In the early summer of 2015 Zhangwan, a Chinese national living in America received a trove of photos from an American couple. These photos documented a short but ambitious expedition of the young couple’s travels through China in the early 1980’s. In total Zhang was given approximately 1600 color negatives and 140 slides of 35mm film,…
CometoChina takes Shenzhen Expats on a Cultural Journey!
At CometoChina HQ we decided to organize a bunch of cultural excursions for some local expat friends of ours in Shenzhen. The Lantern Festival arrived over the weekend, marking the official end of The Chinese New Year and the beginning of Spring. So, in the spirit of Chinese culture, we gathered a small group of…
The Great Lantern festival of China
Introducing the Chinese Lantern festival The famous lantern festival takes place each year on the fifteenth day of the first month of the Chinese Lunar Calendar. It is likely no coincidence that this date also falls on the same day in which the first full moon of the lunar new year presents itself. This date…
VAYA Invites You to Experience Chinese Culture for Free!
VAYA is a new peer-to-peer platform offering unique cultural experiences for foreign travelers who want to connect to China on a deeper level. To celebrate our commercial launch in November, VAYA is offering 20 free experiences for English speaking foreigners who love travel and are interested in Chinese culture & history. Join us for these FREE activities…
Amazing Graphic Designs Representing China’s 34 Provinces & Cities
Shi Changhong is a graphic designer who spent two years working on a collection of designs that represent China’s 34 Provinces and major cities in a unique and fresh way. He’s since become a bit of a celebrity online, being praised for his ability to communicate such high levels of local character into these very…
Mid Autumn Festival & Making Mooncakes with VAYA!
Last week the VAYA team and got together with other partners friends at So Café to learn the art of making traditional Mid Autumn Festival mooncakes! Anyone can share in the experience of making mooncakes, but it’s especially fun for families and children! Making and sharing mooncakes is one of the hallmark traditions of Mid…
Red Clothes Festival in Guilin
VAYA recently travelled to Longsheng, Guilin, Guangxi Province, to witness the Yao ethnic group celebrate their Red Clothes Festival, which takes place annually on the 15th day of the third month of the Chinese lunar year. The Yao people have a history that can be traced back 2000 years, and are currently one of 55 ethnic minority…
A Family of Chinese Artists
I met the Zhao family at their studio in Futian, Shenzhen. The family was immediately welcoming and eager to give me a tour of their studio. The studio is catered to art students of all ages, from little ones still experimenting with the texture of the paint, to advanced art students (advanced in years too). What is…
Meet Bella, a Chinese Culture Specialist
Tea Ceremony. Flower Arranging. Wood Block Prints. Chinese Clothing Bella Huang is a Chinese National Senior Tea Specialist, founder of the Tea Talk Workshop, and fluent in English. Here’s a bit about Bella: Bella got her masters (MSc) in Education Practice and Innovation from Southampton University in the UK. After graduation, Bella was a Mandarin teacher…
Lychees Lychees Everywheree! 3 Lychee Drink Recipes
The first time I had a lychee was in China. In the States I had lychee-flavored cocktails and lychee flavored sherbet, both delicious, but I hadn’t even seen the actual fruit until a few months ago. Now I’m a lychee addict. Here are some delicious lychee drink recipes: Lychee Smoothie Ingredients 2 cups watermelon cubes…
Meet Mr. Zhang, a Chinese Ceramics Master
What I first noticed about Mr. Zhang was his passion for his work. I had a translator accompany me on my visit and, although the Chinese went over my head, Mr. Zhang’s passion for ceramics was obvious from the way his eyes lit up, the way he handled each piece, and his eagerness to…
Home Cooked Chinese Meal
Chinese food is delicious but whenever I would order Chinese take-out or delivery in the States I would always regret it the next day, or even 10 minutes later. Then I would wonder how Chinese people could eat like this and stay so lean. Especially the women, did you hear about the paper test? Hold…
VAYA! 