The Yao, one of the 54 recognized ethnic minorities in China, number over 2 million and retain today many of their original traditions. Bright colors and silver adorn them and mountains are their preferred settling places. They form part of the colorful mosaic that China is.
“art is life, life is art” R. Armin
Everywhere you look in Lebanon, you find layers of history and ages superimposed upon ages, telling stories of kings, princes and rulers that left their mark on this small country. About 50 km south east of the capital Beirut, lies a small village on the shoulders of the Chouf mountains, and I have always been caught by its name: Beit ed-Din (house of religion, or house of faith). Besides its natural charm, the village is home to a beautiful palace. In the Druz area of Lebanon, the emir(prince) Bachir Chehab the second ordered the building of the palace by arab masons as well as Italian architects, which gave the building the distint style of traditional arab masonry mixed with a touch of baroque. Today the palace is partly open to the public and partly serves as a presidential summer residence.
The more I write about Lebanon, the more I realize that it would take years to tell its story with me and my story with it…
