Lantern Videos

Since the children were given sky lanterns at their graduation from the Mandarin program, I thought they might like to see them in action. Here are some videos related to Chinese sky lanterns. The first shows a spectacular scene in Taiwan during a lantern festival. Set to beautiful music, the release of hundreds of lanterns is a mesmerizing sight that seems almost other-worldly. I have also added a video in the link bar at the side that shows you how to light and send off your own sky lantern if you decide you want to do this.

The second video below is a clip from the movie "Tangled," translated into Mandarin. It is the famous scene in the boat where Rapunzel and Flynn watch the lanterns floating gracefully up into the sky. There is a little bit of dialogue and Rapunzel's beautiful song "I see the light," both in Mandarin. To see the lyrics while you listen, hit the closed caption icon and click on "Chinese Traditional Pinyin." You can also find the Pinyin repeated, along with an English translation of the song below.
This song is of special significance to Cilla because she learned Rapunzel's part in French a few years ago, simply by watching a video of it and singing the song with me at the kitchen table repeatedly over a period of a few weeks. Though Rapunzel's song is more complex than some of the other Mandarin songs the children have learned, so much can be gained by simply imitating the sounds and rhythm of the language. Enjoy!





I see the light

Rapunzel
All those days watching from the windows
All those years outside looking in
All that time never even knowing
Just how blind I've been
Now I'm here, blinking in the starlight
Now I'm here, suddenly I see
Standing here, it's all so clear
I'm where I'm meant to be

And at last I see the light
And it's like the fog has lifted
And at last I see the light
And it's like the sky is new
And it's warm and real and bright
And the world has somehow shifted
All at once everything looks different
Now that I see you

Eugene (Flynn)
All those days chasing down a daydream
All those years living in a blur
All that time never truly seeing
Things, the way they were
Now she's here shining in the starlight
Now she's here, suddenly I know
If she's here it's crystal clear
I'm where I'm meant to go

Rapunzel & Eugene (Flynn)
And at last I see the light

Eugene (Flynn)
And it's like the fog is lifted

Rapunzel & Eugene (Flynn)
And at last I see the light

Rapunzel
And it's like the sky is new

Rapunzel & Eugene (Flynn)
And it's warm and real and bright
And the world has somehow shifted
All at once, everything is different
Now that I see you, now that I see you

Pinyin:
Měi yītiān dúzì zhàn zài chuāng biān
měi yī nián tiàowàngzhe yuǎn chù
měi yīkè cónglái dōu bù zhīdào
wǒ yǒu duō mángmù
kàn kàn wǒ zhùlì zài xīngkōng xià
hǎo ràng wǒ jǐn shǒu zài yǎndǐ
zhè yīqiè rúcǐ qīngxī
wǒ Rèn qīng wǒ zìjǐ
zhōngyú wǒ kěyǐ míngbái
jiù hǎoxiàng shì míwù piāosàn qù
zhōngyú wǒ kěyǐ míngbái
xiàng yǎnqián shǎn liàng yèkōng
rúcǐ wēnnuǎn ér zhēnshí
yīqiè sìhū yǐjīng gǎibiàn
chànà jiān yīqiè biàn dé bùtóng
yīnwèi wǒ yǒu nǐ
Měi yītiān zhuīzhe zhè bái rì mèng
měi yī nián huāngdàn guòrìzi
měi yīkè wǒ cónglái bu céng yǒu
guò kàn qīng yīqiè
kàn​​kàn tā zài yèkōng xià shǎnyào
zhǐyǒu tā zài wǒ de yǎndǐ
yīnwèi tā wǒ de cúnzài
yǒule Xīn de yìyì
zhōngyú wǒ kěyǐ míngbái
jiù hǎoxiàng shì míwù piāosàn qù
zhōngyú wǒ kěyǐ míngbái
xiàng yǎnqián shǎn liàng yèkōng
rúcǐ wēnnuǎn ér zhēnshí
yīqiè sìhū yǐjīng gǎibiàn
zhè yīkè yīqiè biàn dé bùtóng
yīnwèi wǒ yǒu nǐ
yīnwèi Wǒ yǒu nǐ

Lanterns in Chinese Culture

The children's graduation performance was fun to watch and a great way to end a year of Mandarin! Each student received a Chinese lantern as a parting gift, so it might be time to learn a bit more about lanterns in Chinese culture and history...






Chinese red lanterns have a long history, and they have become a well-known symbol of China Towns worldwide. They started out as a practicality and evolved into elaborate status symbols, literally riddled with mystery.

Read more at   http://www.chinahighlights.com/travelguide/culture/paper-cut.htm


Sky Lanterns



From Asianskylanterns.com:

Sky lanterns are one of the most well-known festivity activities in the world. They hold much significance for people in Asian cultures and are said to impart good luck and prosperity. They are commonly used in weddings in many of the Asian countries.

Sky lanterns are an ancient tradition. They go all the way back to times of war when Chinese troops used them to signal to one another. They were useful for this, as they could be sent into the air, but did not remain there, falling back to the ground after just a few minutes in the air, just enough time to get the word out that all was well or was not well.

It was not until times of peace that commoners began to employ sky lanterns in everyday activities, using them as a means of sending wishes and prayers up into the sky towards the heavens where they might be heard better. It was thought that the longer the sky lantern floated in the air, the better luck the sender would have.

Sky Lanterns were thought to have other pleasant effects as well. Floating lanterns eased troubles by pleasing deities and keeping bad spirits away. It was also said that if these lanterns were offered to Buddhist monks they would receive wisdom and knowledge that they did not previously possess, as the light is said to be the light guiding people to the path of knowledge and righteousness. In addition, the sight of the many sky lanterns in the air is a way of bringing tranquility to any family activity or formal festivity, bringing people closer to one another and to the beauty of the heavens. A multitude of sky lanterns in the air is a visual representation of heavenly bodies and beings.

Sky lanterns come in all types of sizes from the very large to the very small or baby sized sky lanterns. They are used in celebrations of all types of things and are the central focus of many festivals. The Yipeng Lantern Festival celebrates the twelfth moon in the Buddhist Calendar, and sky lanterns are a great part of these festivities.

Sing about eating in Mandarin!

This video clip and song from Basho really makes me want to check out their language materials. I'm very picky and rarely see anything I think is worth purchasing, but the method they use in this song looks promising. It's a long song with a catchy, made-up rhythm. What I like is that there is lots of repetition, food is presented in a grammatical context (I love to eat ....; I want to eat...), and several related variations of that grammatical context are presented (We want to eat, I want to eat). By the end of the song, you know how to say several related complete sentences and they stick in your brain. Yes, it's a bit long and repetitive, but you need every last repetition of it, and it never gets boring because of the rhythm. There are a few new words here for students (rice, noodles, vegetables, corn, we, hungry), but not many, so it should be very manageable for them; they should come away from the song with a stronger sense of how to use the verb "eat" in Mandarin, and with a couple of extra food words under their belt as well.



"Wǒ è le, I'm Hungry!" song lyrics from BASHO & friends:
ENGLISH:
Teacher, I am hungry!
What do you want to eat?
I want to eat rice x 3
I love to eat!
We want to eat rice x 3
We love to eat!
I want to eat vegetables x 3
I love to eat!
We want to eat vegetables x 3
We love to eat!
I want to eat ~ I love to eat!
We love to eat ~ we love to eat
I want to eat ~ I love to eat!
We want to eat ~ we love to eat
I want to eat apples x 3
I love to eat!
We want to eat apples x 3
We love to eat!
I want to eat fish x 3
I love to eat!
We want to eat fish x 3
We love to eat!
I want to eat ~ I love to eat!
We love to eat ~ we love to eat
I want to eat ~ I love to eat!
We want to eat ~ we love to eat
I want to eat noodles x 3
I love to eat!
We want to eat noodles x 3
We love to eat!
I want to eat corn x 3
I love to eat!
We want to eat corn x 3
We love to eat!
/ I want to eat ~ I love to eat!
We love to eat ~ we love to eat
I want to eat ~ I love to eat!
We want to eat ~ we love to eat
I want to eat rice!
We want to eat rice!
I want to eat vegetables!
We want to eat vegetables!
I want to eat apples!
We want to eat apples!
I want to eat fish!
we want to eat fish!
I want to eat noodles!
We want to eat noodles!
I want to eat corn!
we want to eat corn!
I want to eat ~ I love to eat!
We love to eat ~ we love to eat
I want to eat ~ I love to eat!
We want to eat ~ we love to eat


Mandarin:

Lǎoshī, wǒ è le!
Wǒ è le! ma? Nǐ yào chī shénme?
wǒ yào chī fàn x 3
wǒ ài chī!
wǒmen yào chī fàn x 3
wǒmen ài chī!
wǒ yào chī cài x 3
wǒ ài chī!
wǒmen yào chī cài x 3
wǒmen ài chī!
wǒ yào chī ~ wǒ ài chī!
wǒmen yào chī ~ wǒmen ài chī
wǒ yào chī ~ wǒ ài chī!
wǒmen yào chī ~ wǒmen ài chī!
wǒ yào chī píng guǒ x 3
wǒ ài chī!
wǒmen yào chī píng guǒ x 3
wǒmen ài chī!
wǒ yào chī yú x 3
wǒ ài chī!
wǒmen yào chī yú x 3
wǒmen ài chī!
wǒ yào chī ~ wǒ ài chī!
wǒmen yào chī ~ wǒmen ài chī
wǒ yào chī ~ wǒ ài chī!
wǒmen yào chī ~ wǒmen ài chī!
wǒ yào chī miàn x 3
wǒ ài chī!
wǒmen yào chī miàn x 3
wǒmen ài chī!
wǒ yào chī yùmǐ x 3
wǒ ài chī!
wǒmen yào chī yùmǐ x 3
wǒmen ài chī!
wǒ yào chī ~ wǒ ài chī!
wǒmen yào chī ~ wǒmen ài chī
wǒ yào chī ~ wǒ ài chī!
wǒmen yào chī ~ wǒmen ài chī!
wǒ yào chī fàn!
wǒmen yào chī fàn!
wǒ yào chī cài!
wǒmen yào chī cài!
wǒ yào chī píng guǒ!
wǒmen yào chī píng guǒ!
wǒ yào chī yú!
wǒmen yào chī yú!
wǒ yào chī miàn!
wǒmen yào chī miàn!
wǒ yào chī yùmǐ!
wǒmen yào chī yùmǐ!
wǒ yào chī ~ wǒ ài chī!
wǒmen ài chī ~ wǒmen ài chī!
wǒ yào chī ~ wǒ ài chī!
wǒmen ài chī ~ wǒmen ài chī

Nǐ hē shén me? What do you want to drink?

The students have been learning how to talk about drinks. The video below reviews 3 of the drinks they have learned (milk, juice, and water) after a short review of basic greetings in Mandarin. "Jade" is encouraging and gentle, and although she uses almost entirely English and does not introduce these words within a grammatical context (something I look for when I evaluate language materials), I do believe this is an entertaining, short clip that is worth showing your child.

Mŭ qīn jié kuài lè!

Happy Mother's Day! While hunting for the song about mothers that the children learned in class a while back, I came across a lot of Chinese songs about mother. Mama Hao and Wo De Hao Mama are two that come up often on YouTube (and are also worth listening to). They are rather beautiful and sentimental, and looking at the translations of some of these songs reveals the special place that mothers hold in Chinese culture. With only a loose English translation of the title I was looking for, I had a lot of difficulty finding the exact song the children learned in class, but I do believe I have finally found it. It is called "Tian Xia De Mama Dou Shi Yi Yang De." You can listen to the song and watch some clips of some girls and their beloved mother below.



tiānxià de māma dōu shì yīyàng de 　ó ~ tiānxià de māma dōu shì yīyàng de
tiānxià de māma dōu shì yīyàng de 　ó ~ tiānxià de māma dōu shì yīyàng de
bùguǎn fēng chuī yǔ dǎ 　bùwèn xīngqī huò lìjià
Wǒ de māma cónglái bù fàngjià gōngzuò wéile jiā
chúfáng shì tā de tiānxià 　shīzi tóu hái yǒu hóngshāoyā
yàngyàng tā dōu jīngtōng bù huì jiǎ tā shì wǒ māma
cóng xiǎo chángcháng áimà　nà shì yīnwèi wǒ bù tīnghuà
bù yào yǐ wéi zhè shì zhǒng chéngfá tā zhǐyào wǒ zhǎngdà
māma Wǒ gǎnxiè nǐ méiyǒu bǎ Wǒ gēn dà máo bǐ
suīrán wǒ kǎoshì méiyǒu dé dì yī tā shuō zhǐyào nǐ jǐnle lì
tiānxià de māma dōu shì yīyàng de 　ó ~ tiānxià de māma dōu shì yīyàng de
tiānxià de māma dōu shì yīyàng de 　ó ~ tiānxià de māma dōu shì yīyàng de
bùguǎn tàiyáng shēng qǐ bùguǎn xīyáng tā yòu luò xī
wéi le wǒmen nǐ xīshēng le zìjǐ wǒ yǒngyuǎn búhuì wàngjì
jiānglái yǒu nàme yītiān wǒ bǎ tàiyáng gāogāo shēngqǐ
guà zài nǐ yǒngyuǎn mǎnzú de xiàoyì lǐ, māma wǒ ài nǐ~
tiānxià de māma dōu shì yīyàng de 　ó ~ tiānxià de māma dōu shì yīyàng de
tiānxià de māma dōu shì yīyàng de 　ó ~ tiānxià de māma dōu shì yīyàng de
tiānxià de māma dōu shì yīyàng de 　ó ~ tiānxià de māma dōu shì yīyàng de
tiānxià de māma dōu shì yīyàng de 　ó ~ tiānxià de māma dōu shì yīyàng de
la la la la la la la ….
la la la la la la la ….


All the moms in the world are all the same; oh, all the moms in the world are all the same.
All the moms in the world are all the same; oh, all the moms in the world are all the same.
No matter it is wind blowing or rain hitting, no matter it is a weekday or a vacation,
My mom never takes a vacation; for the home she works.
Kitchen is her world – lion head and also simmer-fried duck.
(note: Lion head is a Chinese dish which made of pork meatballs, while simmer-fried duck is also called soy sauce braised duck.)
She is skilled at everything and she doesn’t fake anything; she is my mom.
Since my childhood, I often got scolded; it is because I did not listen (to her words).
Don’t think this is one kind of punishment; she just wanted me to grow up.
Mom I thank you for not comparing me to Da Mao.
(Da Mao, literally means big fur, just a random nickname for a friend.)
Although I did not get first place on the testings. She said (it is OK) as long as you did your best.
All the moms in the world are all the same; oh, all the moms in the world are all the same.
No matter the sun rises again (or) no matter the setting sun sets in the west again,
For us, you sacrifice yourself; I forever won’t forget.
In the future, there will be one day, I will raise the sun high.
Hang it in your forever satisfied smiles; Mom I love you.
All the moms in the world are all the same;oh, all the moms in the world are all the same.
All the moms in the world are all the same;oh, all the moms in the world are all the same
All the moms in the world are all the same;oh, all the moms in the world are all the same.
All the moms in the world are all the same;oh, all the moms in the world are all the same.

Mò Li Huā

Here is a clip of children dancing to Mò Li Huā. It brings back memories of the Lunar New Year performance at DFES, only this one has some lovely fan and ribbon dancing. The jasmine flower song is sung many times during this performance in slighly different ways, so you will certainly come away from watching it with the words in your head!



Lyrics
hǎo yī duǒ mĕi lì de mò li huā
hăo yī duŏ mĕi lì de mò li huā
fēn fāng měi lì mǎn zhī yā
yòu xiāng yòu bái rén rén kuā
ràng wǒ lái jiāng nǐ zhāi xià
Sòng gěi biě rén jiā
mò li huā ya mò li huā

好一朵美麗的茉莉花
好一朵美麗的茉莉花
芬芳美麗滿枝椏
又香又白人人誇
讓我來將你摘下
送給別人家
茉莉花呀茉莉花

Literal Translation
What a beautiful jasmine flower
What a beautiful jasmine flower
Sweet-smelling, beautiful, stems full of buds
Fragrant and white, everyone praises
Let me pluck you down
Give to someone's family
Jasmine flower, oh jasmine flower

Poetic Translation
Flower of jasmine, so fair!
Flower of jasmine, so fair!
Budding and blooming here and there,
Pure and fragrant all declare.
Let me take you with tender care,
Your sweetness for all to share.
Jasmine fair, oh jasmine fair.

Jasmine Flower Song in Chinese Culture

The children have been singing "Mo Li Hua," a famous song about the jasmine flower. The song has cultural significance and has played a part in some recent historical events, so I decided to learn a bit more about it. Below are some excerpts from Wikipedia that I found interesting:



Mo Li Hua From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Mo Li Hua (Chinese: 茉莉花; pinyin: Mòlìhuā; literally "Jasmine Flower";[a]), is a popular Chinese folk song. The song dates to 18th century. In time, many regional variations were created, and the song gained popularity both in China and abroad.
It has been used during events such as 2004 Summer Olympics, 2008 Summer Olympics and 2010 Shanghai Expo opening ceremony, and controversially during the 2011 Chinese protests.

History and popularity
It was created during the Qianlong Emperor period of the Qing Dynasty (18th century). There are several regional versions of the song,the more well known one from the Jiangsu Province, and the other from Zhejiang Province. They have different lyrics and melody.

One version of the song describes a custom of giving Jasmine flowers, popular in the southern Yangtze delta region of China. Another, longer version describes the fear of plucking the flower. It has been played on ancient metal bells (bianzhong) and modern jade chimes. It uses the five note (pentatonic) scale developed in China and popular through Asia. The tune is one of xiaodiao ("short tunes"), popular in Chinese urban areas.In 1804 a British diplomat, John Barrow, noted that the tune seems to be one of the most popular songs in China.

The song became one of the first Chinese folk songs to become widely known outside China. In 1896 the song was used as temporary national anthem by the Qing Chinese officials in Europe. The melody has become well known among Western listeners as it was included by Giacomo Puccini in his opera Turandot (1926), where it is associated with 'Turandot's splendor'. It appeared in a 1934 Hollywood movie The Good Earth (Based on a novel by Pearl Buck) It has been adapted by many artists around the world, for example by Kenny G. In 1982 the song found a place on a UNESCO list of recommended songs. When China regained sovereignty of Macau and Hong Kong, in 1999 and 1997, respectively, this music was played in the ceremonies. The song was said to be a the favorite of China’s former leader, Jiang Zemin (it was at his request that the song was played during the transfer ceremony in Hong Kong). The tune was played during Central Committee of the Communist Party of China meetings.

This song was sung partially unaccompanied by a young Chinese girl, and partially accompanied by the music by Peking University students (whose version has been described as infused with a techno beat) and broadcast to the world at the closing ceremonies of the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece, to introduce the next Olympic Games site. An adaptation of the melody by Tan Dun and Wang Hesheng, chosen from more than 4,000 pieces, was played during the medal ceremonies at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. It was also performed at the 2010 Shanghai Expo opening ceremony by an orchestra with the pianist Lang Lang.

Zhao Dongming, head of Beijing Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games's culture and ceremonies department, commented that "This piece of music reminds you of the gold medals for the Beijing Olympics, which are made of gold and jade". This piece of Tan Dun, an Academy Award winning Chinese contemporary classical composer, cited by China Daily in 2008, described it as "glorious, heartwarming and full of respect... an iconic piece... almost a cultural symbol of China" and "From Puccini to the Beijing Olympics, this melody is a gift from the Chinese people to the world's athletes". In 2009 Russian singer Vitas, during the Chinese premiere of his program Sleepless Night, at least has also performed Mo Li Hua (never included in digital download until then).

During the 2011 Chinese pro-democracy protests the song became associated with the Jasmine Revolution, as organisers instructed protesters to play Mo Li Hua on their cell phones as a form of antigovernment protest. The song was placed on authorities' list of online censored materials. Videos of the song, including at least one from an official event (a 2006 Kenyan students welcome for Chinese president Hu Jintao), were removed from Chinese websites, and searches for the song's name were blocked. The censorship attracted widespread attention and was difficult because of the popularity of the song and its association with Chinese culture and history. At least one new version of the song, mentioning fear of arrests, has been developed by the activists as a response.