22 | Friday, November 22, 2019 CHINA DAILY MOSAIC The huotong: A seat of warmth and ingenuity at the table
Late autumn, in the days I lived ous helping of warm cinders from excessive layers of blankets. I felt a long history among my husband’s Now that Jun and I live in Bei with my inlaws in rural Zhejiang their firepowered wok, and place it loathe to leave the cocoon of family in rural Zhejiang. My moth jing, where late autumn and win province, meant the arrival of one near the table, usually right where I warmth I had built for myself in the erinlaw, once pointing to the piece ters offer the snug delights of of the warmest companions I ever used to sit. bedroom, including when meal with more small knicks and plentiful steam heating at our had at the dinner table — the huo They were no strangers to my times arrived. For me, that made scratches among its lovely mahoga home, years have passed since we tong. aversion to the cold of winter in a the huotong such a welcome addi ny wood, revealed it was a family last sat on a huotong. But I will Imagine a wood province that didn’t enjoy the tion around the table. heirloom, presented to her and my always cherish those days when I en, thimble steam heat typical of northern parts It’s amazing how this simple fatherinlaw on the occasion of first came to know this distinctive shaped stool that’s of China, nor the heating vents I invention could generate such a their wedding. And she proudly piece of furniture. It stands as a halfenclosed, with relished at home growing up in substantial amount of heat. Being shared that it worked just as well, if unique example of the many ingen one side open like Cleveland, Ohio, where almost perched on top of the huotong dur not better, than the newer and ious inventions people south of the a stage, cradling a every school year saw at least a ing meals transported me back to more polished huotong they Yangtze River have developed to Jocelyn metal receptacle handful of snow days or times that the comfort of those weekday after owned. survive and thrive during the cold Eikenburg built to hold burn proved too frigid for us to attend noons following school when I My husband Jun also has fond est months of the year. Second ing embers, and classes. As a child, I would rush A warming huotong. leaned back on vents at home to memories of the huotong, which he Thoughts you have an idea of home from school in January and PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY soak up every bit of warmth in the recalls serving as more than just a Contact the writer at what this tradi February and immediately house. But even better, the huotong, warm seat at the table. During Chi [email protected] tional piece of dining room furni ensconce myself in front of the ple layers of clothing and your with its open design, also allowed nese New Year, the family would ture looks like. Whenever the first heater. jacket at all times, even at home. my legs to feel just as cozy as I roast long, white sticks of niangao, Online chilling winds of the season would Who would have imagined I Not surprisingly, my winter strat tucked into a delicious meal at the or New Year cakes, over the embers Scan the code sweep through the village, my would marry into a family accus egy at their home involved heavy table. in the huotong for a gooey holiday to hear an audio inlaws would fill one with a gener tomed to winters of wearing multi use of an electric mattress pad and The huotong appears to have had treat. version
What’s on
Parsifal The ballet brings the passion When: Nov 24, 4 pm and vibrancy of the Russian Where: Jiangsu Center for the character to this wellknown Performing Arts, Nanjing work. Parsifal, by the Mariinsky Theater, is an opera in three Alexandrov Ensemble acts by German composer When: Dec 20 and 22, 7:30 pm; Richard Wagner. It is loosely Dec 21 and 22, 2:30 pm based on Parzival by Wolfram Where: Guangzhou Opera House von Eschenbach, a 13thcentu The Alexandrov Ensemble, ry epic poem of the Arthurian commonly known as the Red knight Parzival and his quest Army Choir, is the official army for the Holy Grail. choir of the Russian armed for The work was first performed ces. Founded during the Soviet at Bayreuth, Germany, in 1882, era, the ensemble consists of a not long before Wagner’s male choir, an orchestra and a death. dance ensemble. Based on one of the medie The ensemble has enter val epic romances of King tained audiences both in Russia Arthur and the search for the and throughout the world, per grail (the chalice allegedly used forming a range of music by Christ at the Last Supper), including folk tunes, hymns, the fiveandhalfhour opera operatic arias and popular recounts over three acts how a music. It attracted international “wild child” unwittingly invades attention when it won first prize the sacred precincts of the at the Paris Universal Exhibition grail, fulfilling a prophecy that in 1937. only such a child can save the grail’s protectors from a curse. The Nutcracker The Mariinsky Theater is When: Dec 2325, 7:15 pm based in St. Petersburg, Russia. Where: Shanghai Grand Theater The Shanghai Grand Thea The Little Match Girl ter’s version of The Nutcracker When: Dec 1, 7:30 pm premiered during the Christ Where: Beijing Exhibition mas season in 2010, and has Theater been staged almost every XINHUA Based on a short story by Christmas season since. Danish poet and author Hans In order to rejuvenate the A moment in time: Christian Andersen in 1845, the classic work, the Shanghai musical is about a dying child’s Grand Theater and the Shang Tracking progress dreams and hope. hai Ballet have made a new It begins on a cold, snowy production and British director Workers (above) assemble train carriages at a winter night. A poor girl tries to Derek Dean has subtly blended sell matches because she was Chinese elements with the Changchun railway factory in Jilin province in the ordered to do so by her father classic tale into Tchaikovsky’s 1990s. From steam, diesel and electric trains to and he won’t allow her to return iconic score. home until all the matches are The ballet tells a story about maglev models, the nation has become a leader in sold on pain of a beating. a girl who befriends a nutcrack highspeed train technology. Train speeds have She tries to warm her hands er that comes to life on Christ by lighting the matches. After mas Eve and wages a battle been raised six times from 48.1 kilometers per lighting the last match, she against the evil Mouse King. hour in 1993. In 2017, the Fuxing, “rejuvenation”, sees her dead grandmother whom she loved very much and The Hotel bullet train (right) went into operation with a who eventually takes her to When: Dec 29, 7:30 pm maximum speed of 350 km/h. heaven. Where: Wuxi Grand Theater The Hotel tells a story about Into the White Night a hotel you may be familiar When: Dec 14, 2 pm and 7:30 with. Seven performers present pm; Dec 15, 7:30 pm seven types of people that Where: Shenzhen Poly Theater could turn up in your daily life. Based on the mystery novel Produced by the Li Xing ZHANG NAN / XINHUA Byakuyako by Japanese author Dance Studio, the dance drama Keigo Higashino, musical Into probes into conflicts between the White Night is about an people and the social environ The newspaper and beyond unsolved death, which puzzles ment. a police detective. The dead man’s family and circle of A Passage to Bollywood On our Sina Weibo On chinadaily.com.cn friends may provide answers When: Dec 30, 7:30 pm for the detective who continues Where: Wuxi Grand Theater Lizard fossil 100 million years old unearthed People: Go master 1.98 million, according to the among youngsters and devel to investigate. A Passage to Bollywood is a Researchers have found announces retirement report. The number of ultra oped into different styles com Han Xue stars as the lead stage musical with foottapping a rare fossil of a reptile South Korean Go master Lee highnetworth Chinese families bining Chinese culture. The female character in the music, colorful costumes and a that lived 100 million Sedol, the only human to beat with household assets of 100 festival was initiated by the Chi musical. gripping plot. years ago that shows Google’s artificial intelligence million yuan also contracted by na HipHop Union Committee, Covering various aspects of undigested food in its Go player AlphaGo, announced 4.5 percent to 127,000. Beijing is which was founded by the Chi Swan Lake the Indian Bollywood culture, gut, shedding light on his retirement on Tuesday. The still home to the largest number nese Dancers Association in When: Dec 20 and 21, 7:30 pm Ashley Lobo’s smash hit per how small and medium 36yearold officially stepped of highnetworth families, with 2013. Since the committee was Where: Hangzhou Grand Theater formance comprises old clas sized reptiles preyed on down by submitting a letter of 288,000 households owning established, more than 30 sub Directed and choreographed sics as well as the latest other animals. The retirement to South Korea’s Go assets of at least 10 million committees have been launched. by former Bolshoi Ballet Solo Bollywood songs. stomach contents of Association. Lee started playing yuan. ist, Konstantin Uralsky, the the fossilized lizard, Yabeinosaurus, contained a 13centimeter the Chinese strategy board Travel: Skiing lures Russian State Ballet and Opera Faust long crayfish, a species of crustacean popular on dining tables game when he was 6 years old. more Chinese tourists House is coming to Hangzhou, When: Jan 912, 7:30 pm today, according to scientists from the China University of In a career spanning 24 years, As the 201920 skiing season Zhejiang province. Where: Beijing Poly Theater Geosciences. The discovery was published in the bimonthly jour Lee scored 18 victories in global begins, more and more Chinese Swan Lake is a tale of two Lithuanian director Rimas nal Cretaceous Research. Yabeinosaurus is the first lizard species competitions. tourists are inspired to engage in young women, Odette and Odi Tuminas will bring his latest found in the Jehol Biota, an ecosystem in northeastern China that the breathtaking sport as a form le, who resemble each other so work Faust, an adaptation of thrived between 133 and 120 million years ago. Society: Slight drop in of winter entertainment. Tourism closely that one can easily be Goethe’s dramatic play, to Bei wealthy family number website Mafengwo announced mistaken for the other. It is a jing audience in January. Didi delays Hitch in Beijing and Shijiazhuang The slowdown and trade ten that the search volume for the compelling legend of a tragic The tragic play stars Liao Fan Ridehailing company Didi relaunched Hitch on Wednesday in sions between China and the keyword “skiing” increased by romance in which a princess, as Mephistopheles, the devil, three cities — Harbin, Heilongjiang province, United States have resulted in a Culture: Street dance 21.7 percent this month, Odette, is turned into a swan by and Yin Zhusheng as Faust. Taiyuan, Shanxi province, and Changzhou, minor slide in the number of hits perfect rhythm compared with the same period an evil curse. Considered one of the most Jiangsu province. But the service has been affluent families in China, said The second Street Dance Festi last year. Prince Siegfried chances famous plays in German litera delayed, due to technical adjustments, until the Hurun Wealth Report 2019 val held in Guangzhou, Guang upon a flock of swans while out ture, Faust is based on a classic next month in Beijing and Shijiazhuang, released on Tuesday. As of Dec dong province, showcased 15 hunting. When one of the German legend, in which Faust Hebei province. However, the service will be 31 last year, the number of high original Chinese dance works Online swans turns into a beautiful is a discontented scholar who available in Shenyang, Liaoning province, Online networth Chinese families with this week. Since the art form Scan to read young woman he is instantly makes a deal with the devil in and Nantong, Jiangsu province, from Nov 29. Scan to read household assets of 10 million was introduced to China during more on captivated — but will his love order to attain worldly knowl The service was suspended following the more on our yuan ($1.4 million) dropped 1.5 the 1980s, street dance has chinadaily. prove strong enough to break edge, pleasure, and power at murder of a passenger by her Didi driver. weibo page percent from a year earlier to grown into a diverse pop culture com.cn the evil spell that she is under? the expense of his soul.