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credit to cameron for this hot picture

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When we think of Chinese food, we generally think of the Han's way of preparing food with rice, pork, chicken, tofu, and wheat. I always thought of the Hans in a different way

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The Han participate in lots of color festivals throughout the year. Including, Spring Festival, Lantern Festival, Dragon Boat Festival and the Mid-autumn Festival.
This information suprised me because they are very religous.

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They speak Arabic. They believe in Islam and they use a lot of pork in most of their dishes. Mostly located in northwestern China.

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Hans are located in the Eastern part of China

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The Zhuang celebrations  of the song Festival is also known as San Yue San, which means 'Third Month's Third (Day)', as it is celebrated on the third day of the third lunar month in the traditional Chinese calendar.

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The Zhuang believe in spiritual presences that are in many parts of nature, similar to Native Americans.

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The Cattle King Festival also called Ox King Festival (牛王节, pinyin: Niú wáng jié) is held in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region(广西壮族自治区, pinyin: Guǎngxi zhuàngzú zìzhìqū). It falls on the eighth day of the fourth month of the Chinese lunar year (May 10) because, according to legends, it is the birthday of the God of Cattle. The festival is an exhibition of the rituals and customs adopted to commemorate this date.

It is said the cattle lose spirits when they are toiling on the farm and it is believed that expressing these customs is able to recapture the lost souls. The celebration is means of showing love and respect to the Ox who labor on the farms. The Zhuang repay the oxen for the fatigue endured from working in the field by giving cattle a chance to rest and enjoy the best food.

Article: Zhuang Nationality Celebrates the Ox King's Birthday | Chinese Culture Institute.
http://www.tudou.com/v/KDE0Tg5CGs0/v.swf

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Zhuang Nationality Celebrates the Ox King's Birthday | Chinese Culture Institute

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The Cattle King Festival also called Ox King Festival (牛王节, pinyin: Niú wáng jié) is held in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region(广西壮族自治区, pinyin: Guǎngxi zhuàngzú zìzhìqū). It falls on the eighth day of the fourth month of the Chinese lunar year (May 10) because, according to legends, it is the birthday of the God of...

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A mass amount of flat bread

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Local Name: "nang" or "nan"
Chinese Name: 馕 (náng)
Alternate Names: Uyghur bread, flat bread
Description: A local bread made in various forms.
Every once in a while there rises from within an ethnic group a particular cultural characteristic that tends to represent the group as a whole. Interestingly it has a tendency to be food: burgers in America; pasta in Italy; rice in China. For the Uyghurs, a small ethnic group situated in this large province of China, it's their bread.

The Uyghur Bread Stand

It's pretty much impossible to walk a city block anywhere in Xinjiang without running into a Uyghur bread stand. The stands selling this bread, also referred to as " nan" or " nang", are more common to this part of China than Starbucks is in America (but thankfully they're much cheaper!). The stand itself is pretty simple. It usually consists of a small room to mix the dough next to a large stove, called the " tonnir ", right outside to bake the bread. This stove, a big stomach shape with a small mouth is usually made of sun-dried earth bricks and heated by either coal or wood.

For nearly twelve hours a day this stand is occupied by two or more Uyghur men - one to make the dough, one to cook the bread and sometimes another to sell or deliver it. For many this is their livelihood, a skill passed down from generation to generation and taught as a specialized trade. There's no formal school in which to train and no recipe books exist (that I know of) so if you're looking to make your own Uyghur-style bread your best bet is to apprentice yourself to one of these men. Good luck.

Whenever I pass one of these stands I can't help but be taken in by the intoxicating smell of fresh bread and during the bitter cold of the winter I am drawn to the heat generated by the stove. In fact, this may be one of the strongest memories that I will carry with me whenever I decide to finally leave Xinjiang.

The Bread

I have been told that there are over 50 different kinds of Uyghur bread. I didn't believe this number until I noticed that I rarely see the same kind of bread at two different stands. Here's a small list of just a few that I have seen so far:

On top of that, each stand has its own assortment of "goodies" that they may mix or cover the bread including onions, sesame seeds, hot spices, and meat. It really is amazing to see the creativity that is put into some of these family recipes.

Don't Miss Out

Visiting Xinjiang without eating Uyghur bread is pretty much a sin. It's dirt cheap as long as you're not buying it at the airport or a tourist trap. Just remember that if you're paying anything over 2 yuan for a single piece you're getting ripped a good one. Also it's a good idea to get it while it's hot, as I personally enjoy my bread soft instead of crunchy. Whether you eat it with kebabs, dip it in the DaPanJi sauce, or just eat it by itself, don't miss out on this Xinjiang-Uyghur specialty.

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Uyghur Flat Bread 馕: Xinjiang's Best Food | Xinjiang: Far West China

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Local Name : "nang" or "nan" Chinese Name : 馕 (náng) Alternate Names : Uyghur bread, flat bread Description : A local bread made in various forms. Every once in a while there rises from within an ethnic group a particular cultural characteristic that tends to represent the group as a whole.

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If you visit them they will welcome you with open arms. They will feed you many tropical and subtropical dishes. With all of the traditions of the Chinese them welcoming visitors with open arms is cool

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They speak Turkic, Mongolian, Korean, and Japanese, and Chinese

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The name Han originated from the Han Dynasty, during the 'Golden Age'.

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They are most commonly called
the, "Chinese

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I was surprised that their religion was similar to Native Americans in that they believe in spiritual presence with in nature.

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They will finish of meals with a special brews of tea. Sometimes done by frieing leaves.

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Mostly in the border region north of Vietnam, the Zhuang people are a group of approximately 17 million people. Their language is part of the Zhuang-Tai language group, which is shared by people in Thailand, Laos, and Vietnam.

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As graceful as a cloud, as gentle as a melody, ancient Chinese noblewomen were like water - nurturing to all living things. This royal female archetype is a well-spring in traditional Chinese culture and the Empress Yin Lihua embodied that.

They were as serene and noble as the orchid. Their manners and inner beauty inspired millions of people. They were gracious, humble, respectful and reverent. They were responsible for bringing up children and assisting kings. Their delicate physical bodies belied a strength so great it helped shape the history of China.

Yin Lihua from Nanyang (A.D. 5-64) was empress of the Eastern Han Dynasty. She was a descendant of Guan Zhong, famed prime minister of the State of Qi during the Spring and Autumn Period.

According to historical records, Empress Lihua was benevolent and devoted. Full of compassion and love, she was remembered throughout time as a virtuous wife and excellent empress.

Lihua was not the first empress to her husband Liu Xiu. Shortly after he reunified the whole of China and rose to the seat of power in AD 36, Emperor Liu found himself with a new dynasty to rule and no empress with which to rule it.

Lady Guo Shentong, Liu's second wife through political alliance, experienced many battles and hardships with him and became pregnant with his first child. According to custom, she should have been the appropriate empress; however, Lihua his first wife, was his sweetheart. He wanted to give the title to Lihua unconditionally.

When Lady Lihua heard this she said: "Companions in adversity should not be forgotten. Besides, Lady Guo is bearing your child. I will not take the empress position."

Thus, she persistently declined the offer. Lihua humbly and respectfully let go of the title of empress, a life-long dream of many ladies. She was named Imperial Consort instead. The Emperor tried to reward Lihua's magnanimity with jewelry, but she declined this also, saying: "The nation has just been stabilized, many things still need to be done. Wouldn't having so much jewelry be extravagant?"

17 years later, Emperor Liu deposed the first Empress Guo for poor show of character and made his first love, Lady Lihua, empress after all.

Being an empress now, Lihua still remained humble and respectful. She embraced the deposed Empress Guo with compassion. Even after Guo slandered her several times, Lihua did not punish her nor insult her. On the contrary, she pleaded for the emperor to be lenient with her.

Empress Lihua treated the former empress' sons with love and care. She often told her children and grandchildren to respect the former empress as their own mother or grandmother. In large part due to Lihua's character and behavior, the royal family maintained harmony throughout the reign of the Eastern Han Dynasty. The princes, ten in all, did not attempt to assassinate one another for access to the throne, which occurred so frequently in other courts.

After death, Empress Lihua was buried together with her husband. Lihua's humility and other merits won the love of a great emperor and taught others what a happy marriage in the sophisticated political world can look like. Her virtues are still inspiring generations of leaders and spouses.

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Uniting Dynasty and Family: The Graceful Legacy of Empress Yin Lihua

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As graceful as a cloud, as gentle as a melody, ancient Chinese noblewomen were like water - nurturing to all living things. This royal female archetype is a well-spring in traditional Chinese culture and the Empress Yin Lihua embodied that. They were as serene and noble as the orchid.

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The Zhuang use a very distinctive salty-tart flavored cuisine. This suprised me because Chinese food is known to be salty but not tart.

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They are located in the northeastern region of China.

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If you were to visit them they would feed you rich assortments of food.

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They abstain from the use of pork. That is very uncommon everywhere.

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An ethnic group with over 10 million members, the Man, or Manchu, are located mostly in the northeastern part of the country, bordering Mongolia and Russia. Their land is largely mountainous

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They controlled part of this area below, which is a lot of territory, kind of like America.

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I didn't know that they got their name from the Han Dynasty because of the economic, political and cultural success.

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They have preferences

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They will normally locate themselves by strag

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The Manchu have many language influences. Many of which are Asian country influences. Now many people groups are influenced ny so many countries.

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They wear cool outfits for their culture. They are very committed to what they stand for.

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The Hui try to refrain from using Pork in their dishes. This is weird because most Chinese dishes have some kind of pork or variation.

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Focus mainly on meat as their man source of nutrients.

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Usually falling in February or early March on the Gregorian calendar, it marks the final day of the traditional Chinese New Year celebrations. As early as the Western HanDynasty (206 BCE-CE 25), it had become a festival with great significance.

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Their appearances vary and are influenced by many Asian cultures. Not many cultures are influenced by this many countries.

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I was surprised that they practiced Islam and are mainly Muslim.

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Focus largely on fish.

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The Man people are known for their skill in agriculture, fishing, and animal husbandry.
This is suprising because they contribute to art and literacy as well.

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The Uyghur make up over 11 million Chinese, of the Turkic ethnicity. Most of them live in the Tarim Basin, located in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, which is in the northwestern corner of China

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Into baked goods and eat almost everything with tea.

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I didnt know that they were mainly farmers, for food and animals

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It's cool that they work with Jade because Jade statues are dope

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The Hui's eat a lot of fish other then pork and I find that interesting.

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10 million of these people live in the mountains and I find that interesting.

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They eat almost everything with tea and I find that interesting.

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When we think of Chinese food, it's usually the Han food we think of.

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The Zhuang People tend to welcome its visitors with open hands. Something that's unusual considering today's society. Other groups would tend to attack unknown visitors but the Zhuang treat their visitors nicely.

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The Hui's people are distinct in the fact that the majority of them are Muslims. Unfortunately many of the younger generations of the Hui people are practicing the culture of their Han counterparts.

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The Manchus live in a mountainous region in the northeastern part of China. I find interesting is the contributions they have with literacy and art.

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It is unfortunate that their land has been disputed various different times. What I find interesting is they all have vary in appearance and have many different cultures.

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The hui people would normally like their meat related dinners.

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I found it cool that they were big hunters and fishers.

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Their skill with metal working and jade working amazed me

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The Uyghur people very in appearance. This surprises me because I thought all Chinese people looked the same.

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The Han are very commonly referred to as the Chinese.

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The Han people are very commonly referred to as the Chinese. They mostly live in the eastern part of China.

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They mostly border the region by Vietnam. Their people group contains about 17 million people.

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They are mostly located in the northwestern part of China. Their people group contain well over 11 million people.

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They are mostly located in the northeastern part of the country. They have about 10 million people in their group.

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They are mostly located in the Tarim basin. They make about 11 million of the Chinese people.

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The Han is the chinese food is what we think of when we hear chinese food.