Monthly Archives: March 2014

Chinese proverb of the week: 3

Posted on March 30, 2014 by

  Bù rù hǔxuè, yāndé hǔ zǐ? 不入虎穴，焉得虎子 If you don’t enter the tiger’s den, how will you get the tiger cub? Or, as we would say: Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

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Chop it to make it legal

Posted on March 26, 2014 by

Do you know what a ‘chop’ is in China?  (hint: it is NOT a cut of meat).                                   It is a  carved seal bearing the name of the individual, company, Provincial government, government department etc. Chops have been used for thousands … Continue reading →

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Chinese proverb of the week (2)

Posted on March 23, 2014 by

Bu guan hei mao bai  mao neng zhuo zhe lao shu de jiu shi hao mao! 不管黑貓白貓能捉老鼠都是好貓! No matter if it is a black cat or a white cat, if it catches mice it is a good cat! Chinese people … Continue reading →

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Cucumber and Pine nut salad with Spicy Dressing

Posted on March 19, 2014 by

It is ages since I posted a recipe, which is strange really as I do a lot of cooking both for ourselves and for when we entertain, and love finding and trying to recreate new dishes. Needless to say, living … Continue reading →

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Chinese Proverbs

Posted on March 16, 2014 by

Tian gao, Huangdi yuan. 天高皇帝远  Heaven is high, and the Emperor is far away This is the first Chinese proverb I ever heard used and completely understood;  and to my mind it encapsulates China and the way it is governed. … Continue reading →

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Twinkle toes!

Posted on March 9, 2014 by

When one is young, one doesn’t really give one’s feet much thought – they are just there –  conveniently placed at the end of your legs. And whilst I’m on the subject of legs –  what the hell happened to … Continue reading →

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Going bananas about being called a banana

Posted on March 7, 2014 by

Over the past few days a bit of a brouhaha has blown up in the western media – particularly the American media – about an article written in one of the ‘official’ English language newspapers here in China. The controversial … Continue reading →

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Lucky day for a haircut

Posted on March 4, 2014 by

Here in China it has long been thought that the luckiest day of the year to get your hair cut is longtaitou 龙抬头 (meaning ‘Dragon raises its head’ )  also known as ‘er yue er‘ 二月二. This festival is always … Continue reading →

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