Bamboo Pilgrim
Life in China
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The finer points of grammar On the left, our language teacher, Yang Yu, explains to us how to convey spatial relationships, using “inside” (里边) and three different verbal constructions: 1) something (在) something; 2) someplace 有 something; and, 3) someplace (是)something. A literal English translation of the Chinese sentence structure reads: 1) Three students are the room’s inside 2) The room’s inside has three students 3) The bag’s inside is the Chinese… Read More
A month ago, I would have said that the Chinese language sounds harsh and choppy. Today, however, as a beginner, I am beginning to appreciate the beauty of the language, both in its written forms and spoken sounds. Chinese is an elegant language rich with history and meaning. The five tones of the language (there is a neutral tone with no tonal markings) create a type of melody in the sentence structure. The… Read More
The weekend brought an opportunity to explore Beijing, so we found a bicycle rental place online (www.bikebeijing.com). They offer guided tours in English of the Forbidden City and ancient alleyways (Hutongs), and nighttime tours. We arrived at the shop (No. 81 – 3 Beiheyan Street, Beijing) too late for a tour, so we rented two bikes for 100 RMB each and took off on our own. We biked a hutong (ancient alleyway)…. Read More
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