Corrected Blogs

我最喜欢的佳节是元宵节

我最喜欢的佳节是元宵节。我住在新加坡的时候我家每年去公园看很多的灯. 我喜欢元宵节因为灯有很多的颜色，很漂亮。我去公园的时候我买了一个灯。常常灯有音乐。我弟弟和妹妹也喜欢元宵节也买了一些灯。我有一张照片我跟龙灯。红色的龙灯很高。我喜欢看最大的灯，可是小灯也很漂亮。在水上有很多的灯！我想新加坡，我也想去灯会公园。


我的朋友

我有很多的朋友，可是我最爱的朋友是我的弟弟，妹妹。我们小的时候常常吵架，可是现在没吵架。。。可能有的时候哈哈。妹妹十六岁，弟弟十四岁。我住在 Dallas，他们住在 Houston 所以我经常想他们。我天天给他们打电话所以我们能聊天儿。我弟弟特别喜欢跟我聊天儿，这让我很高兴。我跟弟弟妹妹一起玩游戏，很好玩儿！我们都非常喜欢唱歌，跳舞，看电视，看电影。我们最喜欢的电影是 Avengers! 我们也用 Facebook 所以我们能聊天儿。


这个星期
这个星期和下个星期给我很大的压力！我有很多的功课，考试什么的。现在我特别累，可是不能睡觉因为我很忙于功课。糟糕！这个学期我的课很难。我也打工所以我没有空儿。为什么我选那么多课？可能我不聪明哈哈哈。我不知道为什么学校给我很大的压力。别的同学跟我不一样。直到圣诞节我才可以放松，回家。现在我想家人和我的狗。可是下个学期很多的朋友会留学所以我想时间慢慢地过，我有更多的时间和他们在一起。

一月学期
下个一月学期我要去 Washington D.C., London, 和 Malta 这三个地方学民主思想。Austin 大学有两个教授，Nate Bigelow 和 Phil Barker 教政治课。他们和我们一起去。他们要教我们很多不一样的民主思想。所以在 D.C. 我们学美国的民主思想，在 London 学英国的民主思想什么的。我觉得政治很有意思，特别是中国政治，政府。政治非常重要因为影响很多很多人。文化常常跟政治关联。不同的国家有不同的政策，所以我要知道为什么。

美国的假日
我最喜欢美国的假日是圣诞节。因为每个圣诞节我们没有课，所以我们能回家！我在大学的时候我想我的家，所以圣诞节很好玩儿因为我可以见他们。有的时候我们旅行，见别的家人。我喜欢圣诞节的另一个原因是因为有很多很多非常漂亮的摆设儿。我家一起把摆设儿放在圣诞树上。我们都听圣诞节的音乐，跳舞，喝饮料，吃小吃。整天我们都在吃饭！圣诞节晚饭非常大！圣诞吃完晚饭以后我们去教会。圣诞上午我们开礼物。给礼物和接礼物都很好玩儿。


我的童年
一九九一年八月十七日我在 Houston 出生，可是在新加坡长大。我小的时候在新加坡住了八年。我家常常旅行所以现在我非常喜欢国际关系。我去过中国一次。我弟弟妹妹也去过。因为我们住在亚洲我们有很多的亚洲朋友。我们最好的朋友是日本人，叫 Akane. 我也有韩国的朋友。长大以后我经历的文化跟我小时候不一样。这样我现在要学亚洲文化和政治。我觉得中国的文化和政治很有意思因为我在新加坡长大。

中国人

我觉得中国人和中国文化非常有意思，所以我在大学学中文。中国人跟美国人一样！ 都聪明，都好玩儿，当然都好看！哈哈。我喜欢住在美国的中国人。 我觉得他们很用功。很多我的朋友是中国人，特别是我住在新加坡的时候。很多的美国人觉得中国人比美国人聪明因为中国人在美国常常有很好的工作。我不知道为什么。美国人也觉得日本人聪明。

这个星期

这个星期和下个星期给我很大的压力！我有很多的功课，考试什么的。现在我特别累，可是不能睡觉因为我很忙。糟糕！这个学期我的课很难。我也打工所以我没有空儿。为什么我选那么多课？可能我不聪明哈哈哈。我不知道为什么学校给我很大的压力。别的同学跟我不一样。我不能等圣诞节所以我可以轻松，回家。我想家人和我的狗。可是下个学期很多的朋友会留学所以我要时间慢慢地过。

Language House Blog

中国人

我觉得中国人和中国文化非常有意思，所以我在大学学中国。中国人跟美国人一样！ 都聪明，都好玩儿，当然都好看！哈哈。我喜欢中国人住在美国。 我觉得他们很用功。很多我的朋友是中国人，特别我住在新加坡的时候。很多的美国人觉得中国人比美国人聪明因为中国人在美国常常有很到的工作。我不知道为什么。美国人也觉得日本人都聪明。

我眼中的中國人

我眼中的中國人有可能跟别的美國人眼中的中國人不太一樣。這是因爲我父母倆是從台灣移民來美國的。在我來看，一般在美國住的中國人挺勵害的。他們一般比較用工，讀書很認真,畢業就要上醫學院還是當成工程師。年青一點的比年紀大的注重時尚，喜歡買好衣服，車，什麽的，比較喜歡表示一示。我美國朋友們都以爲中國生下來就很勵害，我知道不是這樣，是因爲中國父母給孩子很大的壓力。

一月学期

下个一月学期我要去 Washington D.C., London, 和 Malta 学德谟克拉西。两个教授，Nate Bigelow 和 Phil Barker 教政治课。他们要教我们很多的德谟克拉西不一样。所以在 D.C. 我们学美国的德谟克拉西，在 London 学英国的德谟克拉西什么的。我觉得政治很有意思，听别是中国政治，政府。政治非常重要因为影响很多很多人。常常文化跟政治关联。不同的国家有不同的政府，所以我要知道为什么。

美国的假日

我最喜欢美国的假日是圣诞节。我喜欢因为每圣诞节我们没有课，所以我们能回家！我在大学的时候我想我的家，所以圣诞节很好玩儿因为我见他们。有的时候我们旅行，见别的家人。也喜欢因为有很多很多非常漂亮的摆设儿。我家一起对摆设儿放在圣诞节树上。我们都听圣诞节的音乐，跳舞，喝饮料，吃小吃。整天我们都一直吃饭！圣诞节晚饭非常大！圣诞吃完晚饭以后我们去教会。圣诞上午我们开礼物。给礼物和接礼物都很好玩儿。

我的朋友

我的朋友

我有很多的朋友，可是我的最爱的朋友是我的弟弟，妹妹。我们小的时候常常吵架，可是现在没吵架。。。可能有的时候哈哈。妹妹十六岁，弟弟十四岁。我住在 Dallas，他们住在 Houston 所以我平常想你们。我天天给他们打电话所以我们能谈谈。我弟弟特别喜欢跟我谈谈，让我很高兴。我跟妹妹弟弟很好玩儿！我们都非常喜欢唱歌，跳舞，看电视，看电影。我们最喜欢的电影是 Avengers! 我们也用 Facebook 所以我们能谈谈。

Stricter Food Law Enforcement

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/business/2011-06/09/content_12753766.htm

宣誓： xuan1 shi4: vow

正式发言/正式發言： zheng4 shi4 fa1 yan2: official statement

忍受： ren3 shou4: endure

合理： he2 li3: fair

严格/嚴格： yan2 ge2: strict

权力/權力： quan2 li4: authority

严重罚款/嚴重罰款： yan2 zhong4 fa2 kuan3: severe penalty

收回： shou1 hui2: revocation

禁制令： jin4 zhi4 ling4: ban

终身监禁/ 终身監禁： zhong4 shen1 jian1 jin4: life sentence

死刑： si3 xing2: death penalty

Childhood Blog

一九九一年八月十七日我在 Houston 出生，可是在新加坡长大。我小的时候住在新加坡八年。我家常常旅行所以现在我非常喜欢国际关系。我连去过中国一次。我弟弟妹妹也去过。因为我们住在亚洲我们有很多的亚洲朋友。我们的最好的朋友是日本人，叫 Akane. 我也有有的韩国朋友。长大我经验文化跟我的不同。这样我现在要学亚洲文化和政治。我觉得中国的文化和政治很有意思因为我在新加坡长大。

安监

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2011-10/18/content_13928540.htm

Vocabulary

安监: work safety

安监局: Bureau of Work Safety

十二五计划：12^th Five Year Plan

公伤：work-related injury

煤矿: coal mine

百分之十: ten percent

企业：company, firm, enterprise

我的童年

China's Loop-hole Laws

China’s Loop-hole Laws

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_asiapacific/view/1125410/1/.html

不诚实/不誠實：bu4 cheng2 shi2: dishonestly

道德降解： dao4 de2 jiang4 jie3: moral degradation

食物安全法： shi2 wu4 an1 quan2 fa3: food safety law

法制： fa3 zhi4: legal system

规定/規定： gui1 ding4: regulations

腐败/腐敗： fu3 bai4: corruption

贿赂/賄賂： hui4 lu4: to bribe

官员/官員： guan1 yuan2: government officials

曝光： bao4 guang1/ pu4 guang1: scandal

行政处罚/行政處法：xin2 zheng4 chu3 fa2: administrative penalties

扣留：kou4 liu2: confiscated

Civil Rights in China - Private Property

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-15054044

Vocabulary:

1. 权利 (quánlì) – right/priviledge

2. 人权 (rén quán) – human right

3. 产权 (chǎn quán) – property right

4. 财产 (cái chǎn) - property

5. 财产发展 (cái chǎn fā zhǎn) – property development

6. 横行 (héngxíng) – to riot/rebel/run amuck

7. 政府 (zhèng fŭ) - government

8. 夺 (duó) – to seize/take forcibly

9. 广东省 (guǎng dōng shěng ) – Guangdong Province

10. 调查 (diào chá) – to investigate/inquiry

我的故里

我的故里是Houston.一九九一年八月十七号我在Houston出生。Houston是很大的城市在Texas，在Austin和Dallas的南面。离海湾有一点儿近。我住在近Jayson的故里，Galveston.我喜欢Houston因为有很多的博物馆。我最喜欢的是Natural History Museum.我暑假常常去看看。Houston还有很多的公园，又大又漂亮。在城市里公园那么合适。可是我不喜欢Houston的驾驶员因为他们很不好。现在我不住在城市里，我住在Houston的北面。The Woodlands是一个市郊。市郊比城市好，有好家，好学校，好买东西中心！我长大的时候我要住在市郊。

Youth Culture Blog

Youth Culture Vocabulary (少年文化）

宣 Xuan1: to declare (major) or choose

家庭教师 jia1ting2 jiao4shi1: private teacher, tutor

讲价 jiang3jia4: bargain

互联网 hu4lian4wang3: internet

博客 bo2ke4: blog

卡拉OK ka3la1 ou1kei1: karaoke

乒乓球 ping1pang1qiu2: ping pong


中国的少年文化很有意思。很多的美国人不知到中国文化。中国大学生跟美国大学生一样。只有一点差。有的时候四个大学生住在中国的宿舍，至于美国宿舍有两个的。美国的宿舍常常有女生和男生一起，可是中国的宿舍没有。中国学生和美国学生都工作。在中国很多学生是家庭教师。中国大学生得上大学前宣专业，美国大学生到大学以后宣专业。

中国少年喜欢买东西，美国少年也喜欢。可是在中国可以讲价。我去中国的时候我一直会讲价。那买东西非常便宜。中国少年也喜欢互联网和博客。我不喜欢看博客，我太忙了。可是我觉得卡拉OK很好玩。每个中国人喜欢卡拉OK。

在美国大家喜欢看美式足球。在中国少年喜欢看足球，喜欢打乒乓球。

Friday Presentation Vocab

Youth Culture Vocabulary (少年文化生词）

宣 Xuan1: to declare (major) or choose

家庭教师 jia1ting2 jiao4shi1: private teacher, tutor

讲价 jiang3jia4: bargain

互联网 hu4lian4wang3: internet

博客 bo2ke4: blog

卡拉OK ka3la1 ou1kei1: karaoke

乒乓球 ping1pang1qiu2: ping pong

富 fu4: rich

政府 zheng4fu3: government

China's Food Scandal Widens

China’s Food Scandal Widens

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/31/world/asia/31iht-01china-update.17426856.html?pagewanted=all

肾脏/腎臟： kidney

故障： failure

毒剂/毒劑：a poison, a toxic agent

蛋: eggs

宠儿食物/寵兒食物：animal feed, pet food

非法：illegal

次货/次貨: inferior goods, substandard products

食品厂/食品廠： food factory

塑胶/塑膠： plastic

在中国每个孩子都很喜难看衣服。他们不在乎什么穿。我面试了一个孩子得知多。

我问他要是他有一个标准买衣服。他说 ”要是我可以穿它，我喜欢它。质量，价钱，牌子都不在乎。”

“真的么！？ 我想每个中国孩子很喜欢名牌。难道你不在乎你的时髦？“

”日本孩子在乎多牌子。他们比我们在乎多最新的时髦。理性我们不在乎因为我们的衣服的多样性很小。”

“阿，现在我懂。”

de2zhi1

得知

learn

zui4xi1ndeshi2mao2

新的时髦

latest fasion

duo1yang4xing4

多样性

diversity

li3xing4

理性

reason

中国人常常去购物中心买东西。中国人很喜欢买衣服，买T恤衫和裤子，平常牛仔裤。可是在中国的冬天天气很冷，所以国人需要买毛衣，帽子，和手套。在中国最衣服是名牌的衣服，可是中国还有正常的衣服。中国的名牌是很时髦，质量，颜色两个都好。但是价钱一点贵，中国买有加税，于是是多的现金。中国人也得买日用品，你需要卫生纸，牙膏，毛巾，和洗手液。中国人都喜欢物美价廉，他们都很在乎别人怎么看他们。

赤狐：

赤狐
cíhuì
vocabulary

帽子
màozi
hat

手套
shǒutào
gloves

正常
zhèngcháng
normal

洗手液
xǐshǒuyè
liquid hand wash

中国人的消费性

中国人的消费性一直变着，他们曾经没有钱，可是现在很多人有钱。名牌儿的衣服越来越时髦。连男人都很喜欢穿名牌儿的衣服。哪像美国男人，谁都以为时髦的衣服不酷。中国人吃饭的习惯也变了。吃垃圾食品，比如：奥利奥，冰糖什么的都很喜欢吃。炸的吃的也很红。

消费性: consumerism

曾经：used to

哪像: not like

习惯: habit

垃圾食品：junk food

奥利奥：Oreo cookies

冰糖：rock candy

红：popular

我的最喜欢中国的假

我的最喜欢中国的假

我的最喜欢中国的假是灯会！我住在新加坡的时候我家每个年去公园看很多的灯。我喜欢灯会因为灯又有很颜色又漂亮。我去公园的时候我买一个灯。有的灯搞音乐。我弟弟和妹妹也喜欢灯会也买一些灯。我还有照片我跟灯像龙。红色的龙灯很高。我喜欢看最大的灯，可是有的很小灯也漂亮。连在海子上有很多的灯！我想新加坡，我也想去灯会公园。

你最感兴趣的一本书。

我的最好的书是A Walk in the Woods.

我的最好的书是A Walk in the Woods.这个书很好玩儿，让我发笑！主要人物非常喜欢走路，运动。他不要工作所以他旅行。美国有一个挺大的远足小路。主要人物说跟一个朋友一起走路。有的时候他们很高兴，有的时候他们很不高兴。他们很多月一起走路。可是两个朋友有问题。他们常常吵，想他们的家。主要人物坐飞机回家。我看玩乐很不高兴。我要再看一遍！

中國菜

很多人喜歡吃中國菜。我每次想到中國菜就想到糖醋魚，烤豬，和炒飯。我以吃下一口嘴巴就笑得很大。但是我吃的糖醋魚的醋有可能是毒的。吃前没想到我是在一邊笑一邊死。最近中國食物一直發出通知警告公民要小心吃一些不同的食物。這些危險的吃的是報告者發現的。中國從前没有食物法律所以很難説這麽多年下來有多少人被影蠁到。

新生字：

烤豬：kao3 zhu1：roasted pig

炒飯：chao3 fan4: stir-fried rice

毒：du2: poison, poisonous

發出通知：fa1 chu1 tong1 zhi1: to send out a notification

警告：jing3 gao4: to warn

公民：gong1 min2: citizens

報告者：bao4 gao4 zhe3: reporter

發現：fa1 xian4: to discover, to find

法律：fa3 lv4: law

影蠁：ying3 xiang3: effect

什麼事讓你覺得最幸福？

什么事让你觉得最幸福？

China's Controversial New Marriage Law

Watch this and be ready to step back a few hundred years in time! (Not in a good way...)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z3L9C9TFHv8

中文房！

新照片！

給大家介紹你的家庭。

给大家介绍你的家庭。

大家好！歡迎你們回來！

 我很想知道，你的暑假怎麼樣？

大家好！欢迎你们回来！

 我很想知道，你的暑假怎么样？

Congratulations to Jayson Eckert ‘14, Caroline Her ‘13, Madison Messinger ‘14, and Kalyn Rabuse ‘12 for their election to the Spring 2011 Dean’s List!  

PlecoDict for Android

The best handwriting dictionary on the market, PlecoDict, is coming to the Android platform.  See the company announcement here.

Chapter 10

我到飞机场的时候要托运我的行李。我怕我的行李会超重因为我带很多衣服。我想带上飞机一个包。飞机场的服务员给我以张登机牌，说我“一路平安”。 我一直走对我的登机口。哎！ 我忘了给我表姐说再见，谢谢。我一边等飞机，一边看书。飞机应该十点钟起飞，可是天气下一点雨， 所以飞机一点晚。我到日本的时候，我阿姨，素数会等我。我飞机来了。 再见！

Chapter 9

我不喜欢住一个地方太长的时间。我想去旅行看其它的地方。 我想学别地方的文化。我打算明天出去。因为我要电脑，我不要用旅行社。 我上网买一张单程机票去日本。我已经有我的护照。我不要在日本定旅馆因为我上网找到好人给我跟他们住。我会在纽约转机。我要窗户坐字。我要八点早上去到机场。我表姐会送我。我很紧张，还是我也混高兴。我没去过日本。 我很想看有名的首都，Tokyo.

Chapter 8

的公寓有很漂亮的运动场。我怕旁，所以我一定要去做运动。 我喜欢跑步，可是，我也喜欢打网球。如果运动场没有别人，我可以游泳。我有一点怕淹死， 所以我不太愿意去游泳太来。足球太南，我想提高我的水平所以别人不会笑我。我担心没有人会想我跟他们打美食足球。我很喜欢，但是，加州没有很多人跟我一样。最后，跑步最简单。我计划每天去做半天运动。哈哈哈

Chapter 7

加州太好了！一言为定，我想拌去加州。 我先要看报纸找广告出租公寓。我不想住我表姐太远。 我想可以在公寓走到我最喜欢的饭馆儿。我找到很便宜的， 很近的公寓。 公寓已经有家具。太好了。公寓有两个我市，医个卫生间， 还有医个客厅。客厅里有一张饭桌，两套椅子， 还有一长沙发。一月是两千人民币。我不要给押金， 因为我不会杨宠物。 我真很高兴！我找到新的家。

Chapter 6

我昨天晚上在医院的时候跟的医生克定我身体好的时候， 会去看电影， 跳舞。我有力气， 但是我想等后天先打电话给她。我想给她好的印象。 我要打扫的公寓。我准备好以后，去商店买花送给她。我花很多钱。 我希望她会喜欢我。我打电话给她，但是她给我的号码错的！我很伤心。为什么她要左怎么样？我以为她跟我一同，可是我错了。我也不舒服，但是这次我心疼。

Chapter 5

我今天早上起床的时候， 我肚子很疼。我觉得我昨天吃坏。前天的糖醋鱼没做好。 我夜里上厕所很多次。我一定要看病, 我的肚子越来越疼。疼死了！医生检查以后告诉我吃两片肚疼药。她没办法帮我。 她不可以给我打针。我表姐赶快去药店用我的保险买药因为我太懒。我要躺下休息一下。为什么我乱会生病。真很糟糕！我不会在回那个饭馆儿。

Chapter 4

我表姐上完暑期班。她很聪明，很用功。她上班的时候，压力很大，所以她想开舞会。我的老鹏哟回来的舞会。 好久不见。她以前很可爱。现在，她长大了。我上网脸书（facebook)， 看到她的照片。她又高又漂亮。今天还是她的生日。我来加州以前已经计划看她， 所以我已经买好她的礼物。我想送给她一长老的找片。真很可爱！我希望她会喜欢。

Chapter 3

我吃完饭想看加州的中国城。 我去过纽约的中国城，想知道如果加州还比纽约好。我的表姐，小兔在 San Francisco 住。她想带我去，但是 她要打工， 所以她给我一将地图。 她说从的饭馆儿往南走。 我过三个路口以后 往右拐。 我一直走，中国城会在左边。我回到很可爱的商店。 我想买各礼物给我表姐。我买玩东西又哦了，所以我买点水果。我买一些苹果，梨，和西瓜。这个西瓜很重。 我不能带给我表姐。

Chapter 2

我到加州的时候，很哦。我的好朋友，小笑，带我我一个很小的中国饭馆儿。我们到的时候，好像没有位子了。 这服务员带我们去最后的桌子。 我们店一旁素饺字， 亮碗酸辣汤，一旁家常豆腐，还要一旁糖醋鱼。我们说服务员不放味精。 我们只要冰水。我们也说服务员请块上菜。这菜真很好吃。 我想说给师傅谢谢。 下次我想点的红烧牛肉 和 一盘凉拌黄瓜。 我网带我的反卡。 我朋友说没关系， 他帮我肤浅。

Chapter 1

这个秋天，我想多去公园散步。我在电视上看到的天气预报。下个星期的天气真不好。下个星期会下雨，下雪， 真糟糕！可是，我可以去公园滑冰。滑冰很好玩儿。冷的天气不错，但是我更喜欢暖和的天气。Texas 不但太热， 而且很不舒服。加州的天期非常好。 加州不但那么漂亮，而且有很多我的朋友。我刚才在网上找便宜的机票去加州。

Hurray for the Beijing Olympics

I can remember sitting on the couch with my father, after eating a large meal, and watching the television screen intently, anticipating which country was to host the 2008 Olympics. The bid went to China, and I must say on that moment I was very proud and happy for my country of origin. When China announced it's dream come true, it was as if a new world was being open to them.

Prior to this class I had never seen the Beijing opening ceremony. I had seen the Olympics and watched as China triumphed and gained the most gold metals, albeit through cheating. You have to admit the Chinese really wanted to succeed and show to the world how awesome of a country they had become.

The first chance they got to do so was at the opening ceremony. It was spectacular. The massive amount of money seemed well spent. They technology was far advanced, more so than I have ever seen before. And the numbers of people performing bordered on the obscene. 15,000 performers were placed in the show, none of them were repeated. Only in China could this be done, like director Zhang Yimou said, China definately has the man power. An example can be exhibited by the fact that man power, human power, was used to generate and move the Chinese typing blocks.

The show was truely a spectacular show, one that I believe no other country could live up to. The show instilled a Chinese national pride in me that I didn't really know existed. Yes, I am Chinese; however, I believe being born and raised in the West has brought me different ideals and values than the traditional ones brought over from the old country by my forbearers. I believe this opening ceremony and the Beijing Olympic games in general brought Chinese all over the world this same pride. However, despite being extrememly prideful that China is seeking and being granted international recognition, I can't help but remember all the totalitarian moves the government made in order to ensure the success of the Beijing Olympics. Thousands of people were displaced and forced from their homes and car driving was restricted in order to reduce air pollution. Other conflicts include the brutality with which the Chinese government used to suppress Tibetan protesters.

Sometimes I wish I was just ignorant and didn't know the whole situation of China's authoritarianism. I really do. The ceremony was beautiful, but the lenghts to achieve such a success was not justified.

Ai Weiwei's Artwork Travels, Despite Detainment

Ai WeiWei’s art is in New York but he isn’t. Ai Weiwei hasn’t been seen in over a month, since Chinese authorities took him into custody. In this article, the author talks about her interview with Ai before the Beijing Olympics. It is obvious, though frequent blogging, that Ai is adamant in his belief of freedom of speech. His art also conveys his bluntness (i.e. dropping the Han Dynasty vase; conversion of valuable antiques into works of art). As we discussed in class, much of his art represents the government’s destruction of priceless pieces of cultural sites for more modern edifices. Through his art, Ai Weiwei illustrates the facts of Chinese society, which is probably why he's being detained

http://www.npr.org/2011/05/01/135812530/ai-weiweis-artwork-travels-despite-detainment

Hero

Hero is a story about a nameless, at first, hero that has slain the three most deadly assassins and because of tat granted an audience with the emperor. The emperor wants to know the whole story of how this Nameless defeated all three of these amazing martial artists.

As the hero is recounting the story I was awestruck. It seemed like I didn’t blink the entire movie. Her is one of if not the most beautiful scenic movies I have ever seen in my life. No matter where they were, dark, light, any color, it was all so breathtakingly beautiful. I in all honesty can say that every scene of this movie was picture perfect.

Though the filmography was amazing and stunningly put together the music also played a huge part in the film. The blind man playing the guzheng (I think that is what it is called) to the violins and cellos. Even the leaves in the fight between Mood and Falling Snow play music. It always set the mood for the fight about to occur.

The story cannot go without being mentioned. It holds its own against the beauty of the scenes and music. You soon realize that you cant trust anything you see or here. One story is a lie, the next a fantasy. The characters go through development as well they go from being mindless warriors to people with personalities. You get to know how they work, their bravery, love, and passions.

The way the story is told is an art style in itself. The story progresses and we see the same individuals fighting each other but in a progression of certain colors. Red symbolized chaos and passion, blur was unity and perfection, white for purity, truth, and vastness, and green for enlightenment and youth. Each relating to their story and how it pertained to what really happened.

There isn’t a bad thing I can think of about this movie. It was a treat for both Martial arts fans and general moviegoers. I cannot express how beautiful this movie is, every frame is perfect and gorgeous.

This man lives in an egg...made of grass.

http://www.switched.com/2010/12/09/dai-haifei-solar-powered-mobile-egg-house-grass/

What happens when a Chinese architect decides he is done wasting his money on the high cost of rent? He builds himself a solar-powered, bamboo egg covered in grass for $1000. Nifty! Unfortunately there is this thing called the Chinese government, and it isn't very found of Dai Haifei's new living arrangements (too environmentally friendly I assume). Haifei's mother and father considered buying their homeless son a house, but they "would have to make payments for 300 years to do so." Maybe he could move in with the old woman who lives in a shoe? Haha :)

China leads the way with greener cars

http://ecocentric.blogs.time.com/2011/04/20/how-china-can-take-the-wheel-on-electric-cars/

With China already doubling the United State's expenditure on green research it comes at no surprise that the country is spending massive sums on developing electric cars. "China is committed to spending $15 billion on building and selling electric cars...." , which is definitely an impressive number. Decreasing the use of oil is definitely an important move for the largest country in the world. The most obvious is environmental reasons. With increasing oil prises, dwindling world wide reserves, increasing number of Chinese drivers, and increased overall demand for oil in China this move is important for economic growth and security.

Ai Weiwei

http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,2066367_2066369_2066464,00.html

The man who desecrated Pu'er tea (I don't think I will ever get over that lol), Ai Weiwei, has been put on Time's 100 most influential people list. This is undoubtedly going to be a great boost to his career. However the editorial commentary by Time only works to increase the American preconception of China as the authoritarian communist bad guy.

Chinese Farmer Swaps Crops for New Job Inventing Robots

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-12418160

Chinese urbanization is continually taking people from the countryside to the cities. In this case, China is trying to support inventors, like Wu Lulu, by hosting competitions. The state is trying to take their growing economy to the next level: manufacturing to invention.

China's Middle Class Feels the Pinch of Rising Prices

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/13239004

As the standard of living rises in China, so do the costs, and many are not feeling any better off than their parents before them, despite having apartments and cars. The article also looks indirectly at a woman working in Shanghai unofficially - while it is not stated directly, the fact that she is sending money home so her children can go to school suggests she does not have a Shanghai registration card.

Hero

Zhang Yimou has created over a dozen films that are rich in their representation of Chinese culture and traditions. His film, Hero, is a tale about Nameless, a man who is planning to assassinate the King of Qin. It and is based on historical events that took place in 227 B.C. It is his first film in which he intertwines martial arts and the fine arts.

The use of color is a major technique Zhang Yimou employs in conveying the themes in the story. The same story is told three times in four different colors, each time from a different perspective. The first of the three versions of the story is told by Nameless and reveals how he tricked and defeated the other assassins. Black and red, the first two colors Zhang Yimou chose, are colors that represent evil. The predominant color in the beginning scene of the film is black. Lao Zi, the highly-revered mystic philosopher of ancient China, said “five colors make people blind.” Blind in this sense is equivalent to dark or black. The color black has significance in the first scene as it is used to convey deceit. Red overtones are also used to symbolize passion and danger.

In the second part of the film, the king tells his version of what happened. The king had encountered the assassins previously and created his story based on how the story would have played out according to their personalities. This sequence was shot in beautiful shades of blue which represent purity.

In the last section of the movie, the predominant color is white. This version of the story reveals events as they really happened. Therefore, white represents truth.

The thematic use of contrasting colors from black all the way to white not only effectively conveys the story’s central themes, but also results in a visually breathtaking and beautiful film.

One of the story’s central characters is the assassin, Broken Sword. He is driven by his desire for the king to create a unified country, “our land.” As the story unfolds, Broken Sword persuades Nameless to embrace his idea of “our land” and to abandon his plan to assassinate the king. The king of the state of Qin eventually became the first emperor of a unified China in 221 B.C. The movie plot builds on its concept of unity by having multiple stories that all come together at the end to form the truth. At very end of the movie, the color switches back to black and the king is pressured into killing Nameless. While this outcome is surprising, it adds a feeling of reality.

In Hero, Zhang Yimou skillfully and effectively juxtaposes fighting and art. He adds traditional Chinese music to the fighting scenes and even includes a scene in which students are doing calligraphy while the school is being penetrated and destroyed by thousands of arrows. Interestingly, while assassination is a central theme of the story, bloodshed is symbolically represented rather than overtly demonstrated. Zhang Yimou creates moments in which there should be a lot of blood and gore, but he chooses to only depict the bloodshed though droplets of blood falling off a sword to the floor. The only place in the film that shows the overt act of blood being drawn is the scene in which the assassin spares the king’s life and merely scratches his neck with a sword.

Hero is a very creative re-telling of the attempted assassination on the Qin King. It is artistically pleasing and action–packed, maintaining the viewer’s attention from beginning to end. The director’s imaginative use of color, music, and action stimulates the viewer’s imagination, resulting in a memorable film. This movie is considered a mile-stone in Chinese cinema and received international acclaim.

Facebook seeks to expand into China

http://www.themunchonline.com/business-news/facebook-seeks-to-expand-into-china-1.2214696

While Facebook may be blocked in China, that hasn't stopped it and the Chinese internet company Baidu from entering talks to expand into the market, by creating a similar social networking style website. While meetings between the two company heads have begun, no set date for the project has been announced. Such a project will also have to meet with the government's approval, and submit to it's strict internet laws.

Smoking Ban In Public Places Starts Today In China

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/223855.php

Legislation banning smoking in public places goes in effect today. Health officials hope to raise awareness of the dangers of smoking, as China's smoking population makes up 1/3 of the worlds smokers. Officials also cite smoking as contributing to 4 of the top 5 causes of death in China. Despite the extensiveness of the ban, some are saying it doesn't go far enough, as it does not ban smoking in offices, where it is up to managers to warn their employees of the dangers, but cannot stop them from smoking.

Hero

Hero is an engaging film about the first emperor of the Qin dynasty, and the “hero” who tells the story of how he has helped to defend the kingdom. The title is based on the character “Nameless”, and the story that leads him to sit before the emperor with the swords of three assassins. The film follows three versions of Nameless’ travels: first Nameless’ version of how he obtains the swords, then what the emperor believes happened, and finally the true sequence of events. Zhang Yimou’s brilliant use of color allows the viewer to easily follow each storyline as the colors of the characters’ clothing change according to each retelling.

The complex story lines in Hero show how different aspects of the same story can be twisted to someone’s own agenda. Zhang Yimou successfully takes each storyline a step further, showing how just one piece of information can change the entire outcome of a story. For example, the image of Nameless is constantly in flux: from hero to assassin and back again. These aspects of the film are interesting and draw the viewer in enough that it can be easy to overlook some of the flaws in the storyline.

In the third telling of Nameless’ story, we discover that he has indeed set out to assassinate the emperor. This is where the story becomes rather odd. Nameless claims that he was an orphan brought up in the Qin Kingdom, but later discovered that he was born in the Zhou Kingdom. Because of this discovery, he has decided he must defend the Zhou against the kingdom and culture in which he grew up. Yet, where does this loyalty come from? If anything, it would make more sense to defend the Kingdom which sheltered him and fight against the Kingdom from which the family who abandoned him came. The story attempts to mostly imply Nameless’ reasoning, but instead this important plot point ends up mostly ignored. 

The film’s philosophical ramblings on the symbolism of the character for sword and sacrifice for the greater good cover up some of these more questionable plot lines, as the symbolism becomes more important than the story itself. Even the martial arts become secondary to the ideals of peace. All of the assassins in the film, as well as the emperor himself, contemplate the importance of honor and whether or not a life should be given for the greater good. Much of the actually fighting done in the film is the result of deception and these philosophical debates rather than simply being fights to the top.

Overall, the film is artistically beautiful, and the martial arts live up to the standards for the genre. The storyline itself has a lot of potential in concept, but the film fails to completely carry it out. Were the plot behind the fighting and philosophical ponderings more filled out, the film would have been more complete.

英雄們

英雄們

Hero is one of those great movies that can be viewed and enjoyed on many levels. Zhang Yimou, the director is this martial arts masterpiece, hit the jackpot with this movie. On a purely entertainment level, it encompasses many types of enjoyment. The cinematography is pure genius, with stunning scenes shot from clever angles, breathtaking scenery, and elegant costumes. It appeals to the martial arts enthusiast while also allowing the romantic to sigh at the right moments. Zhang Yimou also sneaks in social commentary in a smooth enough manner that the unobservant eye may not notice, but the seasoned critic would notice, but not be offended by it. My only complaint about the movie, is not even with the movie itself, but the cover. The cover places Zhang Ziyi’s character, Moon, right next to Jet Li’s character, Nameless, who is the hero, implying Moon plays a much larger part than she does.

Hero starts out with sweeping scenes of an intimidating, faceless army of black and red, followed by faceless councilors in black robes. A single man, also dressed in black, is walked down the aisle, surrounded by all these people, strip searched, and then presented to the emperor of Qin as Nameless. It is then that you discover it is set during the chaotic time in China’s history when there were 6 kingdoms, constantly attacking each other, appropriately named Warring States Period. It is also when you realize the emperor of Qin is the man who eventually united China under one name and one language. The story of Hero is actually the telling of a tale being told multiple times, each time with a different series of events that come to the same conclusion. Nameless is an assassin targeting the king, however, his particular ability requires he be within ten steps of the king, a feat only possible if he kills two other assassins. He does so, and when kneeling in front of the king, begins to tell him how he does so. Nameless’ story is told many times, each telling is differentiated by color theme. The king of Qin discovers Nameless’ intentions and is at his mercy, but is spared.

Throughout the movie, color plays an important role. The cold, impersonal king who tries to encompass and unite China under any means necessary is connected to the black and red masses of his subjects. Each story has a different undertone to them, and each color of the scenery and costumes of the characters match the tone. The fresh, innocent greens, passionate reds, clean whites, and calm, reflective blues all symbolize the stories they follow perfectly.

The constant struggle between the individual and the masses which is a dominate topic in all of Zhang Yimou’s movies, such as To Life and Not One Less, is also in Hero. Nameless is a single man fighting against an empire and the emperor is a man against his subjects. A question of contemporary views on ethnic background is also brought up in Hero by the reason behind why Nameless wants to kill the king of Qin.

The acting of the actors are just a bonus to the movie. Jet Li and Daoming Chen both play their parts as the determined believers of their philosophies well. Zhang Ziyi’s character is virtually useless and only added as a means to draw attention to the movie. The most impressive acting in the movie is done by Maggie Cheung, as Flying Snow, and Tony Leung Chiu Wai, as Broken Sword. They both had to play parts with multiple different personalities, and did it well.

I have seen Hero twice now and each time I watch it, I see something new in it. Zhang Yimou has outdone himself in this movie, and it is a great site to see.

China's Population Control Creates Crisis

http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/90001/90776/90785/7365367.html

The population control policies (One Child, etc) passed decades back have begun to have a negative impact on the Chinese population. While effective at slowing the overpopulation issue, a lack of young people and an increasing gender imbalance are creating issues with healthcare and a diminishing workforce. It will be interesting to see how this recent information will shape future policymaking.

Hero

英雄

《英雄》, also known as Hero, is a radically different film from Zhang Yimou’s previous works. While there are certainly typical Zhang elements in this film, the differences are stark. Everything from the cinematography to ideological undertones is unique to Hero in a way not previously seen in a Zhang production. I would argue that this film represents a shift from Zhang’s previous experience as a cinematographer to his current role as producer/director. The camera work and political implications serve as evidence of this transformation.

In contrast to his previous films, Zhang focused far more on the characters themselves rather than the setting in which their lives play out. The overly long scenes of landscapes in which nothing was happening are gone. Instead, the beautiful scenery is merely a background to the events taking place. There are very few scenes without a character in them and almost none that are held for an extended period of time. An example of this is when Flying Snow and Broken Sword are waiting for Nameless to return from his assassination attempt while standing on mountain steeps. The camera pans far out to where you see both characters as mere white specs against the orange-brownish background, yet it does not stay there for a grueling amount of time. This insertion of people coupled with shorter time frames makes for a more continuous flow of narration while maintaining the beautiful scenic shots Zhang so favors.

The nature of Hero’s political commentary is also quite different from Zhang’s previous films. In Not One Less and To Live, the issues were mostly rooted in physical issues, like starvation and murder, rather than the ideological turmoil of Hero. While they are both contemporary problems, the extremely critical exegesis of this film is of a grander, more international scale than any of Zhang’s other works. Whether the peace-through-violence ideology is moral or ethical is a hotly contested issue explicitly expressed by the mixed reactions to this film. Many critics believe Zhang is promoting this ideal in allowing Nameless to let the Qin emperor live. I must respectfully disagree with this belief, since it is completely evident that the emperor’s tactics only bring death and destruction, not peace. In fact, as Professor Robert Eng of the University of Redlands stated in his paper “Is Hero a Paean to Authoritarianism?,” “the [Qin] dynasty went down in the flames of rebellions provoked by its cruelty.” This empirical evidence is all that is needed to prove the peace-through-bloodshed method is not only flawed, but retrogressive.

In Hero, Zhang Yimou created a truly breathtaking and powerful film unlike any of his other movies. Through his use of solid script writing and more viewer-friendly cinematography, his transition from cameraman to director is finally realized in this film. The gorgeous scenery, beautiful fight scenes, and engaging plot come together to form a dazzling movie with deep commentary, something every moviegoer can appreciate.

- 安均奕

http://www.asiamedia.ucla.edu/article.asp?parentid=14371