Ancient

Finding #Love over the Magpie Bridge

Xiān yún nòng qiăo, fēi xīng chuán hèn, yín hàn tiáo tiáo àn dù
Jīn fēng yù lù yì xiāng féng, biàn shèng què rén jiān wú shù
Róu qíng sì shuĭ,  jiā qī rú mèng, rĕn gù què qiáo guī lù
Liăng qíng ruò shì jiŭ cháng shí, yòu qĭ zài zhāo zhāo mù mù

As Clouds float like works of art; 
Stars shoot with grief at heart.
Across the Milky Way the Cowherd meets the Maid.

When autumn’s Golden Wind embraces Dew of Jade
All the love scenes on earth, however many, fade.

Their tender love flows like a stream; 
This happy date seems but a dream.
Can they bear a separate homeward way?

If love between both sides can last for aye,
Why need they stay together night and day?
(Translated by Xu Yuanchong)

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In a magical world in a century so long ago it has faded into dream and myth, there lived a tragic, poor, lonely man named Niu Lang. Most of his family had all died several years before, and those who remained had thrown him out on the street. So to stay alive, he found a small job taking care of some cows.  

Image result for handsome ancient Chinese boy painting

Imagine his surprise when he found out that one of those cows was something special. It actually had once belonged to the God of the Heavens, and it could talk to Niu Lang! They had some lovely conversations, and the cow came to like Niu Lang.Because although he was poor and his life was not good, his heart was still rather cheerful and he had a knack for finding joy in even the difficult times.  So the cow decided to give Niu Lang a little bit of advice. (more…)

Ancient Murals Found in Chinese Tomb

“Ancient Tomb Decorated with Vibrant Murals Found in China”

by Owen Jarus via “LiveScience”

Male servant

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‘Treasure of humanity’: 14,000yo cave paintings found under Spanish town

‘Treasure of humanity’: 14,000yo cave paintings found under Spanish town

via “RT

Pictures released by Provincial Council of Biscay showing 14,000 year old cave engravings in the Basque village of Lekeitio. © Diputacion Foral de Bizkaia

Ancient wall engravings of animals dating back 14,000 years have been discovered by archaeologists in a cave below a seaside Spanish town.

The 50 images were found etched into rock at the Armintxe cave in Lekeitio in Spain’s Basque region and depict animals rarely seen in Paleolithic art, such as lions.

Experts working with the Provincial Council of Bizkaia made the the discovery of the ancient cave artwork, which was reportedly located beneath a building in the small coastal town and confirmed to the public on Thursday.

Archaeologists believe the drawings are identical to ones found in the Pyrenees, according to Basque news outlet Deia, which suggests the people who created them were in close contact.

Cave engravings (top) representing animals like horses, bisons, lions or goats, and a highlighted version, in the Armintxe cave in the Basque village of Lekeitio. © Diputacion Foral de Bizkaia

The artwork contains images of five goats, two bison, 18 horses and a pair of lions. A series of circles and lines also make up the ancient art find.

Local official Andoni Iturbe told AFP how they were found in an “extremely difficult” cave to access – a place which will remain closed to the public.

Biscay council colleague Unai Rementeria has described the etchings as a “treasure of humanity.”

Images from the site reveal how the artwork could easily have been be missed due to their faint outlines.

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Treasure Trove of Ancient Human Footprints Found Near Volcano

Treasure Trove of Ancient Human Footprints Found Near Volcano

by Michael Greshko via “National Geographic

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Nine miles from the volcano the Maasai call the “Mountain of God,” researchers have cataloged a spectacularly rare find: an enormous set of well-preserved human footprints left in the mud between 5,000 and 19,000 years ago.

The more than 400 footprints cover an area slightly larger than a tennis court, crisscrossing the dark gray mudflat of Engare Sero, on the southern shore of Tanzania’s Lake Natron. No other site in Africa has as many ancient Homo sapiens footprints—making it a treasure trove for scientists trying to tell the story of humankind’s earliest days. . . .

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Hungry Ghost Festival

My Chinese friend called today asking to hang out. When I asked what was up, she said she intended to go home today but her brother called and warned her not to travel today. Apparently today the province is celebrating the Hungry Ghost Festival.

It falls on the 15th of the 7th lunar month. According to my friend, they believe that today many ghosts are able to travel around the country. This is why my friend couldn’t travel- she has to leave the way clear for the ghosts instead. Instead many adherents will go to the graves and leave lots of food for the hungry wanderers to eat.

Our Delicious Dumplings 🙂 

They also make hand-made traditional dumplings out of long noodles. They are long so you can wrap up your ancestral ghosts in the strand and keep them close to you in the future. Funnily enough, we went to the little Chinese garden here and ran into 5-6 grandfathers out with their grandkids. They had been tasked with entertaining the kids while grandma made the dumplings. To participate, my friend and I had beef dumplings at the local street market and she promised to wait until tomorrow to go home :p

4 Year old and her 6.5 year old sister. The older sister starts English classes tomorrow, and they both knew the ABC song!

Twin 4-year olds. They start Kindergarten this  year and are excellent Bubble-blowers!