USA Map with Chinese Characters

I found this map of the United States with Chinese Characters. I think it will be a great thing to bring along when we go to China again, to include in our daughter’s SWI Director’s present (indicating which state we live in).

Cultural Revolution History Website Link

This site gave me my first grasp on what the Cultural Revolution was and where and why it happened in China. If you’d rather browse a website than read a book, this is an excellent way to learn about a time that has greatly impacted the modern life of Chinese people today. Great information and cool photos too.

Yin Yu Tang Museum Website Link

Originally built in China, the Yin Yu Tang house (built during the late Qing dynasty period) is now part of the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem Massachusetts. This interactive site gives beautiful pictures and diagrams of the house and the way it was built.

New York Chinese Scholar’s Garden Website Link

This looked like a neat place to visit if you are in the New York vicinity. It is part of the Staten Island Botanical Garden, so for those of you who love plants you get an extra bonus.

Cultural Revolution Posters Website Link
This site is so cool. It displays several examples of propaganda posters from three distinctive time periods in the Cultural Revolution between the years of 1970 and 1979. An excellent display and very educational. I was actually able to click on the smaller images of these postersto bring up larger ones and print some of the them on my color printer. They printed pretty nicely considering that they are low resolution.

Maopost.com Website Link

Okay, let me first state that I am not pro-communism, nor do I agree with using propoganda. However, I do appreciate some of the art that came out of the tumultuous time period in China called the “Cultural Revolution” (look into it, too much to explain here). That said, this website is just too cool! You can have your portrait painted into a replica Cultural Revolution poster. I am so tempted–but can’t find just the right poster that I’d like to have done. Anyway, check it out.

Pimsleur Mandarin Website Link

This language system focuses on speaking the language and helped a GREAT DEAL when I went to China to teach English Teachers for two weeks. As we had no guides for a good deal of the time I was forced to use my Mandarin and let me tell you, it came in VERY handy whenever I was able to use it. The thing I like about this system is that it not only teaches you what to say and how to say it, but it helps you understand what the person you are talking to may say back to you and how to understand that! Invaluable! I was able to help our group out often and I’ve only gone through the first 7 lessons! Well worth the money.

This site a great source of information about what occurred during the 1989 Tiananmen Square Massacre. The documentary husband and wife team (Richard Gordon and Carma Hinton) who logged over 400 hours of archive video consisting of interviews with student leaders as well as many first hand video clips make this video the only one of its kind. The site also has a ton of information about the events from different perspectives if you are not inclined to purchase or rent the video and would prefer to read instead. I find all of this very fascinating, and maybe you will too.