Everyone brings home souvenirs from their travels: postcards, toys, pictures, clothing, folk art such as papercuts, etc. A chop from China makes a special souvenir since it bears the owner’s name. Travelers to China will likely find no one else in the neighborhood has a chop.
And chops are so Chinese. Documents and artwork are not considered official in China until they’ve been “signed” with a person’s seal. This engraved seal, or “chop,” is unique to each person.
Chops date back to ancient times in China. They’re used on every document imaginable. Artists use them on paintings instead of handwritten signatures. While important documents are signed by hand today in China, they’re not considered official until the red seals have been affixed.
Think of the chop as a rubber stamp. Only instead of rubber put to a cloth stamp pad, think of a stone engraving being dipped into a pot of gooey red glue. Then both are “stamped” on a piece of paper. Same result, just a different way to achieve it. Because the chop is a person’s “signature” for life, the Chinese give much thought as to what characters they will have engraved on their chop.
Visitors to China don’t have to worry about that. They can just have their first or last names translated into characters put on their chops. Chop makers almost always have books of first names translated into Chinese characters available for shoppers to look through. Travelers can also pick out their Chinese names online before they leave home. Mandarin Tools allows users to enter their first and last names, and indicate what characteristic they’d like their name to represent. A few seconds later, up pops the name translated into Chinese. This page should be printed out to show to the chop maker in China.
Chops are usually made of soapstone, and always hand-engraved. It only takes an experienced chop maker a few minutes to do the engraving. Watching them put a complex character on a small surface is fun.
Chops usually come with a small pot of very thick red ink. It has the consistency of paste, and is sometimes made from cinnabar. Be careful using this ink, as it stains absorbent materials and can be difficult to remove. Wipe the chop with a tissue after using it to get the remaining red ink out of the engraved areas. A tissue moistened with nail polish remover works well on stubborn stains.
As the souvenirs, the papercutting from China is special too. It’s the ancitient traditional Chinese folk arts. The Chinese invented paper around the first century A.D., so it was only natural for them to come up with ways to creatively use this invention. Chinese historians generally agree that the art of papercutting didn’t surface until about the sixth century. Since paper was still very expensive, only the rich could afford paper for decorations, writes Nigel Cameron in The History of the Chinese Papercut for China Now magazine.
Papercuts are made by cutting very thin paper with a scissors or knife. Papercuts are very fragile and tear easily. Red paper is traditionally used to make papercuts, though more modern subjects will be done in the colors of the rainbow. Sharp-pointed scissors and knives are used to cut the paper, usually several sheets at a time. Beginners usually work from a pattern, but more experienced cutters work in freehand, according to the Beijing newspaper People’s Daily.
Traditional subjects are Peking Opera masks, animals in the Chinese Zodiac, flowers and maidens wearing traditional garb. More modern subjects are pandas and those catering to Western influences such as Santa Claus, rodeos and Disney characters.
Papercuts come in all sizes, from the usual 3” x 5” to several feet high. Papercuts are usually used as window decorations, especially around holidays, much like Westerners put up Christmas lights. They’re also used on Chinese lanterns and doorways. Many Chinese frame the larger papercuts. Sometimes papercuts are used as patterns for embroidery or lacquer work.
Travelers can find many uses for the papercuts when they return home. They make excellent gifts for anyone who has asked the traveler to bring them something from China. Many travelers frame a series of small papercuts and then make a wall arrangement with them. Creative types who make their own greeting cards will find them very handy. For example, Christmas-themed papercuts can be used on holiday cards; use double-sided tape to stick them to the card stock. Papercuts can also be used in decoupage projects.
Halterneck is a style of women’s clothing with a single strap around the back of the neck. This can refer to either a dress or a separate shirt, called a halter top. The latter is a type of sleeveless shirt similar to a tank top (by the American English definition). The term “halter” comes from the German word for “holder”, as in Büstenhalter, which literally means “busts-holder” and is equivalent to “brassiere”.
If a bra is worn with a haltertop, it is generally strapless, as to avoid exposing the back straps of a typical bra. Some garments with halternecks may tie at the back of the neck, as is often seen in bathing suits.
In another model of the halter top, there is only a narrow strap behind the neck and a narrow strap behind the middle of the back, so that it is mostly backless. This design resembles many bikini tops, although it covers the chest more and may cover some or all of the abdomen at the front.
Halterneck garments are generally considered more provocative because they leave the upper or upper and middle back free, exposing the shoulder blades. As such, some institutions that otherwise permit casual attire (such as many American high schools) prohibit the wearing of these garments (along with spaghetti-strapped and other revealing clothing).
The halterneck dress is a classic style that can be updated in design to keep up with trends while still maintaining the overall halterneck look. It’s safe to say Marilyn Monroe’s figure flattering white halterneck dress in The Seven Year Itch displays how glamorous this style can be.
Each year at celebrity awards and parties there are always ladies dawning this flattering dress on the red carpet. Some were short mini styles whilst other opt for long maxi designs.
Gwyneth Paltrow was pictured wearing a striking black halter neck dress with a cut out design at a film premiere in New York and she looked every inch the susperstar.
As well as glam events like those above the halter neck dress can also be a great casual summer dress. It’s an excellent light travel companion that doesn’t take up much room. It can be worn as day wear and to cover up your swimwear as well as dressing it up for a romantic evening in the sun. It’s a perfect sophisticated cut for all occasions.
As mentioned this style of dress is very versatile and can adapt beautifully to new trends and with other styles, like backless designs and maxi styles. The empire waistline styles are great if you want to elongate your frame especially when it is coupled with a full feminine flared style.
The variations of halter dresses are endless, some have deep plunging v necks whilst others have a sweetheart neckline and others square designs and then there are silk styles to satin.
Hi everyone! I’m Desiree, 28 years old, graduated in New York University, and happily married to a man who I will be glad to make a lot of babies with! (love you honey)
I used to be in marketing back in 2004, for 3 years, but it didn’t really float my boat. Perhaps I was in the wrong company? Ah well, I now work as a fashion designer (yes a big leap in industry) and consultant for GoodOrient, which creates in house designed asian apparels that fuses eastern and western fashion together, and fusing modern into traditionals. A lot of the cheongsams (chinese long dresses) are designed by me. I pick the fabrics, I design the cuttings, I put in the finishing touch, and I try them on after they’re done. That’s basically my job, and I love it!
After work, I love reading the latest gossip magazines and blogs, catch some streaming movies, watch youtube, and occasionally indulge myself and some friends inside TGIFridays’ cakes or icecream. On the weekend I shop, jog with hubby and our 2 golden retrievers BeeBee and BooBoo, and experiemnt new recipes!
I’ve been living in China for 3 years now, and the cultural impact on me have ups and downs. It’s just so much to explore, and I’m tougher than I was, 3 years ago back in Canada! Still experiences culture shock here and then, but it wasn’t as bad as when I first came here. I kinda love it here! Other than the pollution….
This is it! My life story, in like 4 paragraphs. Short and sweet, just like me, physically =) Oh hey I’m very proud of my designs and work, so make sure you check them out, and you can contact me via them or this profile, and we can network if I find you interesting enough,or if you want some advice on fashion, or whatever!
Silk Dress,Chinese Clothing,Chinese Horoscope,Red Dress,Mini Dress,Strapless Dress
