My First Moon Cake at CLE

The Mid-Autumn Festival is one of the most important festivities in China, According to Chinese lunar calendar, the 15th day of the 8th month is the exact midst of autumn, so it's called the Mid-Autumn Festival. The Mid-Autumn Festival is an evening celebration when families gather together to light lanterns, eat moon cakes and appreciate the round moon. On that night, the moon appears to be at its roundest and brightest. The full moon is a symbol for family reunion, which is why that day is also known as the Festival of Reunion. The Mid-Autumn Festival celebrations date back to more than 2,000 years ago. In feudal times, Chinese emperors prayed to Heaven for a prosperous year. They chose the morning of the 15th day of the second lunar month to worship the sun and the night of the 15th day of the eighth lunar month to hold a ceremony in praise of the moon. In the western district of Beijing is the Yuetan Park, which originally was the Temple of Moon, and every year the emperor would go there to offer a sacrifice to the moon. This ancient custom became prevalent in the Tang Dynasty (618-907) that people enjoyed and worshipped the full moon. In the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279), however, people sent round moon cakes to their relatives as gifts in expression of their best wishes of family reunion. When it turned dark, they gazed up at the full silver moon or went sightseeing by lakes, to celebrate the festival. Since the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing dynasties (1644-1911), the custom of Mid-Autumn Festival celebration has become unprecedentedly popular. Together with the celebration appeared some special customs in different parts of the country, such as burning incense, planting Mid-Autumn trees, lighting lanterns on towers and fire dragon dances, etc. Whenever the festival sets in, people would look up at the full silver moon, drinking wine to celebrate their happy life, or thinking of their relatives and friends far from home and extending all of their best wishes to them. In mid-autumn, farmers have just finished gathering their crops and bringing in fruits from the orchards. They are overwhelmed with joy when they have a bumper harvest and at the same time, they feel quite relaxed after a year of hard work. So the 15th day of the eighth lunar month (the Mid-Autumn Festival) has gradually evolved as a widely celebrated festival for ordinary people. Night falls. The land is bathed in silver moonlight. Families set up tables in their courtyards or sit together on their balconies, chatting and sharing offerings to the moon. Together, they enjoy the enchanting spell of night. Naturally, they are reminded of beautiful legends about the moon.

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The Strategy for Remembering “前”and “后”

Many Chinese learners find it very difficult to use “前”and “后”

 如: 前天，后天，两天前，五天后，前面，后面，。。。。

 Here is the strategy for remembering these words.

 1 .When talking about time,just remember we need to check the calendar. If you talk about the past time,you need to tear that day of paper off, so the related time all belongs to “前”------ 前天，前年，两天前，很久很久以前……If you talk about the future,the day paper is still on the calendar,therefore it comes later,this can help student understand the idea “后”------ 后天，后年，两天后，以后…….

 2 When talking about the position,all things in front of your eyes or something else belong to “前”------ 他坐在我前边。     

医院前边是一家超市。

 All things behind your eyes or something else belong to “后”------ 我坐在他后边。

超市在医院后边。  

2 你的汉语怎么样？这里有个词语游戏，里边有很多双音节的词语，只要两个字相连，前后左右、斜着都可以成词，试一试，你能找到多少次吧？

安	以	干	能	下	高	提	向
所	净	可	信	手	兴	方	法
奇	好	心	答	该	画	趣	公
怪	爱	热	回	应	比	如	作
别	色	餐	聚	较	运	动	活
脸	特	会	厅	适	合	情	感
由	自	然	规	意	商	场	况
于	后	定	稳	得	量	重	市

1---- 5 个           马马虎虎

6----10 个           一般

11-15个            厉害

16 个以上          汉语达人  

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Yanjing Beer Factory Tour - 燕京啤酒厂

As a modern city with vibrant culture and lifestyles, Beijing is proud of its drinking culture. More of a symbol of hospitality and friendliness, drinking local beer with friends is one of the most pastimes for Beijingers of all ages. One of the most famous beer brand is Yanjing Beer, which stands for “Beijing Beer”. Proud locals of Beijing would always drink the cool beer as a way to get away from the summer heat. Many also like to drink it while eating spicy food or hotpot. Due to its popularity, the yanjing beer factory is one of the busiest and most highly qualified beer factory in the world.

Wraping Dumplings - 包饺子

Wrapping dumplings is a Chinese folk custom during Spring Festival. Especially, citizens living in the northern part of China are fond of dumplings. Dumpling is a folk food with a long history. The food is beloved by Chinese people. There is even a saying that says “it doesn’t taste better than dumpling”.

Dumplings must be served during Spring Festival because they are shaped as shoe-shaped ingot. Eating dumplings during Spring Festival has the meaning of attracting fortune and money. Chinese people believe, as they stuff the dumplings, they are also putting fortune and hope into their lives. 

Nowadays, people eat dumplings regularly. The ingredients of dumplings are: pork, flour, vegetable, salt, flavor enhancer, sauce, seasoning wine, oil, water etc.