Archive for the year 2010
Real Estate in China Posted by Transparent Language on Feb 25, 2010
Yesterday I was walking in a 商场 (mall) in Shenzhen, and I found the 走道 (corridor) to be rather 暗 (dark) except for emergency lighting. It’s difficult to say if this was an early sign of the 房地产泡沫 (real estate bubble) in China, but at least 20 storefronts had 旺铺招租 (hot shop for rent) signs…
Dryer Woes Posted by Transparent Language on Feb 24, 2010
In my previous apartment in Beijing, the washer broke. In this apartment, the dryer does not work. Because the dryer does not work, we had to purchase a 超静型干衣机 (super-quiet dryer), which occupies a significant amount of floorspace and resembles an inflated 气球 (balloon). My washer has a 烘干 (drying) 功能 (function), but it appears…
Border Delay Posted by Transparent Language on Feb 23, 2010
Yesterday I was crossing back into Shenzhen from Hong Kong when something out of the ordinary happened. The immigration officer at the desk felt strongly that the photo on my 护照 (passport) did not 像 (look like) the person standing in front of her. She consulted with the officer sitting adjacent to her, and then…
Shanzhai Phones Posted by Transparent Language on Feb 20, 2010
When I told a friend of mine that an overwhelming amount of of the world’s 山寨 (bandit, or knockoff- see below) phones were manufactured within a 半径 (radius) of 2 miles from my apartment, he 怀疑 (suspected) that there was no way it could be true. Just yesterday, I sent him an article from the…
Chinese Tourism During Chinese New Year Posted by Transparent Language on Feb 16, 2010
I am currently writing from Laos, where yesterday I saw a large group of Chinese tourists busy on 春游 (spring travel). Several 房车 (RVs) were on the streets in Luang Prabang, not unlike some American tourists on tour. The tourists’ cars (they drove) 要么 (either) were from 云南 (Yunnan)，要么 (either, see below) were from 重庆…
Happy New Year! Posted by Transparent Language on Feb 13, 2010
Greetings from 老挝 (Laos) and 新年快乐 (Happy New Year) to everyone! This year is 虎年 (the year of the TIger), which marks the end of my own 本命年 (one’s own birth year), said to be the unluckiest/hardest year for people born in that year. For those of you born in the Year of the Tiger…
Angkor Wat Posted by Transparent Language on Jan 30, 2010
Today I went and saw 吴哥窟 (Angkor Wat), a temple outside Siem Reap, Cambodia. It dates back to the 12th century, and numerous national governments have 赞助 (donated money to/supported) the 维护 (protection/maintenance) of the deteriorating walls. It is indeed a 国宝 (national treasure) for Cambodia, and truly 具有代表性 (possess representative characteristics) for the country. Entering Angkor Wat…