Archive for January, 2018
Getting Ready for Spring Festival Posted by sasha on Jan 31, 2018
There’s a lot to do when getting ready for Spring Festival. In the run up to the New Year, people decorate their house, stock up on fireworks, and prepare a massive dinner. It’s an exciting time full of food, family, and firecrackers. The festive celebration winds down on the 15th day with the Lantern Festival…
Taking the Beijing Subway Posted by sasha on Jan 29, 2018
When it comes to getting around Beijing, you just can’t beat the subway. The traffic on the city’s busy streets can be horrendous, making traveling by bus or taxi painfully slow. Head underground and you’ll seriously cut the commute time. Just try to avoid the subway during rush hour if you can, as it can…
Chinese Vocabulary for the Winter Olympics Posted by sasha on Jan 24, 2018
It’s an exciting time of the year as the Winter Olympics (冬季奥运会 – dōng jì ào yùn huì) are about to get started. You may be interested in the games and would love to talk about them with your Chinese friends or colleagues, but just have no idea how. Never fear, as we’re here to teach you some…
Best Places to go in China in 2018 Posted by sasha on Jan 22, 2018
For many people, their New Year’s resolution is to travel more or learn a new language. Why not kill two birds with one stone (一箭双雕 – yī jiàn shuāng diāo) by heading to China to do both? Not only is China an amazing country to explore, but English is not widely-spoken. This means you’ll have…
Kunming Day Trips Video Posted by sasha on Jan 17, 2018
There are plenty of awesome day trips from Kunming. Within an hour from the city center, you can be in ancient Buddhist temples, stunning gardens, or on top of a mountain looking out on the city. When you need a break from the hustle and bustle of the big city, you’ve got lots of options…
New Year’s Resolution – Learn Chinese Posted by sasha on Jan 15, 2018
The start of the year is a popular time to work on some New Year’s Resolutions (新年计划 – xīn nián jì huà). As Ayana discussed in her recent post, some popular resolutions are to lose weight or quit smoking. If you’re reading this blog, then chances are one of your New Year’s Resolutions is to…
Learn the Chinese Tones Posted by sasha on Jan 11, 2018
Chinese can be an intimidating language to learn, what with the thousands upon thousands of intricate characters (汉字 – hàn zì) that take years and lots of effort to master. If you want to be able to read a newspaper in Chinese or write a letter by hand, you’ll need a few thousand at your disposal. However, most…