China, Chinese Language, Photography → 2010
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On January 1st 2010, there was a buddhist concert in Xi’an. A popular Taiwanese singer came to give a performance in Xi’an’s auditorium. This singer is trying to popularize buddhist music by incorporating some elements from pop music. She only sang during the last thirty minutes of the two-hour show. During the first hour and a half, various kinds of Buddhist music were played: monks hitting their gongs, children singing in chorus and orchestras playing traditional Chinese violin. After the show, some spectators complained that the Taiwanese singer had been lyp-synching because she sang over a recording, instead of with an orchestra. I personally believe she was genuine, because as she would move her microphone closer to her mouth and then back further again, one could hear some mild distortion in her voice… a small detail that can prove a lot!
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A man is standing in front of the scene with a panel which reads:
Please turn off your cellphones
No Pictures
No Recording
Do not Talk
Security guards were located in strategic locations to make sure the directions were properly followed.
It was, however, allowed to take photos of the concert hall.
Outside, I found an interesting ad that, in its English version, doesn’t respect the “One China Principle”:
The centre for Ajison Noodle is located in Kumamoto Kyushu, Japan, and since 1968 over 500 noodle shops have been established in Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan and China.
“味千拉面” 是以日本九州熊本为中心，自1968年创设以来，到目前为止在日本，香港，新加坡，中国台湾，大陆等地已拥有500余家的连锁店。
Usually, when Taiwan and China are referred to in the same sentence, they are always referred to as “Chinese Taiwan and the Mainland” or “Taiwan Province and Mainland China” or other variations… In the Chinese version, the distinction was made, but not in English… Is it the work of the “Japanese Devils” English translators?
On a bag of dog food you get the directions to feed your beloved “gestating bitch” or your “lactating bitch”. I’m not sure if the word “bitch” is still commonly used to indicate a female dog, but it surely looks awkward on a nutrition table.
I got the result of my standardized test of aptitude in Chinese (HSK)… and with great regret, I learned that I am still considered a BEGINNER (level 5). After one year and a half of intensive studies, in China, I am still a beginner… If I had gotten 1% more, I would have been able to move up to the intermediate level (I needed 262 points out of 400, but I got 258). I will have to try again in March in Montreal.
In my apartment, all the mirrors are too low; I always have to bend down to see my face. And yet I am not particularly tall and I don’t find the Xi’anese to be short either… I don’t know why all the mirrors are so low here…
January 7th, 2010 at 23:09
Salut!
Concernant le terme bitch, d’un point de vue purement objectif, oui, le sens est bon, mais si on consulte le dictionnaire anglais (Random House Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary, par exemple), l’espace réservé aux définitions du « slang » (argot, joual, langage très familier) est dix fois plus long que pour le sens propre du mot. Donc, puisqu’on n’est que de simples humains, on ne peut s’empêcher de penser au mauvais sens!
January 7th, 2010 at 23:11
Ce ne sont pas les miroirs qui sont bas, c’est toi qui a dû grandir avec toutes les nouilles que tu as mangées! À bientôt! Je te réserve encore bien d’autres blagues hilarantes! Tu dois avoir hâte!
January 8th, 2010 at 7:09
Merci pour ces explications!
January 8th, 2010 at 9:57
Hey Alex ?!?!!!!!
Ça va ? Ça fait des siècles que je n’ai pas eu de tes nouvelles. J’ai l’impression que tu ne peux pas aller svnt sur facebook ou msn alors… QUOI DE NEUF ???? À ce que je vois tu es tjrs en Chine, wow ! Tu étudis tjrs la langue ?
Penses-tu revenir bientôt ? As-tu une copine ? Travailles-tu là-bas ? Quels sont tes projets pour 2010 ? Bref, I want news ;)
Et bonne année 2010 !
Cath xx
January 8th, 2010 at 12:06
请问你最后一张照片怎么拍出来的
你的衣服也很有意思嘛
January 8th, 2010 at 12:13
好好學習，天天向上！
相信博主三月份的考試一定順利通過，加油！
January 8th, 2010 at 12:52
Salut Cath! En effet, ça fait longtemps! Facebook est bloqué en Chine, donc je n’y ai pas accès. Je reviens bientôt à Montréal, on pourra parler!
January 8th, 2010 at 12:55
这个照片是用一个特别的方法拍出来的！但是我告诉你，照片就不神秘了。
January 9th, 2010 at 10:05
Bonjour,
je te félicite pour ton blog, découvert il y a peu, j’aime vraiment bien le ton, bravo!
Chez moi, je me vois en entier, mais c’est la cuisine qui a été construite trop basse, ça motive encore moins pour manger chez soi :)
January 10th, 2010 at 11:43
最后一张照片真牛
January 10th, 2010 at 22:37
Out of curiosity, what was the name of the Taiwanese singer?
January 11th, 2010 at 1:04
Her name is 齐豫 / 齊豫. Do you know about her?
January 11th, 2010 at 20:27
你还喜欢佛教音乐啊
嘿嘿 兴趣广泛的外国人
January 11th, 2010 at 21:44
Yes, she is rather famous, although she’s not popular among Chinese people our age or younger (she belongs to a slightly older generation). Her song 橄榄树 is a classic. I had no idea she was that into Buddhism though.
There’s a handful of Chinese singers who’ve done Buddhist songs at some point in their career though. Faye Wong, whom I’m a huge fan of, is one of them.
January 13th, 2010 at 8:11
1/C’est vrai ce que tu signales, Taiwan et la Chine ne sont jamais écrite de cette manière.
2/On dirait un géant sur la Photo, c’est clair.
3/sinon niveau 5 au HSK c’est pas mal, méfie toi.
Tu veux faire quoi plus tard?
beaucoup s’en contenterait (dont moi)
January 13th, 2010 at 10:53
上进的外国人
你会说三国语言 又在学中文
我要向你好好学习
祝你天天向上！
January 14th, 2010 at 3:08
Autre question de traduction : en ce qui concerne la traduction de « babydog », le traducteur voulait sûrement dire « puppy »…
January 16th, 2010 at 5:22
Sans aucun doute, tu n’es pas un beginner en chinois, ce n’est qu’un coup de hasard que ton resultat n’est pas si bon que tu merites!
January 18th, 2010 at 1:13
你怎么样啊：）
我要去睡觉了，你保重！
January 22nd, 2010 at 13:36
Sympa les photos de ton blog. Elles ont une certaine douceur.
Sinon pour tes problemes de miroir, “Bienvenu au pays des Hobbits” lol