How quickly is an impression made? If a “Bless you” is not said soon after a sneeze, when does that silence become awkward? In Chinese culture, there is an equivalent phrase said after a sneeze, baǐsuì, meaning “May you live …
How long can you keep saying Happy New Year?
In Chinese culture there are two opportunities to say “happy new year”: New Year’s Day as January 1st according to the Western calendar, and Chinese new year according to the lunar calendar. Although these two dates could be between 3 …
Fruit baskets and Mao’s Mangos
Did you know that Mao once gifted mangos? Well, more like Mao had regifted mangos. In an article on Atlas Obscura, a little known fruit during Mao’s China, the Mango became a political symbol. How this came to be explains …
Memories of the Air Raid Siren
One morning when my neighbor and I were having tea, the wailing siren interrupted our casual chatting. She is a Chinese woman who lived most of her life in the Philippines. After the alarm ended, she remarked, “I can’t believe …
Just the Fax Ma’am
A logographic language like Chinese characters, or kanji used by the Japanese, was incompatible with the typewriter. See earlier blog for more on the Chinese typewriter. Digital characters were not available when email initially became available. Besides, official documents frequently …
Did you short me by 2 cents?
According to Freakonomics How Goes the Behavior-Change Revolution? (Ep. 382), overall people prefer an exchange relationship with their banks and on-line businesses. However, when it comes to personal relationships, we flow to a more communal model. That means, we generally …
Before Coffee, What Was the Name for Brown in Chinese?
In Chinese there are a couple of terms for the color brown just as in English hickory and walnut are used to describe brown. One commonly used term before kāfeī or coffee was introduced was “tea” color. Although it is …
Chinese Signage Business
Signage to remind Chinese to use good manners in public is mostly painted by hand. Stencils and templates are used to paint some parts of the signage; however, the headlines and titles are painted precisely in perfect handmade brushstrokes of …
Where is the German part of China? (Part II)
While most American business people are more familiar with Beijing and Shanghai, the mere size of those cities baffles the comparison to North American cities. Qingdao is a good example of how long term contact with another culture had helped …
Where is the German part of China? (Part I)
Qingdao means Green Island, a misnomer since often peninsulas are named before their entire perimeter has been accurately chartered. The Germans came and exacted a lease for 99 years, like its contemporary Great Britain’s lease for Hong Kong. By 1903, …