Happy Chinese Lantern Festival

   The Lantern Festival (also known as the Yuanxiao Festival or Shangyuan Festival in China; Chap Goh Meh Festival in Indonesia,  Yuen Siu Festival in Hong Kong; is a festival celebrated on the fifteenth day of the first month in the lunisolar year in the Chinese calendar, the last day of the lunisolar Chinese New Year celebration. It is not to be confused with the Mid-Autumn Festival, which is sometimes also known as the "Lantern Festival" in locations such as Singapore and Malaysia. During the Lantern Festival, children go out at night to temples carrying paper lanterns and solve riddles on the lanterns (simplified Chinese: 猜灯谜; pinyin: cāidēngmí). It officially ends the Chinese New Year celebrations.

   Since the Lantern Festival acts as the seal for the New Year Celebrations it is also referred to as the Little New Year in China. Some neighboring countries of China like Vietnam and Korea have their own version of the Lantern Festival as well.

The concept behind the Lantern Festival

   There is a unique concept to the Lantern Festival. Basically it is celebrated on the 15th day of the first month of the New Year. This is also the first full moon of the year. Hence the Chinese create lots of lanterns on earth in awe of the big bright first full moon of the year. The riddles on the lanterns and the eating of the glutinous rice balls are also part and parcel of this tradition.

   As is the case with most Chinese cultural festivals there are many legendary stories associated with the origins of the Lantern Festival. In its essence though, the Lantern Festival was all about celebrating a healthy relationship between fellow men, friends and families along with honoring the divinities they believed were in control of bringing back the moon each new year.

   According to one tradition the day of the Lantern Festival is actually the birth date of the Taoist god of good fortune. The lanterns were then taken as symbols of good luck and this symbolic representation of the lanterns continues until today.

Keeping the tradition alive

   Although the Lantern Festival is still celebrated in China today not all Chinese people take part in it. While some celebrate it with the same patriotic fervor that existed during the days of old for others it is just a means of keeping the traditions alive.

Office Chair Buying Guide

  Are you working an 8-hour day in a 2-hour office chair? It’s a pain to work a 9-to-5 day when your office desk chair quits on you by 11AM. If pain, stress and fatigue are an everyday part of your job, it might be your chair that’s the problem, not your job. A well-designed, comfortable office chair is the most important element in creating a productive, healthy workspace and a productive, healthy YOU!

   There are some guides and can help you how to buy an onffice Chair.It is crucial to choose the right office chair for you since it plays an important task in assisting you to successfully complete your daily tasks. Here are some tips you can keep in mind before you step out of your door to buy yourself an office chair.

Padding and cushioning

   Padding and cushioning is key when determining whether a chair is comfortable or not. At all times, avoid seats that are too soft or too hard. In other words, buy chairs that are right in the middle – not too soft and not too hard. This is because cushion that is too soft may not offer sufficient support while hard surfaces can be uncomfortable.

Material and fabric

   Depending on the material of the chair, your body can breathe more easily. Moreover, the material can determine the temperature of your body.  Thus, consider your body temperature as a guide when you buy an office chair. Meaning, do you get hot easily? Or do you get cold often?

Adjustment Control

   Buy an office chair with adjustment controls that can be easily reached from a seating position. Furthermore, buy an office chair that comes with a height adjuster. Height adjusters are important because if your thighs are not horizontal to the floor, you may be forced to have a slouching posture which may lead to back problems in the future.

Armrests

   Buy office chairs that come with armrests. Arm rests enables you to release some pressure and stress off your shoulders and neck. Thus, armrests can enhance your efficiency at work.

More good office chairs ,plz go to tatamall.com

How to attract Chinese girl

  People who are with humor will attract others easily. If you are going to date a Chinese girl and want to leave her good impression, follow the following advice.

Avoiding Common Mistakes

  Too much funny and she’ll see you as goofy or dorky. Too much cocky and she’ll see you as an A-hole, a jerk or an insecure guy. Don’t mistake an outright putdown for being cocky. And never do Cocky Comedy to impress women or show off; you’ll make yourself look like a dumb-ass.

Learning the Cocky Comedy Character

  Most guys who naturally use Cocky Comedy aren’t TRYING to be funny, and they’re definitely not seeking approval -- they’re being the CHARACTER. The character is where 90% of the humor flows from.

Holding Your Laughter to Amplify Attraction

  Women are attracted to higher-status males. So how does a woman tell if she’s talking to one? If she catches herself seeking HIS approval, and he never seeks HER approval, then she unconsciously knows that she’s dealing with a higher-status man.

Never Laugh to Make Her Laugh

  It sounds incredible, but most laughter ISN’T in response to something funny. We usually laugh when we’re seeking someone’s approval -- even if what the other person said isn’t all that funny.

Using Your Body

  Your gestures, facial expressions and voice tone are all great Cocky Comedy tools. Push her into things as you’re walking.

Messing with Her

  To switch into this mode, give an over exaggerated compliment that can’t be real but seems way too serious; accuse her of stepping over the line and trying to pick you up in some way; complain about something in an overly serious way. Keep her on her toes and you’ll keep her interested.

Why Chinese Girls Don't Accept Compliments?

   Recently,I often to chat with my foreigher friends on the facebook,some of my friends very like my photos on  the facebook,They said I looks like very beautiful and so cute.Then I said I just an ordinary people.So my friends asked me:'why Chinese girls don't accept compliments?

   Of courese,I know that Foreign guys are very generous in complimenting Chinese girls.And they get confused when in response to a passionate and sincere exclamation “You are beautiful!” they hear something like:

“No, I am just a common girl” or “Don’t laugh at me” or an almost idiomatic 哪里哪里 “na li na li” (which in this context can be translated as “no, no, no…”). After few more unsuccessful attempts the guys often change their compliment to “You are the most beautiful girl in my eyes”.

   In spite of a seeming simplicity of such situation, it illustrates one of the principal cultural differences and can provide an insight into Chinese mentality. I found in internet a research on this topic – “A study of gender differences in compliments and compliment responses in Chinese context”, and want to share with you the findings of research and my own observations.

   Politeness – expressed through such interactions as requests, apologies, compliments and responses to compliments – is a basis of human ethical behavior in all cultures. However politeness itself in different cultures is interpreted in different ways.

  Chinese politeness still emphasizes respect for the other and modesty for oneself. “Modesty” can be seen, as another way of saying “self-denigration”.

   Let’s say, Chinese employee was complimented by colleague or boss:

  "You did a very good job!” A polite answer (accompanied by a smile) would be: ”Oh, don’t laugh at me. I still have a lot of things to learn. You are better than me, you did a great job in ………."

   Such reaction will satisfy the boss and earn an employee some important points. As we say, “Modesty helps to make progress” (谦虚使人进步qian1 xu1 shi3 ren2 jin4 bu4 ).

   I remember that first time when teacher told us that foreigners usually answer “Thank you” to such compliments like “Your dress is very nice” or “You look great” or even “You are amazing”, we just wowed. Anyway, as a good student, I wrote a memo in my notebook about the foreign habit to say “Thanks” in response to compliments… :razz:.

   Before Olympic Games in Beijing there was a big campaign in media explaining how to talk with tourists. One of the items was teaching Chinese to accept compliments. Nowadays, lessons about giving and accepting compliments are quite common in syllabi of English speaking tour guides and other students who are supposed to communicate with foreigners.

   In conclusion let’s return to Chinese girls and figure out the best way to compliment them.

   It’s important to know that unlike English speakers – Chinese more often praise performance than appearance. Thus, it would be more polite to begin with neutral compliments about some achievement of the girl. One of the “safest” compliments with least chances of being rejected is praising the cooking.

National Hot Tea Month---January

Every January, we celebrate New Year's Day and Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. We also celebrate National Bath Safety Month, National Oatmeal Month, and the less known National Hot Tea Month.

Tea dates as far back as the 10th century and has been a popular beverage in many cultures. Now,we pride ourselves in knowing plenty of tea time trivia!  Such as:

●5000 years ago, the Emperor of China was the first to enjoy hot tea by steeping leaves from the herb Camelia simensis, a warm-weather evergreen.  To this day, all tea comes from the Camellia sinensis plant.

●Today, tea is the world’s second most popular beverage consumed, second only to water.

●Americans drink 50 billion cups of tea each year.

●The first tea bags were created by Thomas Sullivan in 1904, and made of silk.

●The difference between Black, Green, and Oolong tea is a result of the changes that occur during the actual processing of the tea leaves.

·Green tea is not oxidized at all—the   leaves are steamed, rolled and dried while black tea is allowed to oxidize for two to four hours.

·Oolong tea falls somewhere   between green and black teas, as the tea leaves are only partially oxidized.

●Black Tea is the most commonly consumed tea in the world accounting for approximately 80% of all consumption. In the United States well over 90% of the tea consumed is black.

●Herbal teas do not come from Camellia sinensis, but are an infusion of leaves, roots, bark, seeds or flowers of other plants. Most of them are caffeine free but as they are mixed with Camellia sinensis leaves, they may contain caffeine.

●Like wine, each tea takes its name from the district in which it’s grown, and each district is known for producing tea with unique flavor and character.

●The caffeine content of tea is 40 mg in one cup of tea as compared to 99 mg of caffeine in a cup of coffee.

●Black and Green teas contain a certain type of antioxidant called flavenoids.

●To be labeled “decaffeinated,” the caffeine content per cup of tea must be approximately 5 mg.

The Year of The Dragon--2012

The Chinese Year of the Dragon is in 2012. Astrology is part of Chinese life. In Chinese astrology dragon people excel. The dragon Chinese zodiac year is special.

To the Chinese, the dragon is the ultimate auspicious symbol. It represents power, success and happiness and of course Good Luck for everyone. This is very important during the Chinese New Year period.

This year Chinese New Year begins on 23 January 2012 and ends on the 6th of February 2012. Typically Chinese New Year celebrations are carried out for 15 days. The last day of Chinese New Year or the fifteenth day is celebrated almost as grandly as the first day.

During the Chinese New Year celebrations, there will be plenty of lion dances to usher in prosperity and good luck for all. However, this year 2012, being the Year of The Dragon will see many Lion Dances being replaced by amazing Dragon Dances.

This lens brings you all things Dragon to decorate your house with, wear on your clothing and accessories, jewelry as well as dragon toys and other things dragon to fill your house with Dragon in 2012 and the good luck and prosperity it symbolizes.

What't more,Dragons do well in professions that give them the ability to function somewhat autonomously. They make excellent sales people, publicists, political campaigners, lawyers, real estate brokers, actors and politicians.

Celebration activities on Chinese New Year’s Eve

Chinese New Year is the Chinese version of Christmas and Western New Year's celebrations, but many Chinese get in the holiday spirit during Western New Year's. New Year's Day is an official holiday in China, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan with many businesses and schools closed on New Year's Day.

Western New Year's holiday (Jan. 1) is celebrated differently than the Chinese New Year's holiday. While Chinese New Year’s Eve is held several weeks after Western New Year's Eve, revelers can enjoy a Chinese-style Dec. 31 by enjoying some traditional Chinese New Year's Eve activities.

New Year Cleaning

On the days before the New Year, Chinese families give their houses a thorough cleaning. But traditionally, this practice is done on  New Year Eve. The dust and dirt are traditionally associated with "old" in Chinese culture, so cleaning the houses and sweeping the dust mean to bid farewell to the past new and usher in the new year.

Watching CCTV New Year Gala

The annual CCTV New Year Gala begins at 8:00 and lasts for 4 hours to the beginning of the New Year.

Shousui-Staying up late

Shousui means to stay up late or all night on New Year's Eve. After the New Year's Feast, families sit together and watch CCTV New Year Gala to wait for the New Year's arrival.

Play Mahjong:

Mahjong (麻將, má jiàng) is a fast-paced, four-player game played throughout the year but particularly during Chinese New Year. Learn all about mahjong and how to play.

Launch Fireworks

Fireworks of all shapes and sizes are launched at midnight and throughout New Year’s Day. Firecrackers with red paper are the most popular. The fireworks tradition began with the legend of Nian, a ferocious monster that was afraid of the color red and loud noises. It is believed the noisy fireworks scared the monster. Now, it is believed the more fireworks and noise there are, the more luck there will be in the New Year.

More articles please visit tatamall blog.

Spring Festival of China

 Chinese New Year is the most important of the traditional Chinese holidays. In China, it is known as "Spring Festival," the literal translation of the Chinese name 春节 (Pinyin: Chūn Jié), owing to the difference between Western and traditional Chinese methods for computing the seasons.

  The Spring Festival is the most important festival for the Chinese people and is when all family members get together, just like Christmas in the West. All people living away from home go back, becoming the busiest time for transportation systems of about half a month from the Spring Festival. Airports, railway stations and long-distance bus stations are crowded with home returnees.

  2012 Spring Festival falls on January 23. The holiday in China starts from January 22 to 28, 2012. This year is the Year of the Dragon according to Chinese zodiac. Welcome to China and explore the traditional folk customs of this festival! Schedule of Spring Festival in recent years is offered in the table on the right

Introduction to Spring Festival

  Falling on the first day of each year of the Chinese lunar calendar and lasting for weeks, the spring festival is regarded by the Chinese people as the grandest and most important annual festival, similar to Christmas Day for westerners. Originating during the Shang Dynasty (16th - 11th century BC), Spring Festival, which celebrates family reunion, is full of rich and colorful activities, and new hopes with the advent of spring and flowers blossoming. People from different regions and different ethnic groups celebrate it in their unique way.

Spring Festival Traditions

  During the period from the 23rd day of the previous lunar month to the event, every family does a thorough house cleaning and purchases enough food, including fish, meat, roasted nuts and seeds, all kinds of candies and fruits, etc, for the festival period. Also, new clothes must be bought, especially for children. Red scrolls with complementary poetic couplets, one line on each side of the gate, are pasted at every gate. The Chinese character 'Fu' is pasted on the center of the door and paper-cut pictures adorn windows. Everyone looks forward eagerly to the New Year.

  On New Year's Eve, no matter where he is, every member will try his best to come back to enjoy the family reunion feast in which dumplings (jiaozi) in north China and niangao (a kind of sticky rice cake) in the south are the indispensable foods. Family members chat or watch special TV programs all night. To show respect for their ancestors, some families burn incense and prepare delicious food at home. Fireworks are set continuously, among which the midnight blasts are the most thunderous.

  On the first day of Spring Festival, wearing their new clothes, people visit relatives and friends to extend New Year's greetings and invite them to visit. Next, people begin to visit their distant relatives. In cities and suburbs, colorful activities include Temple Fairs, Yangge dancing, and lion and dragon dancing.

  The Spring Festival lasts until the Lantern Festival begins fifteen days later marking the end of the Chinese New Year. It is celebrated by Chinese people at home and abroad. Everyone immerses in the festive atmosphere, and exchanges wishes for a good harvest year.

  China has 56 ethnic groups. Minorities celebrate their Spring Festival almost the same day as the Han people, and they have different customs.About important activities of Spring festival,Please wait for the next article.