Archive for December, 2015
Top 10 of 2015 Posted by sasha on Dec 30, 2015
It’s hard to believe, but 2015 is almost behind us. You know what they say – “time flies like an arrow” (光阴似箭 – guāng yīn sì jiàn). Ok, maybe you haven’t heard that one before. There’s a new Chinese idiom for you to start using to impress your friends! Anyway, back to the task at…
Real Chinese Food – Breakfast Posted by sasha on Dec 28, 2015
If you’ve only ever eaten Chinese food at restaurants in Western countries, you might think of it as General Tso’s chicken, egg rolls, and fortune cookies. Not surprisingly, the Chinese food in China looks a bit different. In fact, there are only really a handful of dishes that I’ve seen on menus in the US and…
Beijing Santa Con VII Posted by sasha on Dec 24, 2015
It’s that time of the year again – “Jingle Bells” is playing on repeat, shopping malls are having big sales, and 100 Santas are drunkenly parading in the street. Welcome to Christmas in Beijing.
Merry (Chinese) Christmas Posted by sasha on Dec 23, 2015
Christmas (圣诞节 – shèng dàn jié) is right around the corner, which is just as obvious in Chinese cities as those in the west. Just visit a shopping mall in Beijing or Shanghai, and you’re guaranteed to see massive Christmas trees, hear “Jingle Bells” on repeat, and see plenty of shops offering up holiday sales. While…
A (Chinese) Christmas Story Posted by sasha on Dec 21, 2015
Hear the story of Christmas and learn 20 words about the holiday in Chinese in just 2 minutes by watching this short video: 圣诞节 – shèng dàn jié Christmas 基督教徒 – jī dū jiào tú Christians 耶稣 – yē sū Jesus 平安夜 – píng’ān yè Christmas Eve 午夜弥撒 – wǔ yè mí sā midnight mass 圣诞老人 – shèng dàn lǎo rén…
Shangri-La Posted by sasha on Dec 17, 2015
After exploring the old town of Lijiang, trekking Tiger Leaping Gorge, and chilling in Haba Village, our Yunnan trip rolls on. Shangri-la (香格里拉 – xiāng gé lǐ lā) is a small town nestled in Yunnan Province’s north west corner. It was originally named Zhongdian, but they officially changed the name in December 2001 in an…
Chinese Winter Vocabulary Posted by sasha on Dec 16, 2015
With the days getting shorter and the seasons changing, it’s the perfect time to introduce some winter-related vocabulary in Chinese so you can talk about this season. If you’re the type of person who prefers summer, we’ve already taught some Chinese summer vocabulary, so you can study that and dream of warmer days in the…