  Mandarin Madness |
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We wanted to introduce this fun video because MX really loved it when she was growing up in Shanghai. I think it’s great too because we can show our little 4 year old. It also has a Chinese painting style which is cool. We hope you enjoy!
小蝌蚪找妈妈
Xiǎo kēdǒu zhǎo māmā
“Little Tadpole Looking for Mom.”
YouTube:
Youku:
Interview with Liu Jing and his comic book history of China ow.ly/7nNTX the readers get a solid grip on China’s history in 3…
— Magnus and MingXing (@MandMX) November 9, 2011
He was very agreeable with us bothering his hard work for our 23 questions! The coolest thing is his book that I found on Amazon. Understanding China through Comics. How perfect! You can even get the book from Apple. Here are the questions we asked in bold and his answers.
No, my full time job is running a design agency in Beijing, and I’ve been doing that for 14 years.
2. Do you consider yourself a cartoonist?
No, I’m more of a mixer, who tried to express a complex issue (such as Chinese history) with my business background, cross-cultural experience, and drawing skills.
3. What kind of materials do you use? Pen? Paper? Table? Do you have a studio?
I use Wacom tablet, and I did most drawings after work, at library or at home.
4. Why Understanding China through comics? Why not fine art? Why not language?
Comics are entertaining, personal, and emotional, making a very complicated topic easy to understand.
5. What is it like publishing in China? What are the steps to getting published?
The book is published in North America, Europe and Australia through Amazon and Apple. Both platforms have detailed instructions on their website for book publishing.
6. How did you get your book onto Amazon? Why did you decide to release it on Amazon?
Amazon has clear terms and steps for publishing. It’s a time-consuming but manageable process. For comic books, it’s a bit more difficult, since it involves lots of drawings and specific layout. Amazon and Apple are my only choice to reach a global audience instantly.
7. The title of your book begs the question: Why do people need to “understand China?”
If we feel something or some place has nothing to do with us, a lot less people would take the time to understand it, especially for something as complex as the history of a foreign country.
However, China today has something to do with a lot more people: It is the world’s second largest economy. At its current growth rate, China will replace the US as the world’s leading economic power in about a decade, China is taking jobs away and creating jobs for the world at the same time, China is the biggest holder of US debt, Today’s news is talking about if China will save the euro… Many people are wondering what’s going to happen next. Hopefully my book can empower readers to make informed judgments on China events now and in the future, by showing what China has been through all along.
8. Have you had a lot of response to your book in China? Is there a Chinese version? or just English?
Currently the book is published outside China, only in English. The overseas response has been very encouraging so far.
9. Speaking of English, I’ve seen some of your interviews, you are quite good at English! Where did you learn?
Thanks! I learned English like everyone else in China, from school. I also use English at work, since all our clients are international organizations.
10. I know that the black market in China is big, are you afraid that your book will appear on the streets from booksellers and you not getting any of that money?
Yes, that was part of the reason I didn’t publish the book in China.
11. How are you able to protect your art, drawings andintellectual/creative property in this book? Does China have good copyright laws? If you saw somebody copying your book could you take legal action?
China has good copyright laws, but the enforcement is hard.
12. Are you into webcomics at all? Comics on the web only? Are they popular in China?
Sorry I don’t know much about webcomics.
13. What are your hobbies other than work and drawing?
I love to ski, and I’ve been to Whistler, Lake Tahoe, and some of the ski resorts north of Beijing.
14. What is your favorite Chinese food?
Living in Beijing, I like Shanghai food, fresher and less greasy than northern food.
15. What are you reading right now? books? magazines?
As part of my book research, I’m reading several history books, such as “Records of the Grand Historian” by Sima Qian, the father of Chinese historiography; “History of China” by pre-liberation historian Wang Tongling and “The General History of China” by his contemporary Lü Simian; “The Analects” complied by Confucius’ students; and many ancient Chinese paintings in the historical record. I really like the books written by the military historian Antony Beevor: “D-Day: The Battle for Normandy
16. Can you tell us today’s top 5 Chinese cartoonists?
Feng Zikai (1898-1975), a well-known Chinese painter, writer, and cartoonist, Zhang Leping (1910-1992) The creator of Sanmao, an orphan who suffered the hardships of Japanese invasion during WWII, The creation team of the 60-volume “Romance of Three Kingdoms” comic series from Shanghai People’s Fine Arts Publishing House, and Taiwanese artists such as Cai Zhizhong, a cartoonist best known for his comic books on Chinese philosophy; Jimmy Liao, a famous picture book writer; and Zhu Deyong.
17. Can you tell us top 5 Chinese cartoonists from recent Chinese history?
If we take a broader concept of cartoon, which is a series of drawings to tell a story or deliver information, the following ancient Chinese graphic artists are noteworthy: Song Yingxing (1587-1666), a Chinese scientist and writer, best known for his encyclopedia “The Exploitation of the Works of Nature”, which covered over 130 technical issues, with 123 detailed illustrations, Zhang Zeduan (1085-1145), his famous work “Along the river during Qingming Festival”, 528cm-wide, captured people’s daily life at the imperial capital. It was made into an animation as one of the major exhibits in the China Pavilion during the World Expo 2010. Gu Hongzhong (937-975), known for his narrative paintings to document the night life of a senior official.
18. Do you ever read Western cartoonists?
I’ve read most Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson
When I worked at an independent English newspaper in Beijing around 1996, my boss, Brian McClain, is a great cartoonist and he drew many comics for the newspaper, and we hung out a lot, which is very fortunate to me.
20. Are you on Sina Weibo? or some other microblogging site? Kaixinwang?
I’m on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and LinkedIn.
21. Give us one or two sentences that describe your book that would interest people and make them go and buy it!?
How do Chinese think? This insightful comic book is your visual guide to understanding China.
22. Tell us your favorite quotation?
23. Who are your heroes or people that you look up to?
Steven Spielberg
Other interviews we’ve done.
Another cartoonist we’ve done an interview with.
We did another flash card style comic the other day and chose Justin Beiber, not because we listen to his music, but because he’s so popular. But I wanted to point out a couple things in the last frame that I think are useful for those who are learning Chinese.
1. The Chinese teacher is making a comment on what she thinks of Justin Beiber. She says 白马王子 báimǎ wángzǐ and for the English translation we wrote “Prince Charming.” This is not an exact translation. The Chinese is literally “white horse Prince” which I thought was a fun translation. For guys you can ask Chinese girls if they’ve found their 白马王子 or “white horse prince” and for Chinese girls you can dash a guy’s hopes by saying that you are definitely NOT my 白马王子 “white horse Prince!”
2. The second phrase was what the westerner who is studying Chinese said in response to the Prince Charming comment. He says 乳臭未干 rǔ chòu wèi gàn and it’s translated in English as “wet behind the ears.” The phrase finder website explains that “wet behind the ears” means naive and immature and it gives you the idea that the person is still wet from being born. The phrase started as “dry behind the ears” meaning mature but the first known use of “wet behind the ears” was used in 1911. Anyway, the English translation is actually not as vivid as the Chinese. Literally translated the phrase 乳臭未干 in English is “breast smell not dry” or a better English translation is “to smell of mother’s milk.” WHOA! I don’t know about you but that’s kind of insulting. So my apologies to the Beiber clan but it was pretty funny!
See the comic here.
Did you know there was a Chinese summer camp in Minnesota? Well, there is and I got to chat with a great teenager named Dylan from Western Massachusetts about his experience this past summer at a Chinese summer camp. There are so many smart and intelligent parents out there in America today (also in Britain and Australia) who are sending their kids to Mandarin camps so that their kids get a leg up on college studies or to supplement their high school Mandarin classes. Whatever the decision, it will greatly improve their interpersonal skills and abilities and confidence in this amazing language. The problem is… which camp should you choose!? Well, we hope that this interview might help you make that decision. This is just one camp, and I am sure there are many other camps out there. If you have any further questions for us or for Dylan you can always e-mail us: magnus at mandmx dot com.
MandMx: What is the name of the Chinese summer camp that you attended?
Dylan: 森林湖
MandMx: Where is your camp located?
Dylan: Maplelag 30693 Maplelag Road Callaway, MN 56521-9643
MandMx: How did you get there?
Dylan: I flew to Minneapolis, then drove in a bus through camp to get to the camp
MandMx: Was this your first time?
Dylan: This was my second time
MandMx: How long have you studied Chinese?
Dylan: About 6 or 7 years
MandMx: How is a camp day structured?
Dylan: 7:30 a.m. 起床 wake up
8:00 a.m. 早操 morning exercise
8:30 a.m. 早饭 breakfast
9:30 a.m. 小组活动 group activity
10:30 a.m. 打扫木屋 cabin clean-up
11:00 a.m. 小组课 Chinese class
12:00 a.m. 爱情故事 soap opera
12:30 a.m. 午饭 lunch
1:30 p.m. 午休 afternoon nap
2:30 p.m. 自由活动 free time
3:45 p.m. 小组课 Chinese class
4:30 p.m. 下午活动 afternoon activity
5:30 p.m. 晚饭 dinner
6:30 p.m. 看电影 movie
7:30 p.m. 晚上节目 evening program
8:45 p.m. 回木屋 return to cabin
9:15 p.m. 熄灯 lights out
MandMx: How was the food?
Dylan: The food was very good. Very traditional food such as Man Tou, and Xi Fan for breakfast.
MandMx: How were the counselors?
Dylan: The counselors were very nice and helpful, and helped with a villagers Chinese if they needed it
MandMx: Was everything in Chinese?
Dylan: Almost everything was in Chinese
MandMx: Do you think your Chinese improved at all?
Dylan: I think my Chinese improved greatly during these past two years
MandMx: What was the worst thing at the camp?
Dylan: The worst thing was doing zao cao (早操 morning exercises)
MandMx: What was the best thing at the camp?
Dylan: The best thing for me was getting to sing the song 《民生》, with a few of my counselors at the 篝火 Gōuhuǒ Bonfire. On one night when we were at the evening activity at the camp fire, me, a female counselor, a male counselor, and two other female student sang the song 《民生》around the camp fire. And because the song is so long, each time we finished a verse they thought it was over. So each time we had to use our hands to say its not over. Then when the song was finally finished, there was a huge clapping from everyone and they were whooping and cheering when we finished.
MandMx: Did you make some friends?
Dylan: I made tons of friends
MandMx: Are you in contact with them?
Dylan: I am still in contact with all my friends
MandMx: What is your motivation for going to this Chinese camp?
Dylan: My motivation for going was to improve my Chinese, and make new friends
MandMx: Did your parents force you to go?
Dylan: My parents did not force me to go
MandMx: Were there Chinese/American kids there?
Dylan: There were all types of kids, including American, and Chinese
MandMx: Would you recommend other people to go to that school?
Dylan: If they want to learn or improve their Chinese, I would greatly recommend to go there
MandMx: What were the counselors like?
Dylan: The counselors were very nice and friendly, and always helped out the students
MandMx: Could everyone at the camp speak Chinese?
Dylan: Not everyone could speak, the skill level varied between each person
Here’s the website
Just when you think that you’ve seen it all on the internet there comes an article that shocks you back into the realization that the internet really is the “final frontier!” That’s what happened when I came across an article in the Atlantic (linking to an earlier Washington Post piece) which was an interview with Jessica Beinecke who is the host for Voice of America (VOA) and the star of her own VOA produced web video show called “OMG 美语” which means “Oh My Goodness, American Language!” The Atlantic article by Damian Ma talks about her viral videos on the Chinese version of YouTube called Youku and her interaction in Mandarin with her millions of fans in Mainland China, Taiwan and beyond. Now she’s on YouTube and getting more and more popular. Kind of like the younger, more beautiful Mark Roswell (a.k.a. Da Shan 大山）
After watching the episode you might ask yourself, How did she get so good at Chinese? The Atlantic article asked that too. Her response:
I have the equivalent of about the fourth year Chinese language level. I reached fluency in 1.5 years, thanks to Middlebury College’s Chinese language programs.
Wow, that must be a natural ability right there because I was no where near fluency by 1 and a half years. WOW!
Or you might ask the question that they had in the Washington Post article which was this: How can…
“a petite blond Midwesterner, who is not Chinese and only began studying the language five years ago, become an iconic translator of American slang for pop-culture-hungry Chinese fans?”
Good question. But then again, that’s what the internet is all about, isn’t it?
Chinese with Mike – A Chicagoan who teaches Chinese on YouTube from his parent’s basement! Plus our comic about Mike!
Foreigners Speaking Chinese – This is an old comic we did based on a true story of my Chinese mistakes!
Billions Speak Chinese – a comic about how frustrating dialects can be in Chinese.
How to Scare a Foreigner - Speak Chinese to them? No give them this!
3 Questions for Foreigners after a trip to China – just plain silly!
It’s not everyone that has a 4 year old son who is learning Mandarin. Many times my wife (MX) and I joke that sooner than later the boy will surpass my Mandarin level. My Mandarin is so bad that perhaps that might happen by next week, but whatever the case, I try to be a teachable student. So without further delay, here are 3 things that I’ve learned about speaking Mandarin from my 4 year old!
Home is a Roof Over a Pig: An American Family’s Journey in China
When all-American Aminta Arrington moves from suburban Georgia to a small town in China, she doesn’t go alone. Her army husband and three young children, including an adopted Chinese daughter, uproot themselves too. Aminta hopes to understand the country with its long civilization, ancient philosophy, and complex language. She is also determined that her daughter Grace, born in China, regain some of the culture she lost when the Arringtons brought her to America as a baby.
In the university town of Tai’an, a small city where pigs’ hooves are available at the local supermarket, donkeys share the road with cars, and the warm-hearted locals welcome this strange looking foreign family, the Arringtons settle in . . . but not at first…read more.
About the author: Aminta Arrington has an M.A. in international relations from Johns Hopkins University School of advanced International Studies and studied at Waseda University in Tokyo. She has written about China for The Seattle Times, and she edited the anthology Saving Grandmother’s Face: and Other Tales from Christian Teachers in China. Arrington continues to live and work in China with her family.
Available in August 2012 but you can pre-order now!
Hong Konged: One Modern American Family’s (Mis)adventures in the Gateway to China
In this alternately hilarious and heartrending memoir, acclaimed writer and editor Paul Hanstedt recounts the true story of his family’s recent sojourn to Hong Kong. Hanstedt and his wife and three children–aged 9, 6, and 3–lived in Hong Kong for a year, a year beset by culture clash, vicious bullies, hospital visits, M&Ms, and the worst traffic jam you’ve ever seen.
Through the eyes of the earnest if sometimes clueless Hanstedt family…read more.
About the author: Paul Hanstedt has been a professor of English and creative writing for fifteen years and is the editor of the national literary journal The Roanoke Review. His work has appeared in Puerto Del Sol, Confrontation, Writing on the Edge, the Beloit Fiction Journal, MLA’s The Profession, The Chronicle of Higher Education, and Brain, Child, for which he was nominated for a Pushcart Prize. He’s the author of General Education Essentials: A Guide for College Faculty and is also a staple on the Virginia Public Radio station WVTF, with a listening audience of 160,000. He currently lives in Virginia.
Available in July 2012 but you can pre-order now!
Pretty Woman Spitting: An American’s Travels in China
Leanna Adams moved to China in 2006. What she found were squat pots, plates of pig’s feet, wildly curious Chinese people and life-altering experiences.
Pretty Woman Spitting is a kind of love letter to China. Adams chose the title after hearing a particularly guttural noise (spitting is commonly heard all over China) and turned to find a beautiful woman in a delicate yellow frock hocking up a big one. Pretty Woman Spitting is the book Adams wanted to read before she moved there, filled with loads useful information like where to go to the bathroom and how you shouldn’t hug Chinese men after they fix your toilet.
While living in the countryside teaching English and American Culture, even the most basic issues of hygiene presented…read more.
About the author: Leanna Adams is just too cool to even write about here.
Available now on Amazon Kindle for only $.99!!!
Our rough translation:
We loved these shots that we found on Flickr from a Mr. Craig Allen. Here’s from his Profile on Flickr:
I spent the 1985-86 school year working as a Foreign Expert teaching English in China. I was 25 years old, and had just graduated from university. I was teaching at what was then called Jiangsu Institute of Technology (or Zhenjiang Institute of Agricultural Mechanics?), now Jiangsu University (江苏大学).
Sit back and enjoy the shots. Notice what’s different, notice what’s the same. The colors are great and each one could tell a story!
Photos used by permission from Mr. Craig Allen. Please click on each photo and head to flickr to see tons more! He’s converting his old slides into digital shots. He’s very accessible and would love to chat if you’ve been to these places in China!
(c) Craig Allen. Shot in Zhenjiang, China in 1986. This is the small daily “free market” on the university campus where I taught English. Such non-state markets were still fairly new at this time, an example of some of the early market reforms in China in the 1980s.
(c) Craig Allen. Shot in Zhenjiang, China in 1986. This was in the early days of China’s loosening up state control of commerce. This was taken at a small daily “free market”, as it was called, near the entrance of the university.
(c) Craig Allen. Shot in Zhenjiang, China in 1986.
(c) Craig Allen. Students on their way to back to their dormatories in the evening. This was shot in 1986 in Zhenjiang, China.
(c) Craig Allen. Students coming and going from the student canteen. This was shot in 1896 in Zhenjiang, China.
(c) Craig Allen. Two girls reading comic books at Sports Day. This was shot in Zhenjiang, China in the spring of 1986.
(c) Craig Allen. The Bund in Shanghai, 1986
(c) Craig Allen. Nanjing Road on a hot day in 1986
(c) Craig Allen. Pagoda in need of repair in Suzhou. This was shot in 1986. I don’t know if this pagoda was eventually renovated or if it was pulled down, but those are the only two possibilities.
I visited Zhenjiang years ago also and you can read about my experiences there, here.
News aggregator: In general internet terms, a news aggregation website is a website where headlines are collected, usually manually.
We put together a list of 11 China News Aggregators to help all of you out there get your news. Mx and I often go to these sites to see what’s going on in the world and in the world of China. We hope you enjoy the list and use it everyday!
1. China Digital Times Imagine any story about China from the media and China Digital Times will have it. They keep up to date with the commentary around the world that all talks about China and how it affects China. With a sleek design and Chinese version China Digital Times is your one stop shop.
Foxconn Pledges Improvement to Working Conditions bit.ly/HljvWU
— China Digital Times (@CDTimes) March 29, 2012
2. Hao Hao Report This unique site run by Ryan at Lost Laowai is really an interesting new concept. It’s ultimately run by anyone who signs up and they can post whatever story they want which then links to that story on the web. The limit is 4 per day (I know, I tried 5 one day!) and since everyone runs it, the unique stories are endless. Each story is tweeted out and you can also grade each story by voting it up or down.
Apple’s Tim Cook Visits Foxconn IPhone Plant in China bit.ly/Hoczex
— Hao Hao Report (@haohaoreport) March 29, 2012
3. China New Today on Twitter Twitter has a couple good news aggregators. This one is particularly good.
#Asia #China #News PetroChina’s Net Falls 5%: PetroChina said its net profit fell 5% last year as… on.wsj.com/HotYni @AsiaTodayNews
— China Today (@ChinaTodayNews) March 29, 2012
4. China Business Watch on Twitter Another Twitter based one, ChinaBizWatch connects you to all things Business and more having to do with China.
Big structural reforms loom bit.ly/HjK2dF
— China Business Watch (@ChinaBizWatch) March 29, 2012
5. Latest China is similar to China Digital Times and contains many interesting news stories. They post from many sources and really get you up to date with all that’s going on in China.
CNN: Like a bear in a China shop bit.ly/Hlw4qr
— latestChina (@latestchina) March 29, 2012
6. China Stories This unique site features stories, links and many videos from around the internet all about China. From “How to use Chopsticks” to the entire “Last Hero in China” Jet Li Kung Fu movie posted. They feature new China books everyday and also a fun Jackie Chan A-Z post every Sunday morning (EST) along with Chinese videos and lectures.
sidewalk barber in shanghai: -20 minutes and he didn’t finish? where’s part 2??? I wanted to get my head … bit.ly/Hj8fMc #china
— China Stories (@ChinaStories) March 29, 2012
7. Jing Daily For all the well off in our world, this site is for you. They deal with all of China’s luxury news. They highlight what the rich are wasting spending their money on. It’s fun to take a peek from time to time.
Digital Dreamers: The Wanderlister+ Asia (Via @timeouthk) bit.ly/H0hyS4
— Jing Daily (精日传媒) (@JingDaily) March 29, 2012
8. Baidu Beat The Baidu Team puts together what is popular searches on Baidu “everyday.” They are having intern issues at publication time but they try to post up the happening searches so all of us can see what Chinese are searching for!
9. Twitchy Not exactly a China news aggregator, but the site is a unique use of Twitter. They curate (I think is the correct word) and sift through all the tweets out there forming stories so that you don’t have to. No topic is too politically incorrect so be careful if you go there, you’ll be shocked to hear stories that you haven’t heard before that are freely talked about on Twitter. They have a “World News” tab and that is always informative. What they do need though is a Chinese language tab so that people know what the Chinese on Twitter are saying!
10. Drudge Report Everybody knows Drudge. That site is the place to go for all news but also China news too. They are on Twitter and for those China watchers, the news is very up to date there too!
SLAVE TO THE APPLE! drudge.tw/HmquUt
— Drudge Report (@Drudge_Report) March 29, 2012
11. WenXueCity Mx goes to this sites all the time. This fits the definition of news aggregator above. It’s just a mass of links and Chinese characters. She finds some interesting stories on it and passes them along to me sometimes.
