Monthly Archives: April 2014

Chinese proverb of the week: 7

Posted on April 27, 2014 by

Duì niú tán qín 对 牛 弹 琴 Play a harp before a cow   This is the Chinese equivalent to our expression ‘cast pearls before swine’ – that is to say, don’t offer something of value to someone who … Continue reading →

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Hanging Devils

Posted on April 22, 2014 by

I love reading crime fiction.  Since my teenage years I’ve worked my way through many of the great and lesser writers in the genre, from Agatha Christie, Ngaio Marsh, Raymond Chandler, Ed McBain, and John D Macdonald all the way … Continue reading →

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Chinese proverb of the week: 6

Posted on April 20, 2014 by

Tóng bìng xiāng lián 同 病 相怜 Patients with similar conditions empathise with each other I think this is the equivalent of the English saying:  ‘Misery loves company’.                      This is a proverb that has two possible interpretations. The first is … Continue reading →

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Yangzhou chao fan – everybody loves eating it.

Posted on April 16, 2014 by

When we were staying in Yangzhou last week I knew there was one dish we HAD to eat, and that was Yangzhou chao fan  扬州炒饭 which translates as Yangzhou fried rice.  This is the dish that Yangzhou has given to the … Continue reading →

Posted in Food & Drink, Recipes | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Chinese proverb of the week – 5

Posted on April 13, 2014 by

lǎo pó shì bié rén de liàng 老婆是别人的靓 Your neighbour’s wife looks prettier than your own. Or, as we would say ‘The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence’. I know some people who are always … Continue reading →

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The flowers that bloom in Yangzhou – tra la!

Posted on April 9, 2014 by

This past weekend has been the Qingming festival and is a national public holiday, so the DH and I, together with another couple, decided to make the most of the time and travelled south from Beijing to visit the ancient … Continue reading →

Posted in Places of interest, Travel | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Chinese proverb of the week: 4

Posted on April 6, 2014 by

shŏu zhū dài tù 守 株 待 兔 Man who waits for roast duck to fly into his mouth must wait a very, very long time. What does this mean?  Well apart from the obvious that the man is a … Continue reading →

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Qing Ming Jie – time for tomb sweeping

Posted on April 4, 2014 by

Tomorrow is Qing Ming Jie 清明节, which literally translates as ‘Clear Bright Festival’. It is one of the major Chinese festivals, in English it is often called ‘Tomb Sweeping Day’.  As it always held on the 1st day of the … Continue reading →

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