Latest news with #ChungWah
Yahoo
06-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
The sights and smells of Worcester shopping as it was
I SUPPOSE if you are of a certain generation it could be said when the world of music had Crosby, Stills and Nash in the world of footwear retail one of the kings of the street was Freeman, Hardy and Willis. Most town centres had a branch and Worcester's was in High Street almost opposite the Guildhall. Nearby was the slightly less legendary Chung Wah Chinese restaurant. Having been founded in 1875, FHW's physical presence finally hit the buffers in 1996 and now the Gloucester-based company operates only online. More: Let's celebrate the class of 2025! More of your Year 11 prom photos More: Forwarded letter's key role for diamond wedding couple More: Group feeling good after grant boost It's a sign of the times and if you go back 50 years you find that so much has changed on the shopping front. The rise of the supermarkets being the main thing. I can easily recall when my parents began making their weekly trip to something called a supermarket in the mid-1960s. Every Thursday afternoon they would make the car journey from Callow End in dad's two-tone yellow and white Ford Zodiac to a giant food store where you could apparently buy almost everything and cheaper than the village shop. Their venue of choice was Fine Fare which stood on the corner of the Bull Ring in St John's. It was probably Worcester's first supermarket and served the west side of the city while there was another branch in The Shambles. It was the start of a change and a shift from the more leisurely and intimate shopping style that had gone in the decades either side of the Second World War when there was an abundance of grocery and butchers' shops all over the city centre and on many suburb street corners. These were places of character with their sawdust-lined floors and their distinctive smells. Although by today's standards they'd probably attract the attention of the health and safety and hygiene police. The tangy waft of the cheeses would be OK but not so much customers coming eye to eye with a dead rabbit, a row of naked, plucked poultry or half a chopped-up pig. Post-war there were numerous family-run businesses right in the heart of Worcester. Witts, the drapery store at 48 High Street, was run by Aubrey and then son Keith Papps, staunch Rotarians both. When it closed in the 1960s the site was incorporated into an enlarged Littlewoods. Down in The Shambles, brothers Stan and Arthur Marshall masterminded Maggs, the gentleman's outfitters where hundreds if not thousands of Worcester parents bought their children's school uniforms. And what a loss it was when Beards in Broad Street closed at the end of the 60s. A time warp little food emporium, it was noted for its traditional cheeses, the aroma of which drifted down the street meaning you could smell Beards long before you got there. Worcester's changed a lot now and not necessarily for the better.
South China Morning Post
07-04-2025
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
What's your luck like for April 2025, the Metal Dragon month? Chinese horoscopes for wealth, health, love and work in a busy month that may push you out of your comfort zone
Chinese astrology is based on the three theories: the contrasting yin and yang; the five elements of fire, earth, metal, water and wood; and the 12 animals of the zodiac. Metal Dragon Month: April 5-May 4 Elements: Yang earth and metal Advertisement Essence: power, mysticism, nobility The third solar month of 2025 is influenced by the energy of the Metal Dragon (geng chen). The Dragon corresponds to the hours from 7am to 9am. This is a time of dramatic transition, when the human world and all of nature is waking up, literally and psychologically. The Dragon, the fifth sign of the zodiac, is the rainmaker, nourishing the crops and catalysing growth. A good-luck-enhancing dragon dance. Photo: Shutterstock The Dragon is dynamic, creative and hardworking – if a little anarchic or eccentric. Born with leadership qualities and harbouring an appetite for constant change, the Dragon is a law unto themself. A Dragon will obey the rules if those rules suit them, they'll even agree to be part of a team – as long as they're in charge. They can, as you might guess, engender jealousy and other passions that often surprise them. But the truth is that the first lesson for the Dragon is not to toot their own horn. Our environment is determined largely by mountain formations in Chinese culture; and in feng shui principles, mountains play a large part in determining auspicious placements for support and protection. Different kinds of mountains bring different kinds of luck! The most auspicious mountain is one with three peaks, so if you can see such a mountain from your home or office this indicates you may gain three types of fortune, such as respect, harmony and success. How Dragon-like are you? The dragon and lion dance troupe Chung Wah parades with a dragon in the Chinese district of Johannesburg, South Africa, in February. Photo: AFP Those born in the Dragon year tend to be healthy, formidable and charismatic. Because it is considered the most fortunate of the Chinese zodiac signs, you are blessed with power and leadership qualities. These visionaries are always bubbling with original ideas and have an infectious optimism and zest for life.
