Archive for June, 2010
Urban Biking in China（城市的自行车） Posted by Stephen on Jun 28, 2010
It’s not surprising that there are more than 100 cities in China with a population of at least 1 million people. Following rampant development, China has turned to mega-cities as concrete jungles house nearly half of the 1.4 billion people in the mainland today. So even in a country geographically vast, urbanization or 城市化 (chéngshìhuà)…
Cheers: Drinking Culture in China (干杯) Posted by Stephen on Jun 25, 2010
I once found myself amidst an extravagant Chinese wedding in northwest Beijing, as one of only three guest 老外s in a sea of Chinese family members and friends. Upon entering the banquet hall, and much to my confusion, we were seated at the central table with the parents of the newly weds. Within seconds of…
Strategies During Currency Revaluation Posted by Transparent Language on Jun 23, 2010
Careful investors are watchfully waiting to see what will happen with the RMB over the next couple of months. As the Chinese government is the largest holder of US T-bills (there was a recent news article indicating otherwise, but by combining holdings between the Mainland and the Special Administrative Regions, it still is the largest holder) as…
Dragon Boating Posted by Transparent Language on Jun 21, 2010
Last week was 端午节 (duan1wu3jie2 – Dragon Boat Festival), the holiday which 纪念 (ji4nian4 – commemorates) commemorating the passing of 屈原 (qu1yuan2 – Qu Yuan), a patriotic poet who had been 放逐 (fang4zhu2 – exiled) from his country, the kingdom of Chu. He is commemorated because of his loyalty to the people of his country. …
Group Purchasing Posted by Transparent Language on Jun 17, 2010
While on the train to the Shenzhen border from Hong Kong, I saw a group of 12 people 手忙脚乱 (shou3mang2jiao3luan4 – lit. hand busy foot chaotic, “rushing”) to fit some objects into their bags. I had seen this sight before. There’s an interesting phenomenon in China called 团购 (tuan2gou4 – group purchasing), where large groups…
Importing the World Cup Posted by Stephen on Jun 14, 2010
While there is no doubt that basketball is the most popular sport in China, football/soccer 足球, zú qiú (literally foot + ball) is a distant second, especially among younger audiences. While played less frequently than basketball among amateurs, football is a massive spectator sport in China. Like basketball, football is a basic sport requiring only…
Career Exams Posted by Transparent Language on Jun 14, 2010
Numerous 毕业生 (bi4ye4sheng1 – graduates) in China are faced with 就业焦虑 (jiu4ye4 jiao1lv4 – stress about starting [their] careers), and are desperately seeking a 切入点 (qie4ru4dian3 – entry point) into their desired industry. Save for those who choose to 读研 (du2yan2 – attend graduate school), one eventually has to become part of the 上班族 (shang4ban1zu2…