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Dear Language Enthusiast,
In This Issue
Word Play
Practice Chinese with excerpts from "Lighting Up The Night Sky" in
Chinese, followed by the English translation.
In English:
Lighting Up The Night Sky - Chinese Lanterns
In many Chinese fairy tales, lanterns represent the love
between the immortal and mortal worlds. Inspired by
beautiful legends, ancient craftsmen began to craft
lanterns into masterpieces, and made the lantern a popular
festival decoration.
According to Chinese folklore, lanterns were said to be
originally used at night to help mortals see the gods.
Later on, however, fairy tales began to adopt them as
symbols of love between the immortal and mortal worlds.
Inspired by the beautiful legends, ancient craftsmen began
making exquisite lanterns, which were soon accepted as one
of most popular decorations during festivals and
celebrations.
Traditionally, a Chinese lantern consists of a frame made
of flexible bamboo strips and a paper or gauze coat,
usually painted with auspicious patterns. Certain types of
lanterns might require a hard and durable frame of wood or
metal. At night, when the lantern is lit, the flickering
candlelight glows through the delicate coat, bringing
alive the patterns painted on the outside.
Lanterns also make great toys for kids, especially those
called "zouma deng" (lanterns of "galloping horses"),
which feature a painted coat revolving like a merry-go-
round. Instead of being glued onto the main frame, the
coat is fastened to a revolving frame suspended by a
vertical shaft and pasted with paper vanes. The heated air
from the burning candle propels the vanes to turn the
shaft, which, in turn, drives the frame and the coat to
revolve.
Nowadays, craftsmen equipped with modern techniques have
created a great variety of dazzling lanterns. The
traditional candle, for instance, has been replaced by
electric lights to achieve special visual effects. During
festivals, many cities have established the tradition of
holding public exhibitions that boast various masterpieces
of ingeniously designed lanterns.
Sources:
- http://www.china.com
- http://english.china.com/cdc/en/culture/articles/0,1677,2783-106003,00.html
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Chinese News Beat
China: Politics and the President
Because of the recent elections in the United States, we
thought it a good time to glance at the Chinese political
system and the enigmatic man who has served as the
nation’s President since 1993: Jiang Zemin.
Jiang Zemin was appointed to his post; he was not elected
by the populace at large. While everyone over the age of
18 can vote in China, they are limited to choosing
People’s Congress members on a local level (towns and
counties, but not provinces).
The country as a whole is run in a centralized fashion by
two national bureaucracies: the government per se (the
State Council with its various ministries) and the Chinese
Communist Party, led by the Central Committee. This
division of power between two parallel ruling bodies is
fluid and unpredictable, making for periodic instability
in the political system of China.
As a result, the President needs to be someone who can
play both sides; a role for which Jiang Zemin, is
admirably suited. Jiang is an electrical engineer by
training, not an old-time revolutionary soldier; but his
uncle fought and died in the Communist Revolution, and
Jiang was then adopted by that uncle’s side of the family
because his uncle had not left a male heir to carry on the
name.
The duality of his background helps Jiang Zemin cater to
the militaristic old guard of the Communist Party while
simultaneously placating those who want economic reform
and modernization to keep pace with today’s global market.
Jiang’s ability to change with the prevailing political
winds has earned him the nickname "The Weathervane." In a
country where the political winds are strong, a
weathervane is a valuable thing to have.
Sources:
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Inside Transparent Language
Exciting news! According to PC Data, October 2000,
Transparent Language, Inc. has maintained the number one
position in the foreign language software category for the
month of September 2000 and for the entire year to date!
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ChineseNow! Product Tips
Open the online Help and print the Keyboard Shortcuts topic
to have a handy list of shortcut keys to keep near your
computer. There are shortcuts for many common actions!
For a quick summary and some background information about a
Title, open that Title and choose Help / Author
Introduction.
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