Archive for August, 2013
Beijing Botanical Gardens Posted by sasha on Aug 30, 2013
Escape from the concrete jungle of Beijing and take a trip out to the beautiful Botanical Gardens. Explore the grounds, the greenhouse, and the Buddhist temple in this short video tour. 西山 – xī shān Western Hills 北京植物园 – běi jīng zhí wù yuán Beijing Botanical Gardens 一日游 – yí rì yóu day trip 休息…
Red Snail Temple (红螺寺) Posted by sasha on Aug 26, 2013
Out in Beijing’s Huairou district, you’ll find the Red Snail Temple. This Buddhist temple is over a thousand years old, and it’s a great place to learn about Chinese history and culture, while at the same time getting some exercise and breathing the fresh mountain air. 怀柔区 – huái róu qū Huairou district 红螺寺 –…
Escape the Concrete Jungle at Shi Du Posted by sasha on Aug 21, 2013
From the maze of skyscrapers and hazy clouds of pollution that are omnipresent in Beijing city, one merely needs to hop on a public bus (公共汽车 – gōng gòng qì chē) – number 917 to be exact – and ride out of the city 100 km to the southwest to find stunning landscapes and a…
Datong City Wall and Huayan Monastery Posted by sasha on Aug 16, 2013
In the final video for our mini-series on Datong in northern Shanxi province, we visit the recently restored City Wall and the recently renovated Huayan Monastery. With these historical structures being transformed and made into tourist attractions, Datong hopes to shed its image as the “Coal City” while bringing in more tourist RMB. 大同 –…
Resource Alert: You’ll Want to “Wolf Swallow Tiger Gulp” These Common Chinese Idioms Posted by Transparent Language on Aug 13, 2013
Wait, what? Did I just tell you to “wolf swallow tiger gulp” something? Yes I did. If you have no idea what I’m talking about, you should watch this quick clip: Does it make sense now? The Chinese idiom “wolf swallow tiger gulp” is similar in meaning to the English expression “to wolf something down”…
How to Buy Train Tickets in China Posted by sasha on Aug 12, 2013
Traveling around China by train (火车 – huǒ chē) is a great way to travel like a local and see the country. With a highly developed rail system that connects all points of this massive country, riding that train in China is much better and cheaper than flying. While taking the train sounds like a…
At the Market – Vegetables Posted by sasha on Aug 8, 2013
An important part of your daily life is going to the market (市场 – shì chǎng) to buy groceries. Of course, doing this in China can be difficult if you’re not a native speaker – you can’t understand the labels, you don’t know to ask for what you want, and you find things you’ve never…