Jan 17, 2024 Comments(4)
Along with refraining from using bad language, visiting hospitals and cutting their hair, Chinese people are expected to adhere to some pretty rigorous superstitions over Chinese New Year. Read more>>
Apr 23, 2011 Comments(0)
Whether you’re a Monkey, a Rat or a Horse, it may all not mean much to you aside from an excuse to wear red underwear for one year out of every twelve. On the other hand, you might be a zodiac obsessive, consulting the star almanac before making even ...... Read More>>
Apr 19, 2011 Comments(21)
Photo: farm4.static.flickr.com Living in China as a black woman comes with its own set of hurdles and oddities, but one of the biggest oddities I have found since I have lived here for the past three years is the lack of black female/Chinese male couples. ...... Read More>>
Apr 18, 2011 Comments(1)
When you want to refer to regular folk in Mandarin, you can either use the phrase Zhang san Li si (张三李四) meaning “three Zhang and four Li”, or or laobaixing (老百姓) meaning “old hundred names”. Both sayings refer to the ...... Read More>>
Apr 14, 2011 Comments(0)
I do not know why Google comes up with almost 1.5 million results for "Traditional Chinese girl", and only a meager 210,000 for "Chinese traditional girl". But let's face it: hardly anyone will question whether a girl is a girl, or a ...... Read More>>
Apr 10, 2011 Comments(6)
Beauty has a way of leaving its beholders with the feeling they have just lost control of themselves. There is also a kind of beauty that makes a name for itself- this is not your ordinary beauty. A beautiful woman can cause a man to do irrational and ...... Read More>>
Apr 05, 2011 Comments(1)
Running the risk of openly insulting the entire expat community, I would like to take a moment to mock your Chinese. Some of you have acquired a semi, quasi, possibly even complete mastery of the language, while others obstinately declare basic ...... Read More>>
Feb 05, 2011 Comments(0)
There appear to co-exist within the Chinese two very separate and distinct spheres of human interaction. The inner circle includes family members and close friends (often called 'shushu (uncle)' or 'ayi (aunt)' although they are not blood relations), for ...... Read More>>
Jan 25, 2011 Comments(0)
I’ve often heard people say that China has eight different regional cuisines but it seems very few people can actually name them or their unique characteristics. It’s no wonder people find it confusing; China is a huge country with many ...... Read More>>
Jan 24, 2011 Comments(1)
A few weeks ago, The Wall Street Journal ran an excerpt from Amy Chua’s book Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother in the article entitled “Why Chinese Mothers are Superior.” In it Chua discusses what it is to be a “Tiger Mother” as ...... Read More>>
Jan 13, 2011 Comments(0)
Going home for the holidays can be a nerve-racking experience in any culture. All families tend to have their own traditions and unique ways of doing things and no one wants to inadvertently cause offense or hurt feelings. The experience is especially ...... Read More>>
Dec 25, 2010 Comments(2)
After living in China for more than three years I have developed an involuntary case of “tetraphobia,” which means a shadow of menace perpetually hangs over the number 4. Its presence sends a grim feeling through me, not unlike when a black cat ...... Read More>>
Dec 19, 2010 Comments(0)
Editor’s note: Recently, a netizen on huanqiu.com posted an excerpt about a dinner conversation between an overseas Chinese American and his Chinese friends who had stayed behind in China. Background: The "American": He went to America in ...... Read More>>
Dec 14, 2010 Comments(1)
Photo: quelquefois.net For me, China's fascination lies in the rapid change in attitudes, so rapid that parents are becoming ever more alienated from their children. Four years is considered a generation gap; it’s so uneven that huge differences may ...... Read More>>
Dec 06, 2010 Comments(2)
Back home, especially in America, it can seem like everyone has a cause. People feel so strongly about their issues and causes that they advertise their beliefs on their cars, on their laptops, on their backpacks. You can save the environment, fight for ...... Read More>>
Nov 27, 2010 Comments(0)
Alcohol is simply a part of life here in China. It plays a role in weddings, funerals, ceremonies, and friendships. It can jumpstart a relationship or seal a business deal. But how much do you really know about the alcohol you’re guzzling during your ...... Read More>>
Nov 25, 2010 Comments(4)
Photo: jimnjodys Do you ever openly ignore someone because you don't want to get into the strain of a second-language conversation? Do you ever push through a crowd or have an expression of disgust because you can no longer stand people being everywhere, ...... Read More>>
Nov 09, 2010 Comments(1)
As the old adage goes: You get out of life that which you put into it. This is particularly true of expat life in China. Here are some ideas for making the most of your time in the middle kingdom. Photo: janedark.com 1) Learn the language and culture This ...... Read More>>
Nov 08, 2010 Comments(2)
Geologically, the separation between the North and the South is easy to define: two continental cratons, edges merging near the Huai River. Culturally and ethnically, however, the division fades from somewhere in the centre like a bad Chinese haircut, ...... Read More>>
Nov 04, 2010 Comments(1)
Ask anyone who has ever worked as an English teacher in China, and they’ll tell you that the differences between the Chinese and Western education models are vast. Working in a Chinese office can be a shock to the system if you’re more used to ...... Read More>>
Oct 27, 2010 Comments(0)
Ask any wine connoisseur about the Bordeaux region of France and they’ll wax lyrical about terroir, but ask the same oenophile about the Shanxi region of China, and they’ll stare blankly. In the past, China’s reputation as a wine producer ...... Read More>>
Oct 21, 2010 Comments(0)
It’s no secret that communication between Chinese and those from foreign lands is fraught with difficulties. Even when one is communicating in Mandarin, cultural differences make direct translations impossible. Incredibly, even simple concepts such as ...... Read More>>
Oct 08, 2010 Comments(0)
There’s no denying that contemporary Chinese cities have a reputation for being smog-choked urban labyrinths full of soulless communist architecture. While this is widely undisputed, many modern metropolises have corners of surprising contrast: the ...... Read More>>
Oct 07, 2010 Comments(2)
When I had just arrived in China, three years ago, China News Weekly had a special feature entitled "Who Are We?" The cover was half the face of a Peking opera singer. This half represented the past, culture, old society and the core concept of ...... Read More>>
Sep 27, 2010 Comments(0)
One of my favorite things about China is the tea culture. Being thousands of years old and used as a way to not only heal and strengthen the body, but also a central social focal point in Chinese culture, tea is the second most widely drank beverage in the ...... Read More>>
{{item.utime}} Comments({{item.comment_num}})
{{item.content}}... Read More>>