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Feng Shui (风水) Posted by Stephen on Jan 13, 2012
Feng Shui or 风水 (fēng shuǐ) is an ancient Chinese system of aesthetics believed to use the laws of both Heaven (astronomy) and Earth (geography) to help improve one’s life by receiving positive “qi” (气). Also known as geomancy, this style of Feng Shui is done by reordering and moving furniture, room orientation and even wall/window/door locations to…
Qigong (气功) Posted by Stephen on Jan 10, 2012
I’ve been told that it is best to make decisions over the space of seven breaths. It helps, mostly because it allows you to slow down and fully weigh your options. However, it wasn’t until I started practicing tai chi (太极拳) and kung fu (功夫) that I learned the true value of controlled breathing and…
Greetings and Salutations! Posted by Stephen on Jan 8, 2012
When beginning to learn mandarin, finding someone to practice speaking with (and endure your tonal deficiencies) is no easy task. Even in China, the wrong pronunciation or a wrong word will leave you with a blank smiling face, and more and more frequently now, a response in English. Here are some greetings and salutations that…
Occupy Wukan, Pt. 1: The Leadup Posted by Stephen on Jan 5, 2012
2011 was a year of revolution. From the Arab Spring to the Occupy Wall Street, mass protesting, rioting and police suppression have marked this past tumultuous year. With economic recovery still slow across the globe, and with breakthroughs in social media and mobile tele-communications, people have grown fed up with “business ass usual” and they’ve…
New Year’s Eve 新的一年 (for the rest of us) Posted by Stephen on Dec 31, 2011
Happy New Year Everybody! 新年快乐! Here’s to 2012! Ok, before I receive a plethora of comments and posts about this not being the official Chinese New Year, I urge everyone to slow their roll and take a big, deep breath. Feel better? Ok good, because contrary to popular opinion in the mainland, the official, global New…
Worth a Thousand Words: Photos of 2011 Posted by Stephen on Dec 30, 2011
Following our 2011 Year in Review post I thought it would be fitting to reflect back on the best images from our blog in 2011. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, so without further ado, here’s China (from the Silk Road to Simatai) through my camera lens…
Christmas Vocabulary (圣诞生词) Posted by Stephen on Dec 25, 2011
Merry Christmas, everyone (圣诞快乐!). While everyone is celebrating/relaxing with family and friends, here’s a quick little study guide on Christmas vocabulary words or 圣诞生词 (shèng dàn shēng cí). Happy Holidays everyone! Christmas eve ►ping ān yè 平安夜 平安夜 Merry Christmas ►shèng dàn kuài lè 聖誕快樂 圣诞快乐 Christmas tree ►shèng dàn shù 聖誕樹 圣诞树 Candy Cane…