Tag Archives: Culture
Macau – Lemonade out of Lemons Posted by Transparent Language on Oct 13, 2008
Whilst in Hong Kong, I went with a friend of mine to 澳门 (Macau). We went to the Sands and Venetian casinos. They had 二十一点(blackjack), 百家乐(baccarat), roulette, and others. I stuck to 二十一点 while my friend played the 老虎机（slots）. I changed 500 港币 (hong kong dollars) into 筹码(chips) and hit the table. The lowest bet…
When Gift-Giving Goes Awry Posted by Transparent Language on Oct 7, 2008
The NBA is pretty popular in China, and for good reason. Fans can watch Yao Ming and Yi Jianlian, the sport itself requires very little equipment, and a lot of people can play at the same time- all strong suits. Moreover, I’ve heard a couple people say that they listen to NBA announcers to make their English more colloquial. Suffice…
Overcoming the Language Barrier: Chinese Hip Hop Posted by Transparent Language on Jul 25, 2008
In the 1990s, two cultures crossed paths as they travelled to opposite ends of the earth. In 1993, specifically, nine rappers from New York would release their first album, launching their careers as one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed hip hop groups of all time. The Wu Tang Clan (named after the…
The Gypsy Road Posted by ryan on Jul 17, 2008
Following an extended hiatus exploring the geopolitics and security status of China’s energy sector at the end of the Chinese academic year, your gallant correspondent has returned once again to fire away at the idiosyncrasies of life in Beijing and Greater China as a whole. Today, a commentary on the gypsy trail of Chengfu Lu…
On the Bargain Road Posted by Transparent Language on Jul 1, 2008
One of my more embarrassing moments as a student of Chinese came not here in China but back in Maine in the fall of 1998, when I returned from a year in Beijing to the University of Maine at Farmington along with a teacher from the Chinese department of Beijing University of Technology. As I’d…
Park Life Posted by Transparent Language on Jun 24, 2008
When spring rolls around in Beijing, it means more than just the appearance of green after months of grey and early darkness, more than singing birds and flowers and the occasional rain shower. To old school Beijinger’s, springtime means the beginning of park time, and Beijing’s many parks begin to show signs of life after…
The Mother of All Tests Posted by Transparent Language on Jun 19, 2008
Things that China lacks: oil, a decent network of highways, a quality control system for food and drugs, clean air in its cities. One thing that China absolutely does not lack: people. Everywhere you go in China, with the exception of some of the more sparsely populated Western provinces, you can’t help but feel surrounded…