Everything Is Collectable!

DOES the French word"chiner"(antiquing)come from the Chinese love for flea markets and antiques?Perhaps not.But it is certain that the Chinese are serious collectors and this love didn’t come from nowhere!It isn’t diffi cult to see that collecting is fashionable among Chinese,not only at home but also in America and Europe.More and more Chinese con-     

Happy Holidays

正As we know,Chinese people are diligent and love to work,but vacations and holidays are also a constituent part of their lives.In recent years,they have enjoyed more frequent and longer holidays.Days of are arranged according to传统节日(chuán t ng jiérì)traditional festivals.假期(jiàqī)are holiday breaks,and taking a holiday is to休假(xiūjià).When the Chinese are of work,they take a vacation away from home,that is,出行(chūxíng).There are many Chinese expressions for travelling,such as旅行(l     

Chinese Scenery

Once November arrives in Beijing, the landscape changes. Beautiful golden 秋叶（qiu ye）, autumn leaves fringe the streets. It is 秋天, （qiu tian）, autumn, the season of burning straw in the fields after the harvest. This explains why 秋 has two parts 禾（he）. standing grain, and 火（huo）, fire. In northwestern Beijing 香山（Xiang shan）, literally Fragrant Hill, is robed in flare-ing 红叶（hong ye）, red leaves, and becomes charming 风景（feng jing）, scenery.     

Do Have a Cup of Tea

The Chinese character for tea （cha）茶 - a person standing beneath grass but above a tree - the character＇s three components - is a Chinese riddle in itself.     

Big Family

IN China, interpersonal relationships are key to doing well in society, so it’s worthwhile to learn how to address people correctly in Chinese and use this knowledge in everyday life.The Chinese equivalents of Western titles like sir, madam,     

I Will Show You Some Colors

WORDS for colors often have social and cultural implica- tions. In France blue is reserved for the king, but travel abroad to other cultures and this is not the case. We have an expression in French "I am turning black," an equivalence of "seeing red" in English. In Japan inexperience is described as having a "blue butt"     

An International Chinese Contest for Peace

ON August 3, I was invited to attend the finale and closing ceremony of the 13th Chinese Bridge Chinese Proficiency Competition for Foreign College Students. This contest, organized jointly by the Confucious Institute Headquarters （Hanban）, the Hunan provincial government and Hunan TV, was held, unsurprisingly, in Changsha, capital of the province.     

Everything Is Negotiable!

正In China,金钱(jīn qián),money,made from the characters金(jīn),gold,and钱(qián),coins,is not a taboo.To the contrary,it is a symbol of社会地位(shèhuìdìwèi),social status,and成功(chéng gōng),success.Throughout history,财富(cái fù),wealth,has always been an important part of Chinese culture.物质生活(wùzhìshēng huó),material well-     

Bazaar Day!

正The集市(jíshì),bazaar,is a customary weekly event in rural China,when locals go to buy蔬菜(sh cài),vegetables,水果(shu gu),fruits,肉(ròu),meat,and household equipment.The term热闹(rènao),loud and lively,best describes this heaving scenario where vendors叫卖(jiào mài),shout their wares amid throngs of