A lady practicing Rou Li Qiu

If cell phones have made the newer generations lazy, the older age group has decided to make up for lost time during their youth. Chinese medicine recommends it, so a good Chinese person follows through: the need to 锻炼身体 (duanlian shenti), or physical exercise, keeping oneself in shape.

Whatever your movements or ability to continue may be, it doesn’t matter. So long as you can get to the square or park every day and join in with one of the collective activities that are seen pretty much everywhere in China.

The choice is between various sport classifications, for which even the least capable can find something they can do in their circumstances.

Dancers in single file

Dance

As couples, in an orderly formation, with fans, scarves, or hands like flowers: dancing rigorously to music blasting at full volume from amplifiers stronger than those used by Iron Maiden, is something the Chinese really like. Little matters if you go in single file because there’s no space of movement, if you’re going down the sidewalk, dodging pillars; in front of the bank blocking access to the ATM; at the entrance to the metro the mob of the curious will even make you late. Wherever there’s a little space, dancing will break out!

Taking a walk

Why just walk when you can include some arm exercise or an ear massage to stimulate I don’t know what energy point so that your qi can benefit. Otherwise, clap your hands: for shoulders, chest, legs, back, trapezoids, biceps, triceps and even the sternocleidomastoid! [Read more…]

When coming to China it’s useful to understand various things about Chinese Culture. It runs deep through the veins of this unique country and you will experience positive and negative things about the culture every single day.

One moment the crowds during rush hour will have you startled, the next, you’ll be taking in the gorgeous sites of the Summer Palace on a crisp Autumnal day in pure peace and harmony.

Today we talk about numbers in Chinese. They bare a very important resemblance to many Chinese people with superstition perhaps running deeper than you’d expect. We’ll split this article into two parts. Our second article will focus on the numbers to avoid in Chinese and the measures that are taken in China to avoid these numbers. Today, however, we’ll spread some joy by focusing on those lucky Chinese numbers and some stories that only a country like China could produce!

Eight, 8, 八 (bā)

Lucky numbers in China don’t come much luckier than the Number 8. Number 8 in Chinese (bā) sounds very similar to the word “to prosper”, 發 (fā). People in China will go to extraordinary lengths (financially at least) to get themselves a number plate, or a mobile phone number with as many 8’s in there as possible!

To give you an idea of exactly how high the Chinese put the number 8 on the pedestal, here are some fun facts of how the number 8 is implemented in China: [Read more…]