News Archive - Feb 2003

After a complete hard drive failure, the final recovery phase will mean that HG will be down again tomorrow for up to an hour so that (to quote Angel Zen) the server can be propped back into its "rack" at our ISP's datacenter.

Please do not submit any files to the download section until the move is done otherwise there is a chance that they will get lost.

Angel Zen pointed me in the direction of the Peabody Essex Museum where, for the last six years, a Qing Dynasty house from south-east China has been painstakingly dismantled, brought to the US piece by piece and reconstructed. It will finally be open to the public in June this year. It's a fascinating story and the Museum has built a superb web-site around it.

If you happen to be near Salem, MA after June I think it will be well worth a visit ... the museum has a lot of other great collections as well and Salem's a wonderful historical town in its own right and well worth exploration. If you can't, then enjoy the site.

Well, the answers are in and the totting up has been done. It was quite complicated with several answers that were half right. In the end the person who has the most right and half-right answers is
Fistleaf
Many congratulations!

The correct answers according to the V&A Museum in London are:
1. Guan Di
2. Lacquered and gilt wood
3. His original name was Zhang (the bean-curd seller) then later he was called Guan Yu
4. A silk robe was hanging on the wall behind him. It was specially made for a temple statue of a god
The tie-break (which wasn't needed) was the date of the statue which was 1640-1700.

As I'm getting fewer and fewer entries each time, I'm wondering if people want me to continue with the picture quiz. Please send me an email (address under the title) if you would still like me to carry on. Perhaps with fewer questions? Easier questions? Let me know.

Just a quick reminder that the picture quiz ends tonight ... not many entries so far, so a last minute one might just scoop the non-prize. Wild guesses welcomed :)

I think, that's the best way we can describe this bit of news. On the one hand I have the sad duty to tell you we will be losing a valued staff member. BobT, known for his ceaseless work in the Zeus and Emperor scenario forums has handed in his stubby little wings.

The reason to do so, however, is one of the best, as he's accepted a position as Quality Assurence Tester at BreakAway Games. So don't be surprised if you see his name in blue, rather than the familiar green. He will try to stay in touch with us, though.

Bob's not the only one to have received such an offer, Merepatra too is now working for BreakAway. She, however, hopes she has time enough to be both working for them and being an Angel at HeavenGames. So we will be enjoying her skills for at least a while longer.

I wish both of them tons of fun with their new jobs.

There's a thread in The Town Center where you can congratulate them yourself.

The first was a bit too easy, the second a bit too hard ... let's hope I've hit a happy medium this time.

1. Who is this a statue of? Hint: he's not quite in his normal guise.
2. What is it made of?
3. What was his original name?
4. What is hanging on the wall behind him?
Tie break: Approximately when was it made (within 100 years)

Do have a go ... answers to me (email link under title) by 1.00am forum time next Friday. No prizes but the honour of being mentioned in the news :)

Not so many entries this time and none which was completely correct. The closest and the winner for the second week running is


Graywolf


Many congratulations!

The full answer, according to the V&A Museum in London, is:

1. It's made of jade

2. The Chinese name for it is a gui

3. It was made in the Song Dynasty between 960 and 1270 AD

4. It was copying the style of the Warring States between 400 and 250 BC.

I think everyone had part 1 right, several had part 2 right. Parts 3 and 4 were the problems ... with the help of a calculator, Graywolf was the closest with the years.

A new question will be put up later today or tomorrow. Do have a go ... no-one will be humiliated by their wildly wrong answers being posted here and you never know, your wild guess may just be right!

Just a pointer to a new round of Trivial Pursuit which Debbie has started in The Town Square. Have fun!

The third and final part of Duan Xuan's explanation of Chinese New Year. Again, I'd like to thank him for the excellent article. I've learnt a lot and hope you have too.

Another good thing about Chinese New Year is the good food. In the past ('60s and '70s), most Singaporean Chinese were very poor. They usually ate very little and had almost no variety. However, Chinese New Year meant lots of delicacies which were very rarely seen normally. Now, New Year food is even better than in the past. Delicacies like abalone, shark fins, roasted pork, duck, everything sit nicely on huge dishes on the dining table.

Some New Year foods have meanings too. Water dumplings (called Jiao Zi) are considered lucky because they look like gold ingots. Raw fish salad (Yu Sheng) is also very common. It brings good luck and prosperity. The higher you scoop it with the chopsticks, the better your luck in the new year will be. Fa Cai (meaning vegetable that looks like hair) is also cooked. The word "fa" in Chinese means to prosper.

You might start wondering if all of these good food are eaten every day of the fifteen days of Chinese New Year. The answer is no. On New Year's Eve, families gather together for the reunion dinner. Even if somebody is overseas, he or she would fly back just for this dinner as it is very important to most people. The reunion dinner signifies family harmony and peace as everyone get to sit together to eat. The reunion dinner is the most sumptuous of the year. Some families choose to cook and eat at home while some prefer to eat out at restaurants. Sometimes, the meal might consist of over 20 people squeezing together around a small table!

After the meal, entire families will stay up together for the night. This is called "shou sui" and lasts till midnight. It is said that shou sui brings one's parents longevity.

Chinese were and still are superstitious people. They have several taboos for New Year, hoping to avoid bad luck, as that would stay with them for the whole year. Some taboos seem rather unacceptable. It is not allowed to wash or cut your hair during the season. Sweeping the floor is also not allowed, as it is believed that doing so sweeps away wealth. Spring cleaning should be done before New Year's day. Also, people must not say any inauspicious words.

Xin Nian Kuai Le and may good luck be with you for the year!

A little more about the Chinese New Year from forumer Duan Xuan:

The colour for Chinese New Year is red as it is regarded as very auspicous by the Chinese. Almost everything is decorated in red in every household. Red couplets with auspicious words written on them are put up. People wear bright-coloured shirts. Red packets (called Hong Bao) are given out.

On those couplets mentioned (called Chun Lian), auspicious words are written in Chinese calligraphy. For example, the most common ones are "Xin Nian Kuai Le" and "Gong Xi Fa Cai". Chun Lians are always put up in pairs, each with a message of its own. These two usually have linked meanings. The above example means "Happy new year" and "May you prosper". There are many, many more which all have very nice and lucky meanings.

Some people also like to send each other New Year cards, just like Christmas cards for Christmas. Adults also send their working partners and acquaintances hampers. These hampers have everything from peanuts to sweets to XO wine.

It is a custom to visit relatives and friends during Chinese New Year. Although not very common, some people still exchange tangerines whem greeting each other. Tangerines are exchanged in even numbers per person. Usually it is two, though it can be four or even eight. Notice that Chinese like pair numbers a lot.

What children like most about Chinese New Year is the receiving of Hong Baos. Generally, only married people can give Hong Baos to those who are unmarried. Usually adults will give Hong Baos to children. When visiting each other, adults will give their relatives' or friends' children Hong Baos to wish them good luck. So, what are Hong Baos? They are also called Red Packets, and are envelope-like red paper which contain money. Yes, that's why children enjoy this part of the festive season. =)

In case you’re confused why we’re wishing you a Happy New Year, today marks the first day of the Chinese New Year. As I know virtually nothing about the way it’s celebrated, I asked one of our forumers who knows a lot more to write about it for us. So thank you to Duan Xuan. He did an excellent job and I will be spreading what he’s written for us over the next few days.

This year, Chinese New Year falls on the 1st of February. Chinese New Year is based on the Lunar Calendar and strictly follows the phases of the moon. A new moon (no moon) means a new month. A full moon usually falls on the 15th of each month.

This year is the year of the Goat, 8th in the Chinese zodiac.

Chinese New Year is a big event in most Chinese-speaking societies and families. It welcomes a new year and also drives away all the bad luck that was present in the previous year. This festival is celebrated almost all over the world, from Asia to Europe and to the Americas. Where there are Chinese, there is Chinese New Year.

There is a story regarding the origins of this festival. Long ago, there lived a monster called the Nian, which lived in the mountains. On the first day of every year, it would come out of its lair to the nearby villages and eat the people. The villagers were all very afraid of it and hid in their houses whenever the Nian came. They shut their doors and windows tightly. Then one year, the villagers decided that they would put up red paper on their doors, hoping that it would scare the man-eating monster away. It did, and the villagers even lighted firecrackers. The loud noise and the bright red all over the place scared the beast so much that it escaped back to its lair, never to return again.

In Chinese New Year, when people meet, they say "Gong Xi, Gong Xi" which means "Congratulations". Some say that people used to say that every year after the Nian had left the villages. It originally meant "Congratulations for surviving New Year's Day!". Of course, it doesn't mean that now!

More tomorrow ...