Archive for May, 2011
Riding That Train (坐火车） Posted by Stephen on May 31, 2011
Trains or 火车 [huǒchē] (literally translating as “fire carts”) are a point of pride among the Chinese–and for good reason. They are a huge source of travel and transport for people and freight in China as highway and road development is still lagging outside of most urban centers. When you think about it, it makes…
Making Chinese Words Posted by sasha on May 31, 2011
While the thousands of Chinese characters can be scary at first, it’s helpful to know that once you know a few, you can easily start building your vocabulary. In this short video lesson, learn how to make words by combining two or three different characters.
Table Manners (桌子礼节） Posted by Stephen on May 29, 2011
While most people that first visit China are shocked at the lack of proper etiquette when sitting down for a meal–don’t fool yourself–China has very particular table manner rules or 桌子礼节 (zhuōzi lǐjié). Unlike western eating culture, which espouses notions of individual servings, and stoic propriety, Chinese eating culture is all about the mixing and…
Subway (地铁） Posted by Stephen on May 24, 2011
The subway or 地铁 (dì tiě) is a relatively new form of public-transit making progress in Chinese mega-cities. More out of necessity than preference, the subway is quickly growing into a main form of transportation in Shanghai and Beijing for commuters frustrated with the alternative above-ground methods. It requires extensive planning, costly construction and millions…
Photo Gallery: Beijing Zoo (北京动物园画廊) Posted by Stephen on May 22, 2011
The following images are taken from the Beijing Zoo or 北京动物园 (Běi jīng Dòng wù yuán). Video Slideshow: Thumbnail Gallery: All photographs are courtesy of Stephen M. Fiedler, twitter: @seeitbelieveit Please contact for any use of these images.
History of the PRC – Part Nineteen Posted by sasha on May 20, 2011
After many years of a brutle civil war between the CCP and the KMT, compounded with the invasion of the Japanese, things were not looking very good for China in the early 1940’s. However, everything changed on August 6, 1945, when the US dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan. Another bomb was used on…
Badaling Great Wall (八达岭长城) Posted by Stephen on May 17, 2011
Badaling or 八达岭 (Bādálǐng) is the site of the most visited section of the Great Wall of China, located approximately 50 miles (80 km) northwest of urban Beijing city in Yanqing County. The section of the wall was built during the Ming Dynasty, along with a military outpost reflecting the location’s strategic importance. The highest point of Badaling is Beibalou, which is approximately…