Newspapers / Meredith College Student Newspaper / March 24, 2010, edition 1 / Page 5
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What We Wednesday Chinese Ice Festival ^Trends: Vintage Airstream Trailers - In 2010, it seems that all ■ things trendy are vintage. We’re bringing back high-waist pants, handkerchiefs, and now, vintage airstream trailers—which are pop ping up in a variety of reincarna tions. One of the most interesting is El Cosmico a self-described “part vintage trailer, yurt and teepee hotel and campground, part creative lab, greenhouse and amphitheatre.” Comprised of a variety of refur bished vintage trailers, eco-shacks, teepees, and tents, El Cosmico provides a unique hotel experiment complete with an elm grove of ham mocks, outdoor kitchen, and wood- fired hot-tub. This earthy place also offers sewing, art, and cooking classes, and is home to music festi vals each year. Located near Marfa, Texas, El Cosmico is definitely an interesting retreat. Visit elcosmico. com for more information. Another reincarnation of the airstream trailer comes from Wondercraft—a portable boutique ancLarts studio founded by Beth, Jenifer, and Kimberly. From their refurbished trailer (named Stella) they sell handcrafted goods, provide craft supplies, and teach art classes to students and shop pers all over the United States. Visit thewondercraft.com for more information. A final, sweet reincarnation of the airstream trailer is the Enjoy Cupcakes travel trailer. Enjoy Cup cakes is a sweet cupcake bakery, and they have refurbished a trailer to make their cupcake sweets porta ble. Targeting weddings and private events, this trailer brings hundreds of cupcakes wherever they might be wanted. Visit enjoycupcakes.com for more information. Poetry: Dallas Clayton - As an English major, I love words. In fact I even collect favorites, writing them on slips of paper, in journals, on post-its; they’re everywhere. Dallas Clayton is also a collector of words, and he thinks about their meanings in such unique ways. On his blog, he posts short poems that juxtapose interesting words and images. They always leave me thinking about Amy Hruby things in a new way. Here’s one of my favorites: GRADED How do they decide what information is worth knowing and what isn’t? Like why is the monarch the only t>q)e of butterfly I can name? And when did I even learn that one? V ' Good, isn’t it? Read more of his \ work at dallascla>'ton.com Have things you love that you’d like to see included here? email them to herald@meredith. edu Krishna Chagarlamudi, Staff Writer Since Januaiy of 1985, the Chinese Ice Festival has taken place annually in Harbin, China. Harbin has an arctic climate due to its location in northeastern China. Therefore, there is an abundance of snow and ice. According to travelchinaguide.com, Harbin is considered China’s “ice and snow art” cradle. There, skillful artists construct magnificent sculptures to put on display. Thousands of peo ple from around the world travel to China to attend the festival, and it has become one of Harbin’s biggest tourist attractions. This festival is a derivative of the Ice Lantern Festival. The Ice Lantern Festival originated in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) when ice lanterns served a practical purpose. Although today the sculptures are complex and require skillful crafts manship, the lanterns made in the past were basic and easily made by many. According to Cultural China, water was poured into a bucket and left to ft'eeze. Once it was nearly frozen, the bucket was heated slightly in order to remove the ice from it. Once removed, the top of the ice block was chipped away to remove the unfrozen water inside. A light was placed in the hollow to form a lantern. This lantern was extremely practical as the light inside it was not easily blown out. Therefore, fishermen and farmers alike were able to carry it around. Cultural China notes that people who were not able to afford to buy a lantern during the “Spring Festival” or the “Lantern Festival” would simply make ice lanterns. The first Ice Lantern Festival took place in 1963 in Harbin. Then, only ice lanterns and ice flowers were on display. Eventually, due to its popularity, it developed into the Ice Festival that is hosted every year today. Ice sculptures in the festival represent monuments not only in China but also from around the world. This year, trav- elguidechina.com says the Great Wall of China and the Egyptian pyramids were among the many sculptures that represent famous and unique architectural works. Over many years, this cultural phenomenon has evolved into an arena for international cultural awareness. Artists from around the world gather in Harbin to participate in the festival, and it is no longer exclusive to Chinese artists and sculptors as it may have been during ancient times. The ice lanterns have been on display in various countries in Asia, Europe, and North America. As the festival expands, it integrates new aspects, such as sports, to appeal to a wider audience. Today, sports like ice- skating and sledding have become popular features of the festival. Who knows how it will develop in the next twenty years. Advertise Here! Email herald@meredith.edu
Meredith College Student Newspaper
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March 24, 2010, edition 1
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