Lesson 3
Thoughtsthe Spring Festival
Text A
My first Spring Festivalnorth China wasbita shock. Where wasspring? There was snowthe groundicethe Summer Palace lake andnorth-west wind was blowing. In England, wherecome from, we thinkthe flowers that bloomthe spring;crocusesdaffodilsthe flowering tress - purple lilac, yellow laburnum, rosy horse-chestnuts, pinkwhite hawthorn or may. In fact we say "cast notclout till mayout ". That means don't ieave off any ciothes untilmay flowerin bloom. By then it's warm, so you won't catch cold if you shedgarment.
Thenhad another problem.Beijing, despitesnowice it's often sunny over .he Spring Festival. Solikedgo out;walkthe snow roundSummer Palace lake orskateKunming Lake. Then we'd co~ne homefind that old friends had calledus whiie we were out. So gradually we iearntlawsthe Spring Festival. The first day (chu yi 初 )for feasting at home withfamilyvery ciose friends;secondthird days arepayingreceiving visit So we changed our holiday life stylestayed at home or called n friends those days. Of course we could still go outchu yi.
These days we don't always stayBeijingthe Spring Festival ; sometimes we goa tripsome other partChina. Last year we were lucky enoughgoI-Iainan Island. Insteadskating we went swimming. That wastreat. The sea-waterFebruary was warmer than itinmiddlethe summerEngland. That made upthose snowy, icy, windy Beijingsprings.
983 was another memorable festivalus.A friendthe Naxi national minority invited ushis home,the mountainsnorthwest Yunnan , 2 , 000 metres above sea-level. Whatwonderful place and, what wonderful people, how hospitable despite being far from wan yuan hu(萬元戶）! They introduced ustheir friendsrelatives, as well astheir ancient culture. Andgoes without saying that they winednd dined us with their fiery hot food.
One very special meal waspicnic bygravesthe ancestors. This was no English style picnic withcouplesandwiches andbottlebeer. The Mongolian-style hotpot was carried up intohillsthere was a.regular feastall three generations. Butfirst cupwine was placed bygravethe clan ancestor. Why shouldn't he jointhe fun along withdescendants? Of course there wasusual exchangegifts. The most precious onereceived wasgranddaughter - or at leastgod-granddaughter nearly one yearold.had nothingcomparable valueofferreturn.
In 98 we wentJiangxiFujian. The high point was walkingthe Wu Yi Mountains,the borderthe two provinces. These mountains are not high by Chinese standards though they are higher than anyBritain. But they are iclealhiking, even whensnows , asdid when we climbed them. The lower slopes are plantedtea bushes; above them tower spectacular crags, sheer precipicesmassive rocks cleft by narrow paths You can scarcely squeeze thraugh them -especially aftercontinuous banqueting whichhardavoid during the Spring Festival.
Butbiggest banquets are not alwaysbest. Years ago,remember, asfestival approached, there would bedancethe students' dining hall,which we teachers were invited. Then there wasfinest feastall; great bucketscauldronssteaming laba zhou<臘八粥),thick, sweet porridgeglutinous rice fullgreen beans, candied fruit, peanutslotus kernels.It wasn't these ingredients alone which madelaba zhou delicious. It wasjolly atmosphere, with students, teachers, cookscadres all enjoying themselves together.
In 980 we spentSpring FestivalChengdutheregot another shock. Onfirst daythe lunar new year - we visitedfamous temple. The street outsidemain gate was lined with sellersincense. People were queuing up byhundredbuyand burnincensechantbow, evenkowtow, as they maderoundsthe temple statues. At firstfelt sad. Here we were, over 30 years after Liberation,a socialist country,people were still doing this!
We discussedand concluded thathad its good side. It takes timecreatescientific world outlookthese ancient practicesbeli fs had evidently never been rooted out. They had simply gone underground, especially duringdaysthe GangFour. Nlow, four years aftergang's overthrow,people felt freeunafraid,dothe open what had been hiddentheir he rtshomes. In any case, these incense burners were notcross-sectionthe people.
They were mostly old ladies with little bound feet, who'd been deprivededucation. But then with them were their grandchildren, some wearing red scarves. That seemed terrible. Young Pioneers worshipping idols!Inendrealized thatchildren didn't beIieveidols controlled their fate. They were looking after their grannies, helping them overtemple thresholdsshowing themway. Sothought, that's what they'll do as they grow up. They'll show their granniesway intomodernized, socialist China.
Text B
Christmas Day
Christians celebratebirthJesus Christthe twentyfifthDecember. The Christian calendar startsthe yearwhich Jesus was born. The letters A'. D. withyear mean "Anno Domini" or "inyearOur Lord". Christmas Daya very happy daymany,boysgirls. Beforeterm endssome schools,children actnativity or "birth" play, showing how Jesus was borna stable.
Manythe celebrations at Christmas are old customs. Some fathers dress upa red cloakputa long white beard. They pretendbe Father Christmas , or Santa Claus,put presents bybedstheir children. The words Santa Claus arewaysaying Saint Nicholas,good man who helped poor peoplegave presentsthem more than 300 years after Jesus was born.
To most ChristiansEuropeAmerica, Christmas Day finishesyear, although there are stillfew days left after it. Shop windows are decorated with Christmas trees some months before December,notices are put up saying "68 shopping daysChristmas" or "2 shopping daysChristmas". Cotton woolstuck onthe shop windowslook like snow,hollymistletoe are hung up.
Parents buy presentstheir children. Then they havehide themthe housestopchildren from finding out what "Father Christmas"goingbring them. Ontwenty-fourthDecember, all children are very excited. Usually they are sentbed early so that their parents can getpresentsready. The younger children think that Father Christmas will come downchimney or fireplace, so they hang upsockhimput presents in. The greedy.
ones even hang uppillow-case orsacktryget more presents. Later that night, Father or Mother will put presentsthe sock,leave others atsidethe bed. On Christmas morning,children wake up very early. Some even turnthe light at two o'clock,mostthem are awake by six o'clock although itnot lightEnglandanother hour or two at this timethe year.
hildren looktheir presents,the young ones play whiledinnerprepared. At about one o'clockthe afternoon,Christmas dinnerbrought in. The turkey or chickenquickly eaten. Children searchtheir Christmas puddingnew coins which are hiddenit. The restthe dayfullgameseating untilhappiestall Christian holidays comesan end.
Additional Information
Now thatSpring Festivalover,only have schoollook forward to. lt's really funny,find myself looking forward moremoreschool.
As usualcan get little work done duringwinter vacation. For one thing,Spring Festivalalwaysbig distraction, anddays beforeafter nobody can get any work done. It's all right if you really havenice time, asused to. But nowfind myself enjoyinglessless.stopped enjoying fireworksfirecrackers years ago. The firecrackers especially getmy nerves.
I really think we should stop making them, as every year many children have their eyes hurt or even blinded. Even worse sometimes fires are startedwhole buildings get burned down. Stillsuppose we'll continuemake them as long as therea marketthem.
Andfood! People spend days queuingbuying. The result - too muchtoo rich food which does nobody any good. Chicken, duck, fish, pork, beef, mutton, - name what you will. What's more they become oa;eless too. Too mucha good thing, as we say. And this visiting business too. It's all right forfew really good friendsget togetherchat over some tea or drinks.
But mere acquaintancesthe usually not too neighbourly neighbours dropping insay hello-well,suppose these are well-intended gestures, butfind thempainthe neck. Usually therenothingtalk about except some meaningless platitudes. Mumlooking very tired,no wonder Dad too,think. foundwhole thingstrain. The only two who really enjoyedSpring Festival are GrannyXiao Hong. Still Spring Festival comes only onceyear.
Oh yes,did enjoy myself skatingthe nearby lake quitefew times. The icenot too good nowgetting very thin.stopped going beforeSpring Festival. But there are people who are either too reckless or too ignorant or both,we hear about people falling through thin ice every year.
Thoughtsthe Spring Festival
Text A
My first Spring Festivalnorth China wasbita shock. Where wasspring? There was snowthe groundicethe Summer Palace lake andnorth-west wind was blowing. In England, wherecome from, we thinkthe flowers that bloomthe spring;crocusesdaffodilsthe flowering tress - purple lilac, yellow laburnum, rosy horse-chestnuts, pinkwhite hawthorn or may. In fact we say "cast notclout till mayout ". That means don't ieave off any ciothes untilmay flowerin bloom. By then it's warm, so you won't catch cold if you shedgarment.
Thenhad another problem.Beijing, despitesnowice it's often sunny over .he Spring Festival. Solikedgo out;walkthe snow roundSummer Palace lake orskateKunming Lake. Then we'd co~ne homefind that old friends had calledus whiie we were out. So gradually we iearntlawsthe Spring Festival. The first day (chu yi 初 )for feasting at home withfamilyvery ciose friends;secondthird days arepayingreceiving visit So we changed our holiday life stylestayed at home or called n friends those days. Of course we could still go outchu yi.
These days we don't always stayBeijingthe Spring Festival ; sometimes we goa tripsome other partChina. Last year we were lucky enoughgoI-Iainan Island. Insteadskating we went swimming. That wastreat. The sea-waterFebruary was warmer than itinmiddlethe summerEngland. That made upthose snowy, icy, windy Beijingsprings.
983 was another memorable festivalus.A friendthe Naxi national minority invited ushis home,the mountainsnorthwest Yunnan , 2 , 000 metres above sea-level. Whatwonderful place and, what wonderful people, how hospitable despite being far from wan yuan hu(萬元戶）! They introduced ustheir friendsrelatives, as well astheir ancient culture. Andgoes without saying that they winednd dined us with their fiery hot food.
One very special meal waspicnic bygravesthe ancestors. This was no English style picnic withcouplesandwiches andbottlebeer. The Mongolian-style hotpot was carried up intohillsthere was a.regular feastall three generations. Butfirst cupwine was placed bygravethe clan ancestor. Why shouldn't he jointhe fun along withdescendants? Of course there wasusual exchangegifts. The most precious onereceived wasgranddaughter - or at leastgod-granddaughter nearly one yearold.had nothingcomparable valueofferreturn.
In 98 we wentJiangxiFujian. The high point was walkingthe Wu Yi Mountains,the borderthe two provinces. These mountains are not high by Chinese standards though they are higher than anyBritain. But they are iclealhiking, even whensnows , asdid when we climbed them. The lower slopes are plantedtea bushes; above them tower spectacular crags, sheer precipicesmassive rocks cleft by narrow paths You can scarcely squeeze thraugh them -especially aftercontinuous banqueting whichhardavoid during the Spring Festival.
Butbiggest banquets are not alwaysbest. Years ago,remember, asfestival approached, there would bedancethe students' dining hall,which we teachers were invited. Then there wasfinest feastall; great bucketscauldronssteaming laba zhou<臘八粥),thick, sweet porridgeglutinous rice fullgreen beans, candied fruit, peanutslotus kernels.It wasn't these ingredients alone which madelaba zhou delicious. It wasjolly atmosphere, with students, teachers, cookscadres all enjoying themselves together.
In 980 we spentSpring FestivalChengdutheregot another shock. Onfirst daythe lunar new year - we visitedfamous temple. The street outsidemain gate was lined with sellersincense. People were queuing up byhundredbuyand burnincensechantbow, evenkowtow, as they maderoundsthe temple statues. At firstfelt sad. Here we were, over 30 years after Liberation,a socialist country,people were still doing this!
We discussedand concluded thathad its good side. It takes timecreatescientific world outlookthese ancient practicesbeli fs had evidently never been rooted out. They had simply gone underground, especially duringdaysthe GangFour. Nlow, four years aftergang's overthrow,people felt freeunafraid,dothe open what had been hiddentheir he rtshomes. In any case, these incense burners were notcross-sectionthe people.
They were mostly old ladies with little bound feet, who'd been deprivededucation. But then with them were their grandchildren, some wearing red scarves. That seemed terrible. Young Pioneers worshipping idols!Inendrealized thatchildren didn't beIieveidols controlled their fate. They were looking after their grannies, helping them overtemple thresholdsshowing themway. Sothought, that's what they'll do as they grow up. They'll show their granniesway intomodernized, socialist China.
Text B
Christmas Day
Christians celebratebirthJesus Christthe twentyfifthDecember. The Christian calendar startsthe yearwhich Jesus was born. The letters A'. D. withyear mean "Anno Domini" or "inyearOur Lord". Christmas Daya very happy daymany,boysgirls. Beforeterm endssome schools,children actnativity or "birth" play, showing how Jesus was borna stable.
Manythe celebrations at Christmas are old customs. Some fathers dress upa red cloakputa long white beard. They pretendbe Father Christmas , or Santa Claus,put presents bybedstheir children. The words Santa Claus arewaysaying Saint Nicholas,good man who helped poor peoplegave presentsthem more than 300 years after Jesus was born.
To most ChristiansEuropeAmerica, Christmas Day finishesyear, although there are stillfew days left after it. Shop windows are decorated with Christmas trees some months before December,notices are put up saying "68 shopping daysChristmas" or "2 shopping daysChristmas". Cotton woolstuck onthe shop windowslook like snow,hollymistletoe are hung up.
Parents buy presentstheir children. Then they havehide themthe housestopchildren from finding out what "Father Christmas"goingbring them. Ontwenty-fourthDecember, all children are very excited. Usually they are sentbed early so that their parents can getpresentsready. The younger children think that Father Christmas will come downchimney or fireplace, so they hang upsockhimput presents in. The greedy.
ones even hang uppillow-case orsacktryget more presents. Later that night, Father or Mother will put presentsthe sock,leave others atsidethe bed. On Christmas morning,children wake up very early. Some even turnthe light at two o'clock,mostthem are awake by six o'clock although itnot lightEnglandanother hour or two at this timethe year.
hildren looktheir presents,the young ones play whiledinnerprepared. At about one o'clockthe afternoon,Christmas dinnerbrought in. The turkey or chickenquickly eaten. Children searchtheir Christmas puddingnew coins which are hiddenit. The restthe dayfullgameseating untilhappiestall Christian holidays comesan end.
Additional Information
Now thatSpring Festivalover,only have schoollook forward to. lt's really funny,find myself looking forward moremoreschool.
As usualcan get little work done duringwinter vacation. For one thing,Spring Festivalalwaysbig distraction, anddays beforeafter nobody can get any work done. It's all right if you really havenice time, asused to. But nowfind myself enjoyinglessless.stopped enjoying fireworksfirecrackers years ago. The firecrackers especially getmy nerves.
I really think we should stop making them, as every year many children have their eyes hurt or even blinded. Even worse sometimes fires are startedwhole buildings get burned down. Stillsuppose we'll continuemake them as long as therea marketthem.
Andfood! People spend days queuingbuying. The result - too muchtoo rich food which does nobody any good. Chicken, duck, fish, pork, beef, mutton, - name what you will. What's more they become oa;eless too. Too mucha good thing, as we say. And this visiting business too. It's all right forfew really good friendsget togetherchat over some tea or drinks.
But mere acquaintancesthe usually not too neighbourly neighbours dropping insay hello-well,suppose these are well-intended gestures, butfind thempainthe neck. Usually therenothingtalk about except some meaningless platitudes. Mumlooking very tired,no wonder Dad too,think. foundwhole thingstrain. The only two who really enjoyedSpring Festival are GrannyXiao Hong. Still Spring Festival comes only onceyear.
Oh yes,did enjoy myself skatingthe nearby lake quitefew times. The icenot too good nowgetting very thin.stopped going beforeSpring Festival. But there are people who are either too reckless or too ignorant or both,we hear about people falling through thin ice every year.