Evening cruise around Xiamen
By Phil Hand
Photos by Xiaodong & Happy

来自英国的小伙子Phil Hand搭上成功号夜游鹭江. 海风送爽, 夜幕下的鹭江沿岸分外多姿. 所见所闻令他惊叹不已, 赏岸上灯景, 品闽南绝活, 实乃人生一大乐事啊.

I was invited on a cruise along the edge of Xiamen island, which took in a swathe of seafront from Haicang Bridge to Xiamen University. It seemed rather a shame to be out in the middle of the sea on such a balmy evening and not jump in, but the bits and bobs floating in the water dissuaded me in the end from a swim.

The boat was done out in the standard authentic tourist Chinese style, with carved lions on the railings and dragons and phoenixes painted on the ceiling. It's pleasant enough to look at, but doesn't quite give you the feeling of splendor that its designers seemed to be aiming for.



The breeze when we were steaming along was very pleasant, however, and some of the views were lovely. The Xiamen waterfront is impressive, with its customs buildings and the futuristic Construction Bank headquarters. Some of the prettiest sights, to my mind, came when we left the heavily neoned areas and saw some attractive houses with just a few lights twinkling above the water.

The most striking thing, though, was the view of the harbor. It is a reminder of just what a working seaport Xiamen is. The loading cranes stretch away in serried ranks, and we passed barges, dredgers, and even the odd fishing boat as we chugged up towards Haicang. The boat's PA system gave us some factoids about the Haicang Bridge (the longest suspension bridge in Asia, if you must know), but it's the supernaturally clean underside that really catches the eye. We did a quick U-turn under that pristine white roof and headed back the other way, past the ferry terminal and alongside the new Yanwu Bridge.



The scenery on this section of the tour was not deemed good enough to hold our attention, so the boat owner laid on entertainment, and this is where it gets good. I'd never seen a Chinese puppet show before, and if you haven't then I recommend you do. The kung-fu (skill) on display is awesome, as the little guys argue, fight, sleep, do tricks, and drink. This is no Punch and Judy show; the puppets here juggle, twirl batons, swap clothes in mid-battle and even perform lion dances. It was also very funny when the nobleman in our show demanded more wine and some of the performers were sent to amuse him during his towering little rages. I have no idea how many puppeteers there were behind the screen, but with the way the characters weaved in and out it must have been awfully well choreographed back there. At the end of the show there was a chance to go backstage and inspect the puppets more closely and talk to the performers.

The whole trip was pleasant, a way to enjoy an hour and a half of enforced chilling out with nothing to do but watch the world go by.

About the author

I'm Phil Hand, a translator and tutor. I've lived in Xiamen for two years, and I'm hoping to stay here for another few years yet. My biggest challenge at the moment is picking up the basics of Emengwa--Xiamenese. At the moment, I can only say paisei to all you locals for mangling this beautiful dialect.

Ticket Line: 2053095
厦门波赛东海上旅游有限公司
Cruise time: 8:00-9:30 pm

Vocabulary
authentic 正宗的
futuristic 未来派的
phoenix 凤凰
twinkle 闪烁
swathe 圈
balmy 温和的

 

 

My healthy life
By Daisy

I always confess to those curious online strangers that I am no Snow White, but a forever Cinderella, plain looking and is always bustling about in the kitchen. My treasure is healthy body and a positive life attitude.

I look around at the spas and the beauty centers which raise the focus on women's figures and skincare flooding the modern city-centers; at women complaining about the indecently high profits of the cosmetics industry even while continuing to contribute to their growth; at girls suffering the pangs of dieting in order to lose one more pound from around their waist in order to fit into the latest skirt. However, even though I am still young, and am no exception when it comes to the pursuit of beauty, the last thing I will do to myself is diet and put my physical health at risk in exchange for momentary beauty. I won't diet, but I do resist the lures of western fast food restaurants such as MacDonald's and KFC, with their huge attractive signs; and I avoid staying up all night watching movies or drinking too much coffee or alcohol I regularly sip a glass of water with honey to clean the junk in body in the morning and a glass of orange juice in the afternoon for Vita mine C. My heeds to life details benefit me, as I am doing well in all the physical condition examinations.

From my personal perspective, the enduring beauty lies in your healthy mental state. Shania Twain sings in Any Man of Mine, "any man of mine better be proud of me, even when I'm ugly he still better love me. "Most women echo the lyric, dreaming of immersing in a Prince Charming's everlasting love for an eternity. However, magic time robs the silver of its luster, flowers of their beauty, lasses of their lilies and roses. When appearance is no longer the attraction, the survival internal beauty is my prescription. A healthy mental state is to some extent more important than physical health. I've always been admiring Audrey Hepburn for her beautiful soul. It's said that eyes are the windows to your soul. Cosmetics mask the loss of freshness. A brand eye gel applied outward smoothes wrinkles, but the wise gleam in eyes comes from within. The charming innocence flashing in her eyes resist the attempt of time, appeals to audience even 20 years after her debut show. Time is fair. It compensates the deprivation of appearance for wit, love, patience and peace gained throughout life time. Books, friendships and experience nurture souls. Francis Bacon once wrote, histories make men wise; poets witty; the mathematics subtle; natural philosophy deep; moral grave; logic and rhetoric able to contend. Although some people might sneer that I am a person without great ambition, I am content to fulfill my leisure time with my dearest books and live happily with a bundle of friends. Sadly, I am not an influential figure who can show concerns to people around the world, but I wish to love people who care about me within my limited life time. I look up to people who are not after fame and fortune deliberately. These people enjoy more ease and the pleasure of life. I approve a saying encountered on the Internet some time ago, telling that if something belongs to you, it can come through time and changes; if not, however much efforts you devote, it's in vain.

So, appropriate food and a gentle mind, that's a forever Cinderella's simple yet healthy life.

 

教师健康生活之幽默篇
文/雪缨

"留得青山在, 哪怕没柴烧? "健康是福, 健康是金, 健康是天, 这个道理俺懂, 可是念健康经的级别, 落实健康经的能力, 俺就稍逊一筹.

身为一名教师, 率领着众多弟子们, 时刻准备着为考试一战, 实属诸群体中健康状况之堪忧一族. 至于俺本人, 远离父母, 尚未娶妻, 自我料理身体的意识赤贫. 所幸登上三尺讲台已五载, 别来无恙, 只是偶尔被学生所急, 为领导所气, 险些晕倒而已. (2001年之夏曾购风油精一瓶. )

话说鸡年之初, 俺尚居于仙岳山之下, 绵绵青山十里长, 仙岳山乃"厦门之肺", 每天把成吨成吨的二氧化碳吸进去, 把成吨成吨的氧气呼出来, 真该呼吁所有的厦门儿女都上去做运动! 为了增强体质, 俺曾经入林上演闻鸡起舞之现代版, 欲虎啸龙腾于山林, 练就教师队伍中罕见之国防身材! --一声叹息, 俺没有自己想象的那么坚强, 一星期未满, 遂将闻鸡起舞之现代版调整为梦幻版.

少了锻炼, 俺想通过饮食、休息等来保重健康. 身处城中村, 难觅一间比较卫生的小吃店; "不干不净, 吃了没病", 俺还没到那种饥不择食的程度. 于是自己在微型天地里自置锅碗瓢盆, 过上了一份自足自乐的小日子. 虽然俺不懂鉴定什么非公害食品、绿色食品、生态食品, 可是还是逼着自己经常去像SM、好又多......这样的大卖场采购, 不就是冲着品牌产品更值得信赖么!

今天写完这篇小作文, 俺的食欲又上来了, 决定搞一个三菜一汤, 外加一瓶优质啤酒, 好好犒劳一下.
健康无极限, 生活要简单. 俺的健康生活, 就是一份简单的生活, 约等于一份健康食品加上一份好心情, 俺解不了太难的健康方程!