Families, Relatives, and Children’s Names

Holiday season is the time to relax with families, relatives, and friends.  In this holiday season, I have focused on teaching Chinese family and relative names (family titles, not their giving names) to children.  We started with the words for family and home, my family, I love my family, mom, dad, older/younger sisters, older/younger brothers, and I, myself.  For older children, we learned how to address extended family members including father-side relatives and mother-side relatives and those by marriage.

In the traditional large Chinese family, a complex system with rules and protocols was developed to keep the family’s well-being, with each member having its own role and duty to fulfill.  Therefore each member of such a large family has its own unique family name (title). 

When I teach these family names to children, they often think it is too confusing. When I teach adults, they don’t like the idea that maternal relatives are considered outsiders of the main family tree.  Indeed, it can be hard to remember all the names for different relatives based on relations. 

By contrast I often feel that English family names are not clear enough.  When my husband introduced his uncle to me at a family gathering, “This is Uncle Chuck,” I had no clue how this Uncle Chuck related to him (he turned out to be my husband’s 三 姑 父 san gu fu, i.e. father’s third older sister’s husband).  When a friend of mine introduced me to his “sister-in-law”, again I was confused.  How did this woman relate to him?

Chinese family structure has changed dramatically in the last thirty years due to the one-child-per-family-policy.  Nowadays, many Chinese families have one child.  Therefore it becomes a more top- heavy tree:  four grand-parents, two parents, and one child. 

With this new structure, family relationships also change.  In the traditional way, a woman would use her husband’s family name once married and children carried the family line by having the father’s family name.   Since the 1950s, women have kept their maiden names even after getting married, but children mostly carry their fathers’ family names.  Now with one child, we hear stories of the husband and wife fighting over which family name to give to their single child.  I guess hyphenated family names haven’t taken off in China yet.

Hope you enjoy the holidays with your families, relatives, and friends!

Hosting Chinese Students

This summer for two and a half weeks I had an opportunity to co-host two Chinese students with my neighbor.  It’s a great experience for the students and host families.

On a Thursday evening, we went to Endicott College to pick up our boys.  We saw many families there expecting Chinese students.   It was a friendly and exciting atmosphere.   My son was eagerly waiting for the students’ arrival.   Then two Peter Pan buses came and we saw Chinese students coming off the buses group by group.   Which ones were our boys?  All we had seen before were two profiles of the two young Chinese boys ages 11 & 12.   There were girls and boys, ages 11 to 18.  I kept my eyes on the younger boys in the crowds.  I spotted a boy wearing a T shirt printed with a Rubik’s cube holding a purple suitcase handle.  I stepped over and asked his name.  Yes, I got one of our boys.  Through him, we found the other boy. They called themselves David and Jerry.  With excitement, we loaded their suitcases and had them get into the car.  As we drove out of the parking lot, my co-hostess said to the students: “Please put on your seatbelts!”  The boys followed the instruction.  I noticed they didn’t do it automatically like my son did.  Okay, they were fresh from China!

We had a welcome party in my neighbors’ backyard.  My older son grilled hamburgers.  It’s what they expected as typical American food.  David liked the cheeseburger; Jerry didn’t like the cheese.  Before they settled for the night, David asked, “How do we get to school tomorrow morning?”  Then he emphasized,  “It is very important.”  I was impressed by their serious attitude towards study.

Yes, the next morning they got up at 6:30 am, had breakfast, and went to school.

This was their English immersion program.  They took classes and went on field trips, including to NYC.  They lived with American families and experienced everyday life.

My own two boys had time to play with them, have dinner together every night, watch the Olympic Games together, share computer games, play ball in the backyard, and swim at the Y.  For two weeks, the boys lived as part of our family.  We went shopping together.  We took them to a baseball game, watched my younger son’s basketball games and Martial Arts practice.  We went to church and watched my older son play piano at the Sunday service.  They also met and played with other American children in our house.

Over the last weekend, we celebrated David’s 12^th birthday.  He had his mother on his iPhone watching our celebration.  With his iPhone, he was showing my house to his mother in China and I was able to see his mother and father and talk to them.  It was quite an amazing experience.  The world is connected more closely than ever before.

Before they left, Jerry gave me some fine white tea from his hometown and showed me how to make the tea properly.  David gave my boys some unusual Rubik’s cubes which they took to immediately.

After they left, Jerry called me via video phone from Toronto airport and I saw him and David there.  Jerry called me again after he got home.  Through the video phone he showed me his apartment and a room for my younger son to stay in when he visits China someday.  I got to see his Mom and Dad as well.  David has also emailed me and said he enjoyed the trip very much and he had taken on a new hobby:  playing Lego after seeing all the Lego sets built by my older son in our house.

It was very sweet.  I know that I have two boys attached to me in China now.

Quotes of the Chinese students:

Jerry:  My favorite American food is Hot Dogs.

David:  Shanghai is quieter than New York.

My New Pastime -- Youth Baseball

Last Saturday evening, my husband and I went to Forest River Park in Salem to watch our son’s Little League baseball game.  It was a beautiful spring evening: blue sky with calm sea air surrounded by lush trees.  Before the game started, we strolled around the park to enjoy the peaceful atmosphere.  By 7:15 pm, we were back in the bleachers to watch the game.  Throughout the evening, I saw my son with other kids always happily running out of the dugout to where he was supposed to be.  He did the batting, had the strike, base hits, and runs batted in…  Certainly he was enjoying the game.   The children looked happy and so did the parents and grandparents watching the game.  As the game continued, the sky got dark and the lights around the field lit up.  When the game was over we had all had a good time and my son’s team had won.

This is my son’s first season of baseball.  It is also my first season to watch baseball games -- the America’s favorite pastime.   I remember before I came to the US about 26 years ago, I was preparing for my TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language).  In one sample test I did, the listening comprehension part was a baseball commentary.   I was totally lost on the passage and thought that wasn’t fair.  At the time there was no baseball in Beijing and I had no knowledge about the game at all.  I thought that I would have to go to America to learn about baseball in order to take the test.  Luckily, the real test I took didn’t have anything on baseball and I got good enough scores to qualify for study in the US.

After I came to the US, I watched one major league baseball game in Dallas.  It was fun and gave me the impression that baseball is not just a sport but also a social entertainment:  people sitting out doors in the summer time, eating all kinds of snack food, watching a leisurely game, and enjoying the social company.   However, this season with my son playing the game, I’ve started to learn about the terminology, rules, strategy, and techniques.  They are complicated!  If someone tested me for English listening comprehension with a baseball game commentary now, I could still very easily get lost.

Now America’s pastime has spread to China. There are baseball teams in Beijing, both professionals and youth leagues.  There is an official website on Chinese Baseball Association: http://baseball.sport.org.cn .  The photo of the Beijing youth baseball league at the Bird’s Nest in Beijing is from the website.  It states that youth baseball promotes “happy, healthy, cooperative baseball culture”.  It also quotes: “Baseball is a complex sport.  From the gaming conflict, it cultivates youth with characteristics of bravery, persistence, intelligence, flexibility, quick reaction, and decisiveness.  It also cultivates collectiveness and team spirit.”

      

“棒球这项运动具有浓厚的游戏性，在激烈的对抗中强调协调配合，能培养青少年勇敢顽强、机智灵敏，坚毅果断的性格，也能培养团结一致的集体主义精神和团队精神。”

　　

“鸟巢杯”少年棒球邀请赛的成功举办有助于让更多的孩子和家长认识棒球运动，扩大棒球项目的知名度，这对促进全民健身，传播“快乐、健康、合作”的棒球文化、提高青少年身体素质也有着积极的意义。

Below are some of the Chinese terms for baseball games:

English	Chinese	English	Chinese
baseball	棒球	baseball game	棒球赛
balk	投手犯规	ball	坏球
base	垒位	base on balls	四坏球上垒
batter	击球员/击手	batter's box	击球区
bench or dugout	队员席	bunt	触击球
called game	中止比赛	catch	接住
catcher	接手	catcher's box	接手区
coach	教练员	dead ball	死球
defense or defensive	守队或守队队员	double header	连赛两场
double play	双杀	force double play	双封杀
reverse force double play	封触双杀	dugout	队员席
fair ball	界内球	fair territory	界内地区
fielder	守场员	fly ball	高飞球
force play	封杀	forfeited game	弃权比赛
foul ball	界外球	foul territory	界外地区
foul tip	擦棒被接球	ground ball	地滚球
home team	主队或后攻队	infielder	内场手
infield fly	内场高飞球	in flight	飞行状态
inning	局	interference	妨碍行为
league	联盟（协会）	line drive	平直球
live ball	活球	manager	经理(总教练)
out	出局	outfielder	外场手
penalty	罚则	pitch	投球
pitcher	投手	the pitcher's pivot foot	投手的轴心脚
play	比赛开始或继续比赛	quick return pitch	急投
run or score	得分	runner	跑垒员
safe	安全	squeeze play	抢分触击
strike	好球(击)	strike zone	好球区
suspended game	改期续赛	tag	触及(触杀)
throw	传球	tie game	平局比赛
triple play	三杀	umpire	裁判员
wild pitch	暴投	wind-up position	正面投球

What I want to learn about China

It was Monday at 3 in the afternoon.  I walked into the lower school building at the Shore Country Day School to get ready for my Chinese language and culture class with the youngsters from Readiness to 1^st grade.  As I approached the room where I meet my students, I noticed a newly decorated wall done by the 1^st grade teacher.  On the floor up against the wall there were many gray-painted shoe boxes piled up to form a segment of the Great Wall of China.  Above the “Great Wall” there were two large panels with the theme “What I want to learn about China”.  On each panel, there were many sheets from the students with their handwritten answers.  I was totally intrigued by those answers since they were like windows into the children’s minds and their curiosity about my native country.  I stood there and copied down some of the children’s writing:

Where is China?

Is there Dragon?

Are there snakes in China?

Is the Temple of Heaven on a hill?

What are abacuses for?

I would like to learn about the food that tastes good.

Do apples grow in China?

How do you write in Chinese?

I want to learn about the language in Chinese because it sounds cool.

I would like to learn about the rice paddies, the boats, the towers like the pagoda, the symbols, the cars, and the population number.

I would like to learn about the lion dance.

I would like to learn about the Great Wall of China. How long it is? How many blocks/bricks in the great wall?

What do people do in their life?

Do people weave?

What do kids play in China?

How long is school in China?

What do kids learn?

What do kids wear for holidays?

What do kids wear every day?

In the past, I have asked my students what they would like to learn, but this is the most interesting list of questions and statements from very young children.   I’ll make it a practice to ask students to write down what they would like to learn about China whenever I start a new class.

春天来了 -- Happy Spring 2012

After a mild winter, we welcomed a beautiful first day of spring on March 20^th.  In the morning after walking my son to his school, I continued to Derby Wharf.  The sky was blue, the sea was calm, the sun was shining, and the air was warm… It felt wonderful.  春天来了。(Chūn  tiān  lái  le)  Spring has arrived.  Actually, it was felt more like a summer day.

After school, I went to the Salem Athenaeum where I have my Chinese class with children on Tuesdays.  I walked upstairs with the children and opened the fan window.  The fresh spring air flew in with the warm rays of sunshine.  Sitting down together, we started to read the day’s text:

天上有太阳。 tiān  shàng  yǒu  tài  yang 。

There is the sun in the sky.

天上有月亮。tiān  shàng  yǒu  yuè  liang。

There is the moon in the sky.

天上有星星。tiān  shàng  yǒu  xīng  xing。

There are stars in the sky.

天上有云。tiān  shàng  yǒu  yún。

There are clouds in the sky.

地上有草。dì  shàng  yǒu  cǎo。

There is grass on the ground.

地上有花。dì  shàng  yǒu  huā。

There are flowers on the ground.

水中有鱼。shuǐ  zhōng  yǒu  yú。

There are fish in the water.

林中有鸟。lín  zhōng  yǒu  niǎo。

There are birds in the woods.

树上有鸟。shù  shàng  yǒu  niǎo。

There are birds on the trees.

After learning to read these sentences, children learned to write them.  At the end of the class we were all admiring this page of beautiful writing done by 8-year-old Hugo.

Enter the Dragon

On January 23^rd we welcomed the Chinese New Year of the Dragon.   This year is special since the Chinese dragon symbolizes power, dignity, and embodiment of virtue and strength.  We wish great happiness and prosperity will be brought to us.

During the last couple of weeks, I have been introducing the Chinese New Year to students at The Phoenix School, Shore Country Day School, and my students at the Salem Athenaeum.  We raised the red lanterns, read stories, learned about the Chinese zodiac, and made the dumplings.  Students learned to say dragon in Chinese: 龙(lóng) and write the character for good luck: 福(fú).

One question I got from students was: What is the Chinese dragon?  Is it real?  We learned that the Chinese dragon is considered the largest divine animal in China and its most popular mascot.  It has a cow’s head, deer’s antlers, shrimp’s eyes, eagle’s claws, snake’s body, lion’s tail, and four legs with five claws on each foot; its body is covered with scales. The Chinese dragon is a mythical creature with inexhaustible magical power: it can walk on land, swim in water, and fly in the clouds.

May you have a great happy New Year of the Dragon!

Happy New Year 2012

Dear Friends,

Happy New Year!

This New Year seems so special to me -- it’s the 25^th anniversary of my arrival in the US for graduate study at the end of 1986.  Time flies.  Please don’t tell me that I am not young any more.  I know it.  

25 years ago, I came to the US with my own American dream.   I have studied and worked hard, thrived and achieved.  In 2007, I moved to Paris with my family and saw the world from another point of view.  Standing at the top of the Eiffel Tower, I realized the world had changed.  China had risen from the East.  I started to look to the east from the west, looking back to my birthplace, Beijing, and was inspired by the new globalization.

In the last three years, I have been engaged in sharing my native Chinese language and culture with local Americans on the north shore of Boston.  I have been very happy teaching young children and sharing with adults.  I have been amazed by mothers who see the future of the world and encourage their children to learn Chinese language and culture.  I have been excited to see many local schools educating their students to be the global citizens and leaders of the 21^st century.  I have felt so fortunate to be able to attend exhibitions from Beijing at the Peabody Essex Museum.

What I have seen this past year is that businesses have started engaging with China more actively.  I have trained American expats and coached software engineers for their journeys to Beijing.  I have attended events where both Americans and Chinese shared their ideas and stories in Sino-American economic development.

Gradually I have started to realize my new dream -- to build bridges between Americans and Chinese to imagine, explore, and succeed. 

As we toast the New Year 2012 and get ready to light the firecrackers for the Year of the Dragon, I look forward to having more of my dream come true.  

If you want to learn Chinese yourself, or cultivate your children’s Chinese heritage, or simply raise them as tomorrow’s citizens of the world, I am at your service.  Panda Land also provides consulting and services to business and organizations for their efforts in connecting between America and China.

Please feel free to contact me if I can be any help to your endeavor in the New Year.

Best regards,

Judy Wang Bedell

  

Panda Land 

Chinese Lessons for Americans - friendly, engaging, personalized.

Cross-Cultural Education and Consulting - bridging the gap in a personal way.

www.pandalandchinese.com