Archive by Author
China’s Labor Strikes Posted by Stephen on Jun 8, 2010
If you’ve been following the news of late, you’ve most likely heard rumblings about factory workers in China striking for better pay (most notably, at Foxconn). Someone asked me what these labor strikes mean for China, both domestically and globally. In terms of the effect on the rest of the world it will mean higher…
NBA in China (美国篮球联赛) Posted by Stephen on Jun 7, 2010
Move over pingpong and say so long to soccer because China has turned into a nation obsessed with the sport of basketball. Flip through the CCTV channels and you’re almost sure to find a replay or live match of the NBA finals with Chinese announcers calling the game. Walk outside to various parks and sports…
Targeted School Violence in China Posted by Stephen on May 13, 2010
If you’ve been following the news lately, you’ve undoubtedly heard of the recent rash of kindergarten and elementary school attacks from copy-cat killers in China. Using mainly knives or blunt tools as weapons, five men and after today, one woman, violently and brutally assaulted children and teachers, killing seventeen and injuring some 100 people. Evoking…
The Shanghai Expo (中国2010年上海世界博览会): “Shanghai’s Moment in the Sun” Posted by Stephen on May 3, 2010
As the dazzling displays of fireworks, interpretive performances and welling nationalist pride of the 2008 Beijing Olympics fade from international memory, another pro-China, six-month event (the largest and most expensive of it’s kind) has just begun this weekend in Shanghai, China (上海 Shàng hǎi). The Shanghai World Expo or 中国2010年上海世界博览会 (Zhōngguó Èrlíngyīlíng Nián Shànghǎi Shìjìe…
“Welcome to take Beijing Taxi”, pt 2: Directions Posted by Stephen on Apr 26, 2010
Once you get past simply telling the cabbie the name of the location, you can now move onto basic directions and driving commands. Not only does it help you get a feel for the city, but it keeps you practicing Chinese and will often lead to further discussion with your 司机 (driver). For Example: 一直走。西三环路出口以后，右拐。去到第一个路口，左转。往到北四环路，掉头。我的房屋在饭馆在小路的后面。再这儿，停车。…
“Welcome to take Beijing Taxi” pt. 1 Posted by Stephen on Apr 25, 2010
Until private automobiles in major Chinese metropolises all but choke traffic to standstill, the use of taxi cabs (出租车 chū zū chē）will be a mainstay of how you get around cities. Notice how I say “until” here, because traffic congestion in cities like Beijing, Shanghai and Chongqing has grown into a major fiasco. That being…
Getting Grammatical (语法）Who, What, When, Where Posted by Stephen on Apr 15, 2010
Many followers of this Blog have requested some basic grammar rules with explanation, so today lets focus on the basics of a sentence: Who (谁 shéi) What (什么 shénme) When (什么时候 shénme shíhou) Where (在哪儿 zàinǎr) *Note Why is not among this list, because it is a little more complicated in terms of grammar* Let’s…