66. hot
67. cold
68. full
69. satisfied
70. slow
71. fast
72. busy
73. understand
74. free
75. broke
76. weired
77. ready
78. serious
79. soft
80. hard
81. wet
82. alive
83. dead
84. same
85. sweet
86. painful
87. be used up
88. naughty
89. dangerous
90. salty
91. good smell xiang
92. hurt
93. lucky
94. shy
95. wild
96. correct
97. in tend
98. limit
99. useful
100. important
Qingming Festival
The Qingming (Pure Brightness) Festival is one of the 24
seasonal division points in China, falling on April 4-6 each
year. After the festival, the temperature will rise up and
rainfall increases. It is the high time for spring plowing and
sowing. But the Qingming Festival is not only a seasonal
point to guide farm work, it is more a festival of commemoration.
The Qingming Festival sees a combination of sadness and
happiness.
This is the most important day of sacrifice. Both the Han and
minority ethnic groups at this time offer sacrifices to their
ancestors and sweep the tombs of the deceased. Also, they will
not cook on this day and only cold food is served.
The Hanshi (Cold Food) Festival was usually one day before the
Qingming Festival. As our ancestors often extended the day to the
Qingming, they were later combined.
On each Qingming Festival, all cemeteries
are crowded with people who came to
sweep tombs and offer sacrifices. Traffic
on the way to the cemeteries becomes
extremely jammed. The customs have
been greatly simplified today. After slightly
sweeping the tombs, people offer food,
flowers and favorites of the dead, then burn
incense and paper money and bow before
the memorial tablet.
In contrast to the sadness of the tomb sweepers, people also enjoy hope
of Spring on this day. The Qingming Festival is a time when the sun shines
brightly, the trees and grass become green and nature is again lively. Since
ancient times, people have followed the custom of Spring outings.
At this time tourists are everywhere.
People love to fly kites during the Qingming Festival. Kite flying is actually
not limited to the Qingming Festival. Its uniqueness lies in that people fly
kites not during the day, but also at night. A string of little lanterns tied onto
the kite or the thread look like shining stars, and therefore, are called
“god’s lanterns.”
The Qingming Festival is also a time to plant trees, for the survival rate
of saplings is high and trees grow fast later. In the past, the Qingming
Festival was called “Arbor Day”. But since 1979, “Arbor Day” was settled
as March 12 according to the Gregorian calendar.