blytheblog de FaerieQueene

One midnight at the Mandarin Parlour, surprisingly it was full of activities

Longevity cranes bought from the terracotta army site are now guardians of the Parlour

Nocturne is looking for some food

At New Year the unforgettable "blue canned" cookies

a timeless gift at new year

Peony was playing with the little green "missing each other" birdie (this was granddad's birdie, it was called gigi birdie and she used to like to see it in bath in the terrace under the sun)

Phuong just put back her string instrument after playing

Parlour still in construction... it's a timeless parlour

Continue reading "the timeless mandarin parlour" »

Posted by faeriequeene at 11:27 PM | Permalink

Cast: Mandarin Parlour
Nocturna (nf), Peony (goldie), Phuong (ll)

Nocturna (soliloquy): Let me fetch my piggy bank, i need it for the new year, may monies pitch in like avalanche!
(Peony and Phuong overheard in delight ...)

Phuong plotted in consipiracy. She is the red riding hood with a wolf's heart...
Peony was quite spotaneous. She seized it!

Helpless little Nocturna

Phuong: Don't touch it girls

... i can't help it! i heart piggies

The girls: awww she is a real piggy... *faints*

Piggy banks (thought): We become so popular... i said we made it ... even thought they talked about socalled passbook savings, investment funds, internet banking... Our piggy days come..

The girls are wearing sugarmag 2007 lunar new year outfits

Posted by faeriequeene at 05:49 PM | Permalink

The Mandarin parlour proper is in fact located at my other dwelling (where all the furniture of the parlour are there but i am reluctuant to transport the girls there)... Here is a rehearsal of the conception with some pieces here and there, with the gang of oriental girls, Peony (goldie), Nocturna (nf), Phuong (ll) and the visit of Chamomile (mmlb)

For the auspice of new year, it's a parlour of symbolic material possessions to the point of excesses..., not unlike the mentality of many at this time of the year ! The three girls cheered at the gadgets and went playing in the parlour

Phuong assumed the lion dancer...

Peony checked out the piggy cash boxes... Nocturna wouldn't let anybody touch her piggy bank for life.

Group portrait posed as array of piggy banks

the mandarin trio portrait

Posted by faeriequeene at 05:02 PM | Permalink

Peony (goldie) and Phuong, (lounging lovely) who has been absent for years, just rejoined the family after her makeover, were busy like elves...

secretly baked in the midst of the night and came up with their gingerbread house.

To their great satisfaction they put the gingerbread house on the fireplace before the sisters wake up...

Posted by faeriequeene at 10:14 PM | Permalink

The second encounter of Peony in Xi'an was the Tang Dynasty (618 AD to 907 AD) glory, probably heightened at the last night in xi'an, attending the Tang Dynasty Theatre

The celestial woman dancer, clothed in feathers and rosy clouds dancing in the sky, fanned off her rainbow costume ( 霓裳羽衣) before losing in view. Bringing the awakened Tang Emperor back from dream, but to recollections... (Rainbow Costume Dance, Tang Dynasty Theatre, Xi'an)

The stories of the Tang Emperor and his concubine Yang Gui-fei in landmarks and places everywhere...
The Huaqing Hot Springs, the spa palace of the Concubine to cool off in summer, with handful of lychees brought by horsemen from South China.

Peony's retreat in the rain to a Pavillon of the Concubine's bath. Lishan greenery in the backdrop

THe Hot Spring is located at the foot of the mountain, Lishan, of lovely scenery and endowed with pomegranates. (rehearsal of the Tang Emperor and concubine's retreat at foot of Lishan, Tang Dynasty Theatre)
Unfortunately when we visited Lishan, it was raining hard and we only felt like in the clouds

Glory revisited - Peony lamenting at the relic site of the Da Ming Palace, the Tang court, the largsest in scale, highest in elevation and most magnificient in architecture, which agrees with the prosperity of the era.

It was said that the Hanyuan Hall of the Palace (relic site behind Peony), viewed from the foot of the tableland where it was built, towered majestically in the sky as if it were a fairy palace in the heaven.

Finale of the journey to the city of Xi'an, the Silk Road gem...
During Tang Dynasty, Chang'an (now xi'an) had been the treasured destination of traders across the Eurasian continents. Foreign merchants exchanged goods in Chang'an markets, loaded new goods on camels' backs, went out of the Kaiyuan Gate and took the Silk Road back to their homelands.

Posted by faeriequeene at 10:09 PM | Permalink

Beside the Mirror Rose petals custard mentioned in part 1, a fresh fruit platter was Peony's daily treat... to accompany her discovery of so many culinary delights in xi'an

The dumpling connoisseur (the century old Dafacheng, Drum tower square)- some of the flavours, shapes and colours of the impressive dumpling feast we took, with an elegant name and story attached to each variety.
(Below Four Happiness vegetable dumplings, Peony's beloved dimsum in the China Club Hong Kong menu; further below Goldfish Couple)


The zen of the recipes prepared according to the 24 solar terms of the year. This is a souped dumpling dish. The number of tiny dumplings one incidentally taken in a spoonful would tell the aupice of the day...


This kind of boiling "Homestyled soups" outside the restaurant is popular in Southern China. Quite healthy for Xi'aners who eat far too spicy (a restaurant in the Goose Pagada district)



The fabulous Jia Brothers' Guantang Baozi (dumpling stuffed with piping hot soup) Restaurant, run by a team of Hui youth, carrying the hot Baozi up to the 3-storey jammed clients, shouting in team spirit, each round when announcing the type of flavour of the round, applauded by some hundred responses from the customers...
A Hui young chap eagerly following up Peony's order (while there is no taking order system in the resto) of her vegetairan baozi...


Qishan Shaozi Mian, a pliable and thin noodle with sour soup and savory minced meat (Left below and further below, with and without chili) - Peony preferred the tomato and egg Shaozi Noodle (Below right)

Happy kitchen of some Hui vending barbecued skews and "Qian town translucent cold noodles"

Kebabs wtih grilled pork

The Pastry Helmet - a dearest culinary souvenir, our guide to Qian LIng Mausoleum, a young chap from the satellite city Xianyang, insisted to drive to buy us their local pastry 'Helmet' in Qianyuan, Xianyang.

Dafacheng has been Peony preferred canteen at breakfast. No scrambled egg nor croissant nor milk. Buns and dumplings and millet congee were a change of taste

Another century old restaurant, the Old Suen Family, is fine dining of Xi'an food

Peculiar district of pubs, cafes and tea houses, Fan Lane off South Main Street, viewed under my umbrella

Posted by faeriequeene at 11:45 PM | Permalink

Peony inside the Forest of Stone Steles Museum Xi'an,

housed in former Confucius Temple

Inspecting an inscribed stele

stylish stone horse, ancient jaguar

Amidst a lost in use wind musical instrument's replicas

The Bei Yuan Men (ancient district of colleges) colours and odours of the arts and literature of the seemingly familiar but exotic Culture (Peony is a Hong Konger...)


(Beiyuanmun Ancient Culture Street and the Forest of Stone Steles Museum, Xi'an)

Posted by faeriequeene at 10:00 PM | Permalink

Peony was lured to trail round Xi'an, as she was attracted by the fading colours prevailing in the city, that of the 2 sized Goose Pagodas, all the more handsome being covered by patches of snow. So she brought along this furry cape qipao, even in midst of summer...
Personal carriage in Tang Dynasty style

alighting before the Big Goose Pagoda Temple

a melange of the 2 pagodas in myriad impressions, frequented by furry Peony in fleeting emotions



(Tang Dynasty Lotus Park, Xi'an Big and Small Goose Pagodas)

Posted by faeriequeene at 05:40 PM | Permalink

The Fall of my Peony at Xi'an City Wall

A stroll up the tower of the city wall, ideally covering once the 4 cardinal points, looking down to the city, would tell the life and story of the xi'an residents in the 4 districts. Xi'aners in the North Gate would greet each other by asking: "Just fought?"; the Westerners:" Eaten?"; the Easterners:" Got caught?"; and at the South Gate; "Got into the university?" (information from China National Geographic Shaanxi special issue)



the well preserved moated South Gate against the demolished North Gate now accommodating the railway station

xi'an city wall details.


Peasant pleasant.
A farmer's painting in an once barrack guardroom stood out Peony's indigo blue tie-dyed cheongsam in delightful dragonflies motif - Against the Shaanxi sexy undergarment, Todou

Posted by faeriequeene at 09:45 PM | Permalink

Peony imagined herself walking in the old city of Perpetual Peace (Chang'an) .. The drum sounded dusk... and the bell sounded dawn. Standing on either the Drum or Bell Tower, Peony was amazed to catch a glimpse readily, whether in view or in reflection, of the other.

STRIKING DUSK...(The Drum Tower, Xi'an)

24 drums, each sounded at the corresponding solar term. Peony had affinity that day with the immiment autumnal equinox

an ancient drum inside Drum Tower served Peony pillow for a nap

viewing the Bell Tower in distance, in the rain

STRIKING DAWN... (the Bell Tower, Xi'an)

Peony against the beautiful facade of Bell Tower's first storey

Drum Tower reflected on a Bell Tower top storey window pane

Colossal bell, then striked 21 times to tell dawn, now whenever a visitor sounded in the hope of echoing back some luck

In the night

Peony, beside my handmade blue cheongsam, dorned on the Dollsville "Pretty in Pink" babydoll samfoo, worn as a dress with azone mary-jane

Posted by faeriequeene at 10:00 PM | Permalink

My Goldie, Peony got the surname of the First Emperor of China, Qin Dynasty (221 B.C. - 206 B.C.) ... She rediscovered its etymology at the Shuyuanmen Ancient Culture Street

The (imaginary?) palace, never erected and inhabited by the Emperor Qin (The Epang Palace 阿房宮)

the Qin encounter

the petite Peony shunned by Emperor Qin!

the relic

Escorted by the terracotta warriors replicas in a street of xi'an

Bear witness to the terracotta army (pit no 1, Museum of Qin Terra-Cotta Warriors and Horses)

Peony was wearing (1)nini skirted cheongsam made from blue tie-dyed fabric from Yunnan in dragonfly motif, decorated with lace lined with turquoise, designed and handmade by me!!! (2) the 'red bean girl' babydoll outfit by blythehautecouture and (3) dollville's summer samfoo; white platform maryjane from azone

Posted by faeriequeene at 11:58 AM | Permalink

Curiosity becomes my Goldie, Peony. She shyly takes a peek of the Tang dynasty's Great Mosque located at the Hui quarter (a muslim community in Xi'an)

Just round the corner of the Drum Tower, a zigzagging lane of souvenir stalls and shops leads us to this Mosque



Dressed in her lounging lovely ensemble and wearing her Dollsville clogs in bamboo motif

appreciating the architecture of the Phoenix Pavillon and the hovering home heading swallows

A chinese allegory of timelessness, like the fleeting life of a blooming flower - Peony behind a crystal blind of a room at No. 144 Bei Yuan Men, in her cherry blossom sugarmag one piece

The nightly return to the Hui hawkers at the Bei Yuan Men street market to buy her favourite dessert, the 'Mirror rose custard' (玫瑰鏡花糕) remains her chimera of this kind of 'lounging lovely' life of a vagabonde during her 8-day stay in Xi'an...

We are glad to have chosen our hotel at the bustling and charming Drum and Bell Tower district.

Posted by faeriequeene at 05:15 PM | Permalink

peony and i walked up the escalators for lunch and revisited some weird spots...
the kind owner of the boutique with a rickshaw greeted us

up peel street~ what's that weird sign??

what a xmas and new year decoration!!

weird poster - am i looking like a black haired kenner?

below pix from gina garan's dear blytheII (i always wonder if this gal is an black haired ai ai chan)-ouh to die for!!

peony wore the oriental baby lolita outfit in stunning red phoenix and peony patterned fabric (a gift from sugarmag)

Continue reading "peony the weird" »

Posted by faeriequeene at 12:00 AM | Permalink