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The Dragon´s Shiny Scales – Silver Coins from China
People rush to precious metals lately. And it will get only crazier. American, Canadian and Australian are not the only coins to go for. How about something more exotic? Let´s discover the China-option together. Why silver coins anyway? Times have been crazy getting lately. Whenever financial or political turmoil is on the rise, people revert to what they can trust. Diamonds may be a girl´s best friend, but that is just a marketing ploy. Since you can create artificial diamonds of impeccable quality, only the marketing genius of the few big players in this field keeps the price stable. Not so gold and silver or more exotic metals like palladium,…
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Chinese New Year – When monster Nian comes to get you
The monster that cannot bear noise Why do Chinese call celebrating Chinese New Year-Guo Nian (过年)? Nian in this case is not just the New Year, it also is a spell to chase away the Nian, which one could interpret as the last year, but which is actually a monster by the name Nian. Like in many ancient cultures, the end of winter is marked by celebrations and rituals that chase away evil spirits. The legend The legend behind the celebration is actually quite funny and gives some insight into old traditions. There once was a monster called Nian(年). Its teeth were sharp and its horns were intimidating to say…
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Is Qingming the Chinese Easter?
While the Lunar New Year Festival is marking the beginning of a new year, the Qingming aka Spring Festival marks the beginning of a new growth cycle in nature. The resurrection of new life from death! Easter is just one of the festivals that celebrate the beginning of spring and of planting season. It is by far not the only festival in the long row of festivals that human civilizations have developed over millennia to celebrate the start of something new. All members of Christian influenced societies know Easter. Jesus is being crucified and rises from death. However, you might interpret that, as metaphor or literal truth, it conveys deep…
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The beauty of Chinese banknotes
Cash is vanishingChina is a pioneer on the way to a cashless society. In 2020 (maybe boosted by COVID-19), virtual payment methods have become almost universal in China. For the average customer this promises easy and quick ways to pay. In combination with self-checkout supermarkets and the greatest online shopping experience on the planet, China shows the way. Already, cash and banknotes have almost gone the way of the dinosaur in China. Yet one thing, that most won´t think about, will be gone too. Many countries have beautiful pictures on their bank notes. While Europe uses its paper money to showcase important buildings and iconographic symbols of Europe, China emphasizes…
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A Whiter Shade of Pale
The Chinese Whiteness Obsession In China one color trumps all: white. White is beautiful! No Chinese will get the idea to call brown skin healthy or beautiful. The whole of East Asia is striving for the same goal: Being as white as possible. Quite early on in our relationship my wife exhibited this very Asian attitude. Walking on the streets of Beijing she would nod at a passerby and make fun of her tan skin. Shocked I would simply answer with a nervous smile. My Western mindset smelled racism and if there is one thing Europeans or Americans are conditioned to, it is fear of being called racist. Not so…
