Wikipedia

This task is really difficult for me, :-( because I used the “Wikipedia” for my reference in the assignment which I did before. I think it very helpful for me to find the information. After study this course, I understand it so easy to change its information by anyone want, and it could find some mistakes in the article. Finally, I found some information in the following articles is not correct or lack of some important information. :->

1) Peking duck (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beijing_duck)

*Raising the duck

“Newborn ducks are raised in a free range environment for the first 45 days of their lives, and force fed 4 times a day for the next 15–20 days, resulting in ducks that weigh 5–7 kg.” The correct: the duck must be of the white Beijing variety. Forced feeding method is used so that the duck, only after two months, can weigh 3-3.5 kilograms (6.6-7.7 pounds) when slaughtered.

*Cooking

“The ducks are hung on hooks above the fire and roasted at a temperature of 270 °C (525 °F) for 30–40 minutes.” The correct: when roasting, ducks are hooked in a spit in a huge, round and doorless oven, with fruit tree branches (such as pear or date tree branches) as firewood to lend flavor to the ducks. A steady temperature of about 270 °C (518 °F) must be maintained in the oven and the ducks be roasted for 40-50 minutes.

*Serving

Each duck is cut into about 120 slices, each with both skin and meat. There is also a proper way to eat it.


2) Forbidden City (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Palace_Museum)

“Built from 1406 to 1420, the complex consists of 980 surviving buildings with 8,707 bays of rooms and covers 720,000 square metres.” The correct: The Forbidden City covers an area of 72 hectares (178 acres) and total floor space is about 150,000square meters (1,614,000 square feet).

“From 1420 to 1644, the Forbidden City was the seat of the Ming Dynasty.” The correct: Large-scale construction of the place started in 1406. It took 14 years and was completed in 1420. In 1421, the capital of Ming Dynasty was moved from Nanjing to Beijing. Starting from the third Ming Emperor Zhu Di, 24 emperors resided here over a span of more than 490 years. Fourteen of them were Ming emperors and the other ten were Qing emperors.

For the buildings in the Forbidden City, they were built in many depth meaning and reason. For example:
“Entering from the Meridian Gate, one encounters a large square, pierced by the meandering Inner Golden Water River, which is crossed by five bridges.” The five bridges over the river, like five arrows reporting symbolically to Heaven, were supposed to symbolize the five virtues preached by Confucius—benevolence, righteousness, right, intelligence and fidelity.