Community of Respect- Part III

Ni hao (你好) HMSDC,

I hope everyone is ready to have a productive day and is looking forward to the weekend.

Until then, time for a history lesson!

Did you know China’s is one of the world’s oldest civilizations with nearly 4,000 years of history? The first written history of our country was found in ancient historical texts circa 1700 BC! In the past, China was ruled by dynasties, which are rulers from the same imperial family, until 1911. Many of the dynasties are known for different things such as the invention of gunpowder during the Song Dynasty, paper from the Han Dynasty and bronze-ware making in the Zhou Dynasty. That’s right, I said the Zhou dynasty! Your very own HMSDC intern may be a long lost princess descending from one of China’s longest lasting ancient dynasty.
China is now ruled by the Communist Party and our current president is Hu Jintao.

China has an interesting past and of course, still has an interesting culture today!Here are 74 interesting facts about China to entertain you until the next post.

Sallyann Zhou,

“If we could end hatred, imagine what more we could do…”

-Anti-Defamation League, Community of Respect

Community of Respect- Part II

Good Morning, HMSDC!

Start your day off with a nice cup o’ joe and a serving of Asian cultural facts!

Yesterday, I mentioned that foods eaten during Chinese New Year have important symbolisms.
In fact, a huge part of Chinese culture is centered on our delicious foods. You may think “Sweet & Sour Pork” or “Orange Chicken” when you think of Chinese food, but that is actually not the typical dish in China. Traditionally, meals are eaten “family style” in which everyone shares several dishes with their own serving of rice.

Different cultures may have different understandings of food. Many people may be surprised or even discomforted by the fact that some people in China eat squid, stinky tofu, pig’s blood and other unfamiliar delicacies but, at the same time, people in China are startled when they hear of fried oreos, chicken fried steak, and bacon cheeseburgers.

However, it’s great to see the growing trend for cultures to incorporate different cuisines into their palettes! More and more people are experiencing authentic Chinese food and many American restaurants are expanding to Asia. I remember being “treated” to a Pizza Hut in China, because this was truly a gourmet experience. Check out the Chinese Pizza Hut website yourself here!

Have a fantastic rest of the day!

Sallyan Zhou

“If we could end hatred, imagine what more we could do…”

-Anti-Defamation League, Community of Respect

Community of Respect- Part I

Dear HMSDC,

As I've mentioned, the HMSDC office is participating in the Community of Respect campaign to learn and appreciate each other's unique cultures. This week, each morning, I will be emailing everyone some interesting facts/ tidbits about Chinese culture.

One really important custom in China is our Lunar New Year Celebrations. This is based off the lunar calendar and usually falls around late January or early February. Traditionally, our New Year celebration can last up to 15 days with each day celebrating something different, all ending with a grand lantern festival. Even the different kinds of foods and how much we eat mean symbolize something important to our culture. For example, we eat uncut noodles on LNY because, the longer the noodle, the longer your life!

Did you know that Chinese people like to celebrate the New Year with fireworks and dragon dances to ward off evil spirits?

Xie Xie (Thank you!),

Sallyan Zhou, HMSDC Intern

“If we could end hatred, imagine what more we could do…”

-Anti-Defamation League, Community of Respect

EXPO Preparation Seminar THIS WEDNESDAY!

Where will you be on Wednesday, July 20th?