Library>Culture ABC>Folk Way>Ethnic Food

Zhuang

The Zhuang ethnic minority has the largest population among all Chinese minorities. Zhuangs mainly reside in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region andYunnanProvince; most of them live inWenshanZhuang-MiaoAutonomousPrefecture. More than 70% of the land in Wenshan is in subtropical climate, and most
Zhuangs live in waterside areas in the plain, with fertile land, plentiful rain and rich resources. The crops go ripe twice or three times a year. It is suitable for the growing of glutinous rice and other paddy rice.

Zhuangs take paddy rice as the staple food. They are good at making glutinous food, among which five-color glutinous rice, puffed rice candy, andKaofang(big glutinous dumpling) are delicacies in festive occasions. The colorful rice is dyed with the extract of plants with different colors, and then
cooked. The glutinous dumpling has many varieties, and is big in size. It usually weighs about 1kg each, in the shape of a pillow.

When offering sacrifice to gods or ancestors, people will carry big dumplings to parade along the streets.

People in some places in Jingxi of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region often eatFengmo, a kind of big glutinous dumplings, on the New Year’s Day. They add salt, aniseed powder, pepper powder and ginger to glutinous rice, mix them evenly, and wrap them into bamboo tube shape or square shape with
leavesofDongjing(a kind of plant). The glutinous dumplings are often stuffed with meat or green grams. Puffed glutinous rice and glutinous rice cake are sweet food, and are often served on holidays. Zhuangs have the habit of making pickles, including sour cabbage, sour bamboo shoots, salty radish,
and kohlrabi, etc.

Zhuangs abstain from no meat. They love hunting and cooking wild animals and eating insects.

Zhuangs are careful about the dietetic rites on holidays and festivals, with rules for the dishes and ways of cooking. They eat meat-stuffed bean curd rolls on the Spring Festival and taros on the Mid-autumn Day.

Before meals, they will take a little from each dish and let the dog eat first.

In the past, the mountainous regions in western Guangxi lacked in salt and iodine. The Zhuangs living there had a special festival named Sending Thyroid Gland Disease Away Day on lunar January 30, when they caught fish and shrimps, ate glutinous rice, put food in empty eggshells and threw them
into rivers in hope of sending away diseases. Five-color eggs are also food for festivals. Zhuangs dye boiled hen’s eggs, duck’s eggs and goose’s eggs with four colors, and one egg is of the original color. The eggs are usually eaten with five-color rice. Children often string the colored eggs and
play the bumping egg game.

Zhuangs have done much study on the dietetic effects of notoginseng, and make use of the flower, leaf, root and tendril of the plant to cook special dishes. Apart from curing injuries, they more often use the plant as a kind of health food to prevent cardiovascular diseases and keep fit. Japanese
also think notoginseng from Yunnan Province has anti-cancer effect.

Zhuangs know how to brew rice wine, sweet potato wine and cassava wine.

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Library>Culture ABC>Folk Way>Ethnic Costumes

Tibetan

Two Tibetan countrywomen in attires
Formerly, the Tibetan people wore different kinds of clothes according to their occupations. Whatever the style, the outfits were generally bright-colored and included a hat, a robe, and a pair of shoes. The most gorgeous and expensive clothes and ornaments were worn by nobles and officials or by
people participating in religious rituals.

A Tibetan man in attire
Tibetan garments still keep some of the original styles. Most costumes are made of silk, sheep’s skin, wool and cotton. Both men and women wear long-sleeved silk or cloth jackets topped with loose gowns. Men wear trousers and women wear skirts. All men and women wear woolen or leather boots. Both
genders keep long hair and like to wear ornaments. Men usually wear a braid coiled on top of the head. Women, when coming of age, begin to plait their hair into two braids or many tiny ones adorned with ornaments.

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Library>China ABC>Religion>Catholics

Xu Guangqi

The spread of Catholicism inBeijingin the early ages owed much to some officials and intellectuals, especially Xu Guangqi (1562-1633) fromShanghai.

Xu was the first intellectual believer in Catholicism in the late Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) as well as the top official.

In 1595, he got to know several foreign missionaries inGuangzhou. In 1600, when he was on his way toBeijingfor the imperial examination, he met Matteo Ricci for the first time inNanjing, and admired the latter’s knowledge.

In 1603, he acquainted another foreign missionary and got a brief idea of the Catholicism. Soon, he received baptism and converted to the Catholicism, getting the name of Paul.

In 1604, he passed the highest-level examination inBeijingand was offered an official post. Later, he was appointed as the prime minister.

He liked the western science and technology and finished several translation works. He was also the writer ofNongzheng Quanshu(Complete Treatise on Agriculture), one of four greatest agricultural books inChina.

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Library>China ABC>Government>Legal System

Marriage Law of the People’s Republic of China

(Adopted at the Third Session of the Fifth National People’s Congress on September 10,1980, and amended in accordance with the Decision Regarding the Amendment of the Marriage Law of the People’s Republic of China adopted at 21st Session of the Standing Committee of the Ninth National People’s
Congress on April 28,2001)

Chapter I General Provisions

Article 1 This Law is the fundamental code governing marriage and family relations.

Article 2 A marriage system based on the free choice of partners, on monogamy and on equality between man and woman shall be applied.

The lawful rights and interests of women, children and old people shall be protected.

Family planning shall be practiced.

Article 3 Marriage upon arbitrary decision by any third party, mercenary marriage and any other acts of interference in the freedom of marriage shall be prohibited. The exaction of money or gifts in connection with marriage shall be prohibited.

Bigamy shall be prohibited. Cohabitation of a married person with any third party shall be prohibited. Domestic violence shall be prohibited. Maltreatment and desertion of one family member by another shall be prohibited.

Article 4 Husband and wife shall be faithful to and respect each other. Family members shall respect the old and cherish the young, help one another, and maintain equal, harmonious and civilized marriage and family relations.

Chapter II Marriage Contract

Article 5 Marriage must by be based upon the complete willingness of both man and woman. Neither party may use compulsion on the other party and no third party may interfere.

Article 6 No marriage may be contracted before the man has reached 22 years of age and the woman 20 years of age. Late marriage and late childbirth shall be encouraged.

Article 7 No marriage may be contracted under any of the following circumstances:

(1) if the man and the woman are lineal relatives by blood, or collateral relatives by blood up to the third degree of kinship; and

(2) if the man or the woman is suffering from any disease, which is regarded by medical science as rendering a person unfit for marriage.

Article 8 Both the man and the woman desiring to contract a marriage shall register in person with the marriage registration office. If the proposed marriage is found to conform with the provisions of this Law, the couple shall be allowed to register and issued marriage certificates. The
husband-and-wife relationship shall be established as soon as they acquire the marriage certificates. In the absence of the marriage registration, the man and the woman shall go through the procedures subsequently.

Article 9 After a marriage has been registered, the woman may become a member of the man’s family or vice versa, depending on the agreed wishes of the two parties.

Article 10 Marriage shall be invalid under any of the following circumstances:

(1) if one party commits bigamy;

(2) if the man and the woman are relatives by blood up to the third degree of kinship;

(3) if, before marriage, one party is suffering from a disease which is regarded by medical science as rendering a person unfit for marriage and, after marriage, a cure is not effected; and

(4) if the legally marriageable age is not attained.

Article 11 In the case of a marriage made under coercion, the coerced party may make a request to the marriage registration office or the people’s court for the dissolution of the marriage contract. Such a request shall be made within one year as of the marriage registration date. The party
concerned whose personal freedom is curbed illegitimately shall make a request for dissolution of the marriage contract within one year as of the date on which his or her personal freedom is restored.

Article 12 Void or dissolved marriage shall be invalid from its inception. Neither party concerned shall have the rights and duties of husband or wife. The property acquired during their cohabitation shall be subject to disposition by mutual agreement. If they fail to reach an agreement, the
people’s court shall give a ruling on the principle of caring for the no-fault party. The disposition of the property of void marriage caused by bigamy may not be to the detriment of the property rights and interests of the party concerned to the lawful marriage. The provisions of this Law
regarding parents and children shall apply to the children born from the parties concerned.

Chapter III Family Relations

Article 13 Husband and wife shall have equal status in the family.

Article 14 Both husband and wife shall have the right to use his or her own surname and given name.

Article 15 Both husband and wife shall have the freedom to engage in production and other work, to study and to participate in social activities; neither party may restrict or interfere with the other party.

Article 16 Both husband and wife shall have the duty to practice family planning.

Article 17 The following items of property acquired by husband and wife during the period in which they are under contract of marriage shall be jointly possessed:

(1) pay and bonus;

(2) earnings from production and operation;

(3) earnings from intellectual property rights;

(4) property obtained from inheritance of gift except as provided for in Article 18(3) of this Law; and

(5) Any other items of property which shall be jointly possessed.

Husband and wife shall enjoy equal rights in the disposition of their jointly possessed property.

Article 18 Any of the following items shall be husband’s or wife’s separate property:

(1) prenuptial property in his or her separate possession;

(2) expenses such as medical costs and costs of living of the disabled given to one party for his or her bodily infliction;

(3) the property going only to husband or wife, as specified in a will or a gift contract;

(4) one party’s private articles for daily use; and

(5) Any other items of property which shall be in his or her separate possession.

Article 19 So far as the property acquired during the period in which they are under contract of marriage and the prenuptial property are concerned, husband and wife may agree as to whether they should be in the separate possession, joint possession or partly separate possession and partly joint
possession. The agreement shall be made in writing. The provisions of Articles 17 and 18 of this Law shall apply to the absence of such an agreement or to a vague one.

The agreement reached between the husband and wife on the property acquired during the period in which they are under contract of marriage and on the prenuptial property is binding on both parties.

If husband and wife agree, as is known to the third party, to separately possess their property acquired during their marriage life, the debt owed by the husband or the wife to any other person, shall be paid off out of the property separately possessed by him or her.

Article 20 Husband and wife shall have the duty to maintain each other.

If one party fails to perform this duty, the party in need of maintenance shall have the right to demand maintenance payments from the other party.

Article 21 Parents shall have the duty to bring up and educate their children; children shall have the duty to support and assist their parents.

If parents fail to perform their duty, children who are minors or who are incapable of living on their own shall have the right to demand the cost of upbringing from their parents.

If children fail to perform their duty, parents who are unable to work or have difficulties in providing for themselves shall have the right to demand support payments from their children.

Infant drowning, deserting and any other acts causing serious harm to infants and infanticide shall be prohibited.

Article 22 Children may adopt their father’s or their mother’s surname.

Article 23 Parents shall have the right and duty to subject their children who are minors to discipline and to protect them. If children who are minors cause damage to the state, the collective, or individuals, their parents shall have the duty to bear civil liability.

Article 24 Husband and wife shall have the right to inherit each other’s property.

Parents and children shall have right to inherit each other’s property.

Article 25 Children born out of wedlock shall enjoy the same rights as children born in wedlock. No one may harm or discriminate against them.

The natural father or the natural mother who does not rear directly his or her child born out of wedlock shall bear the child’s living and educational expenses until the child can support himself or herself.

Article 26 The state shall protect lawful adoption. The relevant provisions of this law governing the relationship between parents and children shall apply to the rights and duties in the relationship between foster parents and foster children.

The right and duties in the relationship between a foster child and his or her natural parents shall terminate with the establishment of this adoption.

Article 27 Maltreatment or discrimination shall not be permitted between stepparents and stepchildren.

The relevant provisions in this Law governing the relationship between parents and children shall apply to the rights and duties in the relationship between stepfathers or stepmothers and their stepchildren who receive care and education from them.

Article 28 Grandparents or maternal grandparents who can afford it shall have the duty to bring up their grandchildren or maternal grandchildren who are minors and whose parents are dead or have no capacity of bringing them up. Grandchildren or maternal grandchildren who can afford it shall have
the duty to support their grandparents or maternal grandparents whose children are dead or cannot afford it.

Article 29 Elder brothers or elder sisters who can afford it shall have the duty to bring up their younger brothers or sisters who are minors if their parents are dead or have no means to bring them up. Younger brothers or sisters who have been brought up by their elder brothers or elder sisters
and have the means of maintenance shall have the duty to support them who are lacking in the capacity to work and in the source of income.

Article 30 Children shall have respect for their parents’ matrimonial rights and shall not interfere in their parents’ remarriage and postnuptial life. Children’s duty to maintain their parents shall not terminate with the change in their parents’ matrimonial relationship.

Chapter IV Divorce

Article 31 Divorce shall be granted if husband and wife both desire it. Both parties shall apply to the marriage registration office for divorce. The marriage registration office, after clearly establishing that divorce is desired by both parties and that appropriate arrangements have been made
for the care of any children and the disposition of property, shall issue the divorce certificates.

Article 32 When one party alone desires a divorce, the organizations concerned may carry out mediation, or the party may appeal directly to a people’s court to start divorce proceedings.

In dealing with a divorce case, the people’s court should carry out mediation between the parties. Divorce shall be granted if mediation fails because mutual affection no long exists.

Divorce shall be granted if mediation fails under any of the following circumstances:

(1) bigamy or, cohabitation of a married person with any third party;

(2) domestic violence or, maltreatment and desertion of one family member by another;

(3) bad habits of gamble or drug addiction which remain incorrigible despite repeated admonition;

(4) separation caused by incompatibility, which lasts two full years; and

(5) any other circumstances causing alienation of mutual affection.

Divorce shall be granted if one party is declared to be missing and the other party thereby files an action for divorce.

Article 33 If the spouse of a soldier in active military service desires a divorce, the soldier’s consent must be obtained, except that the soldier commits a serious fault.

Article 34 A husband may not apply for a divorce when his wife is pregnant or within one year after the birth of a child or within six months after pregnancy suspension. This restriction shall not apply in cases where the wife applies for a divorce, or when the people’s court deems it necessary to
accept the divorce application made by the husband.

Article 35 If, after divorce, both parties desire to resume their husband-and-wife relationship, they shall register for the remarrying of each other with the marriage registration office.

Article 36 The relationship between parents and children shall not come to and end with the parents’ divorce. After divorce, whether the children are put in the custody of the father or the mother, they shall remain the children of both parents.

After divorce, both parents shall still have the right and duty to bring up and educate their children.

In principle the mother shall have the custody of a breast-fed infant after divorce. If a dispute arises between the two parties over the custody of their child who has been weaned and they fail to reach an agreement, the people’s court shall make a judgment in accordance with the rights and
interests of the child and the actual conditions of both parents.

Article 37 If, after divorce, one party has been given custody of a child, the other parent shall bear part or the whole of the child’s necessary living and educational expenses. The two parties shall seek agreement regarding the amount and duration of such payment. If they fail to reach an
agreement, the people’s court shall make a judgment.

The agreement or the court judgment on a child’s living and educational expenses shall not prevent the child from making a reasonable request, when necessary, to either parent for an amount exceeding what was decided upon in the said agreement or judgment.

Article 38 After divorce, the father or the mother who does not rear their children directly shall have the right to visit them, while the other party shall have the duty to give assistance.

The parents shall reach an agreement about how and when to exercise the right of visit. If they fail to reach an agreement, the people’s court shall make a judgment.

If the father or the mother visits their children to the detriment of their mental and physical health, a people’s court shall suspend the right of visit according to law; and such a right shall be restored after the main content of the suspension disappears.

Article 39 At the time of divorce, the disposition of the property in the joint possession of husband and wife is subject to agreement between the two parties. In cases where an agreement cannot be reached, the people’s court shall make a judgment in consideration of the actual circumstance of the
property and on the principle of caring for the rights and interests of the wife and the child or children.

The rights and interests enjoyed by husband or wife in the operation of land under a contract based on the household shall be protected according to law.

Article 40 According to a couple’s written agreement, the items of property acquired during their marriage are in the separate possession. In this connection, if one party performs more duties in rearing their children, looking after their elders and assisting the other party in work, he or she
shall have the right at the time of divorce to request compensation from the other party who shall make the compensation.

Article 41 At the time of divorce, debts incurred by the husband and wife during their marriage shall be paid off out of their jointly possessed property. If such property is insufficient to pay off the debts or, the items of the property are in the separate possession, the two parties shall work
out an agreement with regard to the payment. If they fail to reach an agreement, the people’s court shall make a judgment.

Article 42 If, at the time of divorce, one party has difficulties supporting himself or herself, the other party shall render appropriate help from her or his personal property such as a dwelling house. Specific arrangements shall be made between both parties through consultation. If they fail to
reach an agreement, the people’s court shall make a judgment.

Chapter V Succor Measures and Legal Liability

Article 43 In regard to the domestic violence to or maltreatment of family member(s), the victim shall have the right to make a request, and the neighborhood or villager committee as well as the units in which the parties concerned work shall dissuade the wrongdoer, and offer mediation.

In regard to the domestic violence being committed, the victim shall have the right to make a request, the neighborhood or villager committee shall dissuade the wrongdoer, and the public security organ shall stop the violence.

If, in regard to the domestic violence to or maltreatment of family member(s), the victim makes a request, the public security organ shall subject the wrongdoer to administrative penalty in accordance with the relevant provisions of administrative sanctions for public order.

Article 44 In regard to the desertion of one family member by another, the victim shall have the right to make a request, and the neighborhood or villager committee as well as the units in which the parties concerned work shall dissuade the wrongdoer and offer mediation.

If, in regard to the desertion of one family member by another, the victim makes a request, the people’s court shall pass a judgment on the effecting of maintenance, upbringing and support payments according to law.

Article 45 If bigamy, domestic violence to or maltreatment and desertion of family member(s) constitute a crime, the criminal responsibility of the wrongdoer shall be investigated according to law. The victim may institute a voluntary prosecution in a people’s court in accordance with the relevant
provisions of the criminal procedure law. The public security organ shall investigate the case according to law and the people’s procuratorate shall initiate a public prosecution according to law.

Article 46 A no-fault party shall have the right to make a request for damage compensation under any of the following circumstances bringing about divorce:

(1) bigamy;

(2) cohabitation of a married person with any third party;

(3) domestic violence; and

(4) maltreatment and desertion of one family member by another.

Article 47 When the couple’s joint property is divided, the party may get smaller or no share of the property if he or she conceals, transfers, sells off, destroys the couple’s joint property, or forges debts in an attempt to convert the other party’s property at the time of divorce. After
divorce, the other party, on finding the above-mentioned acts, may file an action in a people’s court, and make a request for another division of the couple’s joint property.

Regarding the acts to the prejudice of the civil litigation that are specified in the preceding paragraph, the people’s court shall subject the wrongdoer to the punishment according to the provisions of the civil procedure law.

Article 48 In cases where the person refuses to abide by judgments or rulings on maintenance, upbringing or support payments, or on the division or inheritance of property, or on visits to children, the people’s court shall enforce the execution of the judgments or rulings according to law. The
individuals and units concerned shall have the duty to assist such executions.

Article 49 Where laws provide otherwise against illegal acts and for legal liability in regard to marriage and family, the provisions in such laws shall apply.

Chapter VI Supplementary Provisions

Article 50 The people’s congresses in national autonomous areas shall have the right to formulate certain adaptations in the light of the specific conditions of the local nationalities in regard to marriage and family. Provisions of adaptations formulated by autonomous prefectures and autonomous
counties must be submitted to the standing committee of the people’s congress of the relevant province or autonomous region or municipality directly under the Central Government for approval. Provisions of adaptations formulated by autonomous regions must be submitted to the Standing Committee of
the National People’s Congress for the record.

Article 51 This Law shall come into force as of January 1, 1981.

The Marriage Law of the People’s Republic of China promulgated on May 1, 1950 shall be invalidated as of the day this Law comes into force.

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Library>China ABC>Government>Parties and Election

The Election System

3. Deputies from the armed forces

The number of deputies of the armed forces in the people’s congresses of where they are stationed is decided by the standing committees of the specific provinces, autonomous regions, municipalities directly under the Central Government, cities and counties where the army is stationed.

The number of deputies of the armed forces to the National People’s Congress is decided by the Standing Committee of the NPC and allocated by the supreme election committee of the armed forces.

4. Deputies in special administrative regions and among Taiwan compatriots

The allocation of the number of deputies to the NPC from special administrative regions and among Taiwan compatriots is decided by the Standing Committee of the NPC.

IV. Direct election

Direct election means voters directly elect deputies to the people’s congresses by casting their votes.

Direct elections are applicable to the election of deputies to the people’s congresses of the counties, districts, townships and towns.

1. Division of constituencies

(1) Constituency and voter’s group

A constituency is often divided into several voter’s groups.

(2) Size and type of constituencies

1) The size of constituencies

The size of constituencies is decided according to the principle that a constituency may have one to three deputies.

The population an urban deputy represents shall be more or less the same as those in different constituencies in urban areas. The population a rural deputy represents shall be more or less the same as those in different constituencies in rural areas.

2) Types of constituencies

Urban constituencies may be divided according to residential quarters or according to production units, institutions or work units.

In urban areas, voters of a production (or working) unit or an institution may vote in the constituencies where they work.

During rural election of the county people’s congress, normally several villages constitute a constituency. Villages of exceptionally large populations or townships of exceptionally small populations may stand as a constituency on their own.

During the election of deputies to the people’s congresses of townships and towns, several villager groups may form a constituency. Villagers groups with exceptionally large populations or villages with exceptionally small populations may stand as a constituency on their own.

2. The election process

(1) Naming the candidates

Candidates for deputies to the people’s congresses of the county and township levels are nominated according to constituencies.

Candidates may be nominated jointly or independently by political parties, mass organizations or more than ten voters, but the number of candidates a voter nominates shall not exceed the number of deputies in the corresponding areas.

(2) Casting the ballot

Ballot casting is presided over by the election committee.

Voting stations are established and mobile voting boxes are furnished in the constituencies. Election meetings may be called to cast the vote.

Voters obtain ballots by presenting their ID cards or voter’s cards.

Before ballot casting, staff presiding over the election shall tally and declare the number of voters, examine the ballot box in front of voters and organize voters to choose those to supervise ballot casting and help tally the votes.

The election is valid when more than half of the voters in a constituency have cast their votes. The election has to be held another time if less than this figure has cast votes.

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muyongshi -

I agree with fireball on this…

In terms of mandarin the variation of accents does make the possibility of not being understood in
certain regions very HIGH! In general no it doesn’t have a huge effect but I know people that
complain that Sichuan people can’t understand their accents (I’m talking native chinese from xi’an
and some dong bei places). I can understand the local accents of many places now due to the fact
that I can understand the sichuan accent (hainan, shaanxi, taiwan are just a few where there are
many similarities of the sound- with a lot less of an accent though than sichuan). In english I
have never encountered an accent I couldn’t understand (unless it’s one that is chalked full of
odd word usage but that has to do with understanding there meaning not what is coming out of your
mouth). I think in terms of studying mandarin it is better to study in a place with a generally
neutral accent and not somewhere like beijing (wait a minute why am I in Sichuan??????? it’s not
neutral….). But that is just my opinion.

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littleknight23 -

I agree with fireball on this, too
One of my colleges got much trouble when he traveled to Beijing on business, he found it’s
somewhat difficulty to understand the people there- and the other side found that too. He is well
educated, a guy with a bachelor degree, but he have never traveled to North China before that
trip… Of course the number of this kind is small
Sorry for my poor English. I am a native Chinese speaker.

daliantli -

Hi pdsola:
wo kan jian ni zai ” .There’re something wrong with our Email.So please send the
e-mail to us according this address:dltli@yahoo.com.cn .
Thank you very much!

Best regards!

Dalian TLI

Jan,8,2008

tongjistudy -

In Shanghai, Tongji University International School JBC offers full-time and part-time Mandarin
courses. Our students study from 12 to 36 weeks. www.tongjistudy.com

Students like Shanghai because it’s an international city and of course there are many choices for
entertainment. It’s convenient also a great starting point for travel around China.

Our students who are most successful in learning the language are very determined to practise
wherever and whenever they have the opportunity. One of our best students gave a presentation on
his learning experience in China.

He emphasized reading, listening, speaking, writing as much as possible in any daily situation as
well as the classroom. It’s important to make Chinese friends and even say you don’t speak English
if you’re from Europe etc. Maximize your opportunities to speak Mandarin and find your best
methods to learning the language.

It is possible to learn Mandarin successfully in Shanghai in addition to enjoying the attractions
and conveniences.

jiaoshou -

With all the talk about Xi’an on this thread, does anyone have a recommendation for an intensive
Mandarin course, or Institute offering individual or small group courses in Xi’an?

monto -

In my opinion,
Han Language is not a fast food. If not pressed by the way of life, don’t take any intensive one.

All times are GMT +8. The time now is 05:01 PM.

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Lu -

I have the Far East one, was recommended by my uni when I started my studies. (That was before the
現代漢語詞典 came out, which I prefer, but which is not in traditional). For beginners, the
zhongwen.com dictionary is also good. Both are available abroad.

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skylee -

I like this ad. Strange thing is that in the version on HK TV, I think the subtitle of the last
line that I saw is “弓長的那個張”. In the versions on the internet, the last line is
“工廠的那個張”.

Youtube -> http://hk.youtube.com/watch?v=Nc5zHwTAn5g (traditional chinese subtitles)

Youtube -> http://hk.youtube.com/watch?v=YRkHvRecYVE (english subtitles)

Youku -> http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_cj00XMjA3MjIyNDA=.html

Tudou -> http://www.tudou.com/programs/view/Xhcq-gBKbP4/

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heartless -

I think the ad is playing on the homophonic and polyphonic Chinese characters. “工”and”弓”have
the same pronounciation and the word “长” has two different pronounciations in different
contexts. Thus, “弓长的张” refers to the composition of the Chinese character “张”, while
“工厂的张” refers to a person whose family name is “张” and works in a factory. Very
interesting and smart trick.

skylee -

I suppose those of you who are on the mainland can view the ad on youku or tudou, right?

Actually “弓長的那個張” vs “工廠的那個張” is not the main point of the ad.

The ad basically sells the better service of Fedex claiming that it knows the place better
(knowing that Zhang is a very common name) so it serves better (calling Mr Zhang Wei instead of
just Mr Zhang).

Lu -

I saw that commercial too, and thought it was brilliant for this pun on words. Nayige Zhang?
Gongchan(g) neige Zhang! I don’t remember seeing subtitles (that would kind of kill the pun), but
I might just have forgotten.

Meng Lelan -

I agree with Lu, seeing subtitles would have killed the pun. Oh that was so funny!! I just sent
the video link to a Chinese friend. I enjoy seeing funny commercials in Chinese like that. Thank
you skylee for making this such a great forum.

Lu -

Quote:

Thank you skylee for making this such a great forum.

I second that.

heartless -

Yes, I checked the ad again and see the main idea there, but still the main idea is established on
that pun, right?

ZhangXinQiang -

lol… My friend gave me same name..
I am another Zhang

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roddy -

Was going to post this under the recent social networking / learning Chinese topic we had, but
figured it was worth a post of its own. So, as you might have guessed, livemocha.com is a . . .
social networking learning Chinese site!

This one is looking a bit more promising than the average fare though. It has significant VC
funding, for a start, which indicates a bit more substance than the usual efforts. It also covers,
currently, six languages (Mandarin, Chinese, Hindi, English and a couple of European dialects).

For Chinese there are four levels, 101, 102, 201, 202, totaling 160 hours of study at their
reckoning. Working through the first unit of 202, they give you forty image + phrase pairs to work
through in a ‘learning’ phase, Then there’s a reading phase where you get a pinyin phrase to match
to pictures (pinyin only for this, although the earlier learning phase gave you a choice of pinyin
/ simplified). This phase is particularly challenging for this unit at least, as it requires me to
read an analog clock face. Some design things I might take issue with here, as they give you
phrases like “tā men yì diǎn shí wǔ fēn de shí hou zài qì chē shànɡ。” and then give
you four pictures of different places and different times. In terms of lesson design, I’m not sure
you should be testing two different things at the same time. But hey, it’s not like this is final
exams or anything. Random click through to get this over with . . . .

At this point it becomes clear that some preloading would be useful – the images aren’t quite
keeping up with me.

Next phase is listening – similar idea, you hear a phrase, click the relevant picture.

Next bit, ‘magnet’ is quite fun – you get an image, a bunch of pinyin fridge magnets and you have
to rearrange the magnets to make a sentence matching the image. Random clicking won’t work on this
one, and there’s no way I’m doing 40 of them, so onto the next . . . .

Oh. “Exercise error” and I’m dumped back to the ‘choose a language’ page. Not sure if that’s
because I didn’t finish the last one or what.

Ok, I’m going to leave it at that then

Basically, this is looking fairly promising. Appears to have a substantial amount of well-designed
and progressive content, for free, covering all major skill groups.

The social networking aspect of it I haven’t explored, but this also looks well-implemented. You
get lists of people who are learning the same language, or native speakers you can ask for help.
You may, I assume, also get requests for help for your stated native language. I was able, for
example, to find written exercises in Chinese that someone had submitted and I could have
commented / corrected. Not sure how well this aspect will work – I can see here one guy who’s got
native speakers of Chinese who are either saying ‘很好‘ for a piece which has a significant
number of errors, and others who are just rewriting it with no comments or explanations. I don’t
see this being a substitute for proper teacher feedback. I’m not sure if livemocha are spending
any of their VC cash on actual tutors to be online and provide feedback on these exercises. You
can sign up for online tutoring sessions. The Chinese ones are hosted by . . . wait for it . .
Chynna. Classy.

To sum up – I’m not convinced by the social networking side of the site. However, the actual
learning part is looking pretty good. It’s slanted, naturally enough, to the lower end of the
scale – 202 starts off with relatively complex time-telling – and I’d guess the whole thing will
take you through to lower-intermediate or thereabouts. Worth a look if the level suits and you
want an online course, or if you are just keen to know what’s new in the online Chinese learning
space. . .

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self-taught-mba -

Quote:

“tā men yì diǎn shí wǔ fēn de shí hou zài qì chē shànɡ。”

Well I’m staying well clear until they can group pinyin. youch! (unless it was a converting thing
that just happened as you cut and pasted from a machine conversion for board members’ benefit)

roddy -

That hadn’t even registered with me – guess it might have if I’d been going through it a bit more
rigorously, but I was basically just clicking through at will.

Anyone else had a look, either for Chinese or any of the other languages?

rherschbach -

I registered for it a few weeks ago. On the whole I’ve found it a pretty welcome addition to the
resources available online, though some things could be improved.

Things I’ve found useful:

–The “learn” section allows you to switch between characters and pinyin.
–The material is reinforced several times across each lesson, so by the end of each unit most of
it should stick
–The “magnet” section brings an active learning component into the lessons. It’s challenging and
useful.
–You can submit writing samples each week and get feedback. Some people take the trouble to
provide detailed comments.
– The social networking features are useful for students who, like me, are outside China and have
limited opportunities to practice Chinese.

Things that could be better:

– The reading section is pinyin-only, which to my mind makes no sense at all. Reading in Chinese
means learning to read characters. In essence, this is really just another vocabulary
reinforcement section.

– A more challenging listening section should be added — for example, something where you listen
to a passage, try to understand what it means, and answer questions about it, Again, the section
they have now is mostly just vocabulary reinforcement. It doesn’t really test listening
comprehension.

– The magnet section is also pinyin-only. Characters should be added.

All in all, I like it, I use it together with Chinesepod and Imandarinpod — they’re good
complements to each other. Alas, at some point down the road LiveMocha will start charging $$$, so
we’ll have to see what the impact of that will be.

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lissodelphis -

Hey all, not much to go on with these so I’m not very hopeful, but found the forums and thought
I’d give this a try.

I lived in Hong Kong for a few years between 2000 and 2003 and these songs were played on one of
the standard TV channels, I loved them but never found out what they were.

They were both in Mandarin and both female singers.

The first was sung by a girl wearing a large winter hat and she was walking along a street singing
and playing a guitar. I think it may have been called ‘Close to you’. I seem to renmember she sung
those words in English and the rest in mandarin…..

The second was a more gothic looking video with a more sultry looking woman singing ‘Black Black
Heart’. As before she sung those words in english and the rest in mandarin (I think – my memory of
this one is less clear and could have been canto).

and that’s all I have…. I will be amazed but happy if these can be identified.

thanks anyways

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lissodelphis -

Okay my second music identification task, should be easier:

It is a song that my friends Mum downloaded onto my PC years ago that I have grown to love.
Unfortunately its incomplete and I’m not really sure what it is.

Its listed as Teresa Teng – You And I Together, but that could be wrong and I can’t seem to find
any info as that. As I said I do have this track so if there is a way I can put it on the net for
you to access then hopefully someone may be able to id it for me.

Thanks again for any help.

skylee -

Here is a song with “Black Black Heart” in the lyrics -> http://hk.youtube.com/watch?v=Tx2utHwCOEw

The song is called 分開旅行 (travel separately).

tallynole -

the Theresa Teng song could be ” Wo zhi zai hu ni”

lissodelphis -

Skylee, that’s it, fantastic!

So great to hear it after almost 5 years of searching, you’ve made my day .

Now any ideas on how I can get it in mp3 or CD? Any idea of what albums it may appear on, I could
then look for them on ebay.

And thanks to you also Tallynole, I’ll try and search out that song.

skylee -

You can find the song in audio formats via this link -> http://music.sogua.com/urls/12749187.htm

skylee -

Quote:

Its listed as Teresa Teng – You And I Together

Perhaps you are looking for “你我相伴左右”? You can find the song via this link (the wma
links should work) -> http://music.sogua.com/urls/10331972.htm

lissodelphis -

That’s it, thanks again Skylee.

I’ve also managed to get the Rene song as well, so thanks for that too. Just one track left to
find….

I’m really glad i found this board now, although i doubt I’ll be able to return the favour and be
of any use to you or anyone else trying to identify Asian music.

liebevivi -

Two beautiful songs
I like them,too

lissodelphis -

So how’s about this one?

‘sung by a girl wearing a large winter hat and she was walking along a street singing and playing
a guitar. I think it may have been called ‘Close to you’. I seem to renmember she sung those words
in English and the rest in mandarin…..’

From around 2001-2003.

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