On the China Bookshelf
What books should be on your China bookshelf?
Chinese Culture
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Why Read Books about China?
ChinaSource Senior Vice President Joann Pittman invites two friends, colleagues, and voracious readers—Andrew Kaiser, author of Voices from the Past: Historical Reflections on Christian Missions in China, and Amy Young, author of Looming Transitions: Starting and Finishing Well in Cross-Cultural Service—to join her in a discussion of why it is important to read books about China and which books they find to be most helpful.
Serving Well Where You Don’t Belong
Today we are launching our first-ever online training course titled "Serving Well in China" for people working in China or preparing to work in China.
Twinkling With Inheriting and Development Achievement
On Thursday night my landlady called and asked if she could come over to see me because she had some translation questions for me. Anyone who's been in China for a while knows the fear and dread that well up inside at the sound of someone asking for help with translation work. "Just read it over. It won't take long." Those words always precede hours of painful and laborious mental gymnastics trying to translate phrases, like the one in the title of this post, from what we call "Chinglish" to English.
Navigating the Complexities of Giving and Receiving Gifts
“Fresh off the boat,” an old phrase referring to new arrivals, described me well in 1983 as I began my new life as an overseas worker in Hong Kong. Being quite naïve about Chinese culture, I was excited to hear from my colleagues that I would receive a beautiful silk jacket from our Chinese co-workers as they had in years past. And during Chinese festivals I would receive other special gifts and be invited to delicious banquets—it all sounded wonderful to me!
A Non-Cook Reviews 3 Chinese Cookbooks
Three cookbooks everyone who is interested in China—cooks and non-cooks alike—should know about.
3 Reasons You Need to Read this Chinese Food Memoir
Learning about culture, history, and ourselves through a food adventure in China.
“Zhong Yong”
The fourth cultural element that Huo Shui highlights in his article “Living Wisely in China” is zhong yong, or “being moderate, which helps us understand what’s going on in situations where things are not seen in black-and-white terms but more in shades of grey.
“Mian Zi” (face)
The third element that Huo Shui highlights for us in “Living Wisely in China” is the Chinese notion of “face.” This one is arguably the most important and the most difficult for westerners to grasp. He gives us a glimpse into how “face” plays out in everyday life in China.
Eating and Drinking
The second essential element of Chinese culture that Huo Shui writes about in “Living Wisely in China” is the importance of eating and drinking, particularly as it relates to forging and establishing relationships.
Taiji
In 2000, a Chinese writer named Huo Shui wrote an article for the ChinaSource Quarterly titled “Living Wisely in China.” In it he takes a look at four essential elements of Chinese culture that westerners must grapple with (and hopefully get) in order to be effective in China.
The first one is taiji (tai-chi), the slow-motion martial art that is popular among people of all ages in China. Taiji requires inner strength and patience, both of which are required in order to accomplish things in China.
ZGBriefs – The Week’s Top Picks, September 11 Issue
Soft power, subways, and cell phones – our favorite stories of this week.