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Hangzhou mementos - sweet tokens and keepsakes
By Wang Jie |
April 27, 2009, Monday
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A trip to Hangzhou can be savored and recalled long after the visit ends, especially through distinctive local souvenirs and keepsakes, many of them edible. Though many can be purchased in Shanghai supermarkets and other stores, those bought in Hangzhou make especially thoughtful gifts. There's also greater variety in Hangzhou. Some of these well-know products are dried white chrysanthemum, dried lotus root powder from West Lake, small round Hangzhou walnuts and silk parasols. Wang Jie goes shopping. Dried white chrysanthemum Chrysanthemum makes a fragrant cooling summer drink, and it's a major ingredient in traditional Chinese medicine.
It is often made into teas and infusions used to expel internal heat and toxins, treat allergies and respiratory infections, strengthen eyesight and soothe the skin.
Many young women appreciate a gift of dried chrysanthemum.
According to "Compendium of Materia Medica" written in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), a traditional Chinese medicine masterpiece, white chrysanthemum can "clear away heat and toxic materials."
Some Chinese people also make herbal baths with chrysanthemum or stuff it into pillows, sometimes with other herbs.
You can buy dried white chrysanthemum in bags or tea bags. An instant chrysanthemum beverage is sold in many shops.
As the chrysanthemum flower blossoms in hot water, it seems like Hangzhou itself: romantic and reserved. Hangzhou walnut These nuts are delicious and quite different from the ordinary walnuts we are familiar with. They are small and round with a dark shell and dark meat.
Once you start eating, it's hard to stop.
Don't damage your teeth by trying to crack them; use a nutcracker. Some people claim half the fun is in cracking them with their teeth, but they may eventually regret having to visit the dentist. West Lake silk umbrella Umbrellas or parasols made of silk and bamboo are distinctive souvenirs of West Lake. Manufacturing began in the 1920s. Although many umbrellas today are made with nylon and metal, the craftsmanship of the genuine article is coveted.
There are many colors and patterns, some even like traditional ink-wash paintings.
The silk umbrellas of West Lake are associated with romance. It is said that once upon a time a poor scholar walking along West Lake bumped into a beautiful young woman holding a silk umbrella. Love bloomed.
There's a saying that the best way to approach a girl one admires is to borrow an umbrella from her. The borrowing and returning bring two people closer.
Sending a silk umbrella from West Lake to a Chinese girl sends the message: "I have a special feeling for you." Lotus root powder of West Lake Although lotus root powder is abundant and inexpensive, it was once sent to the royal palace as gifts for emperors. The slightly sweet root, loaded with cool (yin) energy, is also prized in traditional Chinese medicine for its many benefits. It reinforces the blood, benefits the liver, spleen and stomach and acts as a general tonic.
When mixed with warm water, it creates a sweet, sticky translucent soup. Many old Chinese people like a bowl of lotus root powder soup as their afternoon snack since it's easily digested. Packets makes a thoughtful gift for elderly people and they are sold in many stores.
Lotus root powder is also used in baked snacks.
It is often made into teas and infusions used to expel internal heat and toxins, treat allergies and respiratory infections, strengthen eyesight and soothe the skin.
Many young women appreciate a gift of dried chrysanthemum.
According to "Compendium of Materia Medica" written in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), a traditional Chinese medicine masterpiece, white chrysanthemum can "clear away heat and toxic materials."
Some Chinese people also make herbal baths with chrysanthemum or stuff it into pillows, sometimes with other herbs.
You can buy dried white chrysanthemum in bags or tea bags. An instant chrysanthemum beverage is sold in many shops.
As the chrysanthemum flower blossoms in hot water, it seems like Hangzhou itself: romantic and reserved. Hangzhou walnut These nuts are delicious and quite different from the ordinary walnuts we are familiar with. They are small and round with a dark shell and dark meat.
Once you start eating, it's hard to stop.
Don't damage your teeth by trying to crack them; use a nutcracker. Some people claim half the fun is in cracking them with their teeth, but they may eventually regret having to visit the dentist. West Lake silk umbrella Umbrellas or parasols made of silk and bamboo are distinctive souvenirs of West Lake. Manufacturing began in the 1920s. Although many umbrellas today are made with nylon and metal, the craftsmanship of the genuine article is coveted.
There are many colors and patterns, some even like traditional ink-wash paintings.
The silk umbrellas of West Lake are associated with romance. It is said that once upon a time a poor scholar walking along West Lake bumped into a beautiful young woman holding a silk umbrella. Love bloomed.
There's a saying that the best way to approach a girl one admires is to borrow an umbrella from her. The borrowing and returning bring two people closer.
Sending a silk umbrella from West Lake to a Chinese girl sends the message: "I have a special feeling for you." Lotus root powder of West Lake Although lotus root powder is abundant and inexpensive, it was once sent to the royal palace as gifts for emperors. The slightly sweet root, loaded with cool (yin) energy, is also prized in traditional Chinese medicine for its many benefits. It reinforces the blood, benefits the liver, spleen and stomach and acts as a general tonic.
When mixed with warm water, it creates a sweet, sticky translucent soup. Many old Chinese people like a bowl of lotus root powder soup as their afternoon snack since it's easily digested. Packets makes a thoughtful gift for elderly people and they are sold in many stores.
Lotus root powder is also used in baked snacks.
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