Culture

Chinese New Year Red Envelopes: How to Give and Receive “hóngbāo” Like a Local

Chinese New Year Red Envelopes: How to Give and Receive “hóngbāo” Like a Local

Delicious dinners and family reunions. Homemade dumplings, fish and glutinous rice balls. These are just some of the traditions of the Chinese New Year for millions of people around the world. There is much to celebrate as we ring in the Year of the Dog this January 16th, but one New Year’s tradition remains a favorite for a lot of people, young and old: Red Envelopes or hóngbāo|红包. These lucky red packets stuffed with cash are just as fun to give as they are to receive. But for Mandarin learners, this custom may leave you feeling nervous. Perhaps you wish to partake in the fun, but are wondering who exactly should you give them to? You could go broke trying to give a red packet of cash to everyone you know! And what is the proper way to receive a red packet? Have no fear! This Chinese New Year, learn how to give and receive hóngbāo like a true local. Below are the three things you need to know about this fun yet important Chinese New Year tradition that has stood the test of time.

  1. Who gives and who receives?

Children are the largest receivers of hóngbāo, called Yāsuìqián| 压岁钱. Any adult can give children red envelopes, but if you are married, there is a certain expectation for you to give to the younger generation (wǎnbèi|晚辈), as your married status signifies you have started your own family. However, children are not the only receivers of lucky money. Working professionals, regardless of age, often give hóngbāo to elders (parents or grandparents), as a sign of respect known as xiàojìng | 孝敬, an important concept in Chinese culture.

Generally, it is acceptable for anyone to give a hóngbāo, except to people of similar age. That will only lead to an awkward situation that is best avoided.

  1. How to properly receive lucky red envelopes.

Before receiving a hóngbāo, one should have a few traditional New Year’s well wishes (zhùfú huà｜祝福话) ready to recite, such as “Zhù nǐ xīnnián kuàilè, shēntǐ jiànkāng|祝你新年快乐，身体健康”, a common wish for a happy new year and good health. Often, the children will try to come up with the wittiest phrases to recite before bravely asking for their hóngbāo. When receiving a red envelope, just remember: never open your red packet in front of the giver.

  1. How much money should you give?

You can give as much as you wish and can afford to give. There is no standard amount, as it depends entirely on your economic situation, and your relationship with the receiver. A close relative would typically expect to receive more than a distant family friend. Just remember: crisp, new bills should be given to signify luck, and coins should be avoided.

Since 2014, red packets have also entered the digital age, as with most other things in China’s booming economy. Wechat Red Envelopes can now be sent electronically, of course, reserved for those who are more technologically inclined.

Yet, there is still something beautiful about keeping to tradition. By following the above customs of giving and receiving hóngbāo this Chinese New Year, you will be sure to gain appreciation and respect of those around you who are celebrating the Chinese culture’s most important holiday of the year.

Learn more about the intricacies of giving and receiving hóngbāo in Chinesepod’s entertaining lesson.

Happy Chinese New Year!

Xīnnián kuàilè! 新年快乐

Dàjí dàlì 大吉大利！

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6 Simple Ways Anyone Can Celebrate Chinese New Year

6 Simple Ways Anyone Can Celebrate Chinese New Year

Chinese New Year is widely considered to be the most important holiday in China. Known in Mandarin as Chūnjié｜春节 or Guònián｜过年, it is a period symbolized by family reunion (tuánjù|团聚), and represented by various customs that Chinese people across the world take part in over a span of several weeks leading up to and following the start of the new year. This month, as we get ready to say goodbye to the Monkey and welcome in the Fire Rooster, remember, just as so many people around the world celebrate Christmas regardless of culture and ethnicity, you don’t have to be Chinese or living in China to celebrate Chinese New Year. This special holiday is really about family, a fresh start, and good wishes for you and your loved ones. True to the essence of Chinese New Year, here are 6 simple things you can do this year to join in on the festivities and bring happiness to those around you, wherever you may be in the world.

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How to Read Chinese Pinyin and Why I should Learn

How to Read Chinese Pinyin and Why I should Learn

Learning Chinese, with its 10,000+ characters may sound daunting. But add a whole different system of sounds and tones in that  may not be in our native language and you’ve got yourself a recipe for one difficult language.

Chinese pinyin helps both foreigners and native Chinese speakers learn and understand the language, and also aids with reading and writing skills. It is essential for everyday life for Chinese people, as much as it is for foreigners.

So, let’s talk pinyin.

What is Chinese Pinyin?

Chinese Pinyin is the romanization of Chinese characters. It is a tool used to write the Chinese characters in the Latin alphabet. This aids both with reading Chinese and the pronunciation of it.

Where did Chinese Pinyin come from?

Many attempts had been made over years and years to create a standard romanized version of Chinese characters, but none were standardized and approved until the 1950s, where Zhou Youguang, also known as the ‘Father of Pinyin’ came into play. He and his team spent 3 years developing the Chinese pinyin system used today.

Without this, many of the Chinese population would still be deemed illiterate, and many people trying to learn the Chinese language would be left entirely lost…!

How to read Chinese Pinyin?

Firstly, it is important to be aware that although the letters used will be familiar to an English reader, it doesn’t mean they sound  the same. Chinese Pinyin includes sounds in English that we may not exist in other languages, so the closest possible romanization has been made. This means that you need to learn how to correctly pronounce the sounds first in Chinese pinyin, then you can correctly pronounce them when reading characters.

Pronunciations

Vowels

Consonants

The consonants are much more simple to read since they are largely the same or similar in pronunciation.

zh/ch/sh/z/c/s/j/q/x and r.The sounds you should watch out for, however, are:

Source: chinesepod.com

The next thing you have to remember when reading Chinese pinyin is that it’s not just new sounds you have to learn. You also have to read which tone mark the character has.

Tones are a pain, but extremely important. Saying a word with the wrong tone can result in some serious miscommunications since many words have the same pinyin spelling, but use different tones and have different written Chinese characters.

So, when you’re learning a new word, it’s vital that you learn the correct tone with it too.

There are 4 tones in Chinese and one neutral tone. Some people say there are 5 tones.

1st tone: ˉ e.g. mā 妈 (mother)

High pitch, naturally prolonged level sound.

2nd tone: ˊ e.g. má 嘛 (hemp)

Pitch from low to high, like when asking a question at the end of a sentence.

3rd tone: ˇ e.g. mǎ 马 (horse)

Pitch falls, then goes back up again

4th tone: ˋ e.g. mà 骂 (scold)

Sharp and strong fall of the tone

5th tone: no marker, e.g. ma 吗 (q. marker)

Neutral and short

Learning the correct pronunciation of Chinese pinyin, including the tones, is the key to learning the language well and making sure you sound like a native.

Don’t move on before you’re ready!

If you liked this blog post be sure to check out “What Exactly is Pinyin” and “5 Apps to Help You Better Integrate in China”

Popular Chinese Cuisines

Popular Chinese Cuisines

Chinese food has proven to be one of the most adaptable and widespread cuisines on earth. As Chinese people immigrated and travelled abroad they often opened restaurants.  Over time, these restaurants had a tendency to tailor the cooking techniques and flavors of home to suit the new cultures and society that they served.

Americans for example are very fond of ‘egg rolls’ which are not found in China. Australians on the other hand serve ‘chiko rolls’ which also bear little resemblance to the spring rolls which inspired them. These localized interpretations of Chinese cuisine hardly do justice to the many different regional flavors of the foods which inspired them.

There are actually 8 very different types of Chinese foods, and they are as different from each other as Cajun cooking is from Californian nouvelle cuisine.

Americans are probably most familiar with Cantonese and Hunan style dishes—in very Americanized forms.

Let’s look at these different Great Cuisines.  First up: Canton.

  1. Guangdong/Cantonese Cuisine

Chinese: 粤菜 Yuècài

Cantonese food tends to be sweeter, and the braising and stewing, accentuated by mild and often subtle sauces.

Cantonese food is the most popular style internationally.

Guangdong Province and Hong Kong are noted for fine seafood dishes and rice dishes.

They eat a very wide variety of foods. The dishes they serve don’t have strong flavors since it is lightly seasoned, and they often tend to be a little sweet.

The wide variety of things that are found in Cantonese dishes led directly to the saying “They eat everything with four legs except tables and everything that flies except airplanes”.

Dishes might feature snakes, cats, dogs and all kinds of seafood that are simply not familiar to most foreigners.

Source: https://www.thespruceeats.com

Keep that in mind when you are ordering something off the menu with strange Cantonese names so be sure to ask first, or you might be very surprised (and dismayed) by what shows up at the table.

In Cantonese cooking, the goal is to preserve the food’s original flavor. This makes it very different from other Chinese regional cuisines—notably Sichuan which features food prepared with a lot of strongly flavored spices and  savory oils, In Cantonese food the aim is to highlight the simple flavor of the food itself. Very little spice or sugar is used generally.

This produces food dishes that are mostly for developed palates. The flavors can be so subtle that they can seem bland to foreigners used to foreign adapted version of Chinese food. It takes some time to appreciate the mild and distinct flavors of the meat, vegetables and fruit.

Also, very unlike overseas versions and some regional styles, Cantonese tends to be much lower calorie. Much of that is because of the sparseness of oil or grease in food prep.  Cantonese chefs also do not use dairy products.

This makes it much healthier than the concocted “crab rangoon” fried cheese wontons or oil laden sweet and sour pork fried rice meal deal at a Chinese fast food restaurant. There are not a lot of calories in the dishes. It makes for fine well balanced meals.

Other notes on Cantonese Cuisine

Spices used: Chives, coriander leaves, anise, touches of black pepper, and slivers of ginger are the most common.

Rice vinegar and a pinch of salt  is often used to enhance vegetables. The extra flavor that really gives Cantonese food its distinction is a pinch of sugar and a tiny bit of sesame oil.

But again, restraint is the key principle when it comes to spicing. For example, fresh seafood is treated very delicately. The Cantonese steam it and will only add just a little soy sauce, ginger or perhaps bits of chives.

The sauces tend to be a little heartier in flavor in Guangdong cuisine. Stout sauces like hoisin, oyster, plum, sweet and sour, and of course soy sauce are offered at the table or upon request.

Common Cantonese Dishes

Steamed Eggs are made by beating eggs to a creamy consistency and then steaming.

Source: https://www.chinasichuanfood.com

Variations might include other mild ingredients like spring onion and soy sauce.

https://www.chinasichuanfood.com

Although deep fried dishes are not the main stream of Guangdong dishes, there are quite a number of them which are popular around the region.

A youtiao (油条 /yoh-tyaow/ ‘oil strip’) is a long, golden-brown deep-fried strip of dough. Youtiaos are usually eaten for breakfast with soy milk.

Zhaliang (/jaa-lyaang/ ‘fried two’) is made by tightly wrapping a rice sheet around a youtiao (deep-fried dough stick). Zhaliang is widely eaten in Guangdong and Hong Kong. It is usually eaten with soy milk.

Noodle Dishes

Shahe noodles (shahefen /shaa-her-fnn/) are a kind of rice noodles which probably originated from the town of Shahe that is now a part of Guangzhou. They are broad and white in color. Their texture is elastic and a little chewy. They do not freeze or dry well and are thus generally (where available) purchased fresh in strips or sheets that may be cut to the desired width. Shahefen is popular in Guangdong, Guangxi and Hainan in southern China.

Source: https://www.cookingchanneltv.com

Meat Dishes

White cut chicken is made by boiling salt-marinated chicken in water or chicken broth. When it is done, the chicken looks golden in color and tastes fresh and light, preserving the best of the original taste of chicken.

That about sums up Cantonese cuisine. To sum it up, Mild. Very mild, with sparing use of subtle spices. Lots of steamed food of a shocking variety that is prepared in such a way that other flavors do not overpower its natural flavors.

In our next article we will be considering the Chinese cuisine that many people would consider to be the polar opposite of Cantonese:

Sichuan  Cuisine

Chinese: 川菜 Chuāncài

Sichuan cuisine, is also known or spelled as Szechwan cuisine, or Szechuan cuisine (/ˈsɛʃwɒn/ or /ˈsɛtʃwɒn/) and it is a style of Chinese cuisine originating from Sichuan Province.

If you like this blog post please check out “5 Great Wall Hikes For Every Beijing Tourist”

and “Phrases Which Will Impress Your Chinese Friend”

 

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