Spring may not have quite arrived but it is a season which brings much joy after months of cold winter weather.

In Britain the blooming daffodils and snowdrops signal the onset of the change in seasons and many people cannot wait to enjoy the countryside with the flashes of yellow sweeping across the fields or walk through woods carpeted with bluebells.

Spring is a season that is much enjoyed in Paris, France, and is referred to in songs and films. And of course tourists have long enjoyed walking down the Champs Elysee as the avenue of trees come into bloom. Paris au Printemps, or Paris in the Spring, has lent itself as the title to a 1947 movie, a 1935 black and white musical comedy film directed by Lewis Milestone which itself featured a popular song of the same name by Harry Revel. In modern times too, Paris au Printemps has been used as the title of an album by the experimental rock band Public Image Ltd.  

Just as Paris au Printemps can be romantic and joyful, China too is a beautiful place to be as the cherry tree blossom arrives.

Spring is welcomed across China, though being such a huge country there are vast differences from province to province. Indeed in some regions spring may last only a few days before summer arrives!

While the likes of Harbin, in the northern province of Heilongjiang , are still enjoying the annual ice festival, in the southern provinces of Yunnan and Guizhou are already seeing the cherry trees coming into bloom.

The beginning of the spring, or lìchūn (立春) in Chinese, is the first of the 24 solar terms (jiéqì 节气), or the 24 divisions of the solar year, according to the traditional Chinese calendar. It more particularly refers to the day when the Sun is exactly at the celestial longitude of 315°. In the modern Gregorian calendar, it usually begins around 4th February.

The “24 solar terms” were created thousands of years ago. Ancient Chinese people used them to guide agricultural production, as warnings of climatic conditions such as floods or drought and as markers by which to plan cultural ceremonies or family gatherings. Nowadays the “24 solar terms” are still used by farmers across China, as well as other parts of Asia.

In celebration of the coming of spring many people enjoy traditional dishes and snacks,  such as zhǒuzi (肘子) braised pork joints, chūn bǐng (春饼) spring pancake , and chūnjuǎn (春卷), commonly known in the west as ‘spring rolls’. The tradition of eating such snacks or meals is called yǎochūn (咬春), which literally means "bite the spring."

Spring terms and phrases

There are a few Chinese idioms containing the character for spring (chūn, 春). Most impart meanings of beauty or other positive attributes.

Chinese people often use the old saying yī nián zhī jì zài yú chūn (一年之计在于春). Literally meaning “one year’s plan depends on spring,” the phrase is used to encourage individuals to make a good plan at the beginning of any endeavour.

Yǔ hòu chūn sǔn (雨后春笋), literally after a spring rain, bamboo shoots, is used to describe something springing up like mushrooms.

Meanwhile, “autumn moon, spring flower,” qiū yuè chūn huā (秋月春花) poetically describes the beautiful seasonal views of spring and autumn.

And to describe a person shining with happiness or beaming with smiles the Chinese might say mǎn miàn chūn fēng (满面春风, lit. full face spring wind). But should such a person’s joy be only transient, it might be said they were having yī cháng chūn mèng (一场春梦). Literally it means one having a spring dream, but equates to the English idiomatic reference of a pipe dream or something that is simply an illusion. It might also be used to refer to someone day dreaming.

To mark the launch of a Mandarin Chinese family learning club programme especially designed for kids aged from six months to five years old, Oriental Skye is pleased to share some family teaching insights along with research on the benefits of raising kids bilingually at an early age.

Many scientific studies have concluded that bilingualism or multilingualism will bring far more benefits to kids, not only in their brain development, but also in the opportunities and choices they will encounter in adulthood, be it in their education, career or leisure.

As a mother and a native Mandarin speaker, I have witnessed my young daughter’s almost daily improvements in understanding both in Chinese and English. Indeed both my native British husband and I have been thrilled by our daughter’s ability to understand and respond to both languages.

Even at the age of 12 months she had grasped an understanding of several words, and at a little over 16 months can clearly understand and respond to sentences in both languages.

I myself started learning English in China as a second language as a teenager. And although being fully bilingual, I still encounter difficulties with my second language.

In short, the earlier one learns a second language, the better.  In the US, studies have shown that bilingualism has tremendous cognitive and social benefits compared to speaking only one language.

Furthermore those brought up bilingually often have better concentration, cultural awareness, increased creativity, problem solving, multitasking skills, and advantages in finding jobs later in life.

Many parents believe that teaching a second language too early is confusing and that the child might not be able to differentiate between the two.

There is also the concern amongst some parents that children raised bilingual take a little longer to start talking than those raised in monolingual households. This has been observed but the delay is temporary and, according to many experts, it's not a general rule.

Of course there will undoubtedly be a mixing of the languages encountered, but this is both inevitable and harmless. Children who have a smaller vocabulary in one language may draw on words from the other language as needed. Known as code-switching, this mixing eventually goes away as a child's vocabulary develops in both languages and he has more exposure to each one.

The benefits undoubtedly outweigh the disadvantages. One study funded in part by the National Institute of Health suggested that children who grow up learning to speak two languages are better at switching between tasks than those who learn to speak only one language.

In fact some studies indicate that babies as young as seven months can distinguish between, and begin to learn, two languages with vastly different grammatical structures.

While not everyone has the advantage of bringing their child up in a bilingual environment, it is never too early to introduce them to a new language. Indeed how many of us wished we’d all studied an instrument early on and stuck with it? In fact learning a second language is just like learning an instrument. The more you play the better you get.

If you enjoyed this please check out some of our other stories:

Breastfeeding: Challenges faced by East & West
Cultural differences in potty training
Colourful Childhood: exploring cultural impacts on kids and parenthood
Cultural divides in raising a vegetarian child

Further reading:

Raising a bilingual child: The top five myths - Baby Center

New Study Shows Brain Benefits Of Bilingualism - NPR

Bilingual benefits: Raising a child with two languages - Multilingual Parenting

Why Bilinguals Are Smarter - New York Times 

Bilingual babies' vocabulary linked to early brain differentiation - Science Daily 

Bilingual babies know their grammar by 7 months - Science Daily

Chinese people often use the phrase ‘mín yǐ shí wéi tiān’ (民以食为天) to express their love of food and appreciation of the diversity of flavours. This term literally means “food is heaven” or “food is God to the people”.



It comes from an ancient phrase once made by a top advisor to an emperor in around 200 BC  who said, "People are the most important to an emperor, while food is the most important to the people."

To some extent, this applies to the people in the West, as it's often said “good food, good wine and good company make for a good life.”

However, Chinese food culture is unique in many aspects, from the use of chopsticks, the ways of preparing, cooking and serving a wide variety of dishes and delicacies.

Regional delicacies

Local delicacies [fēngwèi xiǎochī - 风味小吃] are peculiar to each region and range from smelly tofu in Yunnan province to Dan Dan Noodles in Sichuan province or Peking Duck in Beijing. But nowadays they may be enjoyed by people all over China and around the world.

With food playing such an important part of Chinese festivals, many people enjoy showing their hospitality by treating their friends and colleagues to a feast at a local restaurant.

In your first trip to China, you might be overwhelmed by the huge diversity of foods on offer. You may also be surprised by the length of time people spend talking about, preparing and enjoying food.

Today, in big cities like Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, you will easily find a wide selection of dishes which originate in other parts of China.

Tofu

One basic food stuff much used in Chinese cuisine is tofu [Dòufu -豆腐], or bean curd. It may be used in a variety of different recipes which differ from province to province. Tofu is just one of the many products made from this versatile bean. Soy milk, soy bean paste, often known in the west by the Japanese name Miso [みそ], tofu skin - a dried product made from skimming off the cooled layer of tofu solids when making tofu product and similar to the skin formed on boiled cow’s milk - and of course soy sauce.

Plain tofu is used in soups or cooked with vegetables. It may also make up the bulk of a dishes such as the famous Má Pó Dòufu (麻婆豆腐) a Sichuan dish where the tofu is cooked in a very spicy sauce with pork mince. A vegetarian alternative omits the pork and may be simply described as Málà Dòufu (麻辣豆腐) or spicy tofu.

However, tofu may often be eaten by itself as a snack. In his case it undergoes a process not unlike that which turns milk curds to cheese. Unlike cheese, stinky or smelly tofu fermentation does not have a fixed formula for starter bacteria. Indeed there are many differing wide regional and individual variations which exist for its manufacture and preparation.

Smelly tofu

One traditional method for producing smelly tofu (Chòu Dòufu - 臭豆腐) is to prepare a brine made from fermented milk, vegetables, and meat and then immerse the blocks of tofu. The brine fermentation can take as long as several months and the resulting tofu can have the odour of smelly socks! The tofu is then cut and dried and before being distributed to street vendors or restaurants.

Smelly tofu is a popular street food all across China, though it may be cooked differently depending on where you are. On the streets of Shanghai or Beijing it maybe deep fried and dipped in a sweet sauce while in Yunnan in particular it is generally barbecued and served with chilli powder or with a little soy sauce added.

Often enjoyed on a warm sultry night with a beer, Shiping tofu is particularly revered amongst the inhabitants of Yunnan province.

There is a long tradition of making smelly tofu in Shiping county, and recipes are are kept a closely guarded secret.

Each by-product of the tofu making process is considered a delicacy in Shiping county be it the soybean milk, tofu skin or tofu itself.

But it is the smelly tofu which is considered the most highly prized and much sought after snack and which is an integral part of everyday life not only in Yunnan province but across much of China.

To help those who are interested in Chinese culture but find its language daunting, Oriental Skye posts simple and useful words or phrases which give a small insight to the Chinese language and culture. 



While you may not become fluent through learning these words and phrases, they may become useful even to the novice. 

So please check our Language Insights page regularly for updates, and don’t forget to follow us on Facebook,Google+ or Twitter. 

According to the Chinese zodiac,  2014 is the Year of the Horse  (mǎ nián 马年). And this year's Chinese  Spring Festival (chūn jié 春节) , also called the Lunar New Year (nónɡ lì  xīn nián  农历新年), falls on January 31. It is the grandest and the most important festival for Chinese people. It is also the time for the whole families to get together, which is similar with Christmas Day to westerners.

We believe 2014 is a good year to begin learning Chinese or brush up your existing language skills. In the Chinese ethos, the spirit of the horse in making unremitting efforts to improve themselves is highly recognised and cherished. People born in the year of horse are also perceived to be energetic, bright, warm-hearted, intelligent and able.

Though not everybody is born in the year of horse, an able person is often described as 'qiān lǐ mǎ’ (千里马),  a horse that covers a thousand li a day (one li equals 500 metres).  There is a famous Chinese idiom ‘mǎ dào chéng gōng’ (马到成功), which literally translates as “horse arrives, succeed” or "succeed upon the arrival of a horse" and infers instant success or immediate victory.

That's part of the reason Oriental Skye will start our language programme in early February at the beginning of the new year, to help potential students to achieve a good result in their language learning and become an efficient user of Mandarin as a 'qiān lǐ mǎ’..

For our Mandarin programme, please check the tuition page.