Peking duck, also known as Peking Roasted Duck or Beijing Kaoya, is a dish of great antiquity from Beijing that can trace back to the imperial era. Nowadays, Peking Duck had become one of the specialties of the capital and a national symbol of China, favored by tourists and diplomats alike. For instance, Henry Kissinger, the former Secretary of State of the United States, came to savor this cate, during his two visits to China in 1971 and in 1976. It has also been a favorite delicacy for various political leaders ranging from Cuban Fidel Castro to former German chancellor Helmut Kohl.

The delicacy is characterized by its crisp skin shining date-red in color and tender texture, with authentic versions serving mostly the skin and little meat, sliced in front of the diners by the cook. The hot Peking Roast Duck will be brought to the dining table by the chef where he will slice it into more than 100 thin flakes, each having its piece of crispy skin. The meat is often eaten with spring onion, cucumber and sweet bean sauce with pancake rolled around the fillings. Sometimes pickled radish is also inside, and other sauces can be used. The remaining duck with meat and bones can be cooked in three ways. The traditional way is to be cooked into a broth. The meat together with bones can also be stir-fried with sweet bean sauce, or rapidly sautéed and served with salt and Sichuan pepper.

Besides the traditional one, many restaurants offer an All Duck Banquet - various dishes cooked with the offal and juices of the duck, surrounding the main dish. It will be sure to give you satisfaction and enjoyment when dining.

Duck has been roasted in China since the Southern and Northern Dynasties(386-589). Up until the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279), ducks were roasted in the area around Jinling (ancient name for Nanjing). A variation of roast duck was prepared for the Emperor of China in the Yuan dynasty(1271-1368). The Peking Roast Duck that came to be associated with the term was fully developed during the later Ming dynasty when the rulers moved their capital city to Beijing from Jinling and by then, Peking Duck was one of the main dishes on imperial court menus and was highly regarded by emperors and other members of the ruling classes. By the Qianlong Period (1736–1796) of the Qing dynasty, the popularity of Peking Duck spread to the upper classes. The first restaurant specializing in Peking Duck, Bianyifang, was established in the Xianyukou, close to Qianmen of Beijing in 1416.

Preparation

Raising the duck

Newborn ducks are raised specially in a free range environment for the first 45 days of their lives, and force fed 4 times a day for the next 15–20 days, resulting in ducks that weigh 5–7 kg. The force-feeding of the ducks led to an alternate name for the animal, Peking Stuffed Duck. 

Seasoning the duck

A suitable fattened White Beijing Ducks are slaughtered, plucked, eviscerated and rinsed thoroughly with water. Air is pumped under the skin through the neck cavity to separate the skin from the fat. The duck is then plunged in boiling water for 1 to 5 minutes, then hung to dry. This will tighten the skin and help the duck to achieve its traditional crispy texture. The duck is then glazed with a layer of potentially spiced and flavored maltose syrup. A marinade of traditional flavorings, including soy sauce and five-spice powder, and more maltose, is then applied inside the body cavity. This will flavor the duck during the next step. The duck is then left to dry for between 24 hours and several days in a cool, dry place, which allows the skin to crisp while roasting.

Roasting the duck

Hitherto, there are two traditional schools of cuisine for the duck cooking, namely closed oven and hung oven.

Closed-oven style

Peking duck is originally roasted in a conventional closed oven, allowing the meat to be slowly cooked through the convection of heat within the oven. Controlling the fuel and the temperature is the main skill. In closed-oven style, duck meat is combined well with the fat under the skin, and therefore is juicy and tender.

Hung-oven style

The hung oven, also known as open oven, was developed in the imperial kitchens during the Qing Dynasty. It is designed to roast up to 20 ducks at the same time with an open fire fueled by fruit hardwood from peach or pear trees. The ducks are hung on hooks above the fire and roasted at a temperature of 270 °C (525 °F) for 30–40 minutes. While the ducks are roasting, the chef may use a pole to dangle each duck closer to the fire for 30-second intervals. By the means of hung oven, the fat is usually melted during the cooking process, so the skin is more crispy.

The initial technique has been perpetuated by very few restaurants among which the household name Bianyi Fang is the representative. The second method is relatively well-known and used with great success by the notable Quan Ju De Restaurant, first established in 1864, which won the China Renowned Trademark as well.

　　Hot pot, and the less common Chinese fondue, refer to several East Asian varieties of stew, is ke consisting of a simmering metal pot of stock at the center of the dining table. While the hot pot .is kept simmering, ingredients are placed into the pot and are cooked at the table. Typical hot pot dishes include thinly sliced meat, leafy vegetables, mushrooms, wontons, egg dumplings, and seafood. The cooked food is usually eaten with a dipping sauce. In many areas, hot pot meals are often eaten inn the winter.

       The Chinese hot pot boasts a history of more than 1,000 years.While often called "Mongolian hot pot", it is unclear if the dish actuall originated in Mongolia. Mongol warriors had been known to cook with their helmets, which they used to boil food, but due to the complexity and specialization of the utensils and the method of eating, hot pot cooking is much better suited to a sedentary culture. A nomadic household will avoid such highly specialized tools to save volume and weight during migration. Both the preparation method and the required equipment are unknown in the cuisine of Mongolia of today.
　　Hot pot cooking seems to have spread to northern China during the Tang Dynasty (AD 618-906). In time, regional variations developed with different ingredients such as seafood. By Qing Dynasty, hot pot had become popular throughout most of China. Today in many modern homes, particularly in big cities, the traditional coal-heated hot pot has been replaced by electric,gas or electromagnetic cooker versions.
　　Because hot pot styles change so much from region to region, many different ingredients are used.

　　roast suckling pig

　　A suckling pig is a piglet fed on its mother's milk . In culinary contexts, a suckling pig is slaughtered between the ages of two and six weeks. It is traditionally cooked whole, often roasted, in various cuisines. It is usually prepared for special occasions and gatherings.

　　The meat from suckling pig is pale and tender and the cooked skin is crisp and can be used for pork rinds. The texture of the meat can be somewhat gelatinous due to the amount of collagen in a young pig.

　　To bring out a well glazed, perfectly done whole pig roast on a platter is the ultimate in presentation and festivity. It is the centerpiece of many celebrations and feasts. Young pigs also happen to be incredibly tender and succulent and downright delicious! While the smallest whole pigs can certainly fit in a large oven and can be prepared there, these delicious roasts lend themselves to cooking on an outdoor fire pit rotisserie very well. If you don't have room for, or enough people to eat, an adult whole hog then a small young one is a great substitute. In fact, it is arguably better because of the more flavorful and tender meat.

　　Directions

　　This recipe is a two day procedure. Make sure that your butcher thoroughly cleans the suckling pig. By cleaning inside and out and removes the eyeballs. With a knife make several cuts on the pig's skin so the skin doesn't burst during cooking. Prop the pig's mouth open with a small yam. Season the entire pig with kosher salt and cracked black pepper. Place the pig in a garbage bag and tie the back tightly. Place the pig in the refrigerator and chill for 12 hours. Remove from the refrigerator and rinse thoroughly. In a mixing bowl combine the garlic, parsley, thyme, cumin, bay leaves, onions, juice of the orange, lime, lemon, olive oil and wine. Whisk the marinade until incorporated. Season with salt and pepper. Place the pig back in the bag and pour the marinade over the pig. Tie the back tightly and place back in the refrigerator. Turn the pig every three hours. Refrigerate the pig for 12 hours. Remove the pig from the refrigerator and out of the bag, reserve the marinade. Stuff the cavity with the stuffing. Using a kitchen needle and thread, tie up the cavity. Tie the front legs and then back legs. Cover the tail with aluminum foil. Place the pig on a large roasting pan and pour the reserved marinade over the pig. Place the pig in the oven. Roast the pig in a preheated 350 degree oven for 20 minutes per pound, about 5 hours, basting and turning the pig every hour. For unstuffed pig, roast at 350 degrees for 15 minutes per pound. Internal temperature should be about 155 to 160 degrees for both methods. Remove the pig from the oven and allow the pig to rest for about 30 minutes before slicing.

　　白灼虾 Scalded Prawns

　　Scalded Prawns is traditional dishes in Guangzhou.Guangzhou people like to use boiled method to cook Prawns in order to maintain its fresh, sweet, tender flavor.

　　The main ingredient is shrimp.The only cooking method is scald.Scald means put the material into the boiling soup or boiling water,there is no sauce in the water.The purpose is to retain the original taste of the material.The time of scald must be short,the temperature of the fire must be high,and the material must be fresh.

　　The cooking method is very simple.First clean the shrimp,use scissors to cut off the shrimp antennas.Chop the onions very finely,then crush garlic.Put the fresh shrimp directly into the boiling water,add some ginger,onion and liquor in to the water.In this way can completely remove the fishy smell.Don't flip the shrimp back and forth in case of the head of shrimp falls down.Then remove the cooked shrimp from the water,drain away the water.Then strip of shrimp shell,eat it with sauce.You can enjoy the delicious shrimp,the taste is fresh with a little sweet.The sauce is very simple too,just a mixing of soy sauce, pepper and a little sugar.

　　Shrimp is very rich in nutrition,and it is tender and easy to digest.It is an excellent food for the frail people and who need recuperation from disease.Shrimp contains a lot of magnesium.That can regulate the activity of the heart,it is very useful to protect the cardiovascular system.It can reduce the content of cholesterol in the blood and prevent hardening of the arteries.

　　白切鸡boiled chicken with sauce

　　Boiled chicken with sauce is a characteristics  traditional dish.It is the most common dish in Guangzhou Cuisine.The best restaurant which sales Boiled chicken with sauce is Qingping Restaurant,located in Qingping Road Liwan District Guangzhou.So it is also called Qingping chicken.In Guangzhou Cuisine,there are more than 200 kinds of dishes made with chicken.Boiled chicken with sauce is the most common foods that people eat,and no one is tired of it.It is very popular in everywhere of Guangxi province with the exception of Guangdong province.It is an indispensable dish in the wedding or funeral in the rural areas.

　　Boiled chicken with sauce belongs to the kind of dip chicken.Its features are easy production,thoroughly cooked but not mushy,without any extra ingredients,keep the original taste.The skin of the chicken is golden and smooth,the meat of the chicken is fresh and tender.It is suitable for eat with family and also can be used to entertain guests.When the Guangzhou people eat boiled chicken with sauce,they usually eat it with the sauce made of ginger and chive.So the taste is a bit mild and is easy to be accepted by people.It seems that the boiled chicken with sauce can only eat with the sauce made of ginger and chive.But there are many other kinds of sauce can be selected like the sauce made of onion.

　　The chicken does not need to cook for a long time.If the heating time of chicken is too long,the meat will lost water and become harden and not easy to chew.In order to make the skin smooth,the chicken to be ironed in hot water,then use cold water to make it cool.When boiling the chicken,we need to pour out the water inside the chicken belly,in order to make the chicken evenly heated.

　　Spring chicken is the beat to cook boiled chicken with sauce.The meat of spring chicken account for sixty percentage of the total weight.And it is rich in protein and phosphoric acid.There is less elastic connective tissue in the meat of spring chicken,so it is easier to digest and be absorbed by the human body.

　　上汤焗龙虾 Special Style Lobster

　　Special Style Lobster is a traditional dish,It is good in color,aroma and taste.It belongs Guangdong Cuisine.Lobster is beloved by the Chinese and is especially popular in southern China, as well as in neighboring Taiwan.You can find it on the menu at most Cantonese seafood restaurants in town.It is often used in many wedding receptions and it is the classic dishes of banquet.

　　This dish use lobster as main ingredient,use soup-stock as charge mixture,thus constitute the delicious seafood dish.The meat of lobster is bright white and tender.It tastes delicious and also rich in nutrition.Lobsters are low in fat content, making them one of the best choices for health conscious people. The high content of protein makes this food beneficial.Lobsters are also low in cholesterol.Lobster can be very effective in preventing various health disorders such as osteoporosis, osteoarthritis, cardiovascular disease, and chronic conditions.The contents of trace elements such as zinc, iodine and selenium in lobster meat are higher than those in other foods.

　　The appearance of the Special Style Lobster is very beautiful.The lobster meat is round like squid rolls,if you eat it,it is a little bit crisp,it tastes very good with the hot and thick soup.The most significant lobster is the large lobster, such as the South China Sea lobster.The body length of these lobsters can reach 30 to 45 cm (not including tentacles), the maximum weight of up to 5 kg.The tail of a live lobster must be rolled up slightly,if not,the meat is not good to taste. Lobster meat may be dipped in clarified butter, resulting in a heightened flavor.  When a lobster is cooked, its shell's color changes from blue to orange because the heat from cooking breaks down a protein called crustacyanin, which suppresses the orange hue of the chemical astaxanthin, which is also found in the shell.Large chunks of shell-on lobster stir-fried with scallions, ginger, hot peppers, and yellow chives in a lightly seasoned sauce. It's a mess to eat, but a delicious one.

　　Lobster's price is very high, even in coastal cities, the price is often reached several thousand yuan.

　　Beijing opera or peking opera is a form of traditional Chinese theatre which combines music,vocal performance,mime,dance and acrobatics.It arose in the late 18th century and became fully developed and recognized by the mid-19th century.This form of theatre was extremely popular in the Qing dynasty court and has been regarded as one of the cultural treasures of China.Many performance groupes are based in Beijing and Tianjin in the north,and Shanghai in the south. The form of art is also seen in Taiwan,where it is known as guoju, and it has also spread to other countries such as the United States and Japan.

　　Beijing opera features four main types of performers,Performing groupes often have several of each or combined. Performers are the only focal points on the stage.They utilize the skills of speech,song,dance,and combat in movements that are symbolic and suggestive,rather than realistic. Performers also adhere to a variety of stylistic conventions that help audiences navigate the plot of the production.

　　Channel CCTV-11 in Mainland China is currently dedicated to broadcasting classic Chinese opera productions,including Beijing opera.

Inclusions

1:Show tickets

2:Hotel transfer

3:If select VIP seat with fresh tea and snacks 

Exclusions

Gratuities (optional)

Meal

The Legend of Kungfu is a Live performance presented by China Heaven Creation International Performing Arts Co., Ltd. (CHC) -- China's leading performance art production company, every night at Red Theatre. A group of the best Kung Fu practitioners of China are collected and the best directors and designers of the country are invited by CHC.

The show is about storytelling that a little boy from a very poor family whose mother was unable to provide for him and decided to send her son to a temple to be a monk and learn kungfu. The diligent student monk was initiated into the temple, learning Buddhism and Kungfu. The theme of the story is full of trials and tribulation of being a monk and the worldly temptations through his monkhood. He had a hard time getting used to the strict discipline of the temple and could not restrain his natural desire to chase a young beauty, so he suffered great regret and losing his way to self-cultivation. He punished himself severely and finally came back full circle to be the temple, attaining enlightenment. He became interested in the unbelievable power of Kung Fu, in which he must face many obstacles both from this world and his own mind to overcome his fears.

The fusion of modern dance with Chinese traditional martial arts makes this performance unique and spectacular, presenting stunning Kung Fu skills, exquisite ballet, splendid acrobatics and wonderful music, along with brilliant stage scenery, acoustic and light effect. With no speaking of the actors, there is an electronic screen displaying the show's subtitles in English above the stage to keep you informed of the storyline. After the show, the audience can also take photos with the main actors.

The show made its first appearance on the Beijing stage in July 15th, 2004. Ever since it has received numerous awards and become a world-class spectacle known around the world. If you are an enthusiast of Chinese Kung Fu, who would like to explore the real Chinese martial arts and culture, you definitely should not miss this excellent show of the prestigious Chinese Kung Fu.

China has one of the longest histories of continuously recorded martial arts tradition in the world. The Chinese Kung Fu is popular terms with Chinese martial arts, tracing its origins back some 4000 years ago to self-defense needs, hunting activities and military training in ancient China. In the long course of development, the Kung fu's purpose from self-defense to health maintenance and finally as method of self-cultivation. Kung Fu requires of the practitioner a strict code of physical and mental discipline. A common saying concerning basic training in Chinese martial arts is as follows: Train both Internal and External. External training includes the hands, the eyes, the body and stances. Internal training includes the heart, the spirit, the mind, breathing and strength. In addition, philosophy, ethics and even medical practice are highly regarded by most Chinese martial arts, which provides insight into Chinese attitudes and culture.

　　An original Chinese play, "The Golden Mask Dynasty," was held August 16 at OCT Theater in Beijing Happy Valley. This play was sponsored by Overseas Chinese Town, OCT, which invested 200 million yuan into building the OCT Theater for the play.

　　Set in the Golden Mask Dynasty, a legendary age in China, the story tells how a queen, who wears a golden mask, creates a splendid dynasty. The play has eight chapters and includes more than 200 actors from China and abroad. Produced by Chinese playwrights, directors and designers, the play features Chinese dances, acrobatics, costumes, and lighting and acoustics.

　　The Golden Mask Dynasty is a mythical age, and the play tells a fairy-tale like story of war, royal banquets, and romance. The play has 20 different dance scenes, ranging from war scenes to romance. The director invited composers Liu Gangbao and Li Cangsang to compose the music jointly. Composer Zhang Qianyi, who wrote the "Qinghai-Tibet Plateau," composed the theme song "The Words of Love" for the Golden Mask Dynasty, and vocalist Tang Jing sang the song. The play's wardrobe designers were inspired by the Sanxing Mound relics. They used blue and gold as the play's main colors, representing yin and yang, men and women, and heaven and earth. They created more than 500 costumes.

Inclusions

1:Show tickets

2:Hotel pick up at 4pm, drop off at hotel at 8:30pm

Exclusions

1:Gratuities (optional)

2:Meal

The Chimelong International Circus is truly a class act and was one of the highlights of our visit. It is one of the most entertaining one-and-a-half hours you could spend in Guangzhou and it was the perfect end to a fun-filled day at the nearby Chimelong Safari Park.

With hundreds of international performers that hail from all parts of the world, the stage comes to life with the array of acrobats, dancers, clowns, and animal performers that put together a series of spectacular shows combined with stunningly choreographed music, lights, lasers and fireworks.

The action is non-stop and it takes place all over the arena, parades come through the audience and animals might be flying over your head.