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Postpartum Chinese Tradition: The Sitting Month Posted by Ayana on Aug 27, 2018
An old Chinese custom became controversial in recent years: the 坐月子 (zuò yuè zi) tradition. 坐 (zuò) means “to sit”, 月 (yuè) means “month”, and 月子 is the first month after giving birth. This ancient practice takes care not of the new born, but of the new mom, who have just been through a long…
How to Use the Adverb 究竟? Posted by Ayana on Aug 6, 2018
In our few latest posts, we’ve taken a closer look at some new Chinese vocabulary. We’ve learned to build sentences with the word 压力; to use the verb 熟悉; to emphasize contrast with the conjunction 即使; and learned about different uses of the character 老. Today we’ll enrich our Chinese with the useful adverb 究竟…
Smoking in China Posted by Ayana on Jul 16, 2018
China is the largest tobacco (烟草yāncǎo) producer country in the world. Many countries around the world cultivate tobacco, but China exceeds them all: around a quarter of the tobacco fields of the world are in China. Millions of tons of tobacco are produced every year in China alone. But more distressing is the fact that…
Chocolate in China Posted by Ayana on Jul 2, 2018
Chocolate (巧克力 qiǎokèlì) consumption in China is pretty low. An average Chinese person enjoys no more than 100–200 grams chocolate in a year, a tiny amount compared to the chocolate consumption on the west. Some European countries consume more than 4 kilos of chocolate per capita. Chinese don’t have the western habit of eating a…
A Chinese Revolutionary Song Born from the Xingtai Earthquake Posted by Ayana on Jun 20, 2018
Xingtai (邢台Xíngtái) is a prefecture-level city in the south of Heibei province. Located only several hours of driving from Beijing, Xingtai is an old city with long history, dating back thousands of years ago. Unfortunately, it is also known as the first city in the short history of the People’s Republic of China to be…
How to Cook a Chinese Dish Posted by Ayana on Jun 4, 2018
As a vegetarian, one of my favorite Chinese dishes is 地三鲜 (dì sān xiān). Not for its elegant name, but for its comfort taste. Whenever I miss China I enter the kitchen to cook myself 地三鲜. In couple of minutes, one pan and three vegetables, my house is filled with Chinese smells and tastes. As…
How to Deal with Pressure in Chinese Posted by Ayana on May 21, 2018
We live in a world overruns by stress. Technology made us healthier, stronger, and smarter, but human advancement has its side effects. The air is more polluted, the food is less nutritious, and we are always accessible, flooded with noise and information. No wonder 压力 (yālì), meaning “pressure” or “burden”, has become a commonly used…