Dragon Boating Posted by Transparent Language on Jun 21, 2010
Last week was 端午节 (duan1wu3jie2 – Dragon Boat Festival), the holiday which 纪念 (ji4nian4 – commemorates) commemorating the passing of 屈原 (qu1yuan2 – Qu Yuan), a patriotic poet who had been 放逐 (fang4zhu2 – exiled) from his country, the kingdom of Chu. He is commemorated because of his loyalty to the people of his country. …
Group Purchasing Posted by Transparent Language on Jun 17, 2010
While on the train to the Shenzhen border from Hong Kong, I saw a group of 12 people 手忙脚乱 (shou3mang2jiao3luan4 – lit. hand busy foot chaotic, “rushing”) to fit some objects into their bags. I had seen this sight before. There’s an interesting phenomenon in China called 团购 (tuan2gou4 – group purchasing), where large groups…
Importing the World Cup Posted by Stephen on Jun 14, 2010
While there is no doubt that basketball is the most popular sport in China, football/soccer 足球, zú qiú (literally foot + ball) is a distant second, especially among younger audiences. While played less frequently than basketball among amateurs, football is a massive spectator sport in China. Like basketball, football is a basic sport requiring only…
Career Exams Posted by Transparent Language on Jun 14, 2010
Numerous 毕业生 (bi4ye4sheng1 – graduates) in China are faced with 就业焦虑 (jiu4ye4 jiao1lv4 – stress about starting [their] careers), and are desperately seeking a 切入点 (qie4ru4dian3 – entry point) into their desired industry. Save for those who choose to 读研 (du2yan2 – attend graduate school), one eventually has to become part of the 上班族 (shang4ban1zu2…
Honda Strikes and Social Discourse Posted by Stephen on Jun 13, 2010
The Honda automobile corporations, 本田 (Běn tián)，has made the headlines in Asian news as a rash of protests 抗议(kàng yì) have threatened to halt production in the mainland. The protesters, which have organized, and are bordering on unionizing, are fighting for an increase in basic wages, living stipends and more bargaining power against the majority…
Going to a Concert Posted by Transparent Language on Jun 13, 2010
The other day I attended a concert where the band 五月天 (wu3yue4tian1 – Mayday) was playing. They’re a group from 台湾 (tai2wan1 – Taiwan) who has been playing their form of 摇滚乐 (yao2gun3yue4 – rock music) for over a decade. They make it very clear that they draw a lot of inspiration from the 披头四 …
An Art Show Posted by Transparent Language on Jun 11, 2010
The other day I went to an art show in Hong Kong sponsored by 德意志银行 (de2yi4zhi4 yin2hang2 – Deutsche Bank), held at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center. Works from 世界各地 (shi4jie4ge4di4 – all over the world) were on display. Some of the more recognizable works on display included the exaggerated smiling faces made…