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Tomb Sweeping Day – 清明节 (Qīng Míng Jiē)

Jimmy Olsen — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 03:25:20 +0000

Tomb Sweeping Day’s Chinese name, 清明节 (Qīng Míng Jiē), literally means “clear bright festival”. Clear and bright refer to the arrival of spring. However, Tomb Sweeping Day is also known as Cold Food Day 寒食节 (hán shí jiē). Why? Read on to find out.

清明节 (Qīng Míng Jiē) is celebrated on April 5th, 2010 . It is a time to honor ancestors who’ve passed on by visiting their graves, clearing off debris or weeds, and offering flowers, food and incense at the grave site and the ancestral altar at home. 清明节 (Qīng Míng Jiē) is also a time for flying kites of all sizes, shapes, and colors. Many Chinese also burn paper money 烧纸钱 (shāo zhǐ qián) in order to send money that the deceased can use in the underworld. Some also burn cars, houses, and other useful objects to send them to the other side. (By the way, note that 烧纸钱 (shāo zhǐ qián) is not the same thing as 烧钱 (shāo qián), which means to spend money rashly. Don’t get it mixed up!)

But what’s the deal with the cold food?

According to English Bus Club’s blog post on 清明节,

“Qing Ming is popularly associated with Jie Zi Zhui, who lived in Shanxi province in 600 B.C. Legend has it that Jie saved his starving lord’s life by serving a piece of his own leg. When the lord succeeded in becoming the ruler of a small principality, he invited his faithful follower to join him. However, Jie declined his invitation, preferring to lead a hermit’s life with his mother in the mountains.

Believing that he could force Jie out by burning the mountain, the lord ordered his men to set the forest on fire. To his consternation, Jie chose to remain where he was and was burnt to death. To commemorate Jie, the lord ordered all fires in every home to be put out on the anniversary of Jie’s death. Thus began the “cold food feast”, a day when no food could be cooked since no fire could be lit.

The “cold food” festival occurs on the eve of Qing Ming and is often considered as part of the Qing Ming festival. As time passes, the Qing Ming festival replaced the “cold food” festival.”

Information for this post was compiled from whatsonxiamen.com, traditions.cultural-china.com and the English Bus Club.

Traditional Chinese New Year Foods

Jimmy Olsen — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 03:51:05 +0000

Traditional Chinese New Year Foods

Besides a time for vacation, sales, and a much less populated/much more comfortable Beijing, Chinese New Year 春节 is also a time for FOOD! If you have (good) local friends, look forward to feasts with their families that may include

Chicken, duck, fish – traditionally eaten at celebrations because in the old days, meat was very expensive and only eat on special occasions. Northerners like to stew the meat, while southerners like to

In the Chinese lunar calendar, during the first day of the new year, called 初一,(beginning-one, i.e. the first day of the first month of the lunar year) (around February 14 this year) dumplings are eaten. By contrast, during February , 初二, noodles are eaten (at least in Beijing). The good news is on 初五 dumplings are eaten again. Personally, I have a tradition where I eat dumplings on the days that end with “y”. I think it’s a good tradition. 正月十五 on the 15th day of the first month of the year, Chinese eat元宵yuanxiao round glutinous rice dumplings. The sweet variety is more common and have hawberries, black sesame, red bean, peanut, dried fruit, sugar as filling. Some also eat salty yuanxiao, filled with meat.

If remembering what to eat on what days is too confusing, just eat whatever your local friend’s family gives you on that day. Alternatively, you can click here http://www.webexhibits.org/calendars/calendar-chinese.html to get a basic understanding of the Chinese lunar calendar. Click here http://www.mandarintools.com/calendar.html for a Western calendar to Chinese calendar converter.

年年高升年糕 Northerners eat steamed or fried (golden brown, like gold, so you can get rich or die trying. Many people like it better fried because it gets chewier) glutinous rice cakes shaped like fish. 超市发 Some are made with corn flour with dates.

Something to drool over, something to look forward to

Besides a time for vacations, big sales, internet casino games and a much less populated/much more comfortable Beijing, Chinese New Year 春节 (chūn jié) is also a time for FOOD! Chinese New Year food is referred to as 过年饭菜 (guònián fàncài). If you have (good) local friends, look forward to feasts with their families that may include:

Chicken, duck, and fish – traditionally eaten at celebrations because in the old days, meat was very expensive and only eat on special occasions. Expect a lot of delicious stewed meat if you’re in the north.

The first day of the new lunar year is called 初一 (chūyī, lit. beginning-one, i.e. the first day of the first month of the lunar year. This year, it’s February 14) and it is traditionally a day for eating dumplings 餃子 (jiǎo zi).

On 初二 (chū èr), noodles are eaten (at least in Beijing). The good news is on 初五 (chū wǔ), 餃子 (jiǎo zi) are eaten again. Personally, I have a tradition where I eat 餃子 (jiǎo zi) on the days in the week that end with “y”. It is, without a doubt, a fantastic tradition. 餃子 (jiǎo zi) are filled with combinations of different types of ground meat, vegetables, tofu, egg, and even bean thread noodles. You can dip them in vinegar, soy sauce, or both, and each family prepares the dipping sauce differently. 餃子 (jiǎo zi) can be boiled, steamed, or fried.

正月十五 (zhēng yuè shíwǔ) on the 15th day of the first month of the lunar year, Chinese eat glutinous rice dumplings 元宵 (yuánxiāo). They are made with rice flour and are usually white and round. Sweet 元宵 (yuánxiāo) is more common and have hawberry, black sesame, red bean, peanut, dried fruit, or sugar as filling. Some also eat salty 元宵 (yuánxiāo) which are filled with meat. If remembering what to eat on what days is too confusing, just make friends with a local and eat whatever your local friend’s family gives you on that day. Alternatively, you can click here to get a basic understanding of the Chinese lunar calendar. Or check out mandarintools.com for a Western-to-Chinese calendar converter.

祝你们春节快乐，年年高升!
(zhùnǐmen chūnjié kuàilè, niánnián gāo shēng)
We wish you a happy Spring Festival, and may each and every year get better and better!

Spring Festival (春节chūnjié) Travel Tips

Jimmy Olsen — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 08:39:13 +0000

Photo ID Required for Train Ticket Purchases

This Spring Festival, you will need photo ID when buying train tickets.

According to China Radio International and Sina.com news, travelers in Guangdong and Sichuan province must provide photo ID when buying tickets. As of right now, this rule does not apply to Beijing. It’s also a good idea to get to the ticket seller early. Arriving 2 hours before opening will increase your chances of buying tickets.

Note that you can only buy advance tickets for D, Z, T, and K trains 10 days in advance. Ticket sellers open at 9am.

Also, arriving at the train station early will give you enough time to check your luggage through security check and find your way to your boarding gate. Stations are often large, noisy, crowded, and confusing.

The Different Classes of Trains

D (动车 dòngchē) Electric trains. Typically has higher speed than T trains or K trains, with a top speed of 250 km/h. Provides fast, frequent service between cities like Beijing/Taiyuan and Shenzhen/Guangzhou.

Z (直达 zhídá) Direct express trains. Although they are called “direct” trains, they may stop at stations along the way. Top speed 140 km/h.

T (特快 tèkuài) Express trains. They have a limited number of stops. Top speed 120 km/h.

K (快kuài) Fast trains. Stops at more stations than T trains.

Trains without letters in front of them are the slowest of all. They stop at many more stations than the faster trains listed above, but ticket prices are also cheaper. Top speed 100 to 120 km/h.

More information on tickets, routes and pictures of train interiors at seat61.com

Safety

Be wary of long lines and pickpockets. Pay attention to your surroundings and the people around you. The Spring Festival is a high season for thieves and tricksters. Travel with a friend if possible, don’t fall asleep where it’s not safe, put wallets and valuables in inside pockets, and lock stowed luggage. Even pockets with zippers are vulnerable.Don’t keep your cash all in one place; if possible, divide it among places on your person.

Where to get Christmas decorations in Beijing

Jimmy Olsen — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 00:00:33 +0000

If you’re still looking for Christmas decorations 装饰品 (zhuāng shì pǐn), you can find almost anything you need at Golden Five Stars 金五星 (jīn wǔ xīng). It’s a huge indoor market that has everything and anything from plastic forks to pingpong balls to fabric by the meter to office supplies to bedding to long cow-shaped gel-filled wrist rests. The one I went to is the one closer to 3rd Ring Road. Take bus 319 or 86 from 五道口 (wǔ dào kǒu) and get off at 青云路 (qīng yún lù). Walk in the direction that the bus is going for about 5 minutes and the market will be on your right. Alternatively, take bus 101 or 425 from Dazhongsi subway station 大钟寺城铁 (dà zhōng sì chéng tiě) and get off at 大钟寺 (dà zhōng sì). It’s only one stop.

I got tinsel 圣诞彩条 (shèng dàn cǎi tiáo) of different colors at less than 3rmb for each strand, plastic trees 圣诞树 (shèng dàn shù), all kinds of lights 圣诞彩灯 (shèng dàn cǎi dēng) in the shapes of reindeer 圣诞驯鹿 (xùnlù), tiny plastic Santas 圣诞老人 (shèng dàn lǎo rén) in different colors, drums, presents, antlers 鹿角, multi-colored lights in the shapes of Chinese bottle gourds?!?!!?? 葫芦 (hú lú) in different colors. I paid 5 rmb for a 3 meter strand. You can also get snowflakes 雪花 (xuě huā), banners, and almost anything you can think of.

Of course, bargaining, 讨价还价or 讲价钱 (tǎo jià hái jià or jiǎng jià qián) is a prerequisite. Try, “Can’t you go a little lower?” 能不能便宜点儿? (néng bú néng biàn yí diǎn ér?) It’s a great place to practice your Chinese/learn more Chinese. You can go around the various stalls and ask the shop owners, 这个叫什么? (zhè gè jiào shěn me?)

If you have some time, some of the other stalls have Christmas cards 圣诞贺卡 (shèng dàn hè kǎ) and other odd knickknacks that might be good presents. It’s a great place to pick up gifts for white elephant gift exchanges and a fun place to browse if you have a few hours. It’s best to go on the weekdays to avoid the crowds.

If you’d rather go after Christmas to get decorations for next year you might get a steeper discount on the after-season stock. No guarantees, though.

Although Christmas isn’t about presents at all, it’s encouraging to get a thoughtful gift from someone who cares about you. I hope that you’ll be able to say, “Thanks for your present!” 谢谢你的礼物 (xiè xiè nǐ de lǐ wù!) many times this season.

祝大家圣诞快乐!
(zhù dà jiā shèng dàn kuài lè!)
Merry Christmas, everyone!

Do you have a street food stomach?

Jimmy Olsen — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 10:33:37 +0000

So we’ve talked about different types of delicious street food. It’s always good to ask “is satisfying my craving worth the possible toilet time later?” I always think about if I can afford the time. So, keep in mind the following considerations when eating street food, though. Personally, I would say eating less street food is better. Is your stomach strong enough?

Outdoor vendors sometimes make street food in advance and leave them out. No one knows how long it’s been sitting there and collecting dust and dirt stirred up by cars or the wind. Taking this into consideration, it may be safer to eat street food that’s offered indoors.

煎饼 jiān bǐng

You can get 糖葫芦 (táng hú lú) or candied fruit skewers, inside many supermarkets, although not all street food is offered indoors. Still, many supermarket delis offer cold/hot noodles, noodle soup, chinese crepes (煎饼jiān bǐng), and Chinese pork sandwiches, or 肉夹馍 (ròu jiá mó).

肉夹馍 ròu jiá mó

In the summertime,beware of eating meat (i.e. chuàn’r) as high temperatures can provide a suitable environment for bacteria to grow. Although the raw meat/organs for chuan’r are cooked over a fire, usually they aren’t refrigerated beforehand.

Are you more “better safe than sorry” or more “my iron stomach can take on anything”? Let us know in the comments.

The Mid-Autumn Festival

1on1 Mandarin — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 10:10:34 +0000

The Mid-Autumn Festival（中秋节）zhōnɡ qiū jié, also known as the Moon Festival, , is a popular harvest festival celebrated by Chinese people. It is held on the 15th day of the eighth month （(八月十五) in the Chinese calendar. The eighth month is also called zhònɡ qiū (仲秋), so 中秋节 also called 仲秋节.

The Mid-Autumn Festival is the second most important holiday in China, as the Spring Festival is the most important. Traditionally, on this day, Chinese family members and friends will gather to admire the bright mid-autumn harvest moon, , and eat moon cakes, dates, pomegranate and other fruits.

Stories of the Mid-Autumn Festival：

—-Houyi and Chang’e (后羿- hòu yì和嫦娥- chánɡ é)

There are so many variations and adaptations of the Chang’e legend; here we share one of the more widely-known and accepted versions：

Once upon a time, the earth had ten suns. They burned the crops and people suffered from famine. Houyi, a lesser god and a highly-skilled archer, felt sorry for mankind, so he decided to shoot down nine of the suns. After he shot down the suns, he became a hero. He had a beautiful wife name Chang’e (also a lesser god) and they lived happily together. Houyi gathered many followers and one day they all went hunting together regularly. One day, on Houyi’s way back home the Jade Emperor (the highest god) gave Houyi a pill which granted eternal life as a reward for shooting down the suns. He warned Houyi, “Make no haste to swallow the pill.” Houyi loved Chang’e very much and did not want to leave her, so he gave the pill to Chang’e and let her store the pill in a safe place. Chang’e put the pill in her jewelry box. But one of Houyi’s apprentices, Peng, discovered this secret. He decided to steal the pill.

One day Houyi and some other disciples went to the mountain. Peng pretended he was sick so that he could stay at home. Everyone went to the mountain except Chang’e, who stayed at home. Peng burst into Chang’e’s room and forced her to give him the pill. Chang’e knew she was no match for Peng so she took flight and flew far away. She did not want to leave her husband, so she stopped at the moon which is close to Earth. After Houyi discovered what had happened, he was very angry and heartbroken. He looked up into the night and called Chang’e’s name. He saw that on the moon there was a shadow that looked like Chang’e, so he ran and ran and tried to get to the moon. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t reach the moon.

As for Houyi, he built himself a palace inside the sun as “Yang”-阳 (the male principle), with Chang’e as “Yin”-阴(the female principle). Once a year, on the 15th day of the full moon, Houyi visits his wife. That is why the moon is full that night.

The moon cake (月饼- yuè bǐnɡ):

The moon cake is a traditional symbol of the Mid-Autumn Festival. There are many legends surrounding the moon cake. In one tale, moon cakes originated in ancient times to pay homage to the moon. According to other sources, the moon cake was invented as a way to honor the Moon Goddess Chang’e. In what is perhaps the most famous tale, it is said that during the end of the Mongolian- ruled Yuan era Han Chinese rebel Zhū Yuán Zhānɡ distributed a secret message baked in moon cakes giving the instructions “revolt on the 15th day of the eighth lunar month”. On the night of the brightest moon these revolutionary fighters successfully attacked and overthrew the Mongolian army.

Traditional moon cake fillings:

The most common fillings are Lotus seed paste, （莲蓉- lián rónɡ）Sweet bean paste,（豆沙- dòu shā）Jujube paste（枣泥- zǎo ní）and five-kernel （五仁- wǔ rén including rice, two kinds of millet, wheat grain and beans）. I personally like Jujube paste filling the most even though I usually don’t eat it that much.

Here is a video that gives you an overview of the Mid-Autumn Festival and the moon cake:

Hope you have a great Mid-Autumn Festival! Let us know what fillings you had and what your favorites were in the comments.

Today, Honor Your Teachers

Jimmy Olsen — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 07:00:35 +0000

September 10, 2009 is Teachers’ Day. Students all over China will present flowers, gifts, and cards to their teachers to show appreciation for their hard work.

In 1985 the National People’s Congress designated September 10 of every year National Teachers’ Day to honor teachers for their hard work. See an excerpt from Chinese Festivals by Límíng Weí and Lang Tao on Google Books about the origins of this day.

I’m thankful for all the good teachers I’ve had growing up who’ve taught me more than knowledge. And while Rosetta Stone is good, it can’t answer questions. My Chinese teachers have helped me understand Chinese culture, history, and food, and basically have helped me to adjust to life here. Instead of just learning vocabulary and grammar from my teachers in my one-on-one classes, I’ve had many great conversations with my good friends.

Anyway, hope that you have a chance to honor your teacher today. You can send a text, give flowers, write a card or give a present. You can use these phrases:

节日快乐
jié rì kuài lè
Happy Teachers’ Day

老师, 辛苦了!
lǎo shī, xīn kǔ le
Teacher, you’ve worked hard!

And if you REALLY want to thank your teacher…

拨动真诚的心弦 (bō dònɡ zhēn chénɡ de xīn xián)，
You’ve inspired me to do my best,

铭记成长的辛酸 (mínɡ jì chénɡ zhǎnɡ de xīn suān)，
you’ve helped me through the hard times,

成功的道路上永远离不开您 (chénɡ ɡōnɡ de dào lù shɑnɡ yónɡ yuǎn lí bù kāi nín)，
I couldn’t have succeeded without you.

亲爱的老师 (qīn ài de lǎo shī)，祝您节日快乐 (zhù nín jié rì kuài lè)！
My dear teacher, happy Teachers’ Day!

人生旅程上您为我点燃希望的光芒丰富我的心灵
(rén shēnɡ lǚ chénɡ shànɡ nín wéi wǒ diǎn rán xī wànɡ de ɡuānɡ mánɡ fēnɡ fù wǒ de xīn línɡ)，
On this journey of life, you’ve filled my spirit with the light of hope

增添我的智慧谢谢您！老师愿您永远健康！愉快！幸福
(zēnɡ tiān wǒ de zhì huì xiè xiè nín ！ lǎo shī yuàn nín yónɡ yuǎn jiàn kānɡ ！ yú kuài ！ xìnɡ fú)
and increased my wisdom. Thank you! I wish you health, happiness, and good fortune always!

Qi Xi Jie-Chinese Valentine’s Day

1on1 Mandarin — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 09:29:14 +0000

Qixi Festival-七夕节( qī xī jié) literally “The Night of Sevens“), also known as Magpie Festival, falls on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month on the Chinese calendar. In 2009, it’s on August 26th.

A love story for this day is about the 7th daughter of Emperor of Heaven and an orphaned cowherd. The Emperor separated them. The 7th daughter was forced to move to the star Vega and the cowherd moved to the star Altair. They are allowed to meet only once a year on the day of 7th day of 7th lunar month.

Watch this video below, it provides one common version of this Chinese traditional love story.

References and other resourses:

1. To read Qi Xi Jie story in Chinese-from Baidu

2. The story of Chinese Valentine’s day

3. Qixi Festival-from Wikipedia

If you are in China or have some friends, most likely, you would hear people talking about this festival.

Watch this video and read some referenced artiles, you would know more about this festival than average Chinese do.

Kungfu Jet Li and adidas get together(Wu Ji Videos)

1on1 Mandarin — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 06:17:18 +0000

(ChinaDaily)-What happens when world famous kungfu actor Jet Li and world leading sportswear brand adidas get together? You get a collection of men’s sportswear Wu Ji-武极（wu3ji2) which would be inspired by the age-old Chinese philosophy. The Wu Ji collection includes four series, each designed for a particular season.(玄水）has been launched for this summer, while the othe three-火光(fire), 妙土(earth) and 真气(spirit) will be unveiled in the coming seasons. Watch Wu Ji concept, course and origin here adidas.com/wuji (all in Chinese, practise your listening)

The message behind the Wu Ji collection is one of harmony between human beings and nature.

Let’s feel it in this latest Wu Ji video by Jet Li-心体谐一，没有不可能。

功夫梦 – The Karate Kid Streaming Online

怎么搞的？zěnme gǎo de?

1on1 Mandarin — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 08:45:31 +0000

This is a common saying I hear on the streets. This is used when someone is not satisfied with one’s own or another person’s actions, sometimes showing misunderstanding about what happened.

怎么搞的 (zěnme gǎo de) carries the tone of blaming or complaining. In English, this phrase would be translated as “What’s going on?“ or “What’s wrong with me/you?“.

Here are some examples to show how this phrase can be used:

1) 怎么搞的！明天就开会讨论了，你们到现在还没把计划书写出来！
Zěnme gǎo de! míng tiān jiù kāihuì tǎolùn le, nǐmen dào xiàn zài hái méi bǎ jìhuà shū xiě chūlái！
[What's going on? We have already talked about having a meeting tomorrow. You still haven't written out your proposal!]

2）你是怎么搞的？屋子弄得这么乱！
Nǐ shì zěnme gǎo de？ Wūzi nòng de zhème luàn！
[What's going on? The room is so messy!]

3）A: 你的机票呢？
Nǐ de jīpiào ne?
[Where's your plane ticket?]

B: 我刚才明明放在桌上的， 怎么搞的，一转眼就不见了。
Wǒ gāng cái míng míng fàng zài zhuō shàng de, zěnme gǎo de, yī zhuàn yǎn jiù bú jiàn le.
[I just placed it on the table in a very obvious place. What's wrong with me? I turn away and it's now gone.]

Reference:

刘德联，刘晓丽. Exemplification of Common Sentence Patterns in Spoken Chinese 汉语口语常用句式例解. Peking University Press, 2005.

1on1 Mandarin Blog, learn to speak Chinese » Culture

Tomb Sweeping Day – 清明节 (Qīng Míng Jiē)

But what’s the deal with the cold food?

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