Stewart Lee Beck's Blog

The scene: Tiananmen Square.

Three thousand Beijing students shout accusations and patriotic slogans at their backward government. The scene turns ugly.

Protestors set fire to a cabinet minister’s home. Police intervene to disperse the mob and arrest 1,150 protesters, turning parts of Beijing University into a makeshift jail. The Beijing government doesn’t know it’s already too late to contain the upswell of popular discontent. Students go on strike in other cities, and soon, everyone has hea...

How can you continuously improve your Chinese skills with a full-time career and a busy travel schedule? This article identifies five key benefits you could realize from a mobile Chinese language learning platform.

You also may benefit from this article if you:

Want to maintain immersion after a move out of China Find it difficult to arrive on time at your language class Are easily bored with traditional language textbooks Want to declutter and become a more efficient student Aspire to creat...

Here’s your chance to get more out of our new book History Flashback, and at the same time, improve your Chinese vocabulary.

China Simplified and AllSet Learning collaborated to compile and produce this helpful resource for language learners and history fans alike. The list contains words and phrases which span 5,000 years, from ancient (“Confucianism” and “Mandate of Heaven”) to modern (“intellectual property” and “overseas Chinese”). 

Get your copy here:

DOWNL...

There were hippies in China over 1700 years ago. We’re talking freedom-loving hedonists who wanted to escape from restrictive Confucian officialdom during the brief Three Kingdoms (220–280) period. Daoism, with its connection to nature, was a much better fit for this lot, and provided a framework beyond their worldly frustrations.

The Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove (竹林七贤, Zhúliín Qīxián) were a group of writers, musicians, and scholars from multiple generations, teenagers up to forty-somethi...

We’ve come full cycle again to the Year of the Dog, known as an auspicious animal associated with good fortune. If you were born in the Chinese Year of the Dog (2006, 1994, 1982, 1970, 1958, etc.), you are considered loyal, smart, hardworking, adventurous and compassionate. In your less than stellar moments, you can be impatient, over-critical and aggressive.

Dogs play with certain animals better than others. According to traditional Chinese astrology, Dogs get along best with Rabbits (the be...

The China Simplified team returns with a sneak preview of their new book China Simplified: History Flashback. Many thanks to the cast of inspired actors for bringing the new book to life!

Cast (in order of appearance)

John Pasden
Chua Liwei
Zhang Ping
Wendy Saunders
Ray de Graaf
Yan Leqi
Patrick Donnelly
Andrew Ballen
Al Rocco
Yang Kanzhen

Crew

Director/Editor: Zhang Jiayi
Writer/Producer: Stewart Lee Beck, Sun Zhumin
Graphics: Yang Kanzhen
Lighting: Pan Yuanx...

The CS team is pumped that our print books are now shipping on amazon and to your favorite local bookstores! Digital versions (kindle, iBooks, Nook, Smashwords) and audiobook versions are coming soon.

China Simplified: History Flashback has taken us five years to conceive, research, and create. Our original goal was to create a entertaining yet insightful journey (under 200 pages) through 5,000 years of Chinese history and culture. The final print version weighs in at only 183 pages,...

People of many cultures call upon a God or gods for guidance and protection in their daily lives, and the Chinese are no exception. Let’s meet three traditional deities who play starring roles during the Chinese New Year holiday.

The Kitchen God

灶君 ZàoJūn

The Kitchen God protects the household and oversees its moral health, which is somewhat ironic since his human-to-deity transformation came after he abandoned his wife for a younger woman.

In this cautionary tale, Zao Jun’s earthly form goe...

Want to put your best foot forward and create better impressions while working and living in modern China? Here are three seemingly harmless words that, when used in certain contexts, can create negative impressions:

1. “Expert”

e.g. She’s a real China expert!

Would you ever say someone is an expert on the ocean? Of course not.

Likewise, the vastness of the country and the depth of its culture should dissuade anyone of sound mind from making this dubious assertion or allowing this ove...

Modern Chinese have developed the habit of using the character 死sǐ(die) to spice up their colloquial expressions. Let’s take a closer look to see what we can learn from these colorful language extremes. Often these “dying” expressions are used to express negative feelings with lighthearted charm…

饿死了è sǐ le – extremely hungry
渴死了 kě sǐ le – extremely thirsty
吓死我了 xià sǐ wǒ le – frightened me to death
疼死了 téng sǐ le – to really hurt
热死了 rè sǐ le – unbearably hot
冷死了 lěng s...