The video lesson from space, have you seen it? China's second female astronaut, Wang Yaping, has delivered the country's first-ever video lesson from space. The lesson was watched by more than 60,000 students and teachers live on TV. China's fifth manned space mission, Shenzhou-10, is scheduled to end around 25 or 26 June, and on June 26 at ten o’clock in the morning, Wang Yaping taught from the Tiangong-1 space module. Let’s watch it and e-learning Chinese through China’s first-ever video lesson from space.

The female astronaut was the teacher, and because she was the first space teacher in the history of China, Ms Yang took to opportunity to demonstrate difference experiments dealing with the concepts of weight and mass in space.

After showing how normal scales did not work in space, she used a special scale to measure the mass of crew commander Nie Haisheng. She also demonstrated Newton's second law of motion: measuring the mass of an object through force and acceleration. 

She also showed how objects move in a zero gravity environment. She asked her colleague to help rotate her 90 degrees, and then 180 degrees, from the floor of the laboratory. You can watch it through online Chinese language courses.

Spinning tops were used to create gyroscopic motion in space, and a ball attached to a string to demonstrate pendulum motion.

Towards the end of the class, Ms Yang made a film of water using a metal ring in order to show the increased surface tension of water in space. She then turned the film of water into a water ball by pouring more water onto it, and all this to wide applause from students watching in China.

If you don’t understand Ms Yang's lesson, you can continue learning through online Chinese language courses. They not only explain the physical principles behind the experiment, but they also use video classrooms for interaction between teachers and students. If you aren't interested in science, you can learn Chinese through Chinese lessons online.

In attendance were minority students, children of city migrant workers and student representatives from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan. Put together, more than 330 primary and secondary students attended the class. If you are interested in learning about the Chinese teaching method, why not come with me to learn more Chinese here: http://www.echineselearning.com/

“Throw the handkerchief, throw the handkerchief, I throw it quietly behind a friend, and the rest should not tell him. Be quick, be quick, I will catch you!” This Chinese nursery rhyme is a song about a game, namely, Throw the Handkerchief. This game is very popular among Chinese kids, and it is also a very important part in Chinese learning.

Do you want to know how to play this game? Actually, its rules are very simple. Several people sit in a circle. One person stand outside of the circle; they are in charge of throwing a handkerchief. After running around the circle, the person will drop the handkerchief behind someone’s back. That person must now get up quickly and chase the person who dropped the handkerchief. If the chaser catches the person, then they are winner. If not, they are the loser and will have to pay a penalty. The game is played until each person has had a chance to throw the handkerchief. (Does this game sound familiar? It's a lot like the game Duck, Duck, Goose!) If you are interested in more games like this, you can visit online Chinese courses or join the summer Chinese language program. More fun is waiting for you!

How much do you know about this game? Have you ever played it with your Chinese friends? Come on, let’s participate in Chinese online learning and learn how to become the winner of this game. 

Wang Yaping and the Goddess Chang’e, Who is the First?

One of the most recent and hottest topics in Chinese conversations has been Shenzhou 10. Launched on June 11, the spacecraft shot three astronauts into outer space.

During their stay, the first female Chinese astronaut, Wang Yaping, gave lessons by conducting several physics experiments, and these lessons were greatly welcomed by elementary Chinese students.

This Monday, on June 24, 2013 , Chinese president Xi Jinping made a video call to the three astronauts aboard Tiangong 1(天宫一号, Tiān gōng yī hào). This earth to outer space dialogue flared up an even greater wave of excitement across all major and minor online Chinese communities.

Why are Chinese people so fond of manned space flight (载人航天，zài rén háng tiān)? The stories below may shed some light on this question.

If you know some Chinese, then you will know why China’s first space station is called Tiangong. Ancient Chinese people believed that there was a cold palace on the moon called the heavenly palace (天宫 tiān gōng), and that the goddess Chang’e (嫦娥 Cháng’é) lived there alone, all that she had to accompany her was a rabbit called the Jade Hare (玉兔 yù tù). Chang’e was once a mortal, but she secretly took too much panacea (仙药 xiān yào), and flew to the moon.

It was the desire to fly that made Chinese people tell and re-tell the story of Chang’e. Yet, the first Chinese who came up with the idea of flying into the sky by using rockets is Wan Hu, a minor officer in the Ming dynasty (16th century). He tried to fly into outer space (太空tài kōng) by being lifted by rockets. Though he was brave and creative, Wan Hu failed and fell out of the sky and died. To memorialize this brave man, the Wan-Hoo carter on the far side of the moon was named after him.

So now we have the answer. You may say that it is part of human nature to want to fly, but for Chinese, their desire is much stronger, because they have been dreaming of flying into the sky for thousands of years.

Want to know more about Chinese space flight? Try our online Chinese learning tools!

I dare to say that the coolest present in China for the next few weeks will be the Chinese Knot. Why? Because the Shenzhou 10 crew have just brought one from outer space. We don't need to learn Mandarin to understand why the astronauts chose such a present to express their wishes, you will find the answer in this short essay.

The Chinese Knot is a folk handicraft, it fascinates people with its elegant shape and various colors. We know from our Mandarin class online that the Chinese knot is used as decoration because the Chinese Knot carries an auspicious (吉祥 jí xiáng) meaning. First, knot (结 jié) in  elementary Chinese symbolizes unity (团结 tuán jié), intimacy(亲密 qīn mì), and reunion (团圆 tuán yuán).

The Chinese Knot represents beauty, vision and blessings. The knot is made of a single rope and named for its form and meaning. For example, “Double Happiness”(双喜临门 shuang xǐ lín mén) and “Happiness and Longevity”(幸福长寿  xìng fú cháng shòu). These terms will often pop up in a Chinese conversation where warmest regards are expressed, blessings are given, and happiness is shared. That is why the Chinese Knot is so popular in China.

So why is the knot called the Chinese Knot? If you have had some Chinese lessons, it will be pretty easy for you to understand this, because the shape of the knot is similar to the word center (中 zhōng) in Chinese, which is the character used for China itself. That’s why you can always find the figure of such a knot on some Chinese sites, because to some extent, the Chinese Knot represents China.

This essay is just scratching the surface on this topic. If you want to know more about the Chinese Knot, please visit online Chinese learning.

One of the two most interesting forms of transportation in China (1)

Some friends and I were planning to go to the mountains nearby our school this weekend, so I began to check for transportation and mapped out the trip by bus. To my surprise, when we got off the bus, we still had 10 kilometers to hike before we even reached the base of the mountain. It really was going to be a long trek on foot. This had us worried about time. In the midst of this, I looked up and I saw someone who was also having the same dilemma as us. He shared that there were two ways of reaching the mountain, which would save us a lot of time. When you come to China, or when you want to pass the HSK test or some other Chinese tests, I suggest you to learn about the various forms of transportation because they will sometimes appear on the exams.

One of them is called Bengbengche (蹦蹦车, Bouncy car). It is a kind of tricycle  (三轮车, Sanlunche) which functions like a taxi. I don’t know if you have taken any online Chinese lessons about transportation, or if you have ever heard about this type of vehicle? If you have seen these vehicles in action, you may be confused about why people even take bouncy cars instead of taxis. The bouncy cars ask for almost the same price and they are less comfortable than taxis. Well, here are the reasons.

First, if you have ever taken any Chinese classes and are familiar with modern life in China, or if you have ever been to China, you will know how packed the traffic can be especially during rush hour. There's constant traffic congestion and this often makes getting to work on time a stressful process. Bouncy cars are a kind of vehicle which is smaller than most cars and can go in narrow spaces, which means it can more easily pass through heavy traffic or go onto the side lines where normal cars don't easily fit. You can get to your destination without waiting for the heavy traffic to dissipate.

Second, in some rural areas, there are no taxis and there is little or even no bus service. Bouncy cars are especially useful in such areas. You can also see a lot of bouncy cars near scenic spots where the big cars or buses cannot go.

Do you want to know about other interesting forms of transportation in China? Or do you want to learn about other fascinating topics? This is the site where I had my Chinese online lesson, and you should go and check it out.

When traveling, how do you prefer to go? (2)

More and more people prefer to travel for the holidays rather than stay at home. The reasons for this may vary, but one thing I can be sure of is that traveling is a really great way to get rid of the pressures of daily life and to help one relax. For those who are taking online Chinese classes and want to travel to China one day, I suggest you learn about traveling in China, and you will be able to get prepared before you actually set your feet on the Chinese land.

If you are also preparing for AP Chinese or other Chinese tests, this subject area will help you to a great extent. By learning about travel in China, you will be able to understand the questions or the background connected to many of the questions on the exam.

When traveling, some people prefer to have their friends with them because they are happier being with their friends and family. However, traveling on your own merits with friends may sometimes be dangerous because there is always the possibility of meeting trouble, especially for those young and naïve students. This is one reason that some prefer to travel with a travel agency because they don’t need to plan their own schedule, book tickets or hotels, and their safety can be somewhat more certain.

If you are currently taking Chinese skype lessons or if you are about to, I think it will be great for you to learn about the major topics related to travel in Chinese. I don’t know what your preferences are, but for me, I prefer to go with my friends because I find it most interesting and exciting.  

If you are interested in learning Chinese, this is the site where I had my online Chinese lesson. I suggest you go and have a look.

How do you choose to travel? (1)

With the rapid pace of development in China, more and more people choose to travel when they are on holiday because they want to experience what the world has to offer. In response to the tremendous pressures of modern of life, people are in urgent need of newer and better ways to relax. For those who have had some Chinese classes and want to pass the sat Chinese test, I hope that you know something about tourism in China because it will at times occur on the test.

People have a variety of preferences when choosing how to travel, some choose to travel by air, because they think it will save them lots of time. Others, prefer to go by train because they prefer to take-in the native landscape. Some like to use their own cars because it is most convenient in terms of allowing them to stop whenever they see something fun, beautiful or interesting.

Here, I will first provide you with some online Chinese classes.

I want you to know how to describe the following travel terms in Chinese: by air: 坐飞机 （zuo feiji）； by train: 坐火车（zuo huoche）；driving， 自驾（zijia）。

As for me, I think traveling by air will of course save you the most time, but for some people, it can be too much of an expense. Travelling by train may sometimes be tiring, but you get a chance to see the scenery. I myself like to travel by car, because I really enjoy being able to stop whenever I find some place interesting and go on an excursion.

I believe that being familiar with travel and tourism will give you a strong foundation when you visit and travel in China. And if you want to learn more Chinese, this is the site where I took my online Chinese lesson.

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How to describe the common flavors in Chinese?

Chinese food, like the Chinese skype lessons, are becoming more and more popular. With its plethora of cuisines and diversity of flavors, people gain a new appreciation for food. Furthermore, it will help you a lot when you want to try some Chinese food one day.

As for those who are preparing for the SAT Chinese test, knowing how to describe the basic flavors in Chinese will enable you to earn higher scores on the exam. Sometimes the flavors will appear on a section but not as a question, and other times they will be used as questions to test your Chinese. So, I hope that you take some time to learn about these key elements of Chinese cuisine.

In China, we always divide food into four basic flavors. They are酸（suan），甜（tian），苦（ku），辣（la）. If you have ever taken any online Chinese lessons, you may have heard of these flavors before. In English, they refer to sour, sweet, bitter and spicy. The people in the Southern part like Guangdong like to eat sweet food more than others; while in Sichuan and Chongqing, people like to eat spicy foods, especially the spicy hotpot.

The four tastes combined together are always used by Chinese people to describe the joys and sorrows of life. In my opinion, it is because the flavors to some extent represent our experience of daily lives. For example, people may say :”经历了酸甜苦辣的人生才是人生”。It can be translated as “Life is the joys and sorrows we have experienced, or it cannot be called life.”

Have the things I told you piqued your interests? Or do you think these things will be useful to your learning? If so, I would be quite happy. If you want to learn more Chinese, this is the site where I had my online Chinese lesson.

 

“There is a legend that once upon a time a couple gave birth to a strange child. The boy had two hair buns towering to the sky, and he often played games in his bare feet. He had magical powers: he walked on Wind Fire Wheels and wielded the Universe Ring. He could also fly high into the sky and dive into the deep sea. What was his name? Ne Zha, Ne Zha, little Ne Zha …” This song was written to pay tribute to the extraordinary gifts of Ne Zha, a very important character in Chinese cartoons and Chinese learning.

When he was born, he was nothing but a ball of meat. His parents were very shocked. Some people even asked them to kill the ball of meat, because in their eyes, it is an omen of disaster. But when his father was ready to kill it, suddenly it turned into a lovely baby. Different from his two elder brothers Jin Zha (金吒) and Mu Zha (木吒), Ne Zha was endowed with magical powers. He could fly very high in the sky, and could also dive very deep into the sea. In addition, he could make himself have three heads and six arms. The Wind Fire Wheels (风火轮) and the Universe Ring (乾坤圈) are his lethal weapons. You can watch the related videos on Chinese online learning, which is one of the easiest and quickest ways to learn Chinese. If you want to know what difficulties he experienced, or which monsters he defeated during his childhood, please join the  summer programs for Children in China. More adventure stories are waiting for you!

Although Ne Zha is a legendary cartoon figure, his image is deeply rooted in the hearts of all Chinese kids. They appreciate his bravery, wisdom and power. To show their love, children draw pictures of him or dress like him. Does that sound like fun? Please visit Chinese learn online and enjoy endless fun with us!