Chinese Love – Part One Posted by sasha on Oct 7, 2011
Throughout my time living in China, one question has managed to come up multiple times from friends and family back at home – “Is there a Chinese word for love?” While it is certainly true that Chinese people express the most complicated human emotion in different ways than Westerners, that doesn’t mean there is no…
Air Pollution and Weather Control (污染) Posted by Stephen on Oct 5, 2011
To say that pollution or 污染 (wū rǎn) is bad in China would be an understatement. In China’s fervent rush toward industrialization and modernization, it has neglected many of the negative externalities associated with the release of huge amounts of greenhouse gases along with the increasing destruction to water and land natural resources. If you…
Chinese Nationalism (民族主义) Posted by Stephen on Oct 2, 2011
As we celebrate National Day (国庆节) in China, it seems like a an apt time to reflect upon Chinese nationalism or 民族主义 (mín zú zhǔ yì). China is one of the most patriotic nations I’ve lived in (with an exception of the United States) and as a result, nationalism is rampant. Just read the newspaper…
National Day (国庆节) Posted by sasha on Oct 2, 2011
Another Chinese National Day (国庆节 – guó qìng jié) has come and gone, as yesterday marked the 62nd anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China (中华人民共和国 – zhōng huá rén mín gòng hé guó). On October 1, 1949, Mao Zedong (毛泽东 – Máo Zé Dōng) declared the founding of a new nation in…
Counting from 0-100 in Chinese (Video) Posted by sasha on Sep 30, 2011
If you’re going to learn a language, at some point you are going to have to learn how to count. Whether you’re bargaining in a market, giving someone your phone number, or paying your bill in a restaurant, this is a critical skill that you have to get down early in your studies. Learn how…
Beijing Opera (京剧) Posted by Stephen on Sep 30, 2011
Beijing opera or 京剧 (jīng jù) is a traditional form of Chinese theater which combines music, vocals, miming, dance and even acrobatics into the performance. Beijing Opera arose in the late 18th century and became fully developed and recognized by the mid-19th century as traditional art form. Beijing Opera was extremely popular in the Qing…
Yangshuo (阳朔) – Part One – Impression Liu San Jie (印象刘三姐) Posted by sasha on Sep 29, 2011
Located in Southern China’s Guanxi Province (广西省), Yangshuo is a beautiful town that attracts millions of tourists every year. Despite this huge tourism boom, Yangshuo remains a picturesque place, with amazing scenery provided by the Li River and limestone mountains. Every night, an incredible performance of song and lights takes place on the river, called…