Dakai Maritimes March 2015 by Dakai Maritimes Newspaper

年画“连年有余”

安家置业在新省

春节节庆提前拉开帷幕

种瓜种豆的启示

The Famous Year Painting Page 3

Local realtors help immigrants Page 8

Chinese New Year celebrations Page 10

Gardening in Nova Scotia Page 14

March 2015

A multicultural exchange Hong Kong-Canada Business Association hosts Chinese New Year Gala

See page 6

港加商会办春晚庆多元文化第6页 Dakai Maritimes is published four times per year and distributed with The Chronicle Herald and in specific neighbourhoods in HRM. “Dakai” is Manderin Chinese for “to open.” Founder, Owner, Editor-in-Chief: Meng Zhao Editor and Project Manager: Peter Clarke Translations: Christine Qin Yang Cover photo: Hairong Liu

Published By: The Chronicle Herald - Community and Custom Publishing Vice President, Business Development: Jeff Nearing Sales: For rates and information call (902) 471-8829 or Magazine@Dakai.ca.

March 2015

打开加东 • Dakai Maritimes

March 2015

Dakai Maritimes • 打开加东

Feature •

特别报道

The Famous Year Painting: Child, Lotus and Carp BY QIANYI GAO Have you seen this painting in China or a China town? When the lunar new year comes, you will find this image at shops and restaurants. It is a traditional design for ‘nian-hua’, a kind of Chinese fork art. ‘Nian-hua’, or year paintings, are those colorful prints for the lunar new year. It’s pasted on doors or living room walls after the year-end cleaning, wishing the coming year a happy, harvesting and prosperous one. ‘Lian-nian-you-yu’ (“lotus brings profit and prosperity year after year”) is probably the most famous nian-hua. On this painting, a boy is hugging a huge carp with a lotus at the back. Why does the design contain a child, a carp and a lotus? Children are always popular objects portrait in nian-hua. Chinese people believed that the more children one had, the more meaningful one’s life would be. In other famous folk paintings such as ‘bai-zi-tu”, nearly a hundred kids are painted in one piece of work. Carp, or ‘li’, is the most popular fish in

China because of its auspicious symbolization. The son of Confucius was named ‘li’. In Chinese mythology, a carp that could leap the falls of the Yellow River at Dragon Gate, would turn into a ‘long’, the Chinese dragon. Carp is also an important and delicious food ingredient for winter time, for example, deep fried carp in sweet and sour sauce. But the key understanding in this painting is that carp is homonymous with "abundance" and "affluence". Lotus sounds ‘lian’ in Chinese. It symbolizes love, pureness and nobility. Fish swimming among the lotus is a metaphor of romance. The lotus flower also contains religious meanings in Buddhism. In Song dynasty, people with noble characters were described as a lotus. ‘Lian’ is also pronounced the same with other Chinese characters, evoking an association of being continuous and infinite. Although a boy, a fish and a lotus are simple icons of daily life, in this painting, they are all aggregated into one symbolism - prosperity. Thus, the auspicious painting evokes a very deep emotion from Chinese people during the Chinese New Year.

We carry sea cucumbers, a freezer devoted to only sushi products, seaweed salad, assorted live crabs, and many other items. Also inquire about our new local deliveries. ㄦ␔㢝㢮ℶ❐᧶䀆♑ᇬ⚓伊ಯ漋䞮ರ 儶Ⓔ䀆漫✛⺎⚇㠨䚕歮㧟ᇬ䀆噫㼨㕘ᇬ㿊媈䷘㠿漫䀆ℶᇭ⚛㢅㶱扝✷ 幱㒠ⅻ䤓㦻⦿扟抐㦜┰ᇭ 607 Bedford Highway | Halifax Nova Scotia | B3M2L6 | (902) 443-3474 | www.fishermansmarket.ca

March 2015

打开加东 • Dakai Maritimes

March 2015

Dakai Maritimes • 打开加东

Feature •

特别报道

春节与庆典作者：王咏梅春节是中国传统历法的新年。当这个节日被翻译成英语的时候就成了Lunar New Year。严格说来这一翻译是不准确的，因为中国的传统历法并不是阴历。历史上，它曾经被称为夏历、殷历和汉历。最初起源于夏朝，兴盛于殷商时期的这个历法，经过不断的发展与完善，到了汉代由汉武帝正式颁布，全国统一使用。以后历朝历代或略有改动，但总体格局一直沿用至今。1949年国家以公历和传统历法并行时，它被称为旧历，文革后，它又被称为农历（civil calendar）。阴历顾名思义是根据月亮（太阴）一个圆缺29-30天为一个月，12个月为一年（阴历一年为364天）。智慧的中国古人早就发现月亮十二次盈亏形成的一年，与太阳一个回归形成的一年之间的误差，所以用19年中增加7 个闰月的方法对阴历进行改造，使得

以月亮圆缺为基础的日历，尽可能地接近按太阳回归一次为年的日历。不仅如此，中国旧历中的24个节气，冬至、夏至和春、秋分这4个节气完全重大的变更，再把农历称为阴历是不合适的。也正因为农历和阴历的差别，使用阴历的伊斯兰国家的新年甚至可能落在公历的七、八月，而中国的农历新年一般只在阳历的一月中下旬至三月初之间，误差不会太大。农历新年是中国及全球华人社会一年中最隆重的庆典。传统上过节的准备隆重到一个月之前就开始了。从现在还流行风俗习惯中，我们就可以体会到浓浓的节日气氛和家家户户忙年的欢乐景象。比如说，腊月八日喝腊八粥，基本上就标志忙年的序幕拉开了。这一天家家户户都熬腊八粥。尽管各地腊八粥的做法不同，但都讲究用八种不同的食材炖煮，其中大米、小米、糯米、花生、黄豆、红豆，红枣和莲子等是常用的材料。中国是农业大国，人们用多种谷物食材熬粥，

庆贺刚刚过去的丰收，期盼来年风调雨顺，五谷丰登。腊月二十四是家家户户打扫卫生的时间。干干净净过个年只是“二十四扫房子”的外显性的文化习惯，它的内在缘由是汉语里尘土的尘与陈旧的陈是谐音。人们用除陈布新来表达去掉晦气、迎接新春的心愿。相似习俗还有“二十五冻豆腐”，以期来年大家都富（豆腐的谐音）和二十七杀公鸡，取大吉（鸡的谐音）大利的意思，等等。年三十守岁更是过年习俗中最重要的一个。传说“年”这个妖怪，到了年

三十就会出来，到各家各户寻机搜罗粮食、祸害人畜。如果家里人都睡熟了它就会下手。因此，三十这天，每家每户都张灯结彩、有人点鞭炮、放焰火把年吓跑。有的人家包饺子、蒸年糕，一餐年夜饭慢慢做慢慢吃，就图保持清醒，不瞌睡。还有的人家邀上邻居或朋友，打打麻将，说说笑笑，子夜就在不知不觉中过去了。现代社会活动众多，保持一夜清醒实在容易。尽管如此每年中国国家电视台要化巨大精力和代价编排除夕晚会，要的是时间够长，同时还要足够精彩，大家才不会睡着，平平安安地迎接新春的到来。

March 2015

打开加东 • Dakai Maritimes

封面故事

• Cover Story

More than Chinese New Year: Hong Kong-Canada Business Association invites friends, partners to share in exchange of multicultural celebrations BY CHRIS MUISE Whether you celebrate New Year on January 1, or you celebrate the lunar New Year like in Chinese culture, one thing that both nights have in common is that it’s customary to share that night with friends and family, and anyone else whose company you’ve come to cherish. This year, Bill Bu and the Hong KongCanada Business Association Atlantic Section decided they wanted to broaden that notion of celebrating with friends - they turned their annual Chinese New Year Gala into an opportunity for the Chinese community to share its culture with their Nova Scotian friends and associates, and allow those friends the chance to return the favour. In past years, the HKCBA has partnered with the Chinese Society of Nova Scotia to put on the annual Chinese New Year Gala in Halifax, but this year, they wanted to try something new, and decided to do so solo. “There are different societies in the community. There are other Chinese community organizations, and they also will come up with something that will reflect their mission, and their interests, and their unique features,” says Bu, the president of the HKCBA Atlantic Section. “People want to have different ways of doing things, people want to try different things.” That’s not to say that the HKCBA was strictly alone in running this year’s celebration. Sponsors played a big role in putting this year’s show together. “This is the first year that we’re running the program on our own, and of course, with a lot of support,” says Bu, who says that this event boasts over 20 corporate sponsors, all of whom share ties with the HKCBA. “I think it will be nice for us, also - the HKCBA - is, being a business organization, we’re connected with local governments, the business community, and also the university community.”

Cultures collide as the Chinese performers from Zhuhai sing Auld Lang Syne, both in English and Chinese, with members of the Celtic Colours International Festival from Cape Breton. Chris Muise 来自中国珠海的学生以及布雷顿角的凯尔特国际文化节艺术团演员共用中英文唱响《友谊地久天长》。

The sense of welcomeness that the Chinese community feels from Nova Scotia businesses and universities is not lost on Bu, and as a way of giving back, he wanted to use the opportunity of celebrating Chinese New Year to show that appreciation. “This event, it’s not really a Chinese New Year celebration. We’re using the Chinese New Year celebration as a platform to celebrate the Canada/ China/Nova Scotia linkages,” says Bu. “This is also to showcase that we do appreciate other cultures. This event will be unique in a way, because we are going to provide not just Chinese culture, but also local Celtic Nova Scotia heritage.” Hosted at Saint Mary’s University, the evening’s entertainment was a mix of both traditional Chinese and Celtic

Nova Scotian music and dance. The Chinese side of the entertainment, which included songs, instruments, and folk art, was provided by students of SMU’s sister school, Beijing Normal University in Zhuhai. Their Dean of Chinese Studies – Dr. Zhang Mingyuan – accompanied them as a special guest. The Celtic Colours International Festival took the reigns for the Celtic entertainment, with exhibitions of traditional celtic dances and instruments. In the festival’s 19-year history, they’ve never played alongside traditional Chinese performers. “We never have had that opportunity, so we jumped at it,” says Joella Foulds, the executive director of Celtic Colours. “We thought that would be really fun, and really interesting to see some of their culture being displayed, and

for them to see some of our culture being displayed.” It’s a tradition for the Celtic Colours festival to end the show with all the performers performing together, and this was no exception (but it was exceptional). The sold-out evening ended with all the performers from both cultures coming together in a rendition of Auld Lang Syne, sung in both English and Chinese. Bu believes that this showcase was an example of the kind of multicultural understanding Nova Scotia needs in order to prosper, and the kind that many in the province already routinely extends. “The ties, really, they exist here,” says Bu. “It’s how we can show the ties to the people, and people will work together to strengthen those ties.”

March 2015

Dakai Maritimes • 打开加东

Cover Story •

封面故事

港加商会首办春晚与社会各界共庆多元文化译/Christine Qin Yang

履行自己的办会宗旨和方向。大家有着各自的风格;同时,大家也想尝试不同的事物。”

对你而言，新年是公历1月1日还是农历大年初一？不论你心中的新年是从哪天开始，不变的是与亲朋好友的相伴、相惜。

首次独家承办如此大规模的活动,协会表示,离不开赞助方和社会各界的大力支持。

往年的新年晚宴较局限于华人群体；而今年,由卜志雨先生带领的港加商会大西洋分会决定举办一台面向新省社会各界的新春晚会,让更多人有机会接触到中国农历新年。

据卜先生透漏,这次活动的20多位赞助商都与港加商会有着紧密联系与合作。“作为一个商业组织,港加商会和当地政府、商业机构以及各高校都有密切联系。这种联系对我们而言意义重大。”

新省一年一度的新春晚宴由港加商会和拿省华人协会合办了数届。今年，港加商会想要做一些新的尝试,决定来次独秀。

从另一个角度来说，卜先生也希望借这次活动来回馈当地企业及高校，感谢它们对华人群体的支持。

协会会长卜先生表示：“当地的社会群体众多。这其中就有很多不同的华人组织。这些组织实施不同的举措,来

“本次活动并不单单只是庆祝中国新年,我们更想借此机会来庆祝中、加、新省三方面的友好关系。”卜先生表

示：“此次活动非常特别是，我们不仅与大家分享中华文化，同时也将欣赏到新省凯尔特传统文化表演。这样的安排展现了我们对其它文化的尊重。” 本次晚会在圣玛丽大学举办。当晚，传统中华文艺表演与新斯科舍省凯尔特歌舞交织呈现。圣玛丽大学的姐妹学校北京师范大学珠海分校带来了声乐、乐器演奏及民俗表演等。分校文学院院长张铭远也作为特别来宾出席本次活动。凯尔特国际文化节艺术团队也为大家呈现了独具风情的歌舞表演。凯尔特国际文化节开创的19年来，从未有机会与来自中方的文艺表演同台。 “我们从未有过同台的机会,所以当我们了解到这次机会后,当然毫不犹豫地答应了。”凯尔特国际文化节负责人

Joella Foulds说：“可以与其它民俗表演同台竞技是非常有趣的事情。” 凯尔特国际文化节表演有一个传统，即在演出尾声，所有演员共同登台演绎最后一个节目。这次也不例外，但也可以说是个例外，因为双方演员用中英文唱响《友谊地久天长》,为晚会拉下帷幕。卜先生相信，这样的文化活动可以大力推动新省多元文化的交流与繁荣发展。他表示,许多省份在这方面已经相对成熟。 “多元文化间存在着牢固的纽带。” 卜先生感叹道：“这次，我们向大家展现了这根纽带。今后，大家也将会共同努力，让这根多元文化间的纽带把彼此拉得更近。”

March 2015

打开加东 • Dakai Maritimes

人物专访

• Profile

Finding success here: local realtors help promote Nova Scotia to immigrants

机遇在此:安家置业在新斯科舍 2001年，他来到圣玛丽大学就读。 “大多数毕业生和新移民都想去多伦多或温哥华。”

BY CHRIS MUISE Ken Chen has had plenty of opportunities to move out west for work and career advancement, a move many other immigrants and international students like himself are often quick to explore. But instead, Chen chose to stay here, and seek success in the province he fell in love with. Furthermore, he decided he wanted to show other immigrants how they could find their success in Nova Scotia, too. “Personally, I almost left the city to big cities, like Toronto,” says Chen, who came to Nova Scotia from Fuzhou, China in 2001 to study at Saint Mary’s. “Most students, when they graduate, and most new immigrants, they like to go to Toronto or Vancouver.” Despite the allure of the job markets out west, Chen chose to stay in Nova Scotia and try and make a life for himself and his family here. Since graduating in 2006, he has become a successful real estate agent in Halifax, with clients from across Canada, China, and around the globe. Given how he found a life for himself here, Chen wonders why more international students and immigrants end up giving up on Nova Scotia to find greener pastures in places out west, when he feels those areas don’t have the same entrepreneurial potential as our region. “I believe there are lots of students here, that they have a good business in mind. Most of the students, they study business here,” says Chen, who believes there are more opportunities for

尽管西部就业市场充满诱惑，他还是选择留在哈法，尝试为自己和家人创造财富。自2006年毕业到现在，他已经成为哈利法克斯最成功的房产经纪人之一。他的客户遍布加拿大、中国和其它国家。陈纲已然在新斯科舍省找到了属于自己的生活，但他思考为什么越来越多的国际生和新移民放弃这片宝地而前往其它省份。在他看来，其它地区的创业潜力其实并不如新省。 “我认为本省诸多的留学生都非常有商业头脑，而且大部分学生读商科。”陈纲认为，新移民在新省有更多创业机会。相较之下，多伦多、温哥华这些城市的创业路更为坎坷。 “如果你想要留在哈法，你可以尝试自己做老板，为当地社会献出一份力。”

Left to rightr: Ken Chen, Scott Bentley, Ziyad Chediac, and Tao Song at a real estate investment seminar held in August, 2014. 哈法地产经纪陈纲(左一)和宋涛(右一)在2014年8月举办的一场地产投资基金发布会上。

immigrants to blaze their own entrepreneurial paths here, as opposed to Toronto and Vancouver, where finding those same entrepreneurial opportunities is more challenging. “If you couldn’t find a good job here, you don’t need to find a job - do your own business, to help build the community here.” Chen, along with his business partner Tao Song, who also immigrated to Nova Scotia from China, try to help

CONTINUED ON PAGE 9

译/Christine Qin Yang 许多新移民和国际留学生都十分向往去加拿大西部省份拓展事业。作为刚毕业的留学生，陈纲曾经有过这样的机会。然而，他毅然决定留在哈利法克斯寻找发展机遇，并下定决心帮助新移民开启事业与家庭双丰收的成功之路。 “当初我差点离开这里，去多伦多这类的大城市。” 陈纲来自福建福州，

陈纲的合伙人宋涛作为新移民来到新省。同样作为房产经纪人，除了本职工作外，他也致力于帮助其他新移民在这里安家置业。两位合伙人常常向他们来自世界各地的客户推荐新省，并大力推荐这里宜人的气候、丰富的海产、合理的房价以及接近欧洲的地理位置等优势。待许多客户移居新省后，他们还会为他们提供创业和就业帮助，让他们少走弯路。 “我们俩已经来哈法很久了，所以在当地的华人社区算是积攒了一些人脉。” 2007年，宋涛带着全家一起移民新省：“我们接触的新移民有的来自中国，有的来自亚洲其他地区。我们很高兴能帮助他们在这里安家落

下转第9页

March 2015

Dakai Maritimes • 打开加东

Profile •

人物专访

Ken Chen profile CONTINUED FROM PAGE 8 more immigrants feel comfortable planting roots in this province by going above and beyond the call of duty as realtors. Chen and Song often recommend Nova Scotia to clients from around the world, selling them on the finer points of our region, such as our weather, seafood, affordable housing market, and relative closeness to Europe. And when clients do move here, they help

them navigate the pitfalls of starting their business in Nova Scotia. “Both of us have been in Halifax for a long time, and we have a pretty good network in the local Chinese community,” says Song, who moved to Nova Scotia with his family in 2007. “I think it’s the best way we can cooperate together to get new immigrants here - new Chinese people, and even new Asian people - to come here, settle their home. We give them help to start.” For Chen and Song, helping build a

population in Nova Scotia through promoting immigration here is key to the survival of the Nova Scotian economy, and as much as they’re doing all that they can, they feel the government needs to do their part to encourage immigration. “Right now, the general problem is the government, they haven’t opened up immigration programs,” says Song, who came to the province through the Nova Scotia Nominee Program, which closed shortly after his arrival. “If we get more population, and people get

more opportunity to open their business, and to create more job opportunities. That’s a good circle.” Despite that, Chen hopes that his and Song’s example can help convince immigrants to give Nova Scotia a shot. “This is an immigrant. This is an international student,” says Chen, gesturing to Song and himself. “And we can survive from the bottom. Why is it other people cannot? Why do they need to go to another city? ...this is a true story, to show that you can get successful here.”

安家置业在新省更多相关政策来鼓励新省移民。

上接第8页户。” 两位合伙人都坚信，通过吸引新移民来增加新省人口是促进当地经济的一大举措。他们认为，政府也应该推出

宋涛表示：“当下最大的问题出在当地政府身上，它们还没有特别开放的移民政策。”宋涛通过省提移民计划成功移民新省，但是这个项目在他移民后不久就关闭了。“如果我们人口

Introducing some of

our finest properties es 给您介绍全城最佳房产选择

1040 Ridgewood Drive

Happy Chinese New Year 2015

Michael Walling llingM Michaell W Walling allingg

412 41 12. 2.7963 79 | michael@ 796 michael michael@bryantrealty.ca @b trealty.ca a 902.412.7963 Cell:902.412.7963 | michael@bryantrealty.ca el @ bryantrealty.ca ecializi ecializing in Co Condo an n House ouse sales and Specializing in CondoSpecializing and House sales 专业为您提供公寓和房屋销售服务专业为您提供公寓和专业为您提和屋销售服务屋销专业为您提供公寓和房屋销售服务屋销售服务

数量提高，人们将有更多创业机会，同时带来更多就业机会。这是一个良性循环。” 尽管有诸多挑战，陈纲还是希望他与宋涛的亲身经历能鼓舞新移民，让他们来新省试一试。

“我们俩一个是新移民，一个是国际学生。”陈纲这样说道。“如果我们可以在这里生存下来，别人肯定也可以。那何必去别的城市呢？我们一直想以自己为例，告诉大家：在这里，你也会有机遇能很好地安家置业。”

March 2015

打开加东 • Dakai Maritimes

特别报道

• Feature

Party starts early for Chinese New Year BY COLIN CHISHOLM Chinese New Year, or Spring Festival, is a significant event for millions, perhaps billions of people around the world; including a growing Chinese population in Halifax. The festival kicked off early on February 6 at the Atlantic Superstore on Barrington Street, with members of the Chinese Society of Nova Scotia and others in attendance to get ready for the big celebration. Yonggan Zhao, president of the Chinese Society of Nova Scotia said he was encouraged by the community response. “Our objective is to promote and preserve Chinese culture here,” Zhao said. “We want people who came here from China to feel connected to their culture.” The Chinese society held their own celebration on February 21 with traditional performances, food, and music. “This is the most important event in Chinese history,” he said. “It’s a way to welcome spring and celebrate the accomplishments of the past year. It’s the largest traditional Chinese festival.” Beginning on the second new moon after the winter solstice, the festival is often marked by gift giving, family visits, and parties. The upcoming new year will kick off the year of the goat or the sheep, depending on the translation. “Goat is a more powerful interpretation, whereas a sheep a bit softer, more calm,” Zhao said. “There’s also the ram, it all depends on your interpretation.” “The sheep is about love, creativity, and signifies embracing your closest friends,” he said. Zhao said he’s hoping the new years celebrations will be about communicating with other cultural societies in the province. “For us, it’s about highlighting our culture for people outside of Chinese society,” he said. Mark Boudreau, spokesperson with

A major aspect of any celebration is the food, and Chinese New Year is no exception. Braised long life noodles are cooked for guests who attended a kick off celebration at the Atlantic Superstore. Colin Chisholm 任何节日的庆祝都离不开美食，农历新年也不例外。大西洋超市的春节庆祝活动为来宾们准备了长寿面。

Atlantic Superstore said it’s important to celebrate the diverse cultures within Halifax. “We’ve got over 50 Atlantic Superstores in the region and the one on Barrington Street is sort of a unique one, because it serves a hugely diverse customer base,” Boudreau said. “One of the key drivers for us is being involved in the communities we operate, Chinese New Year celebrations coming up gave us a unique opportunity to host an event and showcase some of the products we have available.” The event featured traditional door banners, lucky money, candy trays and lots of food. “We know from our customers that people are often gearing up for Chinese New Year in advance, in the

same way others get ready for Christmas,” he said. “So having an event beforehand is a good way to get people excited.” Iain Rankin, MLA for Timberlea-Prospect was in attendance, saying events like this help to make new immigrants feel welcome. “It’s absolutely essential in order to attract new Nova Scotians,” Rankin said. “All three levels of government are united in attracting and celebrating the different cultures we have here.” Other politicians were slated to attend as well, but were unable to make it due to the weather. “We have a growing segment of Chinese people, particularly within our universities,” he said. “It’s important for us to compete with the mega cities

like Toronto and Vancouver, where people from various backgrounds can come and immediately establish themselves with people there.” Increasing the province’s immigration numbers was one of the main recommendations in last year’s Ivany Report, which laid out economic goals for Nova Scotia. “There are two aspects of immigration, first is getting them here, and then the other part, which is why these events are so important, is keeping them here,” he said. “We’ve had a slight population growth for the first time recently, out immigration nominees are up, and our government is working very hard to increase that limit through the federal government.”

March 2015

Dakai Maritimes • 打开加东

Feature •

特别报道

大西洋超市提前准备春节庆祝活动译/Christine Qin Yang 农历新年对于全球华人来说是一个标志性的节日。在哈利法克斯，这个节日也因日益壮大的华人群体而变得意义非凡。 2月6日,由拿省华人协会会员以及广大市民参与的一场庆新年活动,在巴林顿大街(Barrington Street)的大西洋超市 (Atlantic Supestore),为春节提前拉开了帷幕。拿省华人协会会长赵永淦表示,本地社区的热情让他倍受鼓舞。 “我们的目标是在当地推动和传承中华文化。”赵会长说:“我们希望华人同胞在这里也能感受到祖国文化的气息。” 拿省华人协会在2月21日举办了一年一度的春节晚宴，用晚宴和传统民族表演等形式庆贺新年。

“春节是最重要、最隆重的中华传统佳节。”赵会长谈起农历新年:“人们在此佳节喜迎新春到来，同时欢庆过去一年的收获。” 冬至后的第二次新月到来,当你看到大家置办年货、家家户户拜年、阖家团圆时，标志着农历新年的到来。今年是羊年,而羊年的英文翻译，遇到了是山羊还是绵羊的争议。 “山羊是生命力的象征，而绵羊令人感到柔和与温婉。”赵会长解释道: “也有另一种解释说应为有角大公羊。无论是哪种羊，都取决于你的理解。” “绵羊代表着爱心、创造力和包容心。”他补充道。赵会长期待在春节其它庆祝活动中，华人群体能够与本省其他文化群体取得更多的交流。他表示：“新年之际是向其它社会群体展现中华文化的大好机会。”

大西洋超市发言人马克布德罗先生表示，庆祝多元文化，对于哈法这个城市而言意义非凡。

“显然，这是一个吸引新移民的好举措。”兰金先生说：“三级政府正携手大力推广本市的多元文化。”

“大西洋超市在当地有50多家分店。巴林顿街分店是非常特别的一家，这家店的顾客群体来自不同的文化背景。”布德罗还说:“融入社区是推动我们向前的一股力量。春节的到来, 使我们有机会通过举办庆祝活动来展示我们的相关产品。”

其他受邀的政府官员和嘉宾均因天气原因未能出席本次活动。

本次活动中出现了极具新年特色的对联、红包、瓜果以及传统中华美食。 “我们从顾客口中了解到，人们往往要提前为春节置办年货，这类似于在圣诞前夕准备过节必需品。” 布德罗说：“春节前夕举办这样的活动,可以让人们感受到节日的气氛。” Timberlea-Prospect区的立法委员伊恩兰金先生也出席了本次活动。他认为这样的活动能够让新移民感觉宾至如归。

“越来越多的中国人，尤其是学生，来到哈法。”兰金说：“我们与多伦多、温哥华竞争是很有必要的。这些大城市的人口有着不同文化背景，但人们都能很快地在城市中找到自己的群体。” 增加本省移民数量是去年Ivany报告建议的一项举措，这项举措也被列为新省经济发展目标之一。 “关于移民有两个重点：首先，要让他们来到这里；其次，要让他们融入这里。这也是我们要庆祝多元文化节日的原因。我们要给新移民家的感觉。”兰金说：“自省提移民计划出台以来，本省的人口已得到了小幅度增长。同时，本省政府正努力地与联邦政府合作，吸引更多移民人口。”

Stylish urban living in the centre of the city. Andrew Chen Product Advisor 902-989-0998

安全, 动感, 节能，放心, 性价比来丰田享受一站式服务吧！ Safety, dynamic design, economical, trustworthy, good value - come in to Toyota and enjoy your one stop shop!

3575 Kempt Road | 902-453-2331 oreganstoyotahalifax.com

在城市中心打造时尚都市生活

Monaghan Square offers spacious condominiums only steps away from downtown Halifax. Parks, shopping, restaurants, and more are all nearby. Located on Young Street just west of Robie, it’s comfortable condo living in a vibrant urban environment. Monaghan Square 宽敞舒适型公寓坐落在 Robie 西边的 Young Street,与公园、购物、餐饮等生活服务设施都仅是步行的距离,为您在繁忙的都市创造舒适生活。 Suites starting at $199,900 | 套房起价: $199,900 | monaghansquare.com

March 2015

打开加东 • Dakai Maritimes

文化

• Culture

Good luck symbols and the Chinese characters Year. It has become a common decoration for everyday life - key chains, houses, cars etc.

BY QIANYI GAO, CONFUCIUS INSTITUTE AT SAINT MARY’S UNIVERSITY & DONGHUA UNIVERSITY

The Gate Gods are two characters in Chinese myth. They catch the evils as tigers’ food. They are two guards who stopped their lord's nightmare. The Couplets evoke good luck while the Gate Gods expel the evil spirits.

Traditions change while being passed down through generations. A good example is the gate decoration for the Chinese New Year. The earliest decoration included peach wood and paintings of the Gate Gods. However, Chinese characters have always been commonly used. The characters written on red paper are called Spring Couplets. The most frequently used lucky characters include chun春, xi喜, ji吉, qing庆, an安, he和, fu福, to name a few.

Through discussing these auspicious words, we feel the special meanings and attachments they are to the Chinese people. To further explore these characters, we might also be able to trace the deep and magical human imagination.

HONG’S KITCHEN

Ancient Chinese believed that Chinese characters are sacred. Assumed that there was a piece of paper written with characters, the Chinese would not walk on or stain it, nor handle it rudely. The traditional way to discard these pieces is through burning with fire. People appreciated the fact that the creation of the Chinese characters, as a communicative tool, has brought a great change for human beings.

The Couplets express good wishes for the year ahead. They are two tall posters pasted on each side of the front door, and a horizontal scroll on the top. Here is a brief explanation for the characters listed in the first para-

A pair of spring couplet written by DING Hongdan. 对联书法作者:丁虹丹

graph. ‘Chun’ means spring and also refers to a happy lifetime. ‘Xi’ means joy and is also used for newly married couples. Weddings are called ‘Xi-shi’; the wedding banquet is called ‘xi-yan’; candies given to the guests at the wedding are called ‘xitang’. ‘He’ is smooth - neither firm nor soft. Peace is ‘he-ping’; harmony is ‘he-xie’; gentle temperament is ‘he-qi’; breeze is ‘hefeng’; good relationship is ‘hemu’; wedded bliss is ‘bai-nian-haohe’. ‘An’ means safe, quiet and

slow. Safe is ‘an-quan’; relieved is ‘an-xin’; good night is ‘wan-an’. ‘Ji’ means good fortune. Prosperity is ‘ji-li’; good day is ‘ji-ri’; auspiciousness is ‘ji-xiang’. ‘Qing’ is to celebrate. National day is ‘guoqing’. Besides the above, you might see ‘fu’福everywhere. The auspicious character ‘fu’ means a rich and full life, lucky, blessed and fortunate. You will find it pasted on walls, doors, windows and even cupboards. Its usage is no longer limited to during the New

Try our Chef created authentic Chinese dish: Honey Pepper Sauce Chicken white meat chicken covered with honey sweetness and peppery taste. You cannot find this dish anywhere else! ⨟٤‫਼ݐ‬ս‫ غ‬塯㲪䑂淪࣌ ਘӲ௲ 㲪澝塯㾪䏰Ӳ淪勗 એଂ恔Њࢎ䟒࢐ ଥ淪৾͠‫ޏ‬௪২նՑ֨क़չࠡ͠

Cut this coupon out to receive $2.00 off when you order this dish. Eat-in only. facebook.com/HongsKitchenNS @HongsKitchen ӛ࠴ѩۙ⥜૆б塯㲪䑂淪࣌ӗ ѩۙ澞ߎѩۙюஒௐ‫ऀ׃‬௑澞

✃

Many Chinese still use characters to predict the future fortune. The recording tool now functions more than its original usage. The belief might be hard to trace. Since people believed that the characters had magical power, 10 centuries ago, instead of paste paintings, they began pasting characters on doors. The traditions have been kept on until present.

Your Authentic Chinese Cuisine

902.864.2897 584 Sackville Dr. www.hongskitchen.com

March 2015

Dakai Maritimes • 打开加东

Culture •

文化

迎春纳福话汉字加拿大圣玛丽大学孔子学院、中国东华大学高倩艺习俗在传承时会悄然改变。新年的门饰就是一个好例子。最早的装饰是桃木，然后是门神。而用汉字装饰的办法一直延续至今。春节前把由汉字组成的对联等写在红纸上，贴在家里家外。举几个经常使用的幸运字：春，喜，吉，庆，安，和，福，仅举几例。过去，中国人认为文字是神圣的。假如一张纸上写有汉字，人们不会踩上去，或弄脏，或粗暴地处理它。如果他们不需要了，传统的做法是用火焚烧。汉字被认为是由名为仓颉的神创造的，它的出现给人们带来了前所未有的变化，所以人们很虔诚地对待这份礼物。许多中国人仍然认为文字具有预兆

Lucky day是吉日。庆：庆祝。National day是国庆。

性，因而用汉字来预测未来，或摄入好运。文字的功能已经远远超出“记录”这个范围了。对文字的信仰是何时开始的，已经很难追索。由于文字被认为有神奇的力量，10世纪前，人们开始把它们粘贴在门上代替门神画。这个习俗一直保持至今。这些文字包括写在红纸上的对联。对联由上联，下联和横批组成。上下联贴在门窗两侧，横批贴在门窗上方。春节期间黏贴的楹联表达对新年的期冀。这里简要解释一下在第一段中列出的字的意思。春意思是“春天”，也指一个人一生的好时机；喜：欢乐，愉悦。人们结婚时，一般家里和车上要贴喜字。婚礼被称为“喜事”，婚宴被称为“喜宴”，提供给客人的糖果被称为“喜糖”。和，本义是顺，不坚不柔。温和的态度是 “和气”，微风是“和风”，良好的关系是“和睦”，永远的爱是一对夫妇的“百年好合（一百年的爱）”。

此外，你会看到“福”无处不在。福是一个吉祥词，意思是丰富，富足，顺利，吉祥，好运。你可以在墙壁，门，窗，橱柜上找到它。这个词新年用得最多，但平时也常用，你可以在小钥匙链，玉器，厨具，室内装饰，汽车装饰等找到它。

The character Fu, meaning "fortune" or "good luck", written by ZHANG Wenhui. 福字书法作者:张文慧

安，本义是静，缓，止。Safe是安全，Relieved是安心，Good是安好， Good evening是晚安。吉，最初是指好，善。Auspices是吉利、吉祥，

有时候你也会发现印有门神的海报贴在大门上。门神是中国神话里的两个人物。他们把祸害人类的鬼抓起来给老虎吃。门神也可以是曾经护卫了唐皇的两个将军。如果你即发现了门神又看到了楹联，那么这两个功能不同。楹联呼唤好运，门的神驱逐恶灵。在探讨吉祥用语，吉祥字符的过程中，我们感觉到了中国人对自己文字的感情。通过挖掘汉字的宝藏，我们同时在探索人类的想象力。

Ya! a *

Ask for Steve Qiang Salees Representative

696 Windmill Road Dartmouth, Nova Scotia Phone: 902.468.6411 TollFree: 1 888 785.2989 www.steelevw.ca

*seee Steele VW for full details. All lease payments are monthly only, equivalent bi-weekly payment shown for comparative purpose, taxes & fees are extra. Restrictions apply. On approved credit.

March 2015

打开加东 • Dakai Maritimes

My gardening story in Nova Scotia BY ZHOU HUI About 2700 years ago (since 770 BC), based on both the moon phase and the solar periodic, ancient Chinese capably interpreted each solar year with 24 points, or 24 ‘jie-qi’ to reflect its regular weather and climate changes. “Qing-ming”, Pure Freshness, the fifth of the 24 points, is usually on April 4, 5 or 6 in the world-wide used Gregorian (Western) calendar (introduced by Pope Gregory XIII in 1582). In North China, like Beijing, it is the time when ground becomes soft and trees, bushes and grass turn to tender green. A Chinese farming proverb says “pick the beans, cucumbers and squash sowed around Qing-ming”, indicating that if you work hard in gardens around this time, you deserve the harvest in fall. When I was a child, it always made me excited following grandpa everywhere in gardens not only for the cheerful seedling process, but for a fruitful future. Things have changed along with the

city’s development - one thing I could tell was that concrete buildings grew straight up to the sky in grandpa’s gardens. However, things that are rooted deeply and could not be taken away were the belief in the proverb “Qing-ming” and the gardening hobbies inherited from grandpa. So when many years later, I, bringing my daughter, immigrated to Nova Scotia Canada, the dirt, the garden and the field at once lit my eye up even before my feet landed steadily: “wow, it’s a perfect place for me!” In April, impatiently watching the last piece of snow shrunk and gone, I at once broke into gardens to plant beans and lemons. In my rear, a Nova Scotia friend sent me a series of ‘no, no, no...’ and said: “wait till late May”! “But it’s “Qing-ming”! I might miss the season”, said I fearfully. In fact, it is quite usual to plant beans, squashes, pumpkins and cucumbers in

CONTINUED ON PAGE 15

早在春秋战国时期（始于公元前770 年），中国就根据月相和太阳周年运转制定了反映季节、气候变化的“二十四节气”。“清明”是这二十四节气之一。一般在约定俗成的年历的4 月4-6日。在中国的北方，如北京，正值大地回暖、嫩绿挂满枝头的早春。从小跟着姥爷在院子里种花种草的我每到“清明”便格外兴奋。因为农谚说得好：“清明前后种瓜种豆，种瓜得瓜，种豆得豆”。这农谚给人一种抄起工具下地干活儿的劲头，还让人觉得有盼头。时过境迁，姥姥家的小院因为城市发展已经高楼拔地而起。但我的“种瓜种豆”的嗜好却是根深蒂固并走哪儿带到哪儿。十年前带着女儿来到加拿大的新斯科舍省。一落地我就眼前一

客户发展主管(中英双语) 新斯科舍省赌场现正招聘客户发展主管，针对以华裔客人为主的所有VIP客人，履行引入客源、发展并维护客户关系等职责。职位要求: • 流利的中英文口语及写作能力(中文可为普通话或粤语) • 有营销和客服经验 • 较强的行政工作、组织协调以及分析能力

种瓜种豆的启示文章及图片作者:周辉

工作机会

亮，嘿，又有地方“种瓜种豆”了。盼到四月地上的积雪化了，我要刨坑儿种菜了。我的新省朋友知道后急得把头摇得跟拨浪鼓似的，横竖拦着让我等到五月底再说。那不误了农时？实际上在新省（北纬45度）等到五月下旬甚至六月播种属正常。种早了地温不够，种子会烂在地里（尤其是豆类和瓜类的种子）。要么再种，要么百思不得其解而一味地等下去。那才真的要误农时。至此我恍然大悟，对呀，“入乡随俗”！英语这一大 “俗”我着实是跟随了。不随，肯定碰钉子。那么“种瓜种豆”亦如此。如今在这里生活十年，经朋友指点外带我的实践，归纳几条在新省“种瓜种豆”的经验，供参考。

下转第15页

• 须工作日晚上、周末及节假日工作 • 有能力扩展潜在客户群、发展并维护良好的客户关系 • 有能力通过卓越的交流技能，满足或超越客户期望 • 有赌场或酒店工作经验者优先考虑 • 需大学学历或具备与其对等的学历和工作经验有意申请者，请将个人履历在2015年5月31日前，发至： cnshfxresumes@ casinonovascotia.com

March 2015

Dakai Maritimes • 打开加东

Column •

专栏

Gardening CONTINUED FROM PAGE 14 late May or even June in Nova Scotia. Otherwise, seeds though socked, mostly rot underground as the temperature is not warm enough for the germination. This reminded me a wise saying “In Rome, do as the Romans do”. I have to follow what “Romans do”. If I hadn’t, I would have gone nowhere with my new life in Nova Scotia. So as my gardening. Having lived in Nova Scotia for over ten years, here are some garden tips to share with you. 1. Growing vegetables: a. Mid May: radish (can be earlier), spinach, carrots, cilantro, bokchoy, Chinese leeks, green onion, Chinese cabbage, sunflowers and corn. b. Late May-early June: beans, peas, cucumber, pumpkin, squash and potatoes, as well as the transplants. c. Mid July: second crop of bush beans and peas to extend harvesting season. d. Late October to early December:

种瓜种豆上接第14页 1. 准备：四月至五月期间规划，设计花园、菜园。整地、翻地、买土、买种子和施肥。 2. 种菜： 2.1. 五月中旬：播种小萝卜（可早

ZHOU Hui’s garden in Upper Tantallon, Nova Scotia. 来到新斯科舍省以后,周辉在家门口开辟了一片种植园。

garlic cloves. 2. Burying flower bulbs, such as: a. June: Dalia, gladiolus and calla lily (dig them out before winter). b. Late fall: iris, lily, tulips, daffodil, crocus, hyacinth and snowdrop. They dome underground in winter and bloom in early spring in the coming year.

Believe it or not, though the wellspoken farming proverb in China seems prolonged here, I found several from Chinese 24 ‘jie-qi’ have some common thoughts with the Western calendar. For instance, “Xia-zhi”, the summer solstice (on June 20, 21 or 22), perfectly matches the first day of summer (June 21, 2015). Same as “Qiu-

fen”, the autumnal equinox (on September 22, 23 or 24), is well paired with the first day of fall (September 23, 2015). Not surprisingly, we all live on the earth within one solar system and every migration made has been no farther than from that “Rome” to this “Rome”.

些）、胡萝卜、香菜、油菜、韭菜、葱、菠菜、白菜，玉米和向日葵等。 2.2. 五月底至六月初：播种各种豆子, 瓜类和土豆，购买并移栽菜苗（如西红柿、茄子、甜椒、辣椒，瓜类、豆类）。 2.3. 七月中旬：可种二茬豌豆和矮生架豆以延长收获季节。 2.3. 十月底至十一月初种蒜（在国内小麦过冬，这里蒜过冬）。

3. 种球茎或宿根花卉： 3.1. 六月是种马蹄莲、大丽花和唐菖蒲等花卉的时节。秋季要把其球茎挖出来，放在不低于零摄氏度的干燥环境下保存，来年再种。 3.2. 晚秋，地上冻前种植各种鸢尾、百合、郁金香、洋水仙、番红花、雪花莲和风信子等。这些花卉经过在地里冬眠，来年春季开花。

另外，尽管那条“清明”农谚在这儿不太实用，我却发现二十四节气中其它的一些节气，如“夏至”和“秋分”竟和这里夏季的第一天（6月21 日）、秋季的第一天（9月23日）相吻合。细想想似乎不足为奇。共栖地球上，同在一个太阳系，无非是从彼 “乡”到此“乡”而已。

Wishing You A Happy Chinese New Year Of The Sheep! 恭喜发财，羊年大吉！

Paula Fung 冯宝娜

Your trusted real estate consultant for commercial, residential and retail properties. 冯宝娜你值得信赖的地产经纪。服务范围：新旧房屋买卖、生意房及租赁业务

Cell: 488.8688 paula.fung1@century21.ca

March 2015

打开加东 • Dakai Maritimes