Archive by Author
Book Review: Shanghai Girls / Lisa See Posted by Ayana on Apr 3, 2017
Shanghai Girls is a 2009 novel by Lisa See. As the title suggests, the book is composed of two protagonists: a girl named Pearl and the city Shanghai. The narrator of the book is Pearl, and while she is telling the story of her and of her sister, Shanghai embodies the story of all China…
Xu Bing: An Introduction Posted by Ayana on Mar 6, 2017
Xu Bing is a Chinese artist who has been creating works of wonder, blending Chinese traditions with contemporary art. The complex relationship between language (语言Yǔyán) and meaning has been a central preoccupation of his art. For over 40 years, he has attempted to discover Chinese culture (文化Wénhuà) through calligraphy. He is fascinated by the way…
Confucius: a Brief Summary Posted by Ayana on Feb 6, 2017
孔子(Kǒngzǐ, Confucius) was one of the greatest thinkers in the world. During time of chaos and war, he set new standards in politics, morality and philosophy. He became a statesman in China of 6 century BCE, and created the social foundations of modern civilized China. Here is a brief summary of his life. 春秋时代…
Chinese New Year Greetings Posted by Ayana on Jan 2, 2017
Happy New Year everybody! To help you celebrate, here are some Chinese New Year greetings for the 2017 calendar year and for the year of the rooster! 新年快乐 Xīnnián kuàilè = A generic, informal way to wish happy New Year, no matter which year it’s been referred to: 2017 or the rooster year. 新 means…
Five Chinese Tongue Twisters Posted by Ayana on Dec 5, 2016
Chinese pronunciation is pretty difficult. Some words are very hard to pronounce.Some sentences are tongue twisting. Difficult indeed! But no need to be afraid, just practice. There are many ways to practice pronunciation, tongue twisters is one of them. The more you say tongue twister the better, practice makes perfect. Today we will check out…
China Singles’ Day Posted by Ayana on Nov 7, 2016
Every November 11th, China celebrates Singles’ Day. Although modern and not nationalistic, Singles’ Day is a genuine Chinese holiday. Among a calendar full with traditional feasts, communist festivals and western celebrations, Singles’ Day is a pretty unique holiday. It was created and shaped up by Chinese youngsters, and promoted by local commercial companies. Chinese celebrate…
Chinese Food Vocabulary: 50 Words and Phrases Posted by Ayana on Oct 5, 2016
There are more than 3,300 branches of KFC in China. Coca Cola can be found in every supermarket all around China. Chinese McDonald’s branches are always full. Chinese people really enjoy western food. But they genuinely prefer Chinese food. And who can blame them, they have it all: spicy, fresh, alcoholic, cooked, sweet, vegetarian, fried…