Articles written by Valery Garrett

Gardeners know adding compost to plants can give them the nutrients they need. That's fine for those with a garden, but what to do if you live in a flat?

Sep 8, 2010 - Valery Garrett

An iPhone and an iPod for nine Hong Kong dollars? A camcorder for only fifteen dollars? What's the catch? No guarantee? Fallen off a lorry perhaps?

Aug 14, 2010 - Valery Garrett

In Asia night markets provide popular cheap entertainment when the day is over. In Hong Kong, Temple Street market is a hit with locals and visitors alike.

Jul 26, 2010 - Valery Garrett

These traditional textiles are commonly found in countries in South East Asia, including Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, India and Laos.

Jun 14, 2010 - Valery Garrett

Cloisonné is a method of applying brilliant enamel ornament to metalwork and reached its peak in China from the fourteenth century onwards.

Jun 2, 2010 - Valery Garrett

More than other areas of Chinese art, collecting archaic bronzes is for the specialist whose knowledge has long been a scholarly pursuit.

May 27, 2010 - Valery Garrett

Before photography arrived in the 1840s, paintings were the only way traders could show life in China to family and friends back home in the west.

May 27, 2010 - Valery Garrett

Lacquerware is a well loved Chinese craft still cherished today and one with a history which goes back thousands of years.

May 25, 2010 - Valery Garrett

Just forty miles by frequent ferry from Hong Kong, the one time Portuguese territory of Macau is the only place in China where gambling is legal.

May 3, 2010 - Valery Garrett

The one time Portuguese territory of Macau is a great getaway from the hurly burly of Hong Kong. More laid back, it's a favorite destination to relax in.

May 3, 2010 - Valery Garrett

On the south-eastern peninsula of Hong Kong, Stanley is a popular destination for visitors with a market and many bars and restaurants on the waterfront.

May 2, 2010 - Valery Garrett

The Heritage Museum in Hong Kong is housed in a huge Buddhist style building overlooking the Shing Mun river near Shatin, and celebrates its tenth anniversary this year.

Apr 3, 2010 - Valery Garrett

Like Everest, the Great Wall of China holds an eternal fascination for many. In his book, The Great Wall Revisited, William Lindesay, continues to explore this passion.

Mar 29, 2010 - Valery Garrett

Every year, in May, thousands flock to the outlying island of Cheung Chau in Hong Kong to enjoy the Bun Festival held in honor of the Daoist god of the north, Pak Tai.

Mar 16, 2010 - Valery Garrett

Hong Kong has a reputation for being the suit-capital of the East. Though the days of the twenty-four hour suit is mostly past, it is still possible to get one in a day.

Mar 7, 2010 - Valery Garrett

Hong Kong has long been famous for its twenty-four hour suits - measured, cut, sewn and delivered to the hotel within a day.

Mar 7, 2010 - Valery Garrett

Old maps are a source of great fascination. They tell how people viewed the world centuries ago, as well as often being a good investment.

Mar 7, 2010 - Valery Garrett

In the middle of the last century, London was the world's leading port, and the Docklands, in the East End, employed a quarter of a million people.

Mar 3, 2010 - Valery Garrett

The nine ranks of Chinese and Manchu civil officials in the Qing dynasty (1644-1911) were each depicted by a different bird.

Mar 1, 2010 - Valery Garrett

In the run up to publication, you've done all the right things. Since your book proposal was accepted, you signed the contract, and finished actually writing the book.

Feb 24, 2010 - Valery Garrett

The tradition of binding Chinese women's feet to make them appear as small as a lotus bud was thought to have started at the end of the Tang dynasty a thousand years ago.

Feb 24, 2010 - Valery Garrett

Though computer games are all the rage now, stamp collecting is still a popular hobby with collectors of all ages who also hope it to be a good investment.

Feb 24, 2010 - Valery Garrett

Opium was first introduced into China during the Tang dynasty by Arab traders and taken orally as a medicinal aid.

Feb 21, 2010 - Valery Garrett

China was using currency as far back as the Shang dynasty (1600c-1100cBC) in the form of small cowrie sea shells.

Feb 21, 2010 - Valery Garrett

Revered by Chinese connoisseurs for 6,000 years jade is considered to be the most imperial of all precious stones in China.

Feb 18, 2010 - Valery Garrett

Jade lovers head for this unique market where stalls display valuable jade jewelry and carvings to small inexpensive trinkets made of semi-precious stones.

Feb 17, 2010 - Valery Garrett

Many centuries' old textiles and rugs have been brought out of Tibet in recent years, especially into Hong Kong, where they emerge in surprisingly good condition.

Feb 15, 2010 - Valery Garrett

Europeans introduced snuff, made from ground tobacco spiced with aromatic herbs, into China during the Ming dynasty (1368-1644) to ease nasal congestion.

Feb 12, 2010 - Valery Garrett

Because the Chinese language is phonetic many things are symbolic because the word sounds the same as something thought to be lucky.

Feb 10, 2010 - Valery Garrett

Symbolism plays an important role in the folklore of many societies, with certain objects or species being endowed with protective or propitious properties.

Feb 10, 2010 - Valery Garrett

Chinese children's clothing and accessories in the Qing dynasty and the early twentieth century were decorated with auspicious symbols to protect the child from harm.

Jan 31, 2010 - Valery Garrett

Hong Kong is gearing up for the most popular of all the festivities in the Chinese calendar. This year the Year of the Tiger coincides with Valentines Day on Feb 14th.

Jan 26, 2010 - Valery Garrett

Auction sales and antique shops often have a ready supply of these intricately carved and attractively painted fans made for Victorian ladies to peek out from behind.

Jan 25, 2010 - Valery Garrett

In the years up to the mid 20th century, Chinese children would wear many types of hat from infancy up to early teens to protect from harm and foster success.

Jan 19, 2010 - Valery Garrett

In past centuries, everything in a Chinese household was covered in embroidery. Clothing, accessories and household furnishings were all adorned with embroidered symbols.

Jan 19, 2010 - Valery Garrett

Chinese people everywhere, from Bradford to Beijing and from Houston to Hong Kong, will welcome the Year of the Tiger when it arrives on 14th February.

Jan 18, 2010 - Valery Garrett

The fashion for bound feet in China died out decades ago, yet there are many collectors overseas who search antique shops and markets for a pair of tiny shoes.

Dec 15, 2009 - Valery Garrett

Valentines Day and Chinese New Year's Day coincide in 2010. Chinese people will have a double celebration when the Year of the Tiger arrives on 14th February 2010

Dec 14, 2009 - Valery Garrett

Embroidered purses were important accessories during the Qing dynasty (1644-1911). They are a unique choice today to hold a mobile phone or iPod.

Dec 13, 2009 - Valery Garrett

On the Chinese bride's wedding day, she has her Jimmy Choos in both camps, east and west, old and new. Her dresses and her jewelry are both traditional and modern.

Dec 8, 2009 - Valery Garrett

Chinese people worshipped the powerful and dynamic dragon for thousands of years. The supernatural beast represented China appearing on robes, coins and the national flag

Dec 6, 2009 - Valery Garrett

Antique prints of Hong Kong and China bring back memories from another age. Not only do they give pleasure, they appreciate in value as well.

Dec 3, 2009 - Valery Garrett

Antique Chinese rank badges were symbols of wealth and power in the Qing Dynasty, and are keenly collected today by enthusiasts of both Chinese history and embroidery.

Dec 1, 2009 - Valery Garrett

Hong Kong's five-star restaurants are always busy, but local food in casual settings is favored by many for its flavor and low price, even appearing in the Michelin Guide

Nov 30, 2009 - Valery Garrett

Ever since dragon robes and bound feet shoes were brought out of China at the beginning of the twentieth century, Asian embroidery has fascinated westerners.

Nov 27, 2009 - Valery Garrett

For the past twenty years Lan Kwai Fong (LKF) has become Hong Kong's most popular expatriate and local haunt for drinking, dining and clubbing.

Nov 26, 2009 - Valery Garrett

Can there be a better bargain anywhere than a HK$2.30 (US$0.30) ride on the renowned Star Ferry crossing the world famous harbor from Hong Kong to Kowloon?

Nov 22, 2009 - Valery Garrett

Some of the world's best public buildings, all designed by renowned architects, are scheduled to be ready when Guangzhou hosts the 16th Asian Games in November 2010.

Nov 19, 2009 - Valery Garrett

Hong Kong is a great place to buy antique Chinese furniture. Elegant Ming chairs or a converted Qing wedding cabinet to hold a TV, all here for the choosing.

Nov 18, 2009 - Valery Garrett

The Malaysian island of Penang is best known today for its beaches and laid back lifestyle. But in earlier times it was famous for spices - cloves, nutmeg and peppercorns

Nov 17, 2009 - Valery Garrett