Archive for 'Culture'
Two Year Anniversary Posted by sasha on Jul 17, 2012
These days Chinese is my 2nd language, but back in high school I was a Latin scholar. Of course, there are only a few Latin phrases that I remember to this day, one of which being “tempus fugit,” or “time flies” in English. This phrase is a little longer and more complicated in Chinese – 时间过得真快…
Chengde (承德) – Temple Hopping Posted by sasha on Jul 12, 2012
Located just a few hours northeast of Beijing is the city of Chengde in Hebei province. During the Qing Dynasty, the Emperor would come here to escape from the heat of Beijing. One particular Emperor – Qianlong – had two incredible temples built here. One is a replica of the Potala Palace in Lhasa, Tibet…
Better Know a… Municipality (Part One) Posted by sasha on Jul 3, 2012
In a new series here on the Transparent Chinese blog, we’ll be diving deeper into China by examining the various regions of this massive country, one by one. In a nod to Stephen Colbert and his “Better Know a District” segment, we’ll be looking closely at each region and introducing some basic facts and interesting…
Dragon Boat Festival (端午节) Posted by sasha on Jun 22, 2012
Today is the Dragon Boat Festival, which is known in Chinese as the Duanwu Festival (端午节 – duān wǔ jié). This holiday is celebrated every year on the 5th day of the 5th lunar month, and although it has only been an officially recognized public holiday in mainland China since 2008, it has been celebrated…
Xian (西安) – Terracotta Warriors (兵马俑) Posted by sasha on Jun 15, 2012
Certainly the most famous place in Xi’an, the Terracotta Warrior army is a sight to behold. Qin Shi Huang, the first Emperor of a united China, had these thousands of sculptures buried with him to protect him in the afterlife. Stumbled upon by a group of farmers back in the 70’s, this archaeological wonder is…
Chinese Idioms (Vol. 6) Posted by sasha on Jun 12, 2012
It’s time for another installment of Chinese idioms. Today, we’ll look at a few very common idioms that you’ll encounter in your daily life here in the Middle Kingdom. 马马虎虎 – mǎ mǎ hǔ hǔ – “so-so”; “careless” This everyday Chinese idiom literally translates to “horse horse tiger tiger.” As with most Chinese idioms, there’s…
Xi’an (西安) – Huaqing Hot Spring (华清池) Posted by sasha on Jun 5, 2012
Take a day trip out of Xi’an to the historical site of Mt. Lishan and the Huaqing Hot Springs in this short video. This mountain resort provided R&R for countless Chinese Emperors, with plenty of natural hot springs and beautiful scenery. For more modern history, you can see the place where Chiang Kai-shek hid from…