Let's Party Like...

It’s 1999 2007 4705

Tonight China says good bye to 4704 and the year of the Dog and welcomes the Golden Pig and 4705.

While Jeffrey is in the plane coming back from France, I’m in front of my TV watching the famous CCTV (no it’s not Closed Caption TV it’s Chinese Central TV!!) New Year’s Gala with the sound of loud non-stop fireworks and firecrackers in the background. So the night was going smoothly i.e. watching a nice program on TV without understanding a word of what it was all about (and it’s not only because of the loud noise outside) when I started to go see what was on other channels and I realized to my astonishment that I wasn’t watching the right show on TV, I wasn’t watching THE famous New Year Show followed by 800 millions people in China (yes you read right eight hundred million people). That’s a big audience (Super Bowl with more or less 100 million people is not playing in the same league -Official figure varies from 93 to 141 million-). Good thing I realized my mistake on time or I would have looked really foolish tomorrow while talking to my friends!!!! Shame on me!.

If you could only hear the noise too

23.45 and I thought the noise was bad all night long… that was nothing compared to what was about to start: the most amazing fireworks I’ve ever seen. From the corner window of my bedroom I have a 180° view of so many fireworks that my head is spinning from trying to see them all. It seems like every courtyard, every family is competing to send the best sparkles in the Beijing’s sky. It’s full of colors and for once it’s not the pollution but the reds, greens and blues of the fireworks (the pollution and the gun powder smell will come later). Again safety is not an issue, I am pretty sure the safety measures are not taken into consideration…fires are lit within feet of people standing around.
By 00.30 the relative calm is back, I still can hear some sparks being sent off but the big ones are slowly calming down…. 45 minutes of an extraordinary spectacle, like if the all experience was not about a fireworks but about 45 minutes of Finale. I pretty sure it will be on my mind each time I’ll “celebrate” Chinese New Year or even see a firework in the future.

Xin Nian Kuai le - 新年快乐

...Guo Nian Hao - 过年好*

Tomorrow is New Year’s Eve… well I should say Chinese New Year’s Eve or 除夕 Chu2Xi4 which mark the beginning of 春节 Chun1Jie2 (Spring Festival - yes it’s already spring here, didn’t you read my previous post!).

Beijing Municipalities have allowed for the second consecutive year fireworks within the 5th ring (after a 12-year ban), which announced a lot of noise. According to legend, in ancient China, the nian2 (年), a man-eating beast from the mountains, could silently infiltrate houses to prey on humans. The people later learned that the nian2 was sensitive to loud noises and the color red, so they scared it away with explosions, fireworks and the liberal use of the color red. These customs led to the first New Year celebrations. Guo4 nian2 过年, which means to celebrate the New Year, literally means the passing of the nian2 beast. (source: wikipedia!!)

So Fireworks will be authorized all day and all night on Saturday 18 and Sunday 19 (that’s 48 hours!) then only (!) from 7am to midnight until the 5th of March, day of the Lantern Festival which marks the end of the festivities.

Here are some Superstitions during the New Year period:
The following is a list of beliefs that vary according to dialect groups/individuals.

Good Luck

• Opening windows and/or doors is considered to 'bring in' the good luck of the New Year.
• Switching on the lights for the night is considered good luck to 'scare away' ghosts and spirits of misfortune that may compromise the luck and fortune of the New Year.
• Candy is eaten to ensure the consumer a "sweet" year.

Bad Luck

• Buying a pair of shoes is considered bad luck. The word "shoes" is a homophone for the word for "rough" in Cantonese.
• Buying a pair of pants is considered bad luck. The word "pants" is a homophone for the word for "bitter" in Cantonese. (Although some perceive it to be positive as the word 'pants' in Cantonese could be a homophone for the word for "wealth".)
• A hair-cut is considered bad luck. The word "hair" is a homophone for the word for "prosperity". Thus "cutting hair" could be perceived as "cutting away your prosperity" in Cantonese.
• Sweeping the floor is considered bad luck, as it will sweep away the good fortune and luck for the new year; in the same way that having a bath will wash away the good fortune.
• Talking about death is inappropriate for the first few days of Chinese New Year, as it is considered inauspicious as well.
• Buying books is bad luck, because it is a homonym to the word "lose".

* Happy New Year…. Couldn’t you have guessed!!.

Qing Ren Jie Kuai Le

...情人结快乐 - Happy Valentine's Day

China will celebrate Valentine’s Day as the rest of the World. Traditionally they have a lovers’ days which is on the 7th day of the 7th month - which for some obscure reason of calendar they celebrated twice in 2006 because it was a leap year so the Chinese not only add a day every 4 years but a whole month (in the traditional calendar) every 2 to 3 years!!! And last year they decided to add a second 7th month (I’m sure it’s not really clear to you but I will investigate furthermore and write a new post when the time comes) but back to Valentine: When in the States over the Holidays I came upon this ad and I wanted to share it with my loyal male readers!!!!

And the mystery of lingerie shopping has been revealed!!!

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Temple of Heaven

...天坛 Tian Tan

What you need might want to know about Temple of Heaven or more specifically the Hall of Prayer of Good Harvest (Qi2Nian2Dian4) which is the crown of the whole complex:

• Has become a symbol of Beijing
• Set on a 267 ha (660-acre) park
• Completed in 1420 where the FengShui masters determined that is was the exact point where Heaven and Earth met
• Burn to cinders in 1889; a faithful reproduction based on Ming architecture methods was erected the following year using fir from Oregon for the support pillars
• The 38m (125ft) high vault was slotted together without using a single nail
• Built for the view of god and seen from above; temples are round with the bases square, a pattern deriving from the ancient Chinese belief that Heaven is round and Earth is square.
• Decorated in blue, yellow and green glazed tiles representing Heaven, Earth and the Mortal World
• The 4 central pillars symbolize the seasons, the 12 in the next ring denote the months, the 12 outer ones represent the day broken into 12 traditional Chinese hours, the 28 columns match the 28 Chinese constellations and the circumference of the uppermost roof is 30 zhang, the number of days in the lunar month
• The emperor would make sacrifices and pray to heaven and his ancestors at the winter solstice
• Off limit to the common people during Ming* and Qing* Dynasties.

Hall of Prayer of Good Harvest

Details

Great Clear Day (for once!!)

*Ming Dynasty: 1368-1644 ; Qing Dynasty: 1644-1911

Sources: Lonely planet, National Geographic, Frommers, Eyewitness Travel Guides and Insider’s Guide

Cloisonné...

...Enamel Factory

After the visit to the Silk Comforter factory, I’ve embarked on another Cultural outing with my friend Kim and went to visit an enamel factory, also called Cloisonné.
Cloisonné enamel, an ancient metalworking technique, developed in the Near East was first spread to the Byzantine Empire and from there along the Silk Road to China during the Yuan dynasty (1279-1368). It used to be reserved for the Emperor and his court.

Cloisonné is the unique technique of the combination of porcelain and bronze.

Model hammering

• ­ Vessels are constructed with several pieces of copper that are soldered together.
• A pattern is carefully traced by transferring the design to the surface with carbon paper.

Filigree welding

• ­ Cloisons (French for partitions), which will act as color-separators, are made with flat wire coppers that are bent with pliers, following a pattern on paper.
• The cloisons are placed onto the vessel with tweezers and held in place by a soldering paste.
• ­ The pieces are then heated in an oven to permanently affix the cloisons to the base metal by melting the solder. The piece is then allowed to cool.

Enamel filling

• ­ Eye droppers are used to fill the cloisons with enamel paste or frit (glass crushed to a powder).
• ­ The pieces are fired in an electric kiln. The heat causes the enamel to vitrify and settle into the cloisons. Three or four coats of enamel are applied and fired until the cloisons are completely full.

Surface polishing

• ­ The enameled surface is ground smooth on a lather with water and emery stones and re-fired.
• ­ The final polishing is also done on a lathe, but with water and charcoal.

Gilding
­

• The final step is to electroplate the exposed copper with gold and silver.

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Lama Temple and...

...Ditan Park

Or Cultural Outing

Often described as Beijing most spectacular temple complex and one of the largest in China, the Temple of Heaven or Yong1 He2 Gong1 雍和宫was constructed in 1694 and was originally the home of Qing Dynasty Prince Yong before he became the Emperor Yong Zheng in 1723 and moved to the Forbidden City. It was converted into a Tibetan lamasery in 1744 and became home to monks from Mongolia and Tibet. It has 5 main halls each taller and more impressive than the preceding one with the highlight being a 17-meter/55-foot high (with an extra 6m/20ft below ground) statue of Maitreya (the Future Buddha) in his Tibetan form (clothed in yellow satin). It was carved from a single block of white sandalwood given by the Dalai Lama to Emperor Qianlong in 1750 (It took 3 years to ship it from Nepal to Beijing). The building that houses this Buddha was in fact erected after the statue was carved.

Tower of Ten Thousand Happinesses (Wan4Fu2 Ge2)

One of the Hall and a Wheel of Prayer

View from Above and Maitreya Buddha (Scan of Postcards - photographs are forbidden)

Ditan Park (地坛公园 – Di4Tan2Gong1Yuan2) was named after the Temple of Earth (Di Tan 地坛) which was the venue for Imperial sacrifices to the Earth God. The altar is square shaped, symbolizing the earth. Under the Ming dynasty, five main altars were established at the city’s cardinal points:

• ­ Tian Tan 天坛 (Temple of Heaven) in the South,
• ­ Di Tan 地坛 (Temple of Earth) in the North,
• ­ Ri Tan 日坛 (Temple of the Sun) in the East (not far from where we live)
• ­ Yue Tan 月坛 (Temple of the Moon) in the West and,
• ­ Shejie Tan 射杰坛 (Temple of Land and Grain) in the center

The Altar and the Trees are ready for Chinese New Year

Transience Calligraphy

Sources: Lonely planet, National Geographic, Frommers, Eyewitness Travel Guides and Insider’s Guide

Spring Is Finally Here...

...Even If The Temperature Don't Show It

Today is officially the beginning of spring and it has nothing to do with GMT this time. Chinese being Chinese, seasons in China differs from Europe or the USA. In Western countries, we consider that the seasons start at the solstices (longest day of the year marks the beginning of Summer and the shortest day of the year marks the beginning of Winter) and at the equinoxes (the 2 days in the year when day and night have the same length, start of Spring and Autumn). In Asia they are considered to be halfway through a season. So for 2007 the calendar goes:

• 立春 (Lichun - Spring): February 4
• 立下 (Lixia - Summer): May 5
• 立秋 (Liqiu - Autumn): August 7
• 立冬 (Lidong - Winter) : November 7

Some trees are already blooming

These dates are valid for 2007 and slightly vary (+/-1 day) from year to year.

The Place

The Place or 世贸天阶 Shi Mao Tian Jie (literally “World Business Celestial Slice” ?!!) has the world's longest LED screen: 250m long and 30m wide (820ft x 100ft). It cost RMB 250 million (25 million euros/US$32 million) and they hope it will become an icon of Beijing (So now you know it). But what makes The Place so welcoming for the Westerners (apart from a Starbucks and an English language book shop) is the new Zara store.

Today was the opening (youpi), and every westerner (at least the ones I know) is over excited by the News. We can finally shop at a reasonable price (ok not dirt cheap like some other places around here) but for good quality clothes where the sizes are not restricted to mini, micro and midget (I, myself, went from a size 2 in the States to a size XL in China!!!). Ok it takes out all the fun from bargaining but at least you don’t have to resign yourself to buying that polo shirt with an upside down logo after 2 hours of hard negotiation for a 20 kuai (2 euros) discount. The only problem I foresee is that we will all end up with the same wardrobe and pretty soon the local market will probably sell some Zara rip-offs at a fraction of the price!!!

The Place and the LED (Only working at Night!!)

The Store (!)

Update:
This is what it looks like when the screen is on:

Sharks attack

View From Above...

...Beijing from the Sky

Forbidden City in the background

Bird's Nest (Olympic Stadium) and The Cube (Olympic Pool)

New Buildings by Night (CCTV Tower in the middle right)

No we didn’t take an helicopter trip around Beijing, we only headed to Beijing Planning Exhibition Hall where there is a 3D map of the City. Our apartment complex was just short of the 3D but the rest of the city is covered by a big photo taken from the sky..

Ling Ling Qi

...Bond, James Bond

Yesterday was the biggest-ever foreign film opening in China. 零零七 Ling Ling Qi –Chinese for 007– has never before been officially released in China and new James Bong Daniel Craig, James Bond Girl French actress Eva Green and producer Martin Campbell flew in especially for the event. “The premiere on Monday is the first one of “Hollywood standard” to ever be held in China”. Western film companies have been trying to break into the China market for years despite widespread pirating of movies and restriction only allowing 20 foreign films to be shown in Chinese cinemas each year and often with censorship.

The funny part is that violent scenes of Casino Royal were cut in the United States and England but it got through without any censorship cuts at all here in China!!!

For the anecdote during a day of shopping in Beijing, both Craig and Campbell were offered to buy pirated DVDs of Casino Royale !!!

And for info here are the 19 films that have been approved for release in Chinese cinemas this year*:

• The Guardian (惊涛大冒险) by Andrew Davis with Kevin Costner, Ashton Kutcher (Jan. 13 )
• Arthur and the Minimoys (亚瑟和迷你王国) by Luc Besson with voices of Madonna, Robert De Niro (Jan. 19)
• Casino Royale (007: 大战皇家赌场) by Martin Campbell with Daniel Craig, Eva Green (Jan. 30)
• Flyboys (空战英豪) by Tony Bill with James Franco, Martin Henderson (Feb. 9)
• Night at the Museum (博物馆奇妙夜) by Shawn Levy with Ben Stiller, Robin Williams (Feb. 16)
• Déjà Vu (时空线索) by Tony Scott with Denzel Washington, Jim Caviezel (March 9)
• Spider Man 3 (蜘蛛侠3) by Sam Raimi with Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst (May 4)
• Shrek 3 (怪物史莱克3) by Chris Miller, Raman Hui with voices of Mike Myers, Eddy Murphy, Cameron Diaz
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (忍者神龟) by Kevin Munroe with voices of Chris Evans, Sarah Michelle Gellar
• Tranformers (变形金刚电影版) by Michael Bay with Shia Labeouf, Megan Fox, Josh Duhamel
• Young Hannibal: Behind the Mask (年轻的汉尼拔：面具背后) by Peter Webber with Gaspard Ulliel, Gong Li, Helena Lia Tachovska
• Meet the Robinsons (拜访罗宾逊一家) by Stephen J Anderson with voices of Angela Bassett, Paul Butcher
• Eragon (伊拉贡/龙骑士) by Stefan Fangmeier with Edward Speleers, Jeremy Irons
• Happy Feet (欢乐的大脚) Director: George Miller Voices: Elijah Wood, Brittany Murphy, Nicole Kidman
• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (哈利波特与凤凰令) Director: David Yates Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Ruppert Grint, Emma Watson
• Shooter (射手) Director: Antoine Fuqua Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Kate Mara, Michael Pena
• The Bourne Ultimatum (谍影重重3) by Paul Greengrass with Matt Damon, Paddy Considine, Edgar Ramirez
• Rush Hour 3 (尖峰时刻3) by Brett Ratner with Jackie Chan, Chris Tucker, Zhang Jingchu
• Pirates of the Caribbean: At Worlds End (加勒比海盗3) by Gore Verbinski with Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, Chow Yun Fat

*Thank goodness for the free flow of DVDs in Beijing!!

"How Are You?"...

...or is it "How Old Are You?"

This weekend we were a little lazy so we decided not to put our tourist hats on and instead went to FunDazzle (indoor playground) since we had promised the kids we would take them one day. So while Chloe and Jeremy were doing this:

Fun, Fun, Fun

This little girl came to sit right next to me and watched me for a while. I could see from the corner of my eye that she was mumbling something when she finally got the courage to ask me what she had been silently practicing:
Girl: How are you?
Me: I’m fine, thank you. How are you?
Girl: I’m 6
Me: euh??.... How old are you?
Girl: I’m fine thank you.

"How old are you?" or is it "How are you?"

Well if you think about it, these two questions do sound the same to a foreign ear. So from now on I’m not going to complain anymore about Chinese sounding always the same.

But I have to say that I was really impressed by the effort she made to come up to me and practice her English on me; I wish I could have struck-up somewhat of a conversation with her…

Recycling...

...at its best

Bicycles don't pollute

To "Chai"...

...or not to "Chai"

Chāi 拆

If you see this sign on your house/building it’s time to move out because it means up for demolition.
The street south of our apartment complex is full of those painted signs on the side of the buildings… Well Beijing is up for a face lift before the 2008 Olympics (Click here to know how much time is left) and everything must look nice especially around the “official” routes.

Everything is Negociable...

One of my friends here (Hi Jodi!!) mentioned a few months ago that while touring one of the hospital to get some information on medical care provided in Beijing and while inquiring about pregnancy it was mentioned that if she was to sign up for a maternity package she could get a discount.

And this is what I found in a magazine…

I know the date has expired but don’t despair friends who are blessed with good bargaining skillsI’m sure you can get this offer any time.

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While the French Work 35 Hours...

...The Chinese Are Working their A?? Off!!!

This is an article I came up in a free English-language magazine called That’s Beijing (i.e the Expat’s Bible!!)

Excerpt from the article:
“I get to my office at nine thirty. I go online and read the news for an hour. Then I work for half an hour. Usually around eleven, I go to the toilet and shit for 30 minutes so that I can read some history books. It’s a squatter toilet - very tiring. When I’m done, I talk to my girlfriend for a while. Then it’s lunchtime. After lunch, I’ll sleep on my desk for an hour. From two to four, I work. Then I read the newspaper. There are different news media, so it’s important to read many different sources. Then I take a break, and eat dinner. I’ll take another nap sometimes after dinner. There is so much to do. I sleep until eight and then from eight to ten-thirty I’ll work again. Then I go home. It’s exhausting”

So I counted and that poor guy, named Yin Kai by the way, is at the office 13 hours a day, no wonder they are beating us !!!

I also counted that he’s effectively working 5 hours a day (30’ in the morning then 2 hours from 2 to 4pm and finally 2.5 hours from 8 to 10:30pm)

Bicycles Are Everywhere...

...Even ON The Lake

Bicycles are really the main mode of transportation in China.

This weekend we went to Houhai Lake situated in the north east of the Forbidden City to indulge in yet another local custom: ice skating on the lake or should I say ice skating with a twist. I present you:

the Bicycle skate

the Chair Skate

Urgent Snacking Needed

As always in China, you are never alone

Chloe and Jeremy had fun too

Anyway it was a nice outing day and thankfully the temperature was pleasant too.

If The Popular Saying Is True...

...I Guess I Am a Man Now

As everyone knows the common saying goes不到长城非好汉的意思就是说 (pronounced Bu Dao Chang Cheng Fei Hao Han De Yi Si Jiu Shi Shuo) which roughly translates to: “Only if you have climbed the Great Wall are you truly a man.”

So it’s one of the coldest days so far in Beijing (-8.5°C/15°F with the wind factor it feels like -15°C/ 5°F) and I’m going to see for the first time the Great Wall of China. My friend mentioned that she was going to the 长城 (Chang Cheng) as it is known here since she had some visitors in town and she asked if I wanted to tag along. Being in Beijing for almost 5 months now and not having seen it yet I jumped on the occasion to go see a section of the wall (the touristy part!!)

I will tell you that there weren’t a lot of people on the wall (the temperature might have been a factor?!!) but anyway you are never alone when you are in China so when I say not a lot of people I mean to Chinese standards of course. Here are a few pictures of the Great Wall, the best I could take with my ski gloves on and /or frozen fingers.

I will tell you a bit more about the famous wall after the next family visit

Great Wall, Here I Come

First You Have To Climb It

So Worth It

It Was REALLY Cold

First Day of the Rest of Your Life

Jeremy started school this week and he is really exited to go to “English” as he calls it.

Jeremy with the School Mascot

The school bus ride to and from school might be the highest point of the day…

So Grown Up, So Independent!!

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For the ones who cannot read French (?!!) it says:
"Fluent English required" and
it was sent to Jeffrey's work address

We Are Back...

…From Vacation!

It’s been a month now since our last post and we need to get back on that horse and ride write again. So first I hope you had a wonderful holiday and since I’m sure you were all really good, Santa must have been kind with you. New Year has come and gone and the alcohol has been absorbed by your bodies.

On our part we’ve survived the 14 hours flight back (with 14 hours time difference too) and we are almost back to normal. Jeremy still wakes up at 4.30am and want to proceed with his day time activities as normal (i.e plays ball in the apartment for example) and by 6:00am Chloe wants to see if her upstairs girlfriend is ready to play since she’s been up for sooooo long.

So as you can see we are back to normal and we were surprised to find Beijing under a small blanket of white black snow but the temperature are not as bad as everybody warned us about.

Nota Bene
Due to an earthquake in Taiwan on December 26 that damaged the undersea cable connecting China to the United States, the network has been initially paralyzed and has now disrupted and slowed internet connection. Well that’s a euphemism since the connections are so slow that we are almost regretting the time of dial-up and 56 Kb modem!!!

The congestions were expected to continue for a few days. Sources with China Netcom (CNC) said seven repair ships have been working round-the-clock, but the nature of the undersea terrain and bad weather had combined to slow work. To make matters worse, the extent of the damage to the cables was initially underestimated. And this is my excuse why the posting have been so slow!!

Christmas Is Coming Early This Year...

Literally since we are six* seven hours ahead of France (home of Celine's parents), twelve (always!) hours of Saint Barth' (home of Celine's sister), thirteen* fourteen hours of Omaha, Nebraska (home of Jeff’s mom) fourteen* fifteen hours of Denver, Colorado (home of Jeff’s dad) and even a whopping fifteen* sixteen hours of San Diego, California (home of Jeff’s brother!)

Well in fact this is all hypothetical since we will be in the States so we will celebrate X-mas later there that we would have if we had stayed where we were!!!! On a bright side it will still be 2006 and China will already be in 2007 (in fact it doesn’t really change anything for them since their big New Year (aka Chinese New Year for you!!!) will be February 19^th

Seasons Greetings
to you all!!!

*that all DST is not quite integrated yet since here it’s still GMT+8!!!!!!!

It's Only -2°C (30°F), Let's Go To The Market..

As we were doing some late Christmas shopping last night (Thank you Ayi for taking care of the kids!!) we were strolling down Wangfujing (a popular pedestrian shopping area in downtown Beijing, not far from the Forbidden City) when we stumbled upon the Night Market we’ve heard so much about.

So many delicacies, we couldn’t decide which one to try first….




So we decide NOT to try any!!!

Note: I just found out about this website for the slide show... I promise to stop using it, well at least until next year!!

Chinese: Check...

…Let's Do Russian

So we’ve been here 3 ½ months now and bargaining in Chinese it’s pretty much down to perfection. It goes somewhere like this:

• Me: 这个要多少钱 - zhe ge yao duo shao qian ? (this/need/how much/money)
• Lady: Very good price for you, 300
• Me: 我不露有我住在北京 - wo bu luyou, wo zhu zai Beijing (me/not/tourist/me/live/beijing)
• Lady: Special price for you because you speak good Chinese, 100
• Me: 我给你十 - Wo gei ni 10 (me/give/you/10)
• Lady: You are killing me, 80
• Me: OK 15
• Lady: 50
• Me: Here’s 20, do you want my 20 or not?
• Lady: Ok Ok 20. I swear I don’t make any money on this one.
• Me: Yeah right… So don’t sell it to me!
• Lady: Here’s my card… come back. Always good price for you.

So I've decided to challenge myself a little and go to the Russian market.

How thoughtful of them, they translated the Chinese Characters!!!

The only problem I had in this market was that they kept on speaking to me in Russian. I know I’m not the Asian type but... Russian ?!!

Labor IS Cheap

Today with my Chinese class we went to a market to practice what we’ve been preaching learning: Bargaining

Well it turned out that this particular store hand makes their silk comforters and it was really interesting to see. You can see more or less the process on the slide show below. It takes between 80 layers (for a summer quilt) to 160 for a winter one.

Cindy: I need to find a few more addresses before you come but at least I’ve finally found one!!!

You Call That Skiing?

Knowing that I:

• ­ Come from the French Alps (and learned to ski at not even 3 years old)
• ­ Lived in Colorado (where the Mountains are almost as good as Europe)
• ­ Even skied in the Andes (That would be in August)

Don’t you think it’s sad that Chloe as to learn to ski here:

Well she’s enjoying herself and that’s all it counts