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2023, Fri

Mar

17

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St. Patrick’s Day Facts

we bet you didn’t know!

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St. Patrick: Neither Irish Nor Named Patrick

St. Patrick, Ireland, St. Patrick’s Day. Simple, right? The man wasn’t even Irish! He was actually born in Britain around the turn of the 4th century. At 16 years old, Irish raiders captured him in the midst of an attack on his family’s estate. The raiders then took him to Ireland and held him captive for six years. After escaping, he went back to England for religious training and was sent back to Ireland many years later as a missionary. St. Patrick was actually born Maewyn Succat, according to legend; he changed his name to Patricius, or Patrick, which derives from the Latin term for “father figure,” when he became a priest.

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The Blarney Stone

It’s supposed to give you “the gift of gab,” but it can also give you a stiff neck — and countless germs. The Blarney Stone is a must-see tourist destination in Blarney Castle, near Cork, Ireland, and 400,000 visitors line up every year to kiss it in hopes of boosting their eloquence. But it isn’t so easy to smooch the stone — you must sit on a ledge while someone holds down your legs, then bend over backward while holding iron rails until your face is level with the stone. Congrats, you’ve now kissed a surface similarly kissed by hundreds of thousands of others. Hopefully the gift of gab is worth the bacteria.

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There Were No Snakes in Ireland

The legend of St. Patrick says that he is celebrated for driving all the snakes out of Ireland, which to this day, is a snake-free zone. The only problem with this legend is that biologists now believe there were never snakes in Ireland. Based on its geographical location and the temperature of the ocean surrounding it, snakes had no way of ever migrating to the island. Most likely, the legend of the snakes is a metaphor for St. Patrick driving paganism out of Ireland by converting so many people to Christianity.

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March 17

St. Patrick died more than 1,500 years ago on March 17. It’s now the saint’s designated feast day. According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, we have theologian Luke Wadding to thank for the celebration’s permanence: “Each year Wadding kept the Feast of St. Patrick with great solemnity, and it is due to his influence … that the festival of Ireland’s Apostle was inserted on 17 March in the calendar of the Universal Church.” While “great solemnity” has clearly not persisted, the date has held firm.

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St. Patrick’s Blue

Saint Patrick’s color was blue, not green, say historians. The hue — St. Patrick’s blue, a lighter shade — can still be seen on ancient Irish flags and was used on armbands and flags by members of the Irish Citizen Army, whose 1916 Easter Rising attempted to end British rule. But the use of green on St. Patrick’s Day began during the 1798 Irish Rebellion, when the clover became a symbol of nationalism and the “wearing of the green” on lapels became regular practice. The green soon spread to uniforms as well. That evolution, combined with the idea of Ireland’s lush green fields, eventually made blue a thing of the past.

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Irish Bars Were Closed

Ireland has been officially celebrating St. Patrick’s Day since 1903, when Irish politician James O’Mara introduced a bill in Westminster that made it an official public holiday back in his homeland. But not until the 1960s could you find revellers celebrating at a bar. Ireland is heavily Catholic, and St. Patrick’s Day falls during Lent, which means that although celebratory feasts and drinks were allowed, an all-night party seemed a little too sinful. Fearing excessive drinking, Ireland introduced a law that forced all pubs to close on March 17. Luckily for beermakers, the law was repealed in 1961. The Irish are now free to get as drunk as the Americans who use the day to get drunk celebrating the Irish.

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St. Patrick’s Day Parades Started in the U.S.

The first St. Patrick’s Day parade wasn’t held in Ireland but in the U.S. Well, technically “the colonies.” In 1762, Irish soldiers serving in the English army celebrated the holiday by marching through the streets of New York City. By 1848, the parade was an official city event and today nearly 3 million people line New York City’s streets to watch the five-hour-long, 150,000-participant procession.

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The River Runs Green in Chicago

Chicago invented its own St. Patrick’s Day tradition: it dyes the Chicago River green. In 1962 sanitation workers realized that the green vegetable dye they used to check for illegally dumped sewage could double as a St. Patrick’s Day decoration. The city has been greenifying its waterways ever since. Unfortunately, the color lasts only for a few hours.

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St. Patrick’s Day Cards

Apparently, they’re really popular. Hallmark started producing the green-themed cards back in the early 1920s. They now offer more than 100 cards dedicated to the holiday. There’s the one of a Dalmatian covered in four-leaf clover instead of black spots. It reads, “On St. Patrick’s Day, everybody’s Irish.” There’s also an e-card with a dancing mug of green beer set to Men Without Hats’ “Safety Dance.” Hallmark says 12 million Americans exchange St. Patrick’s Day cards each year. The company’s sales are highest in the Northeast, with New York City topping the list.

 

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2023, Fri

Mar

17

Happy St. Patrick’s Day! May the luck of the Irish be with you!

食派士为您准备了St. Patrick’s Day随机红包,请点击图片领取你的优惠券哦!
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Looking for a fun place to enjoy the festivities? We’ve got you covered. Check out these top St. Patrick’s Day hotspots in Shanghai:

The Blarney Stone

77 Yongkang Lu, near Xiangyang Lu

永康路77号, 近襄阳路

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Big Bamboo

Big Bamboo Jinqiao-381 Hongfeng Lu, Pudong

大竹子金桥店-浦东新区红枫路381号

Big Bamboo Hongqiao,Lane 20, 3338 Hongmei Lu

大竹子虹桥店,闵行区虹梅路3338弄老外街20号

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The Rooster

JIANGNING LU#107 

江宁路445号-107

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Home Slice Pizza
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The Brew
The BREW (Kerry Hotel Pudong, Shanghai)1388 Huamu Lu, by Fangdian Lu 
花木路1388号, 近芳甸路.
 

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Yum, Green Beer and great Pizza!

Just remember – stock up on all those hangover cures before you head out to party. Dragging yourself out of bed and into the nearest Family Mart like a zombie the next morning is no fun. 
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pi1

2023, Thu

Mar

16

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单人尝鲜价 ¥48
双人套餐尝鲜 ¥95 
(每日11点起供应。优惠价到4月30日至)
两件店都有卖
低脂肉燥饭 (可选纯素)
+ 小菜(可重复选)
+ 热茶 / 软饮料
ZAOKA SINGLE SET ¥48 / 
DOUBLE SET ¥99 
Available at both locations from 11am
Promotion set until Apr 30
Taiwanese Low Fat Braised Pork Rice
(Vegan option available)
+ Side Veggies
+ Hot Tea / Soft
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visa

2023, Thu

Mar

16

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We’re saying goodbye to the last vestiges of ‘Dynamic Zero COVID’! For the first time since the start of 2020, all visa types for foreigners are back to normal. This isn’t a rumor. The news comes directly from China’s Embassy in the United States and was later reported on by major media outlets like CGTN and Reuters.

This is fantastic news, as countless people have been separated from family members, delayed their studies, halted business travel, and put their dream travels on hold.

Here are five important details from the announcement:

1. Valid Visas Issued Prior to March 28, 2020 Can Be Used To Enter China

 

Holders of those 10 year tourist visas, rejoice! You won’t have to go through the process again. Any valid visa (not expired or cancelled) can be used to enter China. Regardless of whether it was issued before China imposed COVID restrictions on March 28, 2020 or after, all valid visas are good to use. 

2. ALL Visa Types Will Be Issued Again

All means all! Tourist L Visas are on the table once again. Definitely check with the nearest Chinese embassy or consulate to see the specific application requirements before you go ahead and buy that plane ticket though. 

3. Port Visas are Back 

The port visa aka visa-on-arrival program is back again. Travelers from certain countries can secure visas on arrival for quick visits to certain cities. These are the locations that offered port visas before COVID restrictons started:

  • Beijing
  • Chengdu
  • Chongqing
  • Dalian
  • Fuzhou
  • Guangzhou
  • Guilin
  • Haikou
  • Hangzhou
  • Heihe, Heilongjiang province (bordering Russia)
  • Jinan
  • Kunming
  • Nanjing
  • Qingdao
  • Sanya
  • Shanghai
  • Shenyang
  • Suifenhe, Heilongjiang province (bordering Russia)
  • Tianjin
  • Wuhan
  • Xiamen
  • Xi’an
  • Weihai
  • Yantai
  • Zhuhai
Port visas are usually for quick visits – valid for anywhere between 48 to 144 hours. Make sure to check if your nationality is eligible for a port visa before hopping on a plane without a visa already secured.  

4. Visa-Free Travel Resumes

 

We didn’t even realize this was a thing before, but visa-free travel for the following types of arrivals will resume: 

  • Hainan Island tourism.

  • Entering Shanghai via cruise ship
  • Foreigners residing in Hong Kong or Macao Special Administrative Regions who travel to the Chinese mainland in a tour group
  • Those in ASEAN tour groups who visit Guilin in Guangxi Province. 

5. Pre Arrival COVID Testing Update

Starting on March 1, 2023, a 48-hour negative PCR test is no longer  required for those traveling to China. The PCR test can be replaced with a rapid antigen test (RAT) that allows for self-testing and isn’t even checked by the airlines at departure. However, travelers to the mainland are still required to fill out China’s Customs Declaration which asks for a negative rapid antigen test from 48 hours before arrival. Fingers crossed that testing requirements go away too!
 
So glad for another step towards full normalcy. Happy travels!

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