In the Warring States Period, Zou Ji who was the prime minister of the Qi State was possesed of a great heightand a pleasant appearance. In order to persuade the King Qiwei to provide wide opportunities for the airing of views and to encourage the officials to criticize faults frankly, he told this story:

One morning, after he wore his court dress and hat, he looked himself in the mirror over for a while then asked his wife: “compared to Mr. Xu in the northern city, who is better-looking, him or I?” “Of course you are, how can Mr. Xu compare with you?” his wife asked.

Mr. Xu was a famous handsome man in the Qi State. Having heard what his wife said, Zou Ji didn’t dare to believe that he was really more handsome than Mr. Xu, so he went to ask his beloved concubine, who answered: “how can Mr. Xu compare with you?”

On the second day, a guest came to Zou Ji’s house, so he asked the guest for the same question and the guest answered: “how could Mr. Xu be better-looking than you?” A few days later, Mr. Xu came to visit Zou Ji; Zou Ji seized the opportunity to look Mr. Xu up and down and compared with himself, reaching the conclusion that honestly he was not the better-looking of the two.

So, he said to the King Qiwei: “I am originally not better-looking than Mr. Xu, but my wife, my concubine, and my guest all told me that I was better-looking than him. The reason why they told lies is because my wife protects me, my concubine fears me, and my guest needs my help so they all flattered me by saying no truths. In Qi States, everybody in the court protects you, all the officials fear you, people all over the state want to get your help, so your flatterers must have be more numerous than mine and you must have been more seriously fooled!” Zou Ji also gave the advice; “nowadays the Qi State has a vast territory and numerous cities, the people you met with are more than me, so you must have been more fooled. If you can be perfectly honest and ask for advice, it must be good for our state.” The King agreed to this advice, and immediately issued a pronouncement stating that anyone who points out his faults to his face will get the first prize; anyone who criticizes him in memorial will get the second prize; anyone who criticizes him in public will get the third prize. As expected, people flocked to the king’s palace to present their opinions. The area in front of the palace gate was as busy as a market.

“A courtyard as crowded as a marketplace” is used to indicate at a gate or a courtyard that is as crowded as a marketplace. It indicates that there are a lot of people.

]]> http://www.hellomandarin.com/blog/2011/12/30/chinese-culture-a-courtyard-as-crowded-as-a-marketplace-study-chinese/feed/ 0 http://www.hellomandarin.com/blog/2011/11/25/chinese-culture-study-chinese/ http://www.hellomandarin.com/blog/2011/11/25/chinese-culture-study-chinese/#comments Fri, 25 Nov 2011 08:37:34 +0000 liaoxiangli http://www.hellomandarin.com/blog/?p=14386
Mongolian artists perform during the ethnic festival in Ulan Bator, capital of Mongolia, on Nov. 24, 2011. The ethnic festival, hosted by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and Mongolian National Chamber of Commerce and Industry, is held here on Thursday, presenting various traditional songs and dances, folk music, paintings, traditional foods and clothes as well as the improvement of production and living conditions here under the help of UNDP. (Xinhua/Huang Longjie)

A Mongolian artist performs during the ethnic festival in Ulan Bator, capital of Mongolia, on Nov. 24, 2011. The ethnic festival, hosted by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and Mongolian National Chamber of Commerce and Industry, is held here on Thursday, presenting various traditional songs and dances, folk music, paintings, traditional foods and clothes as well as the improvement of production and living conditions here under the help of UNDP. (Xinhua/Huang Longjie)

]]> http://www.hellomandarin.com/blog/2011/11/25/chinese-culture-study-chinese/feed/ 0 http://www.hellomandarin.com/blog/2011/11/18/chinese-culture-peking-opera-costumes-study-chinese/ http://www.hellomandarin.com/blog/2011/11/18/chinese-culture-peking-opera-costumes-study-chinese/#comments Fri, 18 Nov 2011 07:15:32 +0000 liaoxiangli http://www.hellomandarin.com/blog/?p=14365 Peking Opera Costumes

Peking Opera costumes are,by and large, modeled after garments popular during the Ming dynasty (1368-1644) and, at the same time, absorbs the elements of garments of the preceding dynasties. Peking Opera costumes fall into five categories: mang (official robes), kao (stage armors), xue (informal garments for everybody),pei(informal garments for members of the imperial family and aristocrats),and yi (clothing other than those of the other four categories). (Photo by Zhang Zhaoji)

“This was the first of its kind ever held in Sweden which attracted people not only from all over Sweden, but also from Russia, China and other Nordic countries to display Kungfu skills,” said Peder Finnsio, Project leader of the Festival to Xinhua.

He said the purpose of the festival is to display various styles of Kungfu skills, attract people’s interest and popularize this kind of art among people.

The Chinese Kungfu and Taiji were introduced into Sweden in late 1970s and early 1980s. Now there are over 20 Kungfu or Taiji clubs and associations all over Sweden.

“I practiced some Qigong and Kungfu, I feel it is good for physical well-being, I feel healthy not only physically, it is also good for mental health, I feel much calmer after practicing Qigong and Kungfu,” Max Finnsio said to Xinhua.

The festival began at 10:00 a.m. with Taiji performance in Kungstradgarden, a famous park in central Stockholm. With the heavy rain at the beginning, many people held their umbrella to watch the performance. While the group performed Taiji on the stage, some people imitated off the stage.

The performances of Kungfu teams won a lot of applauses from the audience.

Various Kungfu clubs also held exhibitions and Lion Dance was also held off the stage with a lot of applauses from the crowded audience.

During the festival, the Sanshou and Taolu matches were also held.

Hundreds of people participated in the festival and up to a thousand audience were attracted to the whole day event.

A staff worker shows newly-cooked moon cakes during a Mid-autumn festival celebration activity held in Tianjin, north China, Sept. 11, 2011. Some 100 children from Tianjin and southeast China’s Taiwan attended the activity on Sunday. (Xinhua/Liu Dongyue)

BEIJING, Sept. 14 (Xinhuanet) – The Mid-Autumn Festival has come and gone but there is no escaping the mooncakes as yet. Whether you’re still picking pieces out from between your teeth, or clambering over extra boxes filling the kitchen, there’s bound to be some left over somewhere.

Filled with nuts, egg yolk, salted egg, bean paste, and other generic ingredients of the Chinese sweet, mooncakes are small, round, flaky pastries.

Except, unlike other food in China, they are monumentally expensive.

Like the ludicrous Christmas tat that flies around from about August in the United Kingdom (even more so in the United States), mooncakes have become a real commercial spinner. There are lotus mooncakes, ice cream mooncakes, chocolate mooncakes and jelly mooncakes. You can also buy them in Starbucks now. For the real gimmick-hunters, there are even “France mooncakes” (in red, white and blue).

A basic box in a 7-Eleven store will set you back at least 100 yuan ($15.70). In contrast, I ate out recently for 12 yuan. As they would say in the US, you do the math.

To show you really care about your nearest and dearest, however, the cheaper supermarket versions will simply not do. Go gourmet. Maybe, 500 yuan for a box of six.

Yet, despite all the cash that people fork out for “the” accompaniment to their Mid-Autumn tea, the chat around the mooncake is less than positive.

Recent news about the festival has exposed a “mooncake tax”. This was foisted on unsuspecting employees who were given “gifts” of mooncakes by their companies. This newspaper quoted an IT worker called Wang Youhua, who was charged 60 yuan in taxes for the box he was given at work. My own boss, in fact, decided to give us all a voucher for the bakery instead of mooncakes to avoid any problems.

Even taste-wise, I have yet to meet a single person who is actively enthusiastic about mooncakes. Unsurprisingly, Westerners sniff haughtily at the dried egg lingering at the core of the little pastries, but they are not the only ones.

The response from my Chinese colleagues ranges from “we eat them EVERY YEAR, I’m sick of them” to “they’re so heavy and sweet – urgh” to “They’ve destroyed weeks of gym work”.

One person told me that he came across a box of mooncakes covered in green mold in April that he had hidden in a bout of mooncake fatigue last year. So this year, his wife ordered him not to eat dinner over the festival weekend to leave room for the vast quantities of mooncake that will inevitably fill their house. Apparently, she caught him “accidentally” making noodles, which led to serious trouble.

In fact, the only person I know to speak highly of mooncakes is a certain Chinese friend-of-a-friend who talks about McDonald’s in similarly airy, worshipful tones. I would take her opinion that both these things are “so, so magnificent” with a proverbial pinch of salt.

And yet every second person I saw last week on the subway or strolling down the street was clutching a snazzy-looking bag of the darn things.

I reckon we’ve got a Chinese equivalent of the Christmas turkey or Crimbo pudding here, folks. We know we should get excited – just like we should get excited about the annual exchange of presents, kisses and exclamations of “my, haven’t you grown” with Great Aunt Morag.

When push comes to awkward-reunion shove, however, most would be happier with a sandwich and an evening spent watching Glee.

(Source: China Daily)

Suzhou, a city located in the south of Jiangsu province, has a long history of making musical instruments. Its techniques and the local characteristics of the instruments have made them famous at home and abroad. In 2008, the making of musical instruments in Suzhou was selected as one of China’s national intangible cultural heritages.

The manufacture of musical instruments in Suzhou dates back to the Spring and Autumn Period (770-476 BC), when bronze melting techniques in Wu State progressed. This led to production of bronze musical instruments. In 1964, nine chime-bells were excavated from Chenqiao Western Zhou Tomb in Jiangsu province. They are the earliest musical instruments in Wu discovered so far.

The making of musical instruments in Suzhou combines unique skills of several traditional handicrafts.

There are dozens of steps required, including wood cuts, wood working, polishing, carving, lacquering, inlay and tuning. Although today some processes are done by machine, most still are done by hand.

In every step, the makers try to achieve perfection. Each instrument must have a good quality of sound, as well as decorations pertaining to ethnic heritage.

The representative works of this cultural heritage include Erhu, Ruan, Guzheng, Pipa, Konghou and Bianzhong, as well as instruments with “Su” (abbreviation of Suzhou) in their names like Su Di, Su Xiao, Su Gong, Su Drum.

Suzhou’s musical instruments contain much cultural and artistic significance, as well as priceless historical value.

Mark Obama Ndesandjo’s novel, written in diary form, is based on his own experiences: born in Kenya, working in the United States and moving to Asia after his American dream was smashed by 9/11.

Ndesandjo moved to Shenzhen, a boomtown in south China’s Guangdong Province just across the border from Hong Kong, in 2001. He has taught English and been heavily involved in charity work, including giving free piano lessons to orphans.

The Chinese edition of his “Nairobi to Shenzhen” features photos of his life in China: spending time with orphans, discussing traditional culture with ethnic Naxi people in Lijiang, a scenic town in the southwestern Yunnan Province, and practising Chinese calligraphy at home.

Ndesandjo said he loves China and its traditional culture. He has passed advanced Chinese tests and published three albums of his piano performances.

BEIJING, April 26 (Xinhuanet) — German kite enthusiast Andreas Fischbacher was in his element on the weekend of April 16-17 when he attended arguably the world’s most famous kite festival. The 24-year-old journeyed to Shandong province, for the 28th Weifang International Kite Festival, which attracted more than 100,000 people from 29 countries and regions between April 12 and 17.

“I was into kites when I was 10,” he grins. “My mother, a dress maker, showed me how to make and fly kites.

“I have been to many international competitions all over the world, including Vietnam and Malaysia, and Weifang was a great experience.”

Kites do not have a long history in Germany, he says, but are growing in popularity.

“There are around 80 kite associations and 10 festivals during a year. Some are international ones, which attract worldwide kite players,” Fischbacher says. “In Germany, it is a sport for everyone, from children to senior citizens.”

According to ancient Chinese texts, the kite was developed by the famous philosopher Mozi about 2,500 years ago and improved by a renowned carpenter Lu Ban in the 5th century BC.

At first, kites were used for military purposes and during the Southern Dynasty (AD 420-589), soldiers used kites to send rescue signals.

During the Tang Dynasty (AD 618-907), flying kites became a recreation. People tied bamboo instruments on kites and different musical tones would ring out in the air. Because the kites sounded like a koto instrument, people began to call them fengzheng, or “wind koto”.

After the Tang Dynasty, Chinese kites started to spread around the world and by the end of the 13th century, Italian traveler Marco Polo introduced stories of kites to Europe.

In China, flying kites is still a way to express best wishes and hopes for the future. Spring is the time for kite flying, and people attach pictures and words to their kites symbolizing their dreams of longevity and good luck.

“Although the tuitions will be raised in universities and colleges in the United Kingdom, it will not affect the international students,” O’Nions told Xinhuanet on the sideline of the Global Summit of University Presidents 2011 (GSUP) held in Tsinghua University.

“These changes are for UK students; they are not for international students,” said O’Nions. “For international students, there are no changes.”

“The big change is that UK students will have to pay more than they paid in the past,” he added. “And consequently, the government will give less money directly to the universities for their education, and students will have to get loans.”

According to O’Nions, among 60,000 Chinese students currently studying in the UK, some 1,300 are in the ICL, accounting for 10 percent of its total students.

The university is glad to have more top students from China, he said. “Please keep coming, because we are very lucky in imperial college: we got some of the best students anywhere in the world,” said O’Nions. “We want the best students from anywhere in the world, a lot from China.”

The ICL strives to expand its scholarships available to all foreign students, and it is a major of the university’s strategy, he said.

O’Nions, who will also attend Tsinghua’s celebration of its centennial anniversary, praised the progress made by Tsinghua and other Chinese universities.

“Specifically in Tisinghua University, it clearly excels and it is a university that is one of the great world universities,” said O’Nions. “Other universities also do a world class job, and this has obviously been a huge contribution to the economy of China and its people.”

“There has been explosive growth in the number of students in the Chinese system and number of graduates. Clearly the top universities in China are able to compete with the best universities in the world. You have a very large system, a very diverse system…I think that’s very great achievement for the Chinese nation,” he said Saturday.

McCutcheon was here attending the Global Summit of University Presidents during the centennial celebrations of Tsinghua University.

He said the centenary is an important milestone in the life of Tsinghua University. To reach 100 years is a very important time in the life of a university to look back on what has been achieved so far and think about what can be achieved in the future.

McCutcheon said universities play an important role in the society. On one hand, they create the next generation of leaders in many fields; on the other hand, they have the ability to bring their ideas to be on the big challenges of the world, such us food security, new energy, climate change, etc.

“We are training the great minds of tomorrow, the young people would be the future thinkers of tomorrow. We also help create the ideas that help solve the problems that we old people have created that we don’t want young people to inherit, ” said McCutcheon.

McCutcheon also stressed the importance of fostering cross-cultural talents with global vision. “I encourage my students to go to other universities and teaching staff to be have international background.”

“Give all our students the experiences of living or studying in other countries, so Chinese students going to New Zealand and New Zealand students coming to China, students going all round the world, and probably more than one country, so that they have an understanding of some of the different cultures, religions, some of the political systems in the world,” he added.

As the most famous university in New Zealand, the University of Auckland has 4,500 international students from about 100 countries around the world, including about 2,000 Chinese students.

McCutcheon spoke highly of the academic performance of the Chinese students studying there, “We found Chinese students are very hard working. They contribute to the life of university as we have the Chinese film festival, we have the Confucius Institute, which is the centre of Chinese culture, andwe have Asian food festival each year.”

Talking about how a university can become a world-class one, McCutcheon emphasized on “having the best people”.

“Lots of other things are important. Money is important and buildings are important. If you have really good students, and you have really good teachers, and you have really good staff, you’ll have really good university.”

“The best universities are about the best people. The most important thing is to attract the best people, look after the best people and keep the best people in your university.”

McCutcheon took office as the Vice-Chancellor of University of Auckland in January 2005. Prior to that, he had served as Vice-Chancellor of Victoria University of Wellington since November 2000.