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Useful Vocabulary for Shopping in China Posted by Ayana on Oct 21, 2019
When visiting China it is so tempting to go shopping. Every item I buy bears memories from another delightful trip in The Middle Kingdom. 买东西 (mǎi dōng xī) is a general phrase (verb + object) that literally means to buy things. It is a useful phrase, referring to almost any kind of shopping. I use…
The Chinese Flag Posted by Ayana on Oct 7, 2019
A national flag (国旗 guó qí) is an important symbol of a country (国家 guó jiā), serving as an international representative. 国旗是国家的象征。 Guó qí shì guó jiā de xiàng zhēng. The national flag is a symbol of the country. The national flag of China is a five starred red flag (五星红旗 wǔ xīng hóng qí)…
Visa-Free Entry to Iran for Chinese Tourists Posted by Ayana on Sep 16, 2019
Iran has decided unilaterally to cancel the visa requirement for Chinese citizens. The Henley Passport Index is a global ranking of the world’s passports (护照 hù zhào), according to the number of destinations their holders can access without a prior visa. It ranks the countries according to the travel freedom for their citizens. On the…
Teachers’ Day in China Posted by Ayana on Sep 2, 2019
Chinese Teachers’ Day will be celebrated this month on September 10th. An old Chinese saying says: 人有三尊：君、父、师 (rén yǒu sān zūn: jūn, fù, shī). It means people have three to respect: the emperor, father, and teacher. According to the saying, a person should greatly honor the emperor who governed the country, the father who raised…
Chinese Authorities Fight to Prevent Men from Exposing their Bellies Posted by Ayana on Aug 19, 2019
China tries to eradicate the Beijing Bikini custom. With the arrival of summer (夏季xià jì), as temperatures rise along with the humidity, people in China find ways to deal with the heat. Ways that not all authorities in China approve. Jinan city, for example, the capital of Shandong province, believe the scorching summer days (炎炎夏日yán…
Marriage in China Posted by Ayana on Aug 5, 2019
For the Qixi festival, the Chinese Valentine’s Day that is celebrated this year on August 7th, I delved into some Chinese marriage vocabulary. Marriage in China has undergone changes during the last century. In this post we’ll take a closer look at different Chinese marriage practices. 爱是婚姻的基石。 Ài shì hūn yīn de jī shí. Love…
China’s most famous actress announces split with fiancé Posted by Ayana on Jul 15, 2019
A year after getting involve in a tax evasion scandal, Fan Bingbing (范冰冰, 38), China’s most famous actress, announced that she is breaking up with her partner. On 2014, Fan Bingbing starred in a Chinese television series named The Empress of China (武媚娘传奇). Based on events from the Tang dynasty, the drama focused on the romance (恋情…