A piglet swims at a park in Hefei, China, during a performance celebrating the 58th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China, on October 1, 2007.

Via Activate.us

Technorati Tags: China, photography, pigs

Aargh! Year of the Pig ain’t over yet!

“Farmer Liu Shuping presents a newly born piglet with one head, two mouths, two noses, and three eyes in Xi’an, China, on March 7, 2007.”

From Activate.us

Technorati Tags: China, pigs

Check out this super-sized hotpot from Chengdu! It measures 12 metres in diameter, weighs 15 tons, and takes about 5 tons of hotpot “soup” to fill, and can cook enough food for up to 60 diners. It was set up for a hotpot party on the 16th February for the Chinese New Year celebrations.

From Shanghaiist.com

Photos by huaxia.com

Technorati Tags: China, Chinese New Year, cuisine, Chengdu

Look up and you won’t have to see the crowds…

Technorati Tags: Chinatown, Chinese New Year, United Kingdom

The BBC website has a roundup of events and articles for Chinese New Year. There is also an interview with CHI2 musicians Liz and Sarah Liew who, typical of double-cultured generations (British Chinese) draw upon all their experiences for inspiration.

BBC London Chinese New Year

CHI2 Interview

Technorati Tags: CHI2, Chinese, Chinese New Year, music, United Kingdom

If you didn’t grow up with him on Monkey Magic, meet our Year of the Pig celebrity, Toshiyuki Nishida! Not only does he play Pigsy, he was also born in 1947 – also Year of the Pig.

Pigsy is probably the second most recognised character from Monkey Magic, who was also known as the Stupid Swine, Lord Hog and Marshall of the Heavenly Hosts.

In Heaven, Pigsy held the position of Marshall of the Heavenly Hosts. He was banished by the Jade Emperor for trying to drunkenly “kiss” the beautiful Spirit of Vega.

Pigsy’s incarnation on Earth is that of a lust-filled Pig monster. He chases women (but rarely catches them) smells women’s dresses (when there are no women around) and when feasting could consume an inordinate amount of food in a very short time!

Pigsy becomes one of Tripitaka’s Holy Disciples in the hope that he will be able to return to Heaven and be with the Spirit of Vega again.

Pigsy’s weapon is his trademark mighty (and glamourous) Muckrake. It is capable of splitting stones and mountains (as well as heads). It was forged for him as compensation for his banishment.

Pigsy was played by Toshiyuki Nishida in the first series of Monkey Magic, and is also known in the world of Japanese entertainment as an actor and comedian.

More information on Wikipedia

Monkey Mania – A Monkey Magic fansite

Toshiyuki Nishida’s Website (in Japanese only)

Technorati Tags: entertainment, Japanese, Monkey Magic, Toshiyuki Nishida, TV

It’s the Year of the Pig, so of course the first thing that springs to mind is a pet pig right? This site has some info I didn’t know about why pigs (specifically Vietnamese Pot Belly pigs) make great pets.

Top 10 Reasons Pigs Make Great Pets

1. Price is around the same amount as a pedigree dog or cat
2. Non-allergenic in most cases
3. Clean and odor-free
4. No fleas
5. They are about the size of a medium sized dog
6. Long life span (12-20 years)
7. Non-destructive, unlike a puppy
8. Quickly trained: litterbox, tricks, walking harness, etc.
9. Low maintenance: annual vet visit, generally stronger immune system than a dog or cat
10. Intelligent, Social, and Communicative

Hm. For some reason, I would still prefer a dog or cat..

Remember, a pig is for life, not just for new year…

Look! Ahh.. Year of the Dog hands over to Year of the Pig!

Technorati Tags: Chinese New Year, pet pig, Vietnamese Pot Belly Pig

Matt Fischer’s Ramen homepage was posted previously, but for the Year of the Pig, we draw attention to the Pork recipes category..

Pork Ramen recipes

Photo from Flickr

Technorati Tags: cuisine, Ramen

If pork is too inhumane for you, here’s a roundup of cute piglets to make you smile. From CuteOverload, click the corresponding links for the commentary on each photo, in the way that only CuteOverload can deliver.

Technorati Tags: Chinese New Year, pigs, Vietnamese Pot Belly Pig

Piglet with flower and the 2 photos below, on CuteOverload

Piglet with milk bottle on CuteOverload

Piglets with frozen veggies on CuteOverload

Piglet in hand on CuteOverload

Piglet Olympics on CuteOverload

Piglet on blanket on CuteOverload

Celebrating Year of the Pig implies pork dishes right? The Chinese love their food; a typical greeting between good friends and relatives consists of the phrase “have you eaten yet?” – a gesture of care, rather than the more formal “how are you“.

So therefore, here are a few photos to remind ourselves what we can look forward to in the coming weeks. (Mental note to myself – don’t surf for gluttonous food photos after midnight when I’m starving.)

Pig on a spit from this Flickr profile

Pork dish from this Flickr profile

Pork, amongst other meat on a market stall from this Flickr profile

Beijing style sweet and sour baby-back pork ribs from this Flickr profile

Technorati Tags: Chinese New Year, cuisine