|
|
|||
Hunan is displaying its traditional culture and arts at the 2010 World Expo, ranging from embroidery to porcelain painting and tea art, in celebration of Hunan Week kicking off today.
The aim was to promote cultural exchange with the world. On-the-spot performances will also be staged.
The culture show at the Expo Village will run through February, 2011.
(Source: en.expo2010.cn)
Introduction:
Green is the color of the postal service. Mailing a letter (weighting within 100 grams) to a local address will cost you eight Jiao RMB, and 12 Jiao RMB is needed if you mail a letter to people in other cities or towns in China. You will be charged five to seven Yuan RMB if you mail a letter (weighting within 20 grams) to foreign countries. Sending time varies due to the distance. A local letter needs two days to arrive and a letter to other cities or towns needs one day longer than the local one. However, with the popularity of email and the acceleration of artificial speed, the postal service inevitably faces challenges in terms of price and speed. From August, 2008, a city express mail service was initiated in Beijing, which guaranteed same-day delivery for the same price as before, thus making life much easier for locals.
Text:
Pinyin：
zhōngguó yóuzhèng（běnbù wàibù）
中 国 邮 政 （ 外埠 本埠）
Zhong guo you zheng (ben bu, wai bu)
yóuzhèng xìntǒng
邮政 信筒
You zheng xin xiang (mailbox)
Grammar：
邮政：“邮政局”的简称。百姓通常把邮政局成为“邮局”。
邮政[yóuzhèng](post): abbreviation for “post office”. People always call the post office “post”.
Wǒ qù yóujú jìxìn。
我 去 邮局 寄信。
(I’m going to the post office to mail a letter)
Wǒ děi qù yítàng yóujú，gěi péngyǒu jì shū。
我 得 去 一趟 邮局， 给 朋 友 寄书。
( I must go to the post office to mail books to my friend).
yóu zhèng xìn tǒng
邮 政 信 筒：简称“邮筒”。
(mailbox), or, simply, you xiang (mailbox)
Nǐ kě yǐ bǎ xìn zhí jiē tóu jìn yóu tǒng。
你 可以把 信 直 接 投 进 邮 筒。
(You can put letters directly into the mailbox).
Characters: 中 国 邮
(Source: resource.chinese.cn)
Falling on the 15th day of the first month of the Lunar Year, the Lantern Festival takes place under a full moon, and marks the end of Chinese New Year festivities. The Lantern Festival dates back to shrouded legends of the Han Dynasty over 2000 years ago.
Legend of the Lantern Festival’s Origin
In one such legend, the Jade Emperor in Heaven was so angered at a town for killing his favorite goose, that he decided to destroy it with a storm of fire. However, a good-hearted fairy heard of this act of vengeance, and warned the people of the town to light lanterns throughout the town on the appointed day. The townsfolk did as they were told, and from the Heavens, it looked as if the village was ablaze. Satisfied that his goose had already been avenged, the Jade Emperor decided not to destroy the town. From that day on, people celebrated the anniversary of their deliverance by carried lanterns of different shapes and colors through the streets on the first full moon of the year, providing a spectacular backdrop for lion dances, dragon dances, and fireworks.
The Modern Lantern Festival
While the Lantern Festival has changed very little over the last two millennia, technological advances have made the celebration moreand more complex and visually stimulating. Indeed, the festival as celebrated in some places (such as Taipei, Taiwan) can put even the most garish American Christmas decorations to shame. They often sport unique displays of light that leave the viewer in awe.
Master craftsman will construct multicolored paper lanterns in the likeness of butterflies, dragons, birds, dragonflies, and many other animals; these accentuate the more common, red, spherical lanterns. Brilliantly-lit floats and mechanically driven light displays draw the attention of the young and old alike. Sometimes, entire streets are blocked off, with lanterns mounted above and to the sides, creating a hallway of lamps. Some cities in North China even make lanterns from blocks of ice! And just as in days gone by, the billion-watt background sets the scene for dragon and lion dances, parades, and other festivities.
Yuan Xiao and Tang Yuan
Yuan Xiao and Tang Yuan are balls of glutinous rice, sometimes rolled around a filling of sesame, peanuts, vegetable, or meat. Tang Yuan are often cooked in red-bean or other kinds of soup. The round shape symbolizes wholeness and unity.
(Source:bjchinese.bjedu.cn)
Learn Chinese
|
|
|||
Learn Chinese Blog - Free Daily Chinese Learning Resource offered by Beijing Chinese School
Entries (RSS)
and Comments (RSS).
