This week we had a very special guest in our studio: one of our most prolific users, hiewhongliang! Back in Australia, HHL (as he is often known in the ChinesePod community) runs an interesting kind of retirement home services, in that his nurses often visit homes in which Chinese language skills are useful. He's here in Shanghai trying to set up a similar service in China, which is fairly opportune given the country's rapid shift from one of the world's youngest societies (in terms of average age) to one of the world's oldest. Indeed, UN data shows that over 11% of the PRC will be over 65 years old by 2020.

Getting on in Years

Lifestyle and care for the elderly in China is a bit different from what Westerners might be used to. For one, elderly Chinese tend to be more generally active than their Western counterparts, with seniors filling parks around the country every morning for exercise and socializing. 太极拳 (tàijí quán), usually just called "tai chi" in English, is a staple of morning exercise routines, and really is one of those cool things that makes China China. Interestingly enough, it is China's dynamic economic progress that is partly responsible for a different trend. however: depending on children as sole caretakers is less practical because it is much more common for both spouses to work (and because of longer work hours), so the burden of care is increasingly falling on third-party service providers like our friend hiewhongliang.

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As you can hear in the podcast, hiewhongliang has some pretty awesome Chinese skills, so if you want to seriously up yours, a 12-month Premium ChinesePod Subscription is the best way to get there. Use the promo code "RackCity5" and you'll get a 15% discount.

Click here to obtain awesome Chinese skills at a discount.

Here in China and elsewhere around the northern hemisphere, schools are finishing up for the year and students are trying to take in the sum of their educational experiences. China’s school system has gotten a lot of press lately, but in this week’s Beijing Standard Time some of our staff discuss their own personal experiences in the belly of China’s massive educational machine. One of the most interesting tidbits that most Westerners wouldn’t know about is the heavy presence of the Communist Youth League (中国社会主义青年团, Zhōngguó Gòngchǎnzhǔyì Qīngniántuán) in schools, even at the primary school level. In fact, by the time they graduate high school, most students are Communist Youth League members and have learned in detail about the structure of the government, the party’s history and other bureaucratic wisdom. Such deep government and party involvement might seem odd to some Westerners, but it can’t be disputed that Chinese students tend to finish school with an excellent knowledge of their country and its history.
 

What you may not know, however, is a noticable change that often occurs when students from the high school level to the university level. Most Chinese youngsters report that university features a much lighter workload, in part because the dreaded 高考 (gāokǎo) university entrance examination is over and done with. While in the US admission to universities isn't quite as challenging as actually doing well and graduating on time, in China most students strive a lot less once they've been admitted to a good university. This way well contribute to the huge number of Chinese students that study at universities overseas despite the handful of world-class universities here in China.

Oddly enough, the same government involvement that helps high school students become so knowledgable may be part of what's hindering Chinese universities. "On the one hand, the schools need more administrative power in terms of admissions and recruiting," says Yu Lizhong, president of East China Normal University. "On the other, to be able to hire a better teaching staff requires a lot more money than what the government is providing now." Yu, whose university is home to New York University's newly established Shanghai campus, speaks admiringly of a recent NYU fundraising event he participated in, adding that Chinese universities, predominantly funded by the government, have a lot of catching up to do. The world of Chinese education is a most complicated one, indeed.

Lock It Down

To make your education anything but complicated (see that segue there? We're proud of that one), we've got a special deal going for the next few days: 15% off our 24-month Premium Subscriptions, the best value for your dollar in terms of Chinese learning. Lock in that ChinesePod until 2014! Just click here and use the promotion code KnicksSweep while checking out and you'll get your discount. Hurry up though, the deal only lasts until May 13th!

Hit Us Up

We're always eager to hear what our beloved Poddies have to say about improving and changing ChinesePod, so if you'd like to tell us what you think, please take our 30-second survey and drop some truth on us.

Thanks everyone, see you all next week!

Martyrdomination

You may have heard that we moved to a new office (still in Shanghai, don't worry!) a few weeks back. While it hasn't affected our lessons, our new location has given a few employees the spooks (looking at you, John) because right next door is the Longhua Martyrs' Park and Cemetary, a huge and quite beautiful park dedicated to Chinese martyrs. The formal Chinese name is 龙华烈士陵园 (lónghuá lièshì língyuán), and it's quite a site to see, as the pictures below attest. If you've been to a park in China before, you're probably thinking that they're not all that different from parks elsewhere in the world, which really couldn't be further from the truth, but 龙华烈士陵园 is an entirely different animal, with large, oddly-shaped buildings, memorials, and even some pretty cool fountains.

More than just the buildings and statues, however, 龙华烈士陵园 has a very different aura about it than most parks in Shanghai - you'll find groups of people singing and dancing together, groups of school children exploring their country's past, and even the occasional solo instrumentalist. Part of this is because martyrdom in China is a bit different from what Westerners might be used to. Whereas in the West maryrys were often religious figures, or or least people tangentially associated with religious or social movements (e.g. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the civil rights movement), in China martyrs were almost always soliders or government officials who died in service of the country. Perhaps the most famous is 雷锋 (Léi Fēng), a soldier who is frequently held up as an example of the consummate Chinese of the PRC era. Though he died in somewhat ignoble fashion (he was crushed by a telephone pole that was hit by a truck he was directing), his character and values were deemed worthy of martyrdom and his altruistic ways have led to him becoming a role model for children throughout China. Indeed, 雷锋's martyr status is an excellent of example of how integrated into Chinese society the military is, an intertwining that certainly warrants further study.

Lock in that ChinesePod goodness

If you've enjoyed your ChinesePod experience so far and want to dive in and study for a while, we're currently offering 15% off our already-well-priced 24-month Premium Subscriptions, which is the best value for learning Chinese around. Just use the promocode KnicksSweep and you'll be set with ChinesePod until well into the next Obama/Romney/Trump (don't count him out!) administration, but the code is only valid until Friday, May 11th, so hurry!

Click here now to get your discount.

Survey Time!

We're always eager to hear what our beloved Poddies have to say about improving and changing ChinesePod, so if you'd like to tell us what you think, please take our 30-second survey and drop some knowledge on us.

Thanks everyone, see you all next week! Here are the pictures of the lovely 龙华烈士陵园 next to our office.

How to Use ChinesePod With Your Own Teacher

How ChinesePod Uses the Flipped Classroom

How to Choose the Appropriate ChinesePod Lessons for Yourself

How to Create Practice Opportunities in Real Life

Chinese culture is defined by a lot of different things, with music, food and family relationships among the most well-known. Just as important, however, are some of the uniquely Chinese games and toys that enjoy massive popularity both here in China and overseas. Foremost among these (at least for those of us in the ChinesePod office) is mahjong (麻将, májiàng), a game of equal parts skill, cunning and luck that you can see people playing in parks and homes all around the world. Intestingly, 麻将 can be (if you're feeling especially abstract) literally interpreted as "hemp, a while from now," though that's really neither here nor there.

The ChinesePod team tackled 麻将 in an epic video lesson last month, and it truly is a game worth learning. The legend goes that Confucious (孔子, kǒngzǐ) invented the game some 2,500 years ago to reinforce three of the virtues he held most dear: the game's cardinal tiles 紅中 (hóng zhōng), 白板 (báibǎn) and 發財 (fā cái) are said to represent the bedrock Confucian principles of benevolence, filial piety and sincerity.

麻将 remained mostly unknown in the rest of the world until the 1920's, when it was brought to the United States, where it quickly caught on as a popular pastime, particularly in New York City. American players accustomed to gin rummy took to 麻将 with ease and aplomb due to the games' similar styles, and game manufacturers 'often used the game’s cultural associations “to trigger fantasies and identities'" to help market 麻将 to Americans. For reasons that are tough to define, the game became particularly popular in America's Jewish communities - the Museum of Jewish Heritage even has a well-regarded travelling exhibit on it. 麻将 quickly became a full-fledged phenomenon in the US and other Western countries in the 1920's, with politically-incorrect songs even being made in its honor.

Our 麻将 video lesson is a great way to learn the basics of the game and brush up on all the related vocab and grammar, so be sure to check it out!

Last week we also cooked up a brand new video lesson on discussing jobs and employment, and this one is for the Newbies. The lesson even features some Oscar (or at least Emmy)-worthy acting from our own Greg and Jiaojie, so have a look if you'd like to refresh your vocational vocabulary.

Those of you in Mainland China may have heard that we had s ChinesePod Shanghai Meetup this past weekend! Dozens of users from all over the world met up to have some fun, talk shop with fellow Poddies and learn about how to optimize their ChinesePod experiences - check out the photos here. We had a great time and it's always wonderful to hear feedback from our beloved learners. If you'd like to tell us what you think about ChinesePod, take our 30-second survey and drop some knowledge on us.

Thanks everyone, see you next week!

This app is fully customizable and is really as good as it gets in terms of a comprehensive pinyin and pronunciation learning tool, and truly takes advantage of the iPad platform to make it easy (and pretty) to use. Best of all, it's free! You can get it in the AppStore here.

Meetup Madness

We want to remind everyone of first ChinesePod Meetup we've had in a couple years - it's happening this Saturday at People Squared in Shanghai, from 2-5pm. You can see the details here on our blog or on the official Facebook invitation. Be sure to stop by if you're in Shanghai and to bring any Chinese-learning friends who might benefit from a little Chinese lovin' - there will be prizes and discounts for everyone!

Empirical Evidence

There's been a lot of discussion around here lately about Chinese emperors and the many unusual tales surrounding them - when you've got 5,000 years of history, there are bound to be some wild characters and crazy stories! A few of our favorites include:

The Kangxi Emperor (康熙, kāngxī), born 爱新觉罗·玄华. While he was the longest reigning emperor in Chinese history and did much to expand China's territorial holdings and linguistic accomplishments, it is 康熙's origins that interest us most. Just like in that mediocre Wolverine movie, 康熙's childhood illnesses defined him: during one of the major smallpox epidemics of the era, 康熙 caught the dangerous disease but survived, convincing his father 順治 (Shùnzhì) that he was emperor material. He went on to be one of the most successful and well-regarded emperors in history, so it seems like his dad was pretty spot on! 康熙 also achieved Travis Henry-esque progeny levels, with an estimated 50 sons and daughters to ensure his legacy.

The Guangzong Emperor (光宗, guāngzōng), born 朱常洛. 光宗 didn't accomplish a whole lot during his reign (which lasted just one month), but he did, quite notably, die after ingesting too much of an herbal supplement that at the time was considered a sexual stimulant. Rumor has it that his nemesis rounded up eight of the most beautiful girls in China to tempt 光宗, a plan that worked with Szyslakian over-effectiveness.

The Xiazong Emperor (孝宗, xiàozōng), born 朱佑樘. 孝宗 is the only known emperor to have a harem of just one woman, which contrasts quite strongly with our next favorite:

The Xuanzong Emperor (玄宗, xuánzōng), born 李隆基. 玄宗 had one of the largest harems in history, estimated to be a Chamberlainian 3,000 people (women as well as some men, it's believed). His reign was one of the more tumultuous of the Tang Dynasty (唐朝, táng cháo), probably because that's quite a bit to juggle at once.

Cantankerous Correcting

In Qin Wen last week we discussed the many ways to say "to correct" in Chinese, but did you know that there are subtle differences between the words that can help reflect degrees of correction that may not exist in English? You've got 改正 (gǎizhèng), which is perhaps the closest to the English verb and is used to correct statements that are fundamentally inaccurate or incorrect. 修改 (xiūgǎi), however, is a bit more subtle, and is used when the initial statement isn't entirely wrong. 修改 is more about making an improvement or enhancing accuracy, rather than an outright correction. Interesting!

Thanks for reading, everyone, and we'll see you next week!

Part of what makes the whole story so interesting is that it all unfolded very quickly; there weren't really plans in place for a formal visit, and then within the span of a week the US team was making a landmark visit to Beijing, the first group of Americans to do so in an official capacity since the Chinese Civil War ended in 1949. How did such a momentous historical event come about so quickly? Well, the story goes that the previous week, the US table tennis team was in Nagoya, Japan participating in the Table Tennis World Championships. US star Glenn Cowan was getting in some extra practice volleying (is that the term? We'll go with that for now) with Chinese player Liang Geliang. The pair apparently ran over their allotted time in the practice space and were asked to leave by a local official. Cowan had missed his team's bus, which had already left to take them back to their hotel, so he began wandering around looking for a way back to the city. The legendary Chinese player 庄则栋 (Zhuāng Zédòng) saw Cowan and waved him onto the Chinese team bus, which was heading in the same direction. While some members of the Chinese team were cold to Cowan, 庄则栋 presented him with a gift of a silk-screen picture of the Huangshan Mountains, a traditional gift in his native 杭州. He later recalled asking himself, "Is it okay to have anything to do with your No. 1 enemy?"

This friendly exchange did not go unnoticed by Chinese authorities. Though Mao Zedong and Zhou Enlai had initially denied the US team's request to play exhibition matches in China, news of 庄则栋's kindness prompted a change. Mao was said to remark, "This Zhuang Zedong not only plays table tennis well, but is good at foreign affairs, and he has a mind for politics." Impressed, China's leadership immediately extended an invitation to the US team, and on April 10th, just four days after Glenn Cowan's fortuitous tardiness, the US National Table Tennis Team became the first group of Americans to enter China in decades. The exhibition matches (most of which the Chinese team supposedly let the Americans win) went well, and a year later the Chinese team flew to the US for another series of matches. The US team's visit to China became all the more significant in February of 1972, when US President Richard Nixon landed in Beijing for a week of visits and meetings, forever altering the landscape of Sino-American relations.

As China's role in the world has changed over the last several decades, a new form of diplomacy has arisen: basketball diplomacy. Like its predecessor, basketball diplomacy is a two-way street and has been lead by a charismatic athlete, in this case Shanghai native 姚明 (Yáo Míng). Yao's time in the NBA helped to demystify China at a time when some Americans had grown to fear the rising superpower. Similarly, American players like Stephon Marbury have achieved success and popularity in China's league, the CBA, helping Chinese fans to better understand Americans and American culture. The place of sports in Chinese culture and society has helped make these seemingly trivial developments much more significant, and everyone has benefitted as a result!

We're ridiculously excited to announce the revival of one of our favorite ChinesePod traditions: the Meetup!

In the days of ChinesePod yore, meetups were always a blast, with learners from all over the world coming together here in Shanghai to meet the ChinesePod crew and talk about their Chinese learning (and China) experiences.

This month's Meetup will feature:

• Free food and drinks
• Free study advice and tech support from our Learning Consultants
• Raffle prizes including ChinesePod Subscriptions
• Registration for our totally free demo Speaking Classes
• Chance to meet ChinesePod celebrities like John and Jenny
• Very special renewal discounts for our existing users

Bring A Friend!

We encourage everyone to bring friends who may be having trouble learning Chinese - there's no better remedy than a helpful community! Every new user who signs up will receive a free Course and a free 20-minute Speaking Class session, not to mention personal advice from our world-famous experts.

When and Where

• Saturday, April 21st from 2PM-5PM at People Squared - 323 Huashan Rd. Bldg. 2, Shanghai, across the street from the Hilton and just a few minutes from the Jing'An Temple subway stop on Line 2 and Line 7 (联合创业办公社@上海市静安区华山路323弄2号).

Seats are limited, so if you'd like to come, please RSVP by emailing us (at events@chinesepod.com) or calling us (400-012-3381) so we can prepare appropriately. And remember, bring any friends you have that might need some extra help with their Chinese!

Looking forward to seeing you all there!

The ChinesePod Crew

This Qing Wen is for all our English-speaking teachers in China who've got a lot of "correcting" of their students to do, from homework to tests to habits to posture. In today's show we'll be looking at the various usages of the English verb "to correct" and how they translate into Chinese. Tune in to find out more!

One thing to note: when the update takes effect, all Classes will now come with a Subscription and a Course included, so our learners will have everything they need to take their Chinese to the next level (and there's no need to purchase a Subscription separately).

The re-design will go live at 12:00PM today (Monday, April 9th) BST, so click here to see the fancy new Store

In light of April Fool's Day today, we at BST decided to take a more light-hearted approach to today's show. We've gathered a few pictures of statues and sculptures that have circulated the Chinese internet for some time and present them to you today. In addition to some clever, and every so slightly crass, humor, you might learn a useful colloquialism as well! Enjoy the show!

Elton Brand

Some foreign brands have names that are so simple, they transcend language and thus don't really require a customized Chinese brand name. IBM, for instance, has the official Chinese name 国际商用机器公司 (Guójì shāngyòng jīqì gōngsī), but is almost universally referred to as simply "IBM" in China - the Chinese name roughly translates as "international commerce machine company", a fair translation for International Business Machines but certainly less catchy than the English acronym. Similarly, General Electric (GE) is officially known as 通用电气公司 (tōngyòngdiànqìgōngsī), but is usually just called "GE" for simplicity's sake. On the other hand, German automaker has had trouble using their simple acronym as a brand name. Chinese consumers often referred to the fine imported automobiles as “别摸我" (biémōwǒ), literally "don't touch me", which might have worked better for an ultra-exclusive brand like Bentley or something. These days 宝马 (bǎomǎ, "treasure horse") is the official brand name for BMW, though certain young girls have also been known to refer to the brand as an acronym for "Be My Wife." Interestingly, BMW did not face this issue in English-speaking countries, where the original German "Bayerische Motoren Werke" quickly became "Bavarian Motor Works."

Brandy and Monica

Coca-Cola is undoubtedly one of the world's pre-eminent brands; if you've ever taken a marketing course, there's a pretty good chance your first day began with a PowerPoint slide about the soda's ubiquitousness. Given their branding mastery, one would expect Coca-Cola to have a clever Chinese brand name, and they most certainly do. The best brand names retain some of the original's phonetic resonance while still conveying the brand message - Coca-Cola accomplishes this brilliantly with the name 可口可乐 (kěkǒukělè), which sounds a lot like their English name and can be loosely translated as “let your mouth rejoice,” a perfect name for a bubbly, tasty soda.

Microsoft is also one of the world's best-known brands and must've had a pretty sizable Chinese name translation marketing budget, because their Chinese brand name is one of the best around. 微软公司 (wēiruǎn gōngsī) isn't a great phonetic match for its English counterpart, but the literal translation works smoothly: 微 means "small" (Micro-) and 软 means "gentle" or "flexible" (-soft), and 软 is part of 软件 (ruǎnjiàn), the Chinese term for software, Microsoft's key product. They did have some difficulty when rolling out their Bing search engine in China, as "bing" is most commonly associated with the word 病 (bìng) which phonetically sounds great but means "disease" in Chinese. Bill Gates and co. eventually sorted it out, however, settling on 必应 (bìyīng), which works quite well phonetically and translates as "always responds", a great choice for a search engine.

We must admit that we have a favorite brand name translation, if only for the sheer simplicity and effectiveness of the choice. Tide, the detergent brand famous for keeping your whites white and adorning racecars, is known in China as 汰渍 (tàizì), which is a great translation based on phonetics alone. The literal translation, however, is "to get rid of dirt", which is precisely what the product does, cementing 汰渍 as one of the cleverest brand translations out there - some even credit Tide's hefty markety share to the name choice.

Russell Brand

While 可口可乐 is one of the most widely-visible foreign brands in China, it hasn't always been that way. Before Coke had official branding in China, shop-keepers often used the simple name 蝌蝌啃蜡 (kēkēkěnlà), which wasn't such a bad choice phonetically, though the translation was a disaster: 蝌蝌啃蜡 literally means "bite the wax tadpole", hardly something you want to think about when you're knocking down a cold soda on a hot 夏天 day. Coke's main rival, Pepsi, stumbled early in the game as well. Rumor has it that their classic slogan "Come Alive With Pepsi" was initially interpreted by Chinese consumers as "Pepsi Brings Your Ancestors Back From the Grave", which really should have helped sales (seriously, how many sodas can claim to do that?), but instead resulted in a quick rebranding.

Even Mercedes-Benz, one of the more prestigious brands in the auto industry, had some brand name issues at first. After they entered the Chinese market but before they had a large branding and marketing presence, Mercedes-Benz was commonly known as 笨死 (bènsǐ ), a nice choice until you realize that it means "to die foolishly", not the best name for an expensive automobile. The firm eventually settled on 奔驰(bēnchí ), which means to go fast, a mediocre but far superior choice.

5 Tricks to Help You Master Tones

We hope you've enjoyed last week's look at the interesting and inexact science of choosing a Chinese brand name.

We're excited to introduce a new feature today: ChinesePod's Learning Tips of the Week.

We are starting with one of the fundamentals of Mandarin Chinese: tones. Chinese is a tonal language. Many words with same pronunciation are distinguished by their tones. Therefore, grasping tones is an essential part of learning Chinese. ChinesePod has produced a series of lessons that stress mnemonic associations for mastering tones.

Please click the links below to check out our super easy and useful guide to tones:

1. The First Tone: flat and monotonous, like how robots speak.

2. The Second Tone: rising, with a tinge of doubt, like when you are saying "what?" incredulously.

3. The Third Tone: falling down and rising swiftly, like a roller coaster ride.

4. The Fourth Tone: emphatic and determined, like the sound a kung fu master makes when he chops a wooden borad into two.

5. The Neutral Tone: swift and light, like a sorbet you need at the end of a heavy meal.

Remember tones are an ongoing effort that need attention throughout your study. Even John Pasden, our resident tone expert, confesses to messing up tones every now and then. But having these mnemonic devices and plenty of practice will definitely put you on the right path.

If you have any questions about learning Chinese, feel free to call us at 1-877-788-8904 (USA) or 86-21-6191-1262 (China) or email us at support@chinesepod.com.

Enjoy your studies!

Smoking hasn't always been such a ubiquitous part of Chinese culture, interestingly enough. In 1638, just before the end of Ming Dynasty (明朝, míng cháo) rule, the emperor put forth an edict that "the possession, use or selling of tobacco was a capital offense punishable by decapitation," which likely led to a lot fewer questions about where people can smoke. As foreign influence and presence in China increased, so did tobacco use, although it took centuries for cigarettes to become the primary means of tobacco consumption. Farmers began domesticating tobacco plants as early as the mid-16th century, after it was brought over from North America by European missionaries and traders. Within one hundred years, it had become an important crop for many farmers as well as a linchpin of the Qing Dynasty (清朝, Qīng Cháo) economy, and in doing so took on its own Chinese characteristics in terms of consumption, production and cultural importance. As one tobacco merchant famously noted, "it originally came from beyond the borders, but in every place it has reached, it has become a 'local product.'" It's this "becoming Chinese" that interests us most; China has an exceptional and fascinating tendency to take in foreign ideas and inventions and make them their own, and tobacco is an excellent example of this.

Some scholars, in fact, see tobacco use as a microcosm for the broader evolution of Chinese consumer culture, an evolution that unfolded over several centuries and very much shaped the modern China we see today. In Carol Benedict's book "Golden-Silk Smoke: A History of Tobacco in China, 1550-2010", she points out that tobacco helps illustrate "the centrality of consumption in all societies" and debunks the myth of consumption-based societies as inherently European or American in origin. In addition, the introduction of mass-produced, machine-rolled cigarettes in the 20th century demonstrated the class divisions that were just then beginning to take shape in China: the new class of urban Chinese preferred these foreign imports, while those in the countryside still favored hand-rolled cigarettes or more traditional pipes.

Cigarettes also have a special place in Chinese culture and customs as gifts. Peter Hessler's "Country Driving" discusses how cigarettes function as a sort of currency of guanxi (关系, guānxì), the building of connections essential to getting business deals and contracts done in modern China. Telling the story of budding businessman Wei Ziqi, Hessler notes how he

"invited contacts to restaurants; he drank shots of baijiu; he handed out cigarettes. He began to smoke himself. Previously he had abstained, because he believed the habit to be unhealthy and a waste of money. But for a Chinese male doing business, sharing smokes is a crucial part of pulling guanxi, and whenever Wei Ziqi went to Huairou he carried packs of Red Plum Blossom cigarettes."

In 2009, citing public health concerns, China's Ministry of Health (卫生部, wèishēng bù) banned smoking in all medical and health facilities, and many private businesses have follwed suit, limiting smoking or banning it entirely in certain places. China's smoking culture remains strong, however, with some estimates putting the proportion of Chinese adult males who smoke at over 2/3rds. In addition, some 60% of male doctors in Mainland China identify as smokers, by far the highest percentage in the world. Interestingly enough, the numbers for women are much lower: just 2% of Chinese women smoke, reinforcing the idea that smoking cigarettes and tobacco is as much a cultural practice as a physical one.

Below you'll find a helpful table of some terms and phrases you might find useful to discuss smoking and cigarettes with Chinese friends and coworkers.

One more phrase that might help: "您介意我抽支烟吗？" (nín jiè yì wǒ chōu zhī yān ma?) is a good question to ask, as it means "Would you mind if I smoke?". We hope you've enjoyed this week's ChinesePod Weekly, see you next week!

Victorian Premier Ted Baillieu and Opposition Leader Daniel Andrews have embraced the Chinese-language Weibo, a Twitter-like service, in a bid to connect with the Chinese-speaking voters in Victoria.
Mr Baillieu opened a Weibo account on Monday and attracted more than 23,000 followers within the last two days. His first message, in Chinese, was: ''Dear Weibo users … this is the official Weibo of the Victorian Premier Ted Baillieu. From today on, I will regularly update you on the Coalition's policy and political stance. Please feel free to interact and discuss with me. Many thanks.'' Advertisement: Story continues below Mr Baillieu's special adviser for the Chinese community, Gladys Liu, told Fairfax: ''The Premier is very serious about engaging with the Chinese community in Victoria. It is the largest non-English speaking community in the state.'' His venture into Chinese-language cyberspace was also spurred on by his opponent in the Parliament, Daniel Andrews, who had opened an account a week before him. Mr Andrews has 362 followers.
The messages left on Mr Baillieu's account are a mixed bag of compliments and complaints. Weibo is enormously popular in China, with more than 300 million registered users. Weibo's official partner in Australia estimated there are more than half a million users here.

There are myriad common misconceptions about China that foreigners are bound to hear (and maybe repeat - by the way, you can't see the Great Wall (长城, chángchéng) from the moon), but one of the more frequently-uttered discusses how countless cornerstone inventions of the modern industrial world have their origins in ancient China. Oddly enough, this one is sort of true: everything from metallurgy to navigation to weaponry has seen massive and crucial contributions from Chinese inventors, and it's clear that without ancient China, much of our modern world would look radically different from a scientific perspective. In this week's ChinesePod Weekly, we'll take a closer look at what came from China (and what didn't) to find out how important ancient China has been to the science and technology world!

Any discussion of Chinese inventions usually begins with the 四大发明 (sì dà fāmíng), or "Four Great Inventions": the compass, gunpowder, papermaking and printing. 发明 is the term commonly used for what are called "inventions" in English, literally meaning "to develop (something) wise or bright". Interestingly enough, the grouping of these four is actually a foreign creation, and many Chinese scholars and inventors don't regard these four inventions as particularly significant - 16th Century British sailors deemed these inventions (particularly compasses and gunpowder, we imagine) to be most important to their culture and trade, and thus the 四大发明 were born.

Gunpowder (火药, huǒyào), which was likely first produced during the Tang Dynasty (唐朝, táng cháo) in the 9th Century AD, was a remarkable innovation in its time; the basic principle wasn't improved upon for some nine centuries, when dynamite was invented in the 1800's. Legend has it that the 唐 scientists were searching for a secret formula for immortality when they stumbled upon gunpowder, which ultimately made their legacy immortal, kind of? OK, that's a bit of a stretch, but it was still pretty important. Woodblock printing (雕版印刷, diāobǎn yìnshuā) and movable type are also interesting members of the big four, in that they date to the 7th Century AD and brought about changes in Chinese books and printing that would go unchanged until the 20th Century, when Western, Gutenburg-style printing finally took hold in China. Similarly, compasses (指南针, zhǐnánzhēn) and paper printing ((造纸, zàozhǐ) were developed in China centuries before they came about elsewhere.

While much of the attention on Chinese inventions focuses on ancient eras, modern China has also produced a bevy of important developments. 青蒿素 (Qīng hāo sù, know in English as "Artemisinin"), for instance, is a medication used around the world for treatment of many forms of malaria that was discovered and cultivated by Chinese scientists in the 1970's. It quickly became the global standard and has played an important role in the reduction of malaria risk in the world's tropical areas. Given China's penchant for cigarettes, it's only natural that the electronic cigarette is also a Chinese invention, first developed by a Beijing pharmacist in 2003.

Now, on to the old (and cool) stuff. A favorite of hunters and zombie killers around the world, the crossbow would not exist without innovative Chinese inventors, who developed the first crossbow some 2,500 years ago. Chemical warfare also existed long before World War I and Saddam Hussein; it originated during the Warring States Period (战国时代, zhànguó shídài) when forces laying siege to a city or fortress would dig holes beneath the walls and roll burning balls of mustard seeds in to force out their enemies. On the lighter side, there are a host of common games and toys that also originated in China. Kites (风筝, fēngzheng) for example, were used as rescue and military signals, as well as toys, as early as the 5th Century BC. While they're a pretty silly toy today, in ancient China kites were occasionally used for more sinister purposes: the Emperor Wenxuan (文宣帝, wénxuāndì) sometimes forced prisoners to ride large kites to their deaths as punishment (we dipped back away from the lighter side there for a moment, our apologies). Chinese intellectuals also came up with Chinese chess (shockingly!), mahjong and 围棋 (wéiqí), usually known in English as "Go".

We hope you've enjoyed this week's quick look at some of the many, many inventions that have originated from China. Here is a huge master list if you're interested in learning more! See you next week.