Wanshi's Hometown: ZiGong, Sichuan, China

Brief Introduction Famed as the Salt Capital of China, the city of ZiGong is a treasure house of dinosaur fossils and the Lantern City of Southern China. It is located in the south of the Sichuan Basin. It has been recognized by the State Council as a State-Level Historical and Cultural City. The area includes over 70 scenic resorts, including the ZiGong Dinosaur Museum, ruins of the ancient salt capital, and Wangye (Imperial Highness) Shrine. Beside those well-known places, I have a few personal favorites. I would also like to show you around.	Newly Developed Commercial District
Teahouse - My Favorite Place Several old structures have survived in city of ZiGong, including two marvellous tea houses where you can gossip, lounge or play cards with locals surrounded by dated furnishings. One of them is called WangYeMiao, which once was a property of a prominent rich family in ancient times. My highschool friends and spent countless hours there while sitting in the bomboo chairs, sipping tea from old fashioned tea cups, and overlooking the Fuxi River flowing peacefully around the tea house. The time seemed to stand still in the teahouse, while only the moving thing was the hundred-years-old willow twigs in the breeze.	Old Tea House
Lantern Festival Every year during the Chinese spring festival, which normally is around the end of January or mid of February, the city will host the beautiful lantern festival. The ZiGong Lantern Festival is a kind of super art in Chinese culture. It is famous for its long history, large scale, huge occasion, surprised design and delicate materials. To 2008, the festival has been held successfully for 20 times since the first festival was organized in 1964. For me, it just a great occasion to hang out with my friends. And of course, it's a excellent time for a family outing. Since I was a little kid, I have always wanted to find out how the craftsman make lanterns out of cerimic spoons, bowls and plates. But I haven't been successful in this mission because the dragon lanterns made from ceramics are so incredible!	Grasshoper Lantern from Lantern Festival
ZiGong Dinosaur Museum Established in the noted site of dinosaur fossils, Dinosaur Museum in ZiGong is about 11 kilometers (about 7 miles) from the center of ZiGong City. It covers 25,000 square meters (about 17 acres), which makes the Dinosaur Museum the biggest in southeast China. The museum enjoys the same excellent reputation as the American National Parks and the Canadian Dinosaur Parks, presently exhibiting a large-scale preserved dinosaur fossil burial site. The fossils are in a sandy layer of the Meso-Jurassic period, from around 160,000,000 years ago. In an area of around 3,000 square meters, more than 100 individual dinosaurs have been excavated, among which some thirty are complete or relatively complete dinosaur skeletons.	Dinosaur Museum
Food There is no doubt that the Chinese have passion for food. Food is not only for survival, but it has also become a part of Chinese culture. Where there is food, there are people. Often there is a legendary story behind a famous dish itself. Even the treats from street vendors have their hearsay. My memory of food starts with some women who sold a treat called LiangFeng (a non-flavored jelly-like snack). Everyday in the afternoon, she came with 2 cube-like wood cabinets (the size of a small night stand) attached to two ends of a long pole. She put the pole on her left shoulder and lifted up the two cabinets while walking. The way she called to attract customers sounded almost musical and rhythmed. When someone called her to stop for a purchase, she would stop and put the two cabinets on the ground. To our amazement, she opened the cabinet like a treasure box which held a vast array of things: little ceramic bowls, bottles of spicies, and tools, etc. When a bowl of LiangFeng was ready, it was a feast to the eyes and mouth. There were slices of green oion, dark brown soy sauce, tiny red chilly chunks and gold yellow fried soy beans. Whenever I think about home, the image of this snack lingers in my head.	Local Snack: LiangFeng