:: LEG OF LAMB ::
Today, a dean from another local college took me out for lunch, We went to a great Xinjiang restaurant here in Hangzhou. I have been there a few times before and always enjoyed the meal. They serve the best fire-roasted leg of lamb I've ever had in China.
This time, the restaurant provided me with their English menu so I had a look at some of the other stuff they had while we were waiting for the leg of lamb (it takes about 30 minutes to prepare). I whipped out a pen and jotted down some of the memorable menu items for your culinary pleasure (all translations and spelling come straight from their menu):
Grilled Camel Meat
Bloat in Oil Horse Flesh
Fried Mutton Knuckles with Brown Sauce (Yes, I guess it's true. The Chinese WILL eat EVERY part of the animal, even the knuckles!)
Fried Black Lamb Lung (I just wanted to ask them "Where do you find sheep who smoke?")
Lotus Stew Silkey Fowl Soup (I'm assuming that it's made with some kind of bird and not a misspelling of "foul".)
Devil Edible Grass-Stems (Huh?)
Stewed Turtle with Young Pigeon (Actually, you can see many stewed turtles with young pigeons on their arms at the WaHaHa Disco on any Saturday night in Hanghzou).
Makes your mouth water, right?
2002/12/29
2002/12/09
:: HANGZHOU NEWSLETTER ::
The principal of the newly-built Hangzhou International School has decided to publish a monthly newsletter for foreigners living in Hangzhou. (The Hangzhou International School is an adjunct of the new No. 2 Middle School in Xiaoshan, just across the river from Hangzhou proper.) Here's the November issue which was forwarded to me by a friend. It's got a lot of useful information if you are new to the Hangzhou area.
The principal of the newly-built Hangzhou International School has decided to publish a monthly newsletter for foreigners living in Hangzhou. (The Hangzhou International School is an adjunct of the new No. 2 Middle School in Xiaoshan, just across the river from Hangzhou proper.) Here's the November issue which was forwarded to me by a friend. It's got a lot of useful information if you are new to the Hangzhou area.
:: 1-2-3-4-5 ::
Saturday morning, I was having an early lunch with a former student of mine, Janet (front row, center), who is in her first year of teaching computer science at a Hangzhou high school. We talked about a variety of issues she faced as a first year teacher from the sublime (gifts from students on Teachers' Day) to the profane (students playing computer games during her lab rather than doing the assigned exercises.
On the latter subject, she told me a story which is quite funny. Buit it's also useful informaton for anyone living in Hangzhou AND it kind of takes the wind out of the sails of those westerners (usually Americans) who claim the Chinese people have no say in their government affairs. Anyway, the story:
The Mayor of Hangzhou established a telephone and e-mail Hotline for the city residents last year. I knew about it from seeing a couple of articles in the Zhejiang English News over the past year. But in each of the articles, such "unimportant" details as the actual phone number and actual e-mail address weren't in the articles. (There is a decided lack of attention to important details that permeates nearly everything in China - but that's another story for another time.)
So while Janet is talking about her occassional "naughty" student, I ask her how she handles it if she finds a student playing computer games rather than focusing on the lesson. Does she send him out of the classroom?
No, she tells me, she has been warned by her school not to use such a tactic. Why? Well, it seems that there has been a recent rash of "situations" in some schools (not hers) where students have been sent out of the classroom. Most Chinese students in Hangzhou these days have cell phones, even in the high schools. So the first thing students have been doing lately when they get sent out of the classroom is...you guessed it! They pull out their cell phone and call the Mayor's Hotline and complain that their teacher is prohibiting them from attending the class. According to Janet, the Hotline people take this pretty seriously and they usually dispatch someone to the school immediately! Although in five years in China, I have only had to throw two students out of the classroom, I'm going to remember this new piece of advice.
Janet told me another story about the Hotline. A new restaurant opened on the first floor of her parents' apartment house and the smoke from the restaurant was wafting up into their apartment. So Janet's mom called the Hotline to complain. Within two weeks, the restaurant was shuttered.
How's that for quick action! In Hangzhou, at least, the Mayor DOES listen to the people.
Oh...and that number, in case you need it? Just dial 1-2-3-4-5. There's a bank of phones and Janet thinks that at least one or two people on the phone bank can probably speak some English.
So the next time some vendor is cheating you or a taxi driver tries to take you the long way or you see something you think needs fixing here in Hangzhou, just pick up the phone and dial 12345 and let the Mayor know. And the next time someone who has never set foot in China complains that the people here have no say in their civic affairs or that their voices are suppressed, point them to this story.
Saturday morning, I was having an early lunch with a former student of mine, Janet (front row, center), who is in her first year of teaching computer science at a Hangzhou high school. We talked about a variety of issues she faced as a first year teacher from the sublime (gifts from students on Teachers' Day) to the profane (students playing computer games during her lab rather than doing the assigned exercises.
On the latter subject, she told me a story which is quite funny. Buit it's also useful informaton for anyone living in Hangzhou AND it kind of takes the wind out of the sails of those westerners (usually Americans) who claim the Chinese people have no say in their government affairs. Anyway, the story:
The Mayor of Hangzhou established a telephone and e-mail Hotline for the city residents last year. I knew about it from seeing a couple of articles in the Zhejiang English News over the past year. But in each of the articles, such "unimportant" details as the actual phone number and actual e-mail address weren't in the articles. (There is a decided lack of attention to important details that permeates nearly everything in China - but that's another story for another time.)
So while Janet is talking about her occassional "naughty" student, I ask her how she handles it if she finds a student playing computer games rather than focusing on the lesson. Does she send him out of the classroom?
No, she tells me, she has been warned by her school not to use such a tactic. Why? Well, it seems that there has been a recent rash of "situations" in some schools (not hers) where students have been sent out of the classroom. Most Chinese students in Hangzhou these days have cell phones, even in the high schools. So the first thing students have been doing lately when they get sent out of the classroom is...you guessed it! They pull out their cell phone and call the Mayor's Hotline and complain that their teacher is prohibiting them from attending the class. According to Janet, the Hotline people take this pretty seriously and they usually dispatch someone to the school immediately! Although in five years in China, I have only had to throw two students out of the classroom, I'm going to remember this new piece of advice.
Janet told me another story about the Hotline. A new restaurant opened on the first floor of her parents' apartment house and the smoke from the restaurant was wafting up into their apartment. So Janet's mom called the Hotline to complain. Within two weeks, the restaurant was shuttered.
How's that for quick action! In Hangzhou, at least, the Mayor DOES listen to the people.
Oh...and that number, in case you need it? Just dial 1-2-3-4-5. There's a bank of phones and Janet thinks that at least one or two people on the phone bank can probably speak some English.
So the next time some vendor is cheating you or a taxi driver tries to take you the long way or you see something you think needs fixing here in Hangzhou, just pick up the phone and dial 12345 and let the Mayor know. And the next time someone who has never set foot in China complains that the people here have no say in their civic affairs or that their voices are suppressed, point them to this story.
2002/12/04
:: MIAO MIAO'S THESIS ::
A while back, I solicited your help for one of my old students who is completing her Masters thesis in Linguistics. I got some replies and forwarded them to her. Tonight she sent me a draft of the body of her thesis. It's heavy reading, but if you sort through it, she makes some interesting points. Anyway, I am posting it here by way of thanks to those who responded as well as FYI to anyone else interested. (The document is in Word format.)
A while back, I solicited your help for one of my old students who is completing her Masters thesis in Linguistics. I got some replies and forwarded them to her. Tonight she sent me a draft of the body of her thesis. It's heavy reading, but if you sort through it, she makes some interesting points. Anyway, I am posting it here by way of thanks to those who responded as well as FYI to anyone else interested. (The document is in Word format.)
2002/12/02
:: 20,000 HITS ::
Wow, I just happened to stop by my main website just now and noticed that the counter was at 19,997. Three more hits and Chuck@China will reach the double ten thousand mark. That's an auspicious occasion in China. You may all send me "hong bao" which I will happily share with the 20,000th visitor.
Wow, I just happened to stop by my main website just now and noticed that the counter was at 19,997. Three more hits and Chuck@China will reach the double ten thousand mark. That's an auspicious occasion in China. You may all send me "hong bao" which I will happily share with the 20,000th visitor.
2002/12/01
:: USING YOUR HEAD ::
I don't see nearly as many beggars on the streets of China as I did on the streets and in the parks of the U.S. One thing about the people in China, they will do almost anything to earn a kuai. Here's a recent article from the Zhejiang English News:
Man Has a Head for Advertising
A man with an advertisement painted on his clean-shaven pate has been getting noticed in the busy streets of Hangzhou, reports Jiangnan Daily. Xu Bin asks clients for 200 to 300 yuan (US$24-36) a day to walk around with their advertisement on his head. He started the business at the beginning of the month, saying that the oddity makes people look carefully at the ad. So far, the innovative 31-year-old from Tiantai, Zhejiang, has advertised two businesses on his head. (11/28/2002)
Sinosplice has a picture of the guy. I'm not sure, but I think the Chinese characters are translated as "Your Ad Here".
I don't see nearly as many beggars on the streets of China as I did on the streets and in the parks of the U.S. One thing about the people in China, they will do almost anything to earn a kuai. Here's a recent article from the Zhejiang English News:
Man Has a Head for Advertising
A man with an advertisement painted on his clean-shaven pate has been getting noticed in the busy streets of Hangzhou, reports Jiangnan Daily. Xu Bin asks clients for 200 to 300 yuan (US$24-36) a day to walk around with their advertisement on his head. He started the business at the beginning of the month, saying that the oddity makes people look carefully at the ad. So far, the innovative 31-year-old from Tiantai, Zhejiang, has advertised two businesses on his head. (11/28/2002)
Sinosplice has a picture of the guy. I'm not sure, but I think the Chinese characters are translated as "Your Ad Here".
:: PANDAMATCH.COM ::
Pandas need love too, you know:
BEIJING (Reuters) - International panda experts have designed computer software to help the charismatic and endangered bears find their ideal mates, a newspaper reported on Monday.
The software, developed by experts at a meeting in China, would analyze the health and bloodlines of each panda in captivity to find the best match while avoiding close relatives, the Star Daily said.
Read more here....
Pandas need love too, you know:
BEIJING (Reuters) - International panda experts have designed computer software to help the charismatic and endangered bears find their ideal mates, a newspaper reported on Monday.
The software, developed by experts at a meeting in China, would analyze the health and bloodlines of each panda in captivity to find the best match while avoiding close relatives, the Star Daily said.
Read more here....
:: IN A WORD, SAN GE DAI BIAO ::
The 16th Party Congress has concluded and one of its main results was the enshrinement of Jiang Zemin's "San Ge Dai Biao" Theory -"The Three Represents" is the official English translation - in the Chinese Constitution. Nobody quite understands it, but here's an English translation I ran across (sorry, I lost the cite where I found it):
"Reviewing the course of struggle and the basic experience over the past 80 years and looking ahead to the arduous tasks and bright future in the new century, our Party should continue to stand in the forefront of the times and lead the people in marching toward victory. In a word, the Party must always represent the requirements of the development of China's advanced productive forces, the orientation of the development of China's advanced culture, and the fundamental interests of the overwhelming majority of the people in China."
The translator was certainly not one of my former students. Notice the last sentence which (s)he begins with "In a word..." and then goes on to use 37 more words to make the point! Chinese-English teachers teach their students in high school that this use of "in a word" is a good model for concluding an article or essay...so I get hundreds of essays about 90% of which conclude with "In a word".
I now tell my students that if they use such an ending in their papers, I will take off one point for each additional word they add. In this case, the translator gets a score of 64 (-36) simply based on that last sentence.
In short, attempting to describe The Three Represents with a single word is, in a word, impossible.
The 16th Party Congress has concluded and one of its main results was the enshrinement of Jiang Zemin's "San Ge Dai Biao" Theory -"The Three Represents" is the official English translation - in the Chinese Constitution. Nobody quite understands it, but here's an English translation I ran across (sorry, I lost the cite where I found it):
"Reviewing the course of struggle and the basic experience over the past 80 years and looking ahead to the arduous tasks and bright future in the new century, our Party should continue to stand in the forefront of the times and lead the people in marching toward victory. In a word, the Party must always represent the requirements of the development of China's advanced productive forces, the orientation of the development of China's advanced culture, and the fundamental interests of the overwhelming majority of the people in China."
The translator was certainly not one of my former students. Notice the last sentence which (s)he begins with "In a word..." and then goes on to use 37 more words to make the point! Chinese-English teachers teach their students in high school that this use of "in a word" is a good model for concluding an article or essay...so I get hundreds of essays about 90% of which conclude with "In a word".
I now tell my students that if they use such an ending in their papers, I will take off one point for each additional word they add. In this case, the translator gets a score of 64 (-36) simply based on that last sentence.
In short, attempting to describe The Three Represents with a single word is, in a word, impossible.
:: SOMETHING YOU WON'T FIND ON A CHINESE CAMPUS ::
I often get this question from my students: "How are your American college students different from your Chinese college students". The next time I get this question, I'll point them here (the aftermath of Ohio State's victory over Michigan).
I often get this question from my students: "How are your American college students different from your Chinese college students". The next time I get this question, I'll point them here (the aftermath of Ohio State's victory over Michigan).
:: MORE BLOGS ::
I have added some new China-related blog links to the left side of your screen including the three blogs I wrote about in my last two entries. Also, if you are jonesing for even more China blogs, check out the almost-definitive China Blog List at John's Sinosplice.
I have added some new China-related blog links to the left side of your screen including the three blogs I wrote about in my last two entries. Also, if you are jonesing for even more China blogs, check out the almost-definitive China Blog List at John's Sinosplice.
:: WESTERN MEDIA ON CHINA ::
I came across a very interesting blog recently: "Western Media on China".
Having lived in China for 4.5 years, I often find myself reading western news articles about China and scratching my head and wondering which China they are writing about - certainly not the one that I am living in. There is a small but perceptible anti-China slant in many articles written by western journalists. "Western Media on China" is a Chinese Journalist's perspective on how western journalists cover China. It's a fresh viewpoint on China-related news that many westerners don't get a chance to see or hear. Add it to your "Must Surf" list today.
(Related note: A couple of years ago, a professor from Yale got in touch with me through my main website. She was teaching a journalism class and they were studying this very issue. She was looking for some feedback on whether a "foreigner" who is actually on the ground in China perceives a negative slant to some western articles. I lost touch with her but I think I'll dig out her e-mail address and try to find out the denouement of her students' project.)
I came across a very interesting blog recently: "Western Media on China".
Having lived in China for 4.5 years, I often find myself reading western news articles about China and scratching my head and wondering which China they are writing about - certainly not the one that I am living in. There is a small but perceptible anti-China slant in many articles written by western journalists. "Western Media on China" is a Chinese Journalist's perspective on how western journalists cover China. It's a fresh viewpoint on China-related news that many westerners don't get a chance to see or hear. Add it to your "Must Surf" list today.
(Related note: A couple of years ago, a professor from Yale got in touch with me through my main website. She was teaching a journalism class and they were studying this very issue. She was looking for some feedback on whether a "foreigner" who is actually on the ground in China perceives a negative slant to some western articles. I lost touch with her but I think I'll dig out her e-mail address and try to find out the denouement of her students' project.)
2002/11/25
:: BACKBLOGGED ::
Sorry folks, I have come down with a serious case of backblog. Plus, I have been kept busy lately by the Zhejiang University English Festival. I wrote, designed and presented a couple of multi-media lectures on language learning (7 Tips to Improve Your Pronunciation and Chinglish 2 English: Upgrade your Chinglish to English 2.0 ), hosted a Movie Night (Shakespeare in Love) and put together a new web site for my Writing classes here at ZJU.
I want to welcome Tina and Jane, both of whom left comments here and both of whom have very cool blogs of their own. Actually, unbeknownst to Tina, I have been reading her blog for well over a year. That Grrrl can write. Someone please give her a job!
Links to their blogs along with a few others, are on my backblog list of things to do, but for now, check out Tina and Jane's blogs.
Actually, Tina was also the winner of that last contest "What's Up With This?". So she wins a free map of Hangzhou. What format do you want, Tina? (*nb: Delivery charges on the concrete format are the responsibilty of the winner.
I'll catch up on my backblogs this week. In the meantime, go check out my Writing Students' new web site. And leave them a message in the Guestbook there to let them know you visited. (P.S. The articles there are their first draft. This week's class is on proofreading and revision! So go easy on them.)
Sorry folks, I have come down with a serious case of backblog. Plus, I have been kept busy lately by the Zhejiang University English Festival. I wrote, designed and presented a couple of multi-media lectures on language learning (7 Tips to Improve Your Pronunciation and Chinglish 2 English: Upgrade your Chinglish to English 2.0 ), hosted a Movie Night (Shakespeare in Love) and put together a new web site for my Writing classes here at ZJU.
I want to welcome Tina and Jane, both of whom left comments here and both of whom have very cool blogs of their own. Actually, unbeknownst to Tina, I have been reading her blog for well over a year. That Grrrl can write. Someone please give her a job!
Links to their blogs along with a few others, are on my backblog list of things to do, but for now, check out Tina and Jane's blogs.
Actually, Tina was also the winner of that last contest "What's Up With This?". So she wins a free map of Hangzhou. What format do you want, Tina? (*nb: Delivery charges on the concrete format are the responsibilty of the winner.
I'll catch up on my backblogs this week. In the meantime, go check out my Writing Students' new web site. And leave them a message in the Guestbook there to let them know you visited. (P.S. The articles there are their first draft. This week's class is on proofreading and revision! So go easy on them.)
2002/11/11
:: WHAT'S UP WITH THIS? ::
So why are all these people wandering around looking at their feet?
First person (*) to Comment correctly wins a free map of Hangzhou. Please specify whether you want the Chinese, English, or concrete version.
* Hangzhou and Zhejiang residents are not eligible *
So why are all these people wandering around looking at their feet?
First person (*) to Comment correctly wins a free map of Hangzhou. Please specify whether you want the Chinese, English, or concrete version.
* Hangzhou and Zhejiang residents are not eligible *
2002/11/10
:: SUNDAY IN THE PARK ::
Another fine weekend in Hangzhou. My folks called late in the week and asked if there were still leaves on the trees. Back in Cleveland, I guess, they've already turned from orange to brown and fallen down. Kind of like the football team there.
But it's still green and lush here in Hangzhou. I went around the the newly renovated south end of the lake today with Angela. You remember, a few blogs ago I asked your opinion about that picture?
Well, here's a picture of Angela today. Gotta love the pink sunglasses. She was stylin'. But, alas, she doesn't like this picture either.
Here's a picture from Yong Jin Park along the Lake. That's the Chinese Neptune, Zhang Shen I think his name is. He was one of the 108 bandits in the famous Chinese novel "The Water Margin". He drowned near this very spot according to the legend. Behind him, wading in the lagoon, is a giant golden ox - Yong Jin. There's some myth that this golden ox brought rains long ago when this area was going through a drought. Thus, they honor the the golden ox. China has a story for everything. Beyond the ox is a newly-built footbridge. I love the way the people in this picture show up in silhouette - outlined by the calm waters of West Lake and framed by the western hills beyond.
They really did a beautiful job in renovating and opening up the south end of the Lake which used to be three distinct parks separated by acres of areas off-limits to the public. Now, they have opened up everything and connected the parks and it's one very long stroll in which you can cover half the lake. Best of all, to the Chinese, it's actually FREE. That's right, FREE! Nothing in China is free except, now.....West Lake. Since October 1st, all scenic spots surrounding West Lake are now free by the benificence of the Hangzhou CIty government. This is the first progressive local government I have encountered in my years in China.
Here's another first: I saw my first public drinking water fountain in China. I have told my students how we have drinking water fountains everywhere in the States and they have always been impressed...and skeptical. No one in China drinks water from any tap. It's bottled water only here.
But the locals were all enamored with this fountain, today. Most stood around agape and agog (a common reaction in China when strange things like water fountains and/or foreigners suddenly appear on the streets). They watched timidly as others approached and a few daredevils took a few gulps. When they realized that it was truly drinkable water, they jostled to use it. Did they drink from it? Mostly not. Most of them pulled out their water bottles and filled them up. Afterall, the Chinese are the supreme "xiao qi gui" (cheapskates). Why settle for a few free gulps when you can fill your whole water bottle for free.
At the other end of the spectrum, when Angela and I had finished our trek along the lake, we headed over to the new WESTLAKE TIMES shopping mall which just opened. It's another branch mall of this place but the WESTLAKE TIMES is even posher. The shops are tres upscale.
In China, you cannot get any more upscale than this: they had a GOLF SHOP!. I mean a REAL GOLF SHOP. With the likes of Ping and Golden Bear and MaxFli and all that. It's been quite a few years since I looked at clubs and the biggest thing that shocked me was how large the heads on the drivers are now. I mean, Big Bertha's were Big 6 or 7 years ago, but the driver heads I saw today on the Golden Bears were as large as the Yangcheng Lake Hairy Crabs.
Life in China, life in Hangzhou hurtles forward everyday in so many ways.
Another fine weekend in Hangzhou. My folks called late in the week and asked if there were still leaves on the trees. Back in Cleveland, I guess, they've already turned from orange to brown and fallen down. Kind of like the football team there.
But it's still green and lush here in Hangzhou. I went around the the newly renovated south end of the lake today with Angela. You remember, a few blogs ago I asked your opinion about that picture?
Well, here's a picture of Angela today. Gotta love the pink sunglasses. She was stylin'. But, alas, she doesn't like this picture either.
Here's a picture from Yong Jin Park along the Lake. That's the Chinese Neptune, Zhang Shen I think his name is. He was one of the 108 bandits in the famous Chinese novel "The Water Margin". He drowned near this very spot according to the legend. Behind him, wading in the lagoon, is a giant golden ox - Yong Jin. There's some myth that this golden ox brought rains long ago when this area was going through a drought. Thus, they honor the the golden ox. China has a story for everything. Beyond the ox is a newly-built footbridge. I love the way the people in this picture show up in silhouette - outlined by the calm waters of West Lake and framed by the western hills beyond.
They really did a beautiful job in renovating and opening up the south end of the Lake which used to be three distinct parks separated by acres of areas off-limits to the public. Now, they have opened up everything and connected the parks and it's one very long stroll in which you can cover half the lake. Best of all, to the Chinese, it's actually FREE. That's right, FREE! Nothing in China is free except, now.....West Lake. Since October 1st, all scenic spots surrounding West Lake are now free by the benificence of the Hangzhou CIty government. This is the first progressive local government I have encountered in my years in China.
Here's another first: I saw my first public drinking water fountain in China. I have told my students how we have drinking water fountains everywhere in the States and they have always been impressed...and skeptical. No one in China drinks water from any tap. It's bottled water only here.
But the locals were all enamored with this fountain, today. Most stood around agape and agog (a common reaction in China when strange things like water fountains and/or foreigners suddenly appear on the streets). They watched timidly as others approached and a few daredevils took a few gulps. When they realized that it was truly drinkable water, they jostled to use it. Did they drink from it? Mostly not. Most of them pulled out their water bottles and filled them up. Afterall, the Chinese are the supreme "xiao qi gui" (cheapskates). Why settle for a few free gulps when you can fill your whole water bottle for free.
At the other end of the spectrum, when Angela and I had finished our trek along the lake, we headed over to the new WESTLAKE TIMES shopping mall which just opened. It's another branch mall of this place but the WESTLAKE TIMES is even posher. The shops are tres upscale.
In China, you cannot get any more upscale than this: they had a GOLF SHOP!. I mean a REAL GOLF SHOP. With the likes of Ping and Golden Bear and MaxFli and all that. It's been quite a few years since I looked at clubs and the biggest thing that shocked me was how large the heads on the drivers are now. I mean, Big Bertha's were Big 6 or 7 years ago, but the driver heads I saw today on the Golden Bears were as large as the Yangcheng Lake Hairy Crabs.
Life in China, life in Hangzhou hurtles forward everyday in so many ways.
2002/11/09
:: TWO QUESTIONS FOR TEACHERS ::
Here are two questions for any non-Chinese teachers out there who have taught in China. (Please leave your Comments below or, if you have more to say in the subject, send me an email.)
(1) How important do you think pronunciation is? I know Chinese students always worry about their damn pronunciation even though I can understand them just fine. In my opinion, they waste to much time and angst on improving their pronunciation. Do you agree or disagree?
(2) Despite #1, I nevertheless do spend time on pronunciation work with my students if only because they appreciate, nay, demand it. I have developed a set lecture I call vaguely, "7 Tips to Improving Your Pronunciation". In it, I focus on the following sounds: the short "i", "th", "v" vs. "w", "r" vs. "l" (a big problem in this province), and the "zh" sound ("usually", "pleasure").
I focus on these because they are the most difficult for my students from my experience. As I said in #1, I really think the students worry too much about it so I don't want to turn my conversation class into a phonetics class. However, there's a company in Hangzhou which has heard a few of my set lectures and they want to publish and distribute them in a set. That's fine with me if they want to do it (and pay me!), although I don't really believe it will work. I think the lectures work because of my style in delivering them and you can't capture style on paper (or the Internet as this Blog proves). But (as my students say), "I'll have a try". So I'm working up the various lectures (another of which is on eliminating stuff like the preceding phrase). 7 Tips works in the classroom because it's short and sweet. I think though, for the book, maybe I should expand it to include other common pronunciation problems students have. In your experience, what other problems have you encountered in addition to the 7 listed above. Leave your Comment below or e-mail me. Credit will be given in the book of course, though I can't promise you any royalties. (It's difficult to split zero kuai 3 ways.)
Here are two questions for any non-Chinese teachers out there who have taught in China. (Please leave your Comments below or, if you have more to say in the subject, send me an email.)
(1) How important do you think pronunciation is? I know Chinese students always worry about their damn pronunciation even though I can understand them just fine. In my opinion, they waste to much time and angst on improving their pronunciation. Do you agree or disagree?
(2) Despite #1, I nevertheless do spend time on pronunciation work with my students if only because they appreciate, nay, demand it. I have developed a set lecture I call vaguely, "7 Tips to Improving Your Pronunciation". In it, I focus on the following sounds: the short "i", "th", "v" vs. "w", "r" vs. "l" (a big problem in this province), and the "zh" sound ("usually", "pleasure").
I focus on these because they are the most difficult for my students from my experience. As I said in #1, I really think the students worry too much about it so I don't want to turn my conversation class into a phonetics class. However, there's a company in Hangzhou which has heard a few of my set lectures and they want to publish and distribute them in a set. That's fine with me if they want to do it (and pay me!), although I don't really believe it will work. I think the lectures work because of my style in delivering them and you can't capture style on paper (or the Internet as this Blog proves). But (as my students say), "I'll have a try". So I'm working up the various lectures (another of which is on eliminating stuff like the preceding phrase). 7 Tips works in the classroom because it's short and sweet. I think though, for the book, maybe I should expand it to include other common pronunciation problems students have. In your experience, what other problems have you encountered in addition to the 7 listed above. Leave your Comment below or e-mail me. Credit will be given in the book of course, though I can't promise you any royalties. (It's difficult to split zero kuai 3 ways.)
2002/11/08
:: WEST LAKE: A DREAM ::
There's an English news site for the Hangzhou area which I check everyday. It's usually filled with the kind of mundane stuff that passes for Chinese news.
Yesterday though, there was a very different style of article titled West Lake: A Dream.
The article wanders around a lot, but if you have live here or have been here, I think it's a fascinating melange of West Lake folklore and myth.
I've lived all around China and can tell you, truly, that every Chinese child grows up learning and hearing about West Lake and its myths and folklore. My Northeast China students semed to know every story about West Lake and prepared me well for when I moved here.
Poets and artists through the ages have depicted her. A trip to West Lake once in their life is the dream of most Chinese people. Whether the Lake matches their dream or not, is for them to say. I cannot read their dreams. But there is something magic about West Lake, especially if you know a little of it's history. The article gives a brief glimpse of that.
Here's a bit from the article which really rings true:
I came to know West Lake first through a cheap folding fan one of my elders had brought into the village from a trip to Hangzhou. The fan had a tourist map of the lake on it. The title that ran across the top of the map read, "Paradise Under Heaven." Since country children at that time had little access to pictures, I studied it every day and finally I learned everything on it by heart. Later, when I grew up and visited the lake, I found myself in a place I already knew. Each step I took as if in a trite dreamland.
And another bit:
A Japanese envoy wrote a poem after his visit to the lake during the Ming Dynasty :
I saw the lake in painting years ago
And doubted that such a lake could exist.
Today on the lake itself I have come to know
In an artist's hand its charm is largely missed.
I feel very lucky to live in this place. While it has lived in the mind of many Chinese for years and down through the ages, I, a foreigner, can simply hop on my bike and be there in ten minutes...which I do a couple of times a week, at least.
And although it throbs with tourists on any given day, the beauty of the lake is just that...it is a lake. A placid, solitary lake ringed by small mountains on three sides. Sure the tourists pulse along the walkways strolling the lake. But if you stand at the water's edge, back to the throng, and just look across the water towards the western hills, it is a most peaceful sight.
When this "pearl" fell from the heavens (as Chinese folklore claims) it landed perfectly because, it seems that anytime I am there and from any part of the lake, the sun, literally, sparkles across the waters.
It is all that.
(N.B. If you read the whole article , the word "dike" used in the article is more properly translated as "causeway". The Su Dike and the Bai Dike prominently mentioned in the article are actually wide, verdant causeways lush with flowers, trees, and pavilions, connecting various parts of the lake. Substitute "causeway" for "dike" and you'll get a better idea.
There's an English news site for the Hangzhou area which I check everyday. It's usually filled with the kind of mundane stuff that passes for Chinese news.
Yesterday though, there was a very different style of article titled West Lake: A Dream.
The article wanders around a lot, but if you have live here or have been here, I think it's a fascinating melange of West Lake folklore and myth.
I've lived all around China and can tell you, truly, that every Chinese child grows up learning and hearing about West Lake and its myths and folklore. My Northeast China students semed to know every story about West Lake and prepared me well for when I moved here.
Poets and artists through the ages have depicted her. A trip to West Lake once in their life is the dream of most Chinese people. Whether the Lake matches their dream or not, is for them to say. I cannot read their dreams. But there is something magic about West Lake, especially if you know a little of it's history. The article gives a brief glimpse of that.
Here's a bit from the article which really rings true:
I came to know West Lake first through a cheap folding fan one of my elders had brought into the village from a trip to Hangzhou. The fan had a tourist map of the lake on it. The title that ran across the top of the map read, "Paradise Under Heaven." Since country children at that time had little access to pictures, I studied it every day and finally I learned everything on it by heart. Later, when I grew up and visited the lake, I found myself in a place I already knew. Each step I took as if in a trite dreamland.
And another bit:
A Japanese envoy wrote a poem after his visit to the lake during the Ming Dynasty :
I saw the lake in painting years ago
And doubted that such a lake could exist.
Today on the lake itself I have come to know
In an artist's hand its charm is largely missed.
I feel very lucky to live in this place. While it has lived in the mind of many Chinese for years and down through the ages, I, a foreigner, can simply hop on my bike and be there in ten minutes...which I do a couple of times a week, at least.
And although it throbs with tourists on any given day, the beauty of the lake is just that...it is a lake. A placid, solitary lake ringed by small mountains on three sides. Sure the tourists pulse along the walkways strolling the lake. But if you stand at the water's edge, back to the throng, and just look across the water towards the western hills, it is a most peaceful sight.
When this "pearl" fell from the heavens (as Chinese folklore claims) it landed perfectly because, it seems that anytime I am there and from any part of the lake, the sun, literally, sparkles across the waters.
It is all that.
(N.B. If you read the whole article , the word "dike" used in the article is more properly translated as "causeway". The Su Dike and the Bai Dike prominently mentioned in the article are actually wide, verdant causeways lush with flowers, trees, and pavilions, connecting various parts of the lake. Substitute "causeway" for "dike" and you'll get a better idea.
2002/11/05
:: CHINESE ENGLISH NAMES - PART II ::
Last week we talked about the English names that Chinese students choose here and I promised to get back to you on it.
For some reason, I am in a list-making mood tonight (read the following two posts) so here's a brief culling from my student database:
(Sorry about the CAPS, that's the formatting from my DB.)
Females:
ZERO
MUSIC
CARTOON
KOALA
EYRE (She liked Jane Eyre)
CARPENTER (She liked Karen Carpenter)
SWALLOW (It's a bird, I know, but I suggested she change her name)
FANNY (Ditto on suggesting she change her name)
CIPHER
PIKKI
CARROT
APPLE
ORANGE (These last two were classmates and seatmates. I called them the fruit cocktail.)
Males:
BERLIN
ZICO
GAUCHO
ADULT
LOOK
FLEX (He was into body-building)
HOLYFIELD (Named himself after the boxer. I never had a student named Tyson but most of my students liked that idiot.)
OWEN (Named himself after the soccer...oops, football player)
BECKHAM (Ditto)
JORDAN (#23)
JACKEL
CASH
BANANA
CAESAR
ABRAHAM LINCOLN (He admired the guy. I suggested he shorten it to Lincoln. I thought his meaning would be clearer than calling himself Abraham).
JEFFERSON (He admired Thomas Jefferson as do most students in China.)
And my all time favorite name..............
Yeah, he named himself after the cartoon character. I loved walking into class and calling role and shouting D U C K U L A!
BTW, Duckula is now an English teacher himself at my old school, Jinzhou Normal University. I wonder if he's changed his name (I doubt it) or if he tells his students now what his English name is (I doubt that, too).
Anyway, every foreign teacher in China has their own stories to tell about great English names their students have adopted. Feel free to add more through the Comments section below.
Last week we talked about the English names that Chinese students choose here and I promised to get back to you on it.
For some reason, I am in a list-making mood tonight (read the following two posts) so here's a brief culling from my student database:
(Sorry about the CAPS, that's the formatting from my DB.)
Females:
ZERO
MUSIC
CARTOON
KOALA
EYRE (She liked Jane Eyre)
CARPENTER (She liked Karen Carpenter)
SWALLOW (It's a bird, I know, but I suggested she change her name)
FANNY (Ditto on suggesting she change her name)
CIPHER
PIKKI
CARROT
APPLE
ORANGE (These last two were classmates and seatmates. I called them the fruit cocktail.)
Males:
BERLIN
ZICO
GAUCHO
ADULT
LOOK
FLEX (He was into body-building)
HOLYFIELD (Named himself after the boxer. I never had a student named Tyson but most of my students liked that idiot.)
OWEN (Named himself after the soccer...oops, football player)
BECKHAM (Ditto)
JORDAN (#23)
JACKEL
CASH
BANANA
CAESAR
ABRAHAM LINCOLN (He admired the guy. I suggested he shorten it to Lincoln. I thought his meaning would be clearer than calling himself Abraham).
JEFFERSON (He admired Thomas Jefferson as do most students in China.)
And my all time favorite name..............
Yeah, he named himself after the cartoon character. I loved walking into class and calling role and shouting D U C K U L A!
BTW, Duckula is now an English teacher himself at my old school, Jinzhou Normal University. I wonder if he's changed his name (I doubt it) or if he tells his students now what his English name is (I doubt that, too).
Anyway, every foreign teacher in China has their own stories to tell about great English names their students have adopted. Feel free to add more through the Comments section below.
:: SHOPPING LIST ::
In New York, there's Fifth Avenue; in L.A.- Rodeo Drive. In Chicago, there's Michigan Avenue's Magnificent Mile; in Cleveland, there's...well, never mind.
Here in China, the hoity toits shake it at Wangfujing in Beijing, Guan Qian Jie in Suzhou and Nanjing Lu in Shanghai.
And Hangzhou is no different. Here in Hangzhou, the upscale shopping area is Yan'nan Lu and it can compete with any of the above (save Cleveland, which it beats hands-down).
Tonight I was there trying out a recent addition to the Pizza scene in Hangzhou - La Pizzarie in the Everbright Bank Building. I'll review it another time but it's easily the best Italian food I have had in 4.5 years in China. Afterwards, I decided to stock up my dwindling western food supply at home, so I headed over to the best-stocked grocery store in Hangzhou if you are looking for real foreign food - the grocery store in the basement of the Hangzhou Da Sha (Hangzhou Mansion). It isn't all that great a selection, but it has the only constant supply of real block cheese (as opposed to processed slices). That's my main criteria in judging western food stores in China and, believe me, very few outside of Beijing, Suzhou and Hangzhou meet that litmus test.
So, my pockets bulging with cash (today was payday and I hadn't had time to hit the bank before they closed), I wandered the aisles and filled a small hand basket with western delicacies (or at least, they are delicasies in China). I decided to make a list for the Blog as I unpacked the bags when I got home. If you are reading this from the comfort of your western home, you can just yawn and move on to the next item. If you are a foreigner stranded in most cities in China and have been here for at least the one month it takes before you start jonesing for some western stuff, this list should make your mouth water, if not your wallet cry. So here it is, my shopping list from tonight's short trek to the Hangzhou Da Sha:
Gouda Cheese (from New Zealand)
Edam Cheese (from New Zealand)
Raguletto Tomato and Romano Cheese Pasta Sauce (great for making French Bread Pizzas with the above)
Kewpie Meat Suace (a Japanese canned tomato sauce with ground beef - heat it up and pour it over noodles and it tastes just like Cincinatti 3 way chili)
Chargrilled Vegetable Relish (from Australia-good on sandwiches)
Chicken of the Sea (not just your standard tuna, these are small cans of tuna pre-mixed Paad Thai style - spicy and great for making quick tuna sandwiches)-4 cans
Uncle Toby's Choco-Chip Meusili Bars (from Australia)
Hellema Country Mocca Chocolate Cookies (from Holland - the tastiest store-bought cookies I have ever had...anywhere....anytime)
Apple & Yogurt Curry Sauce w/ beef (from Japan-this stuff is great heated in the microwave and dumped over a bowl of rice)
Cadbury Black Forest Chocolate bars - the best candy bars found in China. 2 bars
Biftek-Teller - (a German product-a small beefsteak with onions, carrots and gravy in an aluminum container. just take it out, zap it in the microwave and you have a German TV dinner)
Whole Peppercorns WITH a disposable grinder
Yunfeng Baijiu (Chinese firewater - bought as a gift for some north China freinds who love the stuff. I chose this brand because the only English on the box said "Tipsy Spirit". I'm sure my north Chinese friends will agree)
Jack Daniels & Coke - (premixed in a 340 ml bottle. This one was for me)
Bacardi and Coke - (premixed - this is for my second round while the Chinese guys are still working on the Baijiu)
Pretz - (other than the baijiu, the only other Chinese product I bought. These are great little snacks-pretzel sticks but with various flavors. I prefer the Pizza flavor in the sky-blue box. Actually, this style of pretzel stick is big in Japan and the Chinese have simply copied it - and sell it at half the price. surprise, surprise).
The total bill for these western "luxury items" came to about 340 RMB - expensive by any standard but especially so in China. In fact I had five people standing around me at the checkout counter as the woman rang me up, checking to see what all this strange stuff was and then choking when they saw the total. But you know, sometimes you get a craving for western stuff here and when you see it, you just go crazy. In my own defense, I bypassed the huge dispaly of western breakfast cereals (about 15 different kinds including Post Toasties and Kellog's Corn Flakes) as well as the 10 different kinds of Whole-bean coffee. I mean, I didn't want to be conspicuous, you know?
In New York, there's Fifth Avenue; in L.A.- Rodeo Drive. In Chicago, there's Michigan Avenue's Magnificent Mile; in Cleveland, there's...well, never mind.
Here in China, the hoity toits shake it at Wangfujing in Beijing, Guan Qian Jie in Suzhou and Nanjing Lu in Shanghai.
And Hangzhou is no different. Here in Hangzhou, the upscale shopping area is Yan'nan Lu and it can compete with any of the above (save Cleveland, which it beats hands-down).
Tonight I was there trying out a recent addition to the Pizza scene in Hangzhou - La Pizzarie in the Everbright Bank Building. I'll review it another time but it's easily the best Italian food I have had in 4.5 years in China. Afterwards, I decided to stock up my dwindling western food supply at home, so I headed over to the best-stocked grocery store in Hangzhou if you are looking for real foreign food - the grocery store in the basement of the Hangzhou Da Sha (Hangzhou Mansion). It isn't all that great a selection, but it has the only constant supply of real block cheese (as opposed to processed slices). That's my main criteria in judging western food stores in China and, believe me, very few outside of Beijing, Suzhou and Hangzhou meet that litmus test.
So, my pockets bulging with cash (today was payday and I hadn't had time to hit the bank before they closed), I wandered the aisles and filled a small hand basket with western delicacies (or at least, they are delicasies in China). I decided to make a list for the Blog as I unpacked the bags when I got home. If you are reading this from the comfort of your western home, you can just yawn and move on to the next item. If you are a foreigner stranded in most cities in China and have been here for at least the one month it takes before you start jonesing for some western stuff, this list should make your mouth water, if not your wallet cry. So here it is, my shopping list from tonight's short trek to the Hangzhou Da Sha:
Gouda Cheese (from New Zealand)
Edam Cheese (from New Zealand)
Raguletto Tomato and Romano Cheese Pasta Sauce (great for making French Bread Pizzas with the above)
Kewpie Meat Suace (a Japanese canned tomato sauce with ground beef - heat it up and pour it over noodles and it tastes just like Cincinatti 3 way chili)
Chargrilled Vegetable Relish (from Australia-good on sandwiches)
Chicken of the Sea (not just your standard tuna, these are small cans of tuna pre-mixed Paad Thai style - spicy and great for making quick tuna sandwiches)-4 cans
Uncle Toby's Choco-Chip Meusili Bars (from Australia)
Hellema Country Mocca Chocolate Cookies (from Holland - the tastiest store-bought cookies I have ever had...anywhere....anytime)
Apple & Yogurt Curry Sauce w/ beef (from Japan-this stuff is great heated in the microwave and dumped over a bowl of rice)
Cadbury Black Forest Chocolate bars - the best candy bars found in China. 2 bars
Biftek-Teller - (a German product-a small beefsteak with onions, carrots and gravy in an aluminum container. just take it out, zap it in the microwave and you have a German TV dinner)
Whole Peppercorns WITH a disposable grinder
Yunfeng Baijiu (Chinese firewater - bought as a gift for some north China freinds who love the stuff. I chose this brand because the only English on the box said "Tipsy Spirit". I'm sure my north Chinese friends will agree)
Jack Daniels & Coke - (premixed in a 340 ml bottle. This one was for me)
Bacardi and Coke - (premixed - this is for my second round while the Chinese guys are still working on the Baijiu)
Pretz - (other than the baijiu, the only other Chinese product I bought. These are great little snacks-pretzel sticks but with various flavors. I prefer the Pizza flavor in the sky-blue box. Actually, this style of pretzel stick is big in Japan and the Chinese have simply copied it - and sell it at half the price. surprise, surprise).
The total bill for these western "luxury items" came to about 340 RMB - expensive by any standard but especially so in China. In fact I had five people standing around me at the checkout counter as the woman rang me up, checking to see what all this strange stuff was and then choking when they saw the total. But you know, sometimes you get a craving for western stuff here and when you see it, you just go crazy. In my own defense, I bypassed the huge dispaly of western breakfast cereals (about 15 different kinds including Post Toasties and Kellog's Corn Flakes) as well as the 10 different kinds of Whole-bean coffee. I mean, I didn't want to be conspicuous, you know?
:: SEARCH TERMS ::
As you know, I have a main website which I have been maintaining since 1998: Chuck@China
It gots hundreds of hits a day these days -- but many of them come just from people surfing the WWW. My hit counter records where everyone comes from and how they got there. Many are driven to my pages by Google and other search engines. Here's a sampling of some of the stranger search requests from the past week. I'm sure they didn't find what they were looking for at my website, but you can try it yourself. Type these words into Google and see if you don't find yourself at one of the hundreds of pages at Chuck@China:
naked golfers
female mud wrestling
kenny rogers roasters china
moustache > china
pictures christmas elves
english toastees
pictures of french's mustard
english school spanking thumbs
dynasty mud wrestling
images:shit
Indoor Skeet Shooting
"halloween 2001" "good witch"
cheap+regulation+size+basketballs
china weird photo
"taxi driver" +middle+finger
Re: that last one, by strange coincidence, I actually did that today -- to a taxi driver when he almost hit me as he was hanging a u-turn right into the path of my bike. Of course, he and his passengers were clueless. The only thing they use their middle finger for here is picking their nose. (N.B. That's no joke, either! read comment #11 here at the Lonely Planet Thorntree.)
As you know, I have a main website which I have been maintaining since 1998: Chuck@China
It gots hundreds of hits a day these days -- but many of them come just from people surfing the WWW. My hit counter records where everyone comes from and how they got there. Many are driven to my pages by Google and other search engines. Here's a sampling of some of the stranger search requests from the past week. I'm sure they didn't find what they were looking for at my website, but you can try it yourself. Type these words into Google and see if you don't find yourself at one of the hundreds of pages at Chuck@China:
naked golfers
female mud wrestling
kenny rogers roasters china
moustache > china
pictures christmas elves
english toastees
pictures of french's mustard
english school spanking thumbs
dynasty mud wrestling
images:shit
Indoor Skeet Shooting
"halloween 2001" "good witch"
cheap+regulation+size+basketballs
china weird photo
"taxi driver" +middle+finger
Re: that last one, by strange coincidence, I actually did that today -- to a taxi driver when he almost hit me as he was hanging a u-turn right into the path of my bike. Of course, he and his passengers were clueless. The only thing they use their middle finger for here is picking their nose. (N.B. That's no joke, either! read comment #11 here at the Lonely Planet Thorntree.)
:: WEST LAKE WEEKEND ::
The weather here in Hangzhou went from crap (4 days of wall-to-wall rain) to magnificent (sunny and crisp) over the weekend. So I spent Saturday AND Sunday down at the lake...thus, no blogs.
Most of the time was spent on the new "South Line" of the lake. The city spent all summer rebuilding Nan Shan (South Mountain) Road and connecting up all the parks on that end of the lake and, I have to tell you, they did a great job. It's a whole new area now and a great walk.
Other foreigners were out and about, too and although I didn't run into these guys, here's a link to Wilson Tai's website with his pictures from last weekend at Westlake. (N.B. If you're in China, that link won't work.)
Also, Nan Shan Road looks really spiff. They retained some of the grand old houses that used to be hidden behind walls. They are now opened up and have been taken over by art galleries, coffee houses, etc. Their are a dozen new coffee houses, at least (and not a Starbuck's among them...yet) and most have front patios. Very European feeling.
I'll catch up on my Blogging tomorrow.
The weather here in Hangzhou went from crap (4 days of wall-to-wall rain) to magnificent (sunny and crisp) over the weekend. So I spent Saturday AND Sunday down at the lake...thus, no blogs.
Most of the time was spent on the new "South Line" of the lake. The city spent all summer rebuilding Nan Shan (South Mountain) Road and connecting up all the parks on that end of the lake and, I have to tell you, they did a great job. It's a whole new area now and a great walk.
Other foreigners were out and about, too and although I didn't run into these guys, here's a link to Wilson Tai's website with his pictures from last weekend at Westlake. (N.B. If you're in China, that link won't work.)
Also, Nan Shan Road looks really spiff. They retained some of the grand old houses that used to be hidden behind walls. They are now opened up and have been taken over by art galleries, coffee houses, etc. Their are a dozen new coffee houses, at least (and not a Starbuck's among them...yet) and most have front patios. Very European feeling.
I'll catch up on my Blogging tomorrow.
2002/10/30
:: TECH NOTE ::
Although this Blog has been UNDERwhelmed by comments so far; neverthless, I have changed the Comments section to a different service. Enetation, the original service I used is always down and often results in making this Blog load slowly. The new system I'm trying, HaloScan, seems to work much quicker and infinitely more reliably. We'll see.
I moved the few previous comments (mostly about Angela and the Flower) by hand to this new system. As for the rest of you, get your thumbs out of your #$@ and leave some comments, OK?
Although this Blog has been UNDERwhelmed by comments so far; neverthless, I have changed the Comments section to a different service. Enetation, the original service I used is always down and often results in making this Blog load slowly. The new system I'm trying, HaloScan, seems to work much quicker and infinitely more reliably. We'll see.
I moved the few previous comments (mostly about Angela and the Flower) by hand to this new system. As for the rest of you, get your thumbs out of your #$@ and leave some comments, OK?
2002/10/29
:: CHINESE ENGLISH NAMES - I ::
Here's a funny AP article passed along by Matt Malowany, a Canadian journalist who used to work for the Shenzhen journal: As globalization sweeps through China, a crucial commodity emerges: the
English name
If you have never worked or taught in China, you have no idea how true this is. I have class in 45 minutes, but I'll try and follow up on the article later with some examples of the "great" English names my own students have come up with over the years.
Stay tuned.
Here's a funny AP article passed along by Matt Malowany, a Canadian journalist who used to work for the Shenzhen journal: As globalization sweeps through China, a crucial commodity emerges: the
English name
If you have never worked or taught in China, you have no idea how true this is. I have class in 45 minutes, but I'll try and follow up on the article later with some examples of the "great" English names my own students have come up with over the years.
Stay tuned.
2002/10/28
:: SITES ON THE NET ::
Just FYI, in addition to my main Chuck@China Website, I have a couple of other places on the web, too. They're nothing fancy and, really, I set them up originally just as a place to dump some of my photos for a few of my friends and students. But if you are looking for some more pictures in addition to the one's at Chuck@China then go take a look. They're here:
Yahoo Group
MSN Group
Just FYI, in addition to my main Chuck@China Website, I have a couple of other places on the web, too. They're nothing fancy and, really, I set them up originally just as a place to dump some of my photos for a few of my friends and students. But if you are looking for some more pictures in addition to the one's at Chuck@China then go take a look. They're here:
Yahoo Group
MSN Group
:: OF CLAMBAKES AND HAIRY CRABS ::
Back home in Cleveland, it's my favorite time of the year - the World Series, Notre Dame football and, of course, clambakes.
Well the first two are missing here in China but there's a great substitute for the third -
Here in the Suzhou-Shanghai-Hangzhou area, it's Hairy Crab time. And the best hairy crabs come from Yangcheng Lake near Suzhou. Having lived in Suzhou and now Hangzhou, I have grown to love hairy crabs. You will, too, if you ever get the chance.
Here's a story from CHina Daily about hairy crabs: As more and more Shanghainese become inflamed with a passion for hairy crabs, reporter Pan Haixia suggests that it may just be a fashionable affair...
Back home in Cleveland, it's my favorite time of the year - the World Series, Notre Dame football and, of course, clambakes.
Well the first two are missing here in China but there's a great substitute for the third -
Here in the Suzhou-Shanghai-Hangzhou area, it's Hairy Crab time. And the best hairy crabs come from Yangcheng Lake near Suzhou. Having lived in Suzhou and now Hangzhou, I have grown to love hairy crabs. You will, too, if you ever get the chance.
Here's a story from CHina Daily about hairy crabs: As more and more Shanghainese become inflamed with a passion for hairy crabs, reporter Pan Haixia suggests that it may just be a fashionable affair...
2002/10/27
:: MIAO MIAO ::
The biggest thrill that a college teacher gets is seeing his/her students through their college years and off into the real world.
I've been teaching college for 11 years, 4 of them in China. My students (both US and China) have always kept in touch. It warms a teacher's heart.
One of my first students, when I first came to Jinzhou, China in 1998, was Miao Miao (no jokes, please). She eventually graduated from Jinzhou Teachers College and she is now in the process of completing her Master's Degree in English Linguistics in Dalian. She is preparing her thesis on the subject of "Linguistic Pragmatic Failures". If you don't know what that means, don't worry.
She asked me for help in compiling some examples for her thesis and sent me a short survey consisting of 30 simple situations and asking how someone handles it in English. For example, "John asks to borrow his friend's bicycle". You are John. How do you ask?
So, I thought I would post her survey here. Click here to see the survey. Take a few minutes to answer it and then send it to me by email (make sure to attach the file) and I'll pass it along to her.
Remember, you're contributing to the education of one of China's best and brightest. Do it now!
(n.b. Please indicate your native country as, I believe, cultural norms may influence your reactions to each of the situations.)
The biggest thrill that a college teacher gets is seeing his/her students through their college years and off into the real world.
I've been teaching college for 11 years, 4 of them in China. My students (both US and China) have always kept in touch. It warms a teacher's heart.
One of my first students, when I first came to Jinzhou, China in 1998, was Miao Miao (no jokes, please). She eventually graduated from Jinzhou Teachers College and she is now in the process of completing her Master's Degree in English Linguistics in Dalian. She is preparing her thesis on the subject of "Linguistic Pragmatic Failures". If you don't know what that means, don't worry.
She asked me for help in compiling some examples for her thesis and sent me a short survey consisting of 30 simple situations and asking how someone handles it in English. For example, "John asks to borrow his friend's bicycle". You are John. How do you ask?
So, I thought I would post her survey here. Click here to see the survey. Take a few minutes to answer it and then send it to me by email (make sure to attach the file) and I'll pass it along to her.
Remember, you're contributing to the education of one of China's best and brightest. Do it now!
(n.b. Please indicate your native country as, I believe, cultural norms may influence your reactions to each of the situations.)
2002/10/26
2002/10/23
:: WHAT'S A "TORF"? ::
If you're wondering what it's like to teach in China on a daily basis, here's a taste of some of what we go through :
eScribe: TEFLChinaLife: Message: Re: (life) And I'd thought I'd heard it all
The guy who wrote it, George, was my teaching colleague and next door neighbor in Jinzhou in 2000. The story is a little long but well worth the read. In his spare time, George is the resident humorist at the TEFLChina mailing list, from which this post was gleaned. I have no doubt it is true, though, and none of it surprises me in the least.
TorF - leave your comments below!
If you're wondering what it's like to teach in China on a daily basis, here's a taste of some of what we go through :
eScribe: TEFLChinaLife: Message: Re: (life) And I'd thought I'd heard it all
The guy who wrote it, George, was my teaching colleague and next door neighbor in Jinzhou in 2000. The story is a little long but well worth the read. In his spare time, George is the resident humorist at the TEFLChina mailing list, from which this post was gleaned. I have no doubt it is true, though, and none of it surprises me in the least.
TorF - leave your comments below!
:: THOSE CRAZY FOREIGNERS! ::
Here's something you don't see everyday in Beijing: Yahoo! News - World Photos - AP
Here's something you don't see everyday in Beijing: Yahoo! News - World Photos - AP
2002/10/22
:: DOOLITTLE'S RAIDERS ::
Here's one for all the old-timers and history buffs out there: the Zhejiang provincial government (I live in Hangzhou capital of Zhejiang Province) is currently hosting an exhibition in Washington D.C. and Houston (to coincide with Jiang Zemin's trip to Little Bush's Texas ranch).
The exhibition commemorates the feats of Zhejiang farmers and fishermen in helping to rescue a number of Doolittle's Raiders who crashed in the province during World War II. In case you didn't know (and many Americans don't!) the U.S. and CHina were allies during that war.
I happen to know about this exhibition because a good friend of mine works in the Foreign Affairs office of the provincial government and I called him last week on his cell phone at about 5:00 p.m. Imagine my surprise when he told me I had woken him up in his Washington DC hotel room. Imagine my bigger surprise when I get my next cell phone bill.
Today, I found that they have set up a website commemorating the events. It's here. Take a look. It's a little glimpse into a part of the history of US-China relations.
Also pretty interesting is the video which you can access through the site. It's a video from earlier this year of the search for the remains of the crew members of a downed US plane during that war. Although the audio is in Chinese, the video is interesting and also high quality. Of course, I have broadband access here so I don't know how good it will be on a dial-up.
Anyway, I think it's worth taking a look at.
Here's one for all the old-timers and history buffs out there: the Zhejiang provincial government (I live in Hangzhou capital of Zhejiang Province) is currently hosting an exhibition in Washington D.C. and Houston (to coincide with Jiang Zemin's trip to Little Bush's Texas ranch).
The exhibition commemorates the feats of Zhejiang farmers and fishermen in helping to rescue a number of Doolittle's Raiders who crashed in the province during World War II. In case you didn't know (and many Americans don't!) the U.S. and CHina were allies during that war.
I happen to know about this exhibition because a good friend of mine works in the Foreign Affairs office of the provincial government and I called him last week on his cell phone at about 5:00 p.m. Imagine my surprise when he told me I had woken him up in his Washington DC hotel room. Imagine my bigger surprise when I get my next cell phone bill.
Today, I found that they have set up a website commemorating the events. It's here. Take a look. It's a little glimpse into a part of the history of US-China relations.
Also pretty interesting is the video which you can access through the site. It's a video from earlier this year of the search for the remains of the crew members of a downed US plane during that war. Although the audio is in Chinese, the video is interesting and also high quality. Of course, I have broadband access here so I don't know how good it will be on a dial-up.
Anyway, I think it's worth taking a look at.
:: WEST LAKE EXPO ::
The main attraction here in Hangzhou is West Lake - the most famous lake in China. Every year for the past few years, Hangzhou holds the West Lake Exposition in the fall. Weather-wise, it's the best time of the year here. This year's Expo began last Saturday with a giant concert in the Yellow Dragon Stadium.
The Expo runs from Octber 20th to November 20th and there are lots of events. Check out the West Lake Expo website for more details. The English version is here and the list of scheduled events is here. The West Lake Carnival listed there sounds really interesting:
Foreign artistic performance groups, local and provincial folk art groups, performing teams from 13 districts (countries) of Hangzhou city and the voluntary townspeople will be invited to participate in a street singing and dancing parade. Several stages along the roads are set up, performance and ring contests are arranged to promote the direct exchange between the performing teams and the audience. The date is from 6:30 pm - 9:00 pm on the evening of Oct. 26 . Performance stages will be made in Wushna Plaza, West Lake Avenue and "Orioles Singing in the Willows". Besides the performance of fine programs, there are also additional activities, such as the Torch Revelry, town art performances, mask party, and beer-drinking.
Angela invited me to go there with her on Saturday - but that was before my last post. We'll see if the invitation stands come Saturday.
The main attraction here in Hangzhou is West Lake - the most famous lake in China. Every year for the past few years, Hangzhou holds the West Lake Exposition in the fall. Weather-wise, it's the best time of the year here. This year's Expo began last Saturday with a giant concert in the Yellow Dragon Stadium.
The Expo runs from Octber 20th to November 20th and there are lots of events. Check out the West Lake Expo website for more details. The English version is here and the list of scheduled events is here. The West Lake Carnival listed there sounds really interesting:
Foreign artistic performance groups, local and provincial folk art groups, performing teams from 13 districts (countries) of Hangzhou city and the voluntary townspeople will be invited to participate in a street singing and dancing parade. Several stages along the roads are set up, performance and ring contests are arranged to promote the direct exchange between the performing teams and the audience. The date is from 6:30 pm - 9:00 pm on the evening of Oct. 26 . Performance stages will be made in Wushna Plaza, West Lake Avenue and "Orioles Singing in the Willows". Besides the performance of fine programs, there are also additional activities, such as the Torch Revelry, town art performances, mask party, and beer-drinking.
Angela invited me to go there with her on Saturday - but that was before my last post. We'll see if the invitation stands come Saturday.
2002/10/21
:: ANGELA'S FLOWERS ::
I was having dinner with my good friend Angela tonight and she BEGGED me to take down that picture I have of her on my website. You can find it here: hangzhou friends
It's the one where she's standing there with the flower in her hair and she HATES it. I told her I liked it. She said she looks stupid with a flower in her hair and that modern Chinese girls don't do such things. I told her that THAT idea was stupid...and I still liked the picture.
So I'll leave it up to my readers - click on the comment button below and let me know what you think. Should Angela's picture with the flower in her hair stay or go? Vote now.......
I was having dinner with my good friend Angela tonight and she BEGGED me to take down that picture I have of her on my website. You can find it here: hangzhou friends
It's the one where she's standing there with the flower in her hair and she HATES it. I told her I liked it. She said she looks stupid with a flower in her hair and that modern Chinese girls don't do such things. I told her that THAT idea was stupid...and I still liked the picture.
So I'll leave it up to my readers - click on the comment button below and let me know what you think. Should Angela's picture with the flower in her hair stay or go? Vote now.......
2002/10/20
:: OVER THE TOP? ::
When I was new to China in 1998, one of my first students in China once told me, "You know, we have the best of everything here...but we always overdo it." She was referring to Chinese restaurants (the best) with their excessive lighting and blaring music and noisy diners (the worst). "We never seem to get the mix just right."
Her comment came back to me when I saw this story on Yahoo tonight. I mean, the models are all that but the costumes and theme???? Over the top. "The Moving Forbidden City"??? Who thought that one up? The same guys who dubbed Wang Zhi Zhi, Yao Ming and Meng Whatshisname Basketball's "Great Wall" of China?
Get a load of these costumes...Yahoo! News - Entertainment Photos - Reuters
Pr¨ºt a Porter? I don't think so.
When I was new to China in 1998, one of my first students in China once told me, "You know, we have the best of everything here...but we always overdo it." She was referring to Chinese restaurants (the best) with their excessive lighting and blaring music and noisy diners (the worst). "We never seem to get the mix just right."
Her comment came back to me when I saw this story on Yahoo tonight. I mean, the models are all that but the costumes and theme???? Over the top. "The Moving Forbidden City"??? Who thought that one up? The same guys who dubbed Wang Zhi Zhi, Yao Ming and Meng Whatshisname Basketball's "Great Wall" of China?
Get a load of these costumes...Yahoo! News - Entertainment Photos - Reuters
Pr¨ºt a Porter? I don't think so.
:: INTRO ::
My original website, Chuck @ China began in March of 1998 shortly after I came to China. It pre-dates the heyday of weblogs. Through the years, I have purposely avoided turning that website into an online diary or a personal journal and so I disdained turning it into a weblog. I have fought the temptation successfully since 1999 when weblogs first appeared on my radar screen.
Weblogs do serve another more important purpose; however, and that is to filter vast quantities of information about a particular subject through a weblog so that people with similar interests can read, consider and comment about the subject. I have lived in China now for 4.5 years and have an abiding interest in all things having to do with living and working in China as the millenium turns. Others do too judging by the number of page hits my website gets each day.
I have toyed with the idea for more than a year and finally have come down on the side of setting up a weblog. There are a few reasons for this and you can read more about my reasons here.
SO, I have decided to implement a Chuck @ China Weblog in addition to my regular site. I'm calling this Blog ch-ch-ch-ch china (with apologies to David Bowie's "ch-ch-ch-ch- changes") because I hope it will be a vehicle whereby the incredible changes in China can be reflected in a more timely manner.
But please don't forget my main site. It's still my baby and a good vehicle for my photography, pictures of friends and students, and, of course, my longer pieces.
As my students would say, "Welcome You to ch-ch-ch-ch-china - the Chuck @ China Weblog".
--Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province
China
My original website, Chuck @ China began in March of 1998 shortly after I came to China. It pre-dates the heyday of weblogs. Through the years, I have purposely avoided turning that website into an online diary or a personal journal and so I disdained turning it into a weblog. I have fought the temptation successfully since 1999 when weblogs first appeared on my radar screen.
Weblogs do serve another more important purpose; however, and that is to filter vast quantities of information about a particular subject through a weblog so that people with similar interests can read, consider and comment about the subject. I have lived in China now for 4.5 years and have an abiding interest in all things having to do with living and working in China as the millenium turns. Others do too judging by the number of page hits my website gets each day.
I have toyed with the idea for more than a year and finally have come down on the side of setting up a weblog. There are a few reasons for this and you can read more about my reasons here.
SO, I have decided to implement a Chuck @ China Weblog in addition to my regular site. I'm calling this Blog ch-ch-ch-ch china (with apologies to David Bowie's "ch-ch-ch-ch- changes") because I hope it will be a vehicle whereby the incredible changes in China can be reflected in a more timely manner.
But please don't forget my main site. It's still my baby and a good vehicle for my photography, pictures of friends and students, and, of course, my longer pieces.
As my students would say, "Welcome You to ch-ch-ch-ch-china - the Chuck @ China Weblog".
--Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province
China
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