Count to 10 in Chinese: 1 一 yī, 2 二 èr, 3 三 sān, 4 四 sì, 5 五 wǔ, 6 六 liù, 7 七 qī, 8 八 bā, 9 九 jiǔ, 10 十 shí. Counting beyond this point is as easy as saying 10 1 (11), 10 4 (14) 2 10 6 (26) etc.

Do NOT wear a green-coloured hat when you’re in China. In Chinese, wearing a green hat means that your cheating on your wife.

Giving a clock as a present is an absolute no-no for this gift indicates time running out and therefore, death!

Understanding Chinese radicals is a very important part of learning Chinese characters. Radicals give you a huge clue as to the meaning of a character.

A common radical is chuo (4) 辶

It represents ‘go’ or ‘walking’. (more…)

Be very careful where you place bins or, more importantly buckets, that you may use for other things besides waste in your home in China. Why? Simple! But allow me to explain.

Most kitchens in China do not have a hot water supply. In fact, many homes do not contain the necessary to supply hot water on demand. (more…)

Beidaihe, 北戴河 (meaning North of the Dai River) is a popular Summer stomping ground for Chinese leaders past and present.  It was originally developed by European railway engineers.

Beer Drinkers In China
If you’re a beer drinker, when you arrive in China you’ll most likely be taken out to some posh hotel bar. Do not be put off by the extortionate bar prices. There is always bottles!

Bottled beer in China is easy to obtain; almost every shop in the country sells it. Furthermore, it’s so cheap you can bathe in it. A 600ml bottle usually costs about (more…)

吃饭 了 吗 chīfàn le ma? literally means, ‘Have you eaten yet?’ but it is used as a common greeting in China. Always reply with ‘chī le’.

Beer is cheaper than water in China. Having a bottle of beer with breakfast is common and so is one with lunch.

Chinese ladies will always address themselves as ‘Miss’ However, the words ‘Miss’ and ‘Prostitute’ have the same meaning. The Chinese for these is xiao jie 小姐, which literally means ‘Little Sister’. So, don’t call a lady ‘Miss’!