不可錯過!

all oVer china

1.23

the year oF the Water dragon

Chinese people all over the world will journey home this Spring Festival to reunite with their families and usher in the Year of the Water Dragon. Houses and clothes will be given a thorough spring cleaning in preparation for the festivities， which will be marked by feasting on cake or jiaozi (餃子，boiled dumplings) and the exchange of hongbao (紅包， red envelopes)， which usually contain gifts of money. The Chinese dragon is the antithesis of its Western counterpart， and is understood as a symbol of benevolence and prosperity as opposed to evil and cunning. The dragon was also used as a symbol of imperial power in ancient China. However， despite the dragon’s largely positive connotations， the Year of the Dragon is traditionally thought to be a tempestuous one， in keeping with the creature’s role as the ruler of water and weather. Many families will consequently maintain an all-night vigil on New Year’s Eve， when the skies will erupt with the crackle of millions of firecrackers and fireworks， launched in a bid to ward off evil spirits and ensure good fortune as well as protection from natural disasters in the year ahead.– daVid green (武劍)

all oVer china

2.6

lantern FeStiVal

Held under the brightest of full moons on the final day of the Chinese New Year celebrations， the Lantern Festival’s origins are obscured in myth but can be reliably traced back to the Han Dynasty (206 BC–25 AD). The tradition of displaying and flying paper lanterns was most likely rooted in the imperial desire to display reverence to Buddha， or possibly to honor the birthday of the Taoist deity responsible for good fortune， tianguan(天官). Across the country， people will gather in communal spaces to observe lantern displays and attempt to solve riddles scrawled on paper notes inside the lanterns’ lattice frameworks. Those who guess correctly may receive a small prize from the lantern’s owner. People traditionally eat rice dumplings， or yuanxiao(元宵)， a blend of glutinous rice and flour that can be filled with ingredients ranging from sesame to red bean paste， peanuts or sugarcane.– d.g.

Beijing

Now-

3.31

chineSe and SKi immerSion program

It may seem a daunting prospect: spending a week or two with a Chinese family， cut adrift from the safety of the expat bar or the English-speaking enclaves of Beijing’s hotels and Western restaurants. Yet anyone with half-decent Mandarin will tell you it is by far the best way to improve your language skills. After all， there’s only so long you can spend sitting around a dinner table mumbling the same three pleasantries before you resolve to improve your dinner party repartee the next time around. Beijing-based school Live the Language’s winter immersion break in Chengde， the summer residence of the Qing Dynasty emperors， offers not only a homestay in international-standard apartments， but also two hours of Mandarin class and two hours of cultural activities， including calligraphy， Tai Chi and paper cutting， each day. Throw in an additional two days a week of all-inclusive skiing at the Meilin Valley Ski resort (美林谷滑雪場M0il!ng^ Hu1xu0ch2ng)， which operates slopes for beginners and advanced skiers， as well as two snowboarding parks， and you should have all the elements of an experience worth talking about in any language. – d.g.

what: Stay for a week or two with a Chinese family and go skiing in Chengde， speaking entirely in Mandarin

where: Live the Language Mandarin School， 1611， Building C， Sunshine 100， Guanghualu 2， Beijing朝陽區100026，光華路2號，陽光100，C座，1611

Contact: info@

livethelanguage.cn

yunnan proVince

2.29

Sanduo FeStiVal in lijiang

During this festival， the Naxi ethnic group that live in and around Lijiang town pay their respects to the most powerful god in their mythology. Sanduo(三朵) is revered as the protector of the Naxi people and the soul of the nearby Jade Dragon Snow Mountain (玉龍雪山 Yl5ng Xu0sh`n). Legend has it that during the Song Dynasty (960–1279)， the god appeared to the Naxi leader Mai Cong in a dream， resplendent in white armor， astride a white horse and clasping a pure white spear. The festival celebrates the god’s role in aiding the Naxi in their subsequent military victories， and centers around the placement of offerings at the Beiyue(北岳廟) and Yufeng temples (玉峰寺). Families also dress up for an outing， which usually involves visiting a scenic spot for a picnic and a swim， while the center of the town hosts a traditional orchestra performance and dancing. – d.g.