Word: dais
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...coincidence that the Dai, an ethnic minority concentrated in southwestern China's Yunnan province, ring in their New Year in mid-April by sprinkling each other with cold water. April is the driest month for subtropical regions like Yunnan, which depend on the coming of seasonal rains for their fertility. Historically, water-splashing has been a symbolic way of beseeching the divine to bring an end to scarcity and hasten a period of abundance. Never have the people of South China needed that abundance more than now, during the worst drought the area has seen in nearly a century...
...spell has also sparked controversy within China with regard to whether or not the Dai people should hold Songkran, the New Year's festival celebrated in parts of East and Southeast Asia, in which lively water-splashing is a prominent feature. Duan Jinhua, head of the information office in Yunnan's Xishuangbanna Dai autonomous prefecture, announced that the fete would not be canceled, but that the sprinkling spree would be cut down from five hours to two. The government of the Dehong Dai and Jingpo autonomous prefecture, on the other hand, has decided to cancel official festivities and leave citizens...
...curtail Iran's nuclear program. So far, Beijing has been reluctant to support tough sanctions and has repeatedly urged more patience to allow for diplomatic overtures. Saeed Jalili, Iran's top nuclear negotiator, spent Thursday in Beijing meeting with Chinese officials including Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi and State Councillor Dai Bingguo. A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman said Thursday that China "is striving for a proper settlement of the issue through diplomatic means," Xinhua reported. The message is that Hu Jintao may be willing to go to Washington, but China will shift its policies only...
...this spring, traditionally soggier south China has been battling drought. Premier Wen Jiabao spent the weekend touring drough-stricken villages in Yunnan province, where many areas have received half the usual rainfall. Sixteen million people in the region are now suffering drinking water shortages, according to state media. The Dai ethnic group, which is concentrated near the Burmese border in western Yunnan, has even been encouraged to cut back on the amount of water used during the upcoming Water Splashing Festival it celebrates each year to mark the arrival of spring...
...Hollywood Road, and occupying the length of Gough Street between Aberdeen and Shing Wong Streets, it was once mainly home to family-run shops and small printing presses. These days, though, NoHo is an enclave of independent boutiques and contemporary-art galleries, chichi cafés and old-school dai pai dong or cooked-food stalls. Here are 10 reasons to visit. (See 10 things to do in Hong Kong...