Saturday, January 31, 2009

HSK - Fujian Geological Museum




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Library>Museum>Nature

Fujian Geological Museum

The Fujian Geological Museum, located at Fuzhou City, is a local comprehensive museum of geological science of China. It used to be the Exhibition Hall of Achievements of Geological Scientific Researches of the Geology Bureau of Fujian Province.

The museum, prepared in 1982, has collected around 4,000 pieces of various kinds of samples, of which 60 belong to Class One collection, includingtianhuangstone (a yellowish translucent stone found at Shoushan; prized as material for seals), sapphire, the fossil of graptolite of the early
Ordovician Period found for the first time in Fujian Province, and the fossil sample of the anchovy of the later Jurassic Period.

The museum covers an area of 1,200 square meters. The basic displays are ordinary geology, stratum paleontology, petrology, mineral resources and their industrial uses, deposit geology, and the Antarctic Pole geology and minerals. The most important exhibition is the mineral resources, displayed
in 10 categories. The nonmetal minerals on display have all the varieties available, such as the seaside superior-quality quartz placer deposit with its resource ranked number one in China, the unique standard sand used to define the grade of cement in China, and the Shoushan stone with its
reserves ranked number one in China. The other nonmetal minerals on display are the mineral samples with the special features of Fujian Province such as crystal mine, kaolin mine, barite mine and granite materials.

The museum also has a display of geological popular science, gives geological lectures, and runs a show window for popularization of geological science.

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Saturday, January 24, 2009

Chinese Online Class - Chongqing Museum




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Library>Museum>History

Chongqing Museum

The Chongqing Museum is a museum of Chinese social history. Situated on the top of the Pipa Mountain, the Museum was founded in 1951 as the Southwest Museum and was renamed as the Chongqing Museum in 1955. It has 3,000 square meters for exhibition halls.

The Museum boasts a collection of more than 100,000 pieces of relics and 50,000 documents, including over 500 stonewares of Paleolithic times, 1,000 relics of Bashu Culture, 100 stone sculptures of the Han Dynasty (206BC-220AD), more than 4,000 porcelains and 5,000 paintings of various dynasties.
Relics of modern times total about 30,000 items, reflecting the history of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom Uprising, the 1911 Revolution, the May 4thMovement, the Long March, and the Anti-Japanese War in the 1930s. In addition, there are over 5,000 handicrafts and fine arts of the local ethnic
minorities on display.

The Museum has held more than 150 exhibitions, including the Exhibition of Relics of Southwest China, the Display of Historical Relics of Sichuan, the Exhibition of Chongqing Excavations, and the Exhibition of Chongqiing's Anti-Japanese War Documents, etc.

Publications of the Museum includeConcerning the Bashu Culture,Han Dynasty Sculpture Art of Sichuan,Bronze Mirrors in Chongqing,Ancient Pottery of Sichuan, andSichuan During the May 4thMovement.

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Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Learn Chinese online - Shanghai History Museum




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Library>Museum>History

Shanghai History Museum

The new Shanghai History Museum, located now just below the Oriental TV Tower at Pudong New Area, was formally opened to the public on July 1, 2000. There are three major exhibition units reflecting Shanghai's history, modern and recent revolutionary history.

Founded in September 1983, Shanghai History Museum was formerly known as Shanghai Historical Relic Exhibition Hall and got the present name in 1991. In 1992, the Museum was moved to Hongqiao Road as the temporary site, and the exhibition hall was expanded to 1,400 square meters. The 40,000-plus
exhibits collected by the Museum reflect the historic vicissitudes of the Shanghai city.

Many historical exhibits -- bronze tigers which originally stood in front of the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation, printing machines the Commercial Press bought from the United States in the 1920s, a model of the Bund set in the 1930s and the model of the Hardoon Garden -- are now already
in their new home in Pudong.

In a 4,000-square-metre exhibition hall, the 1,000 artefacts and exhibits are elaborately arranged to revive the old Shanghai. Amidst the unique shikumen, or stone-arched houses and various Chinese shops, visitors are able to savour the charm of the oriental metropolis, once the largest city in
the Far East.

Most exciting for many will be the "performing zone". Every day, performances are staged to tell the history of different periods -- from the late Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) to the 1940s. Audiences can experience the old atmosphere with the help of the actors' songs and verbal and body languages.

A documentary about the Jewish influx to Shanghai to escape the Holocaust is on display regularly at the museum.

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Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Learn Mandarin online - Newspaper Office of China Relics




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Library>Institutions>Central Affiliated

Newspaper Office of China Relics

Address: No.1, Xilou Alley, Yonghegong Street, Eastern District, Beijing

Post Code: 100009

Tel: (86-10) 64010693 64010692 Fax: (86-10)64010693

The newspaper office of China Relics, established in 1987, is a newspaper and publishing institution under the State Bureau of Cultural relics.

Duties and tasks: To publicize state relics laws, regulations and policies; to report new archeological discoveries and relics research achievements; to spread relics and relics protection knowledge; to hold academic forums; and to conduct exchanges of domestic and foreign relics in formation.

Establishment: The newspaper includes the Editorial Department, General office and Service Department.

Major achievements: The newspaper offices publish Chinese Relics, a special weekly page on Chinese relics published in the Hong Kong Wen Wei Po and an internal monthly magazine, Work on Relics.

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Monday, January 12, 2009

Chinese Mandarin - Central Drama Institute




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Central Drama Institute

Address: N0.39 East Mianhua Alley, Dongcheng District, Beijing

Post Code: 100710

Tel: (86-10) 64013688 FAX: (86-10) 64014976

The Central Drama Institute (CDI), founded in 1950, is an institution of higher education under the Ministry of Culture.

Central Drama Institute
Duties and tasks: The duties and tasks for CDI are: train specialized personnel in performance, directing, stage art, drama theory and playwright; and do research work handed over by related departments. Establishment: CDI has Director Department, Performance Department, Department of Stage Art,
Department of Drama Literature, Department of Common Training, Research Institute, Library, Editors' office, President's Office, Department of Students' Affairs, Foreign Affairs Department, Dean's office and Department of Practice.

Major achievements: Major achievements of CDI which have won Prizes since 1978 include:History of dramas in Western Europe, Theoretical Research and Building up of Teaching Materi3ls, Research in Teaching of Directing and Directing Art; Alley in Rain,andStory of Sangshuping

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Sunday, January 11, 2009

Learn Chinese - Kingdom of Wu




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Library>China ABC>History>Introduction>Dynasties

Kingdom of Wu

TheKingdom of Wu(222-280) was one of the Three Kingdoms competing for control of China after the fall of the Han Dynasty (206BC-AD220).

During the decline of the Han Dynasty, the State of Wu, a region in the South of the Yangtze River surrounding Suzhou, was under the control of the warlord Sun Quan. Sun succeeded his brother as King of Wu and considered the area to under his rule and subject to the Han Emperor. Unlike his
competitors, Wu did not really have the ambition to become the Emperor of China. However, after Cao Pi of the Kingdom of Wei and Liu Bei of the Kingdom of Shu, each having declared himself emperor, Sun decided to follow suit in 222, claiming to have founded theWu Dynasty.

The Kingdom was conquered by the first Jin Emperor Sima Yan in 280. With a lifespan of 58 years, it was the longest-lived of the three kingdoms.

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Saturday, January 10, 2009

Pnyin - Hangzhou Zhang Xiaoquan Scissors




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Library>China ABC>Geography>Local Products

Hangzhou Zhang Xiaoquan Scissors

Zhang Xiaoquan Scissors are produced in Hangzhou City, the provincial capital of Zhejiang Province in East China. In China, the brand Zhang Xiaoquan represents not only scissors, but also profound Chinese culture. Every generation worked hard to keep its reputation. In the past 300-odd years of
history, Zhang Xiaoquan has never been more popular than today.

Made locally since the reign of Emperor Kangxi (1662-1723), Zhang Xiaoquan Scissors are reputed as the best scissors in China. More than 300 hundred years ago, the founder of Zhang Xiaoquan Scissors, Zhang Jiasi, adopted the techniques to make Zhejiang Longquan Sword, and innovated the skill of
inlaying scissors with steel. The scissors he made was famous far and wide for their tartness and shininess. Zhang Xiaoquan, the son of Zhang Jiasi, inherited his father's business and improved the processing techniques with strict regulations on mode, standard, variety and the degree of tartness.
Thus, he established the brand Zhang Xiaoquan, which made quite a prosperous business in the following several hundred years.

The King Scissors of Zhang Xiaoquan made in Hangzhou, 115 cm long and 56.64 kg in weight, have been recorded in the Genes World Record, while the smallest scissors are as tiny as 3 cm long and several grams in weight. In 1901, Zhang Xiaoquan Scissors won its first silver prize at the Nanyang
Quanye Exposition (an exposition for famous products held in the coastal cities of China in the Qing Dynasty); in 1919, it won the fourth prize at Panama World Exposition.

The Zhang Xiaoquan Scissors Factory in Hangzhou was established in 1957, and now, it has developed into the largest scissors manufacturer in China.

The factory, which releases 10 new designs yearly, also offers attractive models with ruler blades designed for children. The company is a top producer with sales and exports respectively accounting for 40 and 33% of China's total output of scissors. More than 30% of its output goes to about 40
counties and regions like Japan, Europe and Taiwan.

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Friday, January 9, 2009

Chinese Pinyin - Regulations of P.R.China on Nature Reserves




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Library>China ABC>Fauna Flora>Introduction and Regulations

Regulations of P.R.China on Nature Reserves

Article 31 The receiving unit shall report foreigners entering local natural reserves to the responsible administrative section of the natural reserves of the people's government of the province, municipality or autonomous region. Upon entering national natural reserves, the receiving unit shall
report to the responsible administrative section of the natural reserves of the people's government of the State Council.

Foreigners entering natural reserves shall abide by the laws, regulations and rules of the natural reserves.

Article 32 In the core and buffer zones of the natural reserves, the manufacture of constructions is forbidden. In the experimental zone of the natural reserves, the manufacture of constructions, which may pollute or damage the environment, is also forbidden. No facility construction is permitted
that discharges pollutants surpassing the national or local set standards. The facilities that have been established in the experimental zone of the natural reserves with discharges surpassing the national or local set standards shall be restrained; the ones that have caused loses shall provide
compensation.

Projects constructed in the outer protection zone of the natural reserves shall not have a negative impact on the quality of the environment of the natural reserves. Projects that have already caused a negative impact shall mend their ways within a given time limit.

The decision to reform shall be made by certain bureaus according to laws and regulations; enterprises in need of reform shall complete the task on time.

Article 33 An individual or agency that has polluted or damaged, or may pollute or damage, natural reserves due to an accident or other unexpected incidents, shall carry out measures to: resolve the problem, inform the residents or units that may be harmed, report to management and the responsible
sections of the local natural reserves and the environmental protection unit, and accept an investigation and a punishment.

Chapter IV Legal Responsibility

Article 34 An individual or agency that has violated a regulation in one of the following situations shall amend their behavior in accordance with the enforcement of the administrative section of the natural reserves. A fine of RMB 100-5,000, depending on the situation, could also be imposed.

Moving or destroying landmarks of natural reserves without permission

Entering natural reserves without permission or disobeying the working staff.

An individual or agency permitted to conduct activities such as scientific research, teaching and specimen collecting in the buffer zone of the natural reserves but has failed to submit a copy of the achievement record to the administrative section of the natural reserves.

Article 35 Apart from being punished, an individual or agency that conducts activities in violation of the regulation -- such as felling, grazing, hunting, fishing, herb collecting, cultivating, burning grass on waste land, mining, stone collecting and sand digging can be seized, forced to stop
the illegal activities, asked to restore the natural reserves in a given time or provide compensation. A fine of RMB 300-10,000 can also be imposed for damaging the reserves.

Article 36 A natural reserves administrator who refuses to coordinate the supervision of the responsible section of the environmental protection or relevant responsible natural reserves section, or engages in fraud during the supervision can be fined RMB 300-3,000 by the responsible environmental
protection section of the people's government above a county level or the relevant responsible natural reserves section.

Article 37 An administrative section of the natural reserves that violates the regulation in one of the following situations shall be dealt with in accordance with the responsible environmental protection section of the people's government above county level. The person directly responsible shall
be punished accordingly by the unit in charge.

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Thursday, January 8, 2009

Chinese Studies - Other National Nature Reserves




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Library>China ABC>Fauna Flora>Nature Reserves

Other National Nature Reserves

Poyang Lake Nature Reserve of Jiangxi Province

In southern Jiujiang City, Jiangxi Provinceand at the foot of Lushan Mountain lies Poyang Lake, the biggest freshwater lake in China. Poyang Lake Nature Reserve covers a total area of 22,400 hectares. Its protection targets are white cranes, egrets and other rare birds. It has been listed as a
Wetland of International Importance.

According to related investigation, the Reserve provides shelters for a million birds of258 species,of which over40such as egrets, white cranes, white-crown cranes, great bustards, golden eagles and swansareput under the first-grade and second-grade state protection.It is known as the world's
largest nature reserve for white cranes to live through the winter. Some 95% white cranes in the world may fly here to escape the winter cold. Up to now, Poyang Lake is also the habitat for migratory birds in the world to spend their winter. Therefore, Poyang Lake becomes an important reserve for
the protection and research of birds.

East Dongting Lake Nature Reserve of Hunan Province

Located in the boundaries of Yueyang City, Hunan Province, East Dongting Lake Nature Reserve covers an area of 190,300 hectares. The Reserve has been listed as a Wetland of International Importance. Its main protection targets are wetland and rare bird species.

The Reserve is part of Dongting Lake, the second largest freshwater lake in China. Affected by the Yantze River and Xiang Water System, marshland, swamp, shoal and so on have been formed. At the same time, materials brought by floodwaters are deposited, which provide favorable conditions for
aquatic wildlife to live and breed. Since the Reserve lies in the reproduction area of migratory birds of the winter and the summer, it is rich in bird species. There are 158 species of migratory birds and 10 species including white cranes are put under the first-grade state protection, 27 species
such as swans under the second-grade state protection. Such mammals as white-flag dolphin and black finless porpoise can often be spotted in the lake. The Reserve also boasts 20 fish species of economic value such as Chinese Paddlefish.

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Wednesday, January 7, 2009

Study Chinese - Herb Peony




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Library>China ABC>Fauna Flora>Gardening

Herb Peony

Alias:Jiangli,Yurong,Liuyi

Family Name: Paeoniaceae

1. Morphological Character

The stalk is caespitose. The trunk is between 60 to 150 centimeters in height, with thick and long fleshy root. The leaves at the bottom are compound leaves, while those at the top are simple leaves, with white bony thin teeth at the edge. The top of the stalk ramifies, with a flower on top of
each branch, which is between 5.5 to 10 centimeters in diameter. Some gardening species have flowers with a diameter of 15 to 20 centimeters. The flowers are white, pink, red, purple, dark purple, lilac, yellow, etc. The follicle fruit matures in August.

2. Main Points for Planting

The main method of reproduction is offshooting and seeding. Offshooting should be performed from the last ten days of August to that of September. Offshooting in spring would cause the maladjustment of moisture and nutrition in the plant, resulting in debility and death of the plant. To offshoot,
the root should be dug out, dried in the shade for one or two days and finally broken off along the aperture. Offshooting should be performed once every 6 to 10 years. In reproduction of seeding, root starts rhizogenesis in the same fall of seeding and the seed will germinate in the spring of the
next year. The young plant grows slowly. Very few plants will blossom in the following third year. The common blossom time is in the following 4 or 5 years. Basic fertilizer should be plenteous before inseminating, with deep furrowing and flatting once and again. The best time to inseminating is
between the last ten days of August and that of September. The row space between plants should be 85cm×85cm. Fertilizer should be applied together with freezing water before ice-out in spring, and it should be fertilized 3 times a year. The soil should be wet with a little dry. The plant should
be watered thoroughly before blossom. Water it completely with fertilization before the germination in early spring. Water it with freezing water in the last twenty days of November.

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Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Chinese Class - Leopard




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Library>China ABC>Fauna Flora>Introduction and Regulations>Class I Animals>Mammalia

Leopard

With the alias of Gold-coin Leopard, or Baozi and Wenbao, it belongs to the Felidae family of Carnivora order. Its scientific names are Panthera pardus (Latin), and Leopard (English).

It weighs about 50 kilograms, and the body length is above 1 meter, with the tail exceeding half of the total length. It belongs to the type of large- or medium-sized beast of prey genera, with a shape similar but miniature to tiger. It has round head, short ears, four sturdy and strong limbs, and
sharp claws with good retractility. Its body colors are vivid, with tan hair, and black spots and loop lines all over, forming old-coin-shaped stripes. Hence, it was given the name of "Gold-coin Leopard". Its belly is milky white.

It inhabits in multifarious environments, distributed from low mountains, hills to mountain forests and bushes, living in invisible and solid caves. It has extremely strong physical strength, sensitive vision and olfaction, and is highly alert. It is also skillful in swimming and climbing trees.
The above abilities make it a daring and fierce carnivore with broad food choices. During the breeding period, the males fight impetuously for females. Its oestrus and mating are usually in April, and new babies are delivered in June or July, usually 3 babies per propagation. Young leopards leave
the mother leopard in the following autumn to live by themselves, and grow to sexual maturity at the age of 2.5 to 3. Under breeding condition, its life span can reach as long as 20 to 23 years.

It was once widely distributed in northeastern China and south of the Yellow River; but now the quantity is very small. Leopard has been listed in Appendix I ofInternational Trade Convention on Endangered Wild Animal and Plant Species.

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Monday, January 5, 2009

Study Chinese - Weight-lifting



| 繁体 | 简体 | English |

|Home|News Center|Cultural Olympics|City of Beijing|Sports Tradition|China Impression|

Weight-lifting

( 2008-07-10 )

Venue: Beijing University of Aeronautics & Astronautics Gymnasium

Time: Aug 9 – 13, Aug 15 - 19

An ancient sport as old as mankind, embodying the most direct manifestation of human strength, weightlifting has not only flourished, but also developed into a modern sporting discipline for the 21st century. The apparent simplicity of lifting the barbell from the ground and over the head in one
or two movements is deceiving.

Weightlifting requires a combination of power, speed, technique, concentration and timing. Super heavyweight lifters normally claim the title of World’s Strongest Man or Woman.

However, kilo per kilo, the lightest weightlifter is often the strongest. Men’s weightlifting was on the programme of the first modern Olympic Games in Athens in 1896. Women participated for the first time at the Olympic Games in Sydney in 2000.

LIST OF EVENTS

  Emblems More

* Dancing Beijing -- Beijing 2008 Olympic Emblem

============================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================

* Beijing Paralympics Emblem ( 07-10 )
* Environmental Emblem of Beijing 2008 ( 07-10 )
* Emblem of the Beijing Olympic Torch Relay ( 07-10 )
* Emblem of the Beijing 2008 OYC ( 07-10 )
* Emblem of the Beijing Olympic Cultural Festival ( 07-10 )

News More

* Illustrated Olympic giant panda story comes out
* Ten recommended Beijing shopping streets
* Let the fashion parade begin
* Chinese soprano holds solo concert in Greece
* Int'l sand sculpture festival in Italy highlights Beijing Olympics

Meet in Beijing More

* Dance Along the River during the Qingming Festival
* Concert by Macao Chinese Orchestra
* Kataklo Athletic Dance Theatre
* UK Contemporary Exhibition
* The Russia Star Ballet

Olympic on Beijing's Axis

  Online Tour

============================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================

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Sunday, January 4, 2009

Chinese Mandarin - Everyday Eating Customs in China




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Library>Culture ABC>Food & Drinks>Etiquettes

Everyday Eating Customs in China

Chinese cuisine culture is deep rooted in China's history. There are so many “whys” that you may find so interesting: Why is a fish never turned over Why do tea-drinkers surreptitiously tap tables Why are Chinese dinner tables round and how will you know who is the guest of honor

The whole meal will be more enjoyable if you knows a little of the ancient traditions and beliefs that place the meal in a 5,000-year-old culinary heritage.

As a visitor or guest in either a Chinese home or restaurant you will find that table manners are essential and the distinctive courtesies displayed will invariably add to the enjoyment of your meals and keep you in high spirits!

1. Though customs and the kinds of food eaten vary according to region, it is most common for Chinese families to gather for three meals a day.

2. An individual place setting for an everyday meal includes a bowl of Fan (rice), a pair of chopsticks, a flat-bottomed soup-spoon, and a saucer. Instead of a napkin, a hot towel is often provided at the start as well as the end of the meal for the diner to wipe his hands and mouth.

3. The real difference is that in the West, you have your own plate of food, while in China all the dishes will put on the table for everyone’s share. The meat and vegetable dishes are laid out all at once in the center of the table, and the diners eat directly from the communal plates using
their chopsticks. Soup is also eaten from the common bowl. Rather than for serving oneself a separate portion, the saucer is used for bones and shells or as a place to rest a bite taken from a communal plate when it is too large to eat all at once.

4. It is perfectly acceptable to reach across the table to take a morsel from a far-away dish. To facilitate access to all the dishes, Chinese dining tables are more likely to be square or round, rather than elongated like their western counterparts.

5. Maybe one of the things that will surprise a Western visitor most is that some of the Chinese hosts would like to put food into the plates of their guests. Usually in formal dinners, there are always “public” chopsticks and spoons for this purpose, but some hosts may still use their own
chopsticks. This is a token of genuine friendship and politeness. It is polite to eat the food. If you don’t like to eat it, please just leave the food in the plate.

6. Eating usually begins in order of seniority, with each diner taking the cue to start from his or her immediate superior.

7. In order to cool the soup a bit and to better diffuse the flavor in the mouth, soup is eaten by sipping from the spoon while breathing in. This method, of course, produces the slurping noise that is taboo in the West.

8. Rice, or Fan in Chinese, is the staple food. To eat Fan, a diner raises the bowl to her lips and pushes the grains into her mouth with chopsticks. This is the easiest way to eat it and shows proper enjoyment. The diner must finish the entire bowl of rice, otherwise it is considered bad manners
-- a lack of respect for the labor required to produce it.

9. People in China tend to over-order food, especially at banquets or get-togethers, for they will find it embarrassing if all the food is consumed or not enough.

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Saturday, January 3, 2009

Learn Chinese - Views on Ancient Character's Bloom














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Info>View







Views on Ancient Character's Bloom
















I first meet "囧" ( pronounced Jiong in Chinese) was one moth ago when I talked online with a young man who is an intern in my company. He sent me a face-like symbol following a request for a permission of absence. I guessed this may be an expression of puzzlement. To my surprise, from then on, I
came across this face everywhere on the internet, from MSN, QQ, blog to BBS, from flash game to everyday commodities.

I searched for it online and found this embarrassed looking face is actually an ancient Chinese hieroglyphic character, and it originally means"bright". The big outside pane indicates the house and the smaller one represents the window, where light come through. Yet because of its resemblance to a
human face with two drooping eyebrows and a mouth, some Internet users have started using it as an emoticon to express embarrassment. Now, however, the character has been tweaked to represent many other feelings.

A sudden metamorphosis

Why does this uncommon ancient character get so much attention One saying is that the 囧's prevalence based on a discussion about a Hong Kong actress Hu Xing'er in a famous BBS. People described Hu's expression in one TV series was the same as the 囧. Then other comments about her acting and
her face were labeled by the 囧 character. More and more people focused on this square face and more kinds of 囧appeared on the internet.

When we talk about 囧, we cannot mention another famous internet icon—Orz. It was originally from Japan but then spread to China. It illustrates a guy facing left and kneeling on the ground, the "o" is the head, the "r" is the hands and the body while the "z" is the legs. People use this
pictograph to show they failed and they are in despair or in a sad mood.

There are many alternative forms of "orz" including "or2", "on_", "OTZ", "OTL", "STO", "JTO" and so on. Inspired from the orz, people use it instead the 囧. Then the “囧rz” appeared.

Following the prevalence of 囧, a discussion about is it right to change Chinese began. Some complained that these developments are twisting the Chinese language, imposing funny, new meanings on a character with its own linguistic roots. Such "innovations" could confuse young people by distorting
linguistic history, they say. Supporters, however, say this is only a harmless new cultural phenomenon, giving new life to Chinese language and culture.





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Friday, January 2, 2009

Chinese language - Everyday Eating Customs in China














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Library>Culture ABC>Food & Drinks>Etiquettes







Everyday Eating Customs in China




Chinese cuisine culture is deep rooted in China's history. There are so many “whys” that you may find so interesting: Why is a fish never turned over Why do tea-drinkers surreptitiously tap tables Why are Chinese dinner tables round and how will you know who is the guest of honor





The whole meal will be more enjoyable if you knows a little of the ancient traditions and beliefs that place the meal in a 5,000-year-old culinary heritage.

As a visitor or guest in either a Chinese home or restaurant you will find that table manners are essential and the distinctive courtesies displayed will invariably add to the enjoyment of your meals and keep you in high spirits!

1. Though customs and the kinds of food eaten vary according to region, it is most common for Chinese families to gather for three meals a day.

2. An individual place setting for an everyday meal includes a bowl of Fan (rice), a pair of chopsticks, a flat-bottomed soup-spoon, and a saucer. Instead of a napkin, a hot towel is often provided at the start as well as the end of the meal for the diner to wipe his hands and mouth.

3. The real difference is that in the West, you have your own plate of food, while in China all the dishes will put on the table for everyone’s share. The meat and vegetable dishes are laid out all at once in the center of the table, and the diners eat directly from the communal plates using
their chopsticks. Soup is also eaten from the common bowl. Rather than for serving oneself a separate portion, the saucer is used for bones and shells or as a place to rest a bite taken from a communal plate when it is too large to eat all at once.

4. It is perfectly acceptable to reach across the table to take a morsel from a far-away dish. To facilitate access to all the dishes, Chinese dining tables are more likely to be square or round, rather than elongated like their western counterparts.

5. Maybe one of the things that will surprise a Western visitor most is that some of the Chinese hosts would like to put food into the plates of their guests. Usually in formal dinners, there are always “public” chopsticks and spoons for this purpose, but some hosts may still use their own
chopsticks. This is a token of genuine friendship and politeness. It is polite to eat the food. If you don’t like to eat it, please just leave the food in the plate.

6. Eating usually begins in order of seniority, with each diner taking the cue to start from his or her immediate superior.

7. In order to cool the soup a bit and to better diffuse the flavor in the mouth, soup is eaten by sipping from the spoon while breathing in. This method, of course, produces the slurping noise that is taboo in the West.

8. Rice, or Fan in Chinese, is the staple food. To eat Fan, a diner raises the bowl to her lips and pushes the grains into her mouth with chopsticks. This is the easiest way to eat it and shows proper enjoyment. The diner must finish the entire bowl of rice, otherwise it is considered bad manners
-- a lack of respect for the labor required to produce it.

9. People in China tend to over-order food, especially at banquets or get-togethers, for they will find it embarrassing if all the food is consumed or not enough.











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Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Chinese Mandarin - Help required for improving pronunciation - Page 3 -








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Help required for improving pronunciation
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HashiriKata -



Quote:


Originally Posted by Quest

HK, can the poem be read in Vietnamese, can you post a Vietnamese version? Just curious about the
sounds and traces.


Interesting idea but I'll need to do some work on it, so I'll have to see how I get on...

A step further with your idea, I wonder if any Korean speaker here who would read a few lines of
the poem in Hanja? I could then myself try the Vietnamese and Japanese versions so that we can
hear the poem in all 4 languages of the old "漢字圏".



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HashiriKata -



Quote:


Originally Posted by studentyoung

Well, I have no idea on the condition in Taibei, but in China mainland, 1~ 3 year old little
babies are often taught to recite ‘Three Hundred Poems in Tang Dynasty 唐诗三百首’


I remember Semantic Nuance once gave us a link to a Taiwanese site called
唐詩三百首網路教學系統 (http://cls.admin.yzu.edu.tw/300/BIN/ti_brow.asp), which may be
a similar idea. The site is unfortunately down at the moment, so I can't verify the contents.










sjcma -



Quote:

Well, I have no idea on the condition in Taibei, but in China mainland, 1~ 3 year old little
babies are often taught to recite ‘Three Hundred Poems in Tang Dynasty 唐诗三百首’ as
their enlightening education to train their sense of their mother tongue by their parents,
especially in intellectual families, because these poems are well written with beautiful rhymes
and easy enough for babies to read out loud, which are just the right points to help them practice
the pronunciation. A lot of experts in early education say it helps young children to read (no
matter to read out loud or to read in silence) more easily when they start to learn Chinese in
primary school.

My kids (ages 4 and 2) know quite a number of Tang Dynasty poems as well as passages from the
Three Character Classic (三字經). While Taibei is correct is saying that sound and tone is
important to reading poetry, I think modern readings of these Tang Dynasty poems sound great in
either Cantonese or Mandarin and follows very melodic rhyming patterns.










strongneo -

Hi Quest and HK

I can help with Vietnamese version of this poem (長 恨 歌), normally there are 2 types of
translation from Chinese to Vietnamese: translation to the ancient Vietnamese language (called
Hán Việt - Han Viet, which heavily borrows from Mandarin and it is no longer used nowadays) and
the other is translation to modern Vietnamese language.

The name of verse style, title and author of this poem (長 恨 歌) in Vietnamese
詩體: 七 言 古 詩 – Thất Ngôn Trường Thiên (That Ngon Truong Thien)
詩名: 長 恨 歌 – Trường Hận Ca (Truong Han Ca)
作者: 白 居 易 – Bạch Cư Dị (Bach Cu Di)

I will record the modern Vietnamese translation and post later with the Vietnamese translation
script
.










kudra -

a couple of comments on the adsotation of the selection from post #1.

If you cut and paste the passage into the advanced page, and adsotate there are a couple strange
things. Admittedly, feeding tang shi into adso may be ill advised. But I just wanted a quick
conversion to pinyin. Setting output to UTF8 simp which seems to work better yields --

1. 汉皇重色思 comes out as all 1 "word" 汉皇思重色. Notice the 思 has changed position!
There is no english -- just the hanzi

2. 天生 gets stuck together, but with no gloss

3. 回眸一笑百媚生, here 百 gets pinyin of yibai, not bai

4. 恩泽 has no english

5. 日 gets translated as "Japan is". OK, adso is tuned for prose, not tang shi. no big deal.

6. 遊 doesn't get adsotated. It gets converted into 閬� if the output is set to guobiao. Don't
know what's going on here.

If I choose pinyin, instead of adsotate, only the 1st line comes out.
If I also choose output as utf-8 simp then we get



Quote:

hànhuángsī chóngsè qīng guó , yù yǔ duōnián qiú bùdé ** DANGER **
yáng jiā yǒu nǚ chū cháng chéng , yǎng zài shēn guī rén wèi shí
tiānshēng lí zhì nán zì qì , yī cháo xuǎn zài jūn wáng cè
huímóu yī xiào yībǎi mèi shēng , liù gōng fěndài wú yánsè ** DANGER **
chūn hán cì yù huá qīng chí , wēnquán shuǐ huá xǐ níng zhī
shì ér fúqǐ jiāo wúlì , shǐ shì xīn chéng ēnzé shí
yún bìn huā yán jīn bùyào , fúróng zhàng nuǎn dù chūn xiāo
chūn xiāo kǔ duǎn rì gāo qǐ , cóngcǐ jūn wáng bù zǎocháo
chéng huān shì yàn wú xiánxiá , chūn cóng chūn 遊 yè zhuān yè
hòugōng jiālì sānqiān rén , sānqiān chǒngài zài yīshēn。

again note that 思 si has changed position. hànhuángsī chóngsè qīng guó should be
hànhuáng chóngsè sī qīng guó .

Now for some questions.
In listening to semantic nuance, it sounded to me like 识 in 养在深闺人未识 was pronounced
with 4th tone.

遊 has trouble converting, but if I put it into pleco with the handwriting recognition, it finds
it in the unihan add-in. as you2, wander, roam, travel. Apparently the meaning of 旅游. There is
probably an interesting reason that 游 is used in lvyou, where 遊 seems to have the more
appropriate meaning.

So here is the adsotrans assisted pinyin of the passage, with the few hand corrections.



Quote:

hànhuáng chóngsè sī qīng guó , yù yǔ duōnián qiú bùdé
yáng jiā yǒu nǚ chū cháng chéng , yǎng zài shēn guī rén wèi shí
tiānshēng lí zhì nán zì qì , yī zhāo xuǎn zài jūn wáng cè
huímóu yī xiào bǎi mèi shēng , liù gōng fěndài wú yánsè
chūn hán cì yù huá qīng chí , wēnquán shuǐ huá xǐ níng zhī
shì ér fúqǐ jiāo wúlì , shǐ shì xīn chéng ēnzé shí
yún bìn huā yán jīn bùyào , fúróng zhàng nuǎn dù chūn xiāo
chūn xiāo kǔ duǎn rì gāo qǐ , cóngcǐ jūn wáng bù zǎocháo
chéng huān shì yàn wú xiánxiá , chūn cóng chūn yóu yè zhuān yè
hòugōng jiālì sānqiān rén , sānqiān chǒngài zài yīshēn。

Now, there were a couple characters where semantic nuance used what againstwind called ancient. I
guess ths is classical pronunciation. Can someone point this out?
I heard
(adsopinyin) -> semantic nuance
chong2se4 -> zhong4 se4
chang2cheng2 -> zhang3 cheng2
wei4 shi2 -> wei4 shi4
li2zhi4 -> li4 zhi3
yi1 chao2 -> yi4 zhao1 (this one I have a handle on, since here 朝 zhao means early morning, as
in 一朝被蛇咬,十年怕井绳, think I read this in the HSK listening course book) So this
is corrected in the pinyin above.
bai2 -> bo2
liu4 gong1 -> lu4 gong1

So before I memorize this, I would like someone to untangle the pronunciation ambiguities above. I
don't mind using classical pronunciation if that is what is involved at some points, but I'd like
to know that is what is going on.

Thanks.










Jose -

Regarding your problems with 遊, this is a traditional character. In simplified Chinese it has
been merged and replaced with 游. Note that in traditional characters, 游 is used in
combinations that have the meaning of "swim, float", like 游泳, whereas 遊 is used with the
meaning of "roam, wander" as in 旅遊.

I think it is not correct for a text in simplified characters to use 遊. My guess is that its
appearance in the original text is probably the result of an automatic conversion from traditional
characters.










trevelyan -

Thank you the notes Kudra -- I'll fix the errors as I can and post a thread in the Adso forum
detailing then. In the future can you post these sorts of things in the Adso forum... I don't
check all of the threads and this would have slipped through. Someone sent a private email about
it though.










Janedcm -

very good!
It will be better if you could read the forth tone more strong ,










kudra -

Thought I would submit to evaluation by (and humiliation at the hands of) our helpful critics. I
have not memorized this passage. Doing so would probably make my reading smoother. Of course,
probably what most people are interested in is pronunciation during spontaneous conversation(Since
I am not podcasting in Chinese any time soon, you will have to use your imagination). Anyway, what
with practicing it a bit, I may end up memorizing the passage, in which case I will submit another
version just to see if it really is smoother.

A couple things – I based the pronunciation of 六宫 off of what I heard in semantic nuance’s
recording, so I pronounced it lu4 gong1. Also, to my ear, she pronounces 百媚生 as bo3 mei4
sheng1, which I tried to pronounce bai3 mei4 sheng1. Perhaps someone could clarify this.

My gut feeling, which isn’t worth much, is that these may be differences between modern and
archaic(perhaps there is a more appropriate term for this) pronunciations.

Also, to my ear she says 人未识 as ren2 wei4 shi4, but I tried to pronounce this as shi2. In
this case I am just taking a chance in breaking with what I hear semantic nuance doing, and going
with the dictionary pronunciation.

Given all that, to paraphrase the original poster, bring on the bitter medicine!

note: I shortened some of the pauses between lines using audacity to get the file under the limit
for uploading, hence the file name changhenge6










Koneko -

Good try!

I think your pace was a bit too fast for 長恨歌
Intonation... Well, I think your pitch was understandable but your stress was rather flat - I
think you should focus on pronouncing some words (normally the first word in a sentence), more
loudly or forcefully than those surrounding it in the same sentence.

Your tone is clear; just need to work on your stress.

K.












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Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Learn mandarin - Wikipedia Unblocked? - Page 3 -








> Learning Chinese > Chinese Computing and Technology
Wikipedia Unblocked?
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liuzhou -

BBC news is still blocked...



... unless you click here



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imron -

Now being reported on slashdot...



Quote:

'Wikipedia reported on its site that it had received word from multiple users in the country on
that the site had been restored.'"












roddy -

That's quite funny, I expected someone to edit that line out fairly quickly and put in something .
. . well, better. And now it's on the front page of slashdot . . .










hughitt1 -

hehe... at least they didn't link the people to this forum thread



Quote:

The 2004 block referred to came allegedly in response to an article posted on the site as the
country approached the 25th anniversary of the Tienneman Square massacre. The country subsequently
initiated a mass edit of political articles on the site.

Hmm.. I guess the next question is- are they going to allow wikipedia to maintains its NPOV goal
for articles? Or are you going to see more of a "China's POV" on some of the issues.










roddy -

I added a comment to the slashdot article to clarify a couple of things and linked to the forums
thread. However, it was #120 or something and so far has generated a total of 2 visits, at least
one of which was me. So far the server is coping. I also linked to Liuzhou's blog, as he was the
one to spot it first. Danwei is also on the case.










robattoronto -

I'm from Toronto and although I've never been to China, I've never been a big fan of big brother
watching over your shoulder all the time. Yes, there may be some pros and cons to this issue, but
I see way more cons than benefits.

The bottom line is: The government just cannot bring their people to compete at par with other
nations if you shelter their lives to such a degree that you dictate what they can see or cannot
see on the internet. Its like a protective mother not allowing her kid to play with the other kids
in the playground. Her son will hurt himself and do stupid things, but along the way, he'll learn
a lot of valuable lessons.

I was very glad to read that the Chinese government unblocked wiki. I think its a great step
forward. Its not about whether you can already access it through proxy sites, its about a
government willing to negotiate and relaxing its fist. I'd say, don't be too disappointed if they
didn't open the floodgates and allow all websites. It is indeed baby steps for your government.

As I've said, an excellent step forward in the right direction. The Chinese goverment need to
allow their citizens to see the good and the bad of the internet.










imron -



Quote:

It is indeed baby steps for your government.

Just FYI, most people on this forum aren't Chinese, but are non-Chinese interested in studying and
learning about Chinese language and culture. It's not our governments doing anything.

And I don't really think it's relaxing anything, or showing that the Chinese government is somehow
making the steps towards changing its ways. It's just got more fine-grained in how it censors
things, so that non-sensitive articles can be viewed, rather than having a blanket ban on the
domain. So although wikipedia is not completely blocked (as it used to be), you still have no
access to the more "sensitive" web-pages. i.e. the Chinese government still believes it can
dictate what content Chinese internet users can access.

One could argue that it's quite a master stroke by the Chinese government. Previously, many
foreigners in China would complain about government censorship blocking access to a valuable
resource like wikipedia. Mostly these people wouldn't be looking up the stuff that the Chinese
goverment was concerned about, but the government still ended up copping a lot of criticism for it.

Now, that they've unblocked large amounts of wikipedia, you won't have nearly so many voices
crying out that wikipedia is blocked, so they won't be getting criticised as much.

The net result of all of this is that they've silenced a bunch of critics, but are still doing
more or less the same as they always were (i.e. still limiting access to the stuff that they don't
want people seeing).

The cynic might well argue that in terms of protecting free-speech and in terms of the government
changing it ways, things are now worse than they were before.










roddy -

Agree with Imron. It's not a step forward, it's a step nowhere. They've just stopped doing
something pointless that didn't achieve their aims and got a bit of good publicity (or at least
cancelled out some negative publicity). into the bargain.


Quote:

I'm from Toronto and although I've never been to China, I've never been a big fan of big brother
watching over your shoulder all the time.

On behalf of the Chinese people, doubleplus thanks.










Hero Doug -

I actually just read an article (well many) about how China is already starting to influence the
world. MS, Google and Yahoo were the first to go, Skype recently came under critisim, Yahoo also
released information which led to the arrest of two "online dissident writers".

This is all based on censorship issues.










liuzhou -



Quote:

It's not a step forward, it's a step nowhere.

"
I think it is actually a step backwards. They have only opened wikipedia because their techniques
are getting more sophisticated (thanks to companies like Cisco). They no longer need to block
complete domain names as they did in the past. They can now block individual pages.

I can watch the Beatles on Youtube, but try to access the film of the recent T!bet murders by the
border guards. They have blocked one video, not the whole site.

I guess that is why my blog was suddenly unblocked. I suffered from a mass blocking of the entire
domain name. Now they are just waiting to pounce!












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Monday, December 22, 2008

Chinese School - basic pronunciation questions -








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basic pronunciation questions
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leosmith -

I’ve been using online tutorials to learn pronunciations/tones. Unfortunately, there are some
discrepancies. Here are some questions.

1. I’ve heard it’s best to learn the Beijing accent. What do you think?
2. Is ‘c’ pronounced more like ‘ts’ or ‘h’? Different sites have different
pronunciations.
3. Should I use this dictionary http://www.mdbg.net/chindict/chindict.php
to resolve any accent questions?

Thanks,
Leo



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Gulao -

1. You shouldn't learn the thicker Beijing accent, IMO. It can get to be just as unclear as any
other accent. Ultimately, you should look up the "standard" pronunciations and make sure that each
letter sounds like that. For instance, don't try to pronounce 学生 as 学儿生. You'll still
get a bit of rhoticity at the end of xue, that way, but it will definitely sound more standard.

2. C is pronounded ts. Stop reading whatever source tells you that it is pronounced h.

3. That dictionary seems fine to me.










leosmith -

Thanks Gulao,

1. Actually, I'm just beginning, so I don't know any characters yet. According to the dictionary,
学生(student) = xue2sheng5. For the mispronounced word, which of these do you mean: 学儿生 =
xue2er2sheng5 or xue2er5sheng5?

2. The "c sounds like h" thing came from a syllable table. Do you, or anyone else, know of a site
with a complete syllable table, including tones, that has good pronunciation? I've been using 3
different tables, all connected to
http://www.csulb.edu/~txie/online.htm
One has correct pronunciation (I think), but is all in the first tone. The other two are complete,
but have incorrect pronunciation (I suspect it's a messed up recording). I just want to try to
read the pinyin, and click to hear the answer. These tables are great for that, but I need them to
have correct pronunciation.

3. I love that dictionary, but I notice it locks up when I check a lot of pronunciations. Do you
know of another one that has pronunciation on it? Is there a really popular chinese dictionary
site? There's sort of a master dictionary for Japanese
http://www.csse.monash.edu.au/~jwb/c...wwwjdic.cgi?1C
so I wonder about Chinese.










imron -

This is probably what you're looking for.










leosmith -

Thanks imron. Not bad, but I hope to find something a little faster like one of these:
http://www. /showthread.php?t=12997










Gulao -



Quote:

Actually, I'm just beginning, so I don't know any characters yet. According to the dictionary,
学生(student) = xue2sheng5. For the mispronounced word, which of these do you mean: 学儿生 =
xue2er2sheng5 or xue2er5sheng5?

The second one tends to be romanised as, xuer2sheng5. The 儿 is used in text to indicate
rhoticity, or the r-colored finals, in the Beijing dialect. This romanisation is also used in
yi1dianr3 (一点儿), ger1 (哥儿), wanr2 (玩儿), etc.










Craig -

Living in Beijing and studying in Beijing i still find it easier to understand, and now talk in, a
southern accent. When i started i stuck very dilligently the beijing pronunciation but the longer
i studied the easier it got to stop retroflexing r's.

I'd say start with learning the "standard" way to pronounce words and as you study more and are
exposed to more materials (videos, music, people) from other parts of china one you will find
easier than others to replicate. That is the one you will most likely end up speaking more like.










Yang Rui -

IMHO, it's best to learn standard Putonghua and not try to adopt any kind of regional accent.
There's nothing more cringeworthy than hearing a foreigner attempting to talk in an over-the-top
Beijing accent.

Putonghua has rules about which words take a retroflex "r" and which don't. In Beijing, the "r"
sound is added to words that technically should not have an"r" ending in Putonghua. In the south
of China, the "r" sound is left off words that should have an "r" ending. Neither is standard
Putonghua.

Unfortunately, the noble goal of trying to learn standard Putonghua is undermined by the fact that
almost no one speaks it in daily life (although as it is based on the Beijing dialect, i think
more people in the north of China speak standard Putonghua). So if you learn by talking to Chinese
people, you will undoubtedly pick up their non-standard habits, and may end up with a slight
regional accent.

Ultimately, the aim is to be understood by as many people as possible, and i think aiming for
standard Putonghua is the best way to achieve this. Which i suppose is a roundabout way of
agreeing with Gulao that you should not learn a heavy Beijing accent.










leosmith -



Quote:

IMHO, it's best to learn standard Putonghua and not try to adopt any kind of regional accent.

Ok, I'm convinced. So how do I make sure my learning materials are "standard" Putonghua?










roddy -

All learning materials - ie textbooks, associated recordings, etc are going to be standard
Putonghua, almost by definition. If you are using stuff like movies, TV shows, etc for study
purposes you might want to check what kind of accents they feature, but you'll have to take those
one by one.












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Sunday, December 21, 2008

Chinese Studies - "12 Golden Rules of Mastering Chinese"? -








> Learning Chinese > Resources and General Study Issues
"12 Golden Rules of Mastering Chinese"?
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Nibble -

http://www.thelanguageexpert.com/12goldenrules/

It's a 222-page ebook by someone called Bryan Todd. Has anyone read it? Is it worth the money?



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Shadowdh -

I have read it and its really not worth the money... I found that from 222 pages only 50 or so had
anything worth reading (and most of those were amusing-ish anecdotes) as most of it is filled with
the "you can acheive this you are the language man" type of drivel and the rest is mostly common
sense type stuff... having said that he does have some very good insights into learning the
language... but just not 222 pages worth...










roddy -

Haven't read it, but I'm inherently dubious of ebooks - barriers to publishing are way too low -
and particularly when there is no 'sample chapter' or similar provided. Are there any reviews /
comments on non-affiliated sites?

From what Shadowdh has said, it sounds like bits of language learning advice with lots of
motivational-type stuff. I wouldn't bother.

Roddy










Nibble -

That is pretty much what I was afraid of. The "free 5-day e-mail course" was mostly just common
sense, and the only thing it promised the book would have was a list of the 600 most common hanzi
and the most common compounds they're in, but I'm sure that's freely available on the internet.










Shadowdh -

The free trial was most of the useful stuff from the book by memory... there may be one or two
other tidbits of info but not much...










ocpaul20 -



Quote:

bits of language learning advice with lots of motivational-type stuff.

well, I need lots of motivational stuff :-)

Why is that a bad thing?










Shadowdh -

Because its given in the "hallelujah" type of evangelical style... its pretty much all that and
you have to pay for it... you would be better off spending the money on a book and actually
studying... truly it does have one or two good points on how to study Chinese but the dross is far
too much compared to the nuggets...










self-taught-mba -



Quote:

list of the 600 most common hanzi and the most common compounds they're in, but I'm sure that's
freely available on the internet.

And they are. Recently I found someone selling the list of 1000 most used characters as the
"secret" when they are freely available many places.










David W Jackson -

If the testimonials are to be believed, maybe this is worth a pop. Anyone already taken the
plunge? Feedback? Worth 30 dollars? http://www.masterchinesefaster.com/12rules/










roddy -

Merging - different url, same 'product'

Roddy












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Saturday, December 20, 2008

Chinese School - English&Chinese exchange -








> Studying, Working and Living in China > Living in China > Classifieds
English&Chinese exchange
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Alissia -

Hi, I'm a student majoring Enlish. I want to find a native Enlish speaker as my language partner,
and I can improve your Chinese in return.I study in CUGB(China University of Geosciences)near
Wudaokou and across from BLCU(Beijing Language and Culture University). So anyone who studies in
BLCU or live near Wudaodou can contact me at
celeryfar@hotmail.com





Pleco Software Learn Chinese with our Dictionaries for Palm and Pocket PC.
Learn Chinese in China Learn to speak Chinese 1MonthChinese.com -Mandarin School in China.
Chinese Textbooks Wide range, cheap, varied languages. Also Chinese cartoons, toys, gifts.
Study Chinese in Beijing Affordable Mandarin language courses at BLCU with ChinaUnipath.com.
HNHSoft Dictionary Learn Chinese on Smartphone and PDA with real person's voice.
XueXueXue IQChinese Get beyond the plateau.Take your Mandarin to a new level.
Chinese in Lijiang Short term Chinese study in a beautiful town with a focus on daily life.
MandarinTube Chinese Access to current everyday Chinese language and culture, 24/7.
Learn Chinese Homestay Chinese course, cultural activities & volunteer events in China.
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Nihao Chinese Progam Free one-on-one Chinese lesson. Win 5-years of free lessons now!


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Alissia -

Sorry I have given the wrong Email .It should be celeryfar@hotmail.com












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