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History of the PRC – Part Twelve Posted by sasha on Jan 3, 2011
At the end of Part Eleven, we found Mao Zedong and the Communist forces battered, bruised, yet still intact after the Long March. While enduring the hardships and struggles of their historical march across the country, Mao’s troops obeyed his Three Rules of Discipline: Obey orders in all your actions. Do not take a single…
2010 Greatest Hits Posted by sasha on Dec 31, 2010
It’s been a great year, and as much as it pains me to do so, it is time to say goodbye to 2010. For the last post of the year, I have compiled a sort of “Greatest Hits” from the past 6 months of video posts that I have been doing for Transparent Chinese. For…
Christmas in China Posted by sasha on Dec 27, 2010
While I realize that we’ve had two Christmas posts already, and that the holiday is passed us, I decided to write my last post of 2010 about Christmas time in China. Having now spent the holiday season in Beijing twice (2008 and 2010), I have noticed a much greater presence of Christmas here through the…
Santa Con Posted by sasha on Dec 25, 2010
For the past three years, Beijing has taken part in the worldwide Santa Con celebration around Christmas time. A huge group of Santas join together to sing Christmas carols and spread holiday cheer around the city. This year, we started the party in Wu Dao Kou (五道口), then rode the subway to Tiananmen Square (天安门光程)…
History of the PRC – Part Eleven Posted by sasha on Dec 20, 2010
In October 1934, Mao and the CCP began their retreat from southern China up north, in what would come to be known as the Long March (长征 – cháng zhēng). This was not just one long march, as the English name would suggest, but actually a year long process in which the Red Army marched…
The Fragrant Hills (香山) Posted by sasha on Dec 18, 2010
The northwest corner of Beijing is home to the beautiful Fragrant Hills, or 香山. It’s a great place to visit in the fall. That is, of course, if you can deal with the throngs of Chinese tour groups who make it the most crowded place in all of Beijing on the weekends. Forget taking the…
History of the PRC – Part Ten Posted by sasha on Dec 12, 2010
For Part Ten of this history lesson, we’re going to divert from the story a bit to focus on an especially important character in this saga – Mao Zedong (毛泽东 – Máo zé dōng). These days, you still see the Chairman’s face just about everywhere you go in China. From massive statues of the man…