Branch newsletters: Christchurch
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SEPTEMBER

Next Event - Saturday 27th September 6.30pm
Foodsing Restaurant, Church Corner, Upper Riccarton
NATIONAL DAY BANQUET
Authentic Chinese dishes
The menu will be very similar that of the banquet held in June to raise funds for Sichuan earthquake relief, which was very well received. We'll have the delicious spicy lamb, garlic prawns, fish, soup. beef and, no doubt, much more! BYO (wine) You're welcome to book a table for ten for you and your friends. Help us mark the occasion with an evening of good food and good company. Only $27 per person, $270 per table Proceeds to He Mingqing Scholarships (donations welcome). Places are limited and reservations close Tuesday September 23rd. Book today! Sorry, no door sales.

Long March Long-time
NZCFS member Laurie Gabb reminds us that the historic Long March began on October 16, 1934, when Mao Zedong and Zhu De led their troops out of southeastern China to march 6,000 km west and then north to Yanan, their wartime capital.

Congratulations Ted and Annie
JP and branch committee member Ted Zhang Zemin and his wife Annie Ren, who own the Robert Harris Coffee Shop at the YMCA in Hereford Street, have a son, George Zhang Beining, born 18th May 2008. George is thriving.

Great Wall of China is how it is known in English, but to the Chinese it is Wànli Chángchéng or "10,000 li long wall", typically shortened to Chángchéng or "Long Wall". The li, a traditional Chinese unit of distance, varied considerably over time now standardized to 500 meters. A modern li of 1,500 Chinese "feet" or chi, has often been translated as a "mile". Since the li has generally been only about a third of a mile, using "Chinese mile" or simply "li" is much less likely to cause confusion. Actually around 6,400 km long, the construction of the wall cost two to three million Chinese lives according to Wikipedia, 300 per kilometre!.Spare them a thought next time you stand on the Chángchéng.

Last meeting.
An excellent meeting around two videos, our own "One Promise" and one on Chinese Gardens, both well received by 28 members on a cool winters night.

Happy birthday!
For Chinese it is customary on your birthday to eat noodles, symbolic of long life, or cake shaped like a peach, similarly symbolic. It is also customary to invite friends to dinner for which you pick up the tab. Chinese say that you are a year old when born, and some observe two birthdays a year - one for the lunar calendar and one for the western. On birthdays children wear new clothes and, on its first birthday, a child may be presented with many objects, the one they reach for taken as symbolic of what they'll be in life.

Guanxi, connections or influence, is central in Chinese society, though neither English term acurately reflects it's wide cultural implications, closely related to moral obligation to maintain relationships, and "face", both social status and the idea of being seen as morally correct. Basically, guanxi describes connection between individuals (not necessarily of equal status) whereby one is able to prevail on another to perform a favour. It can also describe a network of contacts which can be called on to do something or through which one can exert influence, or a state of general understanding between two parties:of the wants and/or needs of the other and that they will automatically take them into account in deciding a course of action.

Guanxi is not generally used for family or relationships that fall within other well-defined societal norms, such as boss-worker, teacher-student, friendship. Where do you most commonly hear the word? In response to an apology - méi guanxi, literally "without guanxi [implications]" - usually translated as "it doesn't matter".

Olympics.
Well, they're over to widespread acclaim. Comment on the Games? This may be the one and only time that we see such a lavish spectacle. China, with its size and political structure literally spent billions on the Games, money that no Western country could possibly get voters to approve.

Here are some comments on the Olympics from Chinesepod's "Dear Amber". Tickets scalper (huang niu or 'yellow cow') prices were about three times standard. Beijing was transformed - clean, organized, calm. Smog was still a problem but some reported seeing mountains they hadn't known were there! Lorries were off the roads and migrant workers, many of whom had worked on facilities, were banned from Beijing. Drinks and food were cheap but you had to queue for about 40 minutes. There were 'self-heating' meals with which you pulled a string, mixing chemical and water to heat the meal. Zhong guo jia you (China try harder) was the official cheer. The Chinese public were reportedly very polite and had been told what questions were impolite, e.g. "what is your salary"? Chinese pride was palpable. Taxis were not great and the Metro was a better option.

Foot fetish.
Westerners, it seems, often have trouble buying shoes in China on account of size and may wonder if foot-binding is still practised. Actually, according to my favourite souce, Chinese parents still try to control the growth of their daughters' feet, nowadays by restricting shoe size, in pursuit of that ideal feminine form! Chinesepod.

Hospitals.
Dear Amber recently had advice on this topic. Unless you have insurance go to a local hospital but be prepared for a complete lack of privacy. Some hospitals have an expensive part for foreigners, with English-speaking doctors and, according to her, they love to hook you up to an IV. She also observed that they favour over-diagnosis as a money-making strategy. Act on this advice at your own risk!

English help 1 to 1. CELTA qualified Mandarin-speaking tutor available. Phone 351 0901.

LANGUAGE CORNER
Not Chinglish but Engnese An interesting phenomenon for serious language learners is that some second language words or expressions are so exquisitely apt that you naturally carry them over into your first language. For me with Mandarin they have tended to be expletives: taoyan! - what a nuisance/bother/pain in the neck (applies equally to people or things), or qi si wo! -.it makes me so mad ('angry to death'). Another is qing 'to toast' someone but without the deadly formality that implies in English. In Chinese Qing ni is an everyday sort of expression. In many cases too, Chinese expressions can convey so much more succinctly nuance that English struggles with - bu shufu - not comfortable (may be physically), or pien ni, to trick you but in a good natured way ('I'm having you on"). Some words of course reflect things not typically found here or expressed clumsily such as gaoji for elevated highway. Expats may also consider that saying la duzi is so much easier than "I have daihorrea", but more importantly, if your doctor is a lao wai (foreigner) will s/he understand?

MAY

Next Meeting - Thursday 29th May 7.30pm
Rewi Alley Education and Cultural Centre, 32 Matipo Street
Gold coin donation (suggest $2).
Bring-&-buy table!
Teaching in China's Kindergartens - Lynda Boyd, Associate Dean Early Childhood Teacher Education, University of Canterbury.
Involved in teacher education for 17 years & a qualified early childhood teacher Lynda is responsible for early childhood teacher education qualifications at Canterbury, her particular areas of interest being the relationship between cooperating teachers and teacher education providers and expectations of students working in multicultural societies. Personal interest in helping students develop awareness of culture and their related responsibilities as teachers led to the China programme in 2004 and students have gone each semester since, until this year.

SOCIETY / COMMUNITY NEWS
Shandan Baillie School needs a teacher late August, preferably until the end of June 2009 but at least until Spring Festival. Contact Dave Bromwich

Employment information sought
In order to provide appropriate employment opportunities and initiatives Canterbury Development Corporation is currently conducting a survey of migrants. To contribute go to their website , or phone (03) 353 6886. A brief survey, it asks such things as how settled migrants are and work found.

NZ CHINESE GIFT TO 2008 OLYMPIC TEAM
The New Zealand Chinese community will present a sculpture to the 2008 New Zealand Olympic Team. The sculpture will sit outside the NZ Team living area in the Olympic village and be presented to the Chinese Olympic Committee at the end of the games. The [Guy Ngan] sculpture will consist of a two metre long modern stylised dragon (symbolising Chinese) with a greenstone pearl on its tongue (symbolising Maori) on a granite base at an estimated cost of $40,000. On the rear of the stainless steel rectangular box frame will be the NZ Olympic logo with captions in English and Chinese and on the ends the names of donors giving $1,000 or more written in English and Chinese.

They also plan to have a special book presented to the NZ Olympic Team with names of all donors of $50 or more.

Asia downunder
Reminder of this weekly television magazine programme which often carries items of interest to members. Screening each Sunday 8.30am on TVOne, it is repeated on CTV Thursday 9pm and Friday 4.30pm, and on TVNZ Wednesday 6.30pm, Thursday 10.10am and Saturday 8.35am.

Cervical cancer screening
Asia downunder reported recently that Chinese women are particularly reticent about having these regular and potentially life-saving examinations. Clearly there is a cultural barrier, but hopefully one that can be overcome with education.

SINCE LAST NEWSLETTER
April 12th. Media matters forum
With an audience of around 70 from both media and ethnic groups the forum, organized by the Office of Ethnic Affairs, covered a range of mainly Chinese issues, with press (mainstream and ethnic) and TV (journalism and drama).

April 24th. Civil rights in China
A large audience heard Bill Willmott explain how we need to try to understand the situation in China with its Confucian tradition of authoritarian rule, and equated it to England ca.1840 in terms of industrialisation. China's constitution is liberal but its priorities (as elsewhere in the developing world) are development, not individual freedom. Bill went on to discuss obligation to state and the roles of legal and political systems as well as the impact of economic change. He told how human rights have improved since China was awarded the Olympics and of foreign investment company chagrin at the impact this has had on wages. Bill spoke on cultural rights at some length.

Dragon Boat Festival or Duanwu Jié is held on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month (double fifth), but this year 8th of June. An ancient festival, celebrated in other parts of Asia as well as in the West where it tends to be in the summer months. One of three main Chinese festivals it began as a time for driving off evil spirits. Zongzi, or bamboo wrapped rice dumplings are traditional at this time, as are hanging calamus and moxa on the front door and pasting up pictures of Chung Kuei (nemesis of evil spirits). Adults drink hsiung huang wine and children are given fragrant sachets, both said to prevent evil and bring peace.

In Taiwan people "fetch noon water" - draw well water on the afternoon of the festival in the belief that it will cure illness. Stand an egg on end exactly at noon and the coming year will be lucky. Traditionally the festival is to remember the high official and famed poet Qu Yuen (ca.340-278 BC) of the ancient state of Chu, who committed suicide by drowning himself, on learning that Chu had lost a vital battle. People threw zonggzi into the river so fish would eat them rather than his body. Long, narrow (dragon) boats were sent to scare the fsh with their thunderous drumming. A more prosaic explanation - it may simply have originated as a harvest festval. (Wikipedia & other sources.)

Xi yào hai shi Zhong yào? (Western medicine or Chinese medicine?)
We're getting into the cold season and this question was raised recently on Chinesepod. Interestingly the answer was that for many Chinese western are the medicines of choice for the quick symptomatic relief but that many then switch to traditional Chinese medicine for the more holistic approach to a full recovery of bodily health. What those who bet on the horses might call 'having five bucks each way'.

NEWS BRIEFS
Chéngyu ( literally "to become part of the language") are highly compact, often moral, four character idioms widely used from antiquity. There are about 5,000 chéngyu, mostly derived from ancient literature. As a rule the meaning of a chéngyu surpasses the meaning of the characters, chéngyu often being intimately linked with the myth, story or historical fact and out of context they may be unintelligible.

For example, (pò fu chén zhou), literally "break the woks and sink the boats" means to succeed after 'burning your bridges'. General Xiang Yu won a battle having ordered his troop to destroy all cooking utensils and boats after crossing a river into enemy territory. One important difference from English - this chéngyu doesn't apply if you don't succeed! (adapted from Chinese-tools.com)

LANGUAGE CORNER
Talking family
Ni jia you ji kou rén?. 'Your family has how many people?'
San kou. 'Three.'
Family is one of the popular topics of conversation for new acquaintances in any language and Mandarin is no exception. Note that the measure word for people is kou (literally 'mouth').
Ni jiéhun le ma? 'Are you married?'
Fuqin (father) and muqin (mother) are more formal labels that can be combined into fumu (parents).
In everyday speech, especially from young children, you will more likely hear bàba, mama.
Mandarin has specific terms for older brother and sister, gege,jiejie, and younger brother and sister dìdi, mèimei respectively. Like fuqin, muqin above, these words can be combined, this time to form xiongdì jiemèi and the sentence Ni you xiongdì jiemèi ma? means 'Have you any brothers or sisters?'

2008 SUBSCRIPTION NOW DUE
2008 subscriptions yet to pay? Please send payment to our treasurer Gretchen Tong, 7 McKenzie Court, 140 Ensors Road Christchurch.Payments made after 31 May will not qualify for discount. We welcome donations to help support other organisations working for China.

Feedback welcome - criticism, ideas for meetings, ways to improve our work and further the cause of friendship and understanding between New Zealand and China.
Individual Subs @ $16 ($18 less $2 discount)
Family Subs @ $23 ($25 less $2 discount)
Unwaged Subs @ $12 ($14 less $2 discount)