Archive for September, 2012
Past Tense Video Posted by sasha on Sep 22, 2012
While talking about the past can be quite challenging in English, it’s really quite easy in Chinese. Learn how to use two characters to ask and answer questions about the past in Chinese with this easy to follow instructional video. 了 le 过 guò 你吃饭了吗？- nǐ chī fàn le ma Have you eaten yet?…
My Last Vacation (Part Two) Posted by sasha on Sep 20, 2012
In the first part of my last vacation story, we hung out in Chengdu – dancing with the locals, eating spicy hot pot, and of course, admiring the incredibly cute pandas. From there, we spent a few days enjoying the scenery of Ping Le Ancient Town, where we walked along the river, hiked up a…
Chengdu (成都) – People’s Park and Tianfu Square Posted by sasha on Sep 17, 2012
The capital of southwest China’s Sichuan province, Chengdu is both an ancient and a modern city, with a long history and traditional Chinese culture mixed in with brand new skyscrapers that seem to be sprouting up every few hours. A morning here is well-spent wandering the massive People’s Park, where locals gather to sip tea…
My Last Vacation (Part One) Posted by sasha on Sep 13, 2012
Recently I covered some useful vocabulary and phrases for planning a vacation. Well, today I’m going to tell you about my last vacation… in Chinese. For those of you more advanced folks, or those who are really focusing on practicing your reading of Chinese characters, the first part is for you. It is the first…
Chinese Games Posted by sasha on Sep 10, 2012
While strolling the streets of any Chinese city, it’s not uncommon to find crowds of people huddled around a table, watching the action unfold intently. You find yourself wondering, “What exactly are they so focused on?” Becoming yourself, you slowly creep up to take a peek, even though you’re just a tiny bit worried that…
Qufu – Confucian Mansion and Cemetery Posted by sasha on Sep 5, 2012
In addition to the massive Confucius Temple, the hometown of the Great Sage also includes the Confucian Mansion and Cemetery. See where the descendants of Master Kong lived and worked, and where thousands of them are buried in a grand forest in this short video tour. 三孔 – sān kǒng three Confucian Sites 孔府…
Taking a Vacation Posted by sasha on Sep 2, 2012
September is here, which means the summer holiday (暑假 – shǔ jià) has come to an end, and children all around the world are going back to school. Luckily for Chinese students, there’s another holiday coming up in just a few short weeks. As a matter of fact, this year there are TWO holidays back to back…