tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36658401840275404642024-02-07T11:15:37.911-08:00CACBC News WorthyWelcome to the official blog of The Chinese American Cultural Bridge Center, where we celebrate and inform the public about our upcoming performing and educational tours to China. We will also be producing informative blogs about Chinese culture, religion, and tid bits of China or any performance events world wide. Thank you for stopping in, enjoy your time here!
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Jennifer Chanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05793888994804198736noreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3665840184027540464.post-55841532029683697452014-11-18T11:26:00.002-08:002014-11-18T11:26:22.014-08:00Bands of America Championship - Indianpolis <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy4RBhzr26OyBrRgTneFpBZ89o2u9bFkOlkVXgFUmJVVccnlKJ-5Q-GMUKKt9iLaBlG4ZxR-lxKr1jqZYPqQbc1WPZaoh6X6dgEijV59elKJy_EmjomF7rXoF_mbqeBNo7OtfpE028hgs/s1600/IMG_2603.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy4RBhzr26OyBrRgTneFpBZ89o2u9bFkOlkVXgFUmJVVccnlKJ-5Q-GMUKKt9iLaBlG4ZxR-lxKr1jqZYPqQbc1WPZaoh6X6dgEijV59elKJy_EmjomF7rXoF_mbqeBNo7OtfpE028hgs/s1600/IMG_2603.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a>I had the privilege of watching over 40 + marching bands that performed at the BOA Championship over the November weekend in Lucas Oil Stadium, and it was just AMAZING! For those who doesn't know what BOA is, it stand for Bands of America. This event brings the best high school marching band field show from all over America to perform in one stadium, and at the end of the 3 day event it comes down to one finalist.<br />
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I have never been in a band before, and never attended extra summer camps to sharpen my skill in marching, but at the end of this performance I was jealous of these performers and actually wanted to go back in time and do all those. I remember sitting there in the stadium among supporters of varies marching band, it's amazing watching a mothers, fathers, and siblings devotion to their performer. I sat right next to a father of a performer from Lawrence Township High School, who after a whole day of work came right away to support their child, and he said if their group is selected among the semifinalist they will have to wake up early on Sunday and do it all over again. He said these kids will be lucky if they get 5 hours of sleep each night during the time they are at BOA, then he went on to describe to me (a novice in marching) all the work that went in to build their "The Green Table" theme and all the areas the judges are looking for in the competition. He was very knowledgeable and very interested in sharing all this information, and while he is talking to me you could see the joy in his tired eyes and the proud in his voice for his kids achievements....and yes they did enter into the semi finalist and 12 place in the finalist competition. And I bet it's joy like that that makes been a parent so rewarding, to see your kids making amazing achievements and have goals to get to that point. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvDvtJq8v5abZ2UNDPyXeXgryRiA3nhFxRihVRqJqF9vF6yWa2gqhTdz-EHQzxs_LCPu9sgE_KyMatB1jpDqPaxeI5GZvTyn3dS1tKAxgztkd1pzKIcaIJLZBLd3AjxpF_JMCimR5fQQc/s1600/IMG_2607.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvDvtJq8v5abZ2UNDPyXeXgryRiA3nhFxRihVRqJqF9vF6yWa2gqhTdz-EHQzxs_LCPu9sgE_KyMatB1jpDqPaxeI5GZvTyn3dS1tKAxgztkd1pzKIcaIJLZBLd3AjxpF_JMCimR5fQQc/s1600/IMG_2607.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a>Several times through out the competition I felt like I was at a football or baseball game, with group cheers created by the parents that echo across to the performer during their entrance to the stadium, or collaborated shirt design worn by all the supporting parents, or flags and objects to wave and show their school support. I saw a lady wore this beautiful jacket full of rhinestones that said "Mother of ..........Marching Band", she said she and a group of other performing mothers one day just decided to make a jacket. And another group that created a light up torch with Christmas lights to support their child, now they are sitting in the nose bleed section so I'm not sure if their child could see it from the stadium, but the heart and effort these parents devoted to their kids were beautiful to see. <br />
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If you ever have a chance to stop by Indianapolis during the time of BOA Championship, I would encourage you to see it at least once in your life time. Even if you are like this lady who lived locally in Indianapolis; I meet an older couple in the nose bleed section, and after talking about our instinct to want to jump at that height (it was a joke since we don't want to) she asked me which team I was rooting for, and at which she said "I'm neutral since I don't have any team I'm rooting for". <br />
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My take on all this, when I have kids, I'm signing them up for marching band!!! <br />
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<a href="http://www.musicforall.org/what-we-do/boa-marching-championships/grand-national-championships/2014-grand-national-finals-review" target="_blank">Result of 2014 BOA Championship</a><br />
1st place: Tarpon Spring High School from Florida "Man vs Machine"<br />
Note: I think they got 3 awards in a row, you should have seen their mini performance for receiving their award, it was so cute. I personally guessed they were going to win the finals before it was announced...and I was right:)<br />
2nd place: Broken Arrow High School<br />
Note: The clever ways performers maneuver props was shown in this performance, where a person came out from the mouth of an image. <br />
3rd place: Avon High School<br />
Note: I thought the theme of the moth drawn to the flame was very interesting, I could see the flame all the way up in the stadium so it was beautifully done. <br />
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Below are some pictures I took of the performances, if I didn't take a picture of a particular group doesn't mean I didn't like them, I just didn't have a chance or I was so intoned to the performance I forgot about it. <br />
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This is a group from Ohio called the Eagle Band from Bellbrook High School "Paris Sketches", I wanted to send a shot out to these guys cause they stayed in a hotel next to me. They entered into the semi finalist. Good Job guys!<br />
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<br />Jennifer Chanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05793888994804198736noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3665840184027540464.post-28411904269614800882014-04-09T21:22:00.001-07:002014-04-09T21:27:06.876-07:00Youtube clips of China<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I recently went to China, and I took some interesting clips along the way. Hope you will enjoy.</h2>
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A view inside a Chinese apartment</h3>
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/F-em3Jlp2Cg?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe> View of the country side from the train in China</h3>
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/NpSSqaMUFOM?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe> Chinese Dishes</h3>
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/43NcEoJdPJs?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe> Narrow street in a typical alley in China</h3>
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/CZcMLB2yntA?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe>Jennifer Chanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05793888994804198736noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3665840184027540464.post-22133540499157281372014-01-27T12:13:00.000-08:002014-01-27T12:13:05.469-08:00Pioneer High School gets a visit from a school they visited in ChinaOur end goals at CACBC is to create friendship between America and China, even if the only lives we touches are the kids in bands, choirs and orchestras. <br />
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Today I am overwhelmed with happiness knowing one of our past schools (Pioneer High School in Ann Arbor Michigan) have done just that. Their band traveled to China in 2009 under the direction of David Leach, and on that 10 day tour to Beijing and Tianjin, they visited a Tianjin High School as part of their cultural exchange. Five years later they have continued that friendship through their cultural exchange, and have brought a student delegate from that school to come and visit Pioneer High School. <br />
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It's moments like this that makes what I do so worth it. To create friendship across continents, to create endless possibilities for what could be achieved. It makes me so proud of them, so honored to have brought them together. I wish these two schools good luck in their networking, and their ventures together. <br />
<br />http://www.topix.com/forum/city/whittier-ca/TKHDJQSLBUCB4V2<br />
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Here is some of their pictures while in China. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvb1Vs1XjxPKjGMJmUT1bEucf4t_tSdONT9PWBFGrZbe6GCEqKAZLK2ZdmMLyn-BoW9k7U0a_GHWJcmcMlOKDfV6LcDQaqmbmRTJ3GcAKMVqFB8i9Kt4lxkyp7eI3pHcZfqBZYSzgO0b4/s1600/pioneerforbiddencity.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvb1Vs1XjxPKjGMJmUT1bEucf4t_tSdONT9PWBFGrZbe6GCEqKAZLK2ZdmMLyn-BoW9k7U0a_GHWJcmcMlOKDfV6LcDQaqmbmRTJ3GcAKMVqFB8i9Kt4lxkyp7eI3pHcZfqBZYSzgO0b4/s1600/pioneerforbiddencity.png" height="115" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fun picture shot at the Forbidden City</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpruZ46PHwnFXqkjTiU15KS3Yzb5eAWbtLW0QP5huJfwFwHpibl1LN2PqO2jWr49acdUGmVUjFFzOOrCkY2OjmFyrvLFXEmJ3ACvUB7kqedZs8oyWlSrt0OFx0Gr48-YZRXfaE09HhtvU/s1600/pioneerconcert.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpruZ46PHwnFXqkjTiU15KS3Yzb5eAWbtLW0QP5huJfwFwHpibl1LN2PqO2jWr49acdUGmVUjFFzOOrCkY2OjmFyrvLFXEmJ3ACvUB7kqedZs8oyWlSrt0OFx0Gr48-YZRXfaE09HhtvU/s1600/pioneerconcert.png" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Performance at the Tianjin Unversity</td></tr>
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Jennifer Chanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05793888994804198736noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3665840184027540464.post-51365487311130584172014-01-22T20:20:00.001-08:002014-01-22T20:20:15.290-08:00DumplingsOne of the many favorite food eaten during the Chinese New Year is the Chinese Dumpling. Chinese dumpling is just like anyother dumpling, it has a outside skin that holds in the filling inside. The fillings consist of meat, vegetable, or a combination. <br />
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Every time I travel to China or goes to Chinatown in the states, I always try to get some sort of dumpling. I love a home made dumplings, the taste and the feeling of eating it just makes me so happy. Some of my most cherished memories were of getting together with my family and putting fillings inside dumpling skin. I remember looking up at my mom putting in the ingredients, then when it's ready for me to put it on the skin, I would be more than happy to help. Perhaps it's those memories that makes me want to continue this tradition, which I will pass on to my kids. <br />
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Back in the days before restaurants and frozen food were created, dumplings were made only on special occasions such as Chinese New Year. But today because everyone is busy, most people just buys them from the grocery store or from restaurants. <br />
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Today when I woke up, I knew I had to eat a dumpling. I had a dream I was eating dumplings, and when I woke up I told myself I have to eat it even if I had to make it from scratch. Which is exactly what I did. I made Pork and Chive dumpling, one of my favorites. I didn't have a recipe with measurement, instead I just throw a pinch of this and a batch of that. The taste was kind of blend. I believe I didn't use enough salt, soy sauce and sesame oil, because the taste was dry and blend. So for my next batch I added more of those along with onion, and it tasted wonderful. <br />
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Here is a photo collage for you to see the process of making my dumplings. Clockwise from top left: Ingredients (although I did add onion and sesame oil), mixing everything in a bowl(except for the egg, the egg yoke is useless but the whites is used to stick the dumpling skin together), putting filling inside the dumpling skin and kneeing the edges together, then boil it till it's cooked. You can mix any number of sauces to dip your dumplings in, it all depends on what your taste buds like. For example I like the vinegar taste, so i mixed soy sauce, vinegar, and sesame oil for mine. <br />
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Until next time, I'm going to go eat some more! <br />
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<br />Jennifer Chanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05793888994804198736noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3665840184027540464.post-34093570758573546492014-01-06T12:24:00.001-08:002014-01-06T12:24:35.973-08:00Asia RadioFor those who have an Ipad I wanted to share with you an amazing App I just discovered. It is called "Asia Radio". Asia Radio broadcast radio stations in Asia, countries such as Korea, China, Hong Kong & Taiwan, Indonesia, Japan, Philippines, Singapore & Malaysia, India, Thailand, and Vietnam. I have been listening to the China radio stations, and even favorite some of the ones I liked. I understand Chinese so I don't have any problem listening to any of the radio stations, but for those who don't understand there are still music stations you could listen to. You just have to play around and see which ones you like. <br />
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I started listening to the follow if you like to check it out. But if you are listening in the day time just know that you might not get the regular broadcast because China is 14 hours ahead of us, so they are sleeping.<br />
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BBCWS: Live News and Information<br />
94.0: Tangshan Music Radio 94.0<br />
94.8: Suzhou Music Radio 94.8<br />
603: Shaanxi Story Radio 603 <br />
711: Zhengzhou Economics Radio 711<br />
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Have fun listening!!<br />
<br />Jennifer Chanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05793888994804198736noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3665840184027540464.post-85188750130986348192014-01-02T04:09:00.003-08:002014-01-02T04:09:41.485-08:00Happy New Year 2014!!Happy New Year!! I hope 2014 will bring all of you Happiness, love, luck and Health. <br />
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Here is just some of our cherished moments in our past Educational and Performance tours to China<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM-9jSHW4K_ZfUw2tYrsHVYyORlLcelhsOBHvJDZmCgVm5v9C-GWl1lNpG9L5FEMjU9-bzlJH0BgQV42YKUTdkIdxC9cip8Hdb_qoHCwCURrxmpahLbawkk5QXtfkVHT7WPRzvzoc8tJ8/s1600/guide.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM-9jSHW4K_ZfUw2tYrsHVYyORlLcelhsOBHvJDZmCgVm5v9C-GWl1lNpG9L5FEMjU9-bzlJH0BgQV42YKUTdkIdxC9cip8Hdb_qoHCwCURrxmpahLbawkk5QXtfkVHT7WPRzvzoc8tJ8/s320/guide.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">CACBC Guides holding a tour flag with our logo</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYzTMMo6fI6_rf1DulNMSpAXtFT6CqtbFMIK07f5DtHUY-JgVYAmeVRhl6a_D-QI6FoFio67zWXAKtLRw-LxlGI5lFMJGWXaC7En8wOTa-jfR8r58SrbVu08FhwOf30uV_bZTA8wKQII0/s1600/tourguide.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYzTMMo6fI6_rf1DulNMSpAXtFT6CqtbFMIK07f5DtHUY-JgVYAmeVRhl6a_D-QI6FoFio67zWXAKtLRw-LxlGI5lFMJGWXaC7En8wOTa-jfR8r58SrbVu08FhwOf30uV_bZTA8wKQII0/s320/tourguide.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">CACBC Tour guide leading our Retired Educators Tour in China</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_vOCCBPFyJdGBuMEqJk0jkiMIll9DipcL2EhVsyvY7XHeeSvQs6RfTxWliobVJSFhdnarTZV79vBJHpiyOR6OqTOVLAG1sJm9jpL1JjlxuRxdo_A7xfyVrwPlCn_CTvZ0TNkOUgZhcb4/s1600/shake+hand.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_vOCCBPFyJdGBuMEqJk0jkiMIll9DipcL2EhVsyvY7XHeeSvQs6RfTxWliobVJSFhdnarTZV79vBJHpiyOR6OqTOVLAG1sJm9jpL1JjlxuRxdo_A7xfyVrwPlCn_CTvZ0TNkOUgZhcb4/s320/shake+hand.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our Director being honored with a gift to remember their performance tour by</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGrMjIPRrkqMWyK5V_0Zjf8wBZwmWFaJQNQWRbZPLMtktQvhC8Tlx5W8xkDQ_jvp2LlUF6Jni1PKR7AS7UFaeE8BF6Ta5_QE3Tl5HMIeM7EY2ErLKJrt928vfRw1rRTccZAUa3scAJy80/s1600/group+pic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="208" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGrMjIPRrkqMWyK5V_0Zjf8wBZwmWFaJQNQWRbZPLMtktQvhC8Tlx5W8xkDQ_jvp2LlUF6Jni1PKR7AS7UFaeE8BF6Ta5_QE3Tl5HMIeM7EY2ErLKJrt928vfRw1rRTccZAUa3scAJy80/s320/group+pic.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mountain View High School Marching Band in 2003</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_ggKLwmSF5hhFZ1D7B9RpfniHRDzq5lFQK8W9NxqA0waBYu8MwYf0QsxAZwIwnndANnz9Moc1aqenspPGmXE0y6-xM-09lYh0V2LPLFPxgz5-WiQcBFvTTfBot2nUyXPNqBci-o3SfSY/s1600/marylandyouthorchestra.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_ggKLwmSF5hhFZ1D7B9RpfniHRDzq5lFQK8W9NxqA0waBYu8MwYf0QsxAZwIwnndANnz9Moc1aqenspPGmXE0y6-xM-09lYh0V2LPLFPxgz5-WiQcBFvTTfBot2nUyXPNqBci-o3SfSY/s320/marylandyouthorchestra.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Maryland Youth Orchestra performing in a concert hall in 2002</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHnkzNF6ih-525LF6ej7zpwpi7NlVP3r_D1A1Qa9qI7MXu9kevwdymQfPH0D8yVA15etluiDaPiDzrarY1ZmomhfVesOXGttW4kg62fRdjpmdX7buxTiHeqGpvRjnWDoGl92Oq0UC6fa4/s1600/waving.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHnkzNF6ih-525LF6ej7zpwpi7NlVP3r_D1A1Qa9qI7MXu9kevwdymQfPH0D8yVA15etluiDaPiDzrarY1ZmomhfVesOXGttW4kg62fRdjpmdX7buxTiHeqGpvRjnWDoGl92Oq0UC6fa4/s320/waving.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">New Trier High School Orchestra and Jazz Band hanging out with Chinese students at a school cultural exchange in 2000 </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">New Trier High School Orchestra and Jazz Band waving to a whole stadium full of audiences in 2000</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3QJY2MaSAWOXdNAxHp4AZpkWupdAkLQKJtsMOM5Ey_aWlWTc2kU5DDsN0Y-pRXLZ0aMvMjLbtlWV53ndyi-ncncPFyZN6RRo7H43qPCZBPvz0eaVBAMV56VZ8m845-GE8BgppEPp8_zU/s1600/pioneer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3QJY2MaSAWOXdNAxHp4AZpkWupdAkLQKJtsMOM5Ey_aWlWTc2kU5DDsN0Y-pRXLZ0aMvMjLbtlWV53ndyi-ncncPFyZN6RRo7H43qPCZBPvz0eaVBAMV56VZ8m845-GE8BgppEPp8_zU/s320/pioneer.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pioneer High School Band performing in 2010</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Catalina Foothill High School Marching Band Performing on the Great Wall of China in 2008</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA1Di6DiBkep-KEe8-ONhyphenhyphen1ZLmiMyEPVWBXaq-1sl_1MgxuPcEK5HLIcZvfH4qYaO8gmFDUaAhkhyphenhyphenosNpR9HT6OYuBL5BB4WCcmd3BA-ZUix-3Ps-TXoPAXFdRQUePo82Tpc4DaoUOj_I/s1600/greatwall1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA1Di6DiBkep-KEe8-ONhyphenhyphen1ZLmiMyEPVWBXaq-1sl_1MgxuPcEK5HLIcZvfH4qYaO8gmFDUaAhkhyphenhyphenosNpR9HT6OYuBL5BB4WCcmd3BA-ZUix-3Ps-TXoPAXFdRQUePo82Tpc4DaoUOj_I/s320/greatwall1.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Catalina Foothill High School Marching Band Performing on the Great Wall of China in 2008</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Catalina Foothill High School Marching Band Performing at the Forbidden City in 2008</td></tr>
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<br />Jennifer Chanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05793888994804198736noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3665840184027540464.post-13613023810255678272013-12-27T22:47:00.000-08:002013-12-27T23:00:16.536-08:00Did you know (2)China....<br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Gill Sans MT"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Gill Sans MT"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Gill Sans MT";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">-<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Gill Sans MT"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: +mn-cs; mso-bidi-font-size: 28.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Gill Sans MT"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: +mn-cs; mso-bidi-font-size: 28.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt;">Is the most populous country in the world:
1.3 billion</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Gill Sans MT"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: +mn-cs; mso-bidi-font-size: 28.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Gill Sans MT"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: +mn-cs; mso-bidi-font-size: 28.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt;"> </span>- Geography: World’s fourth largest
country</span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: -4.3pt; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Gill Sans MT"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Gill Sans MT"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Gill Sans MT";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">-<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Gill Sans MT"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: +mn-cs; mso-bidi-font-size: 28.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt;">Capital: Beijing</span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: -4.3pt; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Gill Sans MT"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Gill Sans MT"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Gill Sans MT";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">-<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Gill Sans MT"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: +mn-cs; mso-bidi-font-size: 28.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt;">Has 56 ethnic groups: 5.2 billion
population are Han</span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: -4.3pt; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Gill Sans MT"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Gill Sans MT"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Gill Sans MT";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">-<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Gill Sans MT"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: +mn-cs; mso-bidi-font-size: 28.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt;">Putonghua, or Mandarin is the
official spoken language</span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: -4.3pt; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Gill Sans MT"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Gill Sans MT"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Gill Sans MT";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">-<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Gill Sans MT"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: +mn-cs; mso-bidi-font-size: 28.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt;">Religions: Daoist (Taoist),
Buddhist, Christian, Muslim</span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: -4.3pt; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Gill Sans MT"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Gill Sans MT"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Gill Sans MT";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">-<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Gill Sans MT"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: +mn-cs; mso-bidi-font-size: 28.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt;">Time Zone: UTC +8</span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: -4.3pt; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Gill Sans MT"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Gill Sans MT"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Gill Sans MT";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">-<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Gill Sans MT"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: +mn-cs; mso-bidi-font-size: 28.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt;">Currency: Chinese Yuan (Renminbi). As of December 2013: One Dollar = 6.07 Yuan</span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: -4.3pt; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Gill Sans MT"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Gill Sans MT"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Gill Sans MT";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">-<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Gill Sans MT"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: +mn-cs; mso-bidi-font-size: 28.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt;">China is the 3<sup><span style="mso-text-raise: 8.5pt; position: relative; top: -8.5pt;">r</span></sup><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>most visited country besides France and
USA</span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Gill Sans MT"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Gill Sans MT"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Gill Sans MT";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">-<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Gill Sans MT"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: +mn-cs; mso-bidi-font-size: 28.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt;">China GDP Growth is 7.8%.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>USA is 2.2%</span></div>
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</style><span style="color: black; font-family: "Gill Sans MT"; font-size: 28.0pt; language: en-US; mso-ascii-font-family: "Gill Sans MT"; mso-bidi-font-family: +mn-cs; mso-color-index: 1; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt;"></span>Jennifer Chanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05793888994804198736noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3665840184027540464.post-10997336131588523182013-12-23T12:44:00.001-08:002013-12-23T12:44:08.516-08:00Christmas in China<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvFuq2lnTCS5-jYulw9DaeRPIPc_kMUh5UOd4sk63ZLPnb7HLA704wCVFs4QL4bSKzDQYGfFQetCgG_5sXzZOMoVXAXYQuKs6n5kf56jK-SP6J2dptp3382Qv3vhKVtMeRy8IKbe8DGgM/s1600/mao.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvFuq2lnTCS5-jYulw9DaeRPIPc_kMUh5UOd4sk63ZLPnb7HLA704wCVFs4QL4bSKzDQYGfFQetCgG_5sXzZOMoVXAXYQuKs6n5kf56jK-SP6J2dptp3382Qv3vhKVtMeRy8IKbe8DGgM/s1600/mao.jpg" /></a></div>
MERRY CHRISTMAS!!! <br />
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In America on December 25th, everyone is celebrating Christmas. The houses are decorated inside and out with sparking light and Christmas decorations, and the presents is piled high beneath the Christmas tree. Even new immigrants who are foreign to the concept of Christmas learn quickly what Christmas is all about. So how has that influence other countries across the world? I can't say for every country, but I do know China has caught on with the Christmas spirit. <br />
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1. Christmas Decorations all over China<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDQKj5Rmn-U-KjG4JocWqQWhLMeYW8-sGQbf6pdP2pvwGGSqjG1oZE_5HUcIe2UmgOb8C3O3ftz9OAz18nPpNfOrInlnxymFKYgAdEHpZNtbNkyQsjjkP8bUgH-en1lfeTYjYbAuZSNX4/s1600/light.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDQKj5Rmn-U-KjG4JocWqQWhLMeYW8-sGQbf6pdP2pvwGGSqjG1oZE_5HUcIe2UmgOb8C3O3ftz9OAz18nPpNfOrInlnxymFKYgAdEHpZNtbNkyQsjjkP8bUgH-en1lfeTYjYbAuZSNX4/s320/light.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A bit of a Chinese flare by the use of the red lanterns inside the tree</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJgKYhgX0LlSUoq4cSklUAngLGWzWdDNd0oLus7xPDockUIIAu7_c7YJMVX26zHWy94z1KHQXWNlkio4DWfpLcHSUYYeFmrI0hIvaRR4VF6IpmxP7YG16HAGXQxxGWvU2ZbmKyHDzwhro/s1600/santaa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="203" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJgKYhgX0LlSUoq4cSklUAngLGWzWdDNd0oLus7xPDockUIIAu7_c7YJMVX26zHWy94z1KHQXWNlkio4DWfpLcHSUYYeFmrI0hIvaRR4VF6IpmxP7YG16HAGXQxxGWvU2ZbmKyHDzwhro/s320/santaa.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A decorated Santa playing his saxophone at a local store</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3MNMfowVdAWEFAFv-NKjHLXxyvMKmKuzYHnVPkTxSvgkTcid4klyZv7FhW1kGj6b7j4-b0uSvSPaUyZpfLPZ7ufyQ8tYqMM9lL6RN6TeHxlTXuO12BLxBXH7STUsAsInZgKRROnumAWg/s1600/index.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3MNMfowVdAWEFAFv-NKjHLXxyvMKmKuzYHnVPkTxSvgkTcid4klyZv7FhW1kGj6b7j4-b0uSvSPaUyZpfLPZ7ufyQ8tYqMM9lL6RN6TeHxlTXuO12BLxBXH7STUsAsInZgKRROnumAWg/s1600/index.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Christmas tree in front of the 2008 Olympic Stadium "Birds Nest"</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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2. Younger people in China have been more accepting of Christmas, they even go out of their way to celebrate it themselves. <br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDjdXOQnyIy0TOfUIibpNDCKohtz_NbtKektsddfXs4_8U7x-XcedYxXm7eaQkXsbVREP7eiu6D7zbBuHBi5CnOrtrDqa0zVQK8yll66-Dsr7ymJKLiPyDWTTMh-uJCphnqTvvxc0oNC4/s1600/shopping+for+christmas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDjdXOQnyIy0TOfUIibpNDCKohtz_NbtKektsddfXs4_8U7x-XcedYxXm7eaQkXsbVREP7eiu6D7zbBuHBi5CnOrtrDqa0zVQK8yll66-Dsr7ymJKLiPyDWTTMh-uJCphnqTvvxc0oNC4/s320/shopping+for+christmas.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shopping for a Christmas Tree</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgltqsgn0VSuQlwLdeyuNCHIhcIiCEtcN0ZfXQi3WMGFbZEIGk_it2wB48NUcGVr4T_JYKCYRvAgMUq49OY_Tkf3QFTBVEcVSh1Q3YAcZD2JODk3vr55qZ60hZobJYAf6ZBmd2Zq3m_5NU/s1600/young.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgltqsgn0VSuQlwLdeyuNCHIhcIiCEtcN0ZfXQi3WMGFbZEIGk_it2wB48NUcGVr4T_JYKCYRvAgMUq49OY_Tkf3QFTBVEcVSh1Q3YAcZD2JODk3vr55qZ60hZobJYAf6ZBmd2Zq3m_5NU/s320/young.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A police dressed up as Santa giving presents to little kids</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx3tXcBNiqU_iiSFpAVtz9uB0bI3YP2tmrkcpLmZsgvLJRH5GlyvOOlidBham92eC1dDmRVidyDVG_OBaepw6xrM9Ih_1PvN39C76M6Fz4vz0ciarsybEnsGnyxo35AUXp5U4l2HYAlOE/s1600/santa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx3tXcBNiqU_iiSFpAVtz9uB0bI3YP2tmrkcpLmZsgvLJRH5GlyvOOlidBham92eC1dDmRVidyDVG_OBaepw6xrM9Ih_1PvN39C76M6Fz4vz0ciarsybEnsGnyxo35AUXp5U4l2HYAlOE/s320/santa.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Local Chinese dressed up as Santa to do late night exercises</td></tr>
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3. Chinese that normally do not attend church decided to attend the Christmas Mass because they are curious.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDL30qvRfksf7VzB9iNmWhVIIklRBEeBmwWaiDVPP49tb7bSTs1GbNPu13knuht8N8a3lHbQmr8l2YraqH3oU3VXTWHJP8OO4yHKTBtxpNuzUI0_SxxA8LzZFSuvSSZDsBbRDe0CL0jTs/s1600/index1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDL30qvRfksf7VzB9iNmWhVIIklRBEeBmwWaiDVPP49tb7bSTs1GbNPu13knuht8N8a3lHbQmr8l2YraqH3oU3VXTWHJP8OO4yHKTBtxpNuzUI0_SxxA8LzZFSuvSSZDsBbRDe0CL0jTs/s1600/index1.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Waiting in Line to attend a Christmas Mass</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbUTKXfKtPWXiEZhclsqpM-awdqLI9ji9lhKYr3l-fEs6whgK4gdhi4FkMXL6WJT9G_yuTmhDBEIHkFYiC4u4E8Rie0Kf7-zZ-yYpWYG5wOAHZmZe3F7YRQx58lrW-IBiz6vNGjyHBgBI/s1600/christmas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbUTKXfKtPWXiEZhclsqpM-awdqLI9ji9lhKYr3l-fEs6whgK4gdhi4FkMXL6WJT9G_yuTmhDBEIHkFYiC4u4E8Rie0Kf7-zZ-yYpWYG5wOAHZmZe3F7YRQx58lrW-IBiz6vNGjyHBgBI/s1600/christmas.jpg" /></a></div>
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If you are interested in more about Christmas in China, here is a really <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2012/12/24/seven-fascinating-facts-about-christmas-in-china/">good blog</a> I found regarding more ways how Christmas/Christian religion have influenced China. <a href="http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/90882/7687525.html">Here</a> is also more pictures a popular newspaper in China "People's Daily" have posted on their websiteJennifer Chanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05793888994804198736noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3665840184027540464.post-38260147108822660582013-12-12T15:39:00.001-08:002013-12-12T15:41:44.195-08:00Karma and Reincarnation<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU0vZgOsWVUjGRX0-EdQR32hAIMZpNspdT5_bubpq80H-88qW-THTQxav2WXngWNQV8unng-1upst7siaMkiPOo29Q9aiDDKNgktyw3R3XeRFP077A7YX1PjO1sxzq37gj0vKjsJOwOwI/s1600/REINCARNATION-IMAGE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="201" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU0vZgOsWVUjGRX0-EdQR32hAIMZpNspdT5_bubpq80H-88qW-THTQxav2WXngWNQV8unng-1upst7siaMkiPOo29Q9aiDDKNgktyw3R3XeRFP077A7YX1PjO1sxzq37gj0vKjsJOwOwI/s320/REINCARNATION-IMAGE.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
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Both Karma and Reincarnation are a fundamental belief in Buddhism. Below are my definitions.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiSJa9h37sOrJCKOrQu0D6k96uLc6i1ueNgo85zDIGjiP8850-PbVLahEi-kcp1axlFgzJLssSNKA2JzFvHHxOQu1EAH1VfQds3nvQbdlC4Jp0yQbU7JldrlN5yQkpM0ITSAfJD213Ii4/s1600/reincarnation.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="155" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiSJa9h37sOrJCKOrQu0D6k96uLc6i1ueNgo85zDIGjiP8850-PbVLahEi-kcp1axlFgzJLssSNKA2JzFvHHxOQu1EAH1VfQds3nvQbdlC4Jp0yQbU7JldrlN5yQkpM0ITSAfJD213Ii4/s200/reincarnation.gif" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b><span style="color: #351c75;">Reincarnation</span></b> - Rebirth. Unlike Christian believes where after a person dies they go to heaven or hell, reincarnation is where the cycle of life that takes a soul out of a dead body into another form back to earth. The point of Reincarnation is not to live over and over again on earth, but to go back and relearn the lesson that wasn't learned, to change the negative feelings such as regret, sorrow, hurt, in the previous lifetime. And Karma ties with reincarnation as it dictate what lessons you need to learn, therefore in where and what environment you need to be living in to learn it best. </span><br />
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<b><span style="color: #351c75;">Karma</span></b> - <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Karma is the
law of moral causation. To simplify based on a western philosophy, it is best defined by fate that is a result of good or bad actions. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">If you do good then your fate is good and the result of an event(s) is positive where life is easier to navigate, but if you did bad then fate needs to take you through a rough patches so you can learn a lesson from it. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Karma is the result of our own past actions and our own present doings. <span style="background-color: yellow;"> <span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #351c75;"><b><span style="background-color: yellow;">It </span>teach us we ourselves are responsible for our own happiness and misery. We
create our own Heaven. We create our own Hell. We are the architects
of our own fate<span style="background-color: yellow;">.</span></b></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: yellow;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #351c75;"><b><span style="background-color: yellow;"> </span> </b></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #351c75;"></span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: yellow;">The result of our own past actions and our own present doings.
We ourselves are responsible for our own happiness and misery. We
create our own Heaven. We create our own Hell. We are the architects
of our own fate.</span> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">In Karmic ties between friendship and relationship, a strong bond is formed to either work together on an issue where the reincarnated souls need to resolve, or to work together to bring about something. Because the result of Karma can be bad or good, It is very easy to classify bad Karma as negative in today's Christian beliefs, and that is wrong. In fact people can learn more from bad Karma than good, since it is so strong. No Karma is negative, it is just lessons that needs to be learned and levels to reach. It is almost like a video game, with the ultimate goal for your souls to come in perfection. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkZlqd6epA1G9OhtTUZRFpBF7FNL5YEzRoZPkAnVNQwST0Lv6j_F4VRRCaoSFmJ8CrJyuqvD2AhhRgrullxcxqihNqnSbcgVC_LhO5DuE_OF7UW6Ai8Zy-ANoFpijNc_SRI74fli6Uh9o/s1600/healingtheeternal_table.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkZlqd6epA1G9OhtTUZRFpBF7FNL5YEzRoZPkAnVNQwST0Lv6j_F4VRRCaoSFmJ8CrJyuqvD2AhhRgrullxcxqihNqnSbcgVC_LhO5DuE_OF7UW6Ai8Zy-ANoFpijNc_SRI74fli6Uh9o/s320/healingtheeternal_table.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">The difference between a regular friendship/relationship and a Karmic friendship/relationship is that there is a stronger connection, almost like a "knock on the head" type of connection, where you feel close to that person even you are in opposite direction in room full of people. Those relationships are meant to help both of you. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">You can have Karmic Ties with any of the following people in your life:</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: red;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Mother</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Father</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #b45f06;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Brother</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Sister</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Cousin</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #bf9000;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Nephew/Neice</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Friends</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #e06666;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Lover</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #0b5394;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Husband/Wife</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Co-worker</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #4c1130;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Your Dry Cleaning Lady, grocery store clerk, mailman, deliver boy, etc. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">As you can see you can have Karmic Relationship with just about anyone. You can even have Karmic relationship with your pets. When I went to Pets Mart to adopt a cat after my previous cat died, I picked a "Garfield" look alike cat named Joey without any hesitation. And he has stayed by my side since, sleeping on my bed, be there when I get scared or needed comfort. He is still an adult in cat years, but the thought of him getting old and die brings on a anxiety and sadness only a human child could have create - to me without a doubt is a karmic relationship. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>Jennifer Chanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05793888994804198736noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3665840184027540464.post-17192105593271567442013-12-01T16:51:00.000-08:002013-12-01T16:51:12.614-08:00Thanksgiving ParadeThanksgiving had just passed, and aside from being stuffed with turkey it also led the way for a long series of official and non-official holidays in United States. Official holidays are the ones we all know about, such as Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years. Unofficial ones are the ones we all came to know as we got older, such as the New Brown Thursday, Black Friday Deals, Cyber Monday deals, McDonald and Macys Thanksgiving Parade.<br />
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I was fortunate to experience one of those unofficial holidays this past Thanksgiving. No, I'm not talking about the Brown Thursday shopping, although I did do that as well. I marched down States Street in the McDonald Thanksgiving Parade. My friend Julie's Dad has a Kung Fu school, and they were invited to the parade this year. They had been to the parade for the last few years, and I was more than happy to join them this year on state street. <br />
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We woke up at 6:30am to got to the parade by 9am. Although we were 36th in line, we had to get dressed and be ready to go. We were all concerned about the weather for the parade, but fate just like how it put me in the parade gave us a beautiful bright sun to keep us from the cold. I, along with eight other people paraded down the state street with our dragon dance. Each of us held a stick to control a portion of the dragon body, and with our control we were able to manipulate the dragon like a puppet, creating snake like movement that made a wave from head to tail. When we do stop, we also created varies formations, such as mountain where we piled up behind each other to create a mountain formation. Or under or over, where the dragon ran toward it's body and either jumped over or went underneath. That was a difficult stunt as we had to support the weight of the dragon, while paying attention to where we are jumping or went underneath the dragon body. <br />
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At the end of the 10 minute march - pass the huddled crowds, pass the "Smile, you are on camera" sign that indicated we were being filmed, and passed the live broadcasting that announced we had just passed by - I was huffing and puffing soaked with sweat, but couldn't wait to be invited for next year. I knew I was going to be spending Thanksgiving with my family, but I never imagined to be marching down state street in a thanksgiving parade. This spontaneous experience made life so much more interesting and fun.<br />
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Below is a picture collage we took before the parade, I'm in the top left picture in the brown scarf. <br />
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Thanks for visiting my blog!! Thanks for reading.<br />
Jennifer Jennifer Chanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05793888994804198736noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3665840184027540464.post-43908105362649048432013-11-22T19:32:00.002-08:002013-11-22T19:32:47.864-08:00Did you Know!<h2>
Did you know...</h2>
<h4>
<span style="color: #bf9000;">1. Fortune Cookies weren't invented in China. <span style="color: black;">It was actually invented in California, as to who and when it was invented that seems to be debatable. </span></span></h4>
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<span style="color: #cc0000;">2. Number 8 and 9 are considered lucky numbers in China. </span></h4>
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- A favorite one is 8. In Cantonese (a Chinese dialect) sounds like "Fa", means wealth and prosperity. And because what it sounds like, is a very popular number to purchase for cellphone, anniversary dates, and even license plates number as it protects the driver. For example the 2008 Beijing Olympic Ceremony was chosen on the date October 8, 2008 (8/8/2008) for that example purpose, and on that year lots of woman either got married or had their kid. </h4>
<h4>
- 9 in Mandarin sounds like "Forever", a very good number for longevity of a person or a event or an item. A overall positive number.</h4>
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<span style="color: #444444;"><b><span style="color: #783f04;">3. Number 4 is unlucky in China.</span> </b> </span>The number 4 in Chinese sounds like "death". Since death bring sadness this number is avoided at all times in phone numbers, and especially building number or car license plate numbers. </h4>
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4. <span style="color: blue;">The most common Chinese last name is Li(李), then Wang(王), then Zhang (张)</span>. Mine is Ji(纪), and I can tell you it's equivalent to having an American first name Marlisa, not very common. </h4>
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5. <span style="color: magenta;">Fashion is always a year and a half ahead of America in China. </span> I noticed every time I purchased clothing/jewelry/shoes when I am in China, that fashion doesn't become the fashion in America till a year or two afterward. That's because clothing mostly are made in China, the fashion that is in this year is actually already out last year in China. And that also depends on which state you are in America, states that are closer to the port where the shipments gets shipped in, such as California gets their new fashion a few months earlier than states such as Illinois. </h4>
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6. <span style="color: #38761d;">Today in China many Americanized fast food restaurants such as KFC, McDonald, and Pizza Hut cost more than a typical Chinese meal, and are considered a special treat for the family. </span> A medium sized cheese pizza from Pizza Hut would cost at least 100 yuan, which after conversion would be about $15. Because the introduction of fast food into the Chinese diet, a lot of kids(the typical targeted audience at these fast food places) are over weight. </h4>
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<span style="color: #674ea7;">7. Major cities in China, such as Beijing, Shanghai, Xian, Tianjin, etc. has both christian and catholic churches for hundreds of foreigners that decide to make China their home. </span> These churches have different masses for English speaking and Chinese speaking attendees. To accommodate families that have children, there is also a number of foreign schools for English speaking kids. </h4>
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<br />Jennifer Chanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05793888994804198736noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3665840184027540464.post-50124796865767275592013-11-18T11:58:00.001-08:002013-11-18T12:01:45.219-08:00One Child Policy - a new loosened policy started in 11/15/2013I was so happy to hear this news that came out last week regarding the change of the One Child Policy in China. To be more accurate I should rephrase it to China has loosen it's policy on the One Child Policy. Perhaps it's my own excitement for personal reasons, or a feeling of sorrow for all of those couples that had to abort their 2nd child because of the old strict policy, I am glad mothers can finally have a say in having that second child. <br />
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This policy had existed since 1979 to keep the population in check, and
since then couples (not including ethnic minorities) in China could only
have one child or face high taxes. A lot of people try to get around this policy, some try to buy their way out, while others took their chances not having their child registered as their second kid. But many resorted to abortions and the use of contraceptives. <br />
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The emotional scars families goes through is very real in China. Some
people had to put their child in the adoption agency because they
couldn't afford to pay extra tax for the second child. In my case it happened In 1982 when I was born. My dad had wanted a boy, like most people back in the days so the boy can pass on the families last name. This was a old cultural belief that was imbedded in the Chinese society. At the time my mother wanted a girl, and she was reluctant to check the gender of the child, as his family would have pressured her to get an abortion if the child was a girl. So when I was born as a girl, his family wasn't happy. They want a boy to pass on the family name, and traditionally as a girl I would have been part of my husbands family, and not been able to pass on my own last name. Looking back now, that tradition was so outdated and placed it above hundreds of human lives that ended up in the orphanage. I could have ended that way, but my mother refused any other way than raising me herself. <br />
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I guess I could have been in the category of "Prince" and "Princesses" in China, if my parents didn't get divorced. That is a popular word to describe the result of been an only child in a large family of two parents and four grandparents. The gifts and attention these kids get is overwhelming, and so is the expectation of them to do well in school and in society. Being an only child, in a neighborhood where everyone has only one child, everyone relates to each other and their experiences. There are the good, and there are the bad. Every year there is always a number of suicide attempts in prominent universities all over China, and many succeeded in their attempt. The loose of their only child is devastating to these families, they had hopes and dreams for their child's 18+ years of their lives, and now because of pressure in school everything is gone. I have only experienced up to fourth grade in china, and the pressure to do well in school was already there. I can't imagine the pressure and mental stress to go all the way through high school and on to college/universities. It takes a strong person not to break down, it must require some type of coping mechanism to take the mind away from the pressure. I think that's why people in America think Chinese people are all smart, because majority of the Chinese that comes to America have gotten a higher education, and therefore knows how to cope with stress and keep pushing forward.<br />
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In America, being an only child is almost obsolete. I remember in my high school sociology class, the teacher asked us to group ourselves based on the number of siblings in our family, out of 20 students I was one of two that was a single child in their family. I know of only a handful of people that are a single child, and out of those people I was the only one that doesn't have any step sisters or brothers. I hope those single child in China will have the chance to experience the positive and negative parts to having a sibling: To play nicely, having to share clothing(in some cases), to learn how to get along, to fight fair, and to accept they are not the only prince/princess in their families eye. At least for now with this new policy the word "Aunt" and "Uncle" will not be totally lost in the Chinese dictionary, as I am sure also part of the reason why this policy was loosened up a bit. <br />
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For more information on this NEW loosened One Child Policy, go to <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/nov/15/china-one-child-policy-abolish-labour-camps">http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/nov/15/china-one-child-policy-abolish-labour-camps</a><br />
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Thanks for stopping by, thanks for reading my blog.<br />
Jennifer ChanJennifer Chanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05793888994804198736noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3665840184027540464.post-20785805146168326942013-11-13T17:32:00.000-08:002013-11-13T17:32:33.719-08:00Tolerance and understandingI was born and raised in China till I was 8 years old. The only
reason why I eventually moved to America at an age of 8 was because my
mother went abroad to get her masters
degree, and since then we have stay and lived here in America. Just
like any Americans I have went to elementary and secondary schools, and
even got a bachelors degree in secondary education in math. Took
the constitution tests, served in the judiciary system of becoming a
Juror, and voted. I even talk without an accent, and uses slang words
like "like" and "OMG" in my sentences. I feel in terms of integrating
myself in the American ways, I already immersed in it and more. So you
wouldn't think of me to make the statement "The color of my skin does
make me feel as an outcast in the American Society". Not everyone makes
me feel that way, but enough to know this American
Dream will tolerate, but will not fully accept every one and every
race.<br />
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I want to share with you my feeling of being an
Asian living in America, it is not easy. I experienced it first hand
when I first attended elementary school. I attended a predominately
Caucasian populated elementary school in Lombard, IL. At that
elementary school I
was among a handful of Asian kids, and we stick out like a green
thumb. I was just a kid, like any kid that wanted to fit in in a new
school. In the playground I
wanted to play with the Caucasian kids, so I would try to join their
groups. One of the 3rd or 4th grader girls though it would be funny to
play a trick on me, so they told me I could join them, but on one
condition - I had to go and talk to that group of boys . So I did, but
as I was
talking to the boys and turned around to point to the girls, they
started
laughing at me. I knew then they had tricked me and wanted a good laugh
at my expense. <br />
<br />
Although a small incident, it was both mean spirited
and obvious showed what they thought of me. I knew if I was Caucasian I
probably wouldn't had to experience that, and if I had known how to
speak English I wouldn't have been called a "doll". I would have a better chance been accepted if I looked more like everyone else. I
still remember that moment vividly, and it still hurt to know such a
small incident long time ago could still put a pain in my heart. It was
unfortunate I had to through that, as adults we sometimes forget kids
teasing could be the reason why a child retaliate, or why he/she doesn't
want to go to school. The kid is just a kid, small and innocent, and
should not have to be a victim of teasing because of race. Today I
understand it better and
realized their parents probably didn't know better therefore didn't
teach their kids well. But today we do know better, therefore should not let this
happen to anyone. <br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGV8zLZyaWmVrqhS7Iv6NalAcHsLak4-JIQmmkUWZIp0hKRatU7ao2W7VHnfQKV7tgd5amH-99e-aS3UFERsglc3cuDE8iK9H5oiaqZLGbFRMb7G1iwkTyuaMV2aP7JYA9-ETX66Xo9pg/s1600/heart.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGV8zLZyaWmVrqhS7Iv6NalAcHsLak4-JIQmmkUWZIp0hKRatU7ao2W7VHnfQKV7tgd5amH-99e-aS3UFERsglc3cuDE8iK9H5oiaqZLGbFRMb7G1iwkTyuaMV2aP7JYA9-ETX66Xo9pg/s1600/heart.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
Where does tolerance of others come from? I think it comes from positive influences, in this case positive influences acknowledged of that culture. To start that understanding I would like the media to
share more positive shows and information about China. Instead
of always showing Americans in debt and borrowing money from China, why
not show China's positive influences of respecting their elders. I have
seen so many times on the bus and on the train the same scenario, a
pregnant lady or an elderly getting on the bus, and no one gets up. I
feel because Americans didn't have a historical background like China,
everyone base their ethics believes on TV drama and celebrities.
People know instantly what Miley Cyrus did on the vmas compared to what
is
going
on in Syria. And I would love it someday when I see more Asians in TV
and magazines, not as a ninja/kung fu character like in the movie
"Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon" or owning a dry cleaning business or a store in Chinatown. I just want an Asian person to be
portrait normally in
a show, although I know I could do a few karate chops, but majority of
the times I am not doing that. I think a normal Asian person in an
American TV show would show everyone we are just like everyone else,
with feelings but just with different skin color. <br />
<br />
For those
that are reading this and have traveled to China, I applaud you on your
bravery. For those that haven't, just do it. Go out there and see for
your self. This isn't for me, it is for you to experience that moment
when you first
step foot in a country with people that doesn't look like you. If you
prefer another country like Africa, Korean, Japan, India, do so. I think
everyone should do it at least once before they die, in my opinion
it's in China, but that's because I am Chinese. Please let me know what
your take is on this, love to hear your opinion.<br />
<br />
Thanks for stopping by, thanks for reading my blog!<br />
Have a wonderful day!<br />
<br />
Jennifer Chan Jennifer Chanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05793888994804198736noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3665840184027540464.post-16717888088945227442013-11-11T21:02:00.006-08:002013-11-12T18:35:01.158-08:00Happy Veterans Day 2013!<h2>
<span style="color: #073763;"><span style="background-color: white;">Happy Veterans Day! </span></span></h2>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Today we celebrate all the people that have served in the armed service.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I know a family member that have done that, my grandfather. My
grandfather was a general in the Nationalist Party in China, I found
this out two month ago while writing my newsletter about my family
during the Chinese Cultural Revolution. He passed away a few years ago,
not from years in the communist prison or the cultural revolution, but
ironically because of carbon monoxide poisoning in his own home.</span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXb3XSM6BfeFkvsoLkxdBlZoD7qOVDn0OkIH2oplVkgymWjijNAiDfOihyphenhyphenPbzF6ITR6RWmNYc8QY9GXgc4wrMfCrtEW1CZ40dzihwXydrd_zLJZH_X-1p5SXFbW1dgKGpKncJL-ruJ_FM/s1600/Scan+132540004.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXb3XSM6BfeFkvsoLkxdBlZoD7qOVDn0OkIH2oplVkgymWjijNAiDfOihyphenhyphenPbzF6ITR6RWmNYc8QY9GXgc4wrMfCrtEW1CZ40dzihwXydrd_zLJZH_X-1p5SXFbW1dgKGpKncJL-ruJ_FM/s320/Scan+132540004.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">left to right: My Grandfather, me, my mother & grandmother</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Here is a few paragraph talking about my grandfather, if you like to read more on our family during the Chinese Cultural Revolution please check out my newsletter <a href="http://cacbc.org/Educational_Tours/november.pdf">http://cacbc.org/Educational_Tours/november.pdf</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #073763;"><span style="background-color: #0b5394;">"</span>By 1949 my grandfather had been
elevated to the position of General in the Nationalist Party and was stationed
at Beijing when the Communists won and liberated it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This, among other liberated cities resulted in some 520,000
Nationalist Party members being killed, wounded, or captured by the
communist.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My grandfather was
among the captured.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To avoid any
more bloodshed and fighting, an agreement was made between the two parties, which
released my grandfather from his rank and sent him back home to live a normal
life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #073763;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #073763;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">During the next eight years he and my grandmother had three children, my
mother in 1950, my aunt in 1952, and my uncle in 1957.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, in 1958 during the purging of
the rightist, the communist decided to go against the agreement with the
Nationalist Party.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They put my
grandfather on trial, found him guilty, and sent to prison for the next 15
years. </span></span></span></span><span style="background-color: yellow;"><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #073763;">
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">Harsh as it was, he was
lucky to be in there closed in from the outside world, because during his
prison years Chairman Mao was eliminating his enemies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>People like my grandfather were being
ostracized and executed.</span><span style="background-color: #0b5394;">"</span></span></span></span> </span></span>
Jennifer Chanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05793888994804198736noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3665840184027540464.post-7209389527482951822013-11-11T10:09:00.000-08:002013-11-12T18:35:53.221-08:00Ji (纪) Family Origin<style>
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In China’s ancient times, before the invention of computer
and home library, and before records were kept on papers bind to form books,
people memorized information’s to pass on to the next generations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Such is the case with the popular text,
Hundred Family Surnames.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This text
originally contained 411 surnames, but was later expanded to 504.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Having been composed in the early Song
Dynasty, it listed all the surnames – starting with the most important families
in the empire at the time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This
text was a very important text back in the days, one many Chinese students
memorize for their examination to the palace.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span> </div>
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<br /></div>
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My grandfather, like most elders in the ancient times was
old schooled, and believed in testing his grandchildren through the task of
memorization.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So when I was little
he made both my younger guy cousin and me memorize the Hundred Family
Surnames.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My cousin was more eager
in this task than me, but by the time we got to ¼ of the way – the 122<sup>nd</sup>
surname, a character stick out like a green thumb.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was Ji, our last name.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The last name Ji came from my grandfather, and from what I
can tell it all traced back to Shangdong Province. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span> </div>
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<br /></div>
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One of the versions I liked stated that I could be a descent
from a royal family.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This version
states that Ji is a separate lineage of the surname Jiang from the western Zhou
Dynasty.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The story goes that during
the Spring and Autumn Period in the western Zhou Dynasty, as a reward one of
the descendent of the Yan Emperor was given the last name Ji to start his own
kingdom.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Eventually the Ji Kingdom
was destroyed by the Qi Kingdom, but since then the descendent of Ji has spread
out in China and all over the world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have a map of the Ji clan today in China below. The color represent the percentage of Ji in the Chinese population. Base on the table on the bottom right, green represent 0, and then the darker the color the more percentage of people with the last name "Ji resides there. Also Shangdong Province is in an area in the middle eastern area of China, if you look at the map it's a little lower of under the elbow of the area sticking out on the top right corner. So it's not surprising that there is more people of last name Ji in the eastern part of China. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibp4C8IIGRoc0gFbaiaQsmaJH3Fk7SkE5x-rqe4Anhw1Lt4-tDk1ssl44HPiftLxGF_C1zKizp07KY1eGhcvjm-aDrZjoMo-MU47SFwPDUn14agExolboEoU5YqLzD6X4eTOEtfLEQpr4/s1600/jimapinchina.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibp4C8IIGRoc0gFbaiaQsmaJH3Fk7SkE5x-rqe4Anhw1Lt4-tDk1ssl44HPiftLxGF_C1zKizp07KY1eGhcvjm-aDrZjoMo-MU47SFwPDUn14agExolboEoU5YqLzD6X4eTOEtfLEQpr4/s1600/jimapinchina.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I encourage everyone that's reading this to find out more of who you are, and where you came from. For me it's definitely been an interesting year of looking back in the past of where my family came from, and how I identify myself based on the Chinese and American culture I have grown up with. </div>
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Thanks for reading, and thanks for checking out my blog!</div>
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Jennifer Chan (Chan is my step fathers last name, I still love the Ji last name I was born with:)</div>
Jennifer Chanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05793888994804198736noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3665840184027540464.post-77032976536737264562013-11-09T00:12:00.002-08:002013-11-09T00:25:30.088-08:00Welcome!!Hi friends:<br />
<br />
I am so happy to start this new journey of blogging in the infinite world of world wide web. As some of you might have already learned when you clicked on the About Me section on the right hand side, I am the director at the Chinese American Cultural Bridge Center where we take performance tours to China. I get to spend wonderful summers and spring break with AMAZING and TALENTED student performance groups (choir, band, orchestra) in China, watching them performing and sharing their talents with the Chinese people. There is no words to describe the amazing experience of watching a band playing on the great wall, and seeing in each of their faces the proud accomplishment they have achieved before they have turned 18. I am pretty sure some of their parents have never traveled this far to China, and even if they had I bet they never played an instrument on the Great Wall of China. That is AMAZING!<br />
<br />
This blog is for me to share my passion of creating a once in a life time trip for those performance groups, and also to share about the destination these performers will be going to - China. I will talk about the culture, religion, and even some travel bits. I will also add in a little about myself, since I am Chinese and have family living in China.<br />
<br />
I also have a e-newsletter I write for the CACBC, which comes out once every two month. If you like to check it out go to <a href="http://cacbc.org/Educational_Tours/newsletter.html">http://cacbc.org/Educational_Tours/newsletter.html</a><br />
<br />
Jennifer ChanJennifer Chanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05793888994804198736noreply@blogger.com0