The first challenges When I went to China end of February this year, it was my first time ever being in Asia. So everything was new to me from the moment I left the plane. The first challenge started when buying a metro ticket. Was it Changshu Road or Changshou Road, I was wondering where [...]
The Dragon Boat Festival or Duanwujie is upon us! This traditional holiday that commemorates the famous Chinese Scholar Qu Yuan, known as China's first poet, takes places on the fifth day of the fifth month of the traditional Chinese lunar calendar. This date is also the source of the alternative name used to refer to [...]
Learning Chinese is a difficult task for many and when translating Chinese words into another language, people will inevitably bump into difficulties at a given point because some words don’t have a direct translation. This causes non natives to fail to grasp the exact meaning of the word and maybe even to fail to understand [...]
The year of the fire monkey kicked off with neither bang nor spark. No fireworks were set off in Shanghai for the year of the monkey due to the strict instructions of the government. Pollution levels being what they are, throwing more soot and smoke into the sky is not considered a good idea. On New [...]
Spring in China has now officially sprung. To mark the occasion Hutong fixture and Beijing local Lao Guo has written an article about what to eat and how to stay healthy during this time of year. See below for the original article in Chinese, and an English summary. 立春 今年立春是在2018年3月20日星期二。 立春不仅是农历二十四节气中的第一个节气，立春是从天文上来划分的，而在自然界、在人们的心目中，春意味着风和日暖，鸟语花香；春也意味着万物生长。 立春期间，气温、日照、降雨，开始趋于上升、增多。但这一切对全国大多数地方来说仅仅是春天的前奏。 立春后气温回升，但在强冷空气影响的间隙期，偏南风频数增加，并伴有明显的气温回升过程。 立春是一个时间点，也可以是一个时间段。说的是东风送暖，大地开始解冻。 立春的传统饮食： [...]
In 2003 Chengdu based Sichuan Airlines made a CN¥2.33 million investment. Their purchase: the phone number 8888 8888.
Embarking my first trip to China, I had conjured up a few ideas in my mind about what the country would be like. The imagery of families living under strict regimes in a reserved and orderly manner did not fit well with the contrasted idea I had of the international metropolis that is Shanghai, brimming with foreigners and bright lights.
Learning Chinese enables you to gain an insight into the extraordinary way Chinese people view certain things, in turn helping to better understand their culture. Here are some examples of how learning Chinese will turn your world upside down and boggle your brain!
As a country as historical, populous, and intriguing as it is, it goes without saying that most things in China are misunderstood. Due to media portrayals and over-generalized stereotypes, even the most open-minded of Westerners sometimes are guilty of these stubbornly held misconceptions about China and its people and culture...
