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Chupu 樗蒲

Chupu(樗蒲Chūpú) is an ancient chess game played in China. It is so named because the dice used in the original game were made of simaruba. It is also called the Play of Five Wooden Dice(五木之戏Wǔmù Zhī Xì) since a set of five wooden dice are adopted.

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The Amazing Bike-Sharing Race

The week is not off to a good start for Chinese bike-sharing giant Mobike. Yesterday morning, it was reported that the company had been flagged by the National Enterprise Credit Information Publicity System as an “abnormal operation” because they could not be found at the address listed. Though company spokespeople quickly responded that Mobike has recently moved into new offices and not yet updated their contact details, the damage was done: Media (including today’s print edition of Global Times) are using the incident as a shady-sounding lead-in to report customer complaints about Mobike ranging from overcharging fees and difficulty getting deposits back.

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Chinese Song: ‘Can’t Leave You’ 离不开你 by Huang Qishan

‘Can’t Leave You’ (离不开你,  Líbùkāi nǐ) is the song that brought 44-year-old singer Huang Qishan (黄绮珊,  Huáng Qǐshān) aka Susan Huang to national attention on China’s internet over the past two weeks. Though she entered the music business 27 years ago, Huang Qishan did not become a household name until recently when she appeared on Hunan Satellite TV’s I’m A Singer (我是歌手,   Wǒ shì gēshǒu), a singing competition reality show imported from South Korea’s Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation. This singing competition has featured famous artists from the mainland, Hong Kong and Taiwan, such as Qi Qin aka Chyi Chin, Paul Wong Koon-Chung aka Huang Guanzhong (former guitarist from the Hong Kong rock band Beyond), Sha Baoliang, Chen Ming, Shang Wenjie aka Laure Shang, and the former members of the pop duet Yu Quan—Chen Yufan, and Hu Haiquan (these two singers also took turns hosting this reality show).

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Chinese language lessons:How to Introduce Your Family

  (一) A: Dàwèi, nǐjiā yǒu jǐkǒu rén?
     大卫,你家有几口人? 
   (David, how many people are there in your family?)
B:Wǒjiā yǒu sìkǒu rén.
     我家有四口人。
     (There are four people in my family.)
A: Nǐde bàba zài nǎlǐ gōngzuò?
     你的爸爸在哪里工作?
     (What does your father do?)
B: Wǒde bàba shì yīshēng, tā zài yīyuàn gōngzuò.
     我的爸爸是医生,他在医院工作。
     (He is a doctor. He works in the hospital.)

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老字号 Old Famous Shops

Lǎozì hào, shì zhǐ nàxiē lìshǐ yōujiǔ 、shēngyù hěn hǎo de diànpù. Tāmen yìzhí shì rénmen xīnzhōng zuì zhídé xìnlài de míngpái. Lǎozì hào zài lǎo yí bèi rén xīnzhōng gèng yǒu zhe wúfǎ tìdài de dìwèi, tāmen bùjǐnjǐn dàibiǎo le pǐnzhì hé xìnyù, yě céngjīng shì tāmen shēnghuó de yí bùfèn.
老字号,是指那些历史悠久、声誉很好的店铺。它们一直是人们心中最值得信赖的名牌。老字号在老一辈人心中更有着无法替代的地位,它们不仅仅代表了品质和信誉,也曾经是他们生活的一部分。(lǎozìhào)refers to the old and famous shops, which has always been reliable and trustworthy and retains an irreplaceable position in people's minds since long time. Not only do they represent good quality and prestige, they have also become an indispensable part in people's daily life.
Qiánmén shì Běijīng lǎozì hào zuì jízhōng de dìqū zhī yī. Quánjùdé de kǎoyā 、Tóngréntáng de zhōngyào 、Ruìfúxiáng de chóuduàn ……zhèxiē lǎozì hào dàibiǎo le guòqù Běijīng fādá de shāngyè wénhuà.
前门是北京老字号最集中的地区之一。全聚德的烤鸭、同仁堂的中药、瑞蚨祥的绸缎……这些老字号代表了过去北京发达的商业文化。Qianmen is the center of these famous and time-honored shops in Beijing. For example, Quanjude Restaurant is famous for its roast duck, Tongrentang for its traditional Chinese medicine, and Ruifuxiang for its silks—all these brands have represented the highly developed commercial culture of old Beijing.
Tóngshí, lǎozì hào bìng bú jǐnjǐn shì yìzhǒng shāngmào jǐngguān, tā gèngshì yìzhǒng lìshǐ chuántǒng wénhuà xiànxiàng. Bú dào Chángchéng fēi hǎo hàn, bù chīkǎo yā zhēn yíhàn, shǐ Quánjùdé chéngwéi Běijīng de xiàngzhēng. Er jīngchéng mínjiān xiēhòuyǔ, rú Dōngláishùn de shuàn yángròu ——zhēn jiào nèn 、Liùbìjū de mòbù ——suān tián kǔ là dōu cháng guò 、Tóngréntáng de yào ——huòzhēn jiàshí 、Shāguōjū de mǎimài ——guòwǔ búhòu děng, dōu shēngdòng dì biǎoshù le zhèxiē lǎozì hào de pǐnpái tèsè.
同时,老字号并不仅仅是一种商贸景观,它更是一种历史传统文化现象。不到长城非好汉,不吃烤鸭真遗憾,使全聚德成为北京的象征。而京城民间歇后语,如东来顺的涮羊肉——真叫嫩、六必居的抹布——酸甜苦辣都尝过、同仁堂的药——货真价实、砂锅居的买卖——过午不候等,都生动地表述了这些老字号的品牌特色。But these shops are more about businesses; they are also a historical and cultural phenomenon. He who has never been to the Great Wall is not a true man, and he who has never tasted a roast duck will regret his whole life—such common sayings have made Quanjude a representation of Beijing. Many two-part allegorical sayings among the folks have also vividly revealed the very characteristics of these old shops. For example, "东来顺的涮羊肉——真叫嫩, 六必居的抹布——酸甜苦辣都尝过, 同仁堂的药——货真价实, 砂锅居的买卖——过午不候" (the instant-boiled mutton of Donglaishun—the softest mutton you can imagine, the rag of Liubiju—tastes more flavors than you did, the traditional Chinese medicine of Tongrentang—genuine goods at fair price, doing business with Shaguoju—they won't wait for you after noon.
Rújīn, zài jīngjì fēisù fāzhǎn 、jìngzhēng jīliè de xiàndài shèhuì ,yìxiē lǎozì hào yǔshí jùjìn, búduàn de gǎigé 、chuàngxīn, shǐ pǐnpái fāyáng guāngdà, zhēnzhèng zuò dào le jǐ bǎi nián bù dǎo; ér háiyǒu yìxiē lǎozì hào bùnéng shìyīng shèhuì shēnghuó de biànhuà, zhújiàn xiāoshī, chéngwéi le lìshǐ.
如今,在经济飞速发展、竞争激烈的现代社会,一些老字号与时俱进,不断地改革、创新,使品牌发扬光大,真正做到了几百年不倒;而还有一些老字号不能适应社会生活的变化,逐渐消失,成为了历史。Nowadays, with the rapid development of economy and fierce competition in modern society, some time-honored shops have been keeping pace with the times and carrying forward their brands through continuous reforms and innovation. They have stood the test of time and survived in competition, while some others have faded into the history due to their inability to adapt to the rapid changes in modern social life.

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The Culture of Shuanglu 双陆棋的文化

Shuanglu (Backgammon set), an ancient dice game that has been lost. According to records in literary works and cultural relics handed down, as a game like the flying chess, Shuanglu should have been a prevalent game in ancient China. Nowadays, it’s also treated as an important part of game culture in China.双陆(西洋双陆棋)是古代的一种博弈游戏,现已失传。从文学作品中的记载和传世文物来看,作为一种类似飞行棋的游戏,双陆应当曾在中国古代相当流行过。即使在今天,双陆棋仍是中国棋类文化中非常重要的一部分。

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Beijing’s Park Life – The Temple of Heaven

Mystical sounds of the cucurbit flute at twilight In places, the Chinese capital's lack of colour puts the beige in Beijing. It's not the greenest of cities, but at least it has a multitude of parks to offer solace to the soul. Whether you're looking for a sense of community or a respite from the urban rush, you can find it in one of Beijing's parks. Parks are perfect places to be alone, or with family, friends or lovers.

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Chinese Song: ‘For the Loved’ 亲爱的路人 by Liu Ruoying

“For the Loved” (or literally “Dear Passersby”) (亲爱的路人,    Qīnài de lùrén)  is included in 43-year-old Taiwanese singer René Liu aka Liu Ruoying ( 刘若英,  Liú Ruòyīng) ‘s latest eponymous album, released on May 10th. This song is the ending theme song for the popular TV drama Drama Go Go Go (or literally Big Sister Marching Forward) ( 姐姐立正向前走,   J iějie lìzhèng xiàngqiánzǒu). At time of translation, this song has generated 993,903 listens on Xiami.

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