China Turns 70 Posted by sasha on Sep 25, 2019
October 1st is a very special day in China this year. Not only is it the country’s National Day (国庆节 – guó qìng jié), but it’s the 70th anniversary of the founding of the PRC. In this post we’ll take a closer look at the holiday and how the country is planning on celebrating as China…
Visa-Free Entry to Iran for Chinese Tourists Posted by Ayana on Sep 16, 2019
Iran has decided unilaterally to cancel the visa requirement for Chinese citizens. The Henley Passport Index is a global ranking of the world’s passports (护照 hù zhào), according to the number of destinations their holders can access without a prior visa. It ranks the countries according to the travel freedom for their citizens. On the…
A Guide to the Mid-Autumn Festival Posted by sasha on Sep 11, 2019
The Mid-Autumn Festival (中秋节 – zhōng qiū jié) is fast approaching. This traditional Chinese holiday falls on the 15th day of the 8th month of the lunar calendar (阴历 – yīn lì), which just so happens to be Friday the 13th this year! It dates back over 3,000 years to the time of the Shang Dynasty (商朝…
Teachers’ Day in China Posted by Ayana on Sep 2, 2019
Chinese Teachers’ Day will be celebrated this month on September 10th. An old Chinese saying says: 人有三尊：君、父、师 (rén yǒu sān zūn: jūn, fù, shī). It means people have three to respect: the emperor, father, and teacher. According to the saying, a person should greatly honor the emperor who governed the country, the father who raised…
Going Back to School in China Posted by sasha on Aug 21, 2019
Summer holiday is almost finished! (暑假快要结束了- shǔ jià kuài yào jié shù le). Can you believe it? I know I can’t. It seems like just yesterday I was writing my post on talking about summer in Chinese with vocabulary words like water park (水上乐园 – shuǐ shàng lè yuán) and beach (海滩 – hǎi tān)…
Chinese Authorities Fight to Prevent Men from Exposing their Bellies Posted by Ayana on Aug 19, 2019
China tries to eradicate the Beijing Bikini custom. With the arrival of summer (夏季xià jì), as temperatures rise along with the humidity, people in China find ways to deal with the heat. Ways that not all authorities in China approve. Jinan city, for example, the capital of Shandong province, believe the scorching summer days (炎炎夏日yán…
Experiencing a Chinese Beer Festival Posted by sasha on Aug 7, 2019
Summer (夏季 – xià jì) is in full swing in China. All across the country, people are doing their best to stay cool. For some middle-aged men, that means exposing their stomach in what’s known as the “Beijing Bikini” (北京比基尼 – běi jīng bǐ jī ní). Many families flock to water parks (水上乐园 – shuǐ…