Chinese for Kids Blog

In the Chinatown, the Hague, Spring Festival is always a big event. This year is of no exception. Various celebration activities will take place in the Town Hall as well as in the streets on Feb. 13. Have a close look at the agenda:

13 February Town hall, Atrium

11:30－12.00 hrs. Opening ceremony with traditional Dragon- and Lions dance.

12.15－12.45 hrs. Varied performances of a.o. the Jiangsu Dance and Song Ensemble from China (folkloristic dance, face changing and acrobatics).

12.45 – 13.15 hrs. Defile of dragons and lions over a red carpet to Chinatown; Stadhuis, Spui, Wagenstraat, ,St. Jacobstraat,
Rabbijn Maarssenplein.

14.00 – 17.00 hrs. Varied performances of a.o. the Jiiangsu Dance and Song Ensemble from China, folkloristic dance, face changing, acrobatics
dance performance by Chinese children.

17.00 – 18.00 hrs Varied performance by Chinatown.

15.00 – 18.00 hrs Chinese culture market: o.a. facial make-up in line with Peking Opera, writing Chinese name etc.

Chinatown
13.00 – 17.00 hrs Defile with lion-dance and fireworks in Chinatown: start at the Gedempte Burgwal.
Q-parking next to the Bijenkorf

11.30 – 18.00 hrs. Art and culture market; workshops calligraphy, Chinese knots, art of cutting, weaving grasshoppers; beads-art, folding lucky-stars,
cross-stich (embroidery) etc.; Chinese market.

Yes, it is almost the time to say goodbye to Bull and welcome Tiger! In the year of tiger, I wish everybody healthy and happy.

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小白船

lan lan de tian kong yin he li
蓝 蓝 的 天 空 银 河 里
you zhi xiao bai chuan

有 只 小 白 船
chuan shang you ke gui hua shu

船 上 有 棵 桂 花 树
bai tu zai you wan

白 兔 在 游 玩
jiang er jiang er kan bu jian

桨 儿 桨 儿 看 不 见
chuan shang ye mei fan

船 上 也 没 帆
piao ya piao ya piao xiang xi tian

飘 呀 飘 呀 飘 向 西 天

du guo na tiao yin he shui
渡 过 那 条 银 河 水
zou xiang yun cai guo

走 向 云 彩 国
zou guo na ge yun cai guo

走 过 那 个 云 彩 国
zai xiang na’r qu

再 向 哪儿 去
zai na yao yuan de di fang

在 那 遥 远 的 地 方
shan zhe jin guang

闪 着 金 光
chen xing shi deng ta

晨 星 是 灯 塔
zhao ya zhao de liang

照 呀 照 得 亮

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According to today’s BBC News, “Nearly one in six children - and almost one quarter of boys - have difficulty learning to talk, research suggests.”

This result from the YouGov online survey of 1,015 parents seems to be quite surprising. The high proportion of boys having difficulty learning to talk especially caught my attention. The survey also suggests that “Six out of 10 people questioned for said the ability to talk, listen and understand was the most important skill for children to develop in the early years” followed by “the ability to interact with others (26%), reading skills (11%), numeracy skills (2%) and writing skills (1%). “

The survey also suggests that the common age for children to say their first word was between 10 and 11 months. While 34% of girls and 27% of boys said their first word before they reached nine months, 4% of children had not spoken their first word by three.

According to the survey, the most spoken first words are

Dada - 15%
Daddy - 13%
Mama - 10%
Dad - 10%
Mummy 8%
Mum - 7%
Cat 2%
No - 1%
Dog - 1%

The reason “Daddy” was more frequent than “Mama” is that “Da” sound is much easier for children to say than “Ma”.

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Happy New Year to everyone！
祝大家新年好！

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by S.H.E

离开人离了心不开
lí kāi le lí kāi xīn bù kāi
等待等成迫不及待
děng dài děng chéng pò bù jí dài
不在是现在不在或永远不再
bú zài shì xiàn zài bú zài hái shì yóng yuǎn bú zài
越爱越怕落悬崖
yuè ài yuè bà luò xuán yá
难捱 自从寂寞以来青苔把泪眼都覆盖
nán ái zì cóng jì mò yǐ lái qīng tái bǎ lèi yǎn dōu fù gài
心海已心如死海浪花再不开
xīn hǎi yǐ xīn rú sǐ hǎi làng huā zài bù kāi
尘埃却又惹来澎湃
chén āi què yòu rě lái péng pài
长相思长几个夜晚
cháng xiāng sī cháng jǐ gè yè wǎn
长相思不如长相伴
cháng xiāng sī bù rú cháng xiāng bàn
若拥抱时光太少太短青春多荒凉
ruò yōng bào shí guāng tài duǎn qīng chūn duō huāng liáng
长相思长不过天长
cháng xiāng sī cháng bú guò tiān cháng
长相思太长心不安
cháng xiāng sī tài cháng xīn bù ān
怕就怕春光灿烂成遗憾意难忘
pà jiù pà chūn guāng chàn làn chéng yí hàn yì nán wàng
(怕就怕春光灿烂到最后只剩意难忘)
(pà jiù pà chūn guāng chàn làn chéng yí hàn yì nán wàng )
(rap)寻寻觅觅冷冷清清凄凄惨惨戚戚
xún xún mì mì lěng lěng qīng qīng qī qī cǎn cǎn qì qì
乍暖还寒时候最难将息三杯两盏淡酒
zhà luǎn hái hán shí hòu zuì nán jiāng xī sān bēi liǎng zhǎn dàn jiǔ
怎敌他晚来风急雁过也最伤心
zěn dí tā wǎn lái fēng jí yàn guò yě zuì shāng xīn
却是旧时相识满地黄花堆积
què shì jiù xiāng shí mǎn dì huáng huā duī jí

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Although Christmas is not a Chinese festival, it has become more and more popular among young people in China. You can see beautifully decorated Christmas trees in big shopping malls and Christmas lights in many places. For Chinese people living abroad, this holiday season is indeed lovely and cheerful. Join the party！Merry Christmas! 圣诞快乐！(shèng dàn kuài lè )

Here let me present several known Christmas melodies, but played by a band of 12 young ladies, using traditional Chinese instruments. It is a very unique combination, I believe you would enjoy.

1. Last Christmas

2. Christmas Eve

3. Jingle Bells

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逆水行舟，不进则退。
nì shuǐ xíng zhōu , bú jìn zé tuì
He who does not advance loses ground.

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This is a quiz about China, its history and culture from Timesonline. Try it and test your knowledge about China!

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开卷有益。
kāi quàn yǒu yì
Reading enriches the mind.

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