Urban Transport in China, pt. 1 Posted by Transparent Language on Apr 21, 2010
How do people get around Chinese cities, and what does it usually cost? One common method for getting around the city is 出租车 (chu1zu1che1) taxis, but depending on where you are in China, the prices and availability can vary. The 上海起价 (shang4hai3qi3jia4) Shanghai starting price is 12 RMB. While in Shenzhen it fluctuates. Formerly it…
Getting Grammatical (语法）Who, What, When, Where Posted by Stephen on Apr 15, 2010
Many followers of this Blog have requested some basic grammar rules with explanation, so today lets focus on the basics of a sentence: Who (谁 shéi) What (什么 shénme) When (什么时候 shénme shíhou) Where (在哪儿 zàinǎr) *Note Why is not among this list, because it is a little more complicated in terms of grammar* Let’s…
Tomb Sweeping Festival (清明节） Posted by Stephen on Apr 5, 2010
As the Easter holiday weekend passes here in the west, China is already taking part in one of it’s historic, yet newly reinstated holidays: the Qing Ming Jie (清明节）or Tomb Sweeping Festival. While a staple of Taiwanese, Macau and Hong Kong traditions, the 清明节，much like the Tet in Vietnamese culture is a holiday that falls…
Everything But the Table, Part 1: A Brief Introduction to Chinese Food Posted by Stephen on Mar 31, 2010
China truly is a gourmand’s paradise filled with delicious food everywhere you go. The food itself can be as far ranging as delicacies popularized during the Ming Dynasty or it can be as simple and down to earth as a 1 块 stick of 串 （think kebab) found on any roadside corner. Whatever the type…
Macau Posted by Transparent Language on Mar 30, 2010
Yesterday I went with some friends to Macau, one of China’s 特别行政区te4bie2xing2zheng4qu1 (special administrative regions). There, we saw some of the 痕迹 hen2ji4 (traces) of Macau as a 殖民地 zhi2min2di4 (colony). Macau has become a supreme tourist attraction in East Asia, attracting more tourists last year than even Hong Kong! This may have to do…
Wafer-Thin Margins, or Manufacturing in China Posted by Transparent Language on Mar 29, 2010
The US remains the largest 生产 (sheng1chan3 – manufacturing) nation, but few if any people I have asked have been able to answer correctly which country it is. Several days ago, I spoke with a trader who deals in appliances and power tools sourcing some components from the Mainland. I was particularly curious about one…
The Good and the Bad About Bad Goods Posted by Transparent Language on Mar 28, 2010
It was this time last year that I was en route to give a talk at a university in Wuhan. During the drive from the airport, I began to chat with the driver. Our focus soon shifted to trade between the US and China. As we built rapport, he asked very frankly, “是不是美国公司就把这些垃圾食品卖给我们中国人吃?” (Are American…