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

"Carmen" will be staged in Poly Theater.

The world famous opera “Carmen” will be staged in Poly Theater, one of the most luxurious theaters in Beijing.

Carmen is a French opera. It has been one of the world's most performed operas and a staple of the operatic repertoire since the 1880s.

Enjoy the passionate collision of the classical legend and traditional European culture!

--by Cathryn, your shopping assistant in Beijing

Teahouses are an essential part of Chinese culture

Teahouses are an essential part of traditional Chinese tea culture and tea ceremonies.

Nowadays most teahouses in Beijing have become a wonderful entertainment place with shows by comedians, singers, musicians, acrobats, and opera performers.

Most westerners also enjoy sipping tea in a teahouse while getting a wide view of Chinese culture.

--by Cathryn, your tour guide in Beijing

New snack bar offering popular chuan'r

New snack bar offering popular chuan’r – Chinese for “meat on a stick”.

It’s not far from Beijing’s ancient Drum Tower.

Visitors are all very pleased with this little bar, and I say this place could give a few restaurants a lesson in service and style!

--by Cathryn, your tour guide in Beijing

Look at this lovely rhinoceros!

I like Chinese lacquerware very much, especially the auspicious deep red color and the traditional craftsmanship.

I found an incredibly lifelike rhinoceros! It is a classic “carved polychrome” lacquer work.

The carvings are superb. It took almost 6 months to finish this one!

--by Cathryn, your personal shopping assistant in Beijing

Pyrography is a traditional Chinese art.

The unique painting you seen here is Chinese pyrography.

Can you imagine how it’s made? Artists use an electric iron to burn pictures on a piece of wood, silk or paper. The tip of the iron is heated to 300 degrees Celsius!

This one shows the beautiful landscape of southwest China’s Sichuan province, it's so gorgeous.

--by Cathryn, your personal shopping assistant in Beijing