Archive for June, 2008
Park Life Posted by Transparent Language on Jun 24, 2008
When spring rolls around in Beijing, it means more than just the appearance of green after months of grey and early darkness, more than singing birds and flowers and the occasional rain shower. To old school Beijinger’s, springtime means the beginning of park time, and Beijing’s many parks begin to show signs of life after…
The Mother of All Tests Posted by Transparent Language on Jun 19, 2008
Things that China lacks: oil, a decent network of highways, a quality control system for food and drugs, clean air in its cities. One thing that China absolutely does not lack: people. Everywhere you go in China, with the exception of some of the more sparsely populated Western provinces, you can’t help but feel surrounded…
Examining the Chinese Menu Posted by Transparent Language on Jun 12, 2008
The first thing you learn: nobody’s even heard of General Tsao’s chicken. Negative on the tangerine chicken as well, and the shrimp lo mein is nowhere to be found. The good news is, there’s mooshu pork a plenty, but if you’re going to survive for very long, you’d better have some idea of what to…
Misunderstandings: Do You Want it Or Not? Posted by Transparent Language on Jun 8, 2008
When I first started coming to China and getting involved speaking Chinese on a daily basis, I was often confronted with a situation in which I thought I knew what was being said because I understood each of the words used. It’s an easy approach if you’re translating directly, but direct translation has its faults…
Flying Pigeons Forever Posted by Transparent Language on Jun 3, 2008
More than any other city in any other country on earth, Beijing is a bicycle town. It is home to more than 10 million bikes and is accommodating to its bikers. Every road has a wide, sometimes very wide, bicycle lane on each side, and Beijingers make sure that the space is used. At all…