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Jiuzhaigou (九寨沟) – Tibetan Villages and Culture Posted by sasha on Dec 18, 2012
Located in northern Sichuan province, Jiuzhaigou (literally “Valley of Nine Villages”) is a stunning national park. In addition to the beautiful scenery, there are also nine Tibetan villages both in and just outside of the park. Explore a Tibetan guesthouse and some of the villages in this short video. 九寨沟 – jiǔ zhài gōu Jiuzhaigou…
Better Know a… Province (Part Three) Posted by sasha on Dec 11, 2012
We’re going around this massive country little by little here at Transparent Chinese in this series inspired by one of my heroes, Stephen Colbert. So far, we’ve covered the two most famous cities in China – which are actually municipalities – Beijing and Shanghai. We’ve also explored two provinces famed for their heat – Sichuan and…
Chinese Public Holidays Posted by sasha on Dec 7, 2012
As an American living and working in China, now is the time of the year that I get the most homesick. On Thanksgiving, I miss Grandma’s cooking, the big family dinner, and of course, American football. While Christmas in Beijing isn’t so bad – thanks mostly in part to the drunken shenanigans of the annual…
Exploring Ping Le Ancient Town Posted by sasha on Dec 6, 2012
Cruise around the streets of Ping Le Ancient Town, drop by the river, and then head out to the Chinese countryside in this video tour. A stop at the Li Family Courtyard reveals farm life in a traditional Qing Dynasty era home, and a night in a guesthouse in the middle of the bamboo sea…
Advanced Time Telling Posted by sasha on Nov 30, 2012
Yesterday, I introduced a lot of vocabulary words and grammatical structures for how to tell the time. I focused mainly on the different parts of the day, asking for/giving the time, and talking about daily activities. At the end of the post, I gave you 10 examples to practice. Here are the answers: 现在几点？ 现在五点…
Telling Time in Chinese Posted by sasha on Nov 28, 2012
Something you eventually have to learn in any language is how to tell time. Whether you’re talking about your schedule, making plans, or simply in a hurry and without a watch, being able to ask for and tell the time is crucial in your everyday life. To help you out in your quest to master…
Golden Flower Mountain (金华山) Posted by sasha on Nov 27, 2012
Located just outside of Ping Le Ancient Town in Sichuan province is a quiet, peaceful, spiritual mountain. With elements of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism, this scenic spot makes for a great morning hike. Unlike many tourism spots in China, which are overrun by people and vendors, this place doesn’t even have a ticket office and…