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Saturday, May 31, 2008

Articles for Learning Chinese & Culture

I am thinking of doing some more articles, but the question is what.

Here is what I have already done:
Why Learn Chinese? and Learning Chinese Tips for Children are probably the most popular. A fun one to write was Chinese Culture- Teaching my daughter. I also have articles on many Chinese Festivals and Calendar of events

I also have a large section of School Tips & Education Articles

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Friday, May 30, 2008

Book Expo in LA

I was at the Book Expo today. Overwhelming!

It was wonderful to meet in person some of my suppliers. People who I have spoken over the phone for years. I also found out about some neat products that I will get soon. I wish I had more time there, but since I am in charge of picking up the daughter, my time was limited...

I did not even know my suppliers would be there till I was walking the floor. My main purpose was to see a friend I had not seen in many years who worked for a supplier, but has moved jobs.

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Thursday, May 29, 2008

Dim Sum & Sea Food in Rowland Heights

Hong Kong Palace - They have a custard that is nice! Long lines on weekends!

Happy Harbor Restaurant - Next to 99 Ranch Market and you order from a menu.

Rowland Harbor Seafood Inc - More traditional, no frills Dim Sum. Little less costly than Hong Kong Palace. Long lines on weekends!

New Capital (I have not been to since they changed names). Parking in this plaza can be frustrating. On the second floor.
www.yelp.com/biz/new-capital-seafood-restaurant-rowland-heights

Newport Seafood Rowland Heights is very good for sea food and has good lunch specials.
www.yelp.com/biz/tan-cang-newport-seafood-rowland-heights

Cute book about Dim Sum

Dim Sum For Everyone! by Grace Lin
Dim Sum For Everyone! by Grace Lin
Our Price: $6.99

Just right for young children, Dim Sum for Everyone! celebrates a cultural custom and a universal favorite activity--eating! Great book!

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Wednesday, May 28, 2008

By Age - Learning Chinese

I have added a new section in the left menu/navigation. By Age. Under this are three ages:
There are some new DVD's in Baby Learning Chinese Books & DVD's that look really good...

Little Pim: Playtime, 3-Pack Bundle, Learning Chinese for Babies, toddlers, and preschoolers is a collection of all three DVD's at an amazing price!

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Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Memorial Weekend Customer Purchases

After a 3 day weekend, shipping is a challenge and usually results in a late night.

Some popular items this past Memorial Weekend:

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Monday, May 26, 2008

China's Mood with Foreigners

The Positive View
Outpouring of Help Shifts Mood in China - washingtonpost.com

I was very worried about the mood in China after coverage of Tibet in the western media and the Olympic Torch demonstrations.
Fortunately aid from outside China has helped calmed down the nationalism per the Washington Post article that I was finding worrisome. There is still a bit of it, for example comparing WalMart's contribution to the Sichuan earthquake to Katrina (next state over from Arkansa).

The Negative View:
The Wall Street Journal has the opposite conclusion Donations Pour In, but Resentment Arises.

Conclusion:
There is probably both. I would not be surprised if the Chinese government also cooled down protests against donations (they do read the papers). This is a benefit when you have a huge amount of people manning the great firewall of China, and checking out blogs published internally.

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Foreign Language use by Country Leaders

Changing perceptions in using the English language - Taiwan's latest President is a Harvard Graduate and speaks excellent English. It seems there is a bit of a controversy of him speaking directly to foreigners, instead of using English. My guess is there is just a bit of politics in this (Election was bitter). The Australian Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd speaks Chinese. Many leaders will use translators even though they know English, as a way to gain additional time during negotiations. Many Russian leaders were known to do this.

And a surprising change in how China's leadership communicates with Western Reporters - seismic shift in China’s relations with West where many foreign reporters accompanied the Chinese Prime Minister to the earthquake damaged area.

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Sunday, May 25, 2008

Wedding photographer captures earthquake moments

Wedding photographer captures earthquake moments - Unbelievable pictures of a wedding party in front of a church, and the 100 year old church just falling apart. The wedding party is in Western style wedding dress (nice white dress).

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Saturday, May 24, 2008

Chinese Ao Pair

A leg up on learning Chinese - From the Christian Science Monitor. The trick is having a good Learning Chinese curriculum including textbooks to work with. And of course finding a reliable Ao Pair. There are a few who are totally unqualified and have no idea how to teach Chinese (which again is why a good Learning Chinese curriculum including textbooks is important.

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Learning to Speak Olympics

Learning to Speak Olympics

Wow! The goal of having 35% of the population understanding English by the Olympics.

Funny quote:

My best student is the local constable, Officer Li. He approached me about a private lesson in English vulgarities, “so I know when a foreigner is cursing me.”

This is the stuff you usually don't learn in class.

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Friday, May 23, 2008

Fortune Cookie Chronicles

Somebody is doing some serious press:
It's a good read that is interesting and fun to read.

Fortune Cookie Chronicles - Adventures in the World of Chinese Food by Jennifer Lee
Our Price: $24.99
Sale Price: $19.99
You Save $5.00!


  • Solve the mystery of how dozens of people across America had won a lottery using fortune cookies.
  • Discover the surprising origins of the fortune cookies!
  • The debate over the true inventor of shop suey and more!

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Thursday, May 22, 2008

Baby Learning Chinese Books, DVD's, and Products

Baby Learning Chinese Books & DVD's is a new category I put together. I have gotten a few requests on parents who want to teach their little Baby's Mandarin Chinese. I will be getting in more products to help out with this interesting area. I understand in NY they are even having baby classes for Mandarin. There are also some specialty products out there for teaching baby's Mandarin Chinese. The goal is to have a true bilingual baby, so when they grow up they can take advantage of the huge opportunity that China presents!

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Wednesday, May 21, 2008

Design of ChildBook (Navigation)

A good friend of mine sent me an E-Mail about her frustration with navigation on ChildBook. I have known her husband since middle school. He also taught me how to do the Rubix Cube, that has now come back into fashion and was President of a Rubix Cube club in High School (he had a solve time of under 30 seconds if I remember right).

Soon there will be some more changes on ChildBook.com on the layout making it easier to find the right items. Life is easier when you have fewer items, but with over 1000 items and a lot of categories, the navigation needs to be tweaked to make it as easy as possible for customers to quickly find the right products. I believe the changes I did in the books for Learning the Chinese Language and Culture are good, as well as the Learning Chinese & Culture DVD's. The Chinese Culture area needs help, since it's duplicated in sub-categories under DVD's and Books, and keeping everything synchronized manually is hit and miss.

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Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Curriculumn for Learning Chinese

For serious parents on teaching their kids Chinese, I would start with the Chinese Curriculum. I currently carry Practical Chinese - Effective way to learn Chinese, C hinese Made Easy, Kuaile Hanyu (Happy Chinese), and Better Chinese Curriculum Materials for Learning Chinese as a Foreign Language.

The comparison chart of Chinese Curriculum on the main page helps a lot.

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Monday, May 19, 2008

China's two Countries - Rural and the Coast

China has two different societies, one on the coast that is privileged and the other rural. One that is becoming incredibly rich, and the other that is so poor it generates tremendous amounts of migrant workers that do construction and other service jobs without papers. For internal immigration in China is still controlled, and to enroll your child in school requires papers.

In the US in the 1960's, the poverty of parts of rural America lead to the war on poverty. Katrina showed that the US still has incredible poverty in areas. President Johnson's response to the extreme poverty was programs to create a Great Society.

China has advanced tremendously. In Shanghai there is even a magnetic train, where the US has none. I was thinking about a book I carry, and wondering if it is still relevant. It does not show the magnetic train of Shanghai, or the traffic jams and pollution in all the major cities. The damage to the environment. It does not show how rich China has become in many areas. It shows an older, rural China that still exists as the recent Earthquake has shown. With villages that have no road to them. The book is the Colors of China by Shannon Zemlicka and it's a nice book that uses colors to show the flavor of an older, rural China.

I also have a series of Chinese Culture DVD's that are very good about Ping Wei, and you can see the changes that are occurring in China in a typical village. A documentary system that is well done.

One Day in Ping Wei - A Documentary of China - DVD
One Day in Ping Wei - A Documentary of China - DVD
Our Price: $24.95

What is life like…in China? China is changing at a remarkable rate but the countryside, where the majority of China’s 1.3 billion citizens live, remains much the same as it has for centuries. This documentary, shot entirely on location in China, offers a window on life in rural village, capturing in compelling detail the daily life of a Chinese family.
New Year in Ping Wei - A Documentary of China - DVD
New Year in Ping Wei - A Documentary of China - DVD
Our Price: $24.95

How is Chinese New Year celebrated in rural China? Follow Liu Yen Twin and her family and find out!. From
preparation of the family reunion dinner and the symbolic burning of paper
money to firecrackers and fireworks.
Land of the Dragon - A Documentary of China - DVD
Land of the Dragon - A Documentary of China - DVD
Our Price: $24.95

Travel through China, learning as you go about history, customs, culture and language. Narrated in both English and Mandarin (with subtitles), this documentary takes you from Beijing to the Yangtze River and beyond - offering a rare glimpse at life inside the Land of the Dragon.



Return to Ping Wei- A Documentary of China - DVD
Return to Ping Wei- A Documentary of China - DVD
Our Price: $24.95

It's been two years since we visited Liu Yen Twin and her family, and the fields of Ping Wei are alive with the spring harvest. Liu Yen Twin is a teenager now, and school is taking on a whole new importance.

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Sunday, May 18, 2008

3 pandas missing after China quake

3 pandas missing after China quake from the SF Chronicle.

Key Points:
  • The largest Panda reserve, Wolong Nature Reserve, was 18 miles from the Epicenter of the Quake
  • 60 Pandas live there and 3 are missing.
  • 5 Staff died
  • All house for the Pandas was damaged.
Some Panda related products:
Dinner At The Panda Palace.  English.  Softcover.
Dinner At The Panda Palace. English. Softcover.
Our Price: $6.99

Dinner At The Panda Palace. Guess who's coming to dinner! A picture story book for ages 3 to 8. English. Softcover.
Panda Bear, Panda Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin Jr./Eric Carle
Panda Bear, Panda Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin Jr./Eric Carle
Our Price: $7.95

Panda Bear, Panda Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin Jr./Eric Carle
The Year of the Panda by Miriam Schlein
The Year of the Panda by Miriam Schlein
Our Price: $4.99
Sale Price: $3.99
You Save $1.00!

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