A Daily Guide for Spring Festival Posted by sasha on Feb 15, 2022
The Spring Festival is the most important holiday in China (春节是中国最重要的节日 chūn jié shì zhōng guó zuì zhòng yào de jié rì). We’ve talked about this traditional festival a lot here on the blog, including this Spring Festival history lesson and a post about the busy travel season known as chun yun (春运 chūn yùn)…
Beijing Winter Olympics Posted by sasha on Feb 10, 2022
The Winter Olympics have already started in Beijing (北京冬奥会已经开始了 běi jīng dōng ào huì yǐ jīng kāi shǐ le). I can’t believe that it’s now been 14 years since I first landed in Beijing for the Summer Olympics (夏季奥运会 xià jì ào yùn huì). It’s definitely different this time around, and not just because of…
Tips for Learning Chinese Posted by Ayana on Jan 25, 2022
A famous Chinese proverb says: 好事多磨 (hǎo shì duō mó). 好事 means good things, 多 means a lot, and 磨 means to grind, to rub. It comes to say that good things do not come without toil. Realizing your dreams involves much work, and that’s certainly true of Chinese fluency. The Foreign Service Institute of USA…
A Spring Festival History Lesson Posted by sasha on Jan 20, 2022
It’s that time of the year again, as China gears up for its most important holiday – the Spring Festival (春节 chūn jié). Also known around the world as Chinese New Year (农历新年 nóng lì xīn nián), this holiday begins on the first day of the first month (正月 zhēng yuè) of the lunar calendar. That’s…
The Spring Festival anxiety Posted by Ayana on Jan 10, 2022
Spring Festival celebrates the beginning of a new year on the traditional Chinese calendar. This year it will be celebrated on February 1st, 2022. It’s the most important Chinese holiday and it’s being celebrated with much excitement and festivities. A fifteen-day long holiday that will include a dinner feast, a family reunion, decorations, fireworks, red envelopes, and…
2022 Chinese Holiday Calendar Posted by sasha on Jan 5, 2022
A New Year is upon us and we’re excited about what it may bring. 2021 basically felt like a repeat of 2020, so here’s to hoping that 2022 is a better year for us all! One of the best things about the start of the year is looking forward to all the holidays. That’s why…
Giant panda breaks out of his Enclosure in front of visitors at Beijing Zoo Posted by Ayana on Dec 27, 2021
The Chinese word for zoo is composed of two nouns: 动物 (dòng wù, animal) + 园 (yuán, park) = 动物园 (dòng wù yuan, zoo) 动物 means animal. 园 means garden, park, and it is mostly used when talking about the beautiful public parks (公园 gōng yuán) of China (in Beijing, for example). The character 园 appears…