Some 50 kilometers to the northwest of Beijing, the great Yanshan mountain range parts abruptly like a theater curtain, opening into an enclosed basin of around 40 sqkm of peaceful, scenic countryside. When the great Ming Dynasty Emperor Yongle arrived here early in the 15th century, he realized that he had at last found the ideal place for himself and his successors to practice rutu wei’an (入土为安), a traditional Chinese funeral practice. Over the next two centuries, a total of 13 imperial mausoleums (or shisanling 十三陵) were completed in the valley. The complex has in modern times undergone considerable restoration work, and while only three of the tombs are now open to public view, a visit to the site provides
an insight into the styles and obsessions of the age, as well as making for a pleasant day out in a picturesque valley away from the busy central suburbs.

Sacred Way 神道
Almost better known than the tombs themselves is the Sacred Way, the 7km pathway leading to the central tomb that was the official approach for the imperial coffins. In the middle of what is now an isolated field, visitors will find a large marble paifang gate, composed of six pillars and five entrances. This is the first of three archways, which were constructed in 1540. They are the largest of their kind that exists in China today. Following paifang is the Great Red Gate, or dahongmen.

A short walk leads to the Shengong Shengde Stele Pavilion, which houses a great stele (an upright stone pillar bearing an inscription) resting on the back of an enormous tortoise. Beyond the pavilion stands an odd but fascinating series of six animals and human statues on either side of the path.

Find out more here

This post first appeared here on April 18, 2012.

Photos: archive

Time:
30 minutes to an hour to make, several hours to dry
Difficulty:
Intermediate (may require some parental supervision)

Materials:
• Paper (depending on the item you’re planning to wrap, can be white or colored, large or small)
• Watercolors or paint (and a shallow dish)
• Newspaper
• Kitchen knife
• Exacto knife
• Pencil
• Paintbrush
• Shapes for stamping (suggestions: a potato, lotus root, button mushrooms, sponges, bottle caps, coins; fingers and small hands are also ready alternatives)

Directions:

1. Spread newspaper on your workspace to prevent a mess and to make cleaning up easier.
2. Choose your stamp: • For lotus root stamps: Slice your lotus root crosswise at one end. Since the root is already an interesting pattern, you can use the entire circular shape directly as a stamp. Alternatively, you can cut the shape in half or even smaller pieces. • For potato stamps, cut a potato in half with a kitchen knife (parental supervision suggested). Draw a design on the potato with the pencil. Then, using an Exacto knife, carve away the surrounding potato pieces until only the design is raised. 
3. Pour a small amount of paint into a shallow dish.
4. Using a paintbrush, spread a layer of paint onto the surface of your stamp or dip the stamp directly into the paint.
5. After practicing first on scratch paper, press your stamp firmly down on your paper. You may need to roll the stamp back and forth to get an even print on the paper. Continue stamping until your paper is covered.
6. After covering your paper with designs, let dry overnight.
7. Wrap your gifts!

This post first appeared here on December 3, 2007 and first appeared in the beijingkids December 2009 issue.

DIY Wall Decals

Difficulty Level: Easy
Materials:
Xeroxed copy of silhouette images found online
Contact paper (贴纸  tīe zhǐ) – purchase at copy shops or markets that sell stationery
Scissors
Pen or marker

Directions:
1. Find your favorite images on the web – search silhouette, stencil, or clipart websites for suitable stock images or use your own photos.
2. At a copy shop, enlarge the image to the desired size.
3. Using scissors, cut out the image along the border. This will be your template.
4. Cut a piece of contact paper larger than your template.

5. Place template upon contact paper. Trace the image onto the contact paper. Decal will be a mirror image of the template. (Tip: Use tape to secure the template).

 6. Cut out the decal.

  7. Peel off the decal and stick it on your wall.

This post first appeared here on June 9, 2009 and was published in the beijingkids June 2009 issue.

Put the analytical left side of your brain to the test while exploring right-brained creativity at the same time!

Difficulty Level:
Easy

Time:
20-30 minutes

Materials:

• Pencil
• Ruler
• Cardboard (cereal boxes work well)
• Exacto knife or scissors
• Markers
• Paints
• Old magazines
• Glue

1. Using a pencil, draw ten squares measuring 6cm x 6cm on a sheet of cardboard.

2. Cut along lines using scissors or an Exacto knife (parental supervision recommended).

How to Play:

Mix up the squares and turn them all face down. Flip over one card and try to guess which card has the same pattern on the other side. Turn over your guess to see if you’re right; if not, flip both cards back over and try again. Take turns between each flip, always flipping the squares back to their original spot. Whoever collects the most matching pairs wins!

This post first appeared here on June 18, 2008 and was first published in the beijingkids June 2008 issue.