Happy Mid-Autumn Festival Posted by sasha on Sep 19, 2013
Today is an important holiday in Chinese culture – the Mid-Autumn Festival (中秋节 – zhōng qiū jié). This harvest festival was made a public holiday in the Middle Kingdom back in 2008, and most Chinese people enjoy a short break from work or school to reunite with family members. You may not know it, but…
Chairman Mao – Early Years of the PRC Posted by sasha on Sep 18, 2013
In our first post about Chairman Mao, we went from his birth to the birth of a new nation. Click here in case you missed it. After years of bloody civil war and occupation by Japan during World War II, Mao spoke in front of a massive crowd on October 1st, 1949 and established the…
At the Market – Fruit Posted by sasha on Sep 15, 2013
We’re continuing our journey through the aisles of your local Chinese market here to help you with your grocery shopping needs. Last time, we learned a lot of useful vocabulary about vegetables – here’s that post in case you missed it. That’s one important part of a balanced diet, but we can’t forget about fruit…
Chaoyang Park (朝阳公园) Posted by sasha on Sep 12, 2013
There are tons of fun places to hang out in the Chinese capital. In the past, we’ve looked at two such spots – Sanlitun and NLGX. After my recent post about local parks in Beijing, I figured I’d bring back this old video series with a short about Chaoyang Park. With sports, an amusement park…
Chairman Mao – From Birth to the PRC Posted by sasha on Sep 9, 2013
It was 37 years ago today that the People’s Republic of China lost its founding father, Mao Zedong (毛泽东 – máo zé dōng). Although Chairman Mao may have moved on to the great beyond many years ago, his presence is still felt on a daily basis in China. Reach into your wallet, and you’re sure…
Top 10 Places in Beijing – Local Parks Posted by sasha on Sep 6, 2013
We’re counting down the Top 10 places in Beijing here, and today we’re rolling onto #7. In case you’ve missed any of it, here’s a quick recap: 10. Wudaokou – Beijing’s student hangout 9. 798 – trendy art district in the northeast part of the city 8. Gulou – hipster central around the Drum and…
Chinglish Menu Part II Posted by sasha on Sep 4, 2013
Sometimes when you go out to eat in a Chinese restaurant (饭店 – fàn diàn) in China, you will find some hilarious attempts at English names for the various dishes. As Chinese people have a tendency to give very clever and odd names to certain dishes, oftentimes these English translations result in a thing we…