Improving My Chinese

theworldofchinese: New Visa Regulations to Take Effect in July Visa renewal can sometimes be a headache for foreign passport holders in China. If you have lived in the Middle Kingdom for a long time, then your stay has probably been broken up by various visa- runs to get new ones. In a Shenzhen visa run, Phoebe Storm recently managed to get a new multiple-entry F-visa in 24 hours. But wouldn’t it be great if visa runs did not have to be so frequent? This wish seems to be coming true. New regulations to be implemented under The Exit and Entry Administration Law (中华人民共和国出境入境管理法) will take effect this July, which target management of visas for foreigners in China. … Some Foreigners will be eligible for a new “foreign professional” visa which will be valid for up to five years. Visa management bureaus and entry-and-exit management bureaus under public security departments can keep fingerprints of foreigners who enter China. The current ‘F’ visa for business use will be moved to a new ‘M’ category. Read More…

theworldofchinese:

New Visa Regulations to Take Effect in July

Visa renewal can sometimes be a headache for foreign passport holders in China. If you have lived in the Middle Kingdom for a long time, then your stay has probably been broken up by various visa- runs to get new ones. In a Shenzhen visa run, Phoebe Storm recently managed to get a new multiple-entry F-visa in 24 hours. But wouldn’t it be great if visa runs did not have to be so frequent? This wish seems to be coming true.

New regulations to be implemented under The Exit and Entry Administration Law (中华人民共和国出境入境管理法) will take effect this July, which target management of visas for foreigners in China.

…

  • Some Foreigners will be eligible for a new “foreign professional” visa which will be valid for up to five years.
  • Visa management bureaus and entry-and-exit management bureaus under public security departments can keep fingerprints of foreigners who enter China.
  • The current ‘F’ visa for business use will be moved to a new ‘M’ category.

Read More…

Reblogged 19 hours ago from theworldofchinese 5 notes
theworldofchinese: Copytown, Chinaland The Window of the World theme parks in Shenzhen and Changsha, Beijing World Park, and Grand World Scenic Park in Guangzhou are popular tourist destinations for people to come marvel at the reproduced (often miniature) versions of the most famous places around the world. They are similar to Disney, only that instead of visiting wonderlands and fairy tales, one visits exotic places around the world. Lest a short visit would not satisfy your desire, you could choose to live in one of the “copy towns” that have recently appeared all over China. If you wish to hop back to England, go to Shanghai’s Thames Town, where the entire neighborhood is modeled after European architecture. According to SPIEGEL, “one English woman complained that her fish and chips restaurant had been copied in exact detail.” Thames Town has become one of hottest wedding photography destinations in the Shanghai area. When I visited earlier this year, Thames Town seemed to have problems expanding beyond a tourist/photography attraction. Although the houses were built to be residential, many of them remain unoccupied. On weekdays, the streets were almost empty and only half of the stores were open for business. On weekends however, Thames Town flooded with visitors, newlyweds, and cameras. If you wished to live in an Austrian China, move to Guangdong, where you could stay in a duplicate UNESCO town. The complete copy of Austrian town Hallstatt, both the architecture and the lake, will come into existence in Guangdong, as SPIEGEL ONLINE covered. Read More… View Larger

theworldofchinese:

Copytown, Chinaland

The Window of the World theme parks in Shenzhen and Changsha, Beijing World Park, and Grand World Scenic Park in Guangzhou are popular tourist destinations for people to come marvel at the reproduced (often miniature) versions of the most famous places around the world. They are similar to Disney, only that instead of visiting wonderlands and fairy tales, one visits exotic places around the world. Lest a short visit would not satisfy your desire, you could choose to live in one of the “copy towns” that have recently appeared all over China.

If you wish to hop back to England, go to Shanghai’s Thames Town, where the entire neighborhood is modeled after European architecture. According to SPIEGEL, “one English woman complained that her fish and chips restaurant had been copied in exact detail.”

Thames Town has become one of hottest wedding photography destinations in the Shanghai area. When I visited earlier this year, Thames Town seemed to have problems expanding beyond a tourist/photography attraction. Although the houses were built to be residential, many of them remain unoccupied. On weekdays, the streets were almost empty and only half of the stores were open for business. On weekends however, Thames Town flooded with visitors, newlyweds, and cameras.

If you wished to live in an Austrian China, move to Guangdong, where you could stay in a duplicate UNESCO town. The complete copy of Austrian town Hallstatt, both the architecture and the lake, will come into existence in Guangdong, as SPIEGEL ONLINE covered.

Read More…

Reblogged 19 hours ago from theworldofchinese 6 notes

voguedissent:

han-chee-guai:

but written Korean uses absolutely no Chinese characters. I wonder how trustworthy this source is.

as someone who speaks a few of the languages on these charts, they’re pretty true about difficulty of language acquisition. they really need to brush up on other stuff, like korean NOT using chinese characters anymore.

Time needed to become proficient in Chinese/Japanese/Arabic/Korean: 1.69 years 

Hahahahahahaha…you wish it only took 1.69 years

(Source: languageek)

Reblogged 19 hours ago from voguedissent (Originally from languageek) 10,530 notes

alicelostinneverland:

merlinwhosuperpotterlock:

I actually think this was pretty responsible. Rather than banning it outright, which would result in kids wanting to rebel even more, she offers it in her home where she can control the amount people drink. Good on ya, Mrs George. You’re a cool mom.

She also offered her daughter a condom when she was hooking up with a guy instead of freaking out and kicking the guy out of the house.

Reblogged 2 days ago from sarcasmismyweapon (Originally from realitytvgifs) 56,565 notes
One day, a man criticized my desire for knowledge, saying that it was inappropriate for a woman to be learned, as it was so rare, to which I replied that it was even less fitting for a man to be so ignorant, as it was so common.

— Christine de Pizan (via sublunarie)

Reblogged 2 days ago from chezamanda (Originally from sublunarie) 686 notes
  • Not feminism:Oh my God, that woman is wearing make-up and high heels! She can't be a feminist. She's just adhering to the patriarchal expectations of femininity! What a traitor to her gender.
  • Not feminism:I hate men! Women are so much better than men! All men are rapists and we don't need their help! Men are just there to oppress us and keep us down! Women are the superior gender.
  • Not feminism:You're giving up your career to have a baby? You're being dictated to by a man! That's the wrong choice! You've slept with twenty men? Wow, way to show that you have no respect for yourself.
  • Feminism:Women and men are equal. No-one should be discriminated against on the basis of their gender. Women have the right to decide how to live their life, how to dress, what to do with their body and who to love.
Reblogged 2 days ago from gayblowjob (Originally from teashoesandhair) 75,278 notes
theworldofchinese: Using Audacity to Practice Chinese When it comes to learning a new language, practicing one’s listening skills and pronunciation is crucial. In addition to studying with the help of a native speaker, one can practice speaking and listening on their own time as well. Ollie Linge from Hacking Chinese recommends Audacity, a free recording software for both Windows and Mac users. Audacity lets the user record live audio and import digital files into separate channels, which the user can use to cut, copy, splice or mix the recordings. With these features, the program can easily be used to do the following: Record from any source Enhance the recording Repeat or slow down the audio Mimick and record Save, edit, and export Ollie also made a tutorial, which can be viewed below. Read More… View Larger

theworldofchinese:

Using Audacity to Practice Chinese

When it comes to learning a new language, practicing one’s listening skills and pronunciation is crucial. In addition to studying with the help of a native speaker, one can practice speaking and listening on their own time as well.

Ollie Linge from Hacking Chinese recommends Audacity, a free recording software for both Windows and Mac users. Audacity lets the user record live audio and import digital files into separate channels, which the user can use to cut, copy, splice or mix the recordings. With these features, the program can easily be used to do the following:

  • Record from any source
  • Enhance the recording
  • Repeat or slow down the audio
  • Mimick and record
  • Save, edit, and export

Ollie also made a tutorial, which can be viewed below.

Read More…

Reblogged 2 days ago from theworldofchinese 10 notes

The Girl Who Pretended To Be A Boy →

seananmcguire:

queersuperteens:

The Girl Who Pretended To Be A Boy, from The Violet Fairy Book compiled by Andrew Lang, on Project Gutenberg.

Just.  You guys.  IT’S A CLASSIC FAIRY TALE ABOUT A PRINCESS WHO GETS TURNED INTO A BOY AND IS SUPER FREAKING HAPPY ABOUT IT AND THEN GETS TO MARRY THE PRINCESS SHE RESCUED. 

Thank you, Seanan McGuire, for mentioning that a story like this existed.  And thank you, whoever that person who sent her an ask saying the story was in one of the Fairy Books, for sending that ask.

I AM SO HAPPY OMG.

There you go, somebody found the Colored Fairy Book this is from!

Reblogged 1 week ago from fuckyeahlesbianliterature (Originally from queersuperteens) 582 notes