Taiwan Openamrs!

WE WANT TO EMBRACE THE WORLD FROM TAIWAN !

WELCOME TO TAIWAN OPENARMS!

Taipei World Financial Center. Taipei Openamrs!

The capital of Taiwan is Taipei City. It is located on the River Danshui, and is the central city of the largest metropolitan area of Taiwan. The city is the political, cultural and economic center of the country.

Benoit from Canada at Temple of Confucius. Kaohsiung Openarms!

Nationality: Noun: Taiwan (singular and plural)

Flags of the World. Taiwan Openarms!

Ethnic groups: Taiwanese (including Hakka) 84%, mainland Chinese 14%, indigenous 2%

Languages: Mandarin Chinese (official), Taiwanese (Min), Hakka dialects

Religions: mixture of Buddhist and Taoist 93%, Christian 4.5%, other 2.5%

Population: 23,113,901 (July 2012 est.)

Located in the western Pacific Ocean, Taiwan is bordered by the Philippine Sea on the east, by the Luzon Strait on the south, and by the East China Sea to the north. The main island of Taiwan is 240 miles long; it comprises twenty-one small islands.

The New Taiwan Dollar, denoted by TWD, is the official currency of the Republic of China (ROC), commonly referred to as Taiwan. It has been the currency of the island since 1949, when it replaced the Old Taiwan Dollar.

Taiwanese Hokkien is the language spoken by a majority of the population in Taiwan. However, Mandarin is the official language of the island.

The most popular religion in Taiwan is Buddhism, with almost 4.9 million people following it. Taoism, Catholicism, Protestantism, Islam, and Bahaism are some of the other religions practiced.

Taiwan is the seventeenth largest economy in the world. Petroleum refining, textiles, iron and steel, machinery, cement, food processing, vehicles, consumer products, and pharmaceuticals are some of the major industries. The island is rich in natural resources like asbestos, marble, small deposits of coal, natural gas, and limestone.

It is a leader in the manufacturing of computers, chemicals, and electronic items. Agriculture contributes 1.7% to the GDP. Rice, fruit, and vegetables are the main crops. Self-sufficient in rice production, Taiwan imports large amounts of wheat, corn, and soybeans. Poultry and pork production are mainstays of the livestock sector. United States of America, Japan and China are both the import- as well as export-partners of the island. With over US $180 billion, Taiwan is the third-largest holder of foreign-exchange reserves.

Taiwan is sometimes called the Illha Farmosa, which means beautiful island in Portuguese. The name was given by the Portuguese sailors in the sixteenth century. It is also called the The Kingdom of the Corals.

The national sport of Taiwan is baseball. It is also the most popular sport. Basketball is the second-most popular sport, followed by football. Golf, Tennis and cycling are the other favorite sports of the island. Taekwondo is a martial art widely practiced in Taiwan.

We are waiting for your pictures. You can send them to theopenarms@ymail.com

China Openarms!

WE WANT TO EMBRACE THE WORLD FROM CHINA !

WELCOME TO CHINA OPENARMS!

Isabel from Chile. The Great Wall – Tianjin City Openarms!

The People’s Republic of China is located in the eastern part of Asia. It is bordered by Afghanistan, India, Nepal, Bhutan, Burma, Kazakhstan, North Korea, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Mongolia, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan and Vietnam.

Valentijn from Holland.

 It is on the west coast of the Pacific Ocean in the southern part of the Eurasian continent, bordering East China Sea, Korea Bay, Yellow Sea and South China Sea, between North Korea and Vietnam. It is the third-largest country in the world and covers an area of 3,696,000 square miles and has an estimated population of 1,331,460,000.

Beijing is the capital of China and is among the most populous cities in the world. It is one of the Four Great Ancient Capitals of China. Also known as Peking, it is among the most developed Chinese cities. It is the country’s political, educational, cultural and military center. Beijing means “northern capital”, as it is situated at the northern tip of the North China Plain. The population of the city is 19,612,368, and it covers an area of 6,487 square miles.

The Renminbi is the official currency of the People’s Republic of China. Its ISO 4217 code is CNY. Its primary unit is the Yuan, which is subdivided into 10 jiao, which is further divided into 10 fen. Renminbi is issued by People’s Bank of China. Hong Kong and Macau have their own currencies: the Hong Kong dollar and Macanese pataca.

Shanghai is the largest city of China. It is located at the mouth of the Yangtze River in eastern China. It is a global city and has a powerful influence over finance, commerce, fashion, technology and culture of the country. Its territory covers an area of 2,448.1 square miles and it has a population of 23,019,148. It is also known as the “showpiece” of the booming economy of mainland China.

Mandarin is spoken by 70% of the population. Most languages like Cantonese, Min, Xiang, Gan and Hakka belong to the Sino-Tibetan languages family. Non-Sinitic languages are spoken by ethnic minorities of the country.

The “official” faith of the people of China is centered on the worship of Shangdi or the Supreme god. The worship of Shangdi includes erection of shrines. Taoism is an indigenous religion of China. Its beginning can be traced to the composition of Laozi’s Tao Te Ching. In its unorganized form, Taoism can be considered a folk religion of China. Buddhism is also popular among the Chinese. It was introduced from central Asia during the Han Dynasty. Islam was introduced in 651. Muslims came to China for trade during the Song Dynasty. Judaism in the country dates to as early as 7th or 8th century AD, while Christianity developed during the 7th century AD.

The literacy rate in China is 95.9%.

China is a single-party socialist republic. The constitution of the country states the leadership of the Communist Party of the country. The government of the republic is divided into three bodies: the Communist Party of China, the Central People’s Government, and the People’s Liberation Army. The President of the country is Hu Jintao. He assumed office on November 15, 2002. Xi Jinping is the current Prime Minister of the country. He assumed office on October 22, 2007.

The national day of China is celebrated on October 1. The PRC was founded on October 1, 1949. It is celebrated as a public holiday. In mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau, the national day is celebrated with a variety of government-organized festivities.

China is ranked as the world’s second-largest economy. It is the largest exporter and second-largest importer of goods in the world. China imports oil, mineral fuels, optical and medical equipment, metal ores and plastics, while it exports apparel, textile, iron and steel, and electrical and other machinery. Its primary trading partners are USA, Japan, Hong Kong, Germany, South Korea and Taiwan. Its GDP is 5.88 trillion dollars. The coastal regions of China are more industrialized, while regions in the hinterland are less developed. Unemployment rate stands at 4.2%.

Hong Kong Openarms!

  WE WANT TO EMBRACE THE WORLD FROM HONG KONG !

WELCOME TO HONG KONG OPENARMS!

Laura from Chile. Disney Hong Kong Openarms!

The words Hong Kong mean fragrant harbour.

Benoit from Canada. Hong Kong Openarms!

The emblem for the reunification of Hong Kong with China is Sousa Chinensis (the Chinese White Dolphin) which in fact is pink.

Britain gained Hong Kong Island after the defeat of the Chinese in the Opium War, 1842.

Kowloon, one of Hong Kong’s mainland regions, means Nine Dragons.

Hong Kong is very hilly and there are outdoor escalators in the Central district of the Island.

Hong Kong is one of the world’s most densely populated areas. Almost seven million people live in four hundred and fifteen square miles.

On 1st July 1997, Hong Kong became a Special Administrative Region of China. There were thirty thousand British citizens living in Hong Kong at the time of the Handover.

The Noon Day Gun was fired every day at Noon. It was made famous in Noel Coward’s song “Mad Dogs and Englishmen”.

The Regent Hotel in Tsim Sha Tsui has been designed so that the dragons can pass through and feed at the harbour. There is a fountain to attract them and huge glass windows to allow them to pass through!

Feng Shui (wind/water beliefs) is an important consideration in the design of buildings. Geomancers divine the harmonies of the site and even doors, windows and furniture are positioned to balance the 8 elements of nature and the spirit of Yin and Yang.

Feng Shui mirrors are hung on houses, shops and restaurants to prevent evil spirits from entering the buildings. The mirrors are octagonal and have a concave mirror inside, so when the spirit looks at it he becomes scared of his image and goes away.

Temples should always have hills behind them and face the sea for good luck.

Chinese lucky numbers are 2, 3, 6, 8 and 9. Unlucky numbers are 1, 4 and 7 (4 and 7 sound like the Chinese word for death)

People eat long noodles on their birthday so they may have a long life.

In the past, children would die of malnutrition or disease, so their parents would protect them with pictures of the five poisons: the scorpion, lizard, centipede, snake and toad or spider.

During the Chinese New Year festivities, children are given “Lai see” (lucky money).

At funerals the Chinese burn paper representations of things, such as money, to help the dead person have an easy after-life.

The Chinese worship many gods and there is one for almost everything. If you want to have success in tests like times tables, you would worship a certain god. People have statues of the gods such as those representing fertility, longevity and prosperity in their homes

In the old days people believed that if their crops failed it was the work of evil forces. Spirit houses and earth shrines were built to protect people from the activities of bad spirits. It was believed that the spirit who lived on the land before the house was built had a place to live. Incense, fruit and drinks were offered to please the spirits.

Every year between April and May a bun festival takes place on Cheung Chau Island. It is held to placate the hungry ghosts that roam around. Giant bun towers are built and at midnight on the last day after the ghosts have had their fill, the young men of the village used to compete to see who could be first to reach the highest bun. However, someone was recently injured so now buns are distributed in the morning, mainly to women and children.

Fireworks are important in celebrations in Hong Kong but people are not allowed to have private firework parties.

Before the Handover, portraits of the Queen were removed and people collected souvenirs of Hong Kong as a British colony.

Chris Patten was the last British Governor of Hong Kong.

When the Chinese in Hong Kong marry, they go through two wedding ceremonies. The first is the official signing of the register and the bride wears a white western bridal dress. The second ceremony is the banquet which can take place up to two years later. The marriage is not recognised until the banquet takes place. During the banquet the bride wears the traditional red mandarin collared gold embroidered dress and a tea ceremony takes place where the bride and groom serve tea to the groom’s parents.

Songbirds are favourite pets in many Chinese households and are bought for their singing abilities. People in Hong Kong “walk” their songbirds and take them with them to the teahouses.

Goldfish are a favourite of the Chinese and many exotic fish are kept such as the dragon-eye fish with big bulbous eyes. Goldfish originate from China and are believed to bring good luck. The word for fish, Yu, means prosperity and good fortune.

The new airport is on Lantau Island and is linked to the mainland by the Tsing Ma Bridge, one of the world’s longest suspension bridges. When the new bridge was opened people were crazy about going to see it and Lantau Island … One Sunday there were 30,000 people going to the Island. This created many traffic problems … some people were even fighting to get on the bus to the Po Lin Temple on Lantau!

We are waiting for your pictures. You can send them to theopenarms@ymail.com