An Inspiring Superstar Story

Posted on December 22, 2011 by cindy

As you know, we announced the winners ofthe 4th annual Cheng & Tsui Chinese Superstar contest last week. Shortly afterwards, we received a touching email from Daniel Isaacson, whose collaboration with Zack Reilly earned him superstar status for the Group category.

“What [we] would truly love to do is to give back to our Chinese program,” Daniel wrote.

In claiming his prize, Daniel explained that his Chinese teacher, Sherry Hung, had been hoping to purchase the Strive for a 5 AP test preparation materials, but that funding cuts had prevented this. “We’re hoping to surprise her with it,” Daniel told us.  After passing the email around the Cheng & Tsui offices, we all agreed that it was a great idea.

So that each member of Daniel’s class can receive a copy of the Cheng & Tsui Strive for a 5 AP* Chinese Practice Tests, we’re donating any books that the gift certificate value doesn’t cover. We wish Oak Park High School’s students the best of luck in studying for their AP Chinese tests! Thanks, guys, for writing us and for doing something to help other Chinese students.

We feel these students really understand the spirit of the Superstar contest, which is to have fun using a foreign language and to meet other Chinese or Japanese students around the world.

We hope new friendships will be an important part of future Cheng & Tsui Superstar contests—and also that more people will be inspired by our 2011 Group Superstars to “Reward your class with your talent”.

As always, thanks to all of the Cheng & Tsui Superstar participants—we are working on making the contest better and more fun every year, so if you have any ideas, please write us at marketing@ cheng-tsui.com

Video still of Daniel and Zachary, performing “Huo Yuan Jia,” in LA’s Chinatown

 

Both 2011 Chinese SuperStar winners (solo and group), Daniel and Frankie, visited Cheng & Tsui office on Friday, December 16th.

 

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The Shanghai Restoration Project to Participate in the Bryant Park Fall Festival

Posted on September 19, 2011 by Cheng & Tsui

Cheng & Tsui is pleased to announce that, Dave Liang, producer of the forthcoming Little Dragon Tales CD will be part of the Bryant Park Fall Festival, Saturday, September 17th, 2011.

More Information:

Bryant Park Fall Festival 

China Institute in America presents

The Shanghai Restoration Project & Le Zhang

______________________________________

Saturday, September 17, 2011

Held at Bryant Park (42nd St. between 5th & 6th Ave.)

Host: Dr. Hsin-Mei Agnes Hsu, Resident Scholar and Director, Arts & Culture 

 Le Zhang  

Le Zhang, jazz singer and composer

Sebastien Ammann, piano

Russ Flynn, bass

Jens Ellerhold, drums

 When Will The Moon Be Clear and Bright  

Le Zhang/Su Shi

Emptiness  

Russ Flynn/the Heart Sutra

Dreams of Yesterday  

Elden Kelly/Le Zhang

Art Salon Dialogue

China Institute’s Dr. Agnes Hsu and the artist Le Zhang

Shanghai Restoration Project  

Dave Liang, producer

Jamahl Richardson, instrument

 

Selections 

Nightlife in Shanghai  

Two Tigers

Pearl Tower

Miss Shanghai

Touchdown

Mo Li Hua

Lu Xun

Wandering Songstress

Afterquake Medley

eXpo Medley

You’re Too Pretty

Pace of Light

Shanghai Breezes

A Summer Song

Pudong New District

 

About the Artists

THE SHANGHAI RESTORATION PROJECT (TSRP), a music group that blends Chinese culture with hip-hop and electronica, debuted as MSN Music’s “New Artist of the Week” in early 2006, since then reaching #1 on several electronic charts around the world. TSRP songs can often be heard in global advertising campaigns, television shows, and tastemaker radio stations. Press coverage to date includes The New York Times, NPR All Things Considered, BBC World News,

FADER and The Wall Street Journal. During performances, producer Dave Liang is joined by Jamahl Richardson.

LE ZHANG Lauded by Oscar-winning composer Tan Dun (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) as “a rising young star with a remarkable gift” for their collaboration on the Shaolin Temple Project, Jazz singer and composer Le Zhang leads the wave of Chinese artists who bring the power of traditional Chinese musical arts to the home of American jazz.

ART SALON is China Institute’s exclusive series featuring dialogues with leading contemporary Chinese artists. For more information about previous installments of the Art Salon on DVD and upcoming events, please visit www.chinainstitute.org/art-culture or call 212-744-8181, ext. 111.

 

About China Institute in America

Founded in 1926, China Institute is the oldest American bicultural organization of its kind exclusively devoted to advancing the understanding of China through programs in education, culture, business, and art. China Institute is proud to present Dave Liang, producer and founder of The Shanghai Restoration Project (TSRP), and Le Zhang, one of the young stars of China’s new Jazz Age, for an evening of electrifying sounds and sublime melodies inspired by 1930′s Shanghai.

 

Thanks to

Bryant Park Corporation staff: Jim Albert, Jerome Barth, Dan Biederman, Jacob Bielecki, Lindsey Boylan, Alice Cashman, Anne Kumer, Craig LaCaruba, Ethan Lercher, Tricia Lewis, Caroline McNeill, Martin Nembhard, Nancy Ng, Adrian Nienaber, Catherine O’Neill, Dan Pisark, Kati Solomon, Sarah Stutman, Jordan Thaler, Amadou Thiam, Jim Todd, Nell Wright, Sarah Xu, and the Park’s Capital Projects, Security, Sanitation, Hospitality, and Horticulture staffs.  

From China Institute: Agnes Hsu, Dave Liang, and, of course, the incredible musicians.  

Jeffrey Friedman, Robert Smith, Chris Carroll and everyone at Verona Productions; Chris Wieliczko; Eric Mueller; Alan Sexton, Emily Harris, Ali Sirota and Marshall Maher from Global Strategy Group; Tracy Young Photography; ‘wichcraft; and City Winery.

www.BryantParkFallFestival.org

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Why Some Languages Sound So Fast

Posted on September 14, 2011 by Cheng & Tsui

When listening to people speak in a different language, do you ever think how much faster it sounds than English? We do! But is it really faster or does it just seem that way because we can’t make sense of what is being said.

“It’s an almost universal truth that any language you don’t understand sounds
like it’s being spoken at 200 m.p.h. — a storm of alien syllables almost
impossible to tease apart. That, we tell ourselves, is simply because the words
make no sense to us. Surely our spoken English sounds just as fast to a native
speaker of Urdu. And yet it’s equally true that some languages seem to zip by
faster than others. Spanish blows the doors off French; Japanese leaves German
in the dust — or at least that’s how they sound.”

So claims the article, “Slow Down! Why Some Languages Sound So Fast,” published in Times Science. In this article, the question of verbal dexterity is examined in a recent study conducted by the Université de Lyon. Read more here and see how English, Mandarin, Japanese, and other popular languages stacked up in the speed department.

Want to improve your language skill and speed?
Cheng & Tsui has numerous resources to help you enhance your Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Arabic language skills. From quality textbooks to personal references and business reviews, Cheng & Tsui connects you with the material you need to develop the skills you want.

http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,2091477,00.html#ixzz1XwGRdX1L

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Cheng & Tsui Wishes You A Happy Mid-Autumn Festival

Posted on September 13, 2011 by Cheng & Tsui

What is the Mid-Autumn Festival?

Celebrated for more than 1,000 years in Asia, the Mid-Autumn or Moon Festival marks a time to reflect upon the bounty of the summer harvest, the fullness of the moon, and the myth of the Moon Goddess, Chang O (or Chang E). The Moon Festival is a distinctly and authentically Asian holiday, which has been likened to a sort of “Chinese Thanksgiving”. It is among the most popular holidays in Asia, ranking alongside the celebration of the lunar New Year in cultural significance.
(taken from: San Francisco China Town: http://www.moonfestival.org/)

Discover the origin and recipe for Moon Cakes:
http://www.familyculture.com/holidays/mooncake.htm

Listen to a Chinese Folk Story About the Moon:

《水調歌頭》  蘇軾

Poem written during the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival of 1076
by Su Tung Po (Translated by Yu Tang Lin.)

How rate the moon, so round and clear! 明月幾時有
With cup in hand, I ask of the blue sky, 把酒問青天
“I do not know in the celestial sphere 不知天上宮闕
What name this festive night goes by?” 今夕是何年
I want to fly home, riding the air, 我欲乘風歸去
But fear the ethereal cold up there, 唯恐瓊樓玉宇
The jade and crystal mansions are so high! 高處不勝寒
I fell no longer the mortal tie. 起舞弄清影　何似在人間

She rounds the vermilion tower, 轉朱閣
Stoops to silk-pad doors, 低綺戶
Shines on those who sleepless lie. 照無眠
Why does she, bearing us no grugge, 不應有恨
Shine upon our parting, reunion deny? 何事長向別時圓
But rate is perfect happiness— 人有悲歡離合
The moon does wax, the moon does wane, 月有陰晴圓缺
And so men meet and say goodbye. 此事古難全
I only pray our life be long, 但願人長久
And our souls together heavenward fly! 千里共嬋娟

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Are you attending ACTFL 2011? Sign up for Cheng & Tsui’s Exciting Author Workshops!

Posted on September 3, 2011 by Cheng & Tsui

Join Cheng & Tsui, Booth #7026, at ACTFL 2011

Creating Rich Experiences for Young Language Learners with Flying With Chinese
Friday, 12:00 – 12:50pm * Colorado Convention Center, Workshop Room 5
Cheng & Tsui Book: Flying With Chinese

Developing Culture- and Content-Rich Curricular Themes for Chinese Learners
Friday, 2:30 – 3:30pm * Colorado Convention Center, Room 210/212
Cheng & Tsui Book: Flying With Chinese

Potent Tactics: Conquering the Demands of Business Chinese Language Delivery
Friday, 3:45 – 4:45pm * Colorado Convention Center, Room 709
Cheng & Tsui Book: Startup Business Chinese

Huanying: An Invitation to Chinese for Secondary Students
Saturday, 1:00 – 1:50pm * Colorado Convention Center, Workshop Room 2
Cheng & Tsui Book: Huanying

Strategies for Improving Listening Comprehension: Involving Students in Dynamic Learning
Saturday, 4:15 – 5:15pm * Colorado Convention Center, Room 206
Cheng & Tsui Book: Making Connections

Teaching and Learning Chinese in a Study Abroad Program
Saturday, 5:30 – 6:30pm * Colorado Convention Center, Room 705
Cheng & Tsui Book: Chinese in Motion

Visit Cheng & Tsui as Booth #7026!

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Chinese Slang Series-Lesson 9: 撞衫 (zhuàng shān)

Posted on August 27, 2011 by Cheng & Tsui

Shirt-Hitting: 撞衫 (Zhuàng shān)

Have you ever slid into the room, looking like a million bucks, when all of the sudden you see that the person across the room is wearing the exact same outfit? This kind of lamentable scenario is cross-cultural, and the outrage is communicated in the universal language of facial expression (mouth agape, eyes burning, and all the other usual signs of reacting to audacity). If this doppelganger wasn’t your nemesis before, rest assured that he or she will be at any and all shared social situations from this point on. In Chinese, there is even a special slang term dedicated to describing this unfortunate phenomenon: 撞衫 (zhuàng shān).

Literally, 撞 (zhuàng) means to bump, hit, or knock. For example, 我的脚撞到了床 (wǒ de jiǎo zhuàng dào le chuáng) (I hit my foot on the bed). 衫(shān) simply means “shirt.” 撞衫refers to a situation where two or more people are wearing the same shirt or outfit. The idea of hitting communicates some degree of conflict, which is almost sure to follow when you thought you would stand out at a party, only to find that some other person is wearing the exact same thing. Note that this sense of conflict increases when he or she is actually pulling off the outfit better than you.

Though 撞衫is the most popular term, other applications are possible as well. Another common slang term for a similar situation is 撞包(zhuāng bāo), when two people are carrying the same purse.

For example:

A: 你和她撞包了！

Nǐ hé tā zhuàng bāole!

(You two have the same purse! )

B: 不是，她的是山寨的！

Bùshì, tā de shì shānzài de!

(No, hers is a knock-off!)

Also, check out our new youtube video dealing with 撞衫：

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i3Og-EcZFUc

 

 

 

 

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Chinese Slang Series-Lesson 8:粉丝

Posted on August 22, 2011 by Cheng & Tsui

Today’s Word: 粉丝

Mostly everyone on the planet has a role model they admire. Sometimes, in looking up to a role model, you can also be that person’s fan. For example, in the music industry, Lady Gaga and Taylor Swift have millions of fans that admire them. 粉丝  (fěnsī) literally means “vermicelli,” a very thin type of pasta. So how did “vermicelli” come to mean “fan”???

This Chinese word evolved from the English word for “fan,” itself short for “fanatic.” Being someone’s or something’s粉丝means that you like or look up to that person or thing, and so 粉丝 is a positive word. Here are two examples of 粉丝 that show its different uses:

1. Wǒ xiǎng chī fěn sī.

我想吃粉丝。

I want to eat vermicelli.

 

2. Wǒ shì Lady Gaga hé Taylor Swift de fěnsī.

我是 Lady Gaga 和 Taylor Swift 的粉丝。

I am a fan of Lady Gaga and Taylor Swift.

However, using the word 粉丝 doesn’t have to refer to a celebrity or a specific person. You can also use 粉丝 when referring to a company, product or program that you admire. For example, if you prefer Macs to PCs or vice versa you can say you’re a 粉丝 of either company.

Many people around the world have can be said to be someone or something’s 粉丝. Some fans can be so into their interests that they create fan clubs devoted to them. Through these clubs and other efforts, they represent their genuine and positive enthusiasm to other fans around the world. Fans of a product or TV show, for example, can even sponsor conventions so that they can gather together and celebrate or discuss their shared interest.

 Fans exist because they like something special about that certain something or someone, and they want to share their enthusiasm with others. In our technological world, Facebook and Twitter both allow you to either “like” or “follow” your favorite companies or idols. 粉丝 is becoming increasingly prevalent in such online sites, and through the click of a “like” button, I can now officially say:

 我是 Cheng & Tsui 的 Chinese Slang Series 最大的粉丝之一！

 Watch our weekly Chinese Slang Series video for 粉丝: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FtQfuVFWjQU

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Chinese Slang Series – Lesson 7: 牛

Posted on August 13, 2011 by Cheng & Tsui

Today’s Word: 牛

What do Jay-Z, your class valedictorian, and a Scrabble champion all have in common?  他们都很牛 (pīnyīn: Tāmen dōu hěn niú; English: They are all so impressive)！As is the case often in translation, there isn’t one perfect word that describes “牛” in English.  Literally meaning “cow”, the term now refers to someone who is competent, capable, and powerful; in other words, any one who excels in their own field.

Of course, if someone calls you 牛, they admire you and think you are cool. ‘Cool’, however, has a specific meaning in English which 牛lacks – that is to say, there is something about being ‘cool’, like Fonzie, which is off the beaten path.  If you are cool, you have excelled in some sort of non-traditional way; Bill Gates isn’t cool, he’s successful, but 牛at once communicates the sort of admiration one has for Bill Gates and The Fonz.  牛 then reflects a difference between what Chinese and Western cultures consider a virtue: in the West, individuality and ‘marching to the beat of your own drum’ is a prized quality, while in China the ability to cultivate excellence in appropriate social roles draws the adoration of all.

Throughout China’s history and continuing in many parts of the country today, the cow has been revered as a hardworking animal, as farmers have relied on them to plow their fields.  The cow symbolizes perseverance and work ethic, things certainly needed to become a 牛人(pīnyīn: niú rén; English: cow person, cool person).  While most scholars agree that this animal symbolism is not the linguistic origin of the slang term 牛, it certainly helps perpetuate the slang term’s popularity by underlining the connection between hard work and success.

For an example of how to use 牛 in context, check out our weekly Youtube video series.  Here is the link to this week’s video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d5FfTFqV3I4

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Chinese Slang Series – Lesson 6: 辣妹

Posted on August 6, 2011 by Cheng & Tsui

辣妹 (làmèi, hot girl)

辣 (là, spicy) is a word that many people are already familiar with if they’ve been to China.  A lot of foreigners have learned this word the hard way, and make a habit of asking for their food 不辣 (bú là, not spicy).  When coupled with 妹 (mèi, girl), the term refers to an attractive girl. 

So how, exactly, did the term for “spicy” come to mean “physically attractive”? To begin to understand, we can look to the English analogue of 辣: “hot.”  While the Chinese word only refers to women, the language also has terms for physically attractive men-猛男 (Měng nán, masculine guy).

“Hot” refers most often to temperature, so how did it come to refer to an attractive person?  Well, when a human being notices someone attractive, their heart rate speeds up and their blood pressure rises, making them feel hotter. The same thing happens when we eat spicy food.  In English, spicy food is also termed “hot,” but in Chinese there are distinct words for heat and spiciness—the connection between the physical effects of 辣菜 (là cài, spicy food) and 辣妹(làmèi, spicy girl) is immediate and direct.

And here you can find an application of this slang from the Cheng & Tsui staff: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KYDBPHNYlfg

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Chinese Slang Series – Lesson 5: 宅

Posted on July 30, 2011 by Cheng & Tsui

宅-normous!

This week’s slang term is 宅 (zhái) (lit. house; collq. computer geek, nerd).

Originally, this character simply meant “house,” or “to reside.” As the techno boom of the 1980s spread globally, more and more young people, especially men, began to be drawn to it. From the security and comfort of their own bedrooms, offices, and parents’ basements, a new class of professional was born: one that never had to leave the house.  Soon, that fearsome judge, language, pronounced this new class of citizens “宅男” (zháinán). Literally meaning “house men,” the term is now widely interpreted to describe that special breed of pale, willowy men whose limbs have long since atrophied due to lack of exercise–in other words, computer nerds.  The term quickly caught on in Hong Kong, Taiwan, and mainland China.

As 宅男 (or 宅女/zhái nǚ) stay indoors and obsess over coding, gaming, and new technology, they have become more or less stereotyped as awkward and lonely nerds who are completely unable to deal with anyone outside of their own subculture.

Now that technology has become more mainstream, the term has changed with the times.  Now 宅 can be used to describe even those homebodies who don’t happen to be technologically inclined. It can also be used as a verb, as in:

我(Wǒ)今天(jīntiān)晚上(wǎnshang)要(yào)宅(zhái)在(zài)家(jiā.)。 

Tonight I’m just going to be lame and stay in.

 

For more on 宅, here is the Taiwanese pop star Jay Chou’s take on the term: http://youtu.be/xjcOOLKLdsU

And here you can find an example of a 宅男from the Cheng & Tsui staff: http://www.youtube.com/user/ChengTsui?feature=mhee

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