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MANDARIN III

S U P P L E M E N T A LR E A D I N G B O O K L E T

Notes

Unit 1China’s Weather . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5Types of Tea . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7

Unit 2Careers for the YoungerGeneration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9IT Industries in China . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Unit 3Harbin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11Chinese Adjectives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Unit 4Dialects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13Purpose or Motion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Unit 5Classifiers, or “Measure Words” . . . . . . . . . 16

Unit 6bai jiu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19Peking Duck . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Unit 7Hotels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22Restaurants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Notes (continued)

Unit 8Hainan and Sanya . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Unit 9“Hotel” - jiu dian vs. lü guan . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Unit 10Chang’an Avenue and Tian’anmen Square . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Unit 11Embassies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Unit 12Wangfujing Avenue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Unit 13Beihai Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Unit 14The Particles guo and le . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Unit 15More on le . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Notes (continued)

Unit 16Gan bei! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37Omission of Pronouns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

Unit 17Special Economic Zones andIndustrial Parks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Unit 18Women in Business . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

Unit 19Suzhou Revisited . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

Unit 20Interpreters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

Unit 21Flower Appreciation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

Unit 22The Palace Museum in Bejiing . . . . . . . . . . . 47

Unit 23Luoyang . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Notes (continued)

Unit 24Gift-Giving / Hospitality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

Unit 25Books and Bookstores . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52

Unit 26Classical Music . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54

Unit 27The Chinese Education System . . . . . . . . . . 56

Unit 28Exercising, Chinese-style . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58

Unit 29Tourist Souvenirs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59

Unit 30Saying Goodbye . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61

Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63

TABLE OF CONTENTS

5

China’s Weather

Because of its vast size, China’s weath-er varies a great deal from north to south,east to west. From the sub-arctic in thenortheast to the subtropical in parts ofYunnan province in the southwest, Chinacovers several climate zones. The threenortheastern provinces — Heilongjiang,Jilin, and Liaoning — are bitterly cold inthe winter, with temperatures often dippingto minus forty degrees Fahrenheit. Thenation’s capital, Beijing, receives a fairamount of snow, although heavy stormsand blizzards are rare. To escape the win-ter weather, tourists flock to the warm,sandy beaches of Hainan Island in theSouth China Sea. Xishuangbanna inYunnan is another popular winter destina-tion for those who wish to escape the cold.Summer is the rainiest season in China.From mid-June to mid-July much of thelower Yangtze River valley is shrouded in

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Unit 1

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rain. Sea resorts like Qingdao andBeidaihe in the north, and mountainousregions like Putuoshan and Lushan in thesouth, provide relief from the stifling heatand humidity.

Spring and autumn are probably thebest times to visit China: throughoutmuch of the country, the skies are clear,with daytime temperatures hoveringbe-tween sixty and eighty degrees Fahrenheit.However, Beijing — which used to befamous for its clear, azure-blue, autumnalskies — now suffers from smog and airpollution. In addition, every spring thewinds from the Gobi desert bring heavysandstorms from the north. Although thegovernment has mounted a massive cam-paign to reforest northern and northwest-ern China, Beijing is still a dustbowl fromMarch to May. It is not unusual to seewomen cover their heads and faces withsilk scarves for protection.

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Unit 1 (continued)

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Types of Tea

Tea is the most popular non-alcoholicbeverage in China. There are four types:green tea, black tea, oolong tea, and thevery rare white tea. The differencesamong the first three lie not in the type ofplant, but in the way the leaves areprocessed.

Green tea is the most common. It isproduced from freshly picked unferment-ed tea leaves, which are first steamed, thendried over a charcoal fire. The mostfamous green tea in China is known asDragon Well and is grown on the hillsidesof Hangzhou.

Black tea —which the Chinese call“red tea” — is made from fermented tealeaves, which explains its darker color.The leaves are first allowed to wither, ordry, in bamboo trays. Next they arerolled and sifted. This process bruises the

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leaves, thus encouraging fermentation.With oxidation, the leaves turn even dark-er in color and acquire a recognizable teaodor. When the leaves have fermented tothe desired level, they are roasted to stopfermentation and to destroy bacteria.

Oolong tea is partially fermented, mak-ing it halfway between black and green teain flavor. Once the edges of the leavesturn brown, the fermentation process isstopped by roasting the leaves in a pan.

White tea is made from the buds of avery rare type of tea plant. The tea, whichis harvested for only a few days a year, isvery subtle in flavor.

In addition to these four kinds of tea,there are multiple variations, includingscented teas. To produce these, dried flow-ers are added to green and oolong teas.The most popular of the scented teas is jas-mine.

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Unit 1 (continued)

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Careers for the Younger Generation

As China’s economy develops, anincreasing number of career options isopen to the country’s young and ambi-tious. Expanded options, however, oftencome at the cost of decreased job security.Gone are the days when a job with a state-owned company was considered an “ironrice-bowl,” that is, a meal ticket for life.More and more state-owned companies arestruggling to survive in the new marketeconomy, and private enterprise is grow-ing. Today, college graduates dream ofpursuing white-collar (bai ling) work inbanking, foreign or joint-venture enterpris-es, and high-tech industries. These youngpeople represent an emerging middle classin Chinese society.

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Unit 2

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IT Industries in China

In recent years many high-tech firmshave sprung up in China, especially inBeijing, Shenzhen (which lies across theborder from Hong Kong), and the regionaround Shanghai. In Beijing, most ofChina’s burgeoning software companiesare concentrated in a small area calledzhong guan cun. Its prominence derivesfrom the fact that Beijing is home to manyof the country’s most prestigious universi-ties and colleges, as well as to governmentresearch institutions. This vast pool of tal-ents is the biggest asset of zhong guancun. The success of Shenzhen is due tothe city’s status as a special economic zonewith flexible policies (see Unit 17) and toits proximity to Hong Kong, while thegreater Shanghai metropolitan area inrecent years has begun to attract manychip-makers and notebook manufacturersfrom Taiwan.

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Unit 2 (continued)

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Harbin

Harbin is the capital of China’s north-ernmost province, Heilongjiang. The cityderives its name from the Manchu wordfor “honor” or “fame.” Harbin’s geogra-phy and history lend it a distinctly Russianflavor. In the late nineteenth century, theRussians built a railway line fromVladivostok to Harbin. Several decadeslater, after the Russian Revolution of1917, the city saw an influx of refugeesfrom Siberia. The Russian imprint is stillvisible in much of the city’s architecture.Today, there is flourishing trade and cross-border tourism between Harbin and theRussian far eastern region.

Harbin’s main tourist attraction is itsIce Lantern Festival. This takes placeevery winter from January 5 to February15. Whimsical ice sculptures are dis-played in the main park and illuminated atnight.

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Unit 3

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Pu tong hua hen nan, or ChineseAdjectives

Chinese adjectives are inherently con-trastive. For this reason, adjectives arenot used on their own in Chinese when nocontrast is intended. To cancel out thecontrast, a qualifier such as hen (“very”) isadded to the adjective: Pu tong hua hennan (“Chinese is very difficult”) asopposed to simply, Pu tong hua nan. Ifyou say Pu tong hua nan, you are actuallysaying that Mandarin is difficult comparedto some other language, whether or notthat language is mentioned. The compari-son or contrast is implicit. To make ablanket statement with no comparisonimplied, you must add “very” or a similarqualifier, such as “extraordinarily,” “a lit-tle,” and so on. This rule of thumb appliesnot only to nan, but to most other adjec-tives as well – for example, Pu tong huahen rong yi (“Chinese is very easy”).

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Unit 3 (continued)

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Dialects

China is a country of many dialects.There are seven major groups: Mandarin,Wu, Xiang, Gan, Kejia or Hakka, Min,and Yue (Cantonese). The main differ-ences among them are in pronunciationand vocabulary, although there are differ-ences in syntax as well.

The most important and widespread ofthese dialects is Mandarin, which is thestandard spoken language in China.Approximately 70 percent of the popula-tion speaks Mandarin. It is based on thedialect spoken by the residents of Beijing,China’s capital, since the thirteenth centu-ry. Some of the so-called “dialects” —some linguists classify them as differentlanguages — are mutually unintelligible.For ex-ample, someone from the provinceof Guangdong in the deep south will notunderstand his compatriots from the north

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Unit 4

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— unless they both resort to Mandarin. Itis known as “Mandarin” in Englishbecause it was the lingua franca amongscholar-officials, or Mandarins, in pre-modern China.

Unlike Mandarin, or pu tong hua, theterm zhong wen in its narrow sense refers tothe written Chinese language used by about95 percent of the population in China. Itshould be noted that zhong wen is the writ-ten form of Chinese; the many dialects,including Mandarin, represent a variety ofspoken forms. (Colloquially, zhong wencan also refer to spoken Chinese, but wenproperly means “written language.”)Because zhong wen is the standard writtenlanguage, it is possible for people from allover the country to communicate with oneanother in writing. However, with theincreasing spread of education and massmedia, particularly film and TV, more andmore people throughout China also under-stand and speak Mandarin.

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Unit 4 (continued)

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Purpose or Motion:shang da xue vs. qu da xue

In Unit Four, you learned “wo shang daxue,” meaning, “I’m a college student,” or“I go to college.” Notice that you usedshang, rather than qu. In colloquialChinese shang often has the meaning “togo.” The difference between shang andqu, which is the standard equivalent of “togo,” is that shang connotes the activityassociated with a specific location ratherthan the simple act of going there.Therefore, shang da xue means to study atthe university, whereas qu da xue merelysuggests movement towards the university.The purpose of the action is left unspeci-fied. One could go to the university (quda xue) to visit a friend, for instance. Forthe same reason, shang fan dian means“to eat at a restaurant” rather than simply“to go to a restaurant.”

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Unit 4 (continued)

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Classifiers, or “Measure Words”

A distinguishing feature of modernChinese is its use of classifiers, alsoknown as “measure words.” In classicalChinese they were largely absent. In mod-ern Chinese, however, when describingquantity, you need not only the appropriatenouns and numerals, but also the corre-sponding classifiers. For example, to say“a book,” you say yi ben shu; “two peo-ple” is liang ge ren. The choice of meas-ure word is usually determined by thenature of the item in question.

You’ve encountered the measure wordge during this course. This is perhaps themost versatile classifier. It can be used asa somewhat generic measure word with awide variety of countable nouns, especial-ly in colloquial Chinese; in formalChinese, however, more specific classi-fiers are preferred. For instance, whenspeaking informally, you could say, yi ge

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Unit 5

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ren (“a person” or “one person”), yi ge fandian (“a restaurant”), yi ge yin hang (“abank”). Most measure words, however,are much more restrictive and can be usedonly with specific nouns or categories ofnouns.

Below are some common measurewords. Their tones are indicated as follows:

[1] = high level tone[2] = rising tone[3] = falling-rising tone[4] = falling tone

• wei [4]: This measure word is used torefer to people. It’s more polite thange. Therefore, to show respect to afriend, you say, yi wei peng you ratherthan yi ge peng you. The originalmeaning of the word wei is “seat” —by implication, it means the personoccupying the seat of honor.

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• zhang [1] is used to refer to objectswith wide flat surfaces, such as sofas,desks, or beds: yi zhang sha fa (“asofa”), liang zhang zhuo zi (“twodesks”), san zhang chuang “(threebeds”). The original meaning of theword is “to stretch.”

• ba [3] refers to objects that you can geta grip on, for instance, chairs: liang bayi zi (“two chairs”). Its original mean-ing is “handle.”

• tou [2] applies to things that haveheads, like animals: yi tou niu (“anox,” “a bull,” or “a cow”) or yi tou zhu(“a pig”).

• ben [3] is used primarily to refer tobooks: wu ben shu (“five books”).

• jia [1]: The original meaning of theword is (“home”). As a measure word,it is used with the names for institu-tions and establishments closely asso-

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Unit 5 (continued)

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ciated with the physical structures thathouse them, such as banks, restaurants,or libraries.

Chinese has well over one hundredfifty measure words. Of these, at least ahundred are relatively common, anddozens are used in daily conversation.

bai jiu

Bai jiu is the generic name for manydifferent types of distilled spirits. Theyare called bai jiu, or “white liquor,”because they are colorless. Most are madefrom grains — often sorghum, a type ofmillet. The grains are steamed and yeast isadded, to aid in the fermentation process.

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Unit 5 (continued)

Unit 6

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Most of the liquor consumed by theChinese is made in the Sichuan province.The most famous bai jiu from Sichuan isknown as wu liang ye, meaning “five grainliquid” or “five grain nectar.” As its namesuggests, it is made from five varieties ofgrains: “regular” rice, glutinous rice,wheat, sorghum, and corn. It is slightlysweet and highly fragrant.

Shanxi province, near Beijing, isfamous for its fen jiu, which is made fromlocal sorghum. Yeast made from wheatand peas is added, and the sorghum issteamed and buried underground for twen-ty-one days to allow fermentation. Moreyeast is then added, and the mixture is fer-mented and distilled again. After blend-ing, the liquor is ready to bottle.

Another well-known variety of bai jiuis called er guo tou. It’s particularly pop-ular with the working class in northern

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China. The most famous of all the whiteliquors is mao tai, which is named afterthe town in Guizhou Province where it isproduced.

Peking Duck

Perhaps the most famous dish associat-ed with the capital of China, Peking duckis prepared in several steps, all of whichensure its unique flavor. The duck israised on farms around Beijing (formerlycalled “Peking”) on a diet of grain andsoybean paste. The mature fattened duckis slaughtered, then lacquered withmolasses; air is pumped under the skin toseparate it from the carcass, after whichthe duck is boiled, dried, and finally roast-ed over a fruitwood fire.

Quan ju de Restaurant in Beijing,which dates back to 1864, is the place totry this delectable dish. The entire feast

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consists of two main stages. First theboneless meat and skin are served with aplum sauce, scallions, and crepes. Thencomes the duck soup, made from thebones and other parts of the duck.Although the most authentic version canbe had only at quan ju de, Peking duck iswidely available throughout Beijing.

Hotels

There is a wide range of tourist accom-modations in China, all the way frombudget guesthouses to luxurious five-starhotels. In most big cities, prices are com-parable to those in Europe and NorthAmerica. Only in the interior is it possi-ble to find cheaper rates, although these,too, are rising. The high-end market isdominated by familiar international chainssuch as Hilton, Sheraton, Ritz-Carlton,

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Unit 6 (continued)

Unit 7

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and Four Seasons. For the frugally- mind-ed, it’s possible to find university dormito-ries and government-run guesthouses.However, many, although not all, are off-limits to international travelers. Western-style youth hostels and bed-and-breakfastsare still rare.

For travelers in the know, it is some-times possible to stay at one of the five-star hotels while avoiding the exorbitantrate. Some of them have discounts avail-able for the asking — but you mustinquire, as these discounts are neitheradvertised nor offered.

Restaurants

As the Chinese standard of living con-tinues to rise, dining out is becomingincreasingly common. Many, if not all, ofthe popular restaurants in the big cities areprivately owned. These range from mom-

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Unit 7 (continued)

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and-pop holes-in-the-wall to vast, opulent-ly-decked-out multi-story gastronomicalemporia. In fact, size seems in direct pro-portion to flash and price. Many of theglitzy restaurants feature live orchestrasand private banquet rooms. Patrons areinvited to inspect live seafood in watertanks on the first floor while waitresses,most of whom come from the provinces,take the orders.

There is a vast array of food to be had— from regional cuisine to internationalfare. In Beijing and Shanghai, virtually alltypes of Chinese and foreign food can befound, although Chinese dishes are stillthe most popular. Two trends — regional-ism and cosmopolitanism — are emergingin the restaurant scene. Authentic region-al cuisine is on the rise, but so is fusionfood. Foie gras and sashimi have bothmade their way onto some of the fancierrestaurant menus.

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Unit 7 (continued)

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Hainan and Sanya

Hainan is a large tropical island off thecoast of southern China. Its yearly aver-age temperature is seventy-eight degreesFahrenheit. From March to November theisland is shrouded in heat and humidity.Hainan is famous for its tropical plantsand crops: coconuts, pepper, coffee, andrubber, among others. Many of the farmson Hainan were founded by ethnicChinese from Southeast Asia — thedescendants of emigrants who resettled intheir ancestral homeland after the waves ofanti-Chinese feeling in Indonesia andMalaysia in the 1960s. Since there is littleheavy industry, pollution is minimal.Until 1988 Hainan was part of GuangdongProvince. The island was elevated toprovincial status when the Chinese gov-ernment decided to open it up to foreigninvestors. Its capital city is Haikou, on thenorthern coastline. During peak season,Hainan is a favored site for tourists.

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The most popular tourist destination,however, is Sanya in the south. Blessedwith miles of excellent beaches, it’s one ofthe most well-known winter resorts inChina.

“Hotel” - jiu dian vs. lü guan

As you know, Chinese has multipledialects — which can result in severalnames for the same thing. Here, youlearned a second word for “hotel” — lüguan rather than jiu dian. Lü guan is morecommon in the north, jiu dian in the south.Their connotations may differ as well.

In Mandarin lü guan is the genericword for “hotel.” This term covers thewhole range of tourist accommodationsfrom the simplest inn to the glitziest five-star hotel.

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Unit 8 (continued)

Unit 9

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Jiu dian, on the other hand, almostalways refers to big, fancy establishments.In addition, it generally occurs as part of ahotel name. Jiu dian literally means“wine shop”; it originally designated a tra-ditional Chinese-style pub where ricewine or other kinds of alcohol and simplefood are served, and customers sit on longnarrow benches around rectangular tables.Then, in the 1980s, developers from HongKong built the first modern internationaltourist hotels in China. Since these hotelswere located in the south, the term jiu dianwas often applied to them. For this reason,jiu dian sounds vaguely Cantonese toMandarin speakers — although today theymay use it as well, to refer to a top-qualityhotel.

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Unit 9 (continued)

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Chang’an Avenueand Tian’anmen Square

Chang’an Avenue is Beijing’s answerto the Champs Elysées. It is one of themain thoroughfares in Beijing.Government offices, monuments, andmuseums sit side-by-side along this multi-lane artery. The retail epicenterWangfujing is a stone’s throw away. At theheart of Chang’an Avenue is the immensewindswept Tian’anmen Square. Both theavenue and the square were created byMao Zedong in the 1950s. The square isnamed after the Tian’anmen Gate in theForbidden City (see Unit 22), from whichChairman Mao proclaimed the foundingof the People’s Republic of China in 1949.Tian’anmen Square is fraught with eco-nomic and political significance, as manymomentous events in modern Chinese his-tory took place there and in the surround-ing area.

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Unit 10

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Embassies

China has diplomatic relations withmore than one hundred countries. Mostforeign embassies in Beijing are concen-trated in two areas: Jianguomenwai andSanlitun, east and northeast of theForbidden City, respectively. It is notunusual to see long lines of Chinese out-side the tightly-guarded compounds, wait-ing for visas to study or work abroad.

Sanlitun is also home to Beijing’s well-known “bar street” — or rather “streets,”as there is now a “Sanlitun North Street”and a “Sanlitun South Street,” both ofwhich are highly popular among tourists.Scores of bars and nightclubs line thesides of these narrow dusty roads.Because of their proximity to the diplo-matic quarters, the variously-themed barsand clubs cater to a largely foreign clien-tele.

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Unit 11

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Wangfujing Avenue

Along with Chang’an Avenue,Wangfujing is one of the most famousstreet addresses not only in Beijing, but allover China. Most of the older departmentstores, traditional shops, boutiques, andbookstores can be found on this block.After a recent makeover, however, thestreet is now almost unrecognizable tothose who visited it even a few years ago.Locals and tourists throng the area, espe-cially on weekends. Part of Wangfujinghas been closed to vehicular traffic. Life-size sculptures depicting old Beijing urbanlife dot the pedestrian zone. While it’s nolonger the most prestigious or fashionableshopping area in the city, it’s still the mostfamous.

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Unit 12

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Beihai Park

Lying northwest of the Forbidden City,Beihai Park is the former playground ofthe Manchu emperors. Artificial hills,picturesque pavilions, and colorful tem-ples compose the landscape. Half of thepark is a manmade lake. The most promi-nent landmark of the park is the bulbousWhite Pagoda. Built in a Tibetan architec-tural style, it commemorates a visit by theDalai Lama. Another well-known featureof the park is the Painted Gallery. Idyllicsceneries are depicted on the beams of thewinding covered walkway. Equally wellknown is the Nine Dragon Screen, whosesixteen by eighty-eight foot wall is madeof colored glazed tiles. Beihai Park is alsofamous for its restaurant, which serves thefavorite recipes of the Manchu emperorsand empresses. Prices, as one can imag-ine, are high.

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Unit 13

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The Particles guo and le

Note the following sentence: Wo shangge xing qi lai guo zhe jia fan dian. (“Icame to this restaurant last week.”) In thisstatement you used guo instead of lebecause you were explaining why youknow the food is good at the restaurant —it’s because you’ve tried it. You were at therestaurant last week. The word guo sug-gests the experience of having done some-thing. In other words, with guo theemphasis is on the present implication of apast action rather than on its completion.On the other hand, if you say: Wo shangge xing qi lai le zhe jia fan dian, the focusis on the completion of the action. Perhapsit was some-thing you were supposed todo, and you did it. You completed the task.

Here’s another example: You know thatSam has been to Beijing, so you think heshould know what the weather is like there.You could then say, Sam, ni qu guo bei

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Unit 14

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jing. Bei jing de tian qi zen me yang?(“Sam, you have been to Beijing. How isBeijing’s weather?”) The particle le wouldbe incorrect here. Le would merely indi-cate that Sam has made the trip; it wouldnot indicate that he had the experience ofbeing there. However, if Sam is a travelingsalesman and was supposed to stop inBeijing and you’d simply like to knowwhether he’s done that, then you would ask,Sam, ni qu bei jing le ma? (“Sam, did yougo to Beijing?”)

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More on le

For an English speaker, it may takesome getting used to the fact that Chinesehas no tenses. Many grammatical featuresthat English speakers take for granted,such as tenses (past, present, future), num-ber (singular or plural), and articles (“the,”“a,” “an,”), do not apply to Chinese.Instead, Chinese has its own unique set ofgrammatical characteristics. One is theaspect marker le.

Le is easily confused with the equiva-lent of the English past tense. Rather, lesignifies the completion of an actionregardless of time. In other words, it ispossible to use le to refer to the futurecompletion of an action — for example,ming tian wo kan le dianying qu kan wo depeng you (“Tomorrow after I see the film— literally, after I complete seeing thefilm — I’m going to see my friend.”)

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Unit 15

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By the same token, one does not auto-matically use le when describing pastactions. Native speakers of Chinese dis-tinguish between background and fore-ground information. Le is used for fore-ground, but not for background. In con-veying background information, thespeaker is merely setting the scene of apast event, and le is omitted. In a descrip-tion of foreground information, le is need-ed. For example, consider the pair ofChinese sentences and their Englishequivalents on the following page:

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Unit 15 (continued)

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Zuo tian wan shang wo men qu fandian chi fan. “Last night we went to a restaurantto eat.”

Fan dian li ren hen duo, suo yi women deng le hen jiu. “There were many people in therestaurant, so we waited a longtime.”

Notice the absence of le in the firstChinese sentence (“Last night we went to arestaurant to eat”) and the presence of le inthe second (“ ... we waited a long time”).“We waited a long time” is the focus of thenarration, or the foreground information.That is why the speaker uses le.Everything prior to that clause is the back-ground information. The act of going to arestaurant is not the emphasis of the speak-er’s narration. Therefore the particle le isomitted.

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Unit 15 (continued)

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Gan bei!

In China as elsewhere, large quantitiesof alcohol are sometimes consumed onvarious festive occasions. The level of for-mality and the elaborateness of the toastsdepend on the status and the number of theguests. Generally, the more elevated theguests’ status, or the greater their number,the more formal and elaborate the toastswill be. The most common toast atChinese banquets is probably Gan bei! or,“Bottoms up!” (literally, “Make the cupsdry”). Highly formulaic and literaryChinese is often used to add dignity to theoccasions. Speeches fre-quently end withan exhortation to raise the cup and downthe drink, which is often mao tai, one ofthe “white liquors.” Cognac or other kindsof foreign liquor are also popular.

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Unit 16

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Omission of Pronouns

The Chinese language is highlydependent on context. One example ofthis characteristic is the omission of pro-nouns. English-speakers may occasional-ly omit pronouns when speaking veryinformally. For example, they may ask,“Need any help?” or, “Want somedessert?” However, this is much morecommon in Chinese. In Chinese, pro-nouns can usually be omitted as long asthere is no possibility of confusion. Forexample, if someone asks you in Chinesewhere you are going, you can leave out thepronoun “I” in your answer without caus-ing any misunderstanding. Likewise, ifyou are clearly addressing just one person,you can ask, “Have a fever?” without anyambiguity as to whom is meant.

Pronouns are also omitted for socialreasons. When addressing one’s superior,it is a good idea to use his or her title

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39

rather than the pronoun ni (“you”). Themore formal nin, however, is perfectlyrespectful and can be used in place of thetitle.

Special Economic Zonesand Industrial Parks

One of the most important enginesdriving the Chinese economy in the lasttwenty years has been the formation of so-called “special economic zones” alongChina’s coast. Such zones were given taxbreaks and other preferential treatment toenable them to attract investment fromoverseas. The infusion of capital and tech-nology, along with the abundant supply ofcheap labor, became a foolproof recipe forsuccess. The most spectacular example isShenzhen, located between MainlandChina and Hong Kong. Once a sleepyborder crossing, it was transformed into a

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Unit 16 (continued)

Unit 17

40

thriving metropolis almost overnight.Thanks to many such zones, todayChinese products can be found on depart-ment store shelves all over the world.

Two decades ago, when the countrywas still trying to shake off the communistorthodoxy of the planned economy, thespecial economic zones were an important– albeit sometimes controversial — testingground for an alternative economic sys-tem. Essentially, they were experiments ina free-market economy. Now, many of thespecial economic zones are seeking toupgrade from manufacturing to high techbusiness. Gleaming office buildings andimmaculate industrial parks, many builtwith Taiwanese capital, stand as a symbolof China’s ever increasing economicimportance.

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Women in Business

Since it was founded in 1949, thePeople’s Republic of China has officiallyembraced gender equality. Practices suchas prostitution and concubinage were out-lawed, and the new constitution providedfor equal rights for women in all areas oflife. Chairman Mao famously said,“Times have changed. Men and womenare equal. Women can accomplish what-ever men can,” and even more famously,“Women hold up half the sky.” Womenwere encouraged to work outside thehome. As a result, women can be found inall walks of life. In certain professions,for instance medicine, there are equalnumbers of women and men. In others,such as elementary and secondary educa-tion, women generally outnumber men.

One exception is the business world.While some successful, high-profile busi-nesswomen can be found, most women

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still occupy entry-level or subsidiary posi-tions. Women, mostly young and attrac-tive — requisite qualities as described inwant ads — fill the ranks of secretariesand receptionists. The business culture inChina is still very much male dominated.

Suzhou Revisited

Along with Hangzhou, which lies at theend of China’s Grand Canal, Suzhou is oneof the most popular tourist cities in China.Its many Buddhist and Daoist temples, his-toric sites, traditional scholar-gardens, andcanals attract busloads of tourists every day.Both Hangzhou and Suzhou are located inChina’s prosperous Yangtze River delta,which is known as China’s “land of fish andrice.” The natural abundance and materialaffluence of the two cities gave rise to theold Chinese saying, “[there’s] heaven onhigh and Suzhou and Hangzhou on earth.”

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Unit 19

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Suzhou is especially renowned for itsmany traditional gardens. Not as grand asthe vast imperial parks in Beijing, thesmall gardens in Suzhou were the retreatsof the city’s scholar-officials during theMing and Qing dynasties. Much thoughtwent into the design of these gardens,which often featured pavilions, ponds, andstone bridges. Fantastically eroded stonesfor rock gardens were harvested from thebottom of nearby Lake Tai. Daoist philos-ophy, Chinese landscape painting, andChinese poetry were major influences onthe aesthetics of the traditional scholar-garden. Unlike in western gardens, plant-ings did not play a predominant role in thedesign. Many of Suzhou’s historic gardenshave survived to the present.

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Interpreters

As more and more international com-panies invest in China, the demand forinterpreters is growing accordingly. Mostinterpreters in China are graduates of for-eign-language departments at Chinese col-leges and universities. The curriculum forforeign-language majors can be quite rig-orous, with heavy emphasis on grammarand theoretical knowledge of the targetlanguages. Twenty years ago many stu-dents went through their course of studywithout having ever met a single nativespeaker. This situation has improved con-siderably during the past two decades.Today, many so-called “foreign experts”are hired to teach foreign languages, andChinese students have more opportunitiesto study abroad.

Foreign-language programs have alsobecome quite common on Chinese televi-sion. These changes have resulted in a

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Unit 20

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higher level of competence amongChinese interpreters. In addition to col-leges and universities, many “eveningschools” — as continuing education iscalled in China — offer foreign-languageclasses. Their graduates can also be foundamong the ranks of interpreters. BesidesEnglish and Japanese, interpreters ofKorean are also in great demand, especial-ly in Shandong Peninsula and JilinProvince — a reflection of the growingpresence of Korean businesses in China.

Flower Appreciation

Every year, as various kinds of flowerscome into bloom, people in China go onexcursions to admire them. The suburbs ofNanjing and Suzhou are especially famousfor their plum blossoms, which blanket thesurrounding hills each spring. Farther tothe north, Luoyang attracts many tourists

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Unit 21

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when the peonies are in bloom in April. Inthe fall, parks put on chrysanthemumshows. The flowers are trained orarranged to form spectacular topiaries andabstract patterns. Plum blossoms,peonies, and chrysanthemums are popularin China partly because of the qualitiesassociated with them. Plum blossomssymbolize nobility and purity; showypeonies, prosperity; and hardy chrysan-themums are particularly respected fortheir endurance.

In traditional China, flowers alsoinspired many poets and painters. Thescholar literati, of course, did not need toventure far to appreciate flowers. Theircarefully laid-out gardens provided theideal setting for them to get together, drinkrice wine, and compose poetry. Theseoccasions often contained an element ofcompetition, as difficult or obscurerhymes were chosen and friends attemptedto outdo one another in poetic virtuosity.

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If a friend was absent, the poems would besent to him. Many court painters special-ized in the “flower and bird” genre, which— unlike literati painting — was known forits attention to realistic detail.

The Palace Museum in Beijing

Most museums in China derive theircore collections from archeological finds.One of the notable exceptions is the PalaceMuseum in Beijing. The Palace Museumis housed in the vast Forbidden City, homeand administrative center of the Ming andQing emperors for well over five hundredyears. During this time (1368-1911), itwas occupied by not only the emperorsand their families, but hundreds of courtladies and palace eunuchs. It was, howev-er, forbidden to the common people; eventhe highest civil and military leaders couldnot enter without good reason. All four

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Unit 22

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sides were protected by a moat and highwalls — almost 33 feet high — that slantinward from the base, making themextremely difficult to climb. The entirecomplex covers 182 acres and contains9,999 buildings — palaces, halls, andcourtyards. After China’s last emperorabdicated from the throne and vacated thepalace in the early 1900s, the ForbiddenCity became a museum and was opened tothe public.

Today, both the architectural ensembleand the former imperial collection of artare crowd-pleasers. The art works, whichconsist of bronzes, paintings, ceramics,and decorative objects, reflect the tastes ofChina’s former rulers. UNESCO has des-ignated the entire complex a WorldHeritage Site.

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In addition to the better-known originalin Beijing, Taipei also has a NationalPalace Museum. This curious coexistenceand rivalry is a product of China’s turbu-lent modern history. On the eve of itsretreat to Taiwan, the Nationalist govern-ment removed thousands of crates of relicsbelonging to the Palace Museum inBeijing to the outskirts of Taipei. A com-plex of pale yellow buildings in tradition-al Chinese style was built, and theNational Palace Museum opened in 1965.Today the museum boasts of having a col-lection superior to its rival in Beijing.

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Luoyang

Luoyang, in Henan province, is one ofthe most ancient cities in China. It was thecapital of thirteen dynasties. DuringBuddhism’s heyday, Luoyang was alsohome to thirteen hundred Buddhist temples.Today, however, the city’s past glory lingersmainly in historical records. Although thereare some sites to be seen within the city lim-its, tourists invariably flock to the LongmenCaves on the outskirts of the city. There,more than one hundred thousand Buddhistimages and statues were carved into the cliffoverlooking the Yi River. Most of theBuddhist art works in the Longmen Cavesdate from the fifth through ninth centuries.

Luoyang is also famous throughoutChina for its peonies. The city has a longhistory of growing these flowers, and theirsheer variety is unrivaled throughout theworld. Every year from April 15 to April25, the city holds a peony festival.

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Gift-Giving / Hospitality

Gift-giving in China is traditionallyassociated with specific festivals or socialoccasions. For instance, at Chinese NewYear it is customary to give small childrenpocket-money wrapped in red paperembossed with gold characters. During theMid-Autumn Festival, elaborately pack-aged moon-cakes are exchanged amongfriends and relatives. To celebrate the birth-day of an elderly person, well-wishers tra-ditionally give noodles, as their longstringy shape symbolizes longevity. Someitems, however, are not appropriate as gifts;clocks, for example, are considered highlyunsuitable, because the phrase for “givingthe gift of a clock” - song zhong - soundsexactly the same as the phrase meaning“attending upon a dying parent or seniorfamily member.”

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Unit 24

52

Chinese people are less inclined toinvite casual friends home thanAmericans, simply because most city-dwellers live in small apartments. Theyare therefore more likely to socialize inrestaurants or other public spaces. In thiscase, the standard gesture of hospitality isto argue over the check after a meal orbefore a show. To the more traditionally-minded Chinese, the practice of splitting acheck is a foreign concept, although it isgaining acceptance among westernizedyoung people. When Chinese people doinvite guests over, a common hostess giftis a basket of fresh fruit.

Books and Bookstores

If you walk into a bookstore in China,you’re likely to see swarms of elementaryand high school students with their parentsin tow looking for various kinds of study

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Unit 25

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guides, which they hope will help themget into the school of their choice. Indeed,some smaller bookstores seem to carrynothing but reference works aimed atthose preparing for the all-important andvery competitive high school and collegeentrance exams. Sometimes an entire floorof a bookstore is devoted to these books.School-age children probably representthe most lucrative demographic group forthe Chinese publishing industry.

Other children’s books sell very well,too. Harry Potter has an enthusiastic read-ership among Chinese children. Their par-ents, however, are another matter. Oftenthey forbid their children to waste theirtime on “idle” reading materials. It seemslikely that even Harry Potter is outsold bythe ubiquitous study guides.

Other popular categories of booksinclude computer references and stockinvestment guides, which are always very

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prominently displayed. The book tradeused to be dominated by the state-ownedxinhua (New China) group, but in recentyears, private bookstores have appeared allover China. They vary greatly in size, qual-ity of service, and range of merchandise.

Classical Music

When people say gu dian yin yue, they areusually referring to western classical music.It is considered “high, elegant art,” or gao yayi shu in Chinese. Therefore, it enjoys con-siderable cachet and popularity among theurban educated classes. Western orchestrascan be found in the cities of Beijing,Shanghai, and Guangzhou. Beijing andShanghai each have several orchestras.Shanghai, in fact, boasts of having the oldestwestern orchestra in East Asia, a legacy of its

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Unit 26

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semi-colonial past. The municipal council inthe so-called International Settlement inShanghai set up this orchestra at the end of thenineteenth century. The first generation ofclassical musicians in China was trainedunder the tutelage of western conductors.

During the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976), western classical music was labeled“decadent bourgeois art” and was in effectbanned. When the Philadelphia Orchestravisited China at the invitation of ChairmanMao’s wife in 1973, it was the first westernorchestra to do so. The visit was consideredbig news, and both Chinese and Americanpoliticians dubbed the orchestra the “sym-phony ambassador.” After the CulturalRevolution, western classical music made acomeback and is now more popular thanever. The Chinese government actively pro-motes it and is especially proud of the factthat young Chinese musicians routinely winprizes at international competitions.

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The Chinese Educational System

Primary education in China lasts sixyears, junior and senior high another six.In addition to regular school hours, addi-tional sessions are held in the evenings andon weekends. These classes are not for theacademically challenged — everyonetakes them. A Chinese student’s schedule,therefore, can be quite grueling.Newspaper editorials routinely call forschools to lessen the burden on students,but these appeals have little effect. Parentsand students may complain about theworkload, but that does not stop them fromhiring tutors and cramming evening class-es and extracurricular activities into theschedule.

Primary and secondary education aresubsidized by the state, but schools oftencharge “sponsorship fees,” which can bequite high. Higher education is no longer

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free, either. To help college students andtheir parents, various scholarships andloans are available. A fairly recent devel-opment is the rise of private schools. Theyhave sprung up all over China, but particu-larly along China’s prosperous easternseaboard. Compared with public schools,private schools often enjoy superior facili-ties and attract better qualified teachers.However, the most prestigious schools arethe so-called “key schools,” which are allpublic. Only the most academically giftedneed apply. Admission is extremely com-petitive and is widely viewed as a ticket tofuture success at the college level andbeyond.

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Exercising, Chinese-style

If you go to China, the chances are thatevery morning you’ll see armies of peoplein parks, in schoolyards, or on street cor-ners, doing their daily exercises, usually tothe accompaniment of rather loud music.Various types of tai ji are particularly pop-ular with older people and women.School-age children, factory workers, andcompany employees often get a mid-morn-ing exercise break, during which they docalisthenics. Students also perform a setof exercises designed to protect their eye-sight; to this end, they massage the variousacupuncture pressure points around theeyes for about five to ten minutes. Joggingand weight-training, by contrast, are notnearly as popular or common as they are inAmerica. Aerobics is. Many western-style gyms have sprung up in big cities.Young urban professionals, who are oftenhealth-conscious and have the requisitedisposable income, flock to these fashion-

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able health clubs.

Despite what a casual visitor to thecountry may see, obesity, coronary condi-tions, and diseases such as diabetes are onthe rise. Ironically, as the countrybecomes more prosperous, certain healthproblems have also become more preva-lent. For this reason, diabetes and heartconditions are known as fu gui bing, or“diseases of affluence.”

Tourist Souvenirs

Unless they are “off the beaten track,”travelers to China will find it hard to avoidtourist shops. Antique stores and souvenirstands often overflow into the streets.Increasingly, tourism is becoming animportant source of revenue.

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Unit 29

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The souvenirs available depend on thelocales. In Xi’an, for example, it is difficultto miss reproductions of Tang dynasty pot-tery. The brightly colored earthenware isknown as tang san cai, or Tang-style tricol-ored glazed ware. The name san cai stemsfrom the predominant glazes of brown, yel-low, and green. Camels with beardedCentral Asian merchants on the their backsare a frequent theme. Hand-embroideredshoes and pouches are also common.

In Suzhou, silk scarves and sandal-wood fans are ubiquitous. Suzhou is alsofamous for its fine embroidery, particular-ly its shuang mian xiu, or “double-embroi-dery.” A highly skilled artisan canembroider two different designs, one oneach side of the fabric, which is usuallysilk — for instance, a Persian cat on oneside, and a Pekingese on the other.

Of course, handicrafts are not the only

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thing for sale. In Beijing, T-shirts embla-zoned with pictures of the Great Wall, theTemple of Heaven, or other famous sightsare offered by the many souvenir peddlersplying their business around the capital.

Saying Good-bye

Bidding someone farewell is an elabo-rate social ritual in China. A considerablelength of time may elapse between thetime one says good-bye and the time oneactually leaves. The host or hostess’s firstresponse is invariably, “Oh, please stay abit longer.” And no host or hostess wouldbe content just seeing guests to the door.In fact, that would be perceived as down-right cold and inhospitable. More oftenthan not, the host will insist on accompa-nying his or her guest to the bus stop orwaiting with the guest for a taxi. In fact,most hosts go even further and wait until

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Unit 30

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the guest is out of sight — that is, until thebus or taxi has driven away.

In traditional China, leave-taking for along separation was even more ceremoni-ous. Often a series of farewell banquetswas hosted in the departing friend’s honor,and heartfelt poems were exchanged.When the actual day of departure arrived,people would travel a significant distancewith the departing friend, until finalfarewells were exchanged. ClassicalChinese poetry abounds in works depict-ing poignant moments when one’s mostintimate friends are departing for distantdestinations, perhaps never to return.Today, of course, departures are less likelyto be final, and communication is mucheasier; nevertheless, leave-taking is stillmuch more formal than in the West.

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VOICES

English-Speaking Instructor ........................ Ray Brown

Mandarin-Speaking Instructor.................... Haitao Gao

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