Are they like us?

 

Well, this is my last post on this page for a little. I begin my journey to Kaifeng, China at 430am EST, so I will be off the grid for a few weeks.

As I am about to embark on college life in another country on the other side of the world, that has a different political system and value system then us; I wonder: are Chinese college students like us?

I stumbled on to this page today and realized that yuppers they sure are….lol

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

More Pics here: China Porky’s: Chinese Students Revenge, 110 pics – china-underground.com.

The Lastest Invation into North Korea? K-pop!

According to the website donga.com  The K-pop Wave that has been sweeping
Europe and all of Asia has jumped the fence into North Korea.

Can this be the diplomatic event that could
bring the peninsula back together? I don’t know but I am happy to watch them
try….for hours and hours…

Heres the scoop:

South Korean pop music, or K-pop, has reportedly started to gain popularity in North Korea.Despite a stern crackdown by the North’s security authorities, many people in the North led by the children of high-income families are learning the latest South Koreanfolk songs and dance, news reports say.Introducing this trend, the U.S.-based Radio Free Asia said Tuesday, “Names of South Korean dance groups, such as Girls’ Generation’ and Big Bang are no longer unheard of in North Korea.” A Chinese trader who frequently visits North Korea told the broadcaster, “South Korean dance fever is sweeping young people in Pyongyang,” adding, “A homemaker of a well-heeled family asked me to get a Girls’ Generation CD to her recently.” The Radio Free Asia report said dance is so popular among children of the North`s rich and powerful in their teens and 20s living around Pyongyang’s Junggu or Daedong River districts. Rumors also suggest that “those who cannot dance disco cannot play with other children.” Private lessons for dance have gotten popular, and tutors even teach dance and singing at homes and exercise rooms for 20 U.S. dollars per month. The trader said, “These days, homemakers of rich households don`t tell their children to learn the accordion or another instrument, and are more interested in teaching modern dance entailing both dance and singing.” The children of senior North Korean officials who attend prestigious schools such as Kim Il Sung University and Pyongyang Commercial University are enjoying South Korean and Western music by dodging the relatively loose crackdown on them, he said. “Hallyu,” or the Korean Wave of South Korean pop culture, has been repeatedly confirmed by North Korean defectors. With more South Korean dramas and music CDs flowing into the North via the North Korea-China border, chances are high that famous South Korean singers, including girl groups, will enjoy increased visibility, experts say. An official at Hanawon, a state-run training center assisting North Korean defectors to settle in the South, said, “Many North Korean students really like South Korean songs and dance, and they easily follow South Korea’s singing and dancing,” adding, “Dance performances staged in the trainees’ completion ceremony at Hanawon is just as impressive as performances by South Korean singers or students.” North Korean authorities are stepping up their crackdown on hallyu, with one saying, “The inflow of external trends, including the Korean Wave, should be blocked.” Pyongyang apparently believes that external winds of this nature could pose a stumbling block to consolidating the structure of power succession for heir apparent Kim Jong Un. In a visit to Shinuiju early last month, North Korean leader Kim Jong Il reportedly criticized his country`s fashion and social disorder by saying, “North Pyongan Province has become a dance hall of capitalism.” He then ordered a stronger crackdown.

Learning: \\\’Poor baby\\\’ in Chinese – hǎo kě lián! – 好可怜! – Study More Chinese

Okay so that picture is most likely a Japanese Sumo and I realize that this is a Chinese Mandarin site but what the hell, I liked the picture.

via Learning: \\\’Poor baby\\\’ in Chinese – hǎo kě lián! – 好可怜! – Study More Chinese.

One of my favorite things to say when I was learning Spanish was pobrecita meaning poor baby (girl). It can be used seriously or more importantly, it can be used in a sarcastic manner when someone was whining about something. Needless to say, I have been looking for a mandarin equivalent.

The first I got was kě lián – 可怜 – which I was using for a while until I did a online translation that included kě lián. It translates into pitiful, pathetic, wretched and meager. Much harsher than I usually intend to use it.

Luckily for us, I asked my new language exchange friend what I could say that might not be so harsh.

If you want to say ‘So Sad’ try these;
hǎo shāng xīn! 好伤心！
hǎo nán guò! 好难过！
hǎo kě lián! 好可怜！
tai shāng xīn le! 太伤心了！

Or if you need to tell a kid that ‘it’s okay’ use these;
méi shì 没事
méi shì de 没事的

And last but not least, if you have to give counsel to a poor sweetheart like the kid who just got snubbed while trying to give a flower (花 huā) to Megan Fox, you can say ‘Don’t be sad’;
bié nán guò – 别难过
bié nán guò le – 别难过了
bù yòng nán guò – 不用难过

Poor kid! hǎo kě lián！好可怜！

I love when I accidentally find great music! NeeHaoMag & Beilei

While reading on a new magazine i am enjoying NeeHaoMag I found this awesome artist Beilei. So I searched on Youtube and found her videos there. She is awesome! Check her out!!

China Invests In Filmmaking, For Image And Profit : NPR

I just read an interesting article, China Invests In Filmmaking, For Image And Profit : NPR about the Chinese government investing big dollars into the film industry so that it can promote a film that shares both Chinese culture and large box office dollars like “Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon” did.

Unfortunately, the truly great movies out of China are not your kung fu epics that the American audience eats up. If it doesn’t contain high-flying, crazy fight scenes or bad guys vs good guys through a crazy antics, it wont catch the American eye.

The average American doesnt look for good stories and dramas to come out of China. They are afraid that the story is something that will be lost in translation or that you need to read a history book to follow the plot.

Both of which are not true.

Some of the best movies i have ever seen are from China. Yes, if you understand a little more of the history of the country and culture it gives you that something extra that others may notice the subtle tones. But I dont catch the stuff some get in big blockbusters in the US either.

My hope is that more movies come out of china and grace our silver screens (well i guess it is more lcd screens now) and share the beauty that is Chinese culture.

If you would like to see more about Chinese culture and quality movies out of China here are my 10 favorite.(not in any order because they all are amazing) They are available on netflix and if you want many are chopped into 10 minute sections on Youtube as well.

 

1) Raise the Red Lantern

 

2) Farewell my Concubine

 

3) To live

 

 

4) World without Thieves

 

5) Balzac and the little seamstress

 

6) Lust Caution (warning much nudity and sex scenes) (Wang leehom *sigh*)

 

7) Shower

 

8) Curse of the Golden Flower (Jay Chou *sigh*)

 

9) The Message

 

10) eat drink man women (from and about Taiwan but family is family in china and it is very good way to see life from that perspective.)

Hanyu pinyin not at odds with traditional Chinese characters: Ma – CNA ENGLISH NEWS

Hanyu pinyin not at odds with traditional Chinese characters: Ma – CNA ENGLISH NEWS.

 

 

Taipei, June 18 (CNA) Hanyu pinyin, the system used to romanize Chinese characters in China, and the promotion of traditional Chinese characters are not in conflict, Presidential Office spokesman Fan Chiang Tai-chi said Saturday in response to criticism from opposition politicians. 

“Hanyu Pinyin is to help foreigners living in Taiwan distinguish the sounds of words and one of Taiwan’s internationalization tools. The promotion of traditional characters is to preserve Chinese culture,” Fan said. 

“They not only don’t conflict, they are positive directions that should be promoted,” he said, in response to the Democratic Progressive Party’s criticism that adopting the two systems was contradictory. 

Hanyu pinyin, which is already widely accepted across the globe, is a good tool to help Taiwan connect to the world and has nothing to do with a pro-China stance, Fan added. 

“The DPP should not politicize every government policy,” he urged. 

President Ma Ying-jeou recently ordered that all government websites must use traditional characters, after the Tourism Bureau was called out for using simplified characters on its website to cater to tourists from China. 

Fan said advocating traditional characters is a firm policy, and the government also does not encourage shops to use simplified characters to draw Chinese visitors, because traditional characters preserved in Taiwan should be more appealing to them. 

“President Ma firmly insists on using traditional characters in Taiwan and hopes to create more chances for Chinese people to appreciate their beauty and profound meaning through increased exchanges across the Taiwan Strait,” he added. (By S.H. Lee and FlorWang) enditem/ls

 

I am often asked … Why do I love China … « Wandering Waiguoren 漫步外国人

from :I am often asked … Why do I love China … « Wandering Waiguoren 漫步外国人.

I am often asked why china and why do I love it so much. Do i hate america? no has nothing to do with my love of my country…it is hard to explain but I recently had to write an essay for my scholarship that helps give you an idea why and how much I truly love China.

***

 

China and Chinese culture has been a love of mine since I was 5 years old. I used to read stories of a far away land with beauty and mystery. At the time I dreamed of traveling to China and walking on the Great Wall, but at the time it was not possible.

When I came to The University of Akron in 2008, shortly after the Beijing Olympics, I began to take any course that I could on China. I made a big leap and tried Chinese as my foreign language and fell deeper in love with the country and it filled my dreams.

Chinese was very hard but extremely rewarding. I began listening to mandarin music and watching Chinese movies. I wanted to read, see and listen to anything to do with China. I worked hard because I wanted to achieve higher knowledge of the language and the culture.

In May 2010, I was given an opportunity to live my dream of visiting China. During a two-week stay I was able to see amazing cities like Shanghai, Kaifeng, Xi’an and Beijing. I have never been so happy in my life! I saw magnificent places I had only read about in books. I was in awe of the history I was in contact with. I savored every moment I could in places like the Pudong in Shanghai; the Daxiangguo Temple in Kaifeng; the Teracotta Army and the city wall in Xi’an; and the Great Wall and Tiananmen Square in Beijing.

I want to take my study of the Chinese language and cultures even further and teach others about the beauty of it. To do so, I would greatly be honored to partake in the year long study of the Chinese language in China. I deeply feel that in order to create a more harmonious world we should learn about other countries and cultures in order to understand them.

I believe that we as Americans cannot continue to force our ideals on other countries. As citizens of the world we need to embrace other cultures and build bridges of learning between the countries. By studying Chinese language and culture, I hope to help build those bridges of understanding between our nations.

Knowledge is the greatest tool and Chinese is a tool I hope to master and eventually pass on to others.

You can ask anyone that knows me about what my passion is and they will abundantly say it is Chinese language and culture. I am the vice-president of the Chinese Cultural Society at The University of Akron, a volunteer at many Chinese culture events, and have written about Chinese culture on our school paper. I am an active promoter of Chinese language, not only at The University of Akron, but in our local community. My hope is that I can help continue the bridge between our countries for many years to come.

Learning Chinese language has also opened many doors for me. I have met many wonderful people since I began my studies. I was also able to turn my love of Chinese language and culture into a part-time student assistant position at our universities Confucius Institute. There I had the pleasure of assisting on many events including out campus’ “China Week” and “Chinese Summer Camp.”

I also spoke to high-school students who are also studying Chinese during “High School China Day” sponsored by our Confucius Institute. Along with another Chinese Student, we taught different study methods that will attract a younger audience. My classmate and I both discovered that through Mandarin pop music we could improve our pronunciation and our vocabulary while enjoying new music and learning about the popular culture of China. At the end of the High School China Day our students performed a popular song for everyone. It was sung in Mandarin and everyone enjoyed it very much. Our class was quiet popular and we were asked to do it again for summer camp.

When awarded this scholarship I will be a model student and ambassador for both The University of Akron and the Confucius Institute. I will maintain the highest level of behavior and will continuously promote Henan University, Confucius Institute, and Chinese Language.

I feel this once-in-a-life time opportunity will provide me with the skills to improve my Chinese well beyond a traditional American classroom setting. Without the opportunity to practice Chinese every day, I fear I will begin to lose what I worked so hard to gain. I wish to go as high as I can in my proficiency in Chinese language and feel this is the best tool to do so. By immersion into the culture and country I am able to observe and learn things that cannot be fully expressed in class, all the small things that people who are communicating do when speaking to one another. These are the things that make a Chinese speaker truly a master.

Thank you for this wonderful opportunity.

YouTube – ‪shannonanicas’s Channel & New Trip blog.‬‏

YouTube – ‪shannonanicas’s Channel‬‏.

I have begun going through my videos from my trip to china and korea and editing them into a reasonable watchable format. I will be posting them as they get uploaded.

Also, you can check out the blog that is specifically about my travels last year and (hopefully) this year. Wandering Waiguoren

The Science and History of the Asian Squat | 8Asians.com

I came across this today on 8asians.com and had to read it. It is something my friends who have been to china joke about needing to practice for our toilet limbering. But i had never fully thought about what it actually was or how it was really done….this is a fun and fascinating way to learn more about this very useful stance。

 

The Asian squat. I’ve always been able to do it naturally. For those of you who don’t know, the Asian squat is when you have both feet on the ground, butt touching ankles and knees spread wide. I’ve always done it but the first time I really noticed others doing it was when I went to Bali. Every street I walked down, there were lines and lines of men and women doing the Asian squat asking me if I wanted to buy women, drugs, and/or tourist crap. I almost forgot–in one hand they always had a cigarette and/or a beer. Sometimes both.

Still not sure what I’m talking about? Check out Daniel Hsia’s amazing video, “How to do the Asian Squat” [2002].

Full story The Science and History of the Asian Squat | Discrimination | 8Asians.com.

A blessing from ancient times — Snapshots of Chinese Dragon Boat Festival

by Xinhua writer Yao Yuan

BEIJING, June 6 (Xinhua) — Palatable rice dumplings, fragrant herbal sachet, and ancient rituals for health, people across China celebrated Duanwu, or the Dragon Boat Festival, Monday to usher in the sizzling summer days with ancient blessings.

The Dragon Boat Festival, which falls on the fifth day on the fifth month on the lunar calendar, is believed to be designed to commemorate the death of Qu Yuan, a patriot poet during the Warring State Period (475-221 BC). Qu committed suicide by flinging himself into the Miluo River after the capital of Chu, his mother country, fell under the enemy attack.

Over the years, the festival has evolved from a purely mournful experience to a national holiday that features sacrifices to ancestors, family get-togethers, and rituals to guard away diseases and bad luck.

 

 

full story –》A blessing from ancient times — Snapshots of Chinese Dragon Boat Festival.