SPICE OR MEDICINE
In Chinese medicine, there has been a close connection between nutrition, the biological effects of food, and medical science since ancient times. As early as 2200 BCE, people had already discovered the medicinal value of plants and were using them in their daily lives. The experience gained over the centuries forms the basis of traditional Chinese medicine and, in this context, Chinese nutrition.
TEA FROM JING MOUNTAIN
Organized by the Tea Museum, we picked the leaves and learned about the history of Longjing tea and the traditions of tea drinking. The question naturally arose: which is older, Chinese tea culture or Japanese tea culture? Just as with the origins of writing, the answer here was clear: it spread from China and was adopted by the Japanese. I haven’t been to Japan yet, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they had a different opinion there.
ALIBABA AND THE NEW WORLD
I have always loved science fiction, and readers who share my interests are slowly seeing the things described in those books come to reality. A brave new world awaits us (?), as Huxley so brilliantly showed us. The books and stories I read as a child have taken on new meaning here in China.
GAO KAO
Just as in Hungary, here (in China) parents send their children to extra classes and prep courses to enhance their chances of getting into a better school or succeeding more easily. From an early age, children spending several hours a week on music lessons, sports, learning English, and completing schoolwork. It’s difficult to stand out among the tens of millions of young people. We must start teaching our children even earlier and push them to learn even more so that they can be among the top performers. One key element of this system is the Gao Kao.
HEALTHCARE IN CHINA
In addition to conventional, traditional medicine, the development of the national health care system began in 1949 and focused on two areas: hygiene and disease prevention, and improving nutrition. The system went through several changes and periods of decline, and the economic reforms of 1978 clearly exposed its imbalances: the differing levels of development and financial situations between inland and coastal regions, as well as between villages and cities.
QINGMING FESTIVAL
While we were celebrating the most important day in the Christian calendar - Easter - in Hungary, in China, April 4–5 (Day of the Dead) is a time for remembrance and honoring the deceased. During the Qingming Festival, people visit the graves of their loved ones. They tidy up the graves, sweep them, remove trash, and place willow branches and flowers on the graves.
DRAGON BOAT FESTIVAL
On the 5th day of the 5th lunar month, the Dragon Boat Festival begins. With the Dragon Boat Festival, the Chinese honor the memory of Qu Yuan, King Chu’s minister, and also celebrate Poetry Day. The traditional dish of the festival is zongzi.
GREEN TEA
Sunday morning at 7:00 a.m., the alarm goes off. “Where are you going?” my husband asks. “We’re going to pick tea.” He grumbles, rolls over onto his other side, and then asks, “Why? We’re not even big fans of tea.” “That’s not why we’re going. It’s to get to know Chinese culture (since we live here anyway).” Silence. “I experience their culture every day…” And so we set off for the tea harvest organized by the Hangzhou Tea Museum.
BIRTH AND DEATH
I’m fortunate that my Mandarin teacher is the mother of two adorable little girls. Thanks to her, I’ve learned about some traditions related to pregnancy and birth. Some of these are no longer practiced in the younger generation, which tends to follow traditions less closely, but many families still follow the traditions.
LATERN FESTIVAL
The Spring Festival closes with the Lantern Festival. Some believe that the tradition of releasing lanterns is linked to Buddhism. Emperor Ming learned that monks lit lamps on the 15th day of the first lunar month to honor the Buddha. To demonstrate his commitment to Buddhism, he ordered that on this day, villagers throughout the country also light similar lanterns. The traditional food of the festival is yuan xiao (which is also the Chinese name for the festival), a small, stuffed balls made from rice flour, that symbolize family reunion.
THE YEAR OF THE DOG
On February 16, 2018 (the 23rd day of the 12th lunar month), the Chinese New Year arrives, and with it, another Exodus begins. There is hardly a family in which at least one member or perhaps the entire family doesn’t set out to travel home to visit relatives or go on vacation. According to forecasts, approximately 3.2 billion travel bookings are expected, by land, water, and air. Where does the Chinese New Year originate, and what traditions are connected to it?
LABA FASTIVAL
Laba Festival takes place on the 8th day of the 12th lunar month (January 24). I’ll be honest, I’d never heard of it before, but after my friends started posting about Laba dishes, I became curious and looked up what “Laba” actually means. The name is a combination of the Chinese month and the number eight. One of the most important traditions of the holiday is making Laba porridge.
NUMBERS AND BELIEFS
As Christmas approaches, the Chinese class discussed gift-giving and the meanings of numbers. There are superstitions and beliefs associated with numbers. Here are a few interesting examples from the Chinese tradition.
LUXURY BRANDS AND POLITICS
www.jingdaily.com published an interesting article about the relationship between Chinese politics and foreign brands. The article captured my attention, because it offers insight into China’s complex culture.
THE LITTLE ONE AND THE GIANT
Before we moved here, we knew that China was a huge country and that Hangzhou was a city of about 10 million people. Even back then, and still today it’s hard to grasp just how big it really is. Especially if you don’t live here and can’t see the scale with your own eyes. Here are a few interesting facts that might give you an idea of what Hangzhou is like and just how big China’s fourth-largest city is. (as of 2017).
NO MOBILE, NO GO!
Can’t go anywhere without a cell phone? Yes. Basically, I belong to that small group of people who use their phones for what they were designed for: making phone calls. And sometimes to send text messages. Since we’ve been in China, my relationship with technology and with my cell phone has changed significantly. We could even say that we can’t live without each other, just like the billions of people here in China.
TIBET AND SKIING
Tibet and skiing? No, I wasn’t dreaming; Tibet might become China’s new winter sports hub. The news was first reported on www.chinadaily.com in 2016. According to the plans, a resort would be built near Lhasa, and it would become China’s highest-altitude ski resort, replacing the current Jade Dragon/Snow Mountain resort.
11/11 SINGLE'S DAY
November 11 is just as important a day in China as Black Friday is around the world. On November 11, singles celebrate. It all started as a twist on Valentine’s Day. Bored college students had had enough of the romantic Valentine’s Day and organized a counter-party on November 11. Singleness is becoming more common, and there are many single women and men. Thanks to this trend—and the internet—what started as a one-time event has grown into a tradition.
TRAFFIC FINES
It happened. We got our first traffic fine. Of course, it wasn’t for violating traffic laws—because there are practically no laws (see my previous post on this: https://www.summester.com/kozlekedes-kinai-modra). In Hangzhou, the standard method of restricting traffic, which we’re trying out in Budapest is filtering by license plate. What does this mean in practice?
SUPER SAFETY
Once upon a time... the service provider announced a 6-day power outage. That’s not a short period, especially when it’s important that those 6 days pass as if nothing had happened. You leave nothing to chance, and you check with your own eyes to make sure the preparations have gone smoothly: the generators are working, the fuel tanks are full, and everything and everyone is ready for the coming week. Then, when you see this, you freeze for a little while.
CHINESE STYLE TRAFFIC
Since Hangzhou is the headquarters of Alibaba, then transportation there can be just as magical as the fairy-tale world of the Middle East. That is, as long as you approach things with the appropriate calm. Why? Because, fundamentally, their transportation system is chaotic, yet systematic.
MUSICAL LIGHT SHOW
There are several evening light shows in Hangzhou; the most recent of these was created for the 2016 G20 summit, while the best known is the West Lake light show. In the new Qianjiang city center, the water and light show in front of the Grand Theater is not limited to this area alone; instead, the fronts of some 35 buildings along a 10-kilometer stretch of the river were used to create a harmonious visual display. In addition, the theater itself and the fountain in front of it are active players in the show.
MOON FESTIVAL
The Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as the Moon Festival, is the second most important holiday in China after the New Year. It begins with the anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China (Oct. 1), followed by the Mid-Autumn Festival, or Moon Festival. It is called the Mid-Autumn Festival because it is always held in the middle of autumn; it is called the Moon Festival because the moon is at its brightest and roundest at this time.
OLD OR NEW?
I’m sure everyone has come across this question before. Hangzhou (I find it hard to get used to the Hungarian name “Hangcsour”) is developing rapidly, and the changes are visible. Huge areas are being leveled by bulldozers, making way for new residential complexes, office buildings, and shopping centers. As I looked at one of the construction sites, I was reminded of a video that someone had shared on a social media site.
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