1. you can you up - If you can do it then go and do it.
2. "no can no BB," which means "if you can't do it then don't criticize it."
3."Tuhao" comes directly from its Chinese pronunciation, and can be
loosely translated as "nouveau riche" or uncivilized rich people.
4. "No zuo no die, - if you don't do stupid things, they won't come back and bite you in the ass."
Wednesday, April 23, 2014
Thursday, February 13, 2014
Korean obsession with Plastic surgery
Very recently, I rented an apartment in Reforma area of Mexico City and I noticed a large community of Korean women around the point was they all look alike to me and that raise a red flag in me that why is that in K-POP video or Korean movies , all korean women looks similar.
After digging a bit further I found out the reason for this is Korean women obsession about Plastic surgery and half of the women in Big cities like Seoul has undergone plastic surgeries.
The most common procedures are eyelid surgeries and nose jobs, which Koreans colloquially refer to as "the basics." Getting "the basics" is like dying your hair— everyone does it and rarely are people secretive about the work they've had done.
Subway stations advertise Cosmetic procedures
Korea biggest cultural export "K-pop idols" are all seems to have gone under knife and most desirable "Western looking Features" are almond shaped eyes (double eyelid), long noses.
Whereas in the West, plastic surgeries are less common and people in the west tends to do either boobs or butts job, they hardly go for surgeries on the face but in Korea the obsession with facial beauty is such that Job applicants are frequently required to submit head shots, and the belief that beauty means more social capital has resulted in countless parents pushing their kids into plastic surgery, a phenomenon that makes South Korea unique in that regard.
Korean beauty contestants all look the same as all seems to have undergone surgery
Obsession with Western feature in non-white countries are not limited to Korea, it is predominantly common in other countries , In India, facial cream advertisement are full of making you "Whiter" and in Egypt people want blond hairs.
In India , it is called ""Snow White syndrome"
A Ponds advertisement showing Indian white skin obsession
Source - Business Insider
After digging a bit further I found out the reason for this is Korean women obsession about Plastic surgery and half of the women in Big cities like Seoul has undergone plastic surgeries.
The most common procedures are eyelid surgeries and nose jobs, which Koreans colloquially refer to as "the basics." Getting "the basics" is like dying your hair— everyone does it and rarely are people secretive about the work they've had done.
Korea biggest cultural export "K-pop idols" are all seems to have gone under knife and most desirable "Western looking Features" are almond shaped eyes (double eyelid), long noses.
Whereas in the West, plastic surgeries are less common and people in the west tends to do either boobs or butts job, they hardly go for surgeries on the face but in Korea the obsession with facial beauty is such that Job applicants are frequently required to submit head shots, and the belief that beauty means more social capital has resulted in countless parents pushing their kids into plastic surgery, a phenomenon that makes South Korea unique in that regard.
Obsession with Western feature in non-white countries are not limited to Korea, it is predominantly common in other countries , In India, facial cream advertisement are full of making you "Whiter" and in Egypt people want blond hairs.
In India , it is called ""Snow White syndrome"
Source - Business Insider
Monday, February 10, 2014
Chinese Movie Series, Movie#2 - Nàxiē nián, wǒmen yīqǐ zhuī de nǚhái
那些年，我們一起追的女孩 (Nàxiē nián, wǒmen yīqǐ zhuī de nǚhái) means (In those years, we all were chasing girls), is one of my favorite chinese movies. It is also one of those rare Chinese movies, which doesn't involve Magic, Monkeys, swords fighting, Kungfu or Kings and landlords. (Probably the reason might be this movie has come from Taiwan)
Plot: The plot of this movie is everybody story of a careless boy in school falling in love with most beautiful and most intelligent girl of the class. Later he managed to come close to the girl, but in the end they get separated, it doens't have the typical happy ending means the girls and boy never get together.
Poster of the film
A still from the film
Interesting Facts:
1. This movie is a Biographical fill of Giddens Ko (Director).
2. The film was on a very tight budget; Giddens used his entire savings and mortgaged his house to raise money, saying that he did it to impress ex-girlfriend, who provided the inspiration for this film's female protagonist, Shen Chia-yi.
3. This film was primarily filmed at Ching Cheng High School (精誠中學), the school Giddens and Shen Chia-yi attended.
4. The ending theme song "The Lonely Caffeine" (寂寞的咖啡因) had been composed by Giddens for Shen Chia-Yi when the two were in a relationship. He asked the male lead actor to sing the song in the film, because he felt this would convey the song's original meaning.
5. Another theme song - Those Years" (那些年).was an instant hit. The music video on YouTube logged its ten millionth viewer on 11 November 2011.
6. The film was heavily edited before its release in Mainland China.The scene where a flag-raising ceremony was taking place was edited away, as were the scenes involving masturbation.In total, six scenes involving "negative sexual and pro-Taiwan content" were either edited away or changed.
Giddens ko on the far left, Michelle Chen(in the centre)
7. The film surpassed the performance of other Taiwanese films such as Monga, Cape No. 7 and Lust, Caution.
Conclusion: Watch it for the its beautiful story and to relish your childhood memory
Plot: The plot of this movie is everybody story of a careless boy in school falling in love with most beautiful and most intelligent girl of the class. Later he managed to come close to the girl, but in the end they get separated, it doens't have the typical happy ending means the girls and boy never get together.
1. This movie is a Biographical fill of Giddens Ko (Director).
3. This film was primarily filmed at Ching Cheng High School (精誠中學), the school Giddens and Shen Chia-yi attended.
4. The ending theme song "The Lonely Caffeine" (寂寞的咖啡因) had been composed by Giddens for Shen Chia-Yi when the two were in a relationship. He asked the male lead actor to sing the song in the film, because he felt this would convey the song's original meaning.
5. Another theme song - Those Years" (那些年).was an instant hit. The music video on YouTube logged its ten millionth viewer on 11 November 2011.
6. The film was heavily edited before its release in Mainland China.The scene where a flag-raising ceremony was taking place was edited away, as were the scenes involving masturbation.In total, six scenes involving "negative sexual and pro-Taiwan content" were either edited away or changed.
7. The film surpassed the performance of other Taiwanese films such as Monga, Cape No. 7 and Lust, Caution.
Conclusion: Watch it for the its beautiful story and to relish your childhood memory
Chinese Movie Series - Movie#1 - Qiū Jú dǎ guān sī (秋菊打官司)
One of the first Chinese movies I watched was "Qiū Jú dǎ guān sī" (English- Qiu Ju lawsuit), it is one of the many movies in which both Zhang Yimou(Director) and Gong Li(as an actress) worked together.
Plot: The film tells the story of a peasant woman, Qiu Ju, who lives in a rural area of China. When her husband is kicked in the groin by the village head, Qiu Ju, despite her pregnancy, travels to a nearby town, and later to the big city to deal with its bureaucrats and find justice.
Intersting Facts:
The film was shot in 1992-China in northwest Shaanxi province, Many of the street scenes in the cities were filmed with a hidden camera so the images are a sort of documentary of China during the time of Deng Xiaoping.
This film gave Gong Li international recognizition and she won multiple international film awards for her performance.
In this movie, she has carried her character with so originatily that if someone has not seen Gong Li before, will think that she is just an average looking , a real peasant woman. (you would be surprised to know that Gong Li has been one of the most beautiful woman in China and voted #1 during a newspaper poll in China in 1996).
Plot: The film tells the story of a peasant woman, Qiu Ju, who lives in a rural area of China. When her husband is kicked in the groin by the village head, Qiu Ju, despite her pregnancy, travels to a nearby town, and later to the big city to deal with its bureaucrats and find justice.
Intersting Facts:
The film was shot in 1992-China in northwest Shaanxi province, Many of the street scenes in the cities were filmed with a hidden camera so the images are a sort of documentary of China during the time of Deng Xiaoping.
This film gave Gong Li international recognizition and she won multiple international film awards for her performance.
In this movie, she has carried her character with so originatily that if someone has not seen Gong Li before, will think that she is just an average looking , a real peasant woman. (you would be surprised to know that Gong Li has been one of the most beautiful woman in China and voted #1 during a newspaper poll in China in 1996).
Gong Li during a scene of the Movie
The same GONG Li in real life on the cover of a Magazine.
Conclusion: This movie is a must watch for Gong Li fans and those who want to know what China was lik in year 1992.
Tuesday, February 4, 2014
Human-flesh search engines in China - renrou sousuo yinqing
Human Flesh Search engines (Renrou sousuo yinqing, 人肉搜索引擎) have become a Chinese phenomenon: they are a form of online vigilante
justice in which Internet users hunt down and punish people who have
attracted their wrath.
The usual goal is to get the targets of a search fired from their jobs, shamed in front of their neighbors, run out of town.
It’s crowd-sourced detective work, pursued online — with offline results.
There is no portal specially designed for human-flesh searching; the practice takes place in Chinese Internet forums like Mop, where the term most likely originated. Searches are powered by users called wang min, Internet citizens, or Netizens. The word “Netizen” exists in English, but you hear its equivalent used much more frequently in China, perhaps because the public space of the Internet is one of the few places where people can in fact act like citizens.
The first most prominent case of SouSuo came into picture when a wang min called "Beacon Bridge No Return" found a clue in "Kitten Killer" case. For someone who are not aware, Kitten Killer was a case when a middle aged lady posted a video of her killing a kitten with her high heels.
In another case, the "wang min" got a government official lose his job and sent to jail when he was found smiling at the scene of a road accident that killed 36 people. After his photo was posted on Internet, people called for "Human Flesh Search" for him and he was found to be Mr. Yang, former head of the Shaanxi provincial work safety administration. It led to the exposure of Mr. Yang’s penchant for expensive watches and, eventually, a corruption investigation.
he was given a name on internet as Brother Watch.
He was given 14 years in Prison Sentence.
Another incident of "Human Search" involve a mid-level bureaucrat in the southern city of Guangzhou with the name "Cao Bin", he was online called "Uncle House" , after netizens found he has 22 properties.
It all started on October 8 with a post on Tianya, a popular online forum, which includes photographs of land registry records showing details of the properties ranging from a three-storey villa to a factory building.
The photos were accompanied by a short message which ended with the question: “How can an urban management official afford more than 20 properties?”
"Uncle House" sentenced to 11 years in Prison
The usual goal is to get the targets of a search fired from their jobs, shamed in front of their neighbors, run out of town.
It’s crowd-sourced detective work, pursued online — with offline results.
There is no portal specially designed for human-flesh searching; the practice takes place in Chinese Internet forums like Mop, where the term most likely originated. Searches are powered by users called wang min, Internet citizens, or Netizens. The word “Netizen” exists in English, but you hear its equivalent used much more frequently in China, perhaps because the public space of the Internet is one of the few places where people can in fact act like citizens.
The first most prominent case of SouSuo came into picture when a wang min called "Beacon Bridge No Return" found a clue in "Kitten Killer" case. For someone who are not aware, Kitten Killer was a case when a middle aged lady posted a video of her killing a kitten with her high heels.
¶
There is no portal specially designed for human-flesh searching; the
practice takes place in Chinese Internet forums like Mop, where the term
most likely originated. Searches are powered by users called wang min, Internet citizens, or Netizens. The
word “Netizen” exists in English, but you hear its equivalent used much
more frequently in China, perhaps because the public space of the
Internet is one of the few places where people can in fact act like
citizens. A Netizen called Beacon Bridge No Return found the first clue in the kitten-killer case. “There was credit information before the crush scene reading ‘www.crushworld.net,’ ” that user wrote. Netizens traced the e-mail address associated with the site to a server in Hangzhou, a couple of hours from Shanghai. A
follow-up post asked about the video’s location: “Are users from
Hangzhou familiar with this place?” Locals reported that nothing in
their city resembled the backdrop in the video. But Netizens kept sifting through the clues, confident they could track down one person in a nation of more than a billion. They were right.
¶
The traditional media picked up the story, and people all across China
saw the kitten killer’s photo on television and in newspapers. “I know this woman,” wrote I’m Not Desert Angel four days after the search began. “She’s not in Hangzhou. She lives in the small town I live in here in northeastern China. God, she’s a nurse! That’s all I can say.
Only six days after the first Mop post about the
video, the kitten killer’s home was revealed as the town of Luobei in
Heilongjiang Province, in the far northeast, and her name — Wang Jiao —
was made public, as were her phone number and her employer. Wang
Jiao and the cameraman who filmed her were dismissed from what the
Chinese call iron rice bowls, government jobs that usually last to
retirement and pay a pension until death. (Source - New York Times)
The kitten-killer case didn’t just provide revenge; it helped turn the human-flesh search engine into a national phenomenon.
Searches have been directed against all kinds of
people, including cheating spouses, corrupt government officials,
amateur pornography makers, Chinese citizens who are perceived as
unpatriotic, journalists who urge a moderate stance on Tibet and rich
people who try to game the Chinese system. Human-flesh
searches highlight what people are willing to fight for: the political
issues, polarizing events and contested moral standards that are the
fault lines of contemporary China.
This could be called Red Guard 2.0.(Red Guard was Mao's tradition who during "Cultural Revolution" called young students as Red Guard and asked them to rise up against local officials who were bourgeois or corrupt)
In another case, the "wang min" got a government official lose his job and sent to jail when he was found smiling at the scene of a road accident that killed 36 people. After his photo was posted on Internet, people called for "Human Flesh Search" for him and he was found to be Mr. Yang, former head of the Shaanxi provincial work safety administration. It led to the exposure of Mr. Yang’s penchant for expensive watches and, eventually, a corruption investigation.
he was given a name on internet as Brother Watch.
He was given 14 years in Prison Sentence.
Another incident of "Human Search" involve a mid-level bureaucrat in the southern city of Guangzhou with the name "Cao Bin", he was online called "Uncle House" , after netizens found he has 22 properties.
It all started on October 8 with a post on Tianya, a popular online forum, which includes photographs of land registry records showing details of the properties ranging from a three-storey villa to a factory building.
The photos were accompanied by a short message which ended with the question: “How can an urban management official afford more than 20 properties?”
"Uncle House" sentenced to 11 years in Prison
Tuesday, January 21, 2014
Volunteering activity for Foreigners in China!
As a human being, we always complains that we don't have enough time to do this, we don't have enough time to do that.
But a new study by US based universities suggests that when we give our time away, it helps us feel like we have more time.
Research has found that when a person volunteers his or her time, it makes us feel more efficient, and therefore likely makes us less stressed and hurried.
So, if you want to Volunteer and helps the society, what other place better than China.
There are plenty of opportunities for people who wants to volunteer their time in China, China is a fascinating place to volunteer providing immense cultural exchange opportunities for volunteers and student alike.
1. Teach and Travel: there are many opportunities for foreigners to travel to China and teach English over there for few weeks, Chinese students are usually very respectful with teachers and they are very happy to learn English from foreigners. You can contact one of many agencies which organizes this programme, one such agency is Bunac (http://www.bunac.org/uk/volunteer/china/teach-english/whats-included)
Foreigner volunteer English teachers in China.
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But a new study by US based universities suggests that when we give our time away, it helps us feel like we have more time.
Research has found that when a person volunteers his or her time, it makes us feel more efficient, and therefore likely makes us less stressed and hurried.
So, if you want to Volunteer and helps the society, what other place better than China.
There are plenty of opportunities for people who wants to volunteer their time in China, China is a fascinating place to volunteer providing immense cultural exchange opportunities for volunteers and student alike.
1. Teach and Travel: there are many opportunities for foreigners to travel to China and teach English over there for few weeks, Chinese students are usually very respectful with teachers and they are very happy to learn English from foreigners. You can contact one of many agencies which organizes this programme, one such agency is Bunac (http://www.bunac.org/uk/volunteer/china/teach-english/whats-included)
While teaching you can also explore China's attractions.
2. Panda Breeding and Research Centre Volunteering: So if English teaching is not for you, then there are more excited programs for volunteering in China and meeting the world's cutest animal panda.
This volunteer activity is organized by China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda (CCRCGP) and it is located in the Wolong Nature Reserve, Chengdu, Sicuan. Some of the volunteer activities foreigners can participate in
Some of the activities are:
- Prepare food for the pandas such as apples, panda bread, and carrots
- Chop and carry bamboo
- Clean panda enclosures
- Some observations and research
For more details, you can refer to below link - http://www.goeco.org/area/volunteer-in-asia/china/giant-panda-center
Foreigners volunteering in Panda research Centre
and while you are in Chengdu, don't forget to try their local delicies - Hot Pot. (火锅）
Chengdu Hot Pot
3. If you are travelling to China in the Spring Festival month, then there are more opportunities to volunteer, as this is the time when it gets really crazy at all the Bus/Train/Airport stations.As per an official estimate, around 3 billion trips are made during Chinese New Year in China, you can volunteer to assit both passengers and the staff. Like in the below picture a foreign volunteer helps a passenger carry her luggage at a railway station in Guangzhou of south China's Guangdong province.
Friday, January 10, 2014
Sacred Moutains of China!
Mountains has holds a great importance in China since ancient times. Chinese looks at mountains not as a holiday destination or a place to camp out in summer, but for their sacred significance.
These "sacred" mountains have been important destinations for Chinese for pilgrimage, infact the Chinese expression for pilgrimage (朝圣;cháoshèng) is a shortened version of an expression which means "paying respect to a holy mountain" .
Out of hundreds of such mountains, five are the most renowned mountains in Chinese History, it is called "Wuyue" or "Five Great Mountains".
The Five Great Mountains or Wu Yue are arranged according to the five cardinal directions of Chinese geomancy, which includes the center also as a direction.
4. Heng Shan or Heng Mountain (恒山;Héng Shān) in Shanxi Province.
These "sacred" mountains have been important destinations for Chinese for pilgrimage, infact the Chinese expression for pilgrimage (朝圣;cháoshèng) is a shortened version of an expression which means "paying respect to a holy mountain" .
Out of hundreds of such mountains, five are the most renowned mountains in Chinese History, it is called "Wuyue" or "Five Great Mountains".
The Five Great Mountains or Wu Yue are arranged according to the five cardinal directions of Chinese geomancy, which includes the center also as a direction.
A Han Dynasty tile emblematically representing the five cardinal directions.
These 5 mountains are -
1. East Great Mountain (Dōngyuè): Tài Shān (泰山, Shandong Province)
2. West Great Mountain (Xīyuè): Huá Shān (华山, Shaanxi Province)
3. South Great Mountain (Nányuè): Héng Shān (衡山,Húnán Province)
.jpg)
View from the North Peak
4. North Great Mountain (Běiyuè): Héng Shān (恒山,Shanxi Province)
5. Center Great Mountain (Zhōngyuè): Sōng Shān(嵩山, Hénán Province)
In Chinese Mythology, the Five Great Mountains originated from the body of Pangu
(盤古/盘古 Pángǔ), the first being and the creator of the world. Because of
its eastern location, Mount Tài is associated with the rising sun which
signifies birth and renewal. Due to this interpretation, it is often
regarded as the most sacred of the Five Great Mountains. In
accordance with its special position, Mount Tài is believed to have been
formed out of Pangu's head. Mount Heng in Hunan is believed to be a
remainder of Pangu's right arm, Mount Heng in Shanxi of his left arm,
Mount Song of his belly, and Mount Hua of his feet.[5]
1. Mount Tai (泰山; Tài Shān) is a mountain of historical and cultural significance located north of the city of Tai'an, in Shandong province, China.
It is associated with sunrise, birth, and renewal, and is often regarded the foremost of the five
Cultural References to Mount Tai -
1. (泰山北斗; Tàishān Bĕidŏu) - As weighty as Mt Tai, as brilliant as the Big Dipper, a giant among men
2. 有眼不識泰山 (Yǒu yǎn bù shí tàishān) (literal translation Has eyes but doesn't recognize Mount Tai), refers to an ignorant yet arrogant person.
The Immortal Bridge (仙人桥; Xiānrén Qiáo),
泰山 南天门 (Tàishān nán tiānmén) (The South Gate to Heaven at Mount Tai)
Mount Tai is shown on the reverse side of the 5 yuan bill.
2. Mount Hua, or Hua Shan (华山;Huà Shān), or Xiyue (西岳;Xīyuè; literally "western great mountain") is a mountain located near the city of Huayin in Shaanxi province, about 120 kilometres (75 mi) east of Xi'an.
Hua Shan West Peak (Lianhua Feng (蓮花峰)
It is the steepest mountain to climb.
An example of how steep the paths are up Hua Shan
3. Mount Heng (衡山; Héng Shān), also known as Nan Yue (南岳; Nányuè), is located in Hunan Province, China.
At the foot of the mountain stands the largest temple in southern China, the Grand Temple of Mount Heng (Nanyue Damiao), which is the largest group of ancient buildings in Hunan Province.
衡山南岳大庙 (Héngshan nányuè dà miào)
Due to its northerly location, the mountain has made it impossible for
pilgrimages by the Chinese to take place for much of its history.
Because of this, Hengshan is not nearly as religiously important in
China as the other Taoist mountains.
Héng Shān
A temple in this area is the famous Hanging Temple,(悬空寺, Xuánkōng Sì) built more than 1,500 years ago into a cliff near the Mount.
Built more than 1,500 years ago, this temple is notable not only for its location on a sheer precipice but also because it is the only existing temple with the combination of three Chinese traditional religions: Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism.
The monastery is located in the small canyon basin, and the body of the building hangs from the middle of the cliff under the prominent summit, protecting the temple from rain erosion and sunlight. Coupled with the repair of the dynasties, the color tattoo in the temple is relatively well preserved. On December 2010, it was listed in the “Time” magazine as the world's top ten most odd dangerous buildings.
Xuánkōng Sì in Night
Xuánkōng Sì in Daytime
The Chinese characters “壮观” (means grand sight or spectacular) at the foot of the mountain is the handwriting left by the great poet Li Bai in Tang Dynasty.
5. Mount Song (Mount Sung; 嵩山; Sōng Shān; literally "lofty mountain"), also known in Chinese as Song Shan, is a culturally significant mountain in China. It is the "Central Great Mountain" (中嶽/中岳) among the Five Great Mountains and located in Henan province on the south bank of the Yellow River
Built more than 1,500 years ago, this temple is notable not only for its location on a sheer precipice but also because it is the only existing temple with the combination of three Chinese traditional religions: Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism.
The monastery is located in the small canyon basin, and the body of the building hangs from the middle of the cliff under the prominent summit, protecting the temple from rain erosion and sunlight. Coupled with the repair of the dynasties, the color tattoo in the temple is relatively well preserved. On December 2010, it was listed in the “Time” magazine as the world's top ten most odd dangerous buildings.
The structure is kept in place with oak crossbeams fitted into holes chiseled into the cliffs. The main supportive structure was hidden inside the bedrock
5. Mount Song (Mount Sung; 嵩山; Sōng Shān; literally "lofty mountain"), also known in Chinese as Song Shan, is a culturally significant mountain in China. It is the "Central Great Mountain" (中嶽/中岳) among the Five Great Mountains and located in Henan province on the south bank of the Yellow River
The mountain is one of the sacred Taoist
mountains of China, and contains important Taoist temples such as the
Zhongyue Temple; however the mountain also features a significant
Buddhist presence. It is home to the Shaolin Temple, traditionally considered the birthplace of Zen Buddhism, and the temple's collection of pagoda forest is the largest in China.
Shaolin Monastery or Shaolin Temple (少林寺, Shàolín Sì) is long famous for its association with Chinese martial arts and particularly with Shaolin Kung Fu, and it is the best known Mahayana Buddhist monastery to the Western world.
The shào (少) in "Shaolin" refers to Shaoshi Mountain (少室山), one of the seven mountains forming the Songshan mountain range;
It is on this mountain the Temple is situated. The word lín (林) means "forest". The word sì (寺) means "monastery/temple".
The taijiquan master Zhang Zuyao incorrectly translated "Shaolin" as "young (new) forest" or sometimes
"little forest". This newer translation is commonly accepted today.
少林寺碑林 (Shàolínsì bēilín)
Tuesday, January 7, 2014
Chinese Language and the related Superstitions!
Traditional Chinese society is rife with superstitious beliefs, and these superstitious beliefs are not limited to going to fortune tellers to find a good date to get married or have a baby.
Instead these superstitions extends far beyond and present in its very Language.
Most of the Chinese superstitions are based on homophones(a word pronounced the same as another but differing in meaning) in the Chinese language.
The reason for the same is Chinese makes use of relatively few syllable sounds in the construction of words compared to other languages, due to that many unrelated concepts are expressed with the same syllable sound. Superstitious beliefs arise when those unrelated concepts are treated as if they were related.
Some of the common syllables in Chinese language which are critical for their alternative meanings.
1. dao . this same syllable has different meaning- one is "to arrive" and another is "Upside Down"
For this reason, one will often find the character for good fortune (“fu 福,)) hanging upside down in homes celebrating a wedding or during the Chinese New Year. The idea is that this upside down (“dao 倒”) talisman will cause good fortune to arrive ("dao 到”) in the course of the marriage or in the coming year.
Character fu - 福 hanging upside down
2. bian fu (蝙蝠） - this syllable meaning "Bat" but it also contains the same sound as good fortune, “fu 福” This homophonic connection makes bats a common theme in Chinese folk art. Many homes feature cut paper pictures or other depictions of bats, intended to attract good fortune.
Hotel Lisboa in Macau has its entrance in the shape of a bat.
3. Si - the number 4 in China is considered extermely unlucky, This is because the pronunciation of four（四– sì) sounds similar to the Chinese word for death (死 – si). Therefore, many people choose to avoid the number four like the plague. It’s not uncommon to step into an elevator in China and notice that there’s no button for the 4th floor, or the 13th or 14th floor, for that matter.
No 4th, 13th, or 14th floor in a lift in China.
4. ba - When it comes to good luck, the magic number in China is eight. This is because eight (八 – ba) sounds sort of similar to the word for prosperity/wealth (发– fa). Do you remember the Beijing Olympics and its grand opening ceremony? It’s no coincidence that the games commenced at 8:08 PM on August 8th, 2008 (8/8/08). Staring the games at this time was meant to bring good luck.
Following are other examples where Chinese people considered no 8 as very lucky.
i. In 2003, A telephone number with all digits being eights was sold for CN¥2.33 million (approximately USD$280,000) to Sichuan Airlines in Chengdu, China (Source: http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/200308/19/eng20030819_122604.shtml)
ii. A man in Hangzhou offered to sell his license plate reading A88888 for ¥1.12 million (roughly $164,000).
iii. The Petronas Twin Towers in Malaysia each have 88 Floors.
iv. The minivan that GM makes for the Chinese market is called the Buick GL8, but the minivans it sold in other countries didn't have that name.
v. Singapore Airlines reserves flight numbers beginning with the number 8 to routes in China and Korea.
5. zhong - In Chinese Culture “giving a clock” (送钟– sòng zhong) sounds similar to “bid farewell to someone on their deathbed” (送终 – sòng zhong). As such, giving someone a clock basically means you’re sending them off to the great beyond.
6. Yu - The chinese character for surplus/extra – 余 and the Chinese for fish – 鱼, are both pronounced yú, so fish are considered to be lucky. That’s why fish feature so highly in Chinese art, and lots of Chinese people have pictures of fish on their walls.
A shop in Yangshuo selling lucky fish symbols
7. he - Chinese pronounciation of lotus flowers（荷）and boxes（盒） and Harmony（和）are same are associated with weddings because they’re both pronounced – the same as the Chinese word for harmony.
8. zi - In earlier time in China, it was traditional to empty seeds or fruit onto a newly wed couple’s bed because Chinese syllable for fruits and nuts(果子Guǒzi， 阿月浑子实ā yuè hún zǐ shí) contain the character 子 which also means son.
9. zaozi - Chinese word for jujube is (zaozi 枣子) and is is considered lucky because in Chinese (zao means early and Zi means Son) so they are homonyms of ‘early – son’ and ‘produce a son’ respectively.
Soups with jujube during Chinese wedding.
10. lu - Character for lu 禄 considered for prosperity and good fortune as lu means salary.
11. xi - 囍 (It means "Double Happiness") and considered very lucky character during Chinese weddings ceremony, significance of "double" means both man and woman celebrate the day of their wedding.
囍 is used commonly in decorations during Chinese Wedding.
囍 also appears in Wedding invitation cards in China.
Even in today’s world of high-tech gadgets and improving education, superstition remains a strong element of Chinese culture. This results in part from the importance of luck in Chinese tradition and in modern Chinese life. To thrive in the dynastic era, a farming family needed good weather, a scholar’s family needed good exam scores and a royal family needed to survive often treacherous court intrigues. Good luck tokens seemed a necessary precaution under such circumstances. With so much riding on good fortune, it is no wonder that superstitious beliefs continue to color Chinese culture to this day.
Instead these superstitions extends far beyond and present in its very Language.
Most of the Chinese superstitions are based on homophones(a word pronounced the same as another but differing in meaning) in the Chinese language.
The reason for the same is Chinese makes use of relatively few syllable sounds in the construction of words compared to other languages, due to that many unrelated concepts are expressed with the same syllable sound. Superstitious beliefs arise when those unrelated concepts are treated as if they were related.
Some of the common syllables in Chinese language which are critical for their alternative meanings.
1. dao . this same syllable has different meaning- one is "to arrive" and another is "Upside Down"
For this reason, one will often find the character for good fortune (“fu 福,)) hanging upside down in homes celebrating a wedding or during the Chinese New Year. The idea is that this upside down (“dao 倒”) talisman will cause good fortune to arrive ("dao 到”) in the course of the marriage or in the coming year.
A woman holding the decoration with character fu upside down.
Character fu - 福 hanging upside down
2. bian fu (蝙蝠） - this syllable meaning "Bat" but it also contains the same sound as good fortune, “fu 福” This homophonic connection makes bats a common theme in Chinese folk art. Many homes feature cut paper pictures or other depictions of bats, intended to attract good fortune.
3. Si - the number 4 in China is considered extermely unlucky, This is because the pronunciation of four（四– sì) sounds similar to the Chinese word for death (死 – si). Therefore, many people choose to avoid the number four like the plague. It’s not uncommon to step into an elevator in China and notice that there’s no button for the 4th floor, or the 13th or 14th floor, for that matter.
4. ba - When it comes to good luck, the magic number in China is eight. This is because eight (八 – ba) sounds sort of similar to the word for prosperity/wealth (发– fa). Do you remember the Beijing Olympics and its grand opening ceremony? It’s no coincidence that the games commenced at 8:08 PM on August 8th, 2008 (8/8/08). Staring the games at this time was meant to bring good luck.
Following are other examples where Chinese people considered no 8 as very lucky.
i. In 2003, A telephone number with all digits being eights was sold for CN¥2.33 million (approximately USD$280,000) to Sichuan Airlines in Chengdu, China (Source: http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/200308/19/eng20030819_122604.shtml)
ii. A man in Hangzhou offered to sell his license plate reading A88888 for ¥1.12 million (roughly $164,000).
iii. The Petronas Twin Towers in Malaysia each have 88 Floors.
iv. The minivan that GM makes for the Chinese market is called the Buick GL8, but the minivans it sold in other countries didn't have that name.
v. Singapore Airlines reserves flight numbers beginning with the number 8 to routes in China and Korea.
5. zhong - In Chinese Culture “giving a clock” (送钟– sòng zhong) sounds similar to “bid farewell to someone on their deathbed” (送终 – sòng zhong). As such, giving someone a clock basically means you’re sending them off to the great beyond.
6. Yu - The chinese character for surplus/extra – 余 and the Chinese for fish – 鱼, are both pronounced yú, so fish are considered to be lucky. That’s why fish feature so highly in Chinese art, and lots of Chinese people have pictures of fish on their walls.
7. he - Chinese pronounciation of lotus flowers（荷）and boxes（盒） and Harmony（和）are same are associated with weddings because they’re both pronounced – the same as the Chinese word for harmony.
8. zi - In earlier time in China, it was traditional to empty seeds or fruit onto a newly wed couple’s bed because Chinese syllable for fruits and nuts(果子Guǒzi， 阿月浑子实ā yuè hún zǐ shí) contain the character 子 which also means son.
9. zaozi - Chinese word for jujube is (zaozi 枣子) and is is considered lucky because in Chinese (zao means early and Zi means Son) so they are homonyms of ‘early – son’ and ‘produce a son’ respectively.
Soups with jujube during Chinese wedding.
10. lu - Character for lu 禄 considered for prosperity and good fortune as lu means salary.
11. xi - 囍 (It means "Double Happiness") and considered very lucky character during Chinese weddings ceremony, significance of "double" means both man and woman celebrate the day of their wedding.
Even in today’s world of high-tech gadgets and improving education, superstition remains a strong element of Chinese culture. This results in part from the importance of luck in Chinese tradition and in modern Chinese life. To thrive in the dynastic era, a farming family needed good weather, a scholar’s family needed good exam scores and a royal family needed to survive often treacherous court intrigues. Good luck tokens seemed a necessary precaution under such circumstances. With so much riding on good fortune, it is no wonder that superstitious beliefs continue to color Chinese culture to this day.
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