Need2LearnChinese Blog

Mistresses, a group considered scandalous in Chinese society, have set up their own official websites, associations to protect their rights, and even an annual festival.

They share their experiences of being financially supported by married men and even exchange their "lovers" on online.

A Shanghai Daily investigation uncovered one online forum - www.xeixe.com - apparently operated by "China's Association for Mistresses."

The forum, which has been online for more than seven months, is only accessible by its 700-plus paid-up female members, all of whom claim to be mistresses of married men.

The mistresses publish links to their posts on the front page of the website and describe their relationships with wealthy men as well as the expensive gifts they receive: 20,000 to 30,000 yuan (US$4,560.8) a month in pocket money, luxury products, cars and even apartments.

Some ask others about how much money they can get from their lovers and what methods could be used to "squeeze more money out of them."

They call themselves "new-age professional mistresses" who are young, bold, shameless, not shackled by Chinese traditional values and who don't have to work a single day because their lovers pay them a higher salary than they could ever earn.

Their work is simple - to maintain secret sexual relationships with married men to satisfy their desires. They describe having sex as "rolling on the bed sheets."

The topics most discussed on the forum include shopping, making friends, sharing experiences and even breast enhancement. Some of the mistresses offer free online courses on training to be the perfect lover - someone who should be sexy and witty and "totally different from a man's ordinary wife."

The forum hosted an online chat, inviting several men to be interviewed on their attitudes to mistresses, and what kinds of women they would look for to have an affair.

Some men said they would not rule out a relationship outside marriage and said the mistresses they would find most charming would be flirtatious, sweet and playful.

However, those "sweet" mistresses might not seem so perfect if they become irritated with their lovers. Many have formed "rights protection associations" on the forums, where "sisters" would get together to avenge mistresses cheated by their lovers.

The women said they could upload the men's names and pictures online, expose the affair to their families and even initiate the human flesh engine to expose the men in public.

The mistresses are also said to be planning to celebrate their first annual festival on March 3, as the number "3" indicates their position as the third person in a relationship.

According to American news website The Huffington Post, Chinese mistresses have boosted demand for luxury goods.

It reported a 2008 estimate that mistresses accounted for one third of China's consumption of luxury products. Mistresses love luxury brands because they are living insecure lives and have to display that their men are dedicated to them, while men purchase expensive gifts to demonstrate their affection, it said.

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In December the world watched (and giggled) as panda researchers donned panda suits for the good of the species, in an effort to reduce human contact and prepare them for the wild. This time they dressed up for the transfer of Cao Cao and her cub Cao Gen to the outer ring of the Wuloong Panda Reserve in Sichuan.

Cao Cao began her training in preparation for release into the wild last year, which is when she gave birth to Cao Gen. The move this week is kind of a big deal, as Cao Gen will be the first cub born in a semi-natural environment to be released into the not-quite-wild.

When they aren't moving the pandas, researches make as little contact as possible, observing them via an extensive video surveillance system instead. Cao Cao and her cub's new environment is 40,000 square meters large at an elevation of 2,200 meters above sea level.

Researchers decided to move the pandas after reports that Cao Gen had been exhibiting wild instincts, snarling at humans during his physical examinations. This is a good thing, as it is an important instinct in the face of predators such as leopards in the wild.

And it's soon to get even better than panda suits, if you can believe it. The reserve's directors recently accepted a suggestion made by 82-year-old leading panda expert Hu Jinchu, who argued that the panda keepers should dress up like leopards and roar in order to encourage survival instinct. We'll be keeping our eyes peeled for photos. (Videos after the jump!)

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Horse-racing is one of the three traditional skills of the Mongolian young man where good horses and skillful horse-riders have always enjoyed supreme credits. Therefore, horse-racing has naturally been the favorite sports activity cherished by the herdsmen in Mongolia.

Two types of horse-racing activities were held there, namely, trotting-horse racing and galloping-horse racing. For the former, the horse would be equipped with a full set of saddles and proper-sized horseshoes, and it is required to amble forward (e.g. move along using both legs on one side alternately with both on the other). It is a competition of speed, stamina, steadiness, and posture. The latter competes for speed and stamina, with the winner being the one first to get to the destination. The riders in the competition are mostly agile boys of 12 or 13 years old. To ease the load of the horse and ensure the safety of the riders, the galloping horses are generally not equipped with saddle or with light saddle. The riders would only wear gorgeous colorful costumes with flying red and green straps on their head, fully displaying their vigor and valiancy. The competition generally covers 25 to 35 kilometers. Compared with the trotting-horse race, the galloping-horse racing is more commonly seen and of more riders with several dozen at least or over one hundred sometimes. As soon as the competition begins, the riders would quickly spring onto the horse and start their journey, leaving the audience gamboling and cheering for them.

By the custom of the Mongolian minority, the horses would be commended after the competition if they have place in it. They would stand according to their performance and be commended with a horse-praising poem chanted by some honorable seniors. After that, milk wine or fresh milk would be splashed on the horse winning the first place to congratulate it. Apart from the two traditional horse-racing forms, new ones such as the steeplechase have also emerged, which have greatly enriched and vivified this sports activity.

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Lantern Festival, also called Shangyuan Festival, is celebrated on January 15 of Chinese lunar calendar. It is the first full moon night in the Chinese lunar year, symbolizing the coming back of the spring. Lantern Festival may be regarded as the last day of Spring Festival, the new-year festival of China, in other words, the Spring Festival does not end until the Lantern Festival has passed. Lasting to Lantern Festival, the busy atmosphere of Spring Festival on that day shows new visions and amorous feelings. Lantern Festival is regarded as a good day for family gather-together. According to the folk custom of China, people on that night will lighten up fancy lanterns and go out to appreciate the moon, set off fireworks, guess riddles written on lanterns, and eat rice glue balls to celebrate the festival.

The tradition of appreciating lanterns on the Lantern Festival originates from the Eastern Han Dynasty, which has a bearing on the introduction of Buddhism into China at that time. It is a Buddhist convention that the monks would visit sarira and lighten up lanterns to show respect to Buddha on Jan 15. Therefore, Emperors of that dynasty, who were determined to promote Buddhism, ordered people to lighten up lanterns in both palaces and temples on that night to show respect to Buddha. Additionally, civilians were all requested to hang up lanterns on that night, which is why the festival is called "Lantern Festival". In the Song Dynasty, the custom of guessing riddles written on lanterns on Lantern Festival came into being and people at that time wrote riddles on paper strips and then pasted them on the colorful lanterns for others to appreciate and guess. In the Qing Dynasty, fireworks were set off to add fun, and the Lantern Festival by then witnessed a record-breaking grand occasion.

The traditional dim sum eaten on Lantern Festival is called "yuanxiao" (rice glue ball) or commonly called "tangyuan". A meaning of family reunion and happiness may be felt even only from such name. Yuanxiao has its exterior made into a ball shape and white sugar, sweetened bean paste, and sesame as the stuffing. Besides, walnut meat, nuts, and even meat can be used as the stuffing as well. Apart from the boiling manner, yuanxiao may also be prepared through deep frying and steaming manners.

As time goes by, the Lantern Festival has enjoyed more and more celebrating activities. Some places even add traditional folk-custom performances such as playing dragon lantern, Lion Dancing, stilting, striking land boat, doing the Yangko, and striking Peace Drum. The Lantern Festival, a traditional Chinese festival which has undergone a history of over 2,000 years, is still very popular both at home and abroad, and any place where Chinese people live will witness a busy occasion on that day.

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