Let's visit my hometown ---- Hong Kong!!!

Hello !!! It's Vanessa again :) 

Let me bring you to my hometown --- Hong Kong this time!!!

Hong Kong was a colony of Britain form 1842 to 1997,when China resumed sovereignty. Hong Kong is one of the most densely populated area in the world, which has 7 million people on a land mass of 1,104 km² (426 sq mi). Hong Kong's population is 93.6% ethnic Chinese and 6.4% from other groups. It's an international city where you can always see people from different countries here. Thus, Hong Kong is a multilingual city where different languages are used here. Cantonese is the dominant language here, followed by Mandarin and English. 

Hong Kong is also a city in practice of cultural bricolage. Take Hong Kong's architecture as an example, some of the architectures were built in European style as Hong Kong was once a colony of Britain.



This is the legislative council building (Old Supreme Court Building) in Hong Kong. It was designed by a British architect, so you can see that it is in western style. The Exterior of the Old Supreme Court is now one of the declared monuments of Hong Kong. 

Hong Kong is well-known as the Pearl of the East.


Here is Victoria Peak. You must come here once if you visit Hong Kong!!! It's a famous tourist attraction in Hong Kong. You must not miss this amazing night view!!!!!!

Hong Kong is famed as the Gourmet Paradise. I can't agree more with this reputation. You can taste different delicious local food and food from other countries in Hong Kong. 

Cha Chaan Teng(茶餐廳) is a kind of restaurant which is very common in Hong Kong. It sells local food which is full of Hong Kong's features.


This is Hong Kong-style French toast. It looks so delicious,right?


This is called yuan yang (鴛鴦), which is a mixture of coffee and Hong Kong-style milk tea. It is originated from Hong Kong. It's creative, right? 

Dai Pai Dong(大排檔) is also a kind of Hong Kong feature. It is a type of open-air food stall .It is a collective memory of Hong Kong people.



I think you must love the food there if you try it once!!!!dip tau fan (碟頭飯), Chiuchow-style noodles(潮州粉麵) and you name it !!!! They are so yummy !!!! XD

You must come to Hong Kong once in your life ,if not ,you must regret it!!!!!

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dai_pai_dong
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cha_chaan_teng
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Architecture_of_Hong_Kong

A unique and refreshing country---Mongolia

Hello everyone! How is your weekend? It is Natalie writing again:) Do you know something about Mongolia (蒙古Монгол улс)? It is a country bordered by Russia to the south and China to the north.Mongolia is completely enclosed by land,therefore it is landlocked .Ulan Bator(烏蘭巴托Улаанбаатар хот) is the capital of Mongolia and it is also the largest city in Mongolia.

Mongolia has a country with multilingual culture as Mongolian can speak various languages. In general,ninety-five percent of them speak the official language,Mongolian. Meanwhile,dialects of Oirat and Buryat are spoken in some regions in Mongolia.Some of the Mongolian can speak Russian and Mandarin due to the geographical proximity to Russia and China.The most shocking fact is that Korean is gaining popularity in Mongolia as there is a big population of Mongolia work in Korea.

What can you think about Mongolia?Can you think of the nomadic(游牧)life there?If yes,you can't forget to do a horse and camel riding there! Since It is the best way to have a glimpse into the true life and feel the unique heritage in Mongolia.If you wish to do the camel riding,you should go to the Gobi (戈壁 Говь) in June or September. As the scenery at these two month is the most beautiful and the weather is also good.How is different riding camel from riding a horse? In fact, riding a camel is much more suitable and comfortable as camels walk slowly and gently.

 

At the same time, Mongolia is a popular place for doing adventure sports, like canoeing and mountain biking.

The wide variety of roads and landscapes in Mongolia caters to the needs of mountain bikers.They can enjoy the the challenging route in the northern Bulgan province or the Khan Khentii National Park.

Do you want to get more familiarity with this amazing country? Let's go and watch a video together!

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http://www.mongoliatourism.gov.mn/index.php/things-to-do/sport-and-adventuring

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mongolia

Explore more about Spain with Vanessa!!!

Hi everybody!!!! Are you interested in Spain ?? Let's us explore more about it!!!

Can you guys guess which language is used as an official language in Spain? Yes, you're right. It's Spanish!!!Spanish is one of the most widely spoken Romance languages. It is the most popular second language learned by native speakers of American English. From the last decades of the 20th century, the study of Spanish as a foreign language has grown significantly, in part because of the growing populations and economies of many Spanish-speaking countries, and the growing international tourism in these countries. Thus, you can see that the dominance of Spanish is actually positively related to the power of Spanish-speaking countries.  However, Spain is not a monolingual country which use Spanish only. Catalan, Basque, Galician are also languages used in Spain. This shows that Spain is actually a multilingual country!!!

Spain is also a country in practice of cultural bricolage, which means the mixing of different cultures together. Spanish cuisine is a good example to show it!!!! A significant portion of Spanish cuisine is derived from the Roman, Jewish and Arab traditions. For instance, there are three major elements indicate the influence of Arabic cuisine: sugar, saffron, and spices. 





Oh my god!!! They look so yummy!!!!
Have you ever tried the dishes above?? Let's try them when you visit Spain !!

The architectures in Spain are also worth us going to Spain to have a look. Due to its historical and geographical diversity, Spanish architecture has drawn from a host of influences. Iberian architecture started to take shape in parallel with other architectures around the Mediterranean and others from Northern Europe.






Let's go to Spain and explore more with your friends next time !!!

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_language
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culture_of_Spain#Painting_and_sculpture
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Languages_of_Spain
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spain
http://gherkinstomatoes.com/2010/06/02/18078/

Romantic Country--France

  Hello everyone:) It's Thursday today, do you want to escape from this city of hustle and bustle ? Natalie is now going to France with you guys!!

 France (le français) is the third biggest country in Europe and the largest in Western Europe. It is famous for its high culture( culture of an upper class), including its cinema, fashion and cuisine culture.Moreover, French is used as the first language in France, which is one of the members in the Romance language family.

 As you know, French people focus on their high quality of life. Thus, you should not forget to visit the Routes des Vins (Route of Wine,葡萄酒之路) there! There are wine routes in various cities and towns in France,thus you can choose the routes according to your preference and your destination! Every wine route contains its unique feature, for examples, the scenery. 
  Alsace Wine Route has contributed to the fame of Wine Routes for more than sixty years.Besides the wine production, this route is prominent because of its marvelous scenery there. The route is full of flowery lanes, medieval castles and houses! You can breathe in fresh air and feel like getting in touch with the nature when you visit this unmissable place.

Alsace Wine Route

Alsace Wine Route

Alsace Wine Route is magnetic ,isn't it ? I really want to go there :PP

I can't introduce many places in France to you this time as I am quite busy these weeks! But I can share something about French Language with you guys here!! I am interested in it and I think French is so amazing! Everything is divided into two categories,either Male(Masculin) or Female(Féminin). I love French so much :) Let's watch a video together and you can know more about this romantic language!

                                             

                                                   French Language

• Greetings
• Salut- Hi, Hello : Informal         
• Bonjour - Good morning : Formal and Informal
• Bonsoir - Good evening : Formal and Informal

• Leave Taking
• Au revoir- Goodbye : Formal
• Tchao- Bye: Informal
• Salut- Bye:  Informal

• Other Expression
• À Plus - See you later
• À Demain- See you tomorrow
• À la Prochaine- See you next time
• Bonne nuit- Goodnight

Do you like France? Are you attracted by French language? I think you have your own answer in your mind :P See you next time, Bye :) Au revoir ^^

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http://tw.franceguide.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_language
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/France

Glamorous Seoul

Hi there! It's Natalie writing again.With the popularity of Korean pop culture, you must have heard about Seoul, right? This time, I'm going to introduce this wonderful place to you guys:)

Seoul, which is the capital of Korea, is a well-known and popular city for travelling. Let's talk about its history first. The name of this city has been changed for several times,besides "Hanseong (한성; 漢城) ",It had been called as Hanyang (한양; 漢陽) and Gyeongseong (경성; 京城) as well. But the government officially changed its name into Seoul(서울특별시;首爾) in 2005.

Strawberry Smoothie

Have you been to Seoul? If yes, have you visited the largest market there? Yup! You are right, The biggest market is Dongdaemun Market.It has been designated as the  a Special Tourism Zone (관광특구) since 2002.This market is divided into five districts, including A, B ,C ,D, E and a shopping town. It is a shopping paradise which sells everything, clothes, shoes, sporting goods,electronic goods,you name it!Besides go shopping, you can enjoy a wide variety of snacks ,drinks and food there! When I was travelling in Seoul, the food I liked the most was Strawberry Smoothie , It was so refreshing and cool! It was the most suitable drink for summer!You can't miss it when you go there!

Doota! is one of the malls in
 Dongdaemun Market area

Besides Dongdaemun Market, Myeong Dong(명동,明洞) is also a  place worth-going! Myeong Dong is not just famous for selling pricey goods, but also for  its unique event- Myeongdong Festival ! The festival is held twice a year, the first celebration is organized in Spring,from the end of March to the middle of April in Spring . As for the second one, it is held in Autumn ,for the whole September. If you want to see the music and dance performances or fashion shows there, please check the date for the festival before visiting! It is okay if you aren't interested in cultural and entertaining event as most of the shops and stores will have special sale in Myeong Dong Festival!  



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www.shootfirsteatlater.com
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seoul
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Dongdaemun-korean-food-9.jpg
teacherspage.wordpress.com
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myeong-dong

The Instant Ramen Museum (インスタントラーメン発明記念館)

I went to a amazing museum in Osaka last year which is about the instant ramen. It calls The Instant Ramen Museum. (インスタントラーメン発明記念館)

This museum exhibits history of the development of chicken ramen, the world’s first instant ramen, and presenting the changes in different products over the years. It's very interesting and having many information about the instant noodles. 

Also, there are an activity calls "My Cup Noodle Factory"(マイカップヌードルファクトリー) It's a workshop that tourists can make their own cup-noodles themselves and decide the recipe of that cup-noodles. I made a cup-noodles also and I can draw the cup myself in a special corner that provide different colour pen. 

This is a great museum, right?It's an interesting museum and you can try to visit it when you go to Osaka next time! :P