yu is a produce of nature and a mascot in Chinese daily life.

鱼是自然之物，也是中国人生活里的吉祥物。… Read the rest

Noodles,mian tiao,are a kind of time-honored Chinese food.

面条是中国的一种很古老的食品。

Records say that nobles were fond of the food about 30 centimeters long,which is made of flour and boiled in water more than 1,900 years ago.

早在 1900 多年前，书上就记载了那时的贵族喜欢吃一种一尺多长的、用水煮熟的面食。

Mix flour with water and make the mixture into a paste,and then cut it into strips.

面条是用面粉加水做成面团，再加工成条状的食物。

This is how mian tiao is made. Miao tiao can be boiled or fried.

可以煮、炒、炸等多种吃法。

Noodles in China also represent preeminence.

在中国，面条还有美好的意义。

Therefore,people always have noodles on their birthday to wish for a long lifespan.

于是人们在生日的时候都会吃上一碗面条，代表长寿。

Noodles are one of the Chinese favorite food,just like the bread for Westerners.

面条在中国是一种人人喜爱的基本食品，就像西方人离不开面包一样。… Read the rest

Jiu plays an amazing role in the daily life of Chinese people.

在中国人的生活里，酒扮演着一种神奇的角色。

Chinese started to brew jiu 6,000 years ago,according to archaeological findings.

据现有的考古发现，6000 多年前中国人就开始酿酒了。

People have worked hard to improve the process of making jiu for thousands of years.

为了酿出最好的酒，中国人一直在探索酿造方法。

Chinese mainly drink white spirits and rice wine.

中国人以饮白酒、黄酒为主。

White spirits are distilled from sorghum or maize.

白酒是以高粱、玉米等为原料蒸馏酿制的。

The equipment used for drinking has changed a lot over the course of history. The jiu culture developed with the containers changing from wine goblets to handless cups.

几千年来，饮酒器具也在不断变化，从樽到盅演变着中国的酒文化。

As a magical beverage and custom,it has accompanied important occasions,such as weddings and birthdays for more than 6,000 years.

酒饮与生活习俗紧密相联，陪伴着中国人经历出生、结婚、生子等人生的重要场合已经有 6000 多年了。

 … Read the rest

Is there a kind of food that is cheap,delicious and nutritious? Yes! It is Chinese dou fu.

有没有一种既便宜又美味，而且营养丰富的食物。有，它就是中国的豆腐。

Some 2,100 years ago,a noble who longed for immortality developed all kinds of prescriptions every day.

2100 多年前，一位贵族渴望长生不老，他每天研制各种药房。

One day,he accidentally dropped plaster into soybean milk. The soybean milk curdled into something like pudding.

一天，他不小心把石膏碰翻到豆浆中，豆浆凝固成一块白白嫩嫩的东西。

He boldly tested it and found it very delicious.

他大胆尝试了一下，发现非常美味。

The new dish is what we called dou fu food today.

这就是我们今天的豆腐。

Dou fu is made of soybeans,which are rich in protein.

豆腐的原材料非常简单，主要是黄豆，它富有丰富的蛋白质。

Dou fu can be cooked with fish,vegetables and other ingredients. We can also eat it rare.

豆腐可以搭配鱼、蔬菜等食材烹制，也可以生吃。

The easiest way is to put a little bit of chives,oil and salt with dou fu.

最简单的吃法是放点小葱和油，加上一点点盐，这就是一盘美味的豆腐了。

Dou fu tastes light,yummy and really melts into your mouth.

豆腐的味道清淡、入口即化。

In China,dou fu is quite popular. You can find it on any dining table.

在中国，每家的餐桌上可都少不了豆腐。… Read the rest

If you want to look for a nutritious meal to share with your family,you should choose hotpot,huo guo.

如果要寻找适合一家人分享的美食，一定是火锅。

Huo guo has a history of more than 1,700 years in China.

火锅在中国有 1700 多年的历史了。

To keep out the cold,people pull lamb chops in the boiling pot and ate them.

人们为了抵御寒冷，把切成薄片的羊肉放入锅中烫熟。

Huo guo ingredients should be selected carefully.

真正精致的火锅对于食材的选择非常挑剔。

Only five parts of a lamb should be used and cut into sheets for cooking.

每只羊身上只有五个部位可以切成肉片。

The sauce is composed of more than ten seasonings.

调料由十几种佐料调配而成。

The ingredients of the sauce are the commercial secret of hot pot.

每种佐料的比例是火锅店的商业机密。

Huo guo is popular all over China. There are various styles of huo guo.

火锅被全中国人所喜爱，发展出风格各异的品种。

Vegetables and meat can be boiled in huo guo.

还可以涮各种蔬菜肉类。

Sharing hot pot meals of meat and vegetables boiled in savory both with your family is a great experience in the depth of winter.

在寒冷的冬天，和家人一起吃一顿热腾腾的火锅实在是一种享受。

Is huo guo the best choice? Do you want to try it?

火锅难道不是最好的选择吗？你想试试吗？… Read the rest

Theses are crystalline sugar-coated haws,tanghulu,which is a favorite winter snack for children in northern China.

这叫做冰糖葫芦；北方的冬天里，这是孩子们最喜欢的零食。

Legends say that 800 years ago an emperor’s concubine was sick an had a poor appetite.

相传 800 多年前，有个皇帝的妃子病了，胃口不好。

A doctor ordered that she eat 10 haws boiled with crystal sugar before dinner.

一位医生献上药方：用冰糖和山楂煎熬，每天饭前吃上 10 颗。

The concubine recovered within half-a-month.

半个月之后，妃子的病真的好了。

Later,the prescription was passed on to ordinary people.

后来这种方法传到了民间。

People put haws on a stick and dipped them in hot sugar syrup.

老百姓把山楂用签子串起来，蘸上热糖；

The syrup turned into a solid coating,like crystals on the haws’ surface.

而热糖遇冷凝固后形成一个水晶一样的硬壳，就成了现在的冰糖葫芦。

It is a delicious and wholesome traditional snack commonly seen in stores and on streets.

糖葫芦是种非常美味而又健康的传统小吃，大街小巷随处可见。

The haws are tart and the crystal sugar is sweet. The special taste often reminds us of our happy childhood.

山楂酸，冰糖甜，那又酸又甜的味道，让很多人想起自己美好的童年。… Read the rest

If you come to China,roast duck (kao ya) is a must-have.

如果你有机会来中国，不妨去尝尝北京烤鸭。

Kao ya is famous,delicious dish in China with a history of 1,600 years.

烤鸭是中国的名菜，已有 1600 年的历史。

An authentic kao ya should be roasted delicately in an oven burning fruit wood. The temperature and timing should be strictly controlled.

正宗的北京烤鸭一定要用果木烘烤，精确控制炉温。

To keep the skin crisp and the meat tender,kao ya should be taken out of the oven after 50-minutes.

烤鸭烤制 50 分钟后必须出炉，这样才能保证皮脆肉嫩。

A roast duck must be cut into more than 100 slices within several minutes after it has been brought out of the oven.

烤鸭出炉后，必须在几分钟之内切成 100 多片。

Each slice contains skin and meat.

要求片片有皮带肉。

Thin pancakes,Chinese onions,cucumbers and special sauce are used to complement kao ya.

烤鸭的辅料是薄饼、大葱、黄瓜条、特制的甜面酱。

Now you have followed us so far,if you still haven’t decided to try this famous Beijing specialty.

如果看到这里，你还没有决定是否要品尝一下北京烤鸭。

You will probably miss the most enjoyable culinary experience of your life.

那么你也许会就此错过一生中最精妙绝伦的美食体验。… Read the rest

Chinese people like eating dumplings,jiao zi,for their delicious taste and auspicious meanings.

中国人喜欢吃饺子，因为它美味又有着吉祥的寓意。

Jiao zi are made of meat and vegetable filling,and enclosed in a pastry shaped like a half moon.

饺子是用面皮裹住肉和蔬菜混合的馅料，包裹成半月形。

They are boiled in water and eaten with sauces like vinegar.

用水煮熟，配上醋等调料来吃。

There are hundreds of fillings with different flavors.

中国的饺子有几百种馅料，各具风味。

The shape of jiao zi looks like the ancient currency of China called yuan bao.

因为饺子的形状像中国古代的货币——元宝。

People eat dumplings on the Chinese New Year wishing they will earn more money in coming year.

所以人们在过年的时候吃饺子，象征着这个家庭在新的一年有更多的收入。

There are many steps to make jiao zi.

饺子有很多道制作工序。

People even like to put a coin into one jiao zi and anyone who gets this coin will be lucky in the coming year.

人们还会在某一个饺子中包进一枚硬币，而吃到这个饺子的人在新的一年里会有好运气。

Making jiao zi together with the whole family creates a unique,harmonious atmosphere.

一家人围坐在一起包饺子氛围温馨。

Chinese believe that a hot bowl of jiao zi is full of the family’s love and affection.

在中国人心中，那一碗热腾腾的饺子就是家的味道。… Read the rest