iluvstrawberry

[iluvstrawberry]

Wuzhen 乌镇 is a historic town located in the north of Zhejiang Province, China. It was first built in the 7th century during the Tang dynasty, and is characterized by its Jiangnan (region in eastern China) style architecture.

It lies within the triangle formed by Hangzhou, Suzhou and Shanghai. It has a total population of 60,000.

Wuzhen has been the permanent host place of the annual World Internet Conference, an international Internet conference held in China, since 2014.

[iluvstrawberry]

Traditional fish lanterns 鱼灯 from Anhui province, East China. 🎏

Villagers in Anhui have a tradition of making fish-shaped lanterns to pray for harvest and good fortune (In Chinese culture, fish symbolize prosperity, abundance, good fortune, wealth, and long life) and parade with them cheerfully around the Lantern Festival 元宵节, which falls on the 15th day of the first month of the Chinese calendar.

[iluvstrawberry]

This is an oversimplified description of the meaning of Duanwu Festival. 

In Ming dynasty the members of the inner court worn Duanwu buzi from the first till the thirteen of the fifth month. 

There are other festive assosories, such as wristband made from five colour threads, tiger hats and other hair ornaments.

[iluvstrawberry]

Hello! Do you happen to have a master post of all of your asks/posts anywhere? Just to help me navigate! ^^

Hi, thanks for the question! (Image via duitang)

For all my own posts, please see my China tag (that’s the tag I use for my original posts).For navigation via tags, my Tags page has links to common & useful tags on my blog. I’ll be updating the Tags page and this Masterpost as needed ^^.

Ziseviolet’s Replies Masterpost, Part 1 (Part 2):

Hanfu Terms:

What is Hanfu?

Guide to the different types of Hanfu

Hanfu names

Difference between Hanfu & Huafu

My favorite Hanfu style - Part 2

Top 10 most popular Hanfu styles of 2018

Unisex Hanfu

Formal Hanfu

Difference between Ru & Shan

Banbi (half-sleeve jacket)

Bijia (sleeveless jacket)

Zhaojia (men’s Bijia)

Difference between Bijia & Banbi

Daxiushan (large-sleeve robe) - Pt 2

Difference b/w Beizi/Daxiushan/Dachang

Yuanlingpao (round-collar robe) - Pt 2 / 3

Difference b/w Tang & Ming Yuanlingpao

Hezi (chest undergarment accessory)

Weichang (short outer skirt)

Doupeng (cloak/cape)

Hoodless Doupeng & Fengmao (wind hat)

Parallel/straight collars

U-collars (Tanling)

Aoqun & Pipa Xiu (pipa sleeves)

Jian Xiu (arrow sleeves)

Can Pibo & Pifeng be worn together?

Winter Hanfu - Part 1, Part 2

Farm worker’s Hanfu

Casual/adventurer type Hanfu (Shuhe)

Hanfu sleepwear

Mourning Hanfu (Sangfu)

Burial Hanfu (Shouyi)

Waist-high Ruqun from Wei/Jin dynasties

Identifying Hanfu in a photoset

Chinese armor

What does Dunhuang style mean?

Suoyi (rain cape)

Hanfu History:

Did Hanfu exist after the Han dynasty

Comparison/charts of Hanfu from different dynasties

“Left-over-right” rule of crossed-collar Hanfu - Pt 2, Pt 3

Children’s Hanfu - Part 1, Part 2

What type of Hanfu would old women wear

Hanfu for empress/noblewoman

What type of Hanfu did maids wear

Commoner’s Hanfu - Part 2

Poor people’s Hanfu

Hanfu and cleavage - Part 2

Qin dynasty Hanfu

Han dynasty Ruqun & footwear

Three Kingdoms period Hanfu

Northern & Southern dynasties Hanfu

What Mulan would’ve worn

Tang dynasty emperor’s Hanfu

Hanfu robes with just one shoulder

Was Daxiushan restricted to royal ladies

What Hanfu did people wear in winter

Song dynasty Hanfu styles

Ming dynasty skirts

Ming dynasty summer Hanfu

Yuan/Qing dynasty Hanfu - Part 1, Part 2

Symbolism of Orange-Red and Turquoise color combination

Differences b/w contemporary & historical Hanfu

How Han women managed periods/menstrual belts

How women used toilets while wearing Hanfu

Books & magazines on Hanfu - Pt 2, Pt 3

Wedding Hanfu:

What are the colors of wedding Hanfu?

Wedding Hanfu recs

Pictures of wedding Hanfu

Wedding Hanfu accessories

Manchurian vs Han wedding attire

Why couples both wear red even when it’s not the traditional color for certain styles

Styles of wedding attire in China

Pihong (red sash) for weddings

Modified Hanfu, Hanyuansu, Mix & Match:

Incorporating Hanfu styles in a modern way 

Combining Hanfu & modern styles

Modified Hanfu shops recs - Pt 2

Men’s modified Hanfu shops recs

Websites that sell modified Hanfu

Where to buy modified Hanfu

Modified Hanfu shops in the West

Identifying Chi Xia’s modified Hanfu

The term “modernized Hanfu”

Hanfu Accessories:

Pibo (long scarf) 

Tuanshan (rigid fan) - Pt 1, Pt 2, Pt 3, Pt 4

Difference b/w Tuanshan & Folding fan

Jinbu (waist ornament) - Part 2

Hebao (purse) - Part 2

My tag for Chinese hats/headgear

Weimao (veiled hat) - Part 1, Part 2

Weimao (veiled hat) Taobao Recs

Tiger hats

Douli (conical hat)

Yingluo & Xiangquan (necklaces) - Pt 2

Traditional Chinese earrings

Meaning & History of Jade

Bangshoudai (hand wraps) & Huwan (wrist guards) - Pt 1, Pt 2, Pt 3, Pt 4

Panbo (strings to tie up sleeves)

Miansha & Mianlian (Veils) - Part 2

Nail guards - Part 2

Hanfu Shoes

Hanfu boots (xue)

Huban (ritual tablet/scepter) - Part 2

Eyemasks & Masks

Guodu (belly wrap) & Hanyao (waist cushion)

Hanfu Hair Accessories:

Names of Chinese hair ornaments

Shop recs for hair accessories

Hanfu hair accessories

Fabric flower hairpins for Hanfu

Ronghua (velvet flowers) - buy & make

Hair accessories for fine hair

Phoenix crowns (Fengguan)

Lotus crowns

Miao silver hair accessories - Pt 1, Pt 2

Huasheng (forehead ornament)

Hairpin styling question

Fasheng (hair rope) & fakou (hair buckle)

My tag for Chinese hats/headgear

Jewelry boxes for hair accessories

Rongqiu (pompoms)

Hanfu Hairstyles:

Hanfu hairstyle tutorials

Traditional hairstyles

My favorite hairstyle

Pre coming-of-age ceremony hairstyles for Han girls

Double bun hairstyles

Looped hairstyles in “The Empress of China”

Tang dynasty pinned peony hairstyle

Ming dynasty hairstyles

Dynasty with long loose hairstyle

Did ancient Chinese people have bangs

Half-up half-down hairstyles - Part 2

Short hair and Hanfu

Simple hairstyles for shoulder-length hair

Use of wigs in hairstyles 

Makeup:

Huadian (forehead decoration) - Pt 1, Pt 2, Pt 3, Pt 4, Pt 5

Did men wear Huadian

Traditional Chinese makeup ingredients

Tang dynasty lip makeup

What makeup is used to replicate traditional makeup styles

Men’s Hanfu:

Hanfu styles for men

Men’s formal Hanfu

Types of men’s Hanfu

Resources for men’s historical hanfu styles

Pictures of men’s Hanfu

Dachang (open-fronted robe)

Zhiduo vs Daopao

Yesa/Yisan vs Tieli

Yichang vs Yesa/Yisan

Men’s Hanfu blog recs

Men’s Headwear/Hairstyles:

Historical hairstyles for men

Did men wear ponytails

Men’s hair accessories

Where to buy Xiao Guan

Men’s hairstyles & Guan

Guan (headdress) - Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4

Guan & Mianguan

How bald men put up hair with a Guan

Fangjin (four-cornered flat cap)

Fujin

Hanfu Undergarments:

Hanfu undergarments guide - Pt 2, Pt 3

Children’s Hanfu undergarments 

Hanfu petticoats - Part 1, Part 2

Emperor’s undergarment for Mianfu

Dudou (chest undergarment)

Lower body Neiyi (underwear)

Zhongyi & Neiyi

Wearing Hanfu:

Tutorials on wearing Hanfu

How to put together a Hanfu outfit

Mixing hanfu from different dynasties

Plus-sized Hanfu - Part 1, Part 2

Girl wearing men’s Hanfu

Wearing Hanfu made for a gender you are not part of

Chest-high Ruqun for big-chested figures

Chest-high Ruqun skirt slippage

Is Hanfu hard to wear/sew

Is Hanfu comfortable to wear

Are chest-high styles restrictive for the chest - Part 1, Part 2

Hanfu renting/dressing up

Photo studios for renting Hanfu and taking pictures in Shanghai

Do people in China still wear Hanfu - Pt 2

Events in present-day China where people wear Hanfu

Making Hanfu:

Resources for sewing Hanfu - Pt 1, Pt 2

Hanfu sewing patterns - Pt 1, Pt 2

Buying Hanfu sewing patterns

Making Hanfu by hand - Part 2

Making Chest-high Ruqun

Making Hanfu with patterned cloth

Using shiny brocade fabric

Young people learning to sew Hanfu

Buying Hanfu & Hanfu Accessories, Part 1 (Part 2 in Pt.2 of Masterpost):

My recs for places to buy Hanfu

Where to buy Hanfu & Chinese hair accessories  - Pt 1, Pt 2, Pt 3

Recs for non-Taobao Hanfu shops

Hanfu clothing stores outside of mainland China

Recs for places to buy hanfu accessories that aren’t based in China or have an English website

How to buy Hanfu on Taobao

International shipping on Taobao

Using a Taobao agent

Posts with links to where to buy Hanfu

Buying Hanfu in US/Washington DC

***Hanfu in films/dramas/animations is in Pt 2 of Masterpost!*** 

***Hanfu revival movement is in Pt 2 of Masterpost!***

***Comparison with kimono & hanbok is in Pt 2 of Masterpost!***

[iluvstrawberry]

Keep seeing action movies where the hero is cocky and arrogant and outspoken and everytime he meets a woman or a tech guy they have to prove their worth to him and he wins every time and for some reason, we’re supposed to root for these heroes, even find them attractive.

And then along comes Ethan Hunt, who is kind and gentle even with strangers, who wants to save the whole world but especially his friends, respects the women and tech guys and basically everyone who isn’t some kind of management, is very intelligent; quite often does quite badly in a fight, is always really surprised when his crazy stunt wins and would die for you ten minutes after he met you.

He’s the one we all adore and yet movies keep giving us heroes of the type, not the second.

[iluvstrawberry]

Never going to get over the fact that I went into the Mission Impossible films expecting Ethan Hunt to be this macho man that’s peak “made by men for men” and instead got absolutely slapped across the face by the fact that he’s in fact not that… he’s just this sad little guy who loves his friends a little too much and runs more than any one person should

[iluvstrawberry]

every single fucking thing on earth exists solely to put a dent in your newly applied nail polish

[iluvstrawberry]

[iluvstrawberry]

Andor brings the importance of money and economic systems back to mainstream sci-fi/fantasy

So fun fact, one reason I love "Andor" so much is that they have money in it.

Right off the bat, in episode 1, they start establishing that things cost money in this sci-fi industrial town where we find ourselves. People have jobs. There are things people can't do because they have money. There's things that even people with money, like Mon Mothma, can't afford because money isn't infinite and it requires logistics to move around. There are haves and have-nots in this society and the Rebellion will sink or swim based on if it can pay its people and purchase equipment. One of the first major arcs is a bank heist.

Ok, so why is this so huge? Shouldn't it be obvious that money makes the world go 'round, even in a sci-fi setting like Star Wars?

Well, here's the thing. Think about all the Disney-owned movies you've seen. How many of them talk about money in any kind of concrete terms? It does happen, but it's quite rare and it's almost never to the extent that money matters in "Andor". A character might have "rich" or "poor" as a character trait, but economic systems are rarely discussed, why certain people do or don't have money isn't discussed.

This is for a very good reason. Back in the mid 20th c., entertainment companies like Disney made a conscious choice not to talk about economic systems in their stories. Why? Because to do so forced the story to take a stance in the existential battle between Capitalism vs. Communism. Even seemingly innocuous story choices like the injustices a poor kid might face in a story could be seen as taking a stance, not something you wanted to invite with things like the Red Scare going on.

But it's really a shame that this choice, which was in response to the political conflicts of the time, has been so perpetuated and that companies like Disney still avoid the concretes of money in most of their works. And that warps the conversation within those works and within society at large as a result. More often in mainstream genre fiction stories as a result, stories must play to fantastical elements and undefined Good vs. Evil to explain why a conflict is taking place between two sides. Certain "So what?" factors and plot elements don't quite line up. Money and resources are at the heart of most real world major conflicts, but by focusing on "good" and "evil" instead you obfuscate the interests involved, the motivations involved, what everyone is getting out of a conflict when they choose to help or not to help. You can't feed yourself on idealism alone.

By leaning into the existence of money, resources, and the haves-and-have-nots of a society, Andor is able to couch its story of revolution in real world limitations for the characters and real world obstacles. It makes everything deeper, more satisfying, more understandable as to why anyone is doing anything. It's hard to talk about fighting a fascist state like the Empire if you don't talk about complicit corporations, or forced labor (because even the Empire can't afford to pay for the sheer amount of labor it needs otherwise) or how everyone on the Rebellion side can afford these fancy X-Wings.

I hope shows like Andor will be taken to heart, not just by more mainstream works of genre fiction using the inherent conflicts that arise from a defined economic system, but also by younger creators who may have grown up on a steady genre fiction diet of "money only sort of exists when it's needed for the plot, if at all". So much worldbuilding is impossible if you don't understand who has resources and what economic systems are being employed. So much character conflict is shallow if you can't define who has money, who has resources, and who has obstacles from not having a limitless supply of those things, and what are those obstacles?

It's super refreshing to see and I will reiterate, Andor is perhaps the best show out there right now from a writer perspective and everyone should watch it.

[iluvstrawberry]

Its obvious to me when people who post about canaries in mines have never met a canary. Like yeah the miners had a special device to revive the canary because canaries are one of the most adorable creatures on the planet and they make adorable little chirping sounds and honestly probably loved the sounds of machinery and people talking so it was probably loud and friendly with the workers. Whatever though maybe meet a canary sometime and youd understand

[iluvstrawberry]

The Healing Power of Writing Poetry

In the past year, poetry has sought me out and inspired me to start writing poems, another creative pursuit that I had not envisioned doing with my life. I started hearing poems read by their authors in my Instagram feed. Each one touched me as the poet gave life to what they had written. Hearing the words read in the cadence as they were intended had a deeper impact. The more I listened, the more I felt seen as they often mirrored the events that I have walked through. I also began buying poetry books by the authors who spoke to me most, such as Becky Hemsley and Alicia Cook. One of the things that I love about Alicia’s work is that she pairs each poem with a song. After reading the poem, I will check out the track which often is added to my playlist.

The pivotal moment that launched me into writing my own poetry came when I heard an interview with Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer on the Grief and Light podcast. I loved hearing her read her poems and the gentleness of her voice. She has a beautiful way of expressing the loveliness in the world and the grief she has encountered in her personal experiences. The ability to live in a world of joy and grief is something that I have faced firsthand. The following two insights that Rosemerry shared influenced me to explore this path and dive deeper into the emotional landscape that I live in:

"It doesn't have to be good; it has to be true." This gave me the freedom to focus on creating poems that reflect my experience and let go of perfectionism.

"Writing is breathing in, and sharing is breathing out." This was such a powerful statement. Writing lets me delve into my internal and external views of the world. Creating my "Beautiful Bittersweet Life Poems Blog" allows me to breathe out, releasing my words into the world.

Not only did I buy her poetry books, but I also subscribed to the Ritual app, where Rosemerry reads a daily poem, reflects on it, reads it again, and then offers a suggestion of what you can write based on the poem. I listen to this first thing when I wake up in the morning. I’ve also created a poetry inspiration note on my note app, with the date, name of the poem, and the prompt. This way I can come back to it when I have time.

How Has Writing Poetry Impacted Me

In poetry, I’m able to express my raw emotions in a way that is not possible in essay form. The idea usually comes first, but it takes time and patience before the poem is ready to be expressed. Usually, by the time that I sit down to write, the form has already taken shape, and the words flow effortlessly. There are times when this doesn’t happen. I will take a step back so that I don’t force an idea that’s not ready to be seen. Other times, I just leave the idea on the page and move on. I often find that I breathe more deeply and feel my body calm as I free the feelings that have been taking up space. There are times, for instance, when I cried through the writing of a poem.

Never Enough Time

Being open and curious has helped me once more to find a way to be creative, which I find to be the most healing experience on my journey.

Visit Beautiful Bittersweet Life Poems Blog to read my poems exploring love, loss, and life.

Source: The Healing Power of Writing Poetry

[iluvstrawberry]

crystal fairies

[iluvstrawberry]

[iluvstrawberry]

He was as tall as he was tall, and his eyes were the color they were. To describe his hair one would say that he had some. His face had all the features you'd expect, and none of the ones you wouldn't. "There he is," people would often say of him, but only when he was there. And they were right.

[iluvstrawberry]

"60-70,000 geese" is the new "i found 100,000 dollars"

[iluvstrawberry]

person who watches 5 movies a year: lol who cares about the oscars

person who watches 50 movies a year: the academy awards are a reflection of cinema at large, and we must pay attention to what goes on in the industry... this is my Oscars predictions sheet...

person who watches 300 movies a year: *jerk off motion* lol who cares about the oscars

[iluvstrawberry]

Losing it at “Carmilla would wake up late, would never eat but would take a cup of chocolate.”

Where is THAT in the vampire lore. We’ve been robbed. “I do not drink…wine. Hot cocoa only.”