Year of the Snake

Last January I posted a list of resources on teaching Chinese New Year, so here's an update on websites and listings.

• Chinese New Year -- or Lunar New Year? The Wikipedia article Chinese New Year is long and detailed,  with history and many customs. Here's a sampling to browse through:

•  A quick rundown of the history of "Spring Festival" as defined by Chinese governments over the last century by Jeremiah Jenne:  Why do we call it “Spring Festival”?

• Colorful links on celebration of Lunar New Year around the world, collected by University of Southern California: US-China Institute Happy New Years! 

• A teacher for an American study abroad group in Beijing gives you an idea of how some Chinese celebrate:  Staying Safe During Spring Festival: A Teacher’s Advice to his Students 
   
• The new Council on Foreign Relation blog, Asia Unbound, has an insightful piece on the need for reform in policies in the countryside: Tim Hanstad: A Prosperous New Year for China’s Farmers

• A few stories from Hong Kong, again, some of them a little wild: Year of the Snake Draws Hisses  

• Happy New Year of the Snake  Harvard-Yenching Library posts a bunch of snake images from around the world, including a wonderful Japanese Snake Charmer with a flute: 
 

 

• One more, from the History in the Headlines China Series (lots of other postings), by Jesse Greenspan, a nicely done set of basic information, especially useful about how the celebration has changed -- today's youth would rather text and play video games:  8 Things You Should Know About Chinese New Year

The Nail House and China's Construction Bubble

For insight -- literally "sight into" -- China's construction bubble, see the story in the British paper, the Daily Mail last November," Won't sell up? Enjoy living in the middle of a motorway! Road is built around a house after elderly Chinese couple refuse to move" (click the link).

It's got a series of photos which tell both of the construction boom and of the stubbornness of some people in resisting it.

Confucius in the Headlines? Well, Almost

I've posted a piece at Frog in a Well called Ungraded Love or Double Standards? Stanley Fish, Stephen Asma, and Confucius which comments on a few recent op-ed articles in the NY Times. I point out that the arguments have much in common with the arguments Confucius and his critics had.

I'd like to get your comments and thought there.

Dragons in the News: Is a Long a Dragon?

I've published some thoughts at FROG IN A WELL on the differences between Western dragons and Chinese long, which is often simply translated as "dragon." Here's the link:  Dragons in the News: Is a Long a Dragon?

See for yourself and leave me a comment there.

Chinese New Year/ Spring Festival Teaching Resources

This is a list of websites with background and teaching material. Please add new ones in your comments:

• Well organized group of links; lessons and worksheets; other links http://www.teacherplanet.com/resource/chinesenewyear.php

• Teacher vision: extensive links to Chinese culture sites and activities http://www.teachervision.fen.com/chinese-new-year/china/6603.html

• Extensive and well organized crafts and activities for elementary aged children http://www.enchantedlearning.com/crafts/chinesenewyear/

• Unit Plan: "Chinese Inventions and the Chinese New Year” http://content.scholastic.com/browse/unitplan.jsp?id=20

• Extensive listing of links to teacher resources for Chinese Culture and New Year (Utah Education Network) http://www.uen.org/utahlink/activities/view_activity.cgi?activity_id=5279#teacher

• A-Z Teacher Stuff http://www.atozteacherstuff.com/Themes/Chinese_New_Year/index.shtml

•  http://my-ecoach.com/online/webresourcelist.php?rlid=4324

• Sites and Links http://www.thecanadianteacher.com/archives/318

Names and Dates In English and Chinese

Names and Dates In English and Chinese:
I recently discovered Beijing Time Machine, run by Jared Hall. His recent piece Time over Place: Naming Historical Events in Chinese (ironically, it is not dated), is a striking and useful observation:

In English, we generally recall important turning points in terms of where they unfolded. Simple place names conjure up entire historical epochs. “Pearl Harbor” marks the American entrance into the Second World War and the global struggle against fascism. “Bandung,” the conference in of newly independent African and Asian nations that pledged to stand together in 1955 against imperialism and Cold War division. And then, of course, there is “Tian’anmen.” It is doubtful that mention of the square here in China would, by itself, raise any eyebrows. But try “6-4″ (六四) and you are can expect quite a different reaction.

There is also a useful chart of name years in the sixty year cycle, which you can download to put on your desk calendar or refrigerator door.

Year of the Hare... um.. Rabbit?

I've posted Year of the Hare... um.. Rabbit? at Frog In a Well.

I've included links to reliable and colorful sites. One of my favorites is to postage stamps around the world showing the Chinese New Year Rabbit.

But I still haven't seen an explanation  of the raging controversy, "rabbit" vs. "hare"