"It likes sleeping and eating and becomes fat!" Yep, google the Year of the Pig, and that's one of the first things that comes up. As someone who's born under this particular Chinese zodiac sign, it doesn't come as too much of a surprise. Eating and sleeping, I'm happy as a pig in mud. Mind you, that's not all we're about. I was pretty happy to read, it's perfectly ok to be a pig. The humble Swine has a 'beautiful personality and is blessed with good fortune in life!' High fives to that! And, not to brag or anything, but this was my favourite quote (not that I was searching or anything). ;) "The pig is gourmet, faithful in friendship, stylish, perfectionist, and hardworking. She is a tolerant being, recognised by her friends for her kindness and generosity." As I delved a little deeper, I discovered as the 12th of the 12 year cycle of animals, its 'lucky last' placing is because (as legend goes), just as the Emperor was about to call it a day, an oink and squeal was heard from a little Pig. The term "lazy Pig" comes in here, because the little Pig got hungry during the race, and promptly stopped for a feast then fell asleep. After the nap, the Pig continued the race and was named the 12th and last animal of the zodiac cycle. I like his style. Apparently I am in good company, with Hillary Clinton, King Henry VIII, Ernest Hemingway.... oh and Kendall Jenner, all pigs. ;) Us pigs can expect to be successful in all those things we endeavour to do in 2019 and new friends are on the horizon. We do need to keep an eye on our health though. More sleep? But as billions of people around the world celebrate the Lunar New Year, what does it actually mean for all of us this year, even if we're not a porky 'pig' by astrological measures? Each zodiac year is also represented by one of five elements, metal, wood, water, fire and earth, which has a significant impact on what happens. This year is the Year of the Earth Pig and he's going to be roaming our pastures until January 24th 2020 and get ready, because we can expect a lot of relaxation and serenity. And according to the Chinese astrology , 2019 is a great year to make money, and a good year to invest. It's predicted to be a year full of joy and a year of friendship and love for all the zodiac signs. It's an auspicious year because the Pig attracts success in all the spheres of life. Hear! Hear! Given it marks the end of a complete rotation cycle of the twelve signs of the Chinese zodiac, it's also a signal for everyone to take a well deserved break and take the opportunity to reflect on previous years. If you're a Rabbit, Monkey or a Rat, you're in luck. These are the luckiest signs for 2019. Not sure what your Chinese zodiac sign is? Check out this link. For luck, go for red and white in the colour stakes. Mind you, can it all be taken with a grain of salt, one wonders? I read Pig's specifically born in my month and year are 'good with money and keep track of spending'. Ah, no. Let's just say we do believe though, the pig gets on well with other pigs, rabbits, goats and tigers (lucky for both the Hotelier and Small Person). So, let's farewell the Year of the Dog and say 'Nihao Nian de Zhu!' To all of you, Xin Nian Kuai Le. Happy New Year! Oh, and of course, I've written lots of other posts on Chinese New Year in the past. If you want to know what the rules are surrounding those lucky red envelopes, check out this post: Lai See: Lucky Money. If you want to know the dos and don'ts (aka the rules) for CNY, like not cleaning your house or cutting your hair and wearing red undies... check this post out. And if you just want to see what it's like in China on New Year.... read this one because it's pretty cool and look at these amazing videos. And the best bit, what it's like for a child at New Year...because they definitely have the best fun! Painting the Town Red: Chinese New Year through a Child's Eyes. … [Read more...]
Painting the Town Red: Chinese New Year Through a Child’s Eyes
(Sponsored Video) The other day, my gorgeous little niece in Australia asked for some information to give her teacher about Chinese New Year. He wanted to talk to the class about it. Much to my surprise, my Hong Kong-born Small Person rattled off a list of things she has come to know and clearly love about CNY. The lettuce that hangs from every door-way seemed to be a prominent feature in her mind. Called Cai Qing or "plucking of the greens" - the lion feverishly dances his way to the front of every business, every shop front and every office, dangling the green leafy veg, tied with a red envelope of money and gobbles it up before spitting the lettuce back out (but not the money) -- all in the name of good fortune! It's no surprise this features as one of her more notable memories. Every year in China and particularly Hong Kong, you can hear the sound of the Lion coming. As he gets closer and closer....the cymbals clanging, the drums banging louder and louder with a sense of urgency and excitement! Of course it got me thinking about how having never lived out of Asia, to my now five year old, these age-old yearly traditions will be ingrained in her childhood memory bank. If you live in China it's hard to miss (chūnjié, 春节) otherwise known as Spring Festival or to the average Westerner, 'Chinese New Year' - which begins every February on the first day of the Lunar New Year (Nong Li). To my Small Person, eating 饺子 Jiǎozi over Chinese New Year is probably more natural than throwing a sausage on the barbie for Australia Day. Jiǎozi are of course, dumplings and while these tasty morsels are a year 'round staple in these parts - during Spring Festival they are particularly auspicious. Their crescent moon shape similar to China's gold ingots used in the Ming Dynasty, symbolising prosperity for the year ahead. And who can forget the fire crackers! The Small Person's eyes light up at the thought of these loud explosions livening up the streets! Come midnight, "Bian Pao" are launched in a cacophony of ear splitting eruptions, to scare off evil spirits (or just to make noise -- sleeping is optional) and in northern China, this continues for much of the two week holiday, in backyards on footpaths and in any un-used space, day and night! It's a fire cracker frenzy! It seems the monster Nián is to blame.... if you've been to school in China, you've no doubt heard about this legendary fella! My Small Person tells me he "flies through the sky when he hears firecrackers." She's not too far off the mark. As legend goes, every Spring, during New Years Eve, Nián would come out to eat villagers, destroy their homes and farms. One such story tells of the villagers and their plan to use drums, plates and empty bowls to make as much noise as possible, they wore red robes and threw firecrackers to intimidate the monster! According to myth, it worked and Nian never appeared in the village again. Of course in the lead up to the Spring Festival, it's all about "Out with the old, in with the new!" Houses are frantically cleaned before the big holiday (cleaning after is simply a big no no). New clothes are purchased - preferably red (undies and all!) and the decorations go up! The ubiquitous red lanterns dangle in the breeze, down every laneway, along every street, in every tree; the red paper cut-outs visible on windows and the customary well-wishing red banners are draped around the doorways! And of course for the little ones it wouldn't be Chinese New Year without the songs! Across China and much of Asia, for the last week, concerts rang out with small people dressed in Chinese traditional costumes, singing to their heart's content. The big people don't miss out either, including the hotelier who, this year, heaven forbid, was dressed as a beautiful(?) Chinese woman for his staff CNY concert! So, while (clearly) us foreigners (big and small) like to get into the spirit and enjoy the celebrations that come with this ancient Chinese festival, for the locals it's undeniably bigger than big! With the government advocating a seven day holiday, you may have seen my earlier post about 100 million locals taking to the streets...all in the name of travel, rushing to get home for the big family reunion. In China, family is the backbone of society. Trivial Fact: The character for family “家” is made up of two key elements: an upper part that represents a roof and a lower part which represents a pig - which if you look sideways you might just get. ;) Thousands of years ago pigs were domesticated and lived inside! Thus if there's a pig inside, it indicates people live in the house. With grandparents everywhere often tasked with the role of primary carer for the children, many parents our of town for work purposes Spring Festival is often the one time of the year the whole family can get together. There's even a popular Chinese saying: “falling leaves returning to the root of the tree that sired them.” On the family dinner table, a plethora of 'lucky' food is served, including Apples because the Chinese name for apple is 苹果; píngguǒ and Ping also means peace; fish which is known as 鱼 Yú which sounds like another word for abundance, to dumplings and spring rolls 春卷 Chūnjuǎn, which seemingly look like gold bars so symbolise wealth, not to mention 汤圆 Tāngyuán — Sweet Rice Balls -- the pronunciation and round shape of tangyuan associated with reunion and being together. After the dinner, the whole family usually sit down to watch China's national television. Almost every single channel shows the same Spring Festival party of entertainment. A bit like western New Year's Eve, everyone will stay up to see the New Year in. Probably one of the most exciting things for children across China, is receiving the lucky red envelopes! Of which they are the prime recipients! The Red envelopes for children are called Yāsuìqián which means "suppressing age money" or keeping them young and suppressing the ghosts and warding off evil spirits. The envelopes themselves hold more meaning than the actual money inside them (although perhaps not for the kids)! ;) They're called Lai See down south and Hongbao up north, but the concept is the same. Those who receive a red packet are wished a year of 'good health, safety and peace'. Dating back to the Qing Dynasty, the elderly would thread coins with a red string and put them under their children's pillows when they fell asleep on New Year's Eve -- today, while the tradition has been replaced with red envelopes, parents (including us) still put Hongbao under their children's pillows! It's also customary to give these lucky packets to any children close to you, that you come into contact with over the Spring Festival. And in the past, children had to give their red packets to their parents for safe keeping, today......it's a little bit like Christmas! Oh and it's also bad luck for the family if a child cries during Spring Festival, so cheeky kids will probably get off more lightly than usual! ;) Even more fun! %CODE02% And finally, on the fifteenth day -- the Lantern Festival signals the end of Chinese New Year. As the first night of the full moon, children go out at night to temples carrying red paper lanterns and solve riddles on the lanterns. The delicate paper lamps are lit and sent sailing skyward.... paving the way for a smooth year ahead. From me to you, in Mandarin it's a big Gong Xi Fa Cai or in Cantonese it's Kung Hei Fat Choi! Wishing you a joyful and prosperous year! Happy New Year of the Monkey! The above video has been provided by Lego, but all thoughts and fun facts are my own and in my humble opinion well worth telling you about! :lol: Pssst.... here's a list of other articles I've written on Chinese New Year..... Monkey Business: Swinging into the Chinese New Year with a Bang Chinese New Year in Xi’an: IN VIDEO Bask in the Glow: Chinese New Year in Pictures Lai See: Lucky Money or Tradition Gone Mad Out with the Old, in With the New … [Read more...]
Monkey Business! Swinging into Chinese New Year with a Bang!
Good news! If you're born in the Year of Monkey you are generally smart, clever and intelligent! (Did I mention charming?) And don't worry if you're not a monkey, I'm a pig (in the nicest possible way!) the year ahead also means anything associated with the water element will bring good luck. Industries like shipping, banking, spas, and tourism are set to be extremely successful. So with that in mind, there's no surprise that as the Year of the Monkey swings into action……so too will about 100-million Chinese nationals. Yes, I kid you not. That's 100-MILLION Chinese who will travel over the Spring Festival - making it officially the busiest travel season in the world! And with just six per cent of the 1.3 billion population holding a passport, you can only imagine as more and more Chinese get their hands on that small but necessary travel document, that number is only set to increase! Experts predict there will be around 234 million Chinese travelling during CNY within the next few years. Traditionally, in China, CNY, Spring Festival (or ‘Chun Jie’ as it’s known ‘round these parts) is all about family — celebrating a year of hard work, having a rest, reuniting and relaxing with loved ones. With China’s rapid urbanisation from the country’s rural areas into the cities, there’s a colossal number of people clambering to get back to their hometowns for the festive season. From the giant, first tier employment hubs of Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen and Guangzhou, all roads lead to Rome home with hundreds of rural villages in China, literally springing to life! Red lanterns rule the sky, swinging brightly above towns and cities. You'll witness everything from lettuce-eating lions to dynamic dancing dragons, not to mention the continual sound of fireworks crackling in the night (and day) air! Naturally, there are plenty of customs that go hand in hand with CNY….you can make sure you’re up with those here (and be sure to wear your red underwear)! As you can imagine, on the roads it’s absolute chaos and planes and trains are jam packed with hoards of workers and university students scrambling to book tickets and catch flights. It's that time of the year when locals will often do whatever it takes to get home, even if that means taking a 20 hour train ride, standing! (FYI, on China’s trains you can purchase Hard Sleeper tickets, Soft Sleeper tickets, soft and hard seats and standing tickets.) But for many, these days, the Spring Festival is not all about returning home. There are some who simply don’t want to go home for fear of being 'hen-pecked' about everything from job status to marital status not to mention how they're doing on the ladder of wealth accumulation. Generally, if you’re over 27 and still single, you’re under pressure to "get hitched", particularly if you’re one of China’s Sheng Nu or "leftover women." There’s also the small but pressing issue of Hong Bao! Also known as Lai See, these red and gold envelopes contain 'lucky cash' and if you've never been on the giving or receiving end, there are a few rules one needs to follow! Don't be like me and get caught out! Read those here: In the last couple of years, technology in China has given new meaning to sending Hong Bao! We Chat, China’s largest social media app (a cross between What’s App/Facebook/Twitter/PayPal) has introduced a Hong Bao 'Lucky Money" icon where you can send your friends and family a red envelope with the simple touch of a button! Family issues aside, with China’s newly-wealthy middle class on the rise, there are many Chinese now choosing to go on holiday elsewhere! This coupled with visa restrictions being eased for many countries and many more flight options available from China, has opened up a plethora of new travelling opportunities right around the globe. This year domestic and international airlines will begin more than 200 new overseas routes out of China. Oh and China also plans to build 66 new airports in its next five year plan. China's largest travel operator CTrip says - more than 60 percent of Chinese tourists will spend Spring Festival overseas. The farthest destination is the Antarctic. FYI: These are the top destinations: 1. Thailand 2. Japan 3. South Korea 4. Taiwan 5. Singapore 6. Hong Kong 7. United States 8. Indonesia 9. Malaysia 10. Australia World tourism destinations expect to see nearly 6 million visits by Chinese tourists, possibly the highest number on record, this Spring Festival. The Chinese Government has again reiterated the need for travellers to be on their best behaviour! (No monkeying around!) Australia's Sydney Morning Herald also reports that the number of Chinese visitors to Australia within 12 months surpassed a million for the first time. The University of Queensland and the Queensland Police Service have even joined forces to develop a safety brochure for tourists travelling to North Queensland. Printed in English and Chinese it highlights the need for water safety, accommodation security and personal safety. And it seems, despite China's slowing economy and unexpected dip in the value of Chinese currency, Chinese tourists, are still keen to open their wallets and spend on overseas trips. So what do Chinese tourists want? What's on their bucket list? According to the experts, luxury shopping is at the top of the list, Chinese language services, good food (including plenty of noodles and congee) and great experiences follow closely. About one-third of luxury purchases worldwide are made by Chinese consumers. Every man and his dog is racing the clock to cater to these new travellers on the block! Emirates Airline, capitalised on these retail-crazy Chinese travellers by simply boosting their baggage allowance. Hotels have added congee to the menu and slippers by your bedside. Such is the demand for Japanese goods these days, Bakugai, the Japanese word for “explosive buying by Chinese tourists” has been declared the country’s 'buzz' word of the year. What about foreigners travelling to China? Inbound tourism is also thriving, China ranking 4th globally in terms of international arrivals. In 2014, over 55 million international travellers visited China. And while Chinese New Year is not exactly the ideal time to travel through China, some of the bigger cities will be thinned out with locals well and truly out of town! Now's a good time to head up to Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou or even Xi'an! (Stop by and say hi!) Your best bet is to choose high speed trains, which are much more comfortable and slightly less crowded. The number of standing tickets is limited to 7% of the total seated capacity. And need I tell you, be sure to book way in advance! Here's a list of what you need to bring! It's the Year of the Monkey and 2016 is said to be the perfect time to create change. What are you waiting for....jump on board the travel train! This is China! … [Read more...]
Chinese New Year in Xi’an: IN VIDEO
As CNY (more commonly known around here as the 'Spring Festival') draws to a close, after a two week festive frenzy, I wanted to bring you a few snippets of the action from down town Xi'an. You have to see it to believe it! (Or perhaps that should be 'hear' it!) (Before we go any further, best not to judge me on my video skills eh....ahem, I may have worked in television, but let's just say the quality of my camerawork is a work in progress!) So, we (surprisingly) woke up to snow falling spectacularly on the city this morning (sunshine was forecast)! For a new kid on the block like me, it's a pretty incredible sight, made all the more extraordinary as it falls gently to the ground while in stark contrast, fire crackers bounce earnestly off the pavement! (And yes it's legal in this city, for now!) Watch your back, because it's the culmination of China's most important and auspicious calendar period (not to mention the longest) and is still very much shrouded in myths and tradition, that are every bit as signifcant as they were 2000 years ago (which means letting off firecrackers to scare off the 'baddies' is alive and well in down town Xi'an). (If you want to know more about the importance of CNY customs, such as cleaning your house and wearing red knickers, just click here!) Today is called the "Lantern Festival" - officially the last day of the Lunar New Year celebrations (and the first full moon of the lunisolar year) marking the return of spring (and seemingly snow) and family reunions. It used to be known as the Shàngyuán Festival - Shàngyuán means "Official of Heaven" and he was said to enjoy bright and joyful objects! As you do! So in keeping with tradition, it's customary to hang thousands of colourful lanterns for people to appreciate. And let's just say Xi'an doesn't disappoint. In ancient times on this day, children went out at night to temples carrying paper lanterns and solving riddles on the lanterns! Today, riddles it seems are still very much part and parcel of the festivities...with locals getting a little bit giggly over the chance to solve the riddle of the day. It's also the only night of the year that 'Yuan xiao' (Tang yuan in the south) or 'sweet dumplings' are allowed to be eaten. These small sticky balls made of glutinous rice flour filled with sweet red bean paste, sesame paste, or even peanut butter are a fixture in every household, not to be missed out on by any means! So, sit back and relax....take a look at some of the shenanigans that went on over the last two weeks here in North West China......... As soon as the clock struck midnight on the first day of CNY.....it was on. And let's just say new comers (like myself) could probably be forgiven for believing Xi'an had eerily become a war-zone! (Have a listen.) Fireworks sang out brilliantly across the night sky......... And firecrackers bounced fervently off every corner, literally exploding across city streets! To say the noise was deafening is not an exaggeration of my excited imagination....and forget about sleep because it went on for hours..... and 'on and off' for days after! It's quite normal to be driving along a busy street and suddenly hear the blast of firecrackers beside you. Traditional Lion Dances of course, rocked the city (as they do in almost every Asian city at this time of the year)! Vibrantly coloured lions snap up lettuces tied to red packets of Hong Bao left, right and centre in an enthusiastic display which is believed to bestow good luck and prosperity on your businesses. This charged lion went clanging through the hotel, careful not to miss any room with the potential to make money! Street parties took pride of place - especially in our 'hood and they came from far and wide across China in their droves to celebrate! Street food is the staple diet and let me say, beware of the spear-like skewers eagerly snapped up by every man and his dog! Lethal weapons in the making! Vivid red lanterns were strung beautifully across the city, lining every single street; and there was a stunning show of lights and giant eye catching lanterns in every shape and colour making their mark on the majestic city wall. So, until next year... may the Year of the Sheep be kind to you with lots of good fortune, health and happiness. If you don't mind, I'm off to eat sticky rice balls and let off a few fire crackers for good measure! This is China. … [Read more...]
Bask in the Glow: Chinese New Year in Pictures!
Xin Nian Kuai Le! This week I'm going to give you a break from my running commentary on life in China, with a Chinese New Year colour fest instead! The Year of the Sheep is well and truly underway and up north here in Xi'an the auspicious occasion has been marked with vigor! We were just in time (before the two week holiday comes to an end) to see this spectacle of lanterns and lights on display around the ancient wall that surrounds the city's centre. We saw them working on these magical pieces back in December last year, and with the number on parade and the intricate detail given to each, you can only imagine the sheer people-power required. They say Chinese New Year without lanterns is like a house with no light. These illuminated and elaborate decorations stem back thousands of years and symbolise the wish for a bright future. I'll stop now and let the pretty pics do the talking....... (Psst, one more thing, if you're on a mobile, I'd seriously try to get on a computer to look at these.) Impressive huh? Of course the photos don't do the extravaganza justice, but hopefully you get the picture! A taste of Chinese New Year in Xi'an..... This is China. … [Read more...]