Twinkies are yellow on the outside and white on the inside. Chinese Americans use this term to distinguish among themselves the ratio of Chinese vs American cultural intelligence each person possesses. A Twinkie, like “a Banana”, suggests a person only …
Yvonne Wolf was born in Taiwan and educated in the U.S. and Europe. She has extensive experience living and working internationally (Denmark and Japan). She is fluent in English, Mandarin, and Danish, and has studied Japanese, Spanish, and Greek. Between work and personal travel, she has visited more than 20 countries and well-traveled within the U.S. and Canada. She has worked with organizations and business executives focusing on communication strategies working with Chinese and East Asian partners. Among her many skills is mediating across cultural misunderstandings.
Dead Poet Discrepancy
Renowned poet Yu Guangzhong died December 2017. He was uniquely popular in that his poems were taught in school curricula across political boundaries of China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. Very few contemporary Chinese poets received this level of universal acclaim. …
Mr. Chang, Mr. Liu, and Mr. Wang meet Mr. Anderson, Mr. Miller, and Mr. Smith
Hundreds of Chinese last names, yet only a dozen of them cover over 50% of all Chinese descendants. The top last names stem from dominant tribes of huge dynastic lines, while smaller last names often mark vanquished tribes and disappearing …
What’s in a last name?
In the Chinese context it is logical that your family name, your surname, goes before your given name. First, Chinese culture is family centered. Those who carry your surname dead and alive is a far larger group than those who …
A star is born
Each star in Chinese concept of divinity is a god. Some widely known ones are the God (star) of Longevity, God (star) of Wealth, God (star) of Success and Employment. A person of significant achievement in one’s lifetime can also …
It’s a lovely dress!
Recent discussion over whether a teenager wearing a mandarin dress as a prom dress has been hotly debated. I don’t think such a small gesture can so deeply ridicule a hugely diverse culture as the Chinese. The qipao as it …
ABC means American Born Chinese
ABC in Chinese American lingo means American Born Chinese and is not a complimentary term. It means a person of Chinese heritage born in the US, who is ignorant of the Chinese culture. When I was growing up in the …
Pineapple buns have no pineapple inside.
Pineapple buns’ name sake figuratively describes the boxy design on the crusty top. They are usually plain with no filling. If they come with filling, it would be a sweet custard, a sweet red bean paste, or even a savory …
Rice is not for throwing…
When my family moved to the US, my parents were appalled when they heard of a tradition of throwing rice at wedding couples. How could you literally throw food away? When the term “eating rice” in Chinese means meal time, and …
A gesture is worth a thousand words.
Chinese is a high context language. What is said is constantly clarified by what the gestures say. Depending on context, this woman’s wave may mean 5 things in Chinese communication: 1) Hello, nice to see you, 2) Wait! Stay here, …