1 . Eating out in the United States is not much different than eating out in other parts of the worlds. There are still fast-food chains such as McDonalds and KFC for those hamburgers. However, what makes the restaurants in the US unique is that there is a cultural diversity of restaurants serving food from almost every part of the world. When you arrive in Irvine, and travel around the city, you will find many restaurants of many different cultures, ranging from European, to the Middle East and Asia. So, when you first arrive, there are always restaurants close by that offer the food you prefer.

Now how do you find those restaurants and know if they are good or not? The most common way is through the Internet. In the US, most restaurants can be found through a smartphone app called Yelp. It is a commonly used search engine for restaurants and it is very convenient to use! All you need is to enter the cuisine you want such as “Indian, Sichuan, Sushi, Vegetarian, etc.” In addition, each restaurant on there is also rated and reviewed by some of their past customers. At some restaurants, you can also sign up for the waiting list through the app to economize time!

If you don’t have time to go out and eat, there are food delivery services available. Traditionally, pizza is the most common food for delivery. Some delivery services you can try are DoorDash, UberEats, or Postmates. All you would need to do is just make free account, select the restaurants on their webpage, order from the menu, and enter your address to have the food delivered to your home. They usually have a delivery discount the first time you sign up for an account, so make sure to take advantage of that!

2 . Feasts for Museum-goers

Museums have become the latest must-see destinations for both locals and tourists alike all over China and let’s take a quick look at what some of them have in store for enthusiastic museum-goers.

Gentle View

Paintings and sculptures from across the country are on display at the ongoing exhibition, Colors, at the Shandong Art Museum in Jinan, Shandong province. The event is held in celebration of International Women’s Day, which falls on Friday. The Shandong Artists Association launched the annual exhibition in 2017 to encourage women artists and to offer them a platform for their talents and their unique ways of viewing the world.

Cultural Peak

Ink artist Huang Binhong (1865 — 1955), considered one of the major figures of modern Chinese art, spent a lifetime carrying on his country’s cultural heritage while also maintaining a modern spirit and a universal outlook. Immortal Legacy is an ongoing exhibition at the Art Museum of Beijing Fine Art Academy that sheds light on Huang’s belief in cultural tradition. His landscape paintings indicate his appetite for the scenery of southern China, where he grew up and spent most of his life.

Timeless Beauty

In celebration of Chinese New Year, Immortal Brushwork of Danqing, the Tianjin Museum staged a long-term exhibition starting in early February, bringing together dozens of paintings ranging from the Song (960 — 1279) to Qing (1644 — 1911) dynasties. Examples include a portrait of an aristocratic woman by Leng Mei, a pioneering figure of Chinese portraiture in the 17th and 18th centuries. Leng’s paintings successfully convey the atmosphere and situations his subjects experienced, revealing their moods and emotions.

Calligraphic Sage

Hailed as the “modern sage of caoshu script”, Lin Sanzhi is recognized as one of the leading calligraphers of the 20th century. My Admiration of Ancient Masters, an exhibition at the Anhui Art Museum, reviews Lin’s efforts in calligraphy, poetry and Chinese painting through which he built a connection with the spiritual worlds of past artists and sought new dimensions for the art form. Also on display are landscape paintings, showing how he made use of calligraphic techniques to present the vastness of nature.

3 . Born in 1990, a wheelchair has been part of Zhao Hongcheng’s life since she was one year old due to poliomyelitis (小儿麻痹症) . And now, as a video content creator who has over 84, 000 followers on the video-sharing platform Bilibili, Zhao wants to be a bridge between the disabled and the rest of society.

“I made my first video in 2019,” Zhao says. “My original purpose was to find a way to reduce my emotional stress. I always met inconvenience caused by my wheelchair when going out, which made me feel sad. I barely had any disabled friends, so I had no one to talk to. I felt quite lonely,” Zhao explains.

Her first vlog was about a trip to Guangzhou with friends. The video was viewed more than 2, 000 times on the first day. “This made me feel that there were many things worth sharing in my life,” she explains. Since then, that first video has been viewed over 48, 000 times. Her fourth video, displaying how she got to work in a wheelchair, made her even more popular. The video has received more than 300, 000 views on Bilibili.

“One of the great things about being a content creator is that I feel like I have the opportunity of talking about the real difficulties and pains that a disabled person faces,” Zhao says.

4 . If you want to fill your shelves with the best books of all time, you’re in the right place.

Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein (1974)

The imagination of Shel Silverstein is on full display in this classic collection of short stories and poems. The book is truly one of the best poetry books of all time because of its staying power for children. The stories of this American poet, author, singer and folk artist have something for everyone.

Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy (1878)

Most critics regard it as one of the most typical literary love stories. The author’s Russian tale of unfortunate lovers is filled with fascinating quotes like, “He stepped down, trying not to look long at her, as if she were the sun, yet he saw her, like the sun, even without looking.” This one belongs on any book collector’s shelf.

The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery (1943)

It is a timeless tale of a prince’s journey in search of adventure. What he finds, however, are interactions with adults who leave him so upset. It’s one of the most appealing short books we’ve ever read and also one of the most widely read children’s classics all over the world.

The Shining by Stephen King (1977)

The master of mystery must be included in any list of books you should read in a lifetime. That’s why you will find it here. Horror fans take note: This is one of the scariest and best Stephen King books of all time.

7 . What will restaurants look like in the future? What would your dinner taste like if a robot cooked it? A robot restaurant in Tianjin may give you the answers.

Covering an area of over 400 square meters with a total of 112 seats, the X Future Restaurant is a robot restaurant that opened in November 2018. The restaurant has amazed customers with its fully-automated (全自动的) technology, which covers every step of the dining experience, from ordering to cooking to serving the dishes and even taking payment.

Entering the restaurant, one can order dishes by simply scanning the QR codes on the table. There are over 40 choices of dishes. After taking the order, “robot cooks” prepare dishes using fixed time, temperature and ingredients designed by famous Chinese cooks.

“As the cooking is controlled by a computer system, the taste and quality of dishes can be good,” said Li Xiaokui, manager of the X Future Restaurant.

Robots also complete the delivery of dishes. Without following any designed route, the robot waiters serve meals thanks to automated driving technology, which helps each robot timely change its route when something is in the way.

These eye-catching technologies have received wide praise from customers. “The dishes taste surprisingly good. I couldn’t believe that they were made by robots, especially dishes that were difficult to cook.” one customer said. “The application of robots has increased our efficiency and cut down our costs,” Li said, “I think robot restaurants will develop fast and have a bright future.”

9 . If you’d like to go sightseeing, the following World Heritage sites may be your best choices.

Jiuzhaigou Valley Scenic and Historic Interest Area

Jiuzhaigou Valley, which lies in the northern part of Sichuan Province, China, reaches a height of more than 4,800m, with a series of different forest ecosystems (生态系统). It’s particularly famous for its narrow landforms and excellent waterfalls. Some 140 kinds of birds also live in the valley, as well as a number of endangered plants and animals, including the giant panda. Jiuzhaigou Valley was recognized as a World Heritage site by UNESCO in 1992.

Khami Ruins National Monument

The city of Khami, which developed after the capital of Great Zimbabwe had been given up in the mid-16th century, is of great archaeological (考古的) interest. The discovery of objects from Europe and China shows that Khami was a major centre for trade over a long period of time. It joined the World Heritage List in 1986.

Henderson Island

Henderson Island, which lies in the eastern South Pacific, is one of the few atolls (环礁) in the world whose ecology (生态) has been untouched by humans. It is particularly famous for the 10 plants and 4 birds that can only be seen on the island. It was recorded in the World Heritage List in 1988.

Old City of Jerusalem

As a holy (神圣的) city for three different religions in the Middle East, Jerusalem has always been of great religious importance. It was given a World Heritage Status in 1981 and placed on the “World Heritage in Danger List” the following year.