Life in Beijing

       Beijing, China and Detroit, Michigan are both on the opposite ends of the map, but are Sister Cities. Meaning that in many ways they are similar but still share differences. People all over the world celebrate different holidays and have different customs and traditions. They have their own way of living, different sports, and spend their free time differently. All the different cultures help make the world diverse. The rest of the blog with focus on their identity, holidays, and fitness.

In the United States of America our proof of identity in the state we live in is called a license. In China there proof of identity is called a hukou which is a residence card. Each family is issued a hukou booklet that has the family members, including the name, birth date, relationship with each other, and marriage status. It shows proof they live in the city on the card or have moved from one place to another. In order to get an apartment, job, or send a child to school one must show their hukou. Chinese people also don’t sign their name they use a chop which is a Chinese stamp with the person’s name carved at one end in Chinese characters. Without a chop one can’t open a bank account, sigh up for college classes. Everyone from the President to a homeless man has a chop. Maybe American should try the chop stamp because half the times people’s hand writing is illegible.

       Have you ever noticed why most Chinese people are so skinny ranging from young children to the elderly people. Chinese people eat about ¼ of what the average American eats. They don’t enjoy eating McDonald's, Wendy’s or even pizza. Those are America's favorite quick meals. Chinese food is delicious but the downfall is that it is high in sodium and saturated in oil. Don’t kid yourself Chinese people don’t even eat half the stuff that is on a Chinese menu. They eat rice or noodles with each meal breakfast, lunch and dinner, stir-fry vegetables, pork, chicken, beef and fish. They also eat half the size of an American portion. They have been staying in shape the same way for the last 2,000 years and that’s walking. If you go to any park in China you will see all different ages of people doing their daily workout of traditional Chinese stretching , strengthening, breathing, self massage and relaxation techniques. Some other activities they participate in are: hiking, ice skating, golf, swimming, tennis and martial arts.

     

Spring Festi

       In Beijing the most popular Holiday is Spring Festival. ln Chinese “Laba” refers to the 1^st day of the 1^th lunar month. The new year usually takes place in late January or February all depending on the Chinese calendar. A traditional entree is the 'Laba Zhou', a thick, sweet porridge of glutinous rice, green beans, candied fruit, peanuts and lotus kernels. In order to prepare for the New Year each family cleans their house. They wipe down the furniture, sweep the cobwebs, and clean the windows. The housecleaning is just a way to let the old out and welcome in a new year. If the family has bad luck in the coming year it’s because the family did not clean their house. Besides just cleaning everyone gets a haircut and takes a bath. Woman clean their faces, men shave and the elderly trim their beards. Decorations for the New Year consist of paper cut outs consisting of plants, fruit pies, peacocks, and animals. As for a gift children receive money in a red envelope. This is the biggest and most anticipated holiday in China. It is a time for family to spend together and to start the New Year right. In American our New Year falls on December 31^st.

       So even though Beijing, China and Detroit Michigan are at the opposite ends they do have plenty of things in common with each other. Their Spring Festival celebration is like America's New Year's Eve and Day celebration. They both celebrate the new year. They enjoy playing golf and doing martial arts where as in American our main sports are football and baseball. Learning different cultures can help persuade us in trying new things. It never hurts.         

Golf Course in China