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Four Sacred Buddhist Mountains Posted by sasha on Nov 24, 2012
A while back, we introduced China’s Five Great Mountains. Well, there’s more to China’s mountains than just those five, so today we’ll take a look at the Four Sacred Buddhist Mountains (四大佛教名山 – sì dà fó jiào míng shān) as well. After all, a big part of Chinese culture is making a pilgrimage (朝圣 – cháo…
Crosstalk Posted by sasha on Nov 21, 2012
In America, we have a thing called stand-up comedy. This popular form of entertainment consists of a comedian literally standing up at the front of a club, grabbing a microphone, and telling jokes for a while. Stand-up shows vary from the tiny hole-in-the-wall club where amateurs try to catch a break, to huge shows in…
Ping Le Ancient Town Posted by sasha on Nov 17, 2012
Just 90 km west of Chengdu in Sichuan province, you’ll find Ping Le Ancient Town (平乐古镇 – píng lè gǔ zhèn). Many years ago, this little town was an important stop on the Tea Horse Road (茶马道 – chá mǎ dào). Along this road, mules would take tea and other goods from southwest China to…
Better Know A… Province (Part Two) Posted by sasha on Nov 14, 2012
For those of you who are just joining this ongoing series, so far we’ve covered two municipalities (Beijing and Shanghai) and one province (Sichuan). Today, we’re going to make a big leap from the land of pandas and hot pot in southwest China to the complete opposite corner of the country as we explore Heilongjiang…
Get Your Drink On Posted by sasha on Nov 10, 2012
A lot of time is spent talking about food when you’re learning a language, but how about drinks? From morning to night, drinks are just as big a part of our day as food is. Whether you’re out in a restaurant (饭店 – fàn diàn), perusing the coolers of a local corner store (小卖部 – xiǎo…
Sichuan Opera (川剧) Posted by sasha on Nov 4, 2012
A great way to spend an evening in Chengdu is catching a performance of Sichuan opera (川剧 – chuān jù). Featuring elaborate costumes, music, singing, and dancing, it’s a highly entertaining show with a long history. Highlights include shadow hand play, the “rolling light”, and of course, the legendary face changing.
Chinese Power Change Posted by sasha on Nov 2, 2012
With the next American presidential election just a few days away and so much media hype surrounding it, there isn’t a whole lot of talk out there about the upcoming power change in China. Of course, this highlights two major differences between the world superpowers – while the US election is highly promoted, with candidates…