Located just 140 km to the South west of Hanoi, Mai Chau valley has spectacular mountainous landscape dotted with house-on-stilts villages of the Thai ethnic group. This two-day trip offers an glimpse into the life of Thai people in Vietnam, with a combination of cultural sightseeing and soft adventure activities
Day 1: Hanoi – Hoa Binh – Mai Chau 08h00: Departs Hanoi 13h00: Check-in Mai Chau Lodge 15h30: Visit Soldier Cave, Walks to Thái villages of Pom Coong and Lac 17h00: Dinner; Traditional dance performance by the local Thái tribe
Day 2: Mai Chau - Hanoi ( Breakfast, Lunch ) 08h00: Breakfast and check out 09h00: Valley Biking 12h00: Lunch 13h00: Return to Hanoi
Early December, Asiana Travel Mate (ATM) holds an opening ceremony for our fifth office in Ho Chi Minh City, the seventh sales outlet nationwide, at 60 Pham Hong Thai Street, District 1. This is the latest step in ATM's continuing expansion of "Responsible Travel & Sharing" business in Vietnam and Indochina.
Customer and partner support is an important part of the office's success, and we thank all who came to the office warming reception to meet staff and gave good wishes. On this special occasion, we would like to offer customers who buy our services at the new office a 10% discount of any Vietnam Day Trip, effective from December 1st to December 31st inclusively.
Asiana Travel Mate is one of the Leading Tour Operators within Indochina. Our Travel Advisors have full Expertise in organizing tailor-make tours for thousands of Traveler to Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. with many more offices in Vietnam, We are ensuring your Safe and Memorable Holiday with our Ultimate Personal Care and our strong commitment to "Responsible Travel & Sharing"
SAIGON HEAD OFFICE: 113C Bui Vien Str., Dist. 1. - Phone: +84-8 38 38 6678 HANOI TOURIST INFORMATION CENTER: 7 Dinh Tien Hoang Str. , Hoan Kiem Dist. - Phone: +84-4 39263370 HUE TOURIST INFORMATION CENTER: 45 - 47 Le Loi Str., Hue City. - Phone: +84-54 3942 233 SAIGON TOURIST INFORMATION CENTER: 92-94-96 Nguyen Hue str,, Ho Chi Minh city - Phone: +84-838250615 TRULY HALONG CENTER: 21 Luong Ngoc Quyen, Hoan Kiem Hanoi - Phone: +84 4 39263449 CAMBODIA OFFICE: 117, St 6 Salakanseng, Svay Dangkum, Siem Reap, Cambodia - Phone: + 855 (0) 63 963320 LAOS OFFICE: 03/Ban Viengxay-Kithsarath RD, Luang Prabang Province-Lao PDR - Phone: +856-71 260 567
About the Author
Asiana Travel Mate, founded in 2006, provides customized inbound travel into Vietnam, extending to Cambodia and Laos. We believe in delivering services as promised, benefiting local communities and preserving the cultural and natural heritage of Vietnam
The following article is intended to provide some insight into the differences between the United States K-1 visa and the immigrant visas known as the CR-1 visa and the IR-1 visa.
Many individuals have misimpressions about how the United States visa acquisition process works. Some are under the mistaken impression that the entire process occurs at United States Embassies and Consulates abroad. In reality, the process usually begins at the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS). The Department of Homeland Security's United States Citizenship and Immigration Service is responsible for adjudicating immigration petitions brought by U.S. Citizens on behalf of their alien spouses or fiancees. That stated, USCIS is not the only agency that has a role to play in this process as the United States Department of State is responsible for adjudicating visa applications pursuant to immigration petition approval.
The CR-1 visa or IR-1 visa petition can sometimes be filed at a USCIS office abroad under certain circumstance. Sometimes, it might also be possible to effect what is known as a direct consular filing of a petition for an IR-1 or CR-1 visa, but such circumstances are a rarity. In many cases, the petitions for such visas must be adjudicated at a USCIS service center in the United States. Meanwhile, the K-1 visa petition can only be adjudicated at a USCIS service center in the USA. Although the K-1 visa is technically a non-immigrant visa it is treated in much the same way as an immigrant visa since such a travel document allows for a sort of dual intent on the part of the applicant.
Processing visa petitions and applications can be cumbersome in some cases as there are a great many bureaucratic hurdles which must be overcome before the visa can ultimately be issued. For some individuals, the Consular Processing aspect of the visa process may be the most cumbersome phase since there may be a great deal of geographic distance between the US Citizen petitioner and his or her spouse or fiancee in their home nation. Concurrently, the applicant may have a less-than-fluent grasp of the English language which can impede efficient processing in some cases.
In some immigration matters, individuals seeking visa benefits opt to retain the advice and counsel of an attorney as this can provide significant assistance to prospective petitioners and beneficiaries since such individuals can be apprised of their rights and prospective privileges with respect to U.S. Immigration law. Those wishing to obtain American immigration counsel, especially overseas, are well advised to check the credentials of those asserting to be an expert in such matters since only a licensed attorney from the USA is permitted to practice United States immigration law. An attorney's credentials can be ascertained through inspection of documents such as a license to practice law in one of the US State Supreme Courts, a Federal license to practice law, or possibly a State Bar Association membership card, depending upon the jurisdiction in question.
About the Author
Benjamin W. Hart is a licensed American attorney residing in Bangkok, Thailand. Contact: 1-877-231-7533, +66 (0)2-266-3698, or info@integrity-legal.com. See further: US Family Visa or K-1 visa .
Look Nok (35th Anniversary of Laos at Lao embassy in Bangkok 3/12/2010)
The following article is intended to act as a sort of primer for those researching the K1 visa process for the first time. This article is written specifically to enlighten those with a Lao fiance(e).
For Americans with a fiance or fiancee of any nationality the K1 visa process almost invariably begins at the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS). This office operates under the jurisdiction of the Department of Homeland Security and is responsible for making adjudications of United States Immigration petitions and applications. Officers of USCIS adjudicate petitions through application of rules and regulations as set forth under US law in the form of the United States Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) and later statutory revisions. US immigration law is a complicated and narrow area of American jurisprudence. This area of law can, at times, be difficult to understand. Some belabor under the incorrect assumption that USCIS approval is a foregone conclusion. This is simply not the case as USCIS can deny one's petition depending upon one's circumstances. If approved, then the approved petition will be sent to the American State Department's National Visa Center (NVC) for processing.
The National Visa Center acts as a sort of clearinghouse for visa applications as this agency is responsible for routing visa applications to American Embassies and Consulates abroad. Supervising such a broad and elaborate operation is a substantial undertaking that currently results in comparatively efficient movement of evidence and documentation regarding pending visa applications.
After a visa applicant's case file arrives at the American Consulate or American Embassy abroad, the Consular Processing portion of the K1 visa process can be initiated. Pursuant to the doctrine of Consular Absolutism American Consular Officers are permitted a wide degree of latitude to make factual findings in visa application proceedings. That said, American laws and regulations constrain legal findings pursuant to the language of the INA. Although, if a Consular Officer finds that a legal grounds of inadmissibility in a given case, then such a finding may only be overcome through use of an I-212 or I-601 waiver. Some individuals find that assistance of an American Immigration law firm can be highly beneficial during the K1 visa process as an American attorney can provide advice and counsel about US Immigration law and also provide services to streamline the processing of an individual's case. Legal translation can be critically important in a K1 visa case as identity documentation can be a necessity and sometimes difficult to get translated. In matters pertaining to Laos this can be of acute importance as government documentation can sometimes be difficult to retrieve.
Consular Officers adjudicating cases at any American Mission abroad make adjudications based upon the facts and the law. Those who claim any "special relationship" with Post personnel should neither be believed nor trusted as adjudications are conducted in a truly unbiased and professional manner. Those seeking professional assistance in matters pertaining to US Immigration are well advised to check the credentials of anyone claiming to provide US Immigration services as only a licensed American attorney is entitled to practice US Immigration law.
About the Author
Benjamin Hart is a lawyer from the USA and the Managing & International Director of Integrity Legal (Thailand) Co. Ltd. and White & Hart Ltd., respectively. Contact: 1-877-231-7533, +66 (0)2-266-3698, or info@integrity-legal.com. On the Web:
Growth is impressive … In the past nearly 10 years, tourism service and administration activities have been changed much. The results of tourism activities have reflected important growths and contributed to the cause of national industrialisation and modernisation, demonstrated by the increasing proportion of the industry in the country’s gross domestic product (GDP). Vietnam only served 2.33 million international arrivals in 2001, but the figure was 4.235 million arrivals in 2008, representing an annual growth of 8.91 per cent per annum. Domestic visitor arrivals reached 20.5 million in 2008, representing a growth 8.34 per cent per annum. Tourist product systems as well as infrastructure systems have been improved not only in quantity but also in quality in recent years as tourism has increased. With respect to accommodation facilities, in 2008, the country had 4,856 accommodation facilities with 123,050 rooms, including 296 facilities ranked from three stars to five stars. The room growth was 15.16 per cent per annum. The number of international and domestic travel companies continuously increased to serve growing number of tourists. By the end of June 2009, Vietnam had 764 licensed international travel companies, more than 10,000 domestic travel companies, and 6,000 international tour guides (at the end of 2008). Travel companies of Vietnam have caught up with the levels of foreign travel firms, and have increased cooperation and enlarged market shares. The most notable change is the soaring investment capital for the tourism industry by both domestic and international investors. Many world-class seaside resorts and ecological tourist sites have given a facelift to the Vietnamese tourism industry and made Vietnam a promising tourist centre of the region and the world. Incomes in foreign currencies increased from US$2.3 billion in 2005 to US$4 billion in 2008. Tourism not only has not only been good economically, but also has affected many social aspects of Vietnamn. At present, the tourism industry has 1,035,000 labourers, of which 285,000 people are direct workers and 750,000 people are indirect workers. As much as 42.5 per cent of tourism workers are certified and some 40.8 per cent of the tourism workforce can speak English, Chinese, French and other languages. Human resources training for the tourism industry have been improved. The country now has 40 universities with tourism training units, 43 tourism vocational high schools and hundreds of small-scaled tourism training centres.
… but unsustainable According to the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT), the development of the tourism industry was below the actual potential and the tourism industry has not proved its role as a spearhead for the economic sector. At present, Vietnam tourism is ranked fifth in Southeast Asia. Vietnam has a long coast with many famously beautiful beaches but the country fails to bring its potential into full play. The professionalism of the Vietnamese tourism service industry remains weak and it is apparent in all states from management, promotion, advertisement and marketing to the service workforce. Vietnam has not actually created trademarks. Thus, in the coming time, the tourism industry needs to continue advancing promotional activities in foreign countries. Additionally, the diversification and improvement of tourist products and services also needs more care. The linkage in developing tourism based on regional and territorial characteristics has proven its effectiveness and the tourism industry will pay more attention to this linkage to create interesting and characteristic tourism products and services to eliminate boredom of visitors. At present, Vietnam has many attractive places of interest which remain “hidden charms.” According to experts, Vietnam has rich potential to develop tourism. To exploit these advantages and create beautiful impressions on international friends, Vietnamese tourism industry needs a concrete strategy to ensure not only immediate economic effects but also ensure impressive and sustainable growth.
Le Vuong
Apply Vietnam visa online and Tours at: http://www.vietnamvisasupport.com Apply Vietnam Tours online at: http://travel.togo.vn
About the Author
Vietnam visa for us, that is Legal, Quick, and Economical. http://www.vietnamvisasupport.com was built for supporting you with updated information on Vietnam entry visa, suggesting you how to get visa to Vietnam easiest, fastest and reliable but cheapest way.
WORLD TOURISM DAY MESSAGE by Shao Qiwei Chairman of China National Tourism Administration
national tourism administration national tourism administration national tourism administration
Rigidity may be given when it comes to the appearance of books, but modern designers have seen to it that this doesn’t dictate the shelves that house them.
More than ever, personal taste is the deciding factor as storage space is given free reign to interact with design, user and environment. Go with the flow and put your book shelves on show.
1. Console Book Shelf:
Reading doesn’t get more comfortable than this. Regardless of where you like to read or study, Stanislav Katz’s Console Book Shelf will keep you engrossed for hours without moving rooms for missing material.
Flanked by two fitted shelves on either side and below it, the reclining part of this unit is as aesthetically appealing as it is functional for reader and book alike.
2. Lago:
When is a bookshelf not a bookshelf? When it’s a letter of the alphabet or a floating square. In short, a Lago invention. Well-known for their fluid, unconventional thinking, Italian masters of innovative furniture design, Daniele Lago and Massimo Bonnetti, have taken their free-thinking brand of expression to new levels with their floating ‘Shelf System’ range.
Called Tangram, the shelf system beautifully combines functionality and flexibility in its mission to create interaction between storage unit and items that are being stored.
By creating the illusion of weightlessness, the designers succeed in giving books as much prominence and appeal as the bookshelves, which come in a range of funky designs and shapes.
3. Bookcase Into a Bed:
A great solution for maximizing space, Karen Babel’s bookcase-cum-bed promises to expand limited home horizons.
The mattress, which is made of four interlockable pieces, forms the base, which surrounds five storage shelves when placed in an upright position on a wall-mounted frame. To form a bed, the mattress pieces are locked together – with two parts for a single, and four for a double.
4. Cave Book Shelf:
Inspired by the spacelessness of modern Japanese homes, Sakura Adachi created a womb-like reading room amidst a series of clean-lined shelf systems to keep the connection between reader and book as intimate as possible. Not for giants or those who prefer a more laissez faire approach to their favorite pastime.
5. Andreas Hegert’s Book Shelf:
A rebel with a cause, Andreas Hegert gives anarchy a functional meaning with this squiggly trio of shelves, which range from 40cm to one meter in length. If you’re one of those eclectic readers whose interests range from Tolkien to Hegel, this random collection of shelves will suit your philosophical rhythm.
Pay no attention to the linear structure of walls, floor and ceiling, but mind you don’t cover the light shades, which are made of powder-coated sheet and fitted with LEDs.
6. Good Morning Technology Bookshelf:
A modern take on Scandinavian Shaker simplicity, this Danish blue and white block effect uses rectangular wood and metal cubbies as both storage and structural support.
An added beauty of the chequered system lies in the fact that the height can be adjusted and books are stacked horizontally or vertically.
7. Bookseat shelf chair:
There’s something to be said for keeping all your books and magazines in the place that you want to read them, as this all-in-one unit shows.
Rated as one of 10 must-sees at Toronto Interior Design Show, this curvaceous plywood chair-cum-bookshelf doubles up on space and comfort. Available with a felt cushion in colors to suit your taste and environment.
8. Books To Go:
Find you don’t always work in the same part of the house or your home office is constantly changing dynamics? Rose Cobb’s wheeled unit not only ensures you can move your library with ease, but clamps your books securely on the shelf to ensure you don’t spend your life picking up after yourself. Five stars for functionality.
9. Nar Bookcase:
Another two-dimensional couplet, this metal coffee table conceals a unique hanging book shelf beneath its solid exterior. Like ribs beneath a beautiful carcass, the metal plates on which the books are slung by the bindings also serve as bookmarks.
The clean, masculine lines of the unit make for sturdy aesthetics complemented by excellent dust protection.
10. Bookworm Bookshelf:
Designed to twist like a centipede into whatever shape you require, the Bookworm Bookshelf is just that: a firm, flexible, functional animal which needs only books to complete it.
Using extrusion technology, Ron Arad added imagination to a durable product, topped it off with book ends, and came up with an innovative, elastic design to brighten up the most static of environments.
11. Twin Bookshelf:
Representing the two sides of Istanbul, Asian and European, Zeynep Cinisli’s design bridges the gap between design and practice. Using DNA-like strands as shelves between twin cells, the symbolism is all yin and yang.
Pushed apart, the cells are display mirrors of each other; pushed together they form a nucleic whole which functions as a wall cabinet. Symbolism at its most functional.
12. Never Ending Bookshelf:
Though it would seem logical to include logic in the making of a practical item like a book shelf, designer Luca Nichetto decided convention was beyond his idea of functionality.
The resultant “Neverending” spyro gyra which he created undoubtedly qualifies as a sculptural work of art, but it is not clear how it works as a carrier of hard-cover books. Vive la difference!
13. Knockdown Bookcase:
A boon for those who like to do it all themselves, Sung Won Park’s flat-pack DIY unit uses no glue, screws, wrenches or even instruction manuals. Modular wood boards, which are identical in size, are slotted into grooves in a supporting wall and the rest is up to you. As easy to transport as it is to build.
14. Insert Coin Shelf System:
Vaguely reminiscent of shoe racks which use vertical rather than horizontal stacking, this shelf system uses trays, inserted randomly at different levels on a colorful base, to accommodate just about everything you want on display.
Designed by Nils Holger Moormann, Insert Coin provides potential for just about every look: from higgledy piggledy to extremely straight and narrow.
15. XEL:
Believe that a tidy desk is a sure sign of a sick mind? XEL takes the concept to a new level with its aluminium and glass rendition of ordered chaos which ensures you can pack every size and type of book into one space without looking anal. Use it like jazz up a stale room or add contemporary pizzazz to a funky loft.
16. Shelf Concept By Okapi Studio
A versatile solution for those who believe their performance is deeply affected by their environment; Okapi Studio’s bookshelf design ensures boredom is out of the question.
Using lightweight modules that can be customized to everyone’s need, Okapi bends rigid shelf norms just enough to challenge the status quo, but not beyond the ridiculous. After all, it makes perfect sense to mould a shelf to fit the book, doesn’t it?
17. File Tree:
Essentially designed as a modern filing cabinet, Laurie Beckerman’s design is just as suited to books. Fitted with solid shelves emanating like erudite rays from a double diamond shape, her genius lies in its simplicity. Minimalist, functional and aesthetically appealing, this Zen item is a sparkling gem. 18. Split Shelving:
Constructed by cutting a log into four unequal sections and adding a few slats around the side, Peter Marigold’s honeycomb-like wall units provide endless possibilities for adding new honey to the book hive.
Another one is for those who are not crazy about order, but like a geometric slant to their décor. Descriptive rather than prescriptive, Marigold’s tantalizing solution is equally useful for stacking loose paper and other knick-knacks.
19. Flying Vee:
Like winged ducks in various states of flight, the L or V shape of this customizable design makes a versatile way of keeping your books in a row. Each sheet of bent metal provides space for one or more books to be catalogued or hung according to your personal whim. Fiction or fact? Let the shape of the book shelf dictate.
20. Fly Shelf:
Slick, slim and oh so Italian, this bookshelf system with integrated projection screen will ensure Fellini has as much pride of place as Dante. Keep those aging classics on the shelf and watch old original at the same time. Only those with a projector-based home theatre system need apply. 21. Elastic Bookshelf:
For avid bibliophiles, there can be few things more exciting than the concept of an elasticized book shelf. Made of wide conveyor-belt like elastic bands stretched between two pegs on a wall, Arianna Vivenzio’s invention does more than stretch the imagination.
Besides your beloved books, you can squeeze just about anything into the space in the middle. From CDs to boxes of memorabilia, the possibilities are expansive and the simple design lends itself to hanging a multiple-use series without spoiling the aesthetics.
22. Balancing Shelf:
Dubbed “Maintain the Balance of your Knowledge”, Denis Oh’s hanging shelf is sure to test your sense of equilibrium. Accommodating every swing of reading mood, the pendulum-like counter-balancers will ensure you don’t overload the heavy stuff if you want to stay on an even keel. Feel like dipping wildly? The choice is entirely yours.
23. Strip Shelf:
One of the few designers who can claim to have a foot in the green tree-hugging and futuristic plastic-loving world of smart design, Casey Mack has got it sussed when it comes to catering to a global audience.
Made of 75% sawdust, and secured with movable plastic book ends, the adaptable shelf provides a practical home for every description of book, while satisfying the aesthetic tastes of Zen minimalists. “If people’s hearts can be like the trees, they will not be off the Way.”
24. Pisa Book Shelf:
Operating on a similar principle to a deck chair, this tall narrow bookshelf is a sculptural piece and a functional whole. Though it creates an impression on its own, it is best accompanied by one or more copies for optimum effect. Lent a certain amount of gravity by the stark boldness of design, Matt Carr’s leaning tower is unlikely to fade into the background.
25. Droopy Book Shelf:
Though it looks like a see-saw that could whip in the opposite direction at any given moment, Jill Davis’s angled shelf has enough centrifugal force to keep it from flipping.
Minimalist in the extreme, its attraction lies in its sheer simplicity and mysterious capacity to keep heavy books afloat. Not quite library material, but ideal for all those manuals and self-help courses you keep dipping into.
26. Book & shelf:
While some shelves are purely functional, others entirely whimsical, Haba Yoshitaka’s concept takes individualist fetishism to the limit.
Customized to fit a given set of books exactly within a 36cm square, the unit is cut, assembled and glued around the owner’s personal collection which renders the entire freedom of choice. Ideal if you have a book collection on a specific subject, or want to win eternal points in the personalized gift department.
27. Wall Wave:
Multi-functionality at its most enigmatic, Yoon-Zee Kim’s flowing piece of furniture allows its usage to be interpreted by the user. A zingy, modular shelf unit easily doubles as a fixed seat and desk space or a platform for hanging pot plants and funky photographs. Seeing is believing. Functionality is in the eye of the user.
28. Cell Shelf:
A cross between a matrix of DNA cells and a ladder in appearance, this unusual stacking device has plenty of space for holding piles of all descriptions.
The thin, vertical shaft gives its height and space-saving points. 10 out of 10 for originality and maneuverability. Aesthetics and functionality questionable. “We shape clay into a pot, but it is the emptiness inside that holds whatever we want.” – Lao Tze
29. Rolling shelf:
A zany take on floating shelves, Catherine Greene’s design uses individual pieces of wood to stabilize stretched lengths of fabric, which can be rolled up according to the owner’s requirements or taste. An interesting space for blending book collections with decorative bits. 30. The Line King:
A grown-up take on the sketching exercise which requires you to create and complete a house without lifting your pencil, the “Line” furniture system does just the same to the interior of your home.
Using a single no-break line, designer Aykut Erol transports a work table, hanger, bookshelf, wine rack, CD rack, TV stand and lighting unit to your living space. Minimalism at its purest, the potential for storage is infinite and can be adapted to home or office. Sorted – in one fell swoop!
31. Fairytale Bookshelf:
A challenge to anyone who has ever thought that you can judge a book by its shelf, this whimsical winged creation gives new meaning to the concept of fairytales.
Enclosed in what looks like a horizontal clasp, one or two books metamorphosise into a giant butterfly when extracted from their pupa. Novelty value beyond 10.
Neelima Reddy, author of this article writes for HomeInteriorsZone.com. Home Interiors blog helps you learn everything you need to know about home improvement aspects. Know more about home remodeling, home renovating tips, interior decorating tips, etc. Visit Home Decor Blog
"Emerald river through a rock mountain" Mericanomad's photos around Konglor, Lao Peoples Dem Rep
Lao-Tzu's Tao: a contemporary interpretation for becoming a better person
THE TAO
45.
The Tao that can be walked on is not the eternal Tao.
The Tao that can be named is not the eternal Tao.
Tao has no name,
So it is the creator of heaven and earth.
Tao has a name,
So it is the mother of ten thousand things.
Without desire
Tao reveals its true mystery.
With desire
Tao reveals only a shadow.
It is the same Tao,
Only we give it different names.
The source is unknown,
But it leads to a life that is subtle and sublime.
46.
If someone sees beauty
It's only because they also see ugliness
If they see something as good
It's only because they see something else as bad.
Therefore, you can't have one thing
Without something else.
Some things are difficult because other things are easy.
Some things seem long because other things seem short.
Some things are up high because other things are down low.
Some things sound like music because other things sound like noise.
First one thing and then the other; front and back always follow each other.
Work without struggle,
Teach without saying a word.
Do not deny what is asked of you, even if it is ten thousand things.
Do them without claiming authority over them.
Do them without expecting favors in return.
Do them and move on.
And, the work you do will last forever.
47.
Tossing compliments around freely
Causes people to quarrel
And waste time trying to impress you.
If you value something,
Someone will try to steal it.
Keep it to yourself
Or you will disillusion some people
And confuse others.
Lead by clearing the noise out of people's heads,
Open their hearts,
And fill their bellies.
Weaken their desires and stregthen their bones.
When people are simple and free from desire
No one can push them around.
If they think they know the answers,
mess with their heads.
Stop doing stuff.
Practice doing without doing
And see what happens.
Everything will work out.
48.
Tao is the emptiness of a bowl,
We cannot overfill it as we use it.
It is the source of ten thousand things
Yet remains a deep, unfathomable mystery.
Blunt the sharp points,
Unravel complicated things,
Temper the brightness.
Tao is pure and holy
And goes on and on forever.
It does not need a mother.
It has always been.
49.
Heaven and earth do not wish to be good.
They deal with everything like they would a grass-eating dog.
Do not wish to be good.
Deal with people like you would a grass-eating dog.
Tao is the space between heaven and earth.
It is like a great bellows,
Empty yet never depleted,
The more it moves the more it makes.
Don't fill your soul
With trivial stuff.
Be cool.
50.
The fertile spirit does not die.
She is the first mother
Who gave birth to everything.
She is the root from which
Heaven and earth sprang.
She is an eternal mystery
She has no name.
Everyone has Tao in them.
Dim and barely seen,
Yet ever present.
You just have to use it.
Draw from it all you want;
It will never run dry.
51.
Heaven and earth will last forever.
Why?
Because they do not live for themselves.
Therefore, leave yourself behind
To find yourself out front.
Be defenseless to be defended.
Be self-less to be full-filled.
52.
Goodness is like water.
It benefits ten thousand things.
It fills the voids without working.
It always moves to the lowest place.
And as such is like Tao.
Good houses are built on good land.
Good minds are built on deep stillness.
Good associations are built on good vitures.
Good governments are built on good order.
Good affairs are built on good conduct.
Good moves are made in good time.
Accept where you are in life,
And no one will fault you.
53.
It is easier to carry a vessel that is empty.
If you keep working it,
It will lose its point.
If you fill your house with valuable stuff,
You cannot keep it safe.
Brag about how good you are or how much stuff you have,
And you invite disaster to fall upon you.
When you have done what you had to do,
Withdraw into obscurity.
This is the way of heaven.
54.
Can you let go and embrace the quiet spirit
While your head is full of noise?
Can you be like a newborn baby
While you focus on everything else?
Can you see past what is in front of your eyes
While cleaning your mirror?
Can you not be in charge
While leading other people?
Can you just let it happen
While it's happening?
Can you remain simple and true to your own nature
While you forget what you know?
Help others.
Help them to live and not hold on to things.
Help them without expecting a reward.
Help them without controling them.
That's the way it's done, it's called Hidden Virtue.
55.
A wheel has thirty spokes,
But it is useful because of the hole.
A pot is made from clay,
But it is useful because of the hole.
A window is cut into a wall,
But it is useful because of the hole.
Things work to our advantage,
But it's what they don't have that makes them useful.
When we work with something,
We use nothing.
56.
Color blinds the eye.
Music deafens the ear.
Flavor dulls the taste.
The thrill of the chase messes with your head.
Objects rare and strange,
Makes men evil do.
Seek to satisfy the craving of the belly,
Not the longing of the eye.
Better this than that.
57.
Winning and losing are just the same.
Honor and dishonor are just the same.
You are down because you once were up.
When you are in,
There is fear of being out,
The fear of losing out,
Is the great dishonor.
Trouble comes to those with a physical body.
What can trouble a free spirit?
Love others as you love yourself
Is damn good advice for he who would be king.
58.
We look but do not see,
We call it invisible.
We listen but do not hear,
We call it inaudible.
We grab but do not grasp,
We call it intangible.
These three names do not the Tao make,
But blend them and they become the one.
One side is not bright,
The other is not dark.
It is always moving towards nothing.
It is the shape of the formless,
It is the shape of the invisible,
It is the shape of the intangible.
We cannot tell if it is coming or going.
Cling to the old ways,
Experience the moment of now,
Know that to follow the path of Tao leads back to the beginning.
Which is nothing.
59.
In days of old, Ancient Masters
Were in touch with the subtle mysteries of the universe
That were too deep for ordinary men to comprehend.
There aren't words enough to describe how deep they were.
I can only tell you this:
They were hesitant, like a man crossing a winter stream.
They were nervous, like they were surrounded by enemies.
They were serious, like a visiting guest.
They were fleeting, like melting ice.
They were simple, like an uncarved block.
They were empty, like a valley.
They were dense, like muddy water.
Eventually muddy water clears itself
And the weary rest.
Those who walk this path are not full of themselves.
Because they are not full of themselves,
They do not appear all shiny and new.
60.
Empty your head.
Stay calm,
even when ten thousand things are going on.
Everything will flourish for its time
and then return to its original state,
which is nothing.
When something returns to nothing its destiny is fulfilled.
It has gotten it right with Tao.
Those who don't understand this
move towards screwing things up.
Those who do, always know what to do.
Those who are one with Tao, even after they are gone, got it right.
61.
In days of old,
People did not know that there were rulers.
In the next age, people loved and praised them.
In the next age, people feared them.
In the next age, people hated them.
Do not trust your leaders who do not trust in Tao.
In those days of old,
The Ancient Masters said very few words,
Which made each one important.
They did their work without taking control
And the people were amazed with what they had done.
62.
When people stop following Tao
Kindness and righteousness appear.
Then wisdom and level-headedness
And hypocrisy break out.
When harmony no longer prevails in the family,
Sons rise up.
When the state falls to disorder,
Faithful leaders rise up.
63.
If we stop being such cleaver wise-asses we would be 100 percent better.
If we stop being kind and moral, we can discover compassion.
If we stop being shrewd profiteers, thugs and thieves will disappear.
These three methods of elegant governing
Have often failed before,
But simple views and simple truths
Puts and end to selfish ends.
64.
Don't spend your time thinking about stupid stuff.
Why must you fear what others fear?
Everyone is running around trying to be happy
And having a good time.
I alone am drifting without direction.
Everyone else has more stuff than they need
And are excited about it.
I alone seem in want.
Everyone else is bright and clever,
Alert and self-assured.
I alone am slow and aimless,
Like the wind. Like the waves.
Other people seem to have it all.
I am different from other people. I seem to have nothing.
I am getting right with Tao.
65.
Focus only on the Tao.
Who can say for sure the true nature of the Tao?
You cannot touch it,
You cannot see it,
It's deep and dark as can be,
Yet within it everything exists.
And these things, truth does hold
The same today as in days of old.
The Tao shall not pass away,
Its beauty shall not decay.
How do I know?
I know because I know.
66.
The incomplete is complete,
The crooked is straight,
The empty is full,
The worn is new.
He who desires little, gains
He who desires lots, loses.
Embrace humility for all the world to see.
Be free from showiness to really shine.
Be free from defenses to really be distinguished.
Be free from bragging to really be acknowledged.
Be free from selfishness to really be superior.
Be free from strife to really be free from strife.
This is not given in vain,
The Tao sees everything as complete.
67.
When you have nothing to say,
It is a sign that you know yourself.
A sudden wind does not last all morning,
A sudden rain does not last all day,
To what do we owe this?
Heaven and earth.
If heaven and earth cannot make such things last,
How much less can man!
When you follow Tao,
The people who follow you will agree.
When you follow virtue,
The people who follow you will agree.
When you follow nothing,
The people who follow you will also fail.
Those who agree are happy.
Those who fail are happy too.
But if you're not happy, ain't nobody happy.
68.
It is not easy to stand still
On your tippy-toes.
It is not easy to walk
On one leg.
It is not easy to get somewhere
If you are showing-off.
It is not easy to get respect
If you are bragging.
It is not easy to get credit
If you always have an excuse.
These things are bad,
Like bad food that nobody wants
Or a tumor that no body wants.
Do not adopt them.
69.
Something existed before heaven and earth.
It was still,
And formless,
And did not change.
It stood alone and reached everywhere.
It does not grow weary.
It is the mother of ten thousand things.
It does not have a name
So I simply call it Tao.
But if pressed to give it a name;
I'd call it the great Tao.
Being great, it flows ever on.
Flowing ever on, it flows to distant places.
Flowing to distant places, it eventually returns.
And the return is what makes it great.
There are four great things.
Faithful leaders are great.
The earth is great.
The heavens are great.
The Tao is great.
Man takes orders from earth.
Earth from heaven,
Heaven from Tao,
Tao from itself.
70.
Heaviness is the root of lightness,
Stillness the root of motion.
Travel lightly,
Carry only what you need.
Sightsee along the way,
But never forget your place.
How can the king carry himself lightly around his kingdom?
If he acts lightly he loses his roots.
If he moves around
He loses his throne.
Better to stay in your place.
71.
A skillful traveler leaves no trace behind.
A skillful speaker makes no slip of the tongue.
A skillful thinker can do math in his head.
It is impossible to open that which a skillful closer has closed.
It is impossible to untie that which a skillful binder has tied.
It is the same for the skillful master,
He does not cast any away, therefore he saves other men.
This is known as concealing the truth of your actions.
A skillful man is the master of the unskilled.
The unskilled is the servant of the skilled.
It would be hard to tell which is which and who is who
If the servant did not respect the master, nor
The master appreciate his servant.
This reveals the utmost degree of mystery.
72.
The strength of a man
The gentleness of a woman
Flow together as one,
In him who remains simple as a child.
He who knows which is which and who is who,
Yet keeps himself humble,
Becomes the master of them all
On this endless journey
To return to the uncarved state.
Glory does not last
Neither does disgrace.
To he who walks from either
The Tao in him remains
Simple as a child.
Raw materials form the vessels,
Tao forms the void.
Faithful leaders form the government,
Tao makes them remain, simple as a child.
73.
He who wishes to rule the kingdom
By his own hand
Is doomed to fail.
The kingdom is a spirit-like thing
That can't be held by holding.
He who tries is doomed to fail.
And will destroy everything!
What once was the front is now the back.
What was warm now is cold.
What was weak now is strong.
What we have labored to build now mocks us.
So put away excessive effort,
Put away extravagance,
Put away easy indulgence.
74.
Help the Faithful Leaders stay faithful to the Tao,
Do not assert yourself with a show of arms.
What goes around comes around.
An army camped inside your borders
Sprouts thistles and thorns.
In the course of generations,
There are sure to be some bad years.
A skillful general strikes a decisive blow,
And stops.
He does not pursue
Complete control.
He is not boastful or vain.
He strikes because he has to.
He strikes not for the want of
Complete control.
When things have reached the end of their days,
They shall grow old.
This cannot be said of Tao.
Whatever is, that is not Tao, soon will see the end of days.
75.
Weapons are terrible things,
However beautiful.
Do not use them.
It is customary to consider the left hand favorable.
But in times of war it is the right.
The right to bear the arms,
Is repugnant.
Peace and harmony are the prize to favor.
Victory, undesirable.
To consider this desirable is to delight
In the slaughter of men.
He who delights in the slaughter of men
Cannot get right with Tao.
In happy times the left hand is favored,
In times of mourning, the right.
So then, the army captain on the left,
The general on the right
Ranked according to the number of men killed.
We should weep for them
When they return from war.
76.
Tao has no name,
It is forever unchanged.
Although it may seem simply small,
Its power is immense.
If anyone could hold on to it,
People would instintively follow him.
Heaven and earth, guided by Tao,
Send down the rain,
Without so much as word one from man,
It rains equally everywhere, of its own accord.
Everything that isn't Tao needs a name.
When it has a name, man knows how to use it.
When they know how to use it,
They can set themselves free.
Tao is like the great ocean,
Everything flows back to it.
77.
Knowing others makes you smart.
Knowing yourself makes you wise.
Ruling over others makes you powerful.
Ruling over yourself makes you strong.
To want only what you have is to be truly rich.
Never, Never, Never give up and Tao will help you find a way,
Be true to your own nature and you will succeed.
Live out each day, really live it up,
and in the end you will have really lived.
78.
Tao covers everything like a flood.
It flows in every direction at once.
Everything depends on Tao,
And Tao denies no one,
And no reward does it claim.
It accomplishes its tasks
Yet it does not try to control them.
Therefore, Tao may be called "little."
Everything eventually returns to Tao,
Even though tao does not control them.
Therefore, Tao may be called "great."
So do not desire to be great,
And you will be truly great.
79.
Hold on to the invisible Tao
And everybody will be your friend.
In you they will find
Rest and peace and security.
Music and fancy food can feed the body.
The truth about Tao,
As strange and unusual,
As bland and worthless,
As it appears
Can feed the soul.
It is inexhaustible.
80.
To breathe in, breathe out.
To weaken, strengthen.
To overthrow, elevate.
To take, give.
This is hiding the light
Soft overcomes hard,
Weak overcomes strong.
Fish shold not be taken from the deep.
War machines should not be seen.
81.
Tao does nothing
For the sake of doing.
There is nothing it cannot do.
If our faithful leaders could get right with Tao
Ten thousand things would develop on their own.
If our faithful leaders get out of step with Tao,
They will be drawn back by its simplicity.
Simplicity without a name is freedom.
Without desire imposed upon them,
Everything goes as it will.
About the Author
Mr. Young is a nationally certified activity director working at his local nursing home. He is currently working towards improving his state's education requirements for becoming a certified activity director. He has completed his master's level advanced coursework for his ACC certification.
He is an ordained minister and holds a MetD degree in metaphysics.
He consults with other nursing homes about how to meet spiritual needs and improve their activity programing.
Although Emperor Gaozu did not ascribe to the philosophy and system of ethics attributed to Confucius (fl. 6th century BCE), he did enlist the aid of Confucians such as Lu Jia and Shusun Tong in 196 BCE he established the first Han regulation for recruiting men of merit into government service, which Robert P. Kramer calls the "first major impulse toward the famous examination system." Emperors Wen and Jing appointed Confucian academicians to court, yet not all academicians at their courts specialized in what would later become orthodox Confucian texts. For several years after Liu Che took the throne in 141 BCE (known posthumously as Emperor Wu), the Grand Empress Dowager Dou continued to dominate the court and did not accept any policy which she found unfavorable or contradicted Huang-Lao ideology. After her death in 135 BCE, a major shift occurred in Chinese political history.
After Emperor Wu called for the submission of memorial essays on how to improve the government, he favored that of the official Dong Zhongshu (179–104 BCE), a philosopher who Kramers calls the first Confucian "theologian". Dong's synthesis fused together the ethical ideas of Confucius with the cosmological beliefs in yin and yang and Five Elements or Wuxing by fitting them into the same holistic, universal system which governed heaven, earth, and the world of man.
Moreover, it justified the imperial system of government by providing it its place within the greater cosmos. Reflecting the ideas of Dong Zhongshu, Emperor Wu issued an edict in 136 BCE that abolished academic chairs other than those focused on the Confucian Five Classics. In 124 BCE Emperor Wu established the Imperial University, at which the academicians taught 50 students; this was the incipient beginning of the civil service examination system refined in later dynasties. Although sons and relatives of officials were often privileged with nominations to office, those who did not come from a family of officials were not barred from entry into the bureaucracy. Rather, education in the Five Classics became the paramount prerequisite for gaining office; as a result, the Imperial University was expanded dramatically by the 2nd century CE when it accommodated 30,000 students. With Cai Lun's (d. 121 CE) invention of the papermaking process in 105 CE, the spread of paper as a cheap writing medium from the Eastern Han period onwards increased the supply of books and hence the number of those who could be educated for civil service.
In 177 BCE, the Xiongnu Wise King of the Right raided the non-Chinese tribes living under Han protection in the northwest (modern Gansu). In 176 BCE, Modu Chanyu sent a letter to Emperor Wen informing him that the Wise King, allegedly insulted by Han officials, acted without the Chanyu's permission and so he punished the Wise King by forcing him to conduct a military campaign against the nomadic Yuezhi. Yet this event was merely part of a larger effort to recruit nomadic tribes north of Han China, during which the bulk of the Yuezhi were expelled from the Hexi Corridor (fleeing west into Central Asia) and the sedentary state of Loulan in the Lop Nur salt marsh, the nomadic Wusun of the Tian Shan range, and twenty-six other states east of Samarkand were subjugated to Xiongnu hegemony. Modu Chanyu's implied threat that he would invade China if the heqin agreement was not renewed sparked a debate in Chang'an; although officials such as Chao Cuo and Jia Yi (d. 169 BCE) wanted to reject the heqin policy, Emperor Wen favored renewal of the agreement. Modu Chanyu died before the Han tribute reached him, but his successor Laoshang Chanyu (174–160 BCE) renewed the heqin agreement and negotiated the opening of border markets. Lifting the ban on trade significantly reduced the frequency and size of Xiongnu raids, which had necessitated tens of thousands of Han troops to be stationed at the border. However, Laoshang Chanyu and his successor Junchen Chanyu (r. 160–126 BCE) continued to violate Han's territorial sovereignty by making incursions despite the treaty. While Laoshang Chanyu continued the conquest of his father by driving the Yuezhi into the Ili River valley, the Han quietly built up its strength in cavalry forces to later challenge the Xiongnu.
