Beijing: Fashion Week' s City Warriors

In contrast with earlier fashion weeks, when women's collections inevitably took the limelight, this time, men's collections are the highlight and account for nearly half the shows.

The audience seemed especially enthused as Ji Wenbo introduced his Li Lang clothing line on Monday. Taking inspiration from the famed buried terracotta army of the Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC) that draws tourists from around the world to the city of Xi'an,
Ji's offerings represent a kind of metropolitan warrior; his leather jackets, hued in gray and black with flashes of red, turquoise and peacock blue, hint of ancient armor. (Source: China Daily LIFE)

Worth a visit: the famous terracotta worriors in Xian.
(Photos by ChinaDaily.com and TravelChinaGuide.com)

Beijing Shopping: DARA

DARA is offering elegant Asian and Western home decor. It runs its business since 1998 and has now three stores and an art gallery in Beijing. The product range inculdes chinese and western style furniture, 'antique' accessories, dishware, cushions, lamps, lush fabrics, mirrors, pottery and more. The art gallery in Dashanzi Art Zone 798 shows contempory art. It hosts as well the DARA club, a unique showroom space. DARA is appreciated by chinese and foreign customers. In their high glossy brochure they claim Hollywood director Oliver Stone to be one of their customers. Not only have they private customers but also real estate projects asked them to furnish their showrooms. DARA products are pricy in comparison to the home decor price level in Beijing. However they have been cultivating their brand when brand consciousness was not formed yet in China - and now they belong to the top addresses when it comes to interior decoration in Beijing.



Unfortunately the website is only for Chinese customers in chinese language and taste: see DARA.com.cn

China: Multinationals involved in food scandals ?

Strawberries doused in pesticides, pork pumped with steroids, parasite-infested snails and contaminated fish have all made headlines recently. Sudan Red dye has turned up in chilli powder and spices. It's also been detected in the feed of hens and ducks to make their egg yolks red so they fetch higher prices. (…)

But also multinationals like KFC, Nestle, Kraft, Heinz and Haagen-Dazs have all been under the food safety spotlight in China, accused of double standards when it comes to the quality of their products here compared with other countries.

Most recently, KFC outlets around the country were found to be reusing frying oil for up to 10 days a practice also feared carcinogenic adding magnesium trisilicate to prolong its life.

Read the full story from CCTV.

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Update: Sunday lunchtime in a Beijing Shopping Mall we went for fast food and had the choice between an almost empty KFC and an packed MC Donald. I opted for the latter.

Beijing: Chinese Medicine in Spring +++ Chinesische Medizin im Frühling

According to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), human bodies function differently with season changing. That means we'd better change our drinking, eating and living style for spring. Spring is the season of growing, which Chinese medicine says is the liver season. It's a good time to take care of in particular the liver as well as the whole body.
(Source: China Daily)

This reminds me of:
fasting (to detox), walk in the park (for body and soul), sunshine (for Vitamine D), breathing fresh air (for oxygen), flowers (for the mood), de-cluttering (for smooth energy flow), spring cleansing ... - The Western world has the same habits to welcome Spring time!

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In der Traditionellen Chinesische Medizin (TCM) heisst es, dass der menschliche Körper je nach Jahreszeit anders funktioniert. Das bedeutet, dass wir für den Frühling unsere Ess-, Trink und Lebensgewohnheiten umstellen sollten. Frühling ist die Zeit des Wachstums und somit laut Chinesischer Medizin die Zeit der Leber. Es ist der richtige Moment sich um den Körper und insbesondere um die Leber zu kümmern.
(Quelle: China Daily)

Das erinnert mich an Folgendes:
fasten (zum Entgiften), spazierengehen im Park (für Körper und Seele), Sonnenschein tanken (für Vitamin D), frische Luft atmen (zum Sauerstoff tanken), Blumen (für gute Laune), Wohnung ausmisten (für fliessende Energie), Frühjahrsputz ... - Die westliche Welt begrüsst den Frühling auf gleiche Weise!