Are you brave enough to eat the deep-fried scorpions?

Are you brave enough to eat the deep-fried scorpions?

I tried this delicious snack twice in the temple fair of Beijing! It was crunchy, with a flavor that's distinctly nutty. There are actually health benefits to eat insects, they contain more protein, fat and carbohydrates than meat. Tradition says that eating the tail will make you strong.

In China, you can also taste test exotics such as jellyfish, seahorses, starfish, and sea urchins.

--by Cathryn, your tour guide in Beijing

This is an old photo about Peking Opera show in the royal family.

Peking Opera has a 200-year-long history. With its fascinating and artistic accompanying music, singing and costumes, the Peking Opera is China's national opera.

Peking Opera underwent fast development during the reign of Emperor Qianlong and the Empress Dowager Cixi under the imperial patron, eventually becoming more accessible to the common people.

This is an old photo about Peking Opera show in the royal family.

--by Cathryn, your tour guide in Beijing

This is a set of Mini kites I found in Beijing.

This is a set of Mini kites I found in the temple fair! There are all together more than 100 small and exquisite kites in this box!

These mini kites are handmade from paper, and although they are so little, they are ready and easy to fly, even in relatively light winds.

Mini Kites are great as party favors and for kids. This set is about the famous Chinese novel: The Romance of the Three Kingdoms.

--by Cathryn, your tour guide in Beijing

Cotton candy is a popular confection in China.

Cotton candy is a popular confection in China. Nowadays it is usually served in the temple fair or market.

It is said that cotton candy was invented in 1897. The machine used to make cotton candy consists of a small bowl that had tiny holes in it.

As the bowl spun around, the caramelized sugar was forced through the tiny holes, making feathery candy that melts in the mouth.

--by Cathryn, your tour guide in Beijing

Lord Rabbit is a famous handicraft in Beijing.

Lord Rabbit or Tu'er Ye in Chinese is a famous handicraft in Beijing.

The legend derives from the story of Chang'e, the beautiful lady lived in the moon. Her pet is a jade rabbit. The fairytale rabbit descended to a plague-stricken world and healed the people. For his good deed, clay rabbits usually are placed in northern cities during the mid-autumn festival.

Lord Rabbit used to ride a tiger in the clay sculpture. Later on he rides a black tiger, a white elephant, a kylin. The meaning is always the same, each image symbolizes an auspicious blessing.

--by Cathryn, your tour guide in Beijing

These colorful handicraft is Chinese Shehuo Mashao

The colorful handicraft shown in the pic is Chinese Shehuo Mashao. Mashao means “horse feed spoon”.

At first farmers painted shovels for horse feed with colorful guardian spirits to protect their horses from diseases.  Later on people started to paint and hang wooden spoons on the wall for protection from the guardian spirits. The practice became more popular with Shehuo festivals; people not only paint guardian spirits but also characters from folklores and Shehuo performances.    

The artists select high-quality wood as material, carve out a shape of ladle or other living utensils manually by knife. Most of the patterns of facial makeup came from the Chinese folk stories or dramatis personae.

The ladle facial makeups used to be the talismans that were believed to exorcise and bring up with blessings and auspicious wishes.

--by Cathryn, your tour guide in Beijing

This is an ancient form of storytelling and entertainment using opaque, often articulated figures in front of an illuminated backdrop to create the illusion of moving images. The storytelling is accompanied by music and it is also a culture of singing and talking.

The puppets in the shadow play are made of transparent leather and Chinese shadow artists first carve out the lines of the design and then dye them in bright colors. The puppets are folk handiworks and a wisdom crystallization of Chinese shadow play artists through the ages.

--by Cathryn, your tour guide in Beijing

Oyster omelette is a dish originated in Fujian province.

Oyster omelette is a Chinese dish

originated in Fujian province.

The dish consists of an omelette with a filling primarily composed of small oysters. Starch is mixed into the egg batter, giving the resulting egg wrap a thicker consistency. Pork lard is often used to fry the omelette.

The Oyster omelette is served alongside a pool of sauces, one a bit sweet and salty like fermented bean paste, the other tasting like a cross between hoisin and oyster sauce.

        --by Cathryn, your tour guide in Beijing

I found these lovely glove puppets from Taiwan.

I found these lovely glove puppets from Taiwan.

Everyone in Taiwan is familiar with them, as they are used in local glove shows during the holidays.

These lifelike puppets are very difficult to make, so they're also good handicrafts for collectors.

--by Cathryn, your tour guide in Beijing

Look at this gorgeous hand-painted Chinese fans!

It's really a joy to appreciate gorgeous hand-painted Chinese fans like this one!

You can feel a sense of elegance and beauty from the lifelike lotus flowers and the dragonfly.

The artisan successfully combined the art of fans and painting together, really amazing!

--by Cathryn, your personal shopping assistant in Beijing