Wednesday, 21. February 2007, 17:00:36
Chinese culture
February 18th is Chinese New Year the days around which are called "Spring Festival" "春节“.I may say that Spring Festival is the most important Festival for Chinese,just like Christmas for the Westers.February 18th is Chinese New Year because it is "January 1st" in Chinese lunar year,i.e,the first day of the Chinese lunar year.During this festival, almost all we Chinese go back to our own hometowns,staying together with family members.The working people can enjoy a 7-day holiday from "初一“ to " 初七“( January 1st to January 7th in lunar year).
Key Words:饺子（dumplings),对联，鞭炮(Fire Crackers)，除夕（New Year's Eve)，团圆（Reunion),准备（Prepararion),拜年。
1.饺子(dumpling):
如果一定要找一个我所知道的类似饺子的西方食品，那么就是pizza了。但是饺子和pizza不同。pizza的馅是在饼的上面，而饺子的馅是在皮儿（就是饼）的里面。皮儿抱着馅儿就是饺子。饺子一般是煮的，用油煎的饺子一般叫“锅贴”，意思就是贴在锅上。饺子的馅儿一般都是咸的，没有甜的饺子。馅儿可以有很多种，最常见的有：大肉饺子，韭菜肉，芹菜肉。现在中国有许多专卖饺子的饭店，馅儿的种类就更多了，如羊肉，牛肉，三鲜，香菇，鸡蛋素馅，等等。
中国北方人在大年三十晚上（除夕）和大年初一早晨吃饺子。有的家庭妈妈还会在饺子里面包上硬币，只有一个，谁吃到带硬币的饺子就代表谁是幸运的，来年（新的一年）会有好运气。
中国南方的居民通常在除夕（大年三十晚上）吃元宵。元宵也是皮儿包着馅儿，只不过元宵的馅儿是甜的，样子是圆形的。
饺子
元宵
2.对联（spring festival couplet）
3 or 2 days before the New Year, you will see every door of Chinese family be decarated by three pieces of red paper with Chinese characters on them.These three characters are "Spring Festival Couplet". Two of them are of the same size and one is on the left side ,the other on the right side of the door.Another red paper with four Chinese characters is on the head of the door which is shorter than the other two. The words on the couplets are sth like sentences in Chinese poem,they are usually belongs to Antithesis.Those words are all benidictions to the family which show good wishes.
Tuesday, 2. January 2007, 13:32:25
Shanghai
1.What should I do when I lose my passport?
When losing your passport, you should go to Shanghai Public Security Bureau Exit-Entry Administration Bureau to trasact certificate of loss and go to embassy with the certificate given by the Public Security Bureau and a photo(4.5*3.5cm) to apply for a new passport.
Shanghai Public Security Bureau Exit-Entry Administration Bureau
address：No.333 Wusong Road
Work time: Mondays to Saturdays (except holiday ) 9：00～16：30 （11：30～13：30 break）
Phone call：6357－6666
2.How is the public order in shanghai? What should I do when I meet traffice accident, crime etc?
Generally the public order in shanghai is good. If you meet any trouble in your daily life, you can go to the Public Security Bureau for help. The consulates of other countries in shanghai will also help you with the disputes and problems.
3.What can I do when I suffer theft, loss?
In that condition, you can get a documentary certificate of theft and loss. If you lose your passport you still need to go to Exit-Entry Administration Bureau and then wait for the inform.
To avoid loss of passport and air tickets, it is important to keep a copy. For credit card, you’d better keep an emergency contact. While in the scrape or Business Street, pay attention to those who ask the way or beg to you, and not to be stolen from behind. Remember to close the door and windows of your dwelling. Keep the valuables well. Be sure to take the receipt when taking a taxi, for there is contact address of the company on it.
4.How to do if I get sick?
In an unexpected symptom, you can call 120 to call an ambulance or take a taxi directly to the hospital. If you live in a hotel, you can contact the reception and ask for help. You can also make a call to EDOMandarinCenter (021-32120405) for help.
For a cold or symptoms like that, you can go to the pharmacy near by to take some medicine. Some Chinese pharmacies like Tongrentang also provide treatment. Do not go to clinics without licenses.
Tuesday, 2. January 2007, 13:30:01
Shanghai
1.Where can I get a relax in shanghai?
After a whole day busy work, you can arrange some entertainment to have a release. Have a chat with friends in a taproom, or have some coffee or massage.
There are various entertainment sites in shanghai. You can enjoy according to your situation.
2.How can I go for a travel in shanghai and around?
You can pose your requirements to E-DOMandarinCenter. We will give you help. You can also go for a travel by yourself. You are suggested to go to a travel agency where you can enjoy the tour in shanghai, short tour around and long tour.
Tuesday, 2. January 2007, 13:27:04
Shanghai
1.Is it convenient to take a taxi in shanghai? How is the charge?
There are several taxi companies about 50,000 taxies in shanghai. The charge standard is unitive. In the daytime, the basic fee is 11rmb(for three kilometers). After three kilometers, it is 2.1rmb/km. After ten kilometers, it is 3rmb/km. At night (23:00pm to 5:00am), the basic fee is 13rmb. After three kilometers, it is 2.6rmb/km. After three kilometers, it is 3.9rmb/km. Usually it is easy to take a taxi, but in traffic fastigium and rainy days it is not very convenient to take a taxi.
2.Except for taxi, is there any convenient traffic to take?
There are five subway lines in shanghai. Line 1(shanghai railway station to Xinzhuang), line 2 (Zhongshan park to Zhangjiang) , line 3(shanghai south station to Jiangwan town) line 4(Damuqiao Road to Lan village ), line 5(Xinzhuang to Minhang developing district ). The five lines run through shanghai and there are several interchange station. The primary scrapes( such as the bound, people square, Xujiahui, Longhua, Hongqiao, Hongkou, Lujiazui )and business district (such as Nanjing Road, Huaihai Road, Xujiahui, )distributing along the five lines, is shanghai .
What’s more, there are more than 1100 bus lines in shanghai. Shanghai railway station, People Square, Xujiahui, and Zhongshan Park etc are the primary interchange hinge.
3.Do I need to prepare coins when take buses and subway?
The subway ticket is from 3rmb to 6rmb. The bus ticket is 1rmb or above. Tickets are sold by manpower or automatism. Most bus tickets are sold by automatism. You can prepare coins or ask the conductor to change.
You can also use the traffic card. It can be used on buses, subway, taxi and ferry. It can be filled up and used time and again. It is unsigned and convenient and will save your time. You will be charged 30rmb/piece as a deposit.
4.Where can I park my car in shanghai?
You should park in prescriptive garage or parking place. Once infract the rules, you will be punished.
5.Is there any biggish difference between the traffic rule in shanghai and abroad?
One biggish difference is that in china you should keep to the right and follow the rules that people concede to vehicle.
6.What can I do if I get lost in the street?
If you get lost in the street, you can go to the policeman near by for help or call the hotline 63175522 to inquire about the route. Remember not to follow strangers for fear there will be danger.
7.Where is shanghai railway station?
There are three railway stations in shanghai. They are shanghai railway station, shanghai south station and shanghai west station. Shanghai railway station is the most important; you can get there by subway line 1 and line 3 or buses
Tuesday, 2. January 2007, 13:22:35
Shanghai
What are the primary shopping places in shanghai?
You can find satisfying commodity in famous “three streets and four towns of shanghai”. On Nanjing Road stand many famous stores and historical stores. On Huaihai Road, you can find the latest fashion and kinds of monopolization store that are famous in the world. North Sichuan Road is a par business street. There are lots of commodities that are excellent in quality and reasonable in price. And you can also go to Xujiahui business town, New shanghai business town, Yu Garden Business town and Jiali Business town for shopping.
If you want to buy some daily things and foods, you can go to supermarket near by, such as carrifour, RT mart, hollymall, and lotus mall. What’s more, there are multiple shop such as HuaLian, Lianhua, NGS and 24-hour convenient store all over shanghai.
Tuesday, 2. January 2007, 13:20:15
Shanghai
● I come to shanghai to learn Chinese, where can I live in?
Accommodation should be solved first for students who come to shanghai for study. We will introduce several modes of quarter and give you some choices. You can make decision according to your own condition and requirements.
● What kind of issues should I pay attention to in rental house?
Remember to lock the door and windows when living in rental house alone. And remember to avoid fire, gas-poisoning accident. If you want to hire a mammy, go to a agency with good reputation. It’s better to leave cash in the bank and keep your valuables well.
Make a copy of important certificate. Note the number of your certificate and credit card. It’s better not to take important certificate and all credit cards with you unless necessary.
● How to deal with the life rubbish?
Most part of shanghai has began to classified rubbish. General resident will chuck the rubbish bag to the prescriptive ashbin. It is not a custom to callback rubbish to your home in shanghai. The environmental department will deal with the fixed ashbin at a fixed time every day.
● How to pay the water and electricity fee in a rental house?
The landlord will come to copy the data of water meter and ammeter and charge you relevant fee. Commonly water meter and ammeter are fixed in the kitchen. You can ask the landlord to copy the data when you are home. And you can hand in the fee in bank, post office and convenient stores or through the on-line bank. Remember to keep the receipt.
Tuesday, 2. January 2007, 13:16:05
Shanghai
1.What delicious food is there in shanghai and what features are there?
Shanghai is called “the paradise of gastronome”. Delicious food from all over the world gather here. Shanghai gathers eighteen series dishes from Beijing, Sichuan, Yangzhou, Guangzhou etc. and also dishes from France, Italy, Russia, Japan, Britain, Thailand, Singapore, magician etc. there are always good business in the restaurant of western-style food in HongQiao, ShuiCheng Road, XianXia Road, West YanAn Road of GuBei district. What’s more, new kinds of snack are always first tasted in shanghai. There are many food plazas in the center business district. The food there is excellent in quality and reasonable in price and the service is also good.
2.I want have a taste of Shanghai’s feature snack, where should I go?
There are several special streets for food in shanghai, such as Huang He Road, Zha Pu Road, South Yuan Nan Road, Wu Jiang Road etc. there is kinds of delicious food and distinguishing snack from all over china. And there is a food festival in ChenghuangTemple every year with kinds of delicious snack for you to enjoy.
3.Can water in shanghai be drunk directly?
No, you can’t drink water in shanghai directly. Drinking unboiled water may make you sick. So please take boiled water or pure water. You can buy bottle water in the convenient store or supermarket. You can also ask the table-water Corp. to send you barreled water that is matched to a special container to your home. The barreled water is common in families, companies and trattorias. In external apartment, equipment for cleaning water is fixed.
4.What’s the food custom in shanghai?
Shanghainese prefer lite food. They usually have flour food as staple food, such as noodles, wonton, steamed bread, dumplings etc. In shanghainese’s breakfast, there are four popular kinds of food. They are flatbread, fried dough sticks, rice cake and soybean milk. Lunch is simpler, and people usually have lunch in mess hall or have box rice. Supper is the most important. There are many dishes and different kinds of food in supper.
5.Are there any things I need to pay attention to when I have dinner with my Chinese friends?
You’d better bring some present, usually some flowers or food, when you go to a Chinese friend’s home for dinner. And don’t be late. Chinese people will be unobtrusive and deny others’ compliment to themselves. But you still need to express your appreciation and compliment to the host.
There are some taboos in using the sticks. One is knocking; knock the bowl or cup with the sticks. Another is tossing; when delivering the sticks before meal, do not tossing them on the table. And do not put the sticks across or reversedly. Do not insert the sticks into the rice bowl and do not wave the sticks when talking in the meal.
Tuesday, 2. January 2007, 13:12:20
Shanghai
**** The following information is from the website of EDO Mandarin---http://www.edomandarin.com****
Shanghai may be the city where there are most foreigners in China.If you want to visit China, maybe Shanghai is one of your destiny. So, here i provide some information about living in Shanghai which may be helpful.
1.What shall I prepare for living and studying in shanghai？
Passport, visa, plane tickets, the connections of your family and friends, personal things, clothing for exchange, electrical appliance (eg: charger)，dictionary and useful books, and photos of families(to release the homesickness and culture shock ). Actually you needn’t bung up your big luggage because you can buy them in shanghai.
2.What shall I pay attention to in terms of clothing?
With the rather different weather of the four seasons in Shanghai, you’d better prepare enough clothes for yourself, especially for the clod winter and the hot summer.
3.Is that necessary for me to prepare some medicine?
To some extent, it is not easy to buy the same medicine made aboard in Shanghai. So those who suffer some illness or with irritability habits or used to taking some medicine must bring their certain medicine..
For instance, you can bring some common drug for cold, diminishing inflammation, stomachache, and eye water, according to your own needs
4.Shall I bring eyeglasses or contact lens?
If you wear glasses or contact lens, you are suggested to bring the copy of optometry by your doctor’s diagnose. If possible, you may bring another more pair of glasses.
5.Do I need to bring a computer? Where can I get online?
You don’t need to bring a computer by yourself. There are Internet bars and some cafes near our school for you to get online. If it is inconvenient to your work, you ‘d better bring a notebook PC. Commonly the hotel will provide the online service. Please pay attention to the voltage
6.How much cash should I bring with me in shanghai?
It is convenient for you to change money in bank, hotel, or big oversea investment market. So you don’t need to bring too much cash to shanghai. And the biggest denomination of bank paper is 100 Yuan. So if you exchange all the cash once a time, the cash will be overstocked. Bringing too much cash is inconvenient and dangerous.
7.Which credit cards can be used in shanghai? In which banks can I transact this business?
There are some foreign credit cards that are accepted in china, such as MasterCard, Visa Card, American Express Card, Diner Card, JCB Card, Million Card and Federal Card etc.
8.Could driving license abroad be available in shanghai?
Yes. You can use the drive license abroad in shanghai after transacting the procedure in the police station in shanghai.
9.Do I need to buy extra insurance if coming to china for study?
Those who come to china for study at their own expenses need to buy suddenness hospitalization insurance and suddenness damage insurance. Commonly the two insurances are bought together. You can buy them in your country or in china.
Friday, 6. October 2006, 09:27:11
Chinese culture
Today is Mid-Autumn Day of Chinese people.It is a traditional Chinese day which is celebrated every 15th August of Chinese lunar year. It is a very important festival to Chinese people,because it is the day for family reunion: The whole family get together,eating mooncakes and enjoying the moon.Those who can not go back home are especiallly missing their families.
The key words of this day are: Mooncake and Moon.
Basiclly, mooncakes are made of “皮儿”（wrap--made from dough) and "馅儿“
“皮儿”are made from dough mixed with some seasonings and then baked.
"馅儿“ are (fillings--made of various materials.Generally some traditiaonl ones are: fruit fillings(苹果apple，凤梨pineapple and so on), 枣泥（red data paste),豆沙（bean paste),五仁（five kinds of nuts),蛋黄（egg),莲蓉（lotus paste) and so on. [see pics]
Traditionnally, mooncakes are round.
But Nowadays, there are even more various kinds of mooncakes ---any 皮儿 or 馅儿 u can imagine.
On 15th, August of Chinese lunar year, the moon is the biggest and most round of the year.
Mooncakes and moon are round. In Chinese, "round" is “圆“。“圆“ means complete,full, anyhow, it means sth good.Such words are : 团圆（reunion) 圆满（sth ends well). So, that is why Chinese people celebrate this day on 15th, August , eating mooncakes and enjoying moonlight.
In this day, we Chinese get many blessing from family members and friends; in this day, all the family members get together. In fact, it is also a day which makes a lot of people sensitive: those who can not return home, who can not stay with mom and dad will especially miss home.
Chinese poets had composed many famous poems which have been handled down from generation to generation,here are some beautiful lines:
“每逢佳节倍思亲“---i have never missed my family so much everytime when it is festival.
"月是故乡明“ ---the moon of my hometown is the brightest.
"海上升明月，天涯共此时“---we feel the same moon rising on the sea,alghough we are at every corner of the world.
Here is a poem by Su Dongpo, a great poet of CHinese Song dynasty.This poem is the most beautiful song for this festival and hope u enjoy it.
明月几时有，把酒问青天。不知天上宫阙，今夕是何年。我欲乘风归去，又恐琼楼玉宇，高处不胜寒。起舞弄清影，何似在人间。
转朱阁，低绮户，照无眠。不应有恨，何事偏向别时圆。人有悲欢离合，月有阴晴圆缺，此事古难全。但愿人长久，千里共婵娟。
"人有悲欢离合，月有阴晴圆缺"---in our life, we will experience sorrows and happiness, reunions and partings, just like the moon, it is not full all the time.
"但愿人长久，千里共婵娟"---hope everyone live a long life so that even we live afar, we can still get together.
Friday, 11. August 2006, 23:22:33
food
麻婆豆腐，早先叫陈麻婆豆腐，是中国最富地方风味的特色菜之一。当年，成都外北万福桥边，有一家“陈兴盛饭铺“。店主陈春富早逝，小饭店由老板娘陈大嫂经营。因为她脸上有些麻子，人送外号“陈麻婆”。她烧的豆腐又麻、又辣、又香、又嫩，独具风味，人称“麻婆豆腐”。
Mapo Toufu, which was first called Chen Mapo Toufu,is perhaps one of the most typical Chinese local dishes.Many years ago there was a small restaurant named Chen Xingshenf Eating HOuse close to the Wanfu Bridge in Chengdu.As the owner Mr.Chen FUchun died in his prime, the restaurant was run by his wife Mrs Chen who was nicknamed Chen Mapo due to her pockmarked face.In Chinese mapo means pock-marked granny. Spicy,hot,delicious and tender with a distinct flavor,the dish of toufu she cooked was called Mapo Toufu.
Mapo Toufu is a typical food of Sichuan province where people here like spicy food very much.Sichuan is a good place for touring, there are such beautiful places as Jiuzhaigou(p1),E mei mountain and so on. So, if you are intererested in spicy food, in nature beauty, come here! Sichuan, China!
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