IS MANDARIN THE LANGUAGE OF THE FUTURE? 学中国

Mandarin is said to be the most difficult language in the world to learn, so why do people still learn it?

by Klarissa Stawarz

When we think of Mandarin, we think about China (中国), the complicated characters (中国文字) and the excellent cuisine (食品). But maybe we should think about it as the language of the future and perhaps a language which brings a world of opportunities. With 885 million native speakers, it is the most spoken language in the world. Nowadays a language like Mandarin is a vital necessity in the business world. With the US making long term investments in China as more and more countries are doing business in renminbi (Chinese dollars), not the US dollar, there is less and less need to speak English. As China’s economy grows – averaging 10% a year, businesses will be desperate for bilingual English and Mandarin speakers to help with trading and business. Not only this, if the renminbi becomes the new reserve currency, it would make china the most economically powerful country in the world.

CHINESE SUPERSTITIONS 中国新一年的迷信

By Chloe Saunders

Every aspect of Chinese culture is brimming with long-standing traditions and superstitions and Chinese New Year is no exception! Here are just a few interesting customs that the Chinese like to practise around New Year:

Do

 Wish a happy new year to everyone you meet by saying 新年快乐! (xīn nián kuài lè!)

 Wear articles of red clothing as red symbolises luck.

 Eat a whole fish as it represents togetherness and abundance.

 Children should stay up as late as possible on New Year’s Eve as it is believed that the longer they stay up, the longer their parents will live!

 For every child you see give them two ‘lai’ because happiness comes in twos. This is considered as a way of passing luck on to the next generation. Business owners will also give two ‘lai’ to employees and associates.

DON’T

 Wear white or black clothing as these are the traditional colours of mourning.

 Buy new shoes for the first month of the New Year, because the sound of the shoe in Chinese is “hai”. “Hai” is similar to the sound of sighing, which the Chinese believe is not a good way to start the New Year.

 Sweep floors or dispose of rubbish on the first day of the New Year for fear of casting riches out the door.

 Break any plates or dishes; otherwise you may receive more misfortune for the rest of New Year. In the event of breaking a dish, quickly say “peace for all time” and the bad luck will be warded off.

 Borrow or lend money.

 Cut any noodles left in your bowl, as these signify long life.