你会说中文吗?

The language and ancient culture of China includes not just the world's most enormous country but spreads across various countries of Asia - and increasingly, well beyond. Here we explore all aspects of that culture.

Here, too, is your spot for asking questions, finding resources, and/or just hanging out & chatting in Chinese (mostly Mandarin, but Cantonese and others welcome, too!).

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Chinese Opera: Compelling, Fascinating - but Definitely an Acquired Taste

Hung Chung Chih When I first witnessed a performance of Peking opera (the best-known form of Chinese opera, with Peking by the way being the traditional English spelling of Beijing) years ago in Beijing’s ornate, early-19th-century Huguang Guild Hall, I admit I was mesmerized by the gestalt of this elaborate art form. Unlike Western opera, it’s even more stylized, with exaggerated gestures, vocalisations, and heavily symbolic costume and makeup (and in some cases obviously extremely fakey…

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Using Chinese astrology for travel guidance

  RootOfAllLight Lunar New Year 2024 has just ended, landing us in the year of the Dragon, and it got me to thinking: there´s quite a bit out there on where/how to travel according to Western star signs, aligning destinations with your astrological characteristics, but you don´t hear much of anything on the subject when it comes to Chinese astrology. As someone who´s studied Chinese and Sinic culture, I looked into it a bit, and here´s what I came up with, with a couple of destination…

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How they celebrate New Year's in China

  You might wonder why this is even a question. But in fact, the Chinese-speaking world has its own big Lunar New Year celebration (in 2021, it's 12 February), and so while much of the rest of the planet makes a big deal out of New Year's Eve tonight, for many of the nearly 1½ billion inhabitants of this vast country, it simply isn't all that much of a thing. There are of course exceptions, and that's what I'm here to talk about. read post

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  • Tripatini invites all group members to join the newly created group Beijing, specializing on the dynamic capital of mainland China.
  • This is John Ping from Beijing China .
    Thank you very much as a member of you. I am a professional private drivers and tour guides in Beijing China, I had the honor of the Olympic Games last year been a professional driver, I own a private small company dedicated to businessmen from around the world and tourists, as well as resident in China, outsourcing to provide drivers and VIP transport and guide service, we have introduced the latest travel routes well received by the tourists of all ages. In particular, Mutianyu Great Wall tour. I'd like to share with you a happy travel to very happy to serve you and your friends and family to offer our quality services, but also want to colleagues to friends of tourism resources and to provide more opportunities for cooperation

  • 欢迎,BeijingDriver! 你是我们第一位住在中国的人!Please tell your friends and colleagues to join Tripatini and our Chinese language club! 谢谢你!
  • And yet the cowrie shell character doesn't appear in the most common (I think) word for money, 钱, which is the 'gold' radical on the left with two axes on the right... meaning, I suppose, get near my gold and I'll chop both your 手 off!
  • The radical (bei4)--the left half of the character--is a cowrie shell, and appears in lots of money/wealth-related characters: 貧,貨,販, 貪, 貴, 買,賣, etc.!
  • We could all use a little more of the green stuff, that's for sure! Or failing that, cowrie shells... doesn't the "cái" in "gōngxĭfācái" originally (I mean like, 3000 years ago) refer to cowrie shells used as money in China?
  • More than just making money, it has the sense of "strike it rich." What better wish for your friends, family and neighbors, especially in a culture where a substantial majority of the population has subsisted on the brink of starvation for millennia? Here's hoping the wish rubs off this year! The last couple years have been a little rough! :)
    (The spell-checker here doesn't like millennia! :P)
  • 恭喜发财!Or, roughly translated, "congratulations and may you make money," a colorful though admittedly materialistic way to wish folks a happy new year!
  • 祝各位中文交談俱樂部會員在新的一年身體健康,萬事如意!
  • 麦克: 欢迎,很高兴认识你。我们在这个俱乐部里面有些中国歌儿。Just click below to go to the next couple of pages of the Comment Wall and you'll see some of these songs. Enjoy!
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