Beijing Kao Ya: A Delectable Duck Posted by sasha on Mar 18, 2021
When one thinks of Beijing, a few things immediately come to mind – the Great Wall (长城 – cháng chéng), the Forbidden City (故宫 – gù gōng), and the city’s most famous dish – Beijing roast duck (北京烤鸭 – běi jīng kǎo yā). There are plenty of excellent Chinese dishes out there, but it’s hard…
China’s Square Dancing Posted by Ayana on Mar 10, 2021
If you ever visited a Chinese city and got to do some sightseeing of its parks and plazas, you probably encountered one of China’s popular folk dances – the public square dancing 广场舞 (guǎng chǎng wǔ). 广场舞蹈在中国是一个非常重要的艺术形式。群众自发组织，在在市区的广场、公园，等简陋的空地表演的舞蹈。广场舞蹈遍布了中国每一个角落。 Guǎng chǎng wǔ dǎo zài Zhōngguó shì yī gè fēi cháng zhòng yào de yì shù xíng shì…
Chinese Vocabulary for Getting a Driver’s License in China Posted by Ayana on Feb 22, 2021
Driving any motor vehicle (机动车 jī dòng chē) in China requires a driving license. In formal documents, a driver’s license will appear as 驾驶执照 (jià shǐ zhí zhào), or 驾驶证 (jià shǐ zhèng). Both terms include the verb 驾驶 (jià shǐ) which means to drive, to pilot. The common term used in spoken language is…
Spring Festival Flashback Posted by sasha on Feb 17, 2021
As we enter another Year of the Ox (牛年 – niú nián), I can’t help but think back on the last one. The last go-around on the Chinese zodiac (生肖 – shēng xiào) was an interesting time for me. It was my first year living in China and I just so happen to have been…
Getting a Cold in Chinese Posted by Ayana on Feb 8, 2021
This winter, due to pandemic restrictions, flu cases remain unusually low. COVID-19 is surging but flu cases are down. Nonetheless, winter has arrived with low temperatures, cold winds and precipitation. If you don’t take good care of yourself you can easily catch a cold 感冒 (gǎn mào). 秋冬季节易患上感冒。 Qiū dōng jì jié yì huàn shàng…
The Year of the Ox Posted by sasha on Feb 3, 2021
The Spring Festival is coming soon (春节快到了 chūn jié kuài dào le). This year, the Chinese New Year falls on February 12th. We’re entering the Year of the Ox (牛年 niú nián), which I’m pretty excited about as it’s my year! I can’t believe it’s been 12 years since I celebrated my first Spring Festival…
China’s 2021 Holiday Calendar Posted by sasha on Jan 27, 2021
What Chinese holidays are you familiar with? We’ve covered most of them here on the blog at some point. I’ve been fortunate enough to celebrate all the major Chinese holidays in my years of living in both Beijing and Kunming. There are many holidays in China – both public and unofficial – throughout the year…