Floating Market

1. A floating market is a market where goods are sold from boats. Originating in times and places where water transport played an important role in daily life, most floating markets operating today mainly serve as tourist attractions, and are chiefly found in Thailand, Indonesia and Vietnam.

 
The floating market usually sells many types of tropical vegetables, fruits,etc. from a small boat. Produce sold can include Malacca grape, Chinese grapefruit, mangoes, bananas, and coconut. This is also the costliest market.

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What is Shufa

 Chinese calligraphy, also called Chinese brush calligraphy or “shufa”, is a high art form unique to China. Many Asian cultures have originated their own calligraphy styles, but China’s is unequaled because of its beauty, grace, and history. The artistic value of the calligraphy is found in the rhythm and lines. It is an outlet for the artist to practice self-discipline and concentration as well as release his innermost thoughts and emotions. Many Chinese regard it on a level above music, paintings, and statues, and equal to poetry as a form of self-expression.

Today Chinese calligraphy is once again a countrywide discipline and art-form highly appreciated and sought across the world. Anyone can practice it and all that is required is a simple set including: brush, ink, paper, and inkstone.

Calligraphy is often combined with landscape paintings. Artists paint beautiful backgrounds of mountains, lakes, trees, and bamboo and then write proverbs, sayings, or poems in calligraphy in the foreground. This is where the term "calligraphy painting" comes from. 

Hinamatsuri (Girl's Day or Dolls Day)

Hinamatsuri is celebrated each year on March 3. Platforms covered with a red carpet are used to display a set of ornamental dolls representing the Emperor, Empress, attendants, and musicians in traditional court dress of the Heian Period. 

The top tier holds two dolls, known as imperial dolls. These are the Emperor holding a ritual baton and Empress holding a fan. The second tier holds three court ladies. The third tier holds five male musicians. Each holds a musical instrument except the singer, who holds a fan. Two ministers may be displayed on the fourth tier. The fifth tier, between the plants, holds three helpers or samurai as the protectors of the Emperor and Empress. 

Families generally start to display the dolls in February and take them down immediately after the festival. Superstition says that leaving the dolls past March 4 will result in a late marriage for the daughter

Some bizarre Asian Foods

1. Chicken Feet

Chicken feet are a part of the chicken that is cooked in many Asian countries such are China, Indonesia, Korea, Malaysia, Philippines and Vietnam. Most of the edible tissue on the feet consists of skin and tendons, with no muscle. This gives the feet a distinct texture different from the rest of the chicken's meat. 

2. Fugu

"Fugu" (blowfish) is famous even among the Japanese as a high class food item. Because it contains poison in its internal organs, only chefs with a special license are allowed to prepare it. 
3. Sannakji (live octopus tentacles)

Sannakji is a a small octopus that has been cut into small pieces and served immediately, usually lightly seasoned with sesame and sesame oil. The nakji pieces are usually still squirming on the plate. It can also be served whole.
4. Blood Pudding

Blood Pudding ot tiết canh  is a traditional dish of blood and cooked meat in northernVietnamese cuisine. The most popular is tiết canh vịt,made from raw duck blood and duck meat. The dish is made from fresh blood from pork, chicken or duck that mixed with meat and herbs. Also, blood pudding is usually served cold with a texture like jelly in order to reduce the strong smell of the fresh blood. 

Traditional Chinese dances

1. Ribbon dance

The Chinese Ribbon Dance is a traditional dance that has been performed for more than a 1000 years.  The Chinese legend has it that Emperor Tang who ruled China from 713-755 AD had a dream that he was in the moon palace with many fairies singing and dancing who were wearing beautiful multicolored long robes.  His dream was turned into a dance with the dancers using long silk ribbons.  Each year the Ribbon Dance is performed at New Year celebrations and harvest festivals.  
2. The Peacock Dance

The peacock dance  is one of the most wide-spread ancient dances of the Dai ethnic group in Yunnan Province on the southwest border of China. The peacock dance is the best-loved dance of the Dai. To the Dai the peacock is a symbol of good luck, happiness, beauty and honesty, so to perform this dance is to present a eulogy of and express good wishes for a happy life. 
3. The Fan Dance

Fans can also be used as props for female dancers. The fan dance originates from the fan performances in ancient psychic conducts and folk-custom activities. The fan dance highlights delicate movements with constantly changing rhythm, which is dynamic and graceful.
4. Bodhisattva

The Thousand-hand Bodhisattva dance just shows that the silent and simple are the most powerful. 12 performers stand in a line, the only thing you can see in front is their aims and the eye-sticker in their hands. They use the extremely simple prop to show big theme– benevolence, the primary spirit of China.

Tea Ceremony

A tea ceremony is a ritualized form of making tea practiced in the East Asian cultural sphere by the Chinese, Japanese,Korean, Taiwanese and Vietnamese tea ceremony. 

The manner in which it is performed, or the art of its performance, is called Tea ceremony. The Japanese tea ceremony  is better known, and was influenced by the Chinese tea ceremony during ancient and medieval times. The Vietnamese tea ceremony, also influenced by its Chinese counterpart, is only performed during a wedding and other religious rituals. One can also refer to the whole set of rituals, tools, gestures, etc. used in such ceremonies as tea culture. 

Japanese Geisha

Geisha are traditional Japanese female entertainers that are trained as professional singers, dancers, and companions for men. The word geisha itself means artist. As artists, geisha are trained to entertain men in either a professional or social gathering.

The skills geisha use to entertain male customers include serving tea, playing instruments, cultural dances, and the art of conversation. As skilled entertainers, Geisha must go through a training program so they can learn the skills needed to entertain. This process can take anywhere from six months to three years.