This ad is so terrible that I almost pity the translation service.

How could they have such glaring errors? Even the word translator is misspelled.

Maybe it is the newspaper’s fault, and in that case I certainly hope that NAETI got some substantial compensation for this publicity disaster.

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Welcome to CHINA –the first stop for Christmas Around the World with CurrClick.

CurrClick invited me and nine other homeschool bloggers to give away goodies for this blog hop that teaches you about Christmas in other countries. Visit the schedule over at CurrClick so you don’t miss any of the posts and giveaways.

Keep reading for the giveaways and how to enter.

Celebrating the Birth of Christ in China

If you ask a Chinese person about Christmas, usually he will tell you that Chinese people don’t celebrate it. He may tell you that Chinese New Year is their “Christmas.” What he means, of course, is that Chinese New Year is the biggest holiday in China just as Christmas is the biggest holiday in the West.

In China, there are five state-approved religions: Buddhism, Islam, Taoism, Protestantism, and Catholicism. It is estimated that less than 1% of Chinese people are Christian (including both Protestants and Catholics). With those facts, it makes sense why celebrating the birth of Jesus is not largely celebrated in China. Christmas Day and Christmas Eve are regular working and school days.

However, among that 1% of Chinese Christians, Christmas is a special day. Instead of putting up Christmas trees and exchanging gifts, Chinese Christians will meet together for a Christmas program with singing, skits, and reading the Christmas story. If Christmas Day falls on a weekday when everyone has to work, the celebrations will be shifted to the weekend when people are free.

Celebrating a Secular Christmas in China

But even though most Chinese people do not celebrate Christmas, you can see evidence of the secular aspect of the holiday in shops and public places.

Santa Hats

Santa Themed Banners

Christmas Trees

Sparkley Decorations

tinsel and fake snow

All of these photos are from previous years because the Christmas decorations don’t go up nearly as early as you see in America. Right now there are no Christmas decorations up in my city. Nor are any available to buy. In smaller cities, you will have to wait until mid-December to see any evidence of Christmas. But the Chinese people make up for it by leaving the decorations up a long time — sometimes until March or even later.

Special Christmas Eve Activities in China

Young people often use Christmas Eve as an excuse to have a fun night out. Here are some of the interesting ways they celebrate:

1. They purchase inflatable hammers and bats and hit each other. (Watch this Youtube video to see it in action. I don’t have any audio on the laptop I’m using, so I can’t vouch for what you might hear. Preview first.)
2. They exchange Christmas Eve apples — a red apple with a decorative bow on it.
3. They spray each other with Silly String.

The Giveaways

CurrClick has donated six freebies for my readers. I’ve divided them up into three sets so that three people will win two products each.

To be eligible for the giveaways, leave me a comment telling me what surprised you most about Christmas in China. Or you can ask a question. Or if you live in  China, please feel free to share your experiences of Christmas. China is huge and varies widely from region to region.

I’ll select the three winners randomly on Dec. 13.

1.  Giveaway One

Understanding China by Educational Impressions

This book is divided into four sections: People, Ideas, Places, and Events. Each section of the book contains a broad sampling of 14 topics. Included for each individual topic you will find a brief narrative of factual background information, a visual support of the narrative, interdisciplinary activities to extend understanding, (Language Arts, Math, Science, Social Studies and the Arts) and opportunities for to students to create their own activities.

AND

Christmas Copywork by Lilliput Station

Let your child learn the true story of Christmas as they practice their writing skills. This file contains fourteen different copywork pages with verses from the KJV Bible and one with a verse from a hymn. Each page is illustrated with black and white drawings and comes with both primary and straight lines.

2.  Giveaway Two

1.  Our Global Village – China by Milliken

Bring the world a little closer with these multicultural books. An excellent way for students to appreciate and learn cultural diversity in an exciting hands-on format. Each book explores the history, language, holidays, festivals, customs, legends, foods, creative arts, lifestyles, and games of the title country. A creative alternative to student research reports and a time-saver for teachers since the activities and resource material are contained in one book.

AND

2.  Study of Ancient China: A Multi-book Approach by 4 Little Penguins

Curious about the Silk Route? Wondering how Chinese writing developed? Look no further! This multi-book study on Ancient China will answer those questions and many others! Daily life, architecture, warfare, science and technology, trade, and much more is covered during this study. By the end of this course a deep understanding of Ancient China should be evident.

3.  Giveaway Three

1.  History Scribe – Ancient China by Westvon Publishing

Children learn as they draw and write history…your children bring history alive with their own creative hands! Learn about the facinating history of China, through the Shang Dynasty up to the Ming Dynasty! The Great Wall, the Silk Route, Inventions and much more. Help with your timeline studies. Includes over 30 pages to illustrate and narrate. All History Scribe Books include a couple blank pages for any special topics you’d like to cover and maps of the region covered.

AND

2.  China Unit Study by Homeschool Learning Network

In this unit, we will learn about ancient Chinese dynasties and ancient Chinese religion, writing, food, folklore, geography and government. Lesson plans include: Vocabulary, WebQuests, Timeline, Paper Making, Cutting and Calligraphy, Philosophy, A Mathematical Journey Through the Chinese Calendar, Folktales, Stories and Legends and more.

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This is my local milk shop. Every time I go in and buy milk, I ask again if they have started delivering. I think they are getting tired of my asking. But I keep hoping. Every other city we’ve lived in had fresh milk delivery.

When I say fresh milk I don’t mean straight from the cow. It’s pasturized. I mean fresh as in it must be refrigerated or it will spoil.

You see, most of the milk in my “small” city (of 5 million) is boxed UHT milk. It’s fine, but is certainly different in taste from fresh milk. Since we’re not really milk drinkers, per se, boxed milk works. We mostly use it for making yogurt or in coffee or in cooking.

Didn’t you think it strange that the milk shop has one refrigerator? That’s because on both sides of the store are boxes and bags of UHT milk.

Right side:

Left side:

Actually, in the entire milk shop, there were only six quarts of fresh milk. (They are pictured in the close up.) My supermarkets sometimes have fresh milk quarts, but  I can’t rely on their supply. UHT milk is always abundant.

Did you know that diary products are not part of the traditional Chinese diet? Even in modern China, milk consumption is really low compared to the rest of the world.

from Radical Shifts in China’s Milk Market

The per capita annual milk consumption of urban residents in China was merely 27 kilograms in 2008 – the figure was even lower in rural areas. This is far below the world average of 80 kilograms, or the 200 kilograms per head in developed countries. In the U.S. the figure consumed is 260 kilograms per capita, almost ten times the rate of consumption in China. It is estimated that only 300 million of the 1.3 billion people in China regularly drink milk.

There are a few reasons.

1. High cost.

2.  Lack of refrigeration (trucks and home refrigerators).

This one is changing. I remember when I first came to China 12 years ago, many urban homes did not have a refrigerator.

3.  Many Chinese people are lactose intolerant.

And that last reason is why you see so much yogurt in the milk shops. Yogurt is easier for lactose intolerant people to digest.  Under the fresh milk quarts are date yogurt and green pea yogurt.

Yes. Green pea yogurt. Although not all the flavors are that terrible, all the yogurt is sweetened and flavored. It is very thin, made as a beverage. And that is why I make our own.

I’ve heard hundreds of times that the reason we foreigners are big and strong is that we eat meat and drink milk. So milk is marketed especially as a healthy drink for children. In fact, most milk is packaged in small drink boxes and a lot of it is flavored — peanut, strawberry, walnut, date, chocolate. Adults view milk as a child’s drink as we might view a juice box.

Any questions about milk?

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I really like it when prices are clearly labeled. You know exactly what services or goods will cost, and there is no need to haggle.

Here’s a great example — a detailed menu standing outside a beauty salon.

Wait a minute! What was that under skin care?

“Hold the maintenance today, folks. I’ll just stick with a haircut.”

So, what do you think it means? I’ll reveal it later.

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Although the city where we live has five million people, it’s not considered a big city. And culturally there are not many activities.  For example, our city has one all-purpose art and history museum with static exhibits.  But that doesn’t mean we don’t have opportunities for field trips. We just have to think outside the box. So far this fall, we’ve had two field trips, both free.

The “Old Person University” (direct translation) had a fall exhibit of work by the teachers and students.  Since Sprite and I are studying Chinese watercolor painting, we enjoyed looking at the work of artists at all levels.

One of the perks of this community exhibit was that some of the artists and calligraphers were on site. Whenever I saw a person at the exhibit, I asked if he had something displayed. These two artists were happy to pose beside their respective works for me, discuss them with us, and let us praise their work.

Here I am beside my teacher’s wisteria painting. I was so proud!

These men were visitors like us.

There was great variety in the pieces — old style Chinese characters, portraits, flowers, and landscapes.

The second field trip was to a factory that finishes glass (liquor) bottles or vases. Sprite found the process fascinating.

First the decals are created.

The bottles are sprayed with paint.

The decals are soaked in water and applied by hand to the bottles. This factory applies over 5000 decals a day.

We learned that the factory has a machine that can apply the decals, but when it broke, the workers started doing it by hand. The owners realized that the finished product was nicer if done by hand, so they have not repaired the broken machine.

Here is the bottle that Sprite made. She chose a lovely yellow flower decal that would normally go on a vase.

What field trips have you taken this autumn? Any more planned?

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This year, the Mid-Autumn Festival falls on September 22.  This holiday is set according to the lunar calendar, so it changes date each year, but it always the day of the harvest moon — the seemingly “largest” moon of the year.

According to tradition, it is a time to be with family and eat mooncakes.

They are everywhere– in small bakeries and in large supermarkets. There are small, inexpensive mooncakes sold by the jin (pound). Or you can pay big bucks for a fancy set of mooncakes in elaborate packaging.

Here is an example of a mooncake gift set someone bought us. The beautiful box is in a matching bag. Each mooncake is in another smaller box and then wrapped individually in plastic. To the right is a small knife and (cocktail) fork set for eating them.

The amount of packaging is an environmentalist’s nightmare — bag, big box, little boxes, plastic wrap. But that’s the whole point with these mooncakes — the fancier the packaging, the more expensive the gift, and the more honor you are giving your friend, coworker, or boss. It seems that whether the mooncakes are tasty isn’t very important since the flavors aren’t even labeled. It’s all about the beautiful appearance.

(Here’s a two for one photo. Mooncake plus Chinglish all in one.)

Here is the inside of a stereotypical mooncake. That’s an egg yolk there in the center. It’s pretty, but we prefer the fruity fillings.

In recent years, China has restored this holiday to some prominence with days off from work and school. (Interestingly, in China when you get a school holiday, you must make it up before or afterward by attending school on Saturday or Sunday.  That always seems strange to Westerners, and I admit I still struggle to wrap  my mind around how it’s a holiday when you’re forced to make it up a few days later.)

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We read about different counting methods through history in the book Number Stories of Long Ago.  And I think I have a modern day revelation about counting here in China.

After living in China for eight years, I’ve finally discovered how to count objects. It’s not what you might expect –one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven.

tissues, shopping bag, eggplant

No, it’s much simpler than that.

It’s just one, two, a lot.

And that’s the end of it. It stops at a lot. No need to count on. Three or more are a lot or sometimes expressed as  “so much!” That should be said in a shocked voice as if you’ve never seen such a quantity of something before.

Situations when I hear this counting system:

• Always when I’m shopping. I would estimate 75% of the people who walk past me in the store feel a need to comment on the amount of food in my cart. And the statement is always either “a lot” or “so much!” especially if I buy more than two of any one item or more than 1/2 pound of meat.
• Carrying bags back home from the store. My dear security guard has obviously tired of saying “so much” because he never says it anymore. But the other residents who are sitting about the neighborhood give me the “so much!” when they see me carrying my more than two bags. Remember, you count one, two, a lot. So I’m carrying a lot.

I used to feel a need to explain that four bags is not a lot. It’s four.

• I would explain how we have three people in our home, plus we often have guests at mealtime.
• I would share that we cook at home a lot instead of eating out.
• I would joke about being fat Americans who love to eat a lot.
• I would try to reason with them about the benefit of buying enough for two days of meals versus just a single meal.
• I would explain that I was having company that night or the next.

Nothing seemed to work. But now I understand why. I couldn’t count.

To count objects in China, you count one, two, a lot. So now when they exclaim, “you bought a lot!” I nod and agree. Yes, I bought “a lot.”

See, I may be a slow learner, but I do learn.

one, two, a lot

Note, this counting method does not apply to people. Dozens of people, hundreds of people, even thousands of people is never A LOT in China.

[This post is somewhat tongue in check. What I've written is true as far as the tendency to exclaim "so much!" with any quantity over two. But I trust you realize that Chinese people can count above two. My problem lies in my Western "stocking up" mentality that people here do not have. Compared to them, I do have/buy/carry a lot.]

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This was at a cute shop selling clothing for babies and toddlers. I did a double take at this sign though!

I think they sell maternity clothes as well. I’m absolutely sure there is nothing in there for pregnant babies.

These two are from directory signs at a department store.  Moveclothes are athletic clothes. (It’s a literal translation from Chinese.)

And the never politically correct “middle age women’s dress.” I guess it’s better than some shops catering to older women that are called “Fat Wife,” the only equivalent to a plus-sized shop in China. I think I’d wear rags rather than shop at “Fat Wife.”

This is a tea shop with a very odd name.

And I found this at the papershop.

I can assure you that I do not use this ATM.

(It’s actually an ATM and a deposit box, thus the odd name. But with all the counterfeit money in China, I prefer to use an ATM that only puts out money instead of taking it in.)

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It has happened. Sprite is eleven years old, and she is now wearing the largest ladies size shoe we can buy in our province — size 39. That translates into a size 8 ladies shoe.

Sprite's New Shoes

I came to China with my size 9 1/2 feet, and I’ve never been able to find ladies shoes that fit, of course. I should need a size 42, but the shoe store ladies just laugh at me and exclaim that my feet are too big. (Try that a few times and you learn to never even go into a shoe store.)

In south China, ladies are very petite. At 5’8″, I usually tower a full head over my friends. I often forget I’m so much taller than them until I look at a group photo. There I am, the tallest one, looking like an Amazon.

So back to Sprite. I doubt that her feet are finished growing. So when she outgrows these size 39s, we have only two options — put her in men’s shoes or try to find larger ladies’ sizes on Taobao. (People in the north of China are taller and broader than those in the south. So maybe we can find larger sizes online.)

I wonder if Onlineshoes.com ships to China?

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One of the things I love about China is the street food. Whenever you need a little snack, you can usually find a vendor making homemade snacks for a very cheap price.  This pancake stall was near the fabric market.

These tiny pancakes are not sweet; can you see the green onions?

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