As I mentioned in my post yesterday, during our time in New Orleans, we made the obligatory stop at Cafe du Monde for beignets and hot chocolate. Even though it was quite crowded, we managed to find a table in a corner overlooking Lafayette Square. Our waitress was an ethnic Chinese woman with a thick New […]
What Languages Are Spoken in China?
Even though I have a fairly high level of fluency in Mandarin Chinese, there are still numerous places in China where I can travel to and not be able to understand a word of what is being spoken by the locals. This map, posted at That’s Magazine, shows why. Image credit: @nick_kapur, via That’s Magazine Related Posts: Chinese […]
English Words Borrowed from Chinese
This is a pop quiz — what common English words are borrowed from Chinese? The answer may surprise you. How about kowtow, gung ho, and ketchup? Or typhoon. Or “long time no see.” Even though English is a language that compulsively borrows from other languages, we don’t have too many borrowed from English. A post […]
Another Great Reason to Learn Chinese
Last month I hosted a couple of friends from China for two weeks. It was great having them here, but since they don’t speak English I and a mutual Chinese friend traded translation shifts. Wherever we went and whatever we did, one of us had to be ‘on duty.’ Needless to say it was exhausting. […]
A Letter to Chinese Language Learners
With the end of the semester upon us, I know there are thousands out there who are completing a course of Chinese language learning. Maybe it was a semester; maybe a year; maybe two years. It doesn’t matter. The hard slog is nearing an end ( or perhaps already over for you), and you’re ready […]
Bian Lian (Face-Changing)
One of my favorite traditional Chinese peforming arts is Bian Lian (变脸), which literally means “change face.” As he performs choreographed moves, the performer instantly changes masks– so instantly in fact, that it’s nearly impossible to tell how it is done. Tradition has it that the art form could only be passed down from father […]
