Archive by Author
Hutong Life in NLGX (胡同） Posted by Stephen on Aug 31, 2011
Following Sasha’s recent post on Beijing’s NLGX district or 南锣鼓巷 (nán luó gǔ xiàng), I thought I would write a little about my experience living in NLGX in a traditional or 传统 (chuántǒng) open courtyard house, called a 胡同 (hútòng). Hutongs are essentially open courtyard building complexes, centered around The translation for “hutong” literally means…
Chinese Fire Drill Posted by Stephen on Aug 30, 2011
Well it’s back to school, and you know what that means: orientation. The following is orientation for an “Earthquake Evacuation Drill” which is essentially a fire drill or 消防演习 (xiāo fáng yǎn xí). I figured it would be a good reason to get out of the teacher’s office, so I grabbed my video camera or…
Back to School (开课) Posted by Stephen on Aug 29, 2011
Well it’s that time of the year again, when students of all ages go back to school or 开课 (kāi kè). As commencement gets under way, students or 学生 (xué sheng) should familiarize themselves with the mandarin basics of school vocabulary, especially if they are studying in the mainland. Hopefully these vocabulary words can help you…
Chinese Green Architecture (绿色建筑) Posted by Stephen on Aug 28, 2011
China, in its headlong attempt to modernize, is throwing up high rise skyscrapers at an unprecedented rate. Yet aside from all the cookie-cutter apartment complexes and standard office parks, a large number of “green” buildings are changing the skyline. Some look strange, others futuristic, but they all are part of China’s “Green Architecture” movement. Considering…
Recycling (回收利用) Posted by Stephen on Aug 24, 2011
Growing up, I was always told: “waste not, want not”. I would recycle, turn off lights and save water whenever possible. Yet after living in China, I realized that there was more to it than that. In my first weeks living in China, I soon found myself wasting more than your average 老百姓 (lǎo bǎi…
Subway Vocab (地铁生词） Posted by Stephen on Aug 23, 2011
Even on the Shanghai Subway, it’s a struggle just to get on (上车) and off (下车) a train before a wall of people or those sliding doors say: 不可以！ As you can see from the video, riding the subway is often chaotic and hectic. It’s not the kind of place you want to be running…
Chinese Currency Revaluation (货币升值) Posted by Stephen on Aug 22, 2011
After much anticipation and coupled with foreign and domestic pressure (not to mention the US Debt ceiling fiasco), China is finally poised to begin allowing a “gradual” appreciation of its currency against the U.S. dollar. Currency revaluation or 货币升值 (huòbìshēngzhí), has been a key issue for China and the rest of the world, as China…