Culture Shock: Being Tan Or Being Fair-skinned, Which Is Better?

Quiz:

Read the dialogue and answer the question below：

Xiǎo Xīn: Āi, wǒ zuìjìn yòu shài hēi la.
小新：哎，我最近又晒黑啦。
Xiǎo Míng: Tǐng hǎo de ya, xiǎomài sè de pífū kàn shàngqù hěn jiànkāng.
小明：挺好的呀，小麦色的皮肤看上去很健康。

What does Xiao Ming mean? Please choose the best answer.
A. Xiao Ming wants to get whiter.
B. Xiao Ming wants to be even tanner.
C. Xiao Ming prefers a healthy complexion.
D. Xiao Ming tanned recently.
See Answer Analysis

If you are not sure about the answer, please read the following text first and then try again.

"美 (Měi) Beauty" is not an absolute, inflexible concept. There are differences between the understanding and pursuit of beauty between the East and the West. For Chinese, among many standards of beauty, fair skin is a rather important "标准 (biāozhǔn) criterion" to judge "外貌 (wàimào) appearances," and how to whiten is also a daily life topic, especially for women.

My Personal Encounter with Differences in Beauty Between Cultures:

While I was studying in Europe I encountered all sorts of differences between Western and Eastern Culture. I became very familiar with the feeling of culture shock, and I hope that by sharing my story, I am able to open your awareness about some of the cultural differences around the world.

My good friend Lisa and I were chatting one day, and she happily said to me that she finally getting darker. She spent the whole summer vacation "晒黑 (shài hēi) tanning." She was afraid that after a little while, she would immediately go back to being white, so she went to the tanning salon regularly to keep her beautiful tan from fading.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, many Chinese girls often complain that they can’t get white enough, and are willing to try every means possible to make themselves a little whiter. That’s why "美白产品 (měi bái chǎnpǐn) whitening products" are more and more popular on the Chinese market.

For western countries, pursuing dark skin can date back to ancient times, because in former European and American countries, only the rich could go head seaside on holidays, and the poor were the ones who had to work, usually indoors like in factories, day and night. Over time, the gap between the rich and the poor has widened. It also gradually developed a "习惯 (xíguàn) habit" of distinguishing social status by the "肤色 (fūsè) the color of skin."

In the East, though, Asians love whitening so much for exactly the opposite reasoning. In ancient China, only the rich could enjoy themselves at home, and the poor went out in the fields to do manual labor. Therefore, the white "皮肤 (pífū) skin" was not only a status symbol, but also gave rise to the aesthetic standards at that time."

The beautifying through whitening culture is deeply rooted in China’s history. That is also the reason why "白富美 (bái fù měi) white, rich, and beautiful," has become a new "目标 (mùbiāo) goal" of many modern Chinese women.

(Do You Know What the Corresponding Phrase of "白富美 (Bái fù měi) Is in China?")

Let’s take a look at some possible examples:
Chinese prefer... Read more

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Top Tips for Scoring High on the Intermediate HSKK Exam

For those of you new to Chinese language tests, HSKK stands for "汉语水平口语考试 (hànyǔ shuǐpíng kǒuyǔ kǎoshì)" and is a standardized oral test that aims to test examinees' ability in spoken Chinese. HSKK is the oral test portion of the HSK and is divided into 3 levels:

● HSKK Test Prep (Beginner Level)
● HSKK Test Prep (Intermediate Level)
● HSKK Test Prep (Advanced Level)

Lately, the questions about how to prepare for the HSKK Intermediate exam have been flooding in. Without further ado, here are the top tips for Chinese language learners looking to get the best score on their intermediate HSKK exam.

1. To Do More Listening Exercises
Improving oral Chinese is a comprehensive process, not only to master the accurate pronunciation of Chinese, but also to master Chinese vocabulary. This HSKK Test Prep is designed for those who can talk with native Chinese speakers on certain routine topics, but find it difficult to conduct non-routine tasks. Learners need to acquire 900 Chinese words and phrases to pass the test.

To improve on these requirements, start with listening. Here are some audio materials for different levels of Chinese language learners:
Chinese Podcast | Chinese Podcasting Lesson, Learn Chinese Online

Choose the difficulty of Chinese listening lessons, Chinese songs, Chinese movies, and Chinese "广播 (guǎngbō) broadcasts" according to your own level. By listening more, you will be more familiar with the pronunciation and intonation of Chinese. At the same time, after accumulating certain vocabulary, it’s possible to practice more oral Chinese.

There are other good ways of learning Mandarin Chinese such as: "夏令营 (xiàlìngyíng): summer camps," "留学 (liúxué) study abroad" or "旅行 (lǚxíng) travel." But now that it is convenient to make good use of the internet, we can also make Chinese friends online to practice Chinese. Perhaps installing a "微信 (wēi xìn) WeChat" app on your phone will help you!

2. Be Familiar with Types of Questions
Types of questions on HSKK Intermediate Exam:

听后重复 (Tīng hòu chóngfù) Repeating After Listening
看图说话 (Kàn tú shuōhuà) Talk About the Picture
回答问题 (Huídá wèntí) Answer Questions

Types of questions 题型		Numbers 数量(个)	Examination time 考试时间 (分钟)
Part One	听后重复	10	5
Part Two	看图说话	2	4
Part Three	回答问题	2	4
Total		14	13

a. 听后重复 (Tīng hòu chóngfù) Repeating After Listening:
Do more repetition drills and record your own pronunciation during the usual practicing time. It’s very helpful to correct pronunciation in a timely manner.

b. 看图说话 (Kàn tú shuōhuà) Talk About the Picture:
Students learn to make good use of their imagination by learning how to tell stories. Your creation could be based on events, roles, and the time and place clues within the picture.

c. 回答问题 (Huídá wèntí) Answer Questions:
Firstly, what the most important is to explain the reasons, and then you can give more examples to verify them, so that the answer would be more full and specific. The main points of the statement should be clear. you can use these expressions to sort out your own logic:... Read more

Quiz:

1. Which of the following does not belong to the types of questions on the HSKK Intermediate Exam?

A. 听后重复 (Tīng hòu chóngfù)
B. 你画我猜 (Nǐ huà wǒ cāi)
C. 看图说话 (Kàn tú shuōhuà)
D. 回问答题 (Huídá wèntí)
See Answer Analysis

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